Jordan's Scrap Blog

3 Things You Can NOT Blame on your Age

2013-03-11T15:58:00.001-04:00

One thing that has always bothered me is when people blame their age or the entire aging process for their personal short-comings. Granted, aging does change our livese and eventually there will simply be things that we can’t do anymore, but 90% of the time that I hear someone complain about “getting older” it’s a cop-out. A lot of times, aging is the unarguable excuse that we use to not even try. Well, I’m arguing it. I started to really get crazy about this phenomenon last year when I was grabbing a pint with an old friend. He took one big sip of his beer, slapped his belly and said “well, I guess I can give up on those six pack abs now, I’m going to be 30 in a month.” I bit my tongue because no one likes “that guy” but I wanted to tell him that he had clearly given up on that goal many years ago. Fitness isn’t just something you wait to magically happen to you, you have to go get it. Sure, it will be harder as you get older, but that’s all the more reason to get started! Also he said this at thirty! How would that make you feel to remember that you said that at 70? So instead of ranting to every person in my life who casually jokes about getting older, I’ll just bug you with it instead. There are many things that we can’t blame our age for, despite what the lazy people would have you think, but these seem to be the 3 most frequent:

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6 Tips for Fighting Zombies

2013-02-21T00:23:00.001-05:00

Without being able to see the future, life has very few "spoilers". For some, this is a cause of anxiety and for others it's a source of excitement. Life is an adventure because we never know what's next. At 30 years old, I have been made aware of 2 spoilers. I am absolutely sure about 2 things in my future: I will die (at the ripe old age of 150 years old) and I don't invent the time machine. I know this because at 17 years old I promised myself that if I ever invented or got my hands on a time machine I would go back to that moment with all the relevant information needed to take over the world, which sadly didn't happen (yet).

This means that anything else can happen to me. I have very interesting meditation sessions sometimes when I let my mind consider this. It's good sometimes to explore just how far your mind can work, like all the specific details of what you would do in a zombie apocalypse. Seth Godin once said that anxiety is "experiencing failure in advance" which is a brilliant way to put it. I meditate on worst-case scenarios all the time and it helps remove a lot of fear toward the unknown. This leaves me more mental room and time to get excited about what great things are waiting for me.

Bear with me, I promise at some point this post will make sense. When I meditate on these possibilities, both good and bad, it helps me stay level-headed in the event that they happen for real. I got over claustrophobia by meditating in small rooms, for example. Over the years I've visualized hundreds of scenarios and sometimes you can break down each emergency to its core and find similarities to other disasters. This correlation is very good for fighting fear and anxiety.

For those that haven't read Locked On, I like to use these correlations to help make people's training more effective. Each chapter starts with a real life experience of mine dealing with violence and aggression, how I overcame it (or didn't) and then that chapter is dedicated to focusing our training for similar scenarios. It all comes down to the correlation and its associated survival principle.

For an example of real life experience being translated into my training, I associated an aggressive drug addict to sparring with a wrestler.

Defining the Zombie

Years ago I was working security at a sporting event. It was located in a terrible part of town, known for its homeless people and drugs. I volunteered to work the outside of building to make sure no one tried to sneak in, leaving the crowd control duties to my very new group of guys to get some experience. In the front entrance, there was the check-in desk with the cash box displayed for any crackhead to spot. Of course, that's exactly what happened. I spent the later hours of my shift fighting off overly aggressive drug addicts making suicide runs for the money. After the first one tackled me to the ground and tried to bite my face off, I spent the next hour using any object I could get my hands on to hold them off and stay away from their yellow teeth and open scars.

Months later, I was at the dojo, sparring with a training partner who was particularly skilled at wrestling. We had trained together for years and had grown especially competitive with each other, bringing out the best of both our abilities. I knew that if I had any chance of beating him I would have to avoid his grappling skills and use any advantage I could find. I needed to avoid what he was better at and use what I was better at. Sounds simple of course.

I would later meditate on that sparring session (after winning...I think) and realized that that very simple concept was exactly like fighting those homeless drug addicts. Essentially, they were grapplers, only much more violent than my training partner (he never bites me).

Both these situations instantly came to mind while watching a zombie apocalypse movie, not long after. Zombies are the top of the food chain when it comes to grapplers. Allow me to clarify, let's define the zombie (or wrestler):

-Usually has endless cardio, so you can't outrun them,

-Ultimate goal is to take you down, always pushing forward pressure,

-Almost impossible to beat if they establish top position when you're on the ground.

So we've identified the qualities of the zombie. I should mention to all those wrestlers out there that can kick my ass that I mean no offense here. Was just pointing out an interesting correlation, not calling all wrestlers zombies. I think we can all agree that zombies are bad, so here are some tactics we can use to kick their assses:

6 Ways to Fight a Zombie

Move in circles, not in straight lines

When fighting with a grappler or a zombie, whichever applies to you more, always circle out, preferably away from their back hand. If you move back in a straight line you're much easier to catch. As soon as an attacker enters, circle out. By backing up in a straight line, you're still in their sites and all they have to do is continue to push forward to eventually catch you. Try running backwards, even at your fastest you're not moving faster than someone running forward. Also, by circling, you'll avoid ever being pinned up against a wall.

Go for the head shot

As countless books, movies, tv shows and comic books have made clear is that the key to stopping a zombie is to aim for their brain. The same is true of any attacker, especially grappling enthusiasts. Fighting is simple: the attacker wants to hurt you and you want the opposite. If your attacker, human or zombie, is deliberately trying to wrestle with you, then they are automatically telling you that they prefer that to striking. This could be a weakness. Also by being overly aggressive in entering, there's a good chance that your attacker is exposing their head in the process. Whether you're using a gun, ax, pipe or your hands, that's when you shoot for the head. A knockout is just as good as a head shot, the brain shuts off either way and you can get away safely.

Don't wrestle

As mentioned above, always do the opposite. If they want to grapple that could mean that they're confident there and good at it. Think of any zombie movie you've ever seen. Any time someone starts to wrestle with the zombie it's usually the end for them. If your attacker is experienced in submission techniques then you'll end up in an armbar just as easily as someone who finds a bite mark on their shoulder and tries to hide it from the rest of the group. Don't be that guy. Protect your personal space, push for room to move and don't leave anything behind. Always bring your arms in and keep your elbows tight.

Use all available tools

Someone once taught me that the first rule of bar fighting is to cheat. Use any and all available objects. This is the kind of wisdom that has got me out of some bad situations. Back when people could smoke in bars, there was a move called the "slapshot", where you would slap a glass ashtray like it was a hockey puck toward the attacker's face. Worked every time...but I digress. Don't forget your natural tools either. You have your hands and legs at your disposal to defend your personal space. The jab is especially good to gauge distance and well-timed kicks will keep your attacker out of arm's reach. Thrust kicks have great stopping power. Combine this with some good punching and movement and you'll be almost impossible to touch.

Don't turn your back

The first lesson I was ever taught in Jujitsu is to never give them your back. This is usually ingrained in your brain immediately when you train in any grappling system. Wrestlers are extremely powerful when they're on top of you, but life only gets worse for you if they're on your back and on top. When it comes to zombies, this also applies. How many times have you watched someone scrambling to their feet and turn their back to crawl away, only to get dragged right back to the swarm? Or they're running away, but tripped because they turned back to look? Only turn your back when you know it's safe and never look back. As a rule, if they're within kicking range, it's not safe to expose your back.

Control the distance

The first step to controlling the distance is to understand it. Kicks are a good way of testing the waters. Once your attacker is close enough to hit with your jab, you're within their shooting range. When fighting a wrestler or an undead, you need to either be close enough to finish the fight or way too far for them to touch you. Striking is the natural enemy of the grappler so a sound strategy is to move in and out with punches and kicks. DO NOT STAY IN THE POCKET. Never stay within their reach for longer than it takes to punch or kick them (or hit the zombie in the brain with an object). An important tool you need to control distance and move well is footwork. This will help you when you're running from swarm (sure steps, no tripping) or circling out.

With the state of the world now and the growing popularity of bath salts, it's important to consider what it would be like to fight a zombie. Ok, maybe it's not that important but it's always good to know how to counter a grappler. Hopefully you'll never have to use these tips in real life and can bring something to your training!

