Great Article from Hock Hochheim’s Force Necessary

Who, What, Where, When, How and Why – On or About Hand, Stick, Knife and Gun Fighting Subjects

 Wednesday, February 18, 2015

A Knife is for Killing

This is a story from an Australian man, a friend of mine nicknamed Redcap. He married a Filipino girl and lives in the Philippines for part of each year…. – Hock* * * * * * * * * *I have had a long chat with my wife’s uncle Borino. He is the family “fighter,” the one with the rep. He also killed our pig the other morning for the big family reunion fiesta. (Photos not included, but if you ever want to learn how to kill and butcher a pig for Lechon, these follow it step by step).Anyway, he has some interesting opinions and experiences on knife killing (he uses the word “ihaw kill,” not “nagaway fighting”) that I have put into a draft article. Not sure where to place the article, though, a little too “reality based” for Black belt or Blitz.Anyway, here it is for discussion if you wish. Meanwhile, I gotta help Papa with the pigs still oinking for their supper! – Redcap

Tonacao Cuchillo – Ten Lessons In Killing With a Knife

Sixty years old, short, wiry with broad shoulders from decades of hauling in fishing nets, Borino Tonacao has a face like kamagong, dark brown and chiselled with character. He is also our family fighter. The uncle of my wife, Borino is the man who kills the pigs for fiesta in the barangay. He has taken lives other than those of pigs over the years, but he rarely tells unless the Tanduay or tuba are loosening his tongue.

    The day he killed our pig for the family reunion, I watched him at work; then later, we talked. He carries his knife in a scabbard made from folded newspaper. It is a cheap kitchen knife, the blade is eight inches in length, and the handle of orange plastic. Razor sharp. He wears it stuck into his shorts on his right side, handle pointing to the left and he can draw it lightening fast. It seems at first the knife is pointing the wrong way for a right-handed draw into a reverse grip position with the blade down and the edge facing his body, but that is how he carries it; and through years of use, he deftly positions the knife that way in literally the blink of an eye.

Lesson 1
Getting the knife into your hand fast is his first lesson. “If it is not in your hand, it is not a knife; it is nothing,” he says. He tells of how he has been attacked and had to fight off his attackers empty handed until he could get his own weapon into action.

Lesson 2
“Keep moving! Yell and scream to summon your courage and to make your attackers scared of coming close. Do not stand still, or you will die.”

Lesson 3
I asked him about the type of knife he prefers, and he simply replied, “A sharp one, this size (indicating his own 8-inch kitchen knife) and in your hand when you need it.”

Lesson 4
The scabbard he uses he throws away when the paper deteriorates, then quickly makes a new one. “It is not important. The knife is important,” he told me. In the West, we fixate on the quality of the steel and the “rig” we carry it in. Here is a man who uses his knife every day, and he thinks only of having it long, sharp and in his hand when he needs it.Lesson 5
We talked about grip and position, and he says he prefers the reverse grip with the thumb on the pommel, or butt, of the handle. It adds power to the stab and stops the knife being pushed back through the hand if he hits bone or his victim struggles. The reverse grip is the most powerful for stabbing he says because he can put his back into the blow.The edge faces towards him so that once he has stabbed deeply he can again use his back muscles to draw the knife towards him, opening the wound, speeding up the killing and giving leverage against the struggling of the victim.

“Your arms and back are made to pull and lift, things I have done every day since a small boy when fishing and working the fields. It is stronger than pushing the knife away from you. The reverse grip is stronger than holding it in what you call a sabre grip. I would never use that, too easy to lose your knife inside him when he fights back.” He shows me what he means, easily demonstrating the leverage used to disarm someone holding the knife in a sabre grip. Even the more secure hammer grip gives something away to the defender.

Lesson 6
“To kill you must have power!” Borino exclaims. “You can’t half kill someone, be it pig or a man. When you kill, they will not lie there and let you do it. They will fight and scream and struggle, and you must be strong. Your heart must be hot but your head cold. You will see their faces and hear their screams in your dreams, and when you are awake they will come back and ask you, ‘why did you kill me?’ and you will feel shame if you did not kill quick and right.” By right, he explained he meant for the right reasons. Not murder, but to provide food if it is an animal and to save your life or your family’s lives if it is a man.

