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 Very recently I've had the privilege of taking part in an FMA Discussion podcast with a group of fellow Astig Lameco practitioners, including the method founder Roger Agbulos. We had such a great time and so much fun that time flew, but the discussion touched on several topics that might be of interest, if you have time to take a look and have a listen. 

Be as it may, quite lot of time was spent in effort to shed light on certain more or less specific aspects of technique, meaning how it is trained for combative effect. While there are numerous elements that comprise a well performed technique, it seems that to a lot of people it still boils down to a set of biomechanical building blocks that, if sequenced properly, should yield desired result. Since another prominent subject in the conversation was solo training, several listeners believed it focused on the said approach to technique. 

After all, isn't that exactly what it is meant when experts of all sorts offer opinions and advice on the proper and improper way of doing pretty much anything?

Well, not exactly. Naturally, if one's approach and interest in doing martial arts lies in some sort of aesthetic, artistic, meditative exercise and/or performance (kata, choreographed demos etc.), then the above mentioned view is pretty good. 

However, if you are in the category of practitioners who look for the functional use of technical arsenal in the circumstances of working against a non-complient partner/opponent (whether in competition, sparring of a real fight), thing tend to require attention toward several other dimensions. Yes, the mechanics of delivery are still important - including speed, power, strengths etc. - but there additional elements of the equation, such as timing, distance management, efficiency, intent and so on. And then, there is the avenue of tactics, strategy and other avenues of taking the other person into account. I have particular affinity toward the definition of technique as used by the authors of a book reviewed here: 

…both an accurate movement pattern as well as successful application in an Unscripted Training or Play Learning environment. Correct Execution does not mean a person can simply successfully mimic what a movement pattern looks like, it means that they can use the movement pattern effectively and also achieve its intended outcome…

See, it is the intended outcome that happens to be the key phrase here. That is why I said, during the discussion, that Astig works through the outcome based methodology, using the reverse engineering approach in identifying what makes a good technique, necessary physical attributes, and adequate training methods to develop all those. And this is why the impact of good instruction and feedback is especially important, even if you are working on your own. 

So...do your best to find it. 

Watch out - the book bites!

Every once in a while, in the world of martial arts and combatives training comes a set of events that leads to the general paradigm change in how things are analyzed and approached. In the modern age, the first such occurrence with some media coverage was Bruce Lee’s open advocating of cross training, which at the time was seen as blasphemous in some circles. Today, however, his Tao Of Jeet Kune Do is a classic book, while MMA is a widely accepted concept, even among the lay people.

Oddly (maybe), the evolution in technical and tactical training methods of training hasn’t really been closely followed, until very recently, by adaptation in training in line psychological research, especially in civilian circles outside professional sports. Even more rare is the appearance of literature that treats the subject in a practical, yet profound manner, without oversimplification on one side, or the indiscriminate avalanche of expert terminology, in hopes of giving credibility to the publication. There have been some authors whose insights had come from personal experience, able to put it in writing in a sensible manner with excellent insights for the readers, such as Marc MacYoung, Rory Miller and Varg Freeborn, but those are few and far between.

It is thus with exquisite pleasure that I am writing today of what should be one of those milestone works – The Maul, written by Schalk Holloway and Gavin Coleman.

Very adequate

The subtitle of the book is Preparing for the Chaos of Close Combatives, and it’s an understatement. Many other books and videos will claim similar goal or result, but keep regurgitation the same old information. Holloway and Coleman have combined personal experience in dealing with daily violence in South Africa with modern research in neuro-science, as it applies to humans in the conditions of close combat. There have been works dealing with psychology of combat before, but mostly in terms of what to achieve and how to deal with it, but not so much about optimizing your daily training in accordance with the said research. Without going into detail, this means primarily the two states in which the brain operates and how they interact, as well as how they impact our performance. The only brief reference to this, which I have seen in martial arts literature was in a book by Luis Preto, but without deeper interpretation.

This book is one of those that are so well thought out that the logic of how its subjects are presented flows seamlessly, which makes it easier for the reader to comprehend and assimilate the material. The authors start with sharp and honest analysis of the actual problem, in terms of how most combat training programs are run, in comparison to what are the demands of the potential real world situations that would entail the use of such training. It is then followed by the relevant presentation of the information that one needs to have a grasp of deal with it. And unlike many other resources, Holloway and Coleman do not stop there, but actually proceed to offer systematic solutions and how to develop them.

Acting on it

The seriousness of approach and scope of the book is hinted already in the glossary of terms at the beginning – Close Combative Incident, Pre-Incident Indicators, Tactic Determinants, Current Reality, Unscripted Training, etc. Just take a look at their definition of Correct Execution:

…both an accurate movement pattern as well as successful application in an Unscripted Training or Play Learning environment. Correct Execution does not mean a person can simply successfully mimic what a movement pattern looks like, it means that they can use the movement pattern effectively and also achieve its intended outcome…

And not only are the authors honest in their investigation of the subject matter, but also when it comes to not pretending to be the revolutionary thinkers whose work comes from a vacuum. Instead, they give credit where credit is due and direct the readers to further sources for enhancing their understanding of the topics presented.

In case you are wondering, yes the book does go into the HOW TO aspect of dealing with an assault, primarily through use of edge and point tools, as they describe it. Still, the methodology is robust and versatile enough to be implemented empty-handed or with smaller impact weapons.

In conclusion, it is really difficult to recommend this book strongly enough, as a simple review is painfully inadequate in attempt to do it justice. The authors are easily accessible via Facebook and happen to be really nice, down to earth guys who will gladly answer your question related to their work, even if not necessarily stemming from the book.

If you would like to find more about Schalk Holloway make sure to hit his web place over at

https://schalkholloway.com/  where you can find his other book, too, but also read more about this one on the page https://schalkholloway.com/the-maul-book/