discipline gets it all right. And even
when it comes close, there isn’t any-
thing to preclude several things from
being effective, is there?EVEN MORE PUZZLING are the true
believers who give credence to
so-called “no touch” systems. I’m
continually amazed that anybody
accepts claims of no-touch knock-
outs or energy transference. Years
ago, people in my combatives
organization issued a worldwide
challenge in which we agreed to pay
$15,000 to anyone who could knock
out one of us without making con-
tact. We promoted the challenge and
made sure the details got the widest
possible distribution: We offered to
travel to wherever the no-touch prac-
titioner was and sign any waiver,
and we stipulated that we would
videotape the whole thing and post
the video everywhere. But if the
no-touch knockout didn’t occur, the
practitioner would have to pay our
travel expenses and fork over to us
$15,000 for the effort.
Guess how many respondents
we got?
We received no emails, texts or
phone calls. Yet seminars purporting
to teach these techniques fill up regu-
larly. Whole systems revolve around
the concept. It defies logic. If such a
thing existed, every police force and
military organization would embrace
it immediately. If such a thing could
be taught, people would be getting
knocked out globally — for all the
right and all the wrong reasons.
Rendering someone unconscious
always comes down to kinetics or
getting that neck squeeze. You can
never, ever take the requirement
to fight out of defending yourself
against an attack. That means there
is great risk to both combatants.
Every use-of-force situation is subject
to the ungovernable elements of risk
and chance.
So earn your black belt — it demon-
strates discipline and perseverance.
Then burn it so you’re not con-
strained by it. And whatever you do,
don’t drink the Kool-Aid.Kelly McCann’s book Combatives for
Street Survival: Hard-Core Counter-
measures for High-Risk Situations is
available at blackbeltmag.com/store.fighting practitioners or vice versa. It
should be obvious that a need exists
for both skill sets, just as it does for
a mastery of transitions between the
two extremes.
Combatives practitioners also
drink their own Kool-Aid when they
promote any technique as a pana-
cea. Examples include throat punch-
ing, eye gouging and hammerfist-
ing. To challenge just the first one,
ask yourself this: If an attacker has
any knowledge or experience at
all, won’t he keep his chin down?
<insert thinking emoji here> No
more throat punch!The often-repeated combatives
mantra of “Never go to the ground”
is said only by people with no
ground game and no understand-
ing of the ground. They mistakenly
think it will be their choice in a fight
to keep it standing without fully
understanding that good wrestlers
and jiu-jitsu practitioners will take
it to the ground eventually and will
look to get it to the ground quickly if
they’re getting tuned up by someone
with hands.
The madness continues with
notions of “Punch his groin if he
mounts you.” Ummmm, he’s sitting
on his testicles, actually, so whatever
you’re punching with that limited-
range-of-motion hammerfist isn’t
likely to matter much at all.
I often say, “No one does anything
because they think it’s stupid.” But
what is stupid is thinking that any
one system, one technique or oneW
HEN YOU’RE THE ONE
who made it, it tastes
especially good. You
want others to know
how good it tastes, so you tell them.
But you can’t help yourself, so at the
same time you tell them how bad
Flavor Aid and Crystal Light taste,
comparatively. You become known
for making great-tasting Kool-Aid,
so much so that your reputation
would take a hit if you ever admit-
ted (grudgingly) that Flavor Aid
and Crystal Light taste pretty damn
good, too.
You know there are some things
about Kool-Aid that aren’t so good,
but it wouldn’t further your cause
to highlight them, so you don’t.
Instead, you focus exclusively on its
great taste, low cost and many uses.
(You can even make popsicles with
it!) When people point out the draw-
backs of drinking it all the time, you
get mad. You distract and deflect.
You attack the critics — because
now you’re invested, and everyone
knows it.
YOU CAN PROBABLY GUESS that I’m
about to liken this to martial arts.
When the bulk of someone’s experi-
ence and competence is in one dis-
cipline or another, many times the
person will vehemently defend “his”
art (note the ownership in declaring
something “your” art) despite what
some may consider glaring faults.
In fact, the culture and community
demand that.
Grandmasters, masters and black
belts tend to be heavily invested in
their systems. They demand loyalty
and frequently dismiss as disre-
spectful any intellectual opposition,
any challenges to the validity of the
techniques and sometimes even
innocent questions. Systems need
doctrine. Adherents must perform to
a standard. The standard is achieved
by teaching a consistent curriculum
based on the tenets of the system.
But when doctrine becomes dogma,
there are issues. It’s one thing to
say, “This is true in our system” (an
opinion), and it’s wholly another
matter to say, “This is true univer-
sally” (a fact).
THIS IS ESPECIALLY THE CASE when
stand-up people impugn ground-
Years ago, people
in my combatives
organization issued a
worldwide challenge
in which we agreed to
pay $15,000 to anyone
who could knock out
one of us without
making contact.
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019 § BLACKBELTMAG.COM 31