Jordan Bill

Fight or Die

ScrapyardFighting.com

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Weekly Home Workout Program

2013-01-22T17:03:00.002-05:00

I do most of my training at the dojo, but lately I've been experimenting a lot with workout concepts to help me achieve some of my new year's goals at home in my free time. I've also been involved with a startup business that is taking up a lot of my time (in a good way), so the need to make up for some lost workouts is even greater now to stay on track. I've recently put together a program that will allow me to continue making improvements, while maximizing time. I should clarify that this is specifically training outside my regular training at the dojo...not a replacement. This is designed to continue developing new skill sets, without compromising my regular training in the dojo. After a few weeks of loyalty to the schedule, I have been seeing and feeling some terrific results, despite my limited time training. This has gotten me closer to several of my fitness goals and hasn't interfered with my regular training or my temporarily busy work schedule. Hope this is helpful!

Monday: Strength & Conditioning
-Combat Conditioning/Circuit Training* 30 minutes
-Weights; Lunges, Dead lift, Military press, Curls,** approx. 30 minutes
-Pushups
-Pull up training (exercises vary, will explain in detail in another post)

Tuesday: Health & Cardio
-Knee stabilizing work 20 minutes
-Yoga/Pilates 20 minutes
-Elliptical H.I.I.T. Sprints (Tapatas protocol, 8 rounds, 2 sets, 2 minute rest in between) 10 minutes

Wednesday: Strength & Conditioning
-Combat Conditioning/Circuit Training 30 minutes
-Weights; Lunges, Dead lift, Military press, Curls, approx. 30 minutes
-Pushups
-Pull up training

Thursday: Health & Cardio
-Knee stabilizing work 20 minutes
-Yoga/Pilates 20 minutes
-Elliptical H.I.I.T. Sprints (Tapatas protocol, 8 rounds, 2 sets, 2 minute rest in between) 10 minutes

Friday: Health (Rest before measurements and testing on Saturday)

-Health/Flexibility work

-Sparring if at the dojo

Saturday: Measure & Test

-Slow pushup test (timed)

-1 Mile run test (timed, target is 6 minutes)

-Pull up test (reps)

-Standing vertical jump test (height)

*Although I usually attend the Combat Conditioning class at the gym, on days where I miss it I can easily replicate the class or circuit at home. The class usually involves a blend of cardio, yoga and Pilates, while the circuit involves kettlebells, club bells, weights, resistance bands, medicine balls, jump rope and bag hitting. This is also where I focus on speed and coordination.

**The weight program works on a protocol that I've gotten great results from and doesn't change according to the weight. Each exercise is divided into 3 sets and they breakdown like this: 1st Set is maximum reps until failure then a 1 minute rest, the 2nd Set is between 60-75% of the total reps of the first set and the 3rd Set is the remainder.

Example: 1st Set 20 reps, 2nd Set 15 reps and 3rd Set 5 reps.

The second and third set should total your first one.

I should mention again that this is supplemental training for very specific goals. Also, as I mentioned in the footnotes, if you noticed that speed and accuracy were omitted here it's because I usually get to train that in the Combat Conditioning class, Circuit Training and regular martial arts training sessions. Hope this helps in some way. I can personally say that I've experienced great results with this so far and the program is flexible enough to change when I need it most. I didn't list the weights or number of reps here on purpose, as they change to adapt how I'm feeling after my primary training schedule (classes). Thanks for checking this out and please feel free to leave feedback, tips or drop me any questions right below! Happy training!

Jordan Bill

Fight or Die

If you're interested, here are some more home workout drills you can do...

Shots Fired: an Excerpt from Locked On

2012-12-17T23:55:00.002-05:00

The following is an excerpt from chapter 2 of Locked On: Focused Training for the Modern Warrior. I've been getting non-stop feedback about the book and am very humbled by what I'm hearing. The praise and constructive criticism are keeping me motivated, focused and determined to train harder and share as many experiences as possible!
If you haven't seen it already, you can find information on the book and also download the first chapter for free right here to see if it's something you might enjoy. If you like reading the blog and have any interest in training or violent fight stories I think you might like it.

This particular chapter focuses on achieving clarity in chaos and how to simulate that in your training. If you address it in your training and reflect on your results, you'll almost go into a combative auto-pilot when in crisis mode. When there's no time for thought, you'll perform what has always worked best for you. How you train is how you fight.

And enough of me explaining! Here it is...

Chapter 2

“The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.”

-Lao Tzu

January, 2005

Montreal, Canada

The night had turned into chaos. I was working as private security for a group of people visiting the city on vacation. Or so I thought. It turns out, “security” to them meant that they would attack anyone they didn’t like and expect me to finish the job. They only let me bring one guy from my team of usual co-workers and paired us up with some eye-lowering psychopaths. I remember my only thought when meeting them: “thank God they’re on our side.”

On paper, the job was to go to a show in a small venue where they had reserved a balcony VIP area. My only job was to shadow one of the big shots in the group. Each member of this group had a security person assigned to them. The in-house security would handle the exits and make sure we weren’t disturbed. My hopes were for an uneventful night of drinking a little of their champagne and looking mean. I realized right away that I wasn’t going to get the easy gig I had hoped for. I broke my own sacred rule of freelance security: don’t take a client without references. I had no idea who these guys were and took the job anyway. Stupid. From coat-check to the bar, a distance of maybe 20 feet, I had to diffuse FOUR near-conflicts! Not a good sign…

When we got to the closed-off private section, I felt a little relieved that they were separated from the rest of the crowd. I figured if I could keep them contained we should be fine. I tipped all the waitresses and busboys generously to make sure that the ice stayed frozen, the drinks came regularly and, most importantly, that any unused glass objects be removed frequently (a trick from my sensei who had helped me prep for that job, thanks again Kevin!). A few bottles later and all my precautions would be thrown out the window. Fights among themselves started to erupt, which prompted the venue’s security team to intervene, which made the other “security” gorillas jump in and, of course, also meant that we had to fix the whole situation. Lots of restraining and verbal de-escalation and the next few hours would have random flare ups like this, but nothing more. That’s when things really got crazy. Someone in the general crowd had pulled a gun and the performer on stage saw it. In a panic, he yelled “Gun!” into the microphone while getting rushed off the stage by his bodyguards.

The crowd started to go crazy, naturally, as everyone was scrambling for the exit. I told everyone to stay in the VIP area because there was only one way in and we could guard it until things cooled down. Somehow, they took that as confirmation that we were invincible in our fortress and that they should start throwing empty glass bottles at the crowd from our balcony. Our other security partners had run out the second things got hairy and I could see them fighting with the bouncers who had been in our area earlier. Good job, guys. The next day, the news would report that there were “shots fired” at that show, but at the time I had told everyone to stay low without knowing for sure if there was any shooting going on. I knew that there was a chance and, even if there wasn’t, it kept them from throwing things at the crowd.

Suddenly, crystal clear focus came to me and I realized that I didn’t care about this contract anymore. All I knew then was that I was going to get home that night, get my friend home that night and not get shot. These were the only sure things in my life at that moment. I peeked out of the door and saw an angry mob heading toward our section. Who could blame them? Realizing that we were grossly outnumbered, I started scanning the crowd for those other two idiots, who were supposed to be security also. I found them, getting the shit stomped out of them by a large group of bouncers who decided that was more important than helping the crowd. Past them I saw a door. It was an emergency exit in a dark corner that no one seemed to realize was there. That was also my ticket home. I pointed it out to my partner and told him to run for it, grabbed the person I was shadowing (my partner grabbed his also) and ran for the door holding my client’s head like a football. The angry crowd had caught up to us by then and so it took some punching and elbowing to get through, but I knew if I could just keep moving forward I could get out. I hate winter, but I’ll never forget the moment of pure relief when that cold winter air hit my lungs and I knew I was safe. I even let myself think that my night was over for a moment there. So close…

After doing a quick head count we realized that we didn’t all make it out. I told them that there was no way I was going back for the other two nut jobs and that there was no hope for them now. My client then informed me that his little brother was still in there and that he was just a fifteen year old kid. They had been bribing the bouncers all night to let him stay and he was somewhere inside. I knew that I wanted to go home that night, but I realized that that kid probably did too. I’ll never know why I went back in but I did. Our emergency exit was locked from the outside so I had to go around the building, back through the front door and head first back into the riot with no idea of where this kid would be.

