ISSUE #222 GUIDED CHAOS NEWS         follow us @GuidedChaos    ENDORSEMENTS

HITTING FROM GRAPPLING RANGE: PART 2    by Lt Col Al* In Part One of this Newsletter I discussed the concept of Collapsing the Sphere in order to be able to enter on an attacker and hit at what is referred to as Grappling Range. In the diagram below the first figure is my "stick man".  The dotted circle represents his Sphere of influence, which extends as far as your hands and feet can strike effectively in any direction.  The blue circles below show the top view of this.  As you transition forward (stick figure 2) notice that the sphere of influence moves with him.  As he enters to strike, notice that the hand is extended as if moving to strike with a chop from the CCUE. If for some reason the attacker's position changes or for some reason you sense that you need to collapse as you enter by collapsing the sphere (stick figure 3) you are able to continue your movement forward while maintaining the momentum of the attack and finishing up with an elbow. In order to successfully accomplish this when entering, maintain contact with your attacker as you “feel” their body/structure and isolate your body, moving slightly off line from their weapons as you Drop Strike with maximum power.  In the beginning, the easiest way to practice this is to enter with the CCUE (Close Combat Universal Entry) and folding either to the “Drac” or by “Answering the Phone” as you enter (see our book Attack Proof and/or the Attackproof Companion Part 1 DVD or Digital Download). This will protect your head, throat and eyes as you enter, making you unavailable to their weapons while yours become unavoidable to them.  At a more advanced level you want to “Ride the Lightning” (a form of skimming/ricocheting--see the Attackproof Companion Part 2 DVD or On Demand Digital Download), striking as you work your way in using the CCUE or, if you have developed it, the Combat Boxing striking methodology. [Note: once again without the ability to Drop Strike at close range it is very difficult to collapse the sphere and strike if you can’t deliver your strikes with crushing force when you arrive.  It’s not impossible--just difficult.] As stated previously, one of many concepts that makes Guided Chaos so unique amongst martial arts systems is the focus on principles and attributes as opposed to tools and techniques.  In Guided Chaos while we are familiar with the concept of the various ranges of fighting, we find this concept limiting since it is based on a theory which assumes that a completely different set of skills are required and, most importantly, should only be used at the appropriate ranges.   While this is not so much an issue at the kicking or trapping/striking ranges there is a belief that at the grappling range only grappling skills are effective.   This is incorrect! One of the reasons people feel the need to grapple at close range is to gain some measure of control. Also many (i.e. most) martial artists do not develop the ability to Drop strike so they generally lack sufficient striking power at close range.   Thus the belief that grappling is the only option available to them at this range.   There are some that will tell you that such close-in hitting is impossible. However, if that were true then how is it that pro boxers knock people out at close range all of the time?   Apparently these folks have never seen a pro boxing match. Understand though that boxers can't grapple and thus get to deliver strikes without the impediment of someone literally trying to choke them out or break their arms. So hitting at grappling range is an even bigger challenge for training true self defense to save your life. In 4a-b below we are at what many would consider Grappling Range. The normal human tendency as well as conventional technique training would say that you "grab on" and wrestle with all your might. Here's the problem: while you're latched on to them, they're locked on to you. Unless you're a Champion grappler, if you're smaller and weaker it's game over--you'll be crushed, strangled or have your arms pulled out of their sockets and broken. This is because in doing your "defense" you engage all your antagonistic muscles and become rigid, slow and incapable of mounting any sort of effective counter. Instead, by adopting a completely different nervous system and total body muscle response, a completely different outcome is possible. Visualize this: Instead of "hanging on" for dear life and attempting to suppress or control your attacker's body, react as if his skin is red hot--and pocket, step and evade grappling contact while simultaneously diving through and inside his arms. In order not to "burn" your skin yet still get inside you'll have to sense his openings and step, collapse, twist and "weasel" through them--yet still maintain contact so you know where he is. The advantage of this is that you will not get locked up and immobilized and will be able to strike loosely, unimpeded, with full Dropping power. Essentially you become a "Spike in the Sponge": the more he presses on you, the more you disappear while he gets impaled on your weapons. Loose, ruthless, penetrating striking is the key to remaining "Unavailable Yet Unavoidable" and destroying a grappling attack. Again, all this requires a complete re-wiring of your nervous system, something Guided Chaos provides. [Fig 4a-7d: Guided Chaos master LtCol Ridenhour working with Al Tino, GC 4th degree and Close Combat instructor under Carl Cestari and Charles Nelson] So you see, in Guided Chaos, rather than ranges of combat, we prefer to focus on fighting within our “Sphere of Influence”.  