Lesson 7
We talked a bit more about killing, the why, the when, the who, and the how. Borino wasn’t bragging; he was simply telling it how it had been for him. “Killing is easy. Just stab the throat and work the hole. Open it wide and he will die. That is not hard. The hard thing is to live with it afterward. That is why you must kill right,” he said.

Lesson 8
I showed him some knife fighting training clips on a DVD I had. He said very simply and authoritatively, “these men have never killed with a knife” and nothing more. I pressed him for more detail and he replied, “They are playing with knives, not killing. You don’t do all this when you kill, even if he has a knife as well. You get in first and you kill quickly. If you can’t do that, then you wait. Keep him away until he has time to think of dying, when his blood is cooled. Or you escape and kill him when he hasn’t got his own knife. This is not a game. It is killing!”

When I showed him martial artists using a knife to wound or disarm their opponent, he got up, found his cigarettes, then sat down again. He looked at me in a way that made me feel childlike for even suggesting you could use a knife for anything less lethal than death. “A knife is for killing.” He said no more about wounding; he’d told me enough as it was.

Lesson 9
We talked about where to stab, and he said he only ever stabs the throat. If he can’t stab the throat, he will cut his way there. “It is best to kill from behind, like with the pig. Why give someone or something a chance to escape, to fight back and kill you? If you try to kill and fail, they will come for you when you are weak and they are strong and you die. What is the point of that?” Indeed, what is the point of giving your victims a fair chance to not only survive but to do to you what you plan to do to them? Again, this is about one thing and one thing only. Killing. Taking life, not pretending to be some kind of tough guy.

Lesson 10
Which led us to the big lesson. Lesson 10. Intent. To Borino, it is all about intent. He only kills when he intends to kill. He never intends to wound or intimidate. Those who know him know he will kill, and that is intimidation enough. Those who don’t know him are soon set straight by others who have no wish to see blood spilled. Borino has a reputation, but one earned, not made up by telling people how he served with some special forces military unit. Borino never served a day in the military in his life; he is a fisherman and the barangay butcher. He has been in tight spots and survived, and he has no hesitation to kill when killing is right; but when it is not, he feels no shame in avoiding death. Either his or, more likely, someone else’s.

When he kills, he does it quickly with as much power as he can deliver, and he does it definitely, no hesitation. It is not a game. It is life or death and, so far, he has always lived. I asked him if he ever worried that one day he would die like the pig he killed for us that morning?

“Maybe. But I am not worried. If I die that way, it will be quick. And I will take whoever does it with me to God.”

Email Hock at HockHochheim@ForceNecessary.com
Hock’s webpage www.forcenecessary.com
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Meeting Lloyd De Jongh: The Quest for Combative Truth

The Quest for Combative Truth
Meeting with Lloyd De Jongh

Many years ago I started a quest for combative truth. As a lifelong martial artist I have always been in search of the Holy Grail of combatives. As you can imagine this quest has led me to many styles, systems, and people. At one point I was amassing a ridiculous number of techniques from various systems and going insane trying to categorize them into a neat system that I could teach. But each time I would look at my notes I would replace things with new techniques I had collected. This was extremely frustrating and a huge waste of time.

The good thing is my experience has helped me over the years to see past the smoke and mirrors. It has helped me get through the murky waters of technique collecting and useless BS. I recently made a huge decision to step back for a while and purse other worthwhile goals. After my meeting last night that decision has been derailed… the journey continues.

Before I go any further I know that there are those of you who are hobbyists that train for the social aspect and fitness martial arts offers. I also know there are those who are simply trying to make a buck and therefore don’t care if a technique works or not just as long as the check clears. I get that I really do. This article is for those of you who are looking for something more, your own combative truth. People like us train in back alleys, back yards, garages, and warehouses all over the world. I know you are out there and I believe I have found what we have been looking for.