When I got back in, I immediately looked up at the balcony that we were in earlier, but there was no one there. The place was going insane and I felt like a fish swimming against a strong current. Every ounce of my being wanted to turn around and leave, but my focus had changed and I really wanted to get that kid out of there. Punching and elbowing through the crowd, some new faces and some familiar, I somehow spotted who I was looking for. By pure luck I just happened to look at the stage and saw him there, pinned against the front of the stage, frozen in terror. Poor guy. At this point I was covered in cuts and bruises and my shirt was ripped, but there wasn’t a scratch on the young man I came back for. I worked my way toward him, ducking flying bottles and unseen things whizzing past my head and made contact with him. He looked at me with watery and vacant eyes and I simply asked him if he wanted to get out of there and he just nodded slowly. At least he was somewhat with me. He was going to have some post-traumatic stress from this for sure, but the important thing was that he was going to be ok. I hoped.

(Ironically, this event would lead to my own experience with some post-traumatic stress, when I would later learn more details about the night)

After being chased around by my many unhappy followers, we made it out for a second time. There was a lot of ducking things in the air and using human bodies to push through congestion points, but we were home free. I found a nearby strip club to bring the tourists to, collected my pay and went home. I obviously never worked for those sociopaths again and never found out what happened to the hired help that had been with us but I did find out that that performer would never come back to my city after that night. I would meditate and reflect on the moment that I knew I was going to be ok for a long time after that night. I had never experienced anything like it. There was a clarity in the middle of my panic, I saw myself lying down in my bed and reverse-engineered the events of the night to make sure it ended that way. I knew what I wanted and an action plan formed itself, seemingly on its own. Some focus, determination and a little dumb luck and we were all safe.

Years later, celebrating my close friend’s return from Afghanistan over beers, I would be telling him this story, laughing about how crazy people can be in a crisis. He stopped me when I told him that I had to duck flying objects and loud whizzing sounds in the air. He explained to me that those could have been bullets. I laughed into my beer and he, with an uncharacteristically serious face, told me that when a bullet passes within three feet of your head you hear a loud whizzing sound. He told me that he had heard that sound overseas a number of times and that I described it exactly how he remembered it. We both drank quietly for a long time after that. I didn’t sleep for weeks. Instead, during those sleepless nights, I would meditate on whether or not I would have been able to stay so focused if I really understood the implications of the threat. I’ll never know for sure, but you can bet that I still meditate on this regularly. Stay sharp, stay alert, stay alive.

And there you have it. This chapter was carefully selected based on the kind of feedback I've been getting about the book. There are much worse stories and many more training tactics included, but I thought I would share this one in particular as readers have said that they appreciate the insight of what it felt like to be in a violent crisis.

Please feel free to share your thoughts. Feedback, both good and bad, is always appreciated! If you have any questions feel free to message me here, on Facebook, on Twitter, via email or any other way you might know.

Oh, and one last thing, if you haven't already make sure you sign up for our newsletter! If you have then you would have had this article much earlier, along with exclusive extras and newsletter-only discounts on upcoming products (and a free ebook)! You can get more info on this right here: http://scrapyardfighting.com/Signup.htm

Jordan Bill

Fight or Die

www.ScrapyardFighting.com

The Birthday Belly Experiment

2012-12-05T17:42:00.001-05:00

I was at a party, a week before my 30th birthday, catching up with an old friend and it was something he said that gave me a strange idea. I had been working hard on losing weight, improving my body fat percentage and building muscle and was a little worried about my upcoming cake day. Moving my dietary "cheat day" would only help the situation, but with scattered dinners and social gatherings with friends and family it was clear that I would be breaking in my 30s with some caloric damage control. Then my friend told me about his trip to Mexico and how great it was. He told me about the great food and parties and how he gained 7 pounds in the week he was there, but didn't feel bad because he was on vacation and it was planned. That's when it occurred to me that the most frustrating part of dieting and losing weight is when there is seemingly no reason behind good or bad changes. If I removed the surprise element, I could allow myself a weekend of guilt-free binge eating and calorie drinking. This is, of course, the kind of reasoning behind any failure in dieting so there would have to be a catch.

"7 pounds in a week? That's impressive." I said to him.
"Yeah and I think I can lose it all in the same amount of time. Hitting the gym like crazy." he replied.

There it was. Four days of guiltless festivities, on the condition that I could lose it all in that same time frame. Not an easy task. I prepared an action plan later that night.

In preparation, I spent that entire week eating light and training a lot. I kept my metabolism high through high protein meals, four or five times a day. I was tracking my measurements and caloric intake, but to spare you the boring stuff that isn't relevant to this experiment here are some important numbers on my "morning of" weigh-in:

Weight; 209 pounds
Body Fat Percentage: 14.7%

Not the best shape I've ever been in, but this is the jump-off for the celebrations. 96 hours later, after four amazing days shared with family, friends, feasts, cake and every kind of alcohol, the damage was right around what I thought it would be:

Weight: 215 pounds
Body Fat Percentage: 18.8%*

*Body Fat Percentage was calculated using online plug-ins. I entered my measurements and had them calculate it. The numbers above are the average of 3 different site, but judging by how much the sites varied from one another I doubt they are completely accurate. I posted them anyway for the sake of showing how much my body had changed.

So keep in mind that a 4% increase in body fat and 5 pounds is entirely from an increase in calories. I wouldn't be complaining if this was an increase in muscle, but 5 pounds of fat is usually a swelling of the face and belly. Not pretty. After my allotted time of pigging out, I put my plan into action. Here are the some of the changes that I made immediately that I believe had the most significant results:

-Daily food intake would be spread into 6 meals, 3 hours apart, between 100-500 calories, starting withing 30 minutes of waking up and ending within 30 minutes before bed.
-All dairy, red meat, sugars and "white carbs" would be demoted to "cheat day" only once again.
-Total fat intake would remain under 120g, while saturated fats under 20g (general guideline for me all the time).
-Cholesterol intake to stay under 200mg (some nutritionists say that 300mg is still safe, but that's to maintain weight, not necessarily to lose).
-Sodium intake to remain under 2500mg (proved to be most difficult, as high protein foods often have high sodium).
-Every meal to contain at least 20g of protein to keep metabolism high all day.
-1.5 liters of cold water within 30 minutes of waking up, then scattered all day. It's harder than you think when the water is cold and you just woke up. Keep a water bottle on you all day.
-Morning meal (within 30 minutes of waking up) and last meal should each contain no less than 30g of protein. This was probably the most significant change for me. Big results.

On wednesday morning, after a full 48 hours of doing this, my numbers were:

Weight: 206 pounds
Body Fat Percentage: 14.2%

In the race against myself, it took only 48 hours to get rid of my birthday binge pounds. I'm just sharing the info with you, not recommending that you try this or that you'll ever get the same results. Keep in mind that a contributing factor here is how lightly and healthy i was eating before the weekend. The caloric invasion during my four days of eating and drinking sent my metabolism into a frenzy, then met with an even healthier set of eating habits, therefore working much harder than usual. Typically, I get a small version of this every week when I celebrate my cheat day. This keeps my system working all the time, keeps my digestive enzymes active and my protein synthesis stimulated. It was an interesting experiment, but I would recommend being a little more reasonable with your diet.
Another factor to consider is that during my four days off, I wasn't training at all. As soon as I was back to eating healthy, I was hoisting some weights and rolling on the mats again. The numbers are always interesting but rarely ever tell the whole story.
What I've taken away from this is just how important my eating habits are. For those that read my previous article about eating healthy, if you've experienced results from those habits listed, I also encourage you to incorporate the ones I've listed here right away. You should experience some changes within a few days! Interesting side note, eating six meals a day will increase your sex drive. Do with that what you will.

Make sure to leave a comment below, I'd love to get your feedback or similar stories!
Also (last thing I promise) make sure you send a blank email to newsletter@scrapyardfighting.com to subscribe to our news letter and stay updated on training, seminars, videos and general fight news! Go now and receive "Best of Scrap Blog" as a digital ebook for free! Thanks!

