Why "Combatives"?

Why the term "Combatives"? Why not "martial art" or "self-defence" or "Defensive tactics system"? Why do I persist in using the term "combatives"? In part, the search for a label is driven by the private language that those of us who train in certain systems or approaches use together; it seperates "us" from the rest - from the other. Everyone likes to be part of a group that has clearly defined boundaries of membership and acceptance. It is also a distinction that - whether because of this or simply a sympton - that tries to identify exactly what it is we do.

For years I tried never to talk about my love of the martial arts to outsiders. First, as Dave Lowry says, it's better not to draw your katana in public - that is, it's prudent not to let others know what you can do. Largely, this is because it can provoke confrontation or challenge (people often feel threatened by someone who they perceive as having had some training for physical conflict), but it can also detract from any surprise it may generate when deployed against an aggressor if he is already clued up that we can hold our own. Moreover, it's just awkward talking with the uninitiated about what we do. The general public have a very specific comprehension of what "martial arts" means - a kind of one-size-fits-all understanding - often drawn from Holywood and three weeks of karate at the local youth club as a kid. So, on those occasions when I've mentioned to others that I train in Krav Maga, the usual response is, naturally enough, 'what's that?' 'Oh, it's a defensive tactics system...' They look back blankly.. 'We train to deal with violent and potentially violent situations that we might face...'. 'Oh, you mean martial arts?' as they form their hands into karate-chop type shapes, move them back and forth and make some pseudo-oriental "waaa" sound. All a bit silly really.

No, that's not what I do. I don't do martial arts. Martial arts on that understanding are activities based on tradition, formality, the learning of a system or set of motions that we do with other people, often in a back-and-forward manner. A bit of a generalisation for sure, but you get the picture. Martial arts on this view are largely based on getting techniques to look right - to be aesthetically pleasing - and to preserve a particular athletic tradition. They are (now at least) largely divorced from the ugliness of modern violence, from the realities of rape, robbery, abduction, and being shanked by two goblins in a car park for the price of a cup of tea. (If your martial art does deal with these things, then I submit what you actually do is combatives not martial arts).

Neither can what we do be accurately described as self-defence. This comes with lots of preconceived baggage. It implies lots of twisty-wristy solutions and an approach of reacting to some attack that has alreayd been perpetrated against us. It also tends to indicate a reliance on individual techniques, and techniques that are physical in nature. I have two problems with this understanding. First, what we do is so much more than just physical. If a situation escalates to the point at which it is violent and requires a violent response, then we've seriously messed up. I'm interested in the prior story - the fuller spectrum of personal protection - the awareness, escape, verbal de-escalation, that would prevent me having to be physical. If I'm not training for these, then I'm doing the equivalent of learning to repair a car after in crashes instead of learning to drive the car as well. Second, although our aim, broadly speaking, is to defend ourselves, the term self-defence suggests we should be "defensive" to do this effectively. This couldn't be further from the truth. When the time comes to defend ourselves we should be pro-active. Safety resides in switching on and beating the aggressor at his own game.

So, combatives it is for me. The term is a new one; coined by modern instructors (and legends) like Kelly McCann and Lee Morrison. To be combative is to be ready to argue or fight; to be forthright and persistant. Combatives is what we can do in order to counter those who are physically combative. It is a system of things (principles, tactics, tools) that work for the greatest set of circumstances the greatest number of times. In other words, it's reliable in dealing with violence and the threat of violence. Combatives is something we do to someone, not with someone (a la martial arts). It is asymmetrical. It is pro-active and overwhelming; giving the aggressor no space to respond or harm us. Combatives is principle-driven - it doesn't focus upon the learning of myriad physical techniques or fine-motored skills - but upon ascertaining and driving towards certain outcomes. Combatives also deals with the pre-conflict stage of confrontation, and the psychological aspect of preparing ourselves for violent conflict. It is not a combat sport. It has no place in a sporting arena where things are symmetrical, reciprocal, and bounded by rules and regulations.

Unfortunately, these things are often confused. Those teaching and practicing traditional martial arts, or martial sports, also claim that what they teach can be transferred to real self-defence. This is usually untrue. I train simply for real violence; not for sporting contest, or for the sake of art or tradition, and hope that I'm picking up real-world skills at the same time.

Now that I teach it's even more important for me to be clear about what it is I offer. What is Krav Maga? What is Urban Combatives, or FAST Defence? They're systems of combatives - systems of counter-violence. If you want to learn to deal with modern violent problems that scare the bejeezers out of all normal people, then come train. if you want to compete or learn how to use tonfa or butterfly knives, go somewhere else. This affects the way I approach what I teach too; it gives it a certain inflection. Even within Krav Maga there's a lot of influence from other systems which are not primarily combatives - combat sports and traditional martial arts. We have to sift these things carefully. Krav Maga is born from combat - it is and should be one of the purest forms of combatives for the modern world.

D