A few years ago I mentioned a style of knife fighting called Piper Knife which originated in Cape Town South Africa. I did research and I found that a couple very prominent West Coast schools had trained and were integrating this new unorthodox system into their own. (I say unorthodox only because it is so completely different to anything EVER taught here in the States) a little while later I found a website and a Piper basics DVD was being offered from Erik Peterman who himself is a force to be reckoned with and is a wealth of information.  The video featured this guy who moved unlike any other person I have ever seen, his name is Lloyd De Jongh, number 2 Guardian in the Piper system.

I thought I had pretty much seen it all, after 36 years in the fighting arts you may tend to think this. Well Lloyd De Jongh changed that for me. His movements were so rhythmic yet explosive and smooth, that I was first intimidated by what I was seeing. All I remember thinking was how awful, no no no, how terrifying and utterly painful it would be to be attacked by him. It was a complete sense of utter hopelessness. And this after 36 years and multiple black belts was all I could think. It was at that moment that I knew I needed to know this, I needed to understand it. My quest had found a new destination.

Ok let’s fast forward and get to the good stuff.

My experience meeting and training with Lloyd De Jongh

When I first met Lloyd it was like meeting anyone. He is down-to-earth, intelligent, and very personable. Being a world traveler like he is will do that to a guy. First impression, nice guy very unassuming and I felt comfortable talking to him.

When we began training he made contact very quickly that is something I like in training especially as a student. I want to respect the technique and the only way to do that is to feel it. He went into some of the history and culture that gave birth to this incredible style of fighting, he explained the various stick fighting tribes and other African based fighting systems that have been around for thousands of years. He explained Pipers beginnings and how it was developed from an ambush style criminals used to attack people.

His goal was to understand what it is these criminals were doing and to adapt it into a system of fighting that could be taught and shared to help good people from becoming victims. Understand Lloyd’s background is in American Kenpo Karate. But he saw a need to understand something that was completely different from the regimented basics and categorized techniques that are most of the martial arts styles being taught today, he needed a solution to combat this criminal fighting style.

As he began taking me from core principles to various concepts developed from this incredibly dynamic culture I immediately understood that I was getting an almost complete overview and introduction to this terrifying and explosive fighting style that Lloyd has adapted. When most of us think about Piper we think Knife, blade based fighting. The first 2 hours of training was empty hand, of course he would mention that it translated from knife to empty hand and back again. I was so amazed at the concepts I was learning for empty hand work that I didn’t even think about the knife.

Lloyd showed me how natural reaction played a part in this. There are schools of thought on how to break the freeze effect by using your natural physical response and I have always found it sound advice but I never saw a solid demonstration that I thought was logical, of course not until Lloyd demonstrated how he uses natural reaction. It was great to see that no matter what position he was in he was strong, and had a powerful base from which to launch an attack or fake a retreat. When we are told that our bodies are weapons there is no style in the world that illustrates this more than Lloyd’s version of Piper and how he teaches it.

I mentioned how deception plays a role, let me just say the experience was humbling to say the least. It was like watching slight-of-hand magic trick that always resulted in a strike to the head and one strike that had me seeing a few stars.

Me with Lloyd De Jongh

 

Whenever he would demonstrate a movement I didn’t know if he was coming or going, attacking or retreating. When he would attack I would have bet the farm on where he was about to strike or stab… let me say I would have lost the farm every freaking time. At times he appeared off-balance and for a split second I would begin to think “A ha this is my moment…” But as I said deception plays a big role. So many truths I thought I knew were dismantled in front of my eyes. He completely destroyed many styles I have learned over the years… I mean completely crushed them! I loved it.

This is something I need more of, I’m reawakened, obsessed with what Lloyd has to offer. This system he has is unlike anything you will ever see. And because we are trained the way we are here in the west you will have reservations about it at first, but once you hear what Lloyd has to say as he teaches it, it will make perfect sense and there is no argument. Understand too that this is a system that was developed to handle the criminal element in Cape Town South Africa. We need to evolve this to fit the threats we experience and have to deal with where we live that goes for anyone who learns this. It should evolve to fit the environment you are in.