The reason for this is because the ever-changing nature of a real fight for your life (in terms of ferocity, speed and distance) is too fast to calculate a prescribed "technique" for a given "range".  As we say over and over in Attackproof, your brain is not like a computer searching for the matching choreographed technique to counter a specific recognized attack. This is what you see in movies, study in books, read in martial arts magazines and practice in most dojos...and it is utter bullshit. Reality simply doesn't work that way. By developing your abilities through the principles of Guided Chaos you are able to change the shape and size of your Sphere of Influence based on what you perceive through your sensitivity and improvise what you need, when you need it.  It is this ability to improvise and adapt that helps you to survive, not functioning like some self defense dictionary. And relying on ONE magic technique is no better. A hammer is no good when you need a screwdriver. Through the development of dynamic principles you are able to strike with power with your hands and feet at the range that most people only think you can grapple.  In 5a-b below, crushing strikes at super close range are shown. This is not the same as ground and pound where you are still locked to the enemy! What a perfect opportunity for his friends to come kick your skull in! You must always fight to save your life with a methodology that allows ESCAPE...and grappling by its very nature doesn't allow that. In figure 6a below, I start off the sequence trying to enter with the Close Combat Universal Entry (CCUE) however in this instance the move is countered with a strike.  Rather than trying to force the move I quickly step outside and off line (fig 6b) however, note that as I continue to enter I collapse my sphere of influence, maintaining contact with my right arm as I step off line.  Key point:  notice the Red arrow in fig 6b.  I point this out to highlight the fact that as I collapse my sphere I close the distance between his body and mine while remaining unavailable to his strikes by moving off line, yielding etc… yet making my strikes unavoidable for him. I complete the sequence (fig 6c) by “totally” collapsing my sphere into him, maintaining contact throughout the motion. This contact is important because it allows you to feel their intention as you enter, thus avoiding their strikes.  Because of sensitivity developed through the principles you’re able to feel the attacker's intention as you enter, removing the ambiguity from the fight. As explained above, people feel the need to grapple at close range to gain some measure of control. Because most martial artists do not develop the ability to Drop strike they generally lack sufficient striking power at close range as well the sensitivity and looseness to deliver them. Key Point: when entering and collapsing the sphere you want to ensure you do not step too far to the side.  When you step too far to the side (fig’s 7b & 7c) you create unnecessary space which may allow them to get back into the fight.   You want to step in close enough to cut off the angles for him, preventing him from having the space to react fast enough to your strikes.  Just like the matador in the bull fight, he moves as little as he needs and times it just right to not allow the bull enough time to turn on him--yet he does not "grapple" with the bull--he stabs him and kills him. Final note on entering:  when you enter on another person, one of the most common mistakes that people make is that not only do they create too much space when they step off line, they also tend to push the attacker's arm too far away when they redirect their opponents strike (red arrow in fig 7d).  This is a big mistake! Just as with stepping too far in, you are creating unnecessary space which may allow them to recover and counter your movement.  The exception to this is if they have a weapon of some kind which may require you to create some space (this is providing that you recognize the weapon in the first place).  In Part III of this newsletter I will compete this series on How to Enter and provide some training tips on how to develop the timing and movement necessary to facilitate it.  * LtCol Al will be teaching a 2 Day hands-on Intensive seminar on these and other concepts at Unity Martial Arts Academy in the UK Nov.17-18.

