Building The Spontaneous Reaction

[MJS]

Ultimately, this is the goal that we should all be trying to get to in our training. To be able to react without having to think.

What drills, if any, do you do to train this? Do you feel that this is an important aspect of training?

Mike

 

[Drac]

Ultimately, this is the goal that we should all be trying to get to in our training. To be able to react without having to think

Absolutly...

What drills, if any, do you do to train this?

Repetition..Repetition..Repetition of basic techniques.

Do you feel that this is an important aspect of training?

A VERY important aspect that is oftimes overlooked by MANY LE trainers..The attacks on LEO come very fast without warning, we don't have time to think,..We must react..The same for citizens, you must react without hesitation, it can make a big difference in the out come of an attempted assault..

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Hey Mike,

Here is a preview article from my next book on The
Instinctive Response.

http://www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com/article2.html

This book is only half written but will hopefully be coming
out in late 2008 or early 2009.

This definately relates to achieving a reaction without thought with whatever
term you wish to use. Whether it be the Instinctive Response, Void, Mind no Mind,
Spontaneous Reaction, etc.

 

[stone_dragone]

I teach that the key to self-defense is Immediate Violent Response. It cannot be immediate if it isn't spontaneous.

One thing that I do when teaching SD techniques or drills is to always encourage doing something. Whenever a student trys a technique and, say, misses a block, I encourage them to continue and adjust the technique or repidly disengage with a distracting shot. Either way, I teach that they need to not stop in middle of the the technique and go "Damn, I messed up that block, lets do it again."

When that happens, I do emphasize to them that they ought to go through the technique a little slower to get the technique better, but it is a bad habit to stop in the middle and try to start over.

I also try to minimize the need to go back to the beginning by teaching each technique in a series of micro-steps without and with a partner befroe the completion of the full technique, that way it minimizes the build up of bad habits.

 

[MJS]

Hey Mike,

Here is a preview article from my next book on The
Instinctive Response.

http://www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com/article2.html

This book is only half written but will hopefully be coming
out in late 2008 or early 2009.

This definately relates to achieving a reaction without thought with whatever
term you wish to use. Whether it be the Instinctive Response, Void, Mind no Mind,
Spontaneous Reaction, etc.

Oh sure, keeping me in suspense until 2008?? LOL!!

Thanks for the link!! Looking forward to the next book!!:ultracool

Mike

 

[michaeledward]

The way to learn to be spontaneous is to be spontaneous.

We often get so wrapped up in the 'written' techniques, we forget that we can just react. I understand in 'Old School' (where ever that is) the 'Ring of Fire' used to be a pretty popular method of training spontenatity. That is a good idea, that should be revisited in most schools.

Some ideas to make the spontaneous training effective.

From the attacker side:

• The opponent must start three or four steps back.
• The opponent should come in at 1/2 speed to 3/4 speed.
• The opponent should telegraph the attack.
• The opponent should react realistically
• As training becomes more advanced, the opponent should take advantage of exposed openings and secondary weapons.

From the self-defense side:

• Do Something!
• Don't stop!
• Put every attacker on the ground.

I was attempting to train some spontenatity last night with one of the younger students. This young lady is a very accomplished practitioner. But, when I asked her to attack me; she kinda stared at me, and asked 'what attack'? I said, anything. She had to think for several seconds, before she came in with a right hook. I think this demonstrates that we sometimes get too much into 'training mode'.


I also find it is very easy to find spontenatity on the end of a technique; we call it grafting and the equation formulation. But, to recognize an attack, and react to that attack on the fly, is a more difficult thing.



Last thought, be cautious when training this way. The opponent doesn't know what the spontaneous defense is going to be, and is therefore unprepared for it. It becomes very easy to apply a hurt to your colleague.

The last spontaneous attack this young student made last night was a right kick. I went into a Rotating Destruction type of move, and with the pivot, threw her around. She landed on her knee - hard. Boy, do I feel like a ****.

 

[Hawke]

Visualization - going over and over some "what-if" scenarios.

Speed Drills - watch tv and do a predefine act when you notice a transition in the movie. For example, two people talking...close up on person A (punch)....close up of person B (elbow)....frame back to the two people (knee)...cut away to a beach scene (eye gouge). As you get comfortable with a certain set of moves during the next transition do punch, elbow, knee, gouge before the movie cuts away to another transition. Then make up moves for each transition you see.

Bull in the Ring - sounds very similar to Ring of Fire (above post by Michael). The instructor uses hand signals behind the attackers back to call in opponents to attack. Sometimes one person, two, three, or four people come in from different angles. Another variation, the people on the outside jog in a circle around the defender and the instructor calls out names to attack the person in the middle.

Modified Technique Line - everyone lines up and the defender at the front of the line faces his/her classmates. Each attacker does a one move attack (punch, kick, grab, push, pull) and the defender does whatever comes to mind . Imagine waves and waves of attackers coming at you non stop for 1 minute. Sounds easy doesn't it....<evil grin>....it's only for ONE minute.

8 Hits - I have no idea what to call this method. I have never see this done at any other studio. In Tang Soo Do I learned a method called "One Hit." Your partner attacks one hit and you do your combination against that attack. Now in 8 Hits (made the name up) you start one hit and your partner does one block and hits you back, then you block and hit your partner back. Then you hit once and your partner hits twice and leaves that last hit in place for you to block and counter with two hits. This goes on for 5 to 8 hit combos. We use this as part of a warm up exercise.

SPAR - using precaution, fight with your classmates. Spar with different people (tall, short, big frame, small frame) from different styles. Remember to take care of your partner if you wish to practice with them again.

 

[SFC JeffJ]

One of the drills we use is to have the student standing with his eyes closed and then push him with a kicking shield. Then the person attacks the shield.

 

[Fuzzy Foot]

I'll chime in with a stat I read recently in a well respected defensive handgun training book in reference to practicing drawing your gun. It takes on average 3000 repetitions to become competent and still have to think about the motion your performing called conscious competence, and it takes on average at least 7000 repetitions (if I remember right) for the motion to be performed well automatically (without thinking) called unconscious competence. Frequent training still required to maintain this level. Repetition is emphasized and as we all know important. Sounds about right although I would have guessed a little higher, like 10,000 reps to be on automatic. Not sure if this translates the same into MA but probably close.

 

[mijemi]

I was attempting to train some spontenatity last night with one of the younger students. This young lady is a very accomplished practitioner. But, when I asked her to attack me; she kinda stared at me, and asked 'what attack'? I said, anything. She had to think for several seconds, before she came in with a right hook. I think this demonstrates that we sometimes get too much into 'training mode'.

I can identify with this. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and this is fine with kata but as far as sparring - fighting isn't perfect. Lots of good advice here.
Thanks