Anytime I have been taught a style or system of fighting there is always 100% of the time a point at which I think “Ok I have to learn this stupid technique to get my certificate or to “Know” the system” I’m not the only one many of you have learned a technique and thought, “Has this guy ever been in a real fight before?” But you learn it anyway because there is something else to attain or you learn it because it will eventually unlock the secrets to the universe or simply out of respect. Well I couldn’t find any of those techniques with Lloyd. There was not one moment that I felt safe even in a friendly training environment or felt I had any advantage at all. Lloyd could be nearly 10 feet away and all I could think was “Crap this is gonna hurt.” Like I said earlier Lloyd De Jongh crushed many truths I thought I knew. At one point I had to release myself of the responsibility of trying to retain and remember everything he was teaching and just go back to enjoying this experience on my journey.

Please do me a personal favor check out Lloyd De Jongh hit him up on Face Book see what he has to offer. If it’s up to me those of you in the New England area will see much more of him in the coming future. Hit me up as well if this is something that is interesting to you. You will not regret this. Contact me let’s get a dialog going about this. If you are a school owner this will truly enhance your school. Open yourself up to infinite possibilities. Please share this article!

Mayhem Forward!

Sean Anderson
Mayhem Combatives

Tell us about your Black Belts Test

We would all like to hear about your black belt test.  Was it a grueling 90 minute ordeal or was it 24+ hours of never-ending hellish fun?

My black belt test started in a Gold’s Gym as our instructor was a weight lifting fanatic.  We had the most intense workout of our lives, high reps, little rest.  We then went to the general area where our test would take place, after a cool day of hanging out and a great team dinner, we laughed, hung out till well past 2am and then hit the rack, at least we thought we were hitting the rack.  No sooner did our eyes close when we were abruptly… well violently woken up. I’ll spare you the details that grimy fish tank water played in that process.  We were shuffled into a truck with our gear and brought to the location…. the beach.  This place would always be known as The Beach.  This would be the place that would break the largest of men and ultimately transform everyone into warriors…. I’m not talking the kumbaya bitches that throw this word around, but real warriors.

I wont get into too many details but we were told to bring multiple gis and workout clothes, sneakers, sweat shirts, and pants, Gatorade, gallon of water, carb snacks energy bars, and an assortment of odd things that just made you think WTF? plus every weapon we could think of.  When we got onto the beach we were told to line up facing the water. It was beautiful, the early morning mist coming over the water.  It was truly amazing. We knew we were part of a very small group of people who pushed themselves…. I mean really pushed themselves to be batter. Were were then told to line up in full uniform for basics.  Not 1 minute into basics we were knee-deep in water.  Try throwing a roundhouse kick or rather any kick with gi pants on knee-deep in water facing the beach.  (My uniforms were always those freaking heavyweight gis, not the student weight gis handed out today)

After basics was a quick drink then time to start katas, eyes front, you cannot look down and oh yeah don’t step on the eggs in the sand all around your feet. Seems kind of silly, but when you knew what our punishments consisted of on good day then you can understand the gravity of the situation.  Eyes front! is all we heard. After that fun excercise came self-defense, face your partner one foot in the water one foot out.  This was actually a lot of fun.  But the best part has yet to be told.  After all of this being wet fully dressed covered in sand and having it places sand just shouldnt be, we were told to dry off and get dry warm clothes on.  Whew! what a relief…. or so we thought.  Once we were dry and had taken a quick break it was back to the water.  Now this is where it gets fun.

One at a time we were called up in front of the board.  Where one of the board members would come up and tie our hands behind our back.  Then walk us back into the water up to our waist.  The rest of the board surrounded us and we were told to defend our selves.  The beatings began.  What we found out quick was that falling down under water with your hands tied behind your back sucked, getting up was brutal.  I remember looking up out of the water without a full breath of air in my lungs for what seemed like minutes when actually it was seconds.  They wanted to see what we would do.  Of course the feeling of elation when you saw hands coming to grab you and pull you up was just incredible…. but again short-lived right back under we went.  After which we were taught how to get back to our feet in this situation.  The best tests are also the best class lessons.