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

ScrapyardFighting.com

37 Motivational Quotes

2012-10-15T23:56:00.002-04:00

If you've followed this blog, or read Locked On, you know that I'm a huge sucker for motivational quotes. Words carefully put together by great men and women get me really psyched up. From pushing me into my workouts to, as demonstrated in my book, becoming the focal points of entire chapters. They motivate me and I hope that at least one of the following has the same effect on you. Shared wisdom can bring out the best in us and the following list is a compilation of some of my favorite motivators. They are numbered, but not in any particular order of preference. Hope they resonate and inspire you to do something great!

Note: the Bold font will indicate that I'm giving my two cents on that particular quote. Enjoy!

37. “Success is about having, excellence is about being. Success is about having money and fame, but excellence is being the best you can be.” -Mike Ditka

36. “The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.” -Vince Lombardi

35. “Things that hurt, instruct.” -Benjamin Franklin

34. “During my 18 years I came to bat almost 10,000 times. I struck out about 1,700 times and walked maybe 1,800 times. You figure a ballplayer will average about 500 at bats a season. That means I played seven years without ever hitting the ball.” -Mickey Mantle

33. “Leadership, like coaching, is fighting for the hearts and souls of men and getting them to believe in you.” -Eddie Robinson

32. “Without self-discipline, success is impossible, period.” -Lou Holtz

31. “There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out. There’s no such thing as life in-between.” -Pat Riley

30. “The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle.” -Author Unknown

Jordan: I'm not a huge fan of anonymous quotes, so I only really included the ones that I like the most. Don't worry there's only a few of them.

29. "Age is no barrier. It's a limitation you put on your mind." -Jackie Joyner-Kersee

28. "It’s not the will to win that matters—everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters." -Paul "Bear" Bryant

27. "You find that you have peace of mind and can enjoy yourself, get more sleep, and rest when you know that it was a one hundred percent effort that you gave–win or lose." -Gordie Howe

26. "I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.' " -Muhammad Ali

Jordan: I really did my best to resist the urge to make this entire list all Muhammad Ali quotes. He's an absolute idol to me, but I managed to stick to just the best ones.

25. "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." -Michael Jordan

24. "You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take." -Wayne Gretzky

Jordan: As you might notice, there are a few Gretzky and Jordan quotes. I grew up watching these two incredible champions in their prime and they inspired me from an early age.

23. "Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." -Will Rogers

22. "It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness." -Seneca

21. "It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired you quit when the gorilla is tired." -Robert Strauss

20. "Mind is everything: muscle--pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because of my mind." -Paavo Nurmi

19. "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals." -Sydney Smith

18. "The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire." -Ferdinand Foch

17. "To succeed...You need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you." -Tony Dorsett

16. "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." -Aristotle

Jordan: This might be the only quote that is both on this list and also in my book Locked On. It has become a mantra for me and can't be shared enough.

15. "An acre of performance is worth a whole world of promise." -Red Auerbach

14. "You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them." -Michael Jordan

13. "The principle is competing against yourself. It's about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before." -Steve Young

Jordan: Not only a great thought to consider, but also gives me an opportunity to mention that I'm a lifelong 49ers fan.

12. "You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation." -Plato

Jordan: If you didn't know before, I was a philosophy major. This probably makes a lot of sense now.

11. "Make the present good and the past will take care of itself." -Knute Rockne

10. “In basketball—as in life—true joy comes from being fully present in each and every moment.” -Phil Jackson

9. “Your opponent, in the end, is never really the player on the other side of the net, or the swimmer in the next lane, or the team on the other side of the field, or even the bar you must high-jump. Your opponent is yourself, your negative internal voices, and your level of determination.” -Grace Lichtenstein

8. “Your goal should be out of reach but not out of sight.” -Anita DeFrantz

7. “Fight one more round. When your arms are so tired that you can hardly lift your hands to come on guard, fight one more round. When your nose is bleeding and your eyes are black and you are so tired that you wish your opponent would crack you one on the jaw and put you to sleep, fight one more round— remembering that the man who always fights one more round is never whipped.” -James Corbett (Gentleman Jim)

6. “Nothing is impossible. With so many people saying it couldn’t be
done, all it takes is an imagination.” –Michael Phelps

5. “You’ve got to look for tough competition. You’ve got to want to beat the best.” –Grete Waitz

4. “Focus, discipline, hard work, goal setting and, of course, the thrill of finally achieving your goals.
These are all lessons in life.” –Kristi Yamaguchi,

3. "It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential."
-Bruce Lee

2. “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe.” -Anatole France

1. "I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was." -Muhammad Ali

Well I hope that helped light a fire in you like it regularly does for me! As I said, when great people share their wisdom it really motivates me to do the best I can. If you enjoyed this post or the Scrap Blog in general, I encourage you to check out my recently released ebook Locked On. There's information about it on the link and you can download the first chapter for free to see if it's something you might like. The feedback I have been getting has been overwhelmingly positive and I'm very excited to have affected so many people already!

On a personal note, I would also like to thank all students who train with me and everyone who reads the blog, watches the videos and visits the site. Because of all the support I've been receiving I get to be one of the fortunate people who get to do what they love for a living and it wouldn't be possible without everyone reading this. For that, I would like to say thank you. I will keep trying to up my game and put out the best work possible.

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.ScrapyardFighting.com

Discussing "Locked On"

2012-09-24T23:52:00.002-04:00

For those that don't know, for the last year I've been working on a book for the modern martial artists out there. "Locked On: Focused Training for the Modern Warrior" is designed to help practitioners get the most out of their training. For most of us, we don't all have the 10 000 hours it takes to reach the professional standard, and in my case I would like to cut that time down even if I did! The process of writing this book was both rewarding and challenging. It was nice to relive how much I've grown as a human being from training, but on the other hand there were some demons that I had to confront again as well. There is residual post-traumatic stress, of course, but it is out-weighed by the incredible experiences that I've had and will continue to have for a long time. Here is a quick breakdown of what you can expect to find in the pages of "Locked On":

Identifying the Targets
By identifying what we hope to achieve in our training, we can focus our time in the dojo more intelligently. Training needs and motivations change all the time and through a strong support network and regular meditation, we can always make sure that we're working toward that goal. In these chapters, we discuss meditation techniques and exercises to identify what is giving us the most results in our training so that we can focus all of our time on them properly. Stick to what works. Also, with a clear vision and proper exercises we can also learn who is playing the role of supporters and non-supporters in our lives. Sometimes the truth can be shocking, so it's even more important to stop certain people from having an effect on us, while we encourage others to have more.

Just Showing Up Isn't Enough
There's no punch-card to becoming the martial artist, or even person, that we want. It's not an easy process and we can't expect to just stumble our way into enlightenment by accident. Aimless training methods just create a sense of entitlement to those who follow them. Working hard is good, but working smart is better. Taking the time breakdown the learning process of each technique will allow us to master them even faster. Physical delivery, rehearsal and pressure testing are stages of learning that should be isolated and ingrained so that all our techniques measure up to even the toughest resistance. "Steel forges steel" is the only approach that will yield honest results. If something doesn't survive this process, it's probably not worth keeping. Much of this ebook is dedicated to specific training methods that will test your entire arsenal, from casual training enthusiasts, to professional athletes, to fitness experts and even law enforcement.

Put Into Context
I also share some personal experiences of when these principals have been tested in violent crises. By working in the field of private security, I've often found myself neck-deep in chaos and finding focus isn't always easy. In some cases my life was at risk. In others, it was the life of a friend or client. In all cases there is very little time to think. Clear focus is crucial to your survival and a lot of that will come from how you train. There's no time to think, so when your training takes over the wheel, you better hope that it's been carefully tested. I wouldn't recommend a method or principal to anyone unless I've experienced it first hand. After 16 years of training, 8 years of teaching and 7 years of working in private security, I have assembled the most common survival habits that I like to focus on in my training. There are over a dozen personal stories of my experiences with violence and several case studies as well.

"Locked On" is something that I can say I'm very proud of. Early feedback from readers seems to be very positive and I'm happy to share what I've found over the years. Martial arts communities tend to get distracted with labels and traditional loyalties to certain methods, while forgetting that survival and growth are the real reasons we all train. This is reinforced early on, in the foreword that my sensei of 16 years Kevin Secours was kind enough to contribute. The ebook is about 120 pages and includes over a dozen chapters, each with a case example of that chapter's focus point. The case examples were not easy to share, but I felt they were necessary for the purpose of the book. During the outline process, my editor had to witness me fight through two anxiety attacks, so I guess it was good for me to acknowledge these events also!

