Good topic!!! Here is my view...
At The C.S.P.T. we do not veiw Self Preservation as a "boxing problem" or a "grappling problem" or a "shooting problem"... We veiw it as a survival problem! Whatever weapon you may be depending on is only a tool. You are the weapon. Your survival begins and ends with you. The answer for surviving a violent encounter... Learn your best options at all ranges: empty hands, weapons and firearms. Learn the best training methods to develop them and train them under all circumstances and environments. This must be done structurally, methodically and dynamically.
As far as streetfighting goes we are simply looking for the truth of the matter!!! Generally there are no "street fights" per se. There are "assaults". When we are in a situation where we may be assaulted we must rapidly "counter assault" our attacker, not "fight" with him! There are 1000 ways to do anything - one best way, one worst way and 998 ways in between. I don't care about the worst way or the 998 other ways, just the best way. When it comes to "self preservation" I am interested in the best way to take a person out of commission. It's not about fighting!!! A fight is when two people square off and mutually agree to exchange blows. It's really not about becoming an expert level boxer or wrestler or kickboxer. These people train for years so they can "duke it out" with eachother. There are a lot of big, tough, mean people in the world who want to grab you by the ears and bite your nose off. You can't afford to "square off" against this kind of person. You have to know your best options and you must have a delivery systems to execute those options as well as training methods to make them come to life for ÒyouÓ. So our goal is to train for ÒSelf PreservationÓ. We can fight in all the ranges (kicking-punching-clinch-trapping-grappling), and with sticks, knives, firearms and inprovised weapons. We also learn to flow in and out of all these ranges/elements. There are several reasons why people lose fights. They get tired or they get "nailed" in a range they are unfamiliar with i.e. the grappler get's kicked or the boxer get's grappled or they are simply ambushed and they panic. We train for every possible scenario as well as Òbody alarm conditionÓ (emotional/pyscological applications)as to be familiar with all the ranges/dynamics. If we're constantly doing this we should not get tired. We are addressing the realities of an assault and we are not held captive by the limitations of our systems, arts, facility or our ego. So as Bruce Lee taught us, we use "No Way As A Way". We are not trying to be expert level at any one thing. We are just learning our best options at each and using the very best training methods to make it all work. You can't just train one range, say boxing, and think you will always fight in boxing range. Assaults/streetfights/suprise attacks mutate. You start off one on one and then his buddies jump in and one has a broken bottle so you pick up a stick etc... To grow you must constantly put yourself in unfamiliar situations. You have to be able to adapt. There is no way, there is no limitation.
The following is a breakdown of the matrix of self preservation. You will see why we are not trying to be expert level at any one thing. There is just too much. So we are trying to be expert level at the matrix as a whole.
o Firearms - Long, medium and close range. Retention and disarms. Shoot/no shoot.
o OC Spray - Chemical defense sprays
o Improvised Weapons/Projectiles - Throwing coffee mufs, cue balls, knives etc. Dropping a couple of batteries in a sock. Clock radio in a pillowcase.
o Staff - Brooms, curtain rods, branches etc.
o Dos Manos - Two handed weapons. Baseball bat, axe, two by four, lead pipe.
o Flexible Weapons - Chains, nunchucks, hose, rope, an electrical cord with a lock attached to the end etc.
o Stick and Knife - One long and one short. Could be a machete in one hand and a knife in the other or a car antenna and a razor or a plunger and a pen etc.
o Double Stick - Two longs. Could be double machete or machete and stick or car antenna and tree branch etc.
o Single Stick - Could be single machete or a bar b que cleaning brush a rolling pin a small lamp etc.
o Double Knife - Two shorts. Could be knife and jagged piece of tin or an open can of chili with the lid still partially attached and a carpet cutter etc.
o Single Knife - Could be a broken piece of glass with your shirt wrapped around it to hold it or a jagged key etc.
o Pocket Stick - Double or single. Could be a ballpoint pen, keys, screwdriver etc.
o Empty Hands - Kicking range, punching range, clinch range, trapping range and grappleing range. (with and without weapons)
o Killer Instinct - Psycological and emotional control as applied to assault/counter assault. Threat Perception Management.
o Combat Athletics - Attribute Development. Speed, timing, footwork etc.
This is how I see it.
Demi Barbito
The Center For Self Preservation Training
www.DemiBarbito.com