18 December 2008

The Best RBSD System

If you had just 5 days to best prepare someone to be able to deal with today's most likely types of violence, what would you teach? What would you leave out? This is what Reality Based Self Defence (RBSD) is all about.

Assume the people turning up for this training have an average to moderate level of conditioning. Gear it up for people who will physically be able to partake in most if not all types of physical activities associated with Low Tech Combat. It can be toned down for elderly and less able people later as required.

Include What and Leave Out What?

So what would you include and what would you leave out? I will go through what I feel would be important in a purely practical system with only so much time to teach and have them be able to apply the techniques by the time the 5 days is up.

Focus on Assault or Robbery?

From my recent research, Assault is far more likely than Robbery. This can be seen from Australian stats on Assault and Robbery, US stats on Assault and Robbery as well as UK stats on Assault and Robbery. On top of that, it can be seen that Robbery has more serious consequences (injury).

So Assault is more likely and Robbery has more serious consequences. What this means is it is up to the individual instructor to look at his students and determine if they regularly go out on weekends drinking, to restaurants or to other places where Assault tends to happen. If they do visit these places, an emphasis should be given to countering Assault type of attacks. If they avoid these times and places, it is best to focus on Robbery.

Have a Realistic Aim

These two different types of attacks are very different in the lead up and execution as was discussed in my post about the difference between Alpha Male and Predatory attacks. This must be taken into consideration when teaching a short RBSD system. To ignore this is to really waste peoples time who are there to learn how to avoid or de-escalate and if necessary, emerge the victor from a violent encounter.

So What is the Focus?

Day 1

It can seem very unsexy but the first full day should be spent on learning about the key indicators that an attacker gives away. These are the soft skills. Awareness and the Jeff Coopers Colour Codes of Awareness will be taught as many people remain unfamiliar with this. Without going into too much detail about soft skills here, this subject will make up the lessons for the first day which include role playing towards the end of the day.

Day 2

This will see a transition from Awareness into De-escalation. This will include non aggressive body language as well as verbal negotiation. Again, role playing and scenarios will feature heavily towards the end of the morning.

The afternoon will cover simple weapon use and defences. Edged weapons will be the main effort here as they have been seen to be the most likely weapon used except in the US where firearms are mostly used. In the US, you had better be teaching some defences and counters to firearms or you are misleading people into thinking they can defend themselves. If not counters, at least instruct people in the fundamentals such as the specific dangers of firearms and in most situations, to co-operate.

Again, we will start out learning technique and towards the end of the afternoon, attacks will be launched from scenarios and role players. Attacks will be launched in a similar manner to real life as indicated by CCTV, prison footage and real life experiences people have had.

Day 3

Day 3 will see some basic defences, shields, entries and counters being taught. Simple techniques from Crazy Monkey, the Shield, some basic boxing slipping and weaving and other related material. Day 3 will focus on defending against an onslaught and on entering safely to counter attack or launch a pre emptive strike. Again, in the afternoon, these will be launched towards the end of a scenario.

Day 4

This will see the basic unarmed tools being taught. Simple tools to teach should include;
  • Thai Clinch and control into knees
  • Elbows
  • Open hand strikes and Hammer Fists
  • Round and straight kicks to shins, knees and thighs
  • Getting up safely from the ground
  • Basic escapes and positions of control on the ground (hips escapes etc.)
From the beginning these will be done on pads and bags to focus purely on 100% power. In the afternoon, some role playing and simulations will progress from showing some signs of imminent attack, through to approach, attempting de-escalation (sometimes successful), through to attack/entry where the defender either counters or launches a pre-emptive strike on the pad that the attacker is holding.

The end of the day will be a lesson on considerations for improvised weapons and their use.

Day 5

All morning will involve sparring and wrestling with appropriate protective gear and instructor controls. Towards the end of the morning, feints, draws, breaking rhythm and stop hits will be taught.

The afternoon will be the final stage where all of the above will be pressure tested in a variety of scenarios and simulations using role players and props both armed and unarmed. The ratio of Assault and/or Robbery scenarios will be determined by the group being taught.

The Intended Result

Hopefully by the end of the 5 days, people will be as best prepared as humanly possible. I have included all relevant areas and left some out due to time constraints. The emphasis is on avoiding and if not possible, de-escalating and if not possible, destroying the attacker thus ensuring our own survival and safety.

Peer Reviewed RBSD Systems

Below is a list of 5 Peer Reviewed RBSD systems for further research. If you wanted to do an RBSD course, you could do far worse than try out these systems. They generally cover most areas mentioned above in my post and are widely considered in the Martial Arts and Self Protection world as being the best available.

Click on the link above each image to find more information on these excellent Reality Based Self Defence (RBSD) systems.

FAST Defense

ISRMatrix

Jim Wagner

Senshido

Tony Blauer Tactical Systems

If you have any thoughts or experiences with these systems feel free to leave a comment below. What would you do differently if you were to design a 5 day course?

Bookmark and Share

Posted by Adam Low Tech Combat

2 comments:

  1. 40 hours is about a good length for a program, but few people of "average fitness" will be able to hold up doing consecutive eight-hour days of new and vigorous activity with contact. Five consecutive Saturdays, or a couple evenings per week for a few weeks, would work out better.

    1) Active and inactive sections should be alternated. 1.5 full days at the beginning before you get into the real combat stuff isn't the smartest way to go about it. Break it into memorable 1/2 to 1 hour modules which are alternated with the hitting, grip breaks, etc.

    2) Dovetailing with the above, "spaced practice" makes for better retention of learned material.

    It doesn't take a lot of time to teach the principles of detection, avoidance, deterrence, and defusion. Repetition and application IN SCENARIOS, spread over the course of the training, and linked-in with the combat skills, will reinforce it much better than trying to cram it all in at the beginning.

    3) CQC basic movements should be taught before the weapon defence, since the students will draw on some of the movements, such as kneeing the peroneal nerve after acquiring outside-two-on-one on the knife-arm.

    4) You're missing multiple-attacker training, ethics, and jurisprudence.

    You're on the right track, but you're not going to get a good, working program until you break it down into finer pieces, and figure out how they should be optimally sequenced.
    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting points Anon.

    I am inclined to agree that it is better to implement some theory teaching, like 40mins or so, with some type of Alive drilling to consolidate the theory into application. Similar to what you mention in your steps 1 and 2.

    I think in hindsight, it would be better to implement my day 1 and the morning of day 2. This way, like you mention, there could be shorter lessons followed by some Alive drilling and role playing. But the full spectrum of scenarios across both Assault and Robbery should be considered along with kidnapping, home invasion and rape serials for women.

    I don't think it would be effective to teach these soft skills interspersed with hitting and grip breaks like you suggest though. I think it is still best to progress from the beginning, through to the end of a violent encounter.

    I do however see merit it doing the unarmed module prior to the edged weapons module. This way, the students can have some 'empty hand' stuff to apply once the weapon bearing limb is controlled. It makes sense in this light. Thanks for the suggestion.

    And since writing this, I have come to the realisation that multiple attacker MUST be a part of a system that aims to be effective and practical. As Ive learnt, almost half of all attacks involve more than one attacker. Of those, three or more attackers id more common than just two attacker. So the old two against one sparring just isn't going to cut it.

    Thanks very much for your thoughts on this matter. Appreciated and thought provoking.
    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Related Posts with Thumbnails