I sincerely hope that reading this ebook helps you in your training as much as it did for me to write it!

Note from Jordan: For one week only, this link will give you access to a discounted version of "Locked On". Act now, click here!

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.scrpayardfighting.com
www.twitter.com/jordanbill
www.twitter.com/scrapyard514
www.facebook.com/scrapyardfightingcom
www.youtube.com/scrapyardmartialarts

High Intensity Interval Training

2012-09-05T17:33:00.002-04:00

This summer I've incorporated High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T.) into my regular workouts and I've experienced positive results in record time! I didn't know much about it, but after a little bit of homework I started to understand how essential this kind of training really is. As a bonus, by switching from aerobic to anaerobic training, I was also able to train twice as hard in half the time! Those who know me or follow this blog regularly know that maximizing the use of my time is a huge priority for me.
My long cardio sessions have been changed to shorter and more intense sprinting sessions. Instead of a slow and steady long term run, going to full capacity for a time and then a rest period increases my resting metabolic rate for much longer after my workout, so I'm literally burning calories in my sleep! A 60 minute cardio session will burn more calories and elevate my metabolic rate for an hour or two after my workout, but by doing sprint intervals my metabolic rate stays high for one to two days! So in the long run, by keeping a high metabolic rate for longer periods, I burn more calories in the long run (pun intended).
So the idea behind this is that you push yourself into a sprint for a short period of time, followed by a rest period, then back to a sprint. This circuit continues for as many sets as you can take. I've been experimenting with how many sets I can do and how long each phase should be. Still playing with it, so no real tips on that for now. What I can tell you is that I started with a full 1 minute sprint with a 1 minute rest (jog) and tried for 10 sets like this and that was way too much for my first time. I almost got it, but paid dearly for it! I spent the rest of that day trying not to throw up and then the next three days on my couch, sore from head to toe. Don't be like me and bite off more than you can chew.
After a little more research, the experts seem to all agree on a gradual build up. Here's a simple guideline that could help you get started or step your game up.

1:3 Ratio
This is the most recommended way to start and I wish I had done the right amount of homework before starting. The 1:3 ratio refers to your sprint to rest times. I recommend going for shorter times and make your rest periods a light job, that way you never stop moving. I tried with higher sprint times, but spent most of the rest periods trying not to fall over. On your first set, you'll have the same evil thoughts I did: "man this isn't that hard". Just wait....
So an example for this ratio would be to sprint for 20 seconds and then jog for 60 seconds. That's one set and you should aim to repeat that 4 to 6 times.

1:2 Ratio
So when you start to get comfortable with the earlier ratio, you can adjust the rest time. I've personally found this to be more intense than adding sprint time. You're still going all-out in your sprint, but with less time to recover before the next set. Very difficult at first, no matter how comfortable you were with the previous ratio, as it shocks the system and sends it into panic mode. Lots of fun.
So to keep with the sample times, you'd be sprinting for 20 seconds and jogging (resting) for 40.

1:1 Ratio
This is the ratio I foolishly tried to start with, which I later found out is a goal for even very experienced runners. Back in my rugby days, we had been doing these kinds of sprint/rest drills, but I was too busy trying to survive to take note of how long we were running for. I'm now starting to suspect that we were training at a 1:1 ratio...
This is very intense and make sure to take the time to build yourself up to this.
In this case, you'd be sprinting for 20 seconds and then resting for 20 seconds each set.

Tabatas
The most dreaded of any kind of sprints I've ever tried or heard of. This will take your sets into a 2:1 ratio! This is a vomit-inducing killer workout that will build more lean muscle mass and burn more calories that anything else I know in only 4 minutes! Very difficult, but the results are amazing and will leave you feeling like a warrior...after a few days of recovery.
This method means you sprint for 20 seconds, rest for 10 and complete 8 sets without a break for a total of 4 minutes.

By pushing myself into H.I.I.T. I was able to lose about twenty pounds without losing any muscle mass and even dropped my body fat percentage by 6% almost instantly! Of course, not healthy workout or diet will show you results overnight, but this has been by far the fastest I've seen improvements in training! Hope this helps and good luck!

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.scrapyardfighting.com
www.twitter.com/Scrapyard514
www.twitter.com/JordanBill
www.youtube.com/ScrapyardMartialArts

Oh, and don't forget to find our "Scrapyardfighting.com" page on facebook!

Losing Weight on Vacation

2012-08-27T22:33:00.002-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I went away for a couple of weeks of volunteer work at a summer camp. This was hardly a vacation, but I was away from my routine and eating habits for an extended time. While I was there, I had very little control over my nutritional habits while there, since all meals and food on site were provided by the staff. Somehow, I was able to control my calories while I was there and even managed to drop a few pounds! I should clarify that I lost weight the good way, not because I starved myself for two weeks. There was no deterioration in muscle mass, just a lower body fat percentage. I thought I'd share some of the small habits I was able to stick to in order to stay healthy.

No White Carbs
This rule is an easy one to follow just about anywhere. All "white foods" like rice, pasta, cheese or sugar contain lots of fat and more carbs than you need in one sitting. The problem with a heavy dose of carbs is that if you don't burn them right away they get stored and turned to fat. Avoiding anything like the foods mentioned will help you control your caloric intake. Good rule to stick to no matter where you are or what diet you follow. I suggest replacing bread, pasta and rice with whole grain alternatives.

Don't Drink Carbs
Very simple and easy to do while away. I got in the habit of only drinking water at home and had no problem following that while I was working at the camp. Even so-called "health drinks" are loaded with calories and carbs you don't need. Fruit juices and protein shakes are also easily replaced by eating more carefully. Your body was designed to absorb protein and nutrients through eating, so drinking them doesn't always mean you're absorbing them as much. Stick to water and be more mindful of what you eat. Listen to your cravings, that's usually your body telling you what you need more of.

Keeping Intake Below RMR
Your body, on a daily basis, burns a certain amount of calories, regardless of how much or little exercise you do that day. Just your basic functions require some calories to be burned and this is called your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). To calculate my body fat and RMR, I usually use the site http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/body-fat-chart.php and once you know how many calories your body burns naturally every day, you can adjust your intake accordingly. I was able to memorize most of the popular meals of camp before going up so that i had an idea of how many calories I was taking in each meal.
For example, my RMR is about 3000 calories, so if I eat that many in a day then I break even. If I eat more, then I'll gain weight. If I eat less, I'll eventually lose weight. I was able to keep my daily intake around 2500 calories, which created a 500 caloric deficit each day. This is equal to 3500 each week, which is approximately one pound lost.
If you're going to attempt this, don't allow your daily calorie deficit to be more than 1000, because this will also affect your muscle mass. Your body will use your muscles for energy, like your fat, and you'll lose mass. Eventually, this causes that "skinny fat" look which is not healthy.

Eat 5 Small Meals, Instead of 3 Big Ones
5 small meals a day is good, but I've had my best results with 6, but that isn't always convenient. When we eat 3 large meals, we're carb loading our bodies, but rarely burning them as fast as they're coming in. By spreading them out a bit thinner, divided into 5 meals or more, we can control how our carbs are being introduced into our bodies and gives us a chance to use them, before they get stored away. Essentially, when you eat lots of carbs separated by many hours, your body thinks you're starving and will store your carbs as fat. Also, by spreading your meals, you keep your metabolism active which keeps your RMR high and burning calories all day.

Eat Right Away
Try to eat within 30 minutes of waking up, which wasn't a problem at my camp since we had a packed schedule. It's always good to hit the ground running. Try to have a high protein breakfast somewhere between 300 to 400 calories if possible. This will get your metabolism working all morning and you'll be burning calories all day long! You'll notice that an hour after your meal you'll feel really hungry again. This is your body expecting a frequent input of food, so it won't be shy to digest fast, as opposed to a slow metabolism when eating scattered meals that are too heavy.