"YOU'VE GOT TO FEEL IT TO BELIEVE IT"     UK SEMINAR NOV. 17-18    UNITY MARTIAL ARTS ACADEMY (The ONLY Guided Chaos School Outside the U.S.) Farnham Park Playing Fields Beaconsfield Road Farnham Royal Slough SL2 3BP MAP/DIRECTIONS Tel: 07721 410526 FOR BEGINNERS THROUGH EXPERTS Yes, you read that right. Guided Chaos' unique methods benefit all levels dramatically. In fact, for some people, advanced training in another style could be a handicap. For others, GC can be the Holy Grail you've been searching for your entire life...but you may have to "empty your cup!" MORE INFO

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KILL THE ENEMY: Close Quarters Combat for U.S. Military Personnel "The Kill the Enemy video is the greatest work of modern combat of our time! In the dirty bloody world of real combat there are no second place winners. In combat there is only Kill and come home. John trains you for just such an encounter. There is nothing in the world that can ever prepare you for the harsh cold reality of combat, but John Perkins has found a way to bridge the gap between school and real world no-holds-barred REALITY!" --Captain Jonathan Edwards, 101st Airborne/Air Assault POLITICALLY INCORRECT HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT...?   In 1989, the RUSSIANS instituted a hand-to-hand combat methodology that far surpassed ours in terms of SIMPLICITY and EFFECTIVENESS. Ironically, it was nearly IDENTICAL to the system OUR military used--BACK IN WORLD WAR II!! WHAT HAPPENED?!! Through a political process too convoluted and distressing to elaborate on here, over the years, our soldiers' hand-to-hand training has become convoluted, mis-directed, and relatively ineffective except under "sportive  or "competitive" (i.e. unrealistic) conditions. KILL THE ENEMY is a simple video guide that does away with the boxing-grappling-locking nonsense that has become the "politically correct" standard of training for our soldiers in recent years. Instead of subjecting our military personnel to methods that could get them killed, Master Perkins and Lieutenent Colonel Ridenhour USMC provide basic, effective methods proven in World War II. Distilled from Part 1 of our book ATTACK PROOF, these strategies (Guided Chaos Combatives) are the basic tools that John Perkins' Guided Chaos builds upon. Topics include: Comparison: US vs. Russian Hand-to-Hand Training The Myth of Grappling Defensive/Offensive Posture Basic Hand Strikes Bag/Dummy Training/10 Seconds of Hell Wrestling the Rifle Covering Your Back A Fantasy Knife Fight Rear Choke Scenarios Ground Fighting Fantasies Conclusion: History Doesn't Lie! BUY NOW

CAN YOU SURVIVE ON THE GROUND?   The Fantasy: A 100 pound woman can fight off a 200 pound man from the Guard position (much less mount him for a "ground and pound"!)                  ...ARE YOU SURE?     • Do you really want to be locked tight to a dangerous enemy-- who may have weapons or accomplices ready to kick your brains in? • Do you really want to Mount or go into the Guard position against someone bigger and stronger than you? • If you're a woman, can you REALLY grapple with a stronger man...and live to tell about it? There is a world of difference between competitive submission fighting with rules and elite athletes... ...and real, life-and-death self-defense for REGULAR people, where the only rule is chaos. DON'T BET YOUR LIFE ON A SPORT! The built-in restrictions on your training could short-circuit your reactions and get you killed if the spit hits the fan.   GUIDED CHAOS GROUNDFIGHTING: MODIFIED NATIVE AMERICAN COMBAT 2 DISC DVD SET MODIFIED NATIVE AMERICAN COMBAT   We focus on:  • Evasion • Ground Mobility • Ground Kicking • Ground Avoidance • Multiple Attackers • Knife Attacks • Penetrating defenses and striking to the eyes and throat OUR CRITICS SAY: "We can hit the eyes and throat too, so what's the difference?" The difference is that we're better at it--as well as defending against it, because both require Sensitivity and Adaptation--something we train exclusively. YOUR INSTRUCTORS: Former forensic crime scene expert John Perkins: Perkins has trained in Native American "Anything Goes" fighting principles since the age of 5. Over a period of 20 years he combined it with experience gained from over 100 extremely violent arrests (where people routinely ended up in the hospital or morgue), unsanctioned pit-fighting, World War II Close Quarters Combat, the internal aspects of tai chi and the ancient Greek combat art of Elephtheri Pali. In 1978, he formally created Ki Chuan Do and the principles of Guided Chaos [in1998 he officially changed the name of the art itself to Guided Chaos]. Unlike the "fight-by-the-numbers" self-defense methods popular today, the Groundfighting component of GC is probably unlike anything you've ever seen before.   Iraq and Afghanistan combat veteran Lt. Col. Al Ridenhour USMC: Infantry unit commander and instructor of unarmed combat, he is also a Guided Chaos Master. Security Manager, Assistant Operations Officer, and the Anti-Terrorism Force Protection Officer for the II Marine Expeditionary Force in Iraq. Worked with U.S. Customs Service and U.S. Border Patrol for the JTF-6 counter drug mission. Has trained current and former members of US Marines, US Army Special Forces, NYPD, US Air Force OSI and US Air Marshal Service   Guided Chaos 2nd Degree Tony Dey, Champion of Cage Combat, Bare-knuckle, No-weight Limit and Vale Tudo matches in Kiev, Holland, Florida and Mississippi and former head bouncer at some of New York City's most  violent nightclubs.  GUIDED CHAOS GROUNDFIGHTING--BUY NOW