After we all got to enjoy this beating, we were again brought up, knee-deep in the water and surrounded by the board.  Just this time they were holding BOs, staffs and one member had a fucking yari spear which he would accidentally of course and not knowing, hit me in a fresh hernia scar I had received almost 3 weeks earlier….. ahhh the pain, the glorious pain.  I’m told I giggled a little.  Well this went on for hours.  We were attacked in every manner by the board then we were untied and told to attack each other and that our test hinged on or efforts…. in other word “Don’t pull your punches”, every man for himself.  Don’t get me wrong I was never closer to a better bunch of guys in my life.  And I’d do it again.  It really was a field day for warriors.

After the fighting the beatings the water torture.. ahem.. water fun.  We were instructed to dry off get a 3rd set of warm comfy clothes on…. ahh to be dry and warm… it was nirvana.  But this was short-lived as it would end real soon. We went to one of the board members homes.  Where he had over his many years of training and weight lifting had amassed a brutal collection of weights that I’m pretty sure were outlawed.  We were using things that could give us tetanus for crying out loud….. lol not really but he will like the joke.

Once in his “Wild Bill” (Silence of the Lambs) type dungeon we would begin a brutal regimen of high weight and higher reps weight training then run out side to lie down facing uphill for leg raises and a freezing cold water hose on us constantly.  The tough part was when some guys got the cool idea to put shirts over our faces and water board us with the hose and buckets of water asking us questions to keep us mentally sharp and focused under such duress during the mayhem.  Mind you we were almost at 24 hours now.

Then once this was all done… again we were instructed to dry off get on our 4th set of comfy dry clothes and then lined up in the driveway and told to hold what we were given, which was a large log, a cinder block, or large rocks.  Then instructed to follow our runner guy who ran like Forrest Fucking Gump, through the woods up hills just a tough run, I mean we were already delirious and exhausted.

After the run they walked us down to the dock, yes the house was on the water.  Where we played a game of the most violent water chicken imaginable.  At first we thought oh cool some fun stuff to lighten the mood…. Nope we were instructed to fight.  I don’t know who had it worse the guy carrying or the guys fighting, either way we all got hit.

Bruised, battered, completely drained of all energy and just fighting to maintain mental clarity, we were again told to dry off and get warm dry clothes on.  At this point we didn’t enjoy it cause we thought we would be back in.  All we had now was the will to fight and survive this day.  To our amazement they announce that there was one last part, the candle.  We were told to punch out the flame of a candle without touching it.  If you have never done this it takes focus and snap.  If you can’t snap your gi you won’t blow out the flame.  This was great we were allowed to be less formal and got to again laugh and hang out as brothers just like we started.  And yes we were all eventually successful at extinguishing the flame.

So you say you went 1 and a half hours at your test…. Cute!  Do tell……

 

To my brothers who fought with me that most excellent of days, I honor you, even if we fell out of touch you will always be my brother.  Thank you for the memory that few will ever experience.

(If I left something out as I’m sure I did please share, people should know the path we walked that brought us to where we are.)

 

Mayhem Forward!

Thank you for the “Likes”

I believe each of us has a spiritual path to follow for me it is the combat arts. Growing up I tried every sport or activity imaginable. None of them resonated with me like the martial arts did. Even as a child I sought true combative forms of karate. I was never really interested in sport sparring or competition, I just wanted to know how to fight and defend myself.

Throughout this deeply personal journey I traveled from martial arts to what is known as Combatives. Through combatives training I have come to meet many great people that have influenced me in the most positive of ways both as a student of the fighting arts and as a person. You would think that you would not find people like this in combatives. Because of the hardcore and often brutal aspects the combative styles are known for. But it is quite the opposite. Some of the best people I have ever met came from turbulent paths and violent backgrounds.

It reminds me of the line from the St. Crispin’s Day Speech by William Shakespeare that goes “For he today who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother…” It shows that brotherhood is forged from challenges and that regardless of distance we are part of a brotherhood. The support I have received from my friends in the fighting arts has been nothing less than admirable and for that I am honored.