Midnight Snack
Now I wouldn't actually recommend eating at midnight, but a light snack about an hour before you go to sleep is great, contrary to popular belief. Crash diets that don't allow any food within a few hours of bed are actually quite counter productive. This puts your body in a catabolic state, where your body starts eating away at your muscle cells instead of your fat. You'll technically still lose weight, but less and not for long. When you lose muscle mass, your RMR lowers, which means that you're burning less and less calories every day. This means that your losing muscle and not burning fat. Add to this a slower metabolism and you'll be gaining weight again within a week! Bad for the long term. Instead, try to have a protein based snack before bed and keep your body working hard and burning calories while you sleep! You'll wake up just a little bit hungry, which indicates a high metabolism.
If you sleep 8 hours and don't eat 3 hours before bed, as some diets suggest you do, that's almost 12 hours without food and your body will think that you're starving. Keep the intake slow and steady.

These were the golden rules that I stuck to when I was away and forced to eat burgers and hot dogs several times a week. I was active every day, doing manual labor, but not nearly as active as training in the dojo or lifting weights. If this diet could work there, I can only expect better results now that I'm home (for the time being) and back into a regular training routine. Eating healthy is not nearly as hard or as expensive as people make it out to be. Just a little bit of homework and you'll be adding years to your life!

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.scrapyardfighting.com
www.twitter.com/scrapyard514
www.twitter.com/jordanbill
www.facebook.com/scrapyardfightingcom
www.youtube.com/scrapyardmartialarts

What I've Been up to this Summer

2012-08-20T18:00:00.001-04:00

Lots of my usual work, like this blog and other responsibilities, have been slowed down this summer in pursuit of some very interesting new opportunities. I apologize for the lack of blog updates and videos in the last month, but things are relatively back to normal and consistency will be restored! Thanks for all the continued support during my neglectful period. I received tons of emails and social media messages from people encouraging me to keep doing what I'm doing and I think that the break allowed people to re-visit some of my older material and also allowed newer members to catch up. In any case, everything is back to normal now! It's going to be great to get back into a normal routine and share some thoughts with you guys again. Thanks for being patient and supportive. Here are some of the very cool things I was up to this summer that took me away from my regular duties:

Volunteer Work
For those who don't know, I like to do volunteer work whenever possible. I've been involved with a youth camp for about 16 years now and have taken on more responsibility there this year. Over the years, I've been a councilor, a recreational program director, a Core Team member and helped train new staff through a Councilor-in-Training program. I've also taught martial arts, yoga, women's self defense and sports workshops as well. The weeks leading up to the camp take up a big bulk of my time and this year I was also invited to help with animating and maintenance with another camp that shares the site. Very rewarding work that charges my spirit like a battery for the rest of the year. You can check them out at www.visionscamp.ca to get more of an idea of what we do.

High Intensity Interval Training
Not overwhelmingly time-consuming, but worth mentioning. I actually plan on writing a much more detailed post about this, because I've seen amazing results very fast and want to encourage more people to incorporate this into their training. I was able to lower my body fat percentage significantly, drop several pounds and cut my workout time down. Really effective, but quite challenging. I will be writing about this a lot more in the coming weeks.

Video Game Consulting
Sadly, I'm not allowed to discuss this in any real detail, but it's a project that I'm very excited about and can't wait to share with everyone. I'm going to leave this vague for now, but with a promise to explain (and brag, maybe) as soon as I'm allowed! As a lifelong video game geek, I never would have imagined that my training would lead me to such a cool project!

Book Writing
After a year of writing, editing and re-writing, I finally finished a book project that I've been working on. Very proud about this one! The book is for modern martial artists and focuses on effective goal setting for performance enhancement in training. It also features examples of universal lessons learned in the realm of combat that have also helped me in my personal life. Each chapter also features a personal story of real-world violence that I've been exposed to (or created) and how proper focus and goal setting helped me survive. I really think this book will help people in their training and hopefully encourage others to start. It's in the final stage of editing now and will be available on the site within the next two weeks.
If you're interested in reading an excerpt, just email me at jordanbill@scrapyardfighting.com and I can send you a chapter. Also, if you email me, I'll be sending out a few free copies, chosen at random, for preliminary reader feedback and questions. In exchange for the free copy, I would use your feedback for a testimonial and your questions for my FAQ section. More on this soon, but make sure to email me!

More Teaching
I was booked for even more teaching contracts this summer than usual, which I love! More people pushing themselves to share my passion with! I consider myself to be a very lucky person when I get to do what I love for a living, so I take my job as a teacher very seriously. In exchange for people allowing me to live the life I've always wanted, I make it a point to always push myself in my own training, exploring different methods and practices thoroughly so that I'm always bringing the best information possible to anyone who wants to learn. Teaching has pushed my personal training further than any other motivation before so I always appreciate new opportunities to share.

Gathering Affiliates
Something I've been meaning to do for a while, but just haven't found the time to do so. For years I've been following the work of other professionals both in person and online. I've finally gathered the nerve to contact them and get their permission to make them official affiliates to ScrapyardFighting.com. Surprisingly, everyone was excited by the idea. The purpose of this is to make it as easy as possible for you and anyone who visits the site to also see what other professionals are up to and writing about. People who like my work will get a chance to also see the people who influence me as well. The online affiliate section of the site is being made as I'm writing this and should be up on the site soon. I look forward to sharing the work of some amazing people with all of you!

So that's the bulk of what has kept me away for the last little while. All very cool reasons, but no excuse for the lack of blog updates and for that I apologize. Not only have these opportunities allowed me to challenge myself in new ways, but they've also provided all kinds of new material and thoughts to write about! I look forward to sharing more with you in the coming weeks and thank you again for your patience during this low activity period. Hope to hear feedback from everyone and will be back soon with more. It's good to be back!

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.scrapyardfighting.com
www.combatsystema.com
twitter.com/jordanbill
twitter.com/scrapyard514
youtube.com/scrapyardmartialarts
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10 Rules of Negotiation: The Fight Version

2012-07-12T00:32:00.001-04:00

Everything is fighting...

I recently came across an article by Damien Holliday called "10 golden rules of negotiating; learn how to improve your negotiation skills." The article was interesting, but I'm a pretty easy audience because this is a skill set that always impresses me. Every time I read about negotiating, the art of leaning things in your favor, I can't help but think about the concepts in a combative context. It's the fighter in me, I think about verbal de-escalation skills and how, in its very essence, self defense is a negotiation for your well being. Every fight is a hostile negotiation and sometimes the two parties are punching rather than talking. To prove that the principles are transferable, I will list the 10 rules as they were originally posted and translate them into a language that martial artists, fighters and operatives can appreciate.

1. Knowledge is Power
Originally intended to describe the importance of knowing your market and gathering information for a potential investment, knowledge is crucial when fighting as well. Training is gathering knowledge and practicing its application. When we fight, we have to evaluate the entire situation as well. The more information we can put together, the better our chances of survival. Is my attacker alone? Is he/she showing any habitual weakness or mistake? Are there any objects that they or I can use as a weapon? These are just a few of hundreds of details that can change the course of events in under a second.

2. Use Time to Your Advantage
In a real estate market, for example, time can play a huge factor in your negotiations. Often times, manipulating a deadline can do most of the work for you. This is also true in fighting, but that can be used both ways. If you find yourself in a self defense scenario, you need to establish control as fast as possible. The longer the fight lasts, the more damage you are likely to take. In a sport fighting context, this can result in injuries and a loss of brain cells. In a street fight, this can result in permanent injury or even death. You can even die of a knife wounds several minutes after winning in a self defense scenario! Time is a factor. Use it to drive your sense of urgency to solve the violent situation as fast as possible.
Possible exceptions of stalling for time are if someone's called the police and you want to wait for them to arrive or if you have friends that are coming to help. Otherwise, the faster the better.

3. Don’t just focus on price as terms and conditions can be equally as important.
The conditions of a major business deal is often just as important as the financial gain and sometimes even more so. When we're fighting, we know what outcome we want. That one's obvious: we want to win. Win can either mean winning a match or stopping the other from hurting us. Either way we want to beat the other person. The "terms and conditions" of the fight are just as important as well. If I have no regard for my attacker, then I want to win, but as fast as possible and taking as little damage as possible. If I'm working in security, sometimes I need to restrain a hostile person without harming them. The objective is still to impose my will on them, but with conditions. The terms are the ends to the means and sometimes those change drastically.