A HAND GUN IS USELESS IF YOU CAN'T GET IT OUT BARE HANDS TO HAND GUNS PART 4 OF THE GUIDED CHAOS WEAPONS SERIES DVDS You can be the best target shooter in the world but if you can't fight HAND-TO-HAND at CLOSE RANGE you will never even GET to your gun. Worse, you could be shot with your own weapon! And if you get the microsecond to draw, traditional Isosceles or Weaver stances could get you killed. MORE INFO    PART 1: KNIFE OFFENSE | PART 2: KNIFE DEFENSE PART 3: CANE VS. KNIFE | PART 4: BARE HANDS TO HAND GUNS

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THE BEST DVD FOR LEARNING KEY GUIDED CHAOS DRILLS AND PRINCIPLES: THE ATTACK PROOF COMPANION PART 2 YOUR GUIDED CHAOS FOUNDATION Contains highly detailed demonstrations of all the drills that are most vital to your development in GC (including some that are NOT in our book). It also has detailed explanations and applications of the 4 unique principles of Guided Chaos: Balance, Body Unity, Looseness and Sensitivity, including many important sub-principles. The stepping sequences alone are invaluable. MORE INFO

SIMPLE AWARENESS TOOLS FOR SAFEGUARDING YOUR LIFE,   YOUR HOME AND YOUR FAMILY:

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ENDORSEMENTS:


"Let me start by saying I thought I'd seen all that the world of 'reality-based self defence' had to offer, so for the easily bored out there, I'll cut to the chase. What I witnessed on the weekend of 26 and 27 March is the closest thing I've come across that resembles a modern-day, reality-based martial art and not just another 'combatives system'. Does it work? Hell, yeah! I got my arse well and truly kicked and at times felt like I was in the middle of a Jason Bourne fight scene."
--Clive Girdham, former Senshido and Geoff Thompson instructor [excerpted from the exclusive review of the Guided Chaos Australia Seminar in the Aug. print edition of BLITZ MAGAZINE: Australia's #1 Martial Arts magazine volume 25, issue 6

"Guided Chaos is the only training in my 15 plus years of Corrections that translates into real world application, period."
---Bob Miller, Corrections Officer at the largest facility in Oregon

"Guided Chaos is the only thing that has worked for me in real life situations. Unless you are 6'3" and 285 lbs of muscle, most of the Defensive Tactics stuff (ok all of the Defensive Tactics stuff) will get you hurt. And even if you are that big and strong, there is always someone bigger and stronger and there may be a lot of them. Nothing like dealing with one guy and it turns into a free for all with all his buddies. This is where you literally need to 'adapt or die' and Guided Chaos is the only training in my 15 plus years of Corrections that translates into real world application, period.

"If I had to pick only one martial arts system in the world it would be Guided Chaos..."
--Dr. Robert L. O'Block founder and publisher of the American College of Forensic Examiners International, American Board for Certification in Homeland Security
 

"...through watching videos put out by attackproof.com, and by
reading Attackproof, the book, I have learned real survival skills.
These skills have been learned...at an exponentially higher practical
yield-per-hour training rate than any other martial art classes or
seminar I've ever attended, or ever even heard rumor of."
--Matthew Shoener, Police Officer, Scranton, PA 

"The Companion Video Part One is stupendous!
A godsend of detail for out-of-state practitioners."
--Mark from Chicago

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