Thank you all

Mayhem Forward!

Sean Anderson

Watch “Mayhem Combatives at Strike First Krav Maga” on YouTube

Mayhem Combatives at Strike First Krav Maga: http://youtu.be/EDlb7hEoaSk

Mayhem at Strike First Krav Maga, Allston Ma. 3/7/15

 

 

Don’t miss this event.  We had such a good time last October we just had to go back to see Adam and Ilya and the Strike First crew.  A great bunch of students and lots of people from the area showed up for the last knife fighting event as well.  This one will prove to be much more intense.  The action will be insane and the techniques will be mind numbing lots of ripping and tearing will be going on.  Hopefully we will see a lot of the same people and new faces as well.

Please share and spread the word that Mayhem is coming to Allston Ma. on Saturday March 7th 2015 from 12:00pm to 3:00pm. Call 857-212-6216 for details

Thanks,

Sean Anderson

 

Libre Knife Fighting Certification Course: New England

REMINDER:

 

This certification program is unlike any other knife program around. This program will only run from end of January 2015 until June 2015, that seem like a lot of time but it is not. This will take a commitment on your part but it will be worth it.
You will learn something new every class. After the first class each class will be a quick review of the previous week’s material and you will learn new material. After a few classes we dedicate one class to a complete review of what we have learned up to that point and then apply the techniques in drills to give it that “Street Edge” that you want.
Consider this Special Ops training for civilians. This same material is being taught to military and law enforcement all over the world. We know you do not want to waste time doing push-ups and jumping jacks in your combatives class. Don’t worry you won’t. This class is designed to learn and drill material… THAT’S IT.
This class is being held in 3 different locations choose the location that’s best for you. The class runs once each week. Please contact us ASAP. We need a minimum of 10 participants per location or that location will be cancelled. So let us know right away, no commitment is needed at this time just let us know you are interested.
Start Dates:
January 24th at Crossfit SBF in Dedham Ma. 12:00 to 2:00pm
January 25th in Warwick RI. 12:00 to 3:00pm
January 26th in East Bridgewater Ma. 7:00pm to 9:00pm

Mayhem Forward,
Sean Anderson
Mayhem Combatives

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last month I announced that something big was coming in 2015.  Well here it is.  For those of you who know me and followed my “Quest for Combative Truth” videos you know I am a huge supporter of Scott Babb and his Libre Fighting System based in San Diego Ca.  If you know the Libre System then you also know they offer a Distance Learning Program called the LFDLP (Libre Fighting Distance Learning Program).  It’s an incredible course lots of great material and what I like best about it is that it is a solid foundation from which to build from.  If you are new to this or a veteran martial artist you will be proficient in the use of the blade.

Recently I got the idea to contact Scott Babb of Libre Fighting and asked if it would be ok to put together a Libre Knife Fighting course that would be open to the public, he agreed and now we have set a goal to be finished and certified by the end of June 2015.  This means we have from the end of January to June to learn and internalize the Libre Knife Fighting Distance Learning Program.  Libre is known globally I have witnessed Libre’s growth over the past 6 years and believe me when I say it is astounding how far it has come.

The course is currently offered in 2 locations Warwick RI. and East Bridgewater Ma.  The classes will be once each week for 2 to 3 hours each.  Please contact me directly for information on start date, fees, and which location you will be attending.  As an added benefit you will have the freedom to train at the other location(s) for extra training and practice.

If you own a school, club, or business and can get a minimum of 10 participants we will include your location as well.  I hate to sound like a salesman but this is time sensitive offer as we are in the Holidays and January is just around the corner.  But it is not impossible.  Call me and we can discuss setting up a Libre Cert Course at your place.

Please fill out the contact form below to receive more information.

Certification is optional.  You are not obligated in any way and can opt our whenever you want. But why the hell would you?

Brotherhood to all!

Sean Anderson

Mayhem Combatives

 

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Mayhem announces 2 new workshops

 Mayhem Combatives at

MATA Karate East Bridgewater Ma.