4. Always make sure that nothing is traded without you receiving something in return.
Of course in business, as it mentions in the original article, staying neutral in a negotiation won't make it easier for you to establish any gains. Boxing has created the expression "they're trading blows", which depicts two men going hit for hit. That means with every hit received, one is given. This is a neanderthal approach to fighting, ensuring the one with the least amount of brain damage will win and both fighters can expect a shorter career and poor quality of life. In every exchange, make sure you come out on top. If you have to get hit, it should still benefit you somehow. When exchanging hits, make sure to be setting up the next move. Just like chess, you should move closer or gain leverage with every hit.

5. Be prepared to walk away! As soon as you must have something it will end up costing you far too much.
This is mostly a lesson about not letting yourself become greedy. You need to be able to walk away from certain offers. Don't get fixated on some hypothetical ideal scenario, if it's going to cost too much then it's not worth it (by definition!). Once again, fighting is the same. Weigh your options at all times. If you can walk away, sometimes (if not always) you should. If you find yourself standing in a dark alley prepared to fight someone with a knife because they called you a name, maybe you've made a bad choice. Maybe you should get the hell out of there instead!

6. Always base your judgments on sound property fundamentals and not your emotions. Whenever a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.
This will make sense to anyone who's ever shopped for groceries on an empty stomach or bet on their favorite team. Emotions get in the way and could your judgement. When we're fighting, we have to keep an objective mind. Don't make it personal. Even though someone is trying their best to physically harm you, getting mad about it won't help you solve the problem faster. Keep an emotional detachment and always try to think objectively. Also, don't rule out the ability of an experienced fighter trying to "bait" you out. This is when someone makes a mistake on purpose, making your next move predictable and then they capitalize on your response. If it seems too easy, it is. Fight smart, not excited.

7. Throughout the negotiation process base your negotiation strategy on principles and not positions. Allow yourself flexibility and avoid locking yourself into positions and ultimatums.
If this doesn't translate into everything I've ever said about fighting then I don't know what does! Positions are important, but seeking them is almost exclusively a sports concept. In a street fight, you'll hit whatever is most exposed with the fastest tool available. You're in a hurry, act accordingly. Don't allow yourself to engage in a battle of position because then you're allowing your attacker to control the pace and direction of the fight, which is an outcome you obviously don't want. Refuse to participate, as my sensei always reminds me.

8. Aim to be a firm, but reasonable negotiator
Replace the word "negotiator" with "fighter" and this one explains itself! I've been in a situation where I was forced into a situation where I had to defend myself from an aggressor and, when I got the upper hand, they started screaming and begging me to stop, even though I only hit them once! Remember that violence is sometimes an act of desperation, so it might be a bluff. Of course, you should always act accordingly when you feel threatened, but recognize when the threat has been neutralized. Don't be excessive. In a sport fighting scenario, like all sports you don't stop until the official tells you to, but when they do you stop immediately. Don't be that jerk who needs to sneak in that one extra hit to feel good about himself. When it's over, it's over.

9. If negotiations become heated for whatever reason, always focus on the problems and not the people. Whenever you make an emotional outburst, you tend to give up some control.
Business rivals always run the risk of letting personal feelings affect their judgement. The same can be said for fighting. In sport and in reality, fighting will always feel personal, but reacting out of an emotional response will reduce your cognitive mind to its most primitive state. This is exactly what your opponent would want. This will accomplish two things: remove your most dangerous weapon which is your brain and allow them to control how you think and feel. You should dictate the terms. Stay focused on that and impose your will.

10. Always be consistent during a negotiation.

Stand your ground, both in business and in fighting! My professional advice is to do whatever you can to avoid a fight. However, once that line is crossed and you feel threatened, commit to the escalation as well. When the time comes to act, decide to see it through until its end. You don't decide that part though. You keep acting however your judgement deems appropriate until you feel safe again. Be consistent in your actions. Release any doubts, fears and signs of self pity when you hit that switch.

Jordan Bill

Fight or Die

www.ScrapyardFighting.com

twitter.com/Scrapyard514

twitter.com/JordanBill

youtube.com/scrapyardmartialarts

Nothing Personal: Emotional & Psychological Detachment

2012-06-25T14:56:00.002-04:00

I've worked in private security, bouncing and bodyguard work and, in order to be effective, we have to keep ourselves removed emotionally and psychologically. As situations escalate, a calm and objective mindset is required to make crucial decisions. A violent crisis wants to take away your cognitive thought, because that's always where the solution is found. Of course I've never been in a shootout or war zone, but I do have some experience with violence and security. In my experience, I was always able to keep myself and others safe when I could control my emotional investment, while always had bad results when engaging with anger or fear.

Your first response isn't always your smartest one
When a situation becomes dangerous, you probably won't have any kind of warning or time to prepare. Chaos can takeover a crowd in no less than a second, therefore forcing you into responding immediately. This has been the case, for me at least, in both personal and professional settings. The fastest emotional responses I've felt have been either fear or anger. These are never the right ones either. Just because they're the fastest doesn't mean that's what we'll need to solve the problem. As Deepak Chopra often teaches, we are all responsible, as adults, for our own emotional intelligence. In my earlier days of working in security, the first thoughts that would enter my mind were always "Why is this happening to me?". Avoid this at all times! It's a combination of panic and self-pity and it will swiftly remove your problem-solving skills in a heartbeat. The truth is, the situation is not happening to you. It's just happening. It exists without you, but you might be able to help. Conditioning, experience and meditation will help you control your initial emotional reaction. As my sensei Kevin Secours often reminds us, even acting afraid requires the use of your cognitive mind, therefore helping you remove fear from your decisions. Be logical and objective and you'll start to feel like you can control the situation, even if only in a small way. Fear and anger will prevent your ability to do so. Identify when this is happening and respectfully move past it. Easier said than done, of course, but that's what practice and meditation is for.

Don't make it personal
In a professional setting, the crisis is seldom personal towards you. Even when defending yourself as a civilian, although more likely, it's still often not targeted to you personally. Violence is often the result of the aggressive and desperate people of society, lashing out at anything they think could make them feel better or improve their situation. Analyzing the measure of how personal a threat is is a luxury that we're usually not afforded, therefore not helping our chances of going home safely. Remove your emotions and psyche from the situation, while responding with a cold detachment. This might sound mean, to some, but consider your life, well-being and/or that of a loved one at risk. If anything happened to them or if you were rushed to a hospital, you might look back regretfully at how you handled yourself. As Tony Robbins discusses, you'll always regret opportunities you didn't take more than the ones you did. Of course, he didn't introduce this idea in the context of a fight for your life, but the concept applies here too. Remove yourself from "feeling" any way about the scenario and pursue the solution with conviction.

Aggression seldom beats aggression
Unfortunately, I have experienced situations that were directly personal toward me. As you might imagine, it is much more difficult to control your emotions when someone is threatening you as a person. Sadly, it is that much more important to stay removed. A few years ago I was working in a bar and teaching martial arts on my days off. A student of mine, at that time, had gotten himself into some trouble with some dangerous people. He had to go into hiding and they were so eager to find him that they put a reward on his location. One night, working a shift on my birthday, a group of very large men came into the bar, blocked the exits and asked to have a word with me. They explained to me that someone I had kicked out of the bar a few weeks earlier had told them that I was friends with the person in hiding, hoping to get reward and some revenge on me. They explained to me that if I didn't either help set him up or reveal his location that they would take me instead, hoping he would come out of hiding for my sake. The first thing that popped into my head, when understanding the threat, was to reach for the bat behind the bar and start swinging for homeruns. I calculated that I could take out at least three of them before the car full of extra guys outside neutralized me. I couldn't help think how "unfair" it was that I was being threatened, on my birthday no less, for someone else's mistake. A violent response on my part would also endanger everyone around me as well. The room was tense and I could tell that my customers were uncomfortable. I put my personal feelings aside, explained to them that I wouldn't be able to cooperate and then started listing reasons why involving me wouldn't help them at all. I used every Neuro-Linguistic Programming concept I ever heard of. Having put my emotions aside, it became clear that verbal de-escalation was not only possible, but the only way for anyone to get through the night safely. It took a lot of talking, asking questions that I knew the answer to, ego flattering comments and the resisting the constant urge to fight my way to the door. It worked out, in the end. This was a highly personal attack on my sense of security, resolved by controlling my feelings and responding with logic. This, of course, might be an extreme example, but what's really "extreme" in the context of personal safety and violent emergencies?

