THE REALITY OF FIGHTING

 by Phillip Starr

Many modern martial arts afficionados have convinced themselves that freestyle sparring and engaging in a real fight are pretty much the same thing. Never being one to hold my tongue very successfully, I'm afraid that I must burst that bubble and refute their beliefs. While the practice of freestyle one-step, freestyle sparring, and form serve as invaluable aids in increasing combative skills, they're not the same animal at all. Consider miltary basic training; during the Vietnam war, replacements quickly learned that although training at the firing range taught them how to use their rifles, it didn't prepare them at all for using the weapon in actual combat. Some were fortunate in being taken under the wings of those who'd been in the bush for awhile and who showed them the realities of action in that particular theater and how to use their weapons effectively.

Forms and freestyle sparring are performed under ideal conditions. In an real skirmish, the surface that you're standing on is often less than sterling and may well be slippery, spotted with chunks of gravel or other detritus, or even muddy...and it may be sloped or uneven rather than flat. Top that off with the fact that you're probably going to be wearing shoes...maybe boots or, God forbid, ladies may be wearing heels! This is going to impact your footwork, believe me. And your balance. And regardless of what some contemporary “experts” espouse, you DO NOT want to go to the ground!

Your clothing may be a bit restrictive and the clothing of your opponent can even present you with some problems. Your surroundings are usually not as open and clean as the training hall floor and certainly nothing like the competition ring. There may well be a variety of obstacles all around you, which can create unexpected problems (this includes other people as well). And the odds are good that your antagonist will be armed.

Then comes the reality of the fight itself. You're wired and excited. Your enemy probably feels the same way. You have no time for fear; you must focus fully on the moment and determine that you will NOT LOSE! A real fight is usually messy and extremely exhausting (even if it there doesn't seem to be any real reasons for it to be physically draining, it will be). Real fights don't normally last very long, regardless of what Hollywood would have you believe but you'll feel so debilitated that it seemed as though it lasted all afternoon. It's up close and personal; you can smell the stink of your opponent's sweat, smell and feel his hot breath, feel the shock and warmth of the blood... and regardless of what you'd like to believe, you're very likely going to get scuffed up. How badly you get scuffed up depends on how much and how thoroughly you've trained for this moment.

THIS is what the forms and practice routines (such as one-step, freestyle one-step, and freestyle sparring) have prepared you for...but like learning to shoot on a clean firing range, they're still a considerable distance from the real thing.