CCH: Explain why having a
multi-disciplined approach to
overall self-defense is important. In
other words, why simply buying a
gun alone isn’t enough.BALICKI: Studying any martial art is
great, but not every art has an answer
for every problem. For instance, some
martial arts concentrate on kicking.
What does a person do if they live in an
environment that gets heavy weather in
the winter? Have you ever tried kicking
on ice or any other slippery surfaces?
What if you’re a great grappler and you
are attacked by multiple attackers or in a
parking lot full of broken glass? Problems
like these may not be conducive to your
system of self-defense.One pitfall is that a student may be
successful at their school. They become
proficient at being attacked the way
their style in the martial arts teaches.
Let’s say you come from a boxing club
and everyone you spar with has a clean
boxing delivery. Now some crazed mani-
ac is swinging at you with wild punches
and kicks. It may be so unorthodox that
you have no choice but to go into a fetal
position to protect yourself. All your great
technique might go out the door. The
way you defend yourself in your school
can be a very different thing on the
street. Remember the saying, you may
be a big fish in your little pond, but waittill you get into someone else’s pond,
you may be like a fish out of water.No martial arts system has an answer
for all situations. If someone tells you
their art does, take that as a warning. In
martial arts there was a time that it was
frowned upon for training in multiple
styles, but for the most part I think those
days are over. I have had people try to
tell me that I am training in too many
systems. I’ve been told that I need to
focus on one style, that I should fully
understand that style before I look to
other styles. My reply to this form of
thinking would be, when I was in school,
I was taught math, science, English and
history, and I managed to work all of the
above and pass all my classes. When I
put pen to paper, I could figure out when
I was doing math and not my A-B-Cs. It
is imperative to cross train for real world
scenarios, especially when dealing with
weapons.I will look at every style so that I can
to see their views on how to deal with
weapons. I have had people tell me,
“Oh, you’re good with a knife... Well,
I would just shoot you.” My reply is
“OK, where’s your gun?” This usually
generates a smug look from the them
after that. Even if they were wearing a
gun, I would bet I could deploy my knife
as fast or faster than them—and it’s not
going to go well for them from there.Sure, I think I would have a hard time if
the roles were reversed, but what I can
say is that I am training what to do if the
situation occurs.It’s better to go to your maker trying to
nullify a threat with a plan than going
out with a cry and a plea. The same
goes for people who say that weapon
disarms don’t work. Weapon disarms
may be hard but necessary. Training to
disarm at least gives you something in
your toolbox. You need to have some
kind of a plan worked out and train it
diligently, because you know you’re
going to need it at any given time and
more often than not it will come at the
worst time possible.Also, train disarms left- and right-hand-
ed. Early in my martial arts training,
I started becoming proficient—or so I
thought. While I was in class training,
my instructor asked me to come to the
front of the class and perform a weapon
disarming technique. I knocked it out
of the park! Full of pride, I started my
way back in to the audience of students
when he stopped me. My instructor said,
“That was great Ron. Now do the same
thing with the weapon in his left hand.”
Oops. It didn’t go so well, and my chest
deflated.CCH: Which specific types martial
arts disciplines would you suggest?Ron Balicki has
trained in multiple
martial arts disci-
plines, gaining value
from each. Photo
courtesy of Ron Balicki44 CONCEALED CARRY HANDGUNS • FALL 2019