 

Mayhem is proud to announce that we will be at MATA Karate Saturday January 17th from 12:00 noon until 3:00pm.  Erick Gerstel and his wife Julie have been students of mine for almost 2 decades.  So for Mayhem it is especially great to be invited to see their students and enjoy a day of bladed combatives.  This workshop will be extra Mayhem as Erick and Julie remember training under me years ago.  I want the students of MATA to get the full experience.

Come join us as we focus on turning “Predators into Prey”. We will cover the Mayhem Mindset (Accessing your inner predator), the dynamics of violence, true awareness and how knowledge of the environment can give you the edge you need.  Be prepared to tap into a part of yourself you never knew existed!

Mayhem Forward!

Sean Anderson

 

 

 

 

 

 Mayhem Combatives at

 Crossfit SBF Dedham Ma.

 

Hey everyone we are excited to announce that Crossfit SBF is having us back for a Street combatives defensive tactics class on Saturday November 15th from 10:00am to 12:00pm.  No fear… this isn’t one of those step on the toes and pull their hair class this is going to rock!  If you know Mayhem then you know we love the pain… especially when we deliver it to some !@#$%^ who deserves it!

This Mayhem Combatives class is open to both men and women.

This is 2 hours of Mayhem like you have never seen.  Usually we are instructing the latest in knife combatives but this class we will be empty handed and even more dangerous than ever.  If you’re in the area please come check it out its going to be a blast.  Also share this with anyone in and around Boston.

Mayhem at Strike First Krav Maga in Allston Ma.

We had an epic day at Strike First Krav Maga in Allston Ma. Adam Gleason and Ilya Akhter are 2 of Krav’s very best.  They have the mindset that we at Mayhem can’t get enough of and they run a tight ship.  If your in the Boston area and want kick ass self-defense contact Strike First Krav Maga.

Now check out the video of the event!

Tip to build excitment during the slow summer season

I know running a Martial Arts School can be challenging at times but there is nothing more rewarding than when you have created a business and see it grow.  Summer time can prove to be a very slow time of the year for schools.  Here is a tip to build excitement, raise awareness for your school, and possibly increase your income to get through until the Back to School season begins.

 

Tip:

Host a Nunchaku class:  When I ran these they were always filled.  I would charge a nominal fee for the class then each child would get a “Free” nunchaku (foam padded of course) we would run through some basic movements and then on the swinging and twirling techniques.  At the end of class we would blast the song Kung Fu Fighting when the parents came to pick up their kids it was a the grand finale to an awesome night.  Be sure to hand out buddy passes to your students so they can bring their friends to this incredible event.

 

Good luck I hope it works out for you!

 

Sean Anderson

Empty Hand Skills for Blade Fighters

Most of you know that I have been involved in blade fighting combatives for quite a few years now.  What I like most about the knife and stick styles is that they translate to the empty hands.  As most of us know the escrima stick was first used as a way to train bladed techniques safely.  In today’s modern world I believe it is more important than ever for anyone who trains with the blade be equally skilled if not more skilled with their empty hands. All of our weapons should seamlessly transition back to empty hands. After all it’s our hands that move the blade or stick, shouldn’t you put a lot of time into developing them?

When you consider the legal ramifications of using any type of weapon in a street fight you will quickly see why having empty-handed skills should be at the top of your list.  I have always taught the blade with the philosophy that “to defend against a knife you need to know how it operates”.  You need to understand its strengths and its weaknesses.  The blade is considered to be more deadly than a firearm due to its size and the ease of which you can obtain and conceal them.  I believe it to be the ultimate close quarter weapon.

Some people believe that training is not required to use a knife and to a certain degree they are correct.  Even and unskilled attacker with blade can kill just as easily.  As long as you can move a knife it will do its intended job of cutting, slashing, and stabbing.  Although being untrained in the use of the blade leads to self-inflicted wounds and makes it easier for their opponent to use their knife against them.  A trained knife fighter is by far one of the most deadly and dangerous types of fighters you ever want to be up against.

