As warrior trainers, we must ensure that our students not only possess a “Win at any cost” mindset, but also a fighting system that has been pressure tested.
You must instill in them the skills that are going to work no matter where they are at or what they are doing.
I believe that training the “Gutterfighter Way” is your answer, and let me explain why.
Gutterfighting – “The Mental Side” Every day thousands of people train at a martial arts academy.
Okay, let’s say one of your students has trained for three to four years, three nights per week for at least one hour per session.
Do they really know if the skills that they have paid their blood sweat, tears and earned money for will serve them when they most need them? The student must be trained to recognize and accept the realities of violent confrontation.
The question you must ask yourself is this: have I tested my techniques, my tactics, and my methods in a realistic environment and ensured that they will work? If you do not know if your skills will work, how will your students ever know? “Will this work so that I can use it instinctively in vital combat against an opponent who is determined to prevent me from doing so, and who is striving to eliminate me by fair means or foul?” Lt. Col.
They certainly had been trained in the physical skills, but they just had not received the correct mental programming.
One can achieve the will to win through reality-based training.
Here are two simple examples of training that will make a world of difference for any practitioner.
When is the last time you turned the lights down in your dojo or training facility and practiced your techniques in reduced light? Secondly, when was the last time you practiced your self-defense skills in the clothes that you wear every day, and not the clothes that you wear to the training facility? I rarely wear sweat pants, nor do I carry on daily activities in a Gi! Practicing these two simple training drills, coupled with some true threat assessment and you are well on your way to winning.
Please begin training yourself and your students with reality in mind.
Our Gutterfighting training practices combine the use of simple equipment and body weight exercises with focus mitt and Thai pad striking drills in a circuit-training format.
The great champion Muhammed Ali stated, “Champions aren’t made in the gym. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, and a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.”* There are certainly many great men that have blazed the path of Combatives, and they all deserve credit for their work.
Gutterfighting – “Striking & B.E.A.T. Target Model” We do not teach fancy striking techniques.
This model of striking application was adopted from Frank Albert’s great book One-Strike Stopping Power – How to Win Street Confrontations with Speed and Skill.
In his book there is a very interesting quote: “If someone asked me what a human being ought to devote the maximum of his time to, I would answer, ‘Training’.” Some might think this a little fanatical, but I would disagree.
Remember as the warrior trainer, you must also set aside time each day to work on your own warrior skills; this is the only way that you will grow and win! What are warrior skills? Simply put, they are life skills.
So there you have it, the “Gutterfighter Way!” Prepare your mind, prepare your body, practice your physical skills and be ready for an all out battle.
Hopefully the day never comes that you need these skills but if you do, BE READY! Train with a Gutterfighting mindset and practice all survival skills until they are second nature.
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