The trained knife fighter has an impressive set of tools they can employ in combat from counter-cutting also called “De-fanging the snake”, to Wall-work, and incredible hand-eye coordination.  A knife fighters hands should be considered to be the fastest hands in the combat arts and rightly so.  Knives can cause the most gruesome and violent wounds you will ever see inflicted on someone.  I see more and more people carrying blades today, called tactical folders.  They are considered tactical because of the speed at which they can be deployed, opened, and put into action.

The problem is most people have not taken the time to learn blade fighting skills.  As blade fighters and teacher we should be spreading the word.  People need to see it for what it is a cool brotherhood of like-minded people who have taken responsibility for their safety and their family’s safety.  Being part of a group like we are we have an opportunity to educate and introduce people to the Combative Practice of blade fighting, stick fighting, and empty hand self defense.

Even though I carry a blade sometimes there are times I cannot carry one like if I’m at work or social functions.  Of course there are alternative means to carry knives, but the point being my hands should be just as capable of protecting me as my blade.  So this is why it is paramount that anyone who makes the decision to carry a blade be responsible enough to learn how to use it and learn how to use their empty hands.  People that only learn the blade and negate the empty hand aspect of training are more likely to pull the blade at the wrong time and this will lead to the second fight for their life which happens in a court of law being judged by a jury of liberal dip-shits.

If you are learning the blade or thinking about it make it a point to ask the instructor if the empty hands techniques follow the same base concepts as the knife training does.  You want to be sure they will translate easily and be just as effective.  If you are one of those people who thinks they don’t need martial arts training then you shouldn’t be carrying a blade in the first place.  Don’t be a fool look around and find a solid blade fighting school.  It should be easy enough as there are very few schools that can teach the blade effectively.  You may have to commit time and money but go anyway because it is extremely difficult to find quality instruction in blade fighting and combatives.  Get involved with a group or create one yourself by getting the word out.  You won’t regret it!

If you ever need ideas for creating a group don’t hesitate to contact me, this is a brotherhood, I will help you in any way I can….. I look forward to it!

Good luck and train those empty hands!

Sean Anderson

Mayhem Combatives

mayhemcombatives@gmail.com

Tribe – Camaraderie – Community

I like this article. I read another one on the same blog titled “Am I a member of a Tribe?” I didn’t
really agree with it. I don’t think simply because you like a something like Diet Pepsi that you’re in the
Diet Pepsi tribe. Thinking like this devalues Tribal culture as I see it.
To belong to a tribe you must be a participating and supportive member in some way. You don’t
have to attend every group session just simply support it. You can support it on FB or other social sites,
you can support it by talking about it to friends. Part of being in a tribe means participating and helping
to grow the tribe.

Some Tribes you know of:

• Sports teams
Martial Arts/Combatives/FMA
• Police Dept
• Fire Dept
• Motorcycle Clubs
• Church Groups
• Departments within a corporate office

In ancient and even modern tribal cultures they have a “Rite-of-passage”. An event that takes
place signifying an important life change. That is the one thing missing from society in the modern
world. Without a rite-of-passage how do kids become adults? How do we break old destructive habits
and announce our new positive habits to our community?
It is these rites of passage that change something within us. Anyone who has ever undergone
such an event will tell you it is life changing. You feel totally empowered to take on any challenge life
has to throw at you, you grow personally and become stronger mentally.

Modern Rites-of-passage that some of you can associate with:

• Earning your black belt
• Graduating college
• Bagging your first deer (or whatever animal you are hunting for)
• Getting “Jumped into a gang” (not for all but still a significant event that will strengthen the
bonds of camaraderie.) I know of only 2 martial arts style schools to use this description to
explain what their black belt or equivalent tests are like, I was in one of them and just started
with the other.)

I’m sure there are a few others but sadly there are almost no rites-of-passage for teens, young
adults, and even adults in our politically correct BS society. And of the ones I mentioned only a
very small portion of the general public knows what it is to experience such a life changing event. Which is sad because even
just remembering the events I went through still gives me strong feelings of pride and a sense of
accomplishment.

To the Tribe!

Sean Anderson
Mayhem Combatives