At the start of every security assignment I've ever worked, no matter how dangerous, I'd tell my team the same thing at the start of every shift: Stay calm, stay sharp and get home safe.

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

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Here is a highlight video of a Choke seminar I taught not long ago. It's relevant because defending against a choke is a highly psychological challenge for most. Techniques are only effective when the defender can establish a control over their emotional response.

Solo Training: Where There's a Will, There's a Way

2012-06-11T10:08:00.009-04:00

Before I found the dojo that I've a member of for the past 15 years, I spent a lot of time training with friends without a teacher and in classes that weren't quite what I was looking for. Trying to combine what I saw on television to what I was learning in class wasn't exactly ideal, but it did help me learn to think for myself at a young age. I remember a time in my early high school years when I had worked out a three-way barter system, because I was determined to train but had no money for classes and didn't know of any schools that were teaching what I wanted. When there's a will there's a way.
I was a pro wrestling fan for as long as I can remember and back then there was an underground extreme wrestling promotion that was banned from most TV stations. As a result, you had to call their 800 number and order the tapes (yes, VHS tapes. Shut up, I'm old). I had a friend at that time who explained to me that the roots of pro wrestling came from CACC (pronounced "catch") wrestling and that if I liked the show they were putting on then I should look into the real thing. He then lent me some Karl Gotch instructional videos. I was hooked. This chain reaction of events was one of the best things to happen to me. My friend had told me that he'd been watching the tapes for a long time and wanted to try the techniques but he didn't have a partner and couldn't afford lessons at a gym. He proposed that he would keep buying the tapes if I agreed to meet him twice a week to practice. Sold!
Shortly after that, another friend of mine had started training in Hung Gar Gung Fu; a style I always had an interest in. He consistently invited me to join him, but I didn't have any money to sign up and very little free time with rugby practice and my wrestling practice twice a week. Luckily for me, my Hung Gar friend got into a fight with a kid in his neighborhood and he was rendered helpless when the bully tackled him to the ground. He approached me to learn some of the grappling I was practicing. In exchange for some wrestling practice, he would share what he was learning in his Hung Gar classes with me. This gave me an extra way of practicing my grappling and a way of learning a new style. None of us were qualified teachers, of course, but we did the best we could with our options.
We trained this way for a long time. We eventually branched out into boxing and other styles. When I eventually ended up in Kempo Jujitsu I knew I found my new home. They both joined as well, but ultimately stopped training shortly after high school.
Years later, I would eventually realize that I happened to live in the same city as one of the best instructors in the world, so I promised myself I would never take that for granted. I experienced not having access to the training I wanted and I've met some very inspiring men and women over the years that traveled long distances to seminars to bring new information back to their humble clubs. Not everyone has access to what they want and it's important to remember that. I'm always happy to see that there are so many warriors that don't let that stop them from learning. The following are some ways of training when you're on your own or with a partner that I still keep up with now. Just being part of a large martial arts community doesn't always mean that we have the same schedule, so here are some tips that work for me and hopefully you also:

Conditioning and Bio-Mechanics
Keeping up with your conditioning and cardio exercises can keep you busy for hours every day, if you want them to. There are many ways of training your body both with and without a partner. Running, skipping, kettle bells, free weights and yoga are just some of many that I practice on my own all the time. Also, when studying your techniques, isolate the movements required and practice them on your own, without any resistance from a partner. This will train muscle memory and proper mechanical structure. Not only will this come in handy for execution, training this way can also help prevent injuries later on.

Partnered Drills and Technique Practice
Training with a partner doesn't always have to be sparring; a lesson we quickly learned when we stopped improving. At first, most of the footage we were working with were sparring sessions. Every time someone executed a technique successfully, we would break it down into stages and then isolate those movements. Repetition became the name of the game. We weren't experienced enough to train our skill sets any other way so we took the literal approach. We worked with no resistance until we felt comfortable to to try it out in sparring.

The Age of Information
As the internet continues to become the main source of information for the world, it's that much more important to have some kind of online presence. Not just to make yourself known, but to find what you're looking for. You'll find instructional videos, instructors and training opportunities that you might not have been aware of otherwise. I've met people who have created and joined online martial arts communities and travel the seminar circuit almost exclusively. Connect with others of similar interest and build a network of information sharing. It's easy to set up and free!

Teach
Another decision I made, despite being part of a dojo, was to start teaching in my community. I found a cheap venue close to my home and started a club. This was an excellent way of reviewing what I was learning on a regular basis and an easy way of training more. I've met teachers who don't have any schools in their area who manage small clubs via online videos. They receive lessons from a distant instructor and film themselves training. The footage is then sent back for feedback. It's a great system that can keep everyone motivated and working hard!

These are some tactics that have come in handy for me over the years and that I still practice now when I need to train more on my own. I've been inspired by some stories I've heard of humble beginnings into training that have lead to great things. The heart of a warrior doesn't care about circumstance, they'll find a way. Hope this comes in handy one day.

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.scrapyardfighting.com
www.combatsystema.com
youtube.com/scrapyardmartialarts

P.S. Please feel free to share any solo training tips you practice! There are lots of great practitioners out there that could use that info!

P.P.S. Also don't forget to check out our new Articles section on the site! New content will be added there on a regular basis so make sure to keep checking in!

Irish Stick Fighting with Glen Doyle

2012-06-04T11:40:00.001-04:00

This weekend I had the honor to train with the one and only Glen Doyle, as he shared his family's time-tested methods of Shillelagh fighting. This was my first experience in Irish stick fighting and I have to say it was amazing to learn so much and in such a great environment. Glen Doyle's teaching method complemented how I like to train and teach very well and I could tell I was learning a lot of new information that will be integrated into my training immediately. This style had been passed down from father to son for generations and it was a real privilege to share some sweat with everyone present. We learned about the roots of the system, how it changed over the years and for what purpose, how Glen learned it from his father and, most importantly, how to be an effective stick fighter! Also, a big thanks to Kevin Secours for hosting Glen and introducing all of us to his great methods.

Tried and Tested
Glen shared some of the rich history of Irish stick fighting with us this weekend. He told us about the Whiskey Wars, which was a period in time when major whiskey companies were sending gangs of stick fighters to their competitors, some to please their English consumers tastes and others to maintain the honor of family recipes. The style teaches a lot of spacial awareness and proper footwork, sure signs of a battle-tested fighting method. I'm a firm believer that a martial art style or instructor can instantly prove its legitimacy by answering questions before you've had a chance to ask them. When I'm being taught why swinging my stick to wildly might accidentally hit someone on my side or that stepping a certain way will make sure I don't trip over bodies, I know I'm being exposed to the real deal.

Personal Touch
We were also given the opportunity to hear about how Glen had been taught this family art from his father. Starting with boxing at the age of four, he then went on to learn the fundamentals of stick fighting and he demonstrated some exercises that his father used to teach footwork and movement by making him work empty handed first. He shared with us many fond memories of training with his father and family lessons that had been passed on to him. Glen also shared with us that we wouldn't have had the opportunity to learn about the Doyle Shillelagh fighting method if his father hadn't agreed to let him teach outside the family for the first time. For that, we owe Glen a big thank you. With each new lesson, there was a sense of history and personal memories that Glen shared with his father and it was humbling to be a part of that.

Choices and Variations
With the accumulation of injuries and an aging body, I always appreciate learning variations. It's important for me to have options when it comes to delivery mechanisms. The techniques we learned also came with options that the art has developed over different generations and contexts. The first generation often held the stick in one hand, more like an armed boxing style. To counter this, fighters developed a two-handed style that would confuse the more traditional fighters. With the incorporation of the two-handed style, fist were still used for punching in a much less telegraphic way. We were shown variations on hits to prioritize speed, power or balance and encouraged to try them all and decided which worked best for us. Due to knee injuries and feeling particularly sore that day (thanks, Kevin) I opted to work with the more stable stance. I enjoyed the option of trying variations on just about every thing we practiced that day. This is also a good sign of a battle hardened fighting system. No two fighters move the same and I'm glad that was addressed as well.

I highly enjoyed training in the Doyle stick fighting system and I'm happy to have months of homework and practice ahead of me. Glen shared some of the amazing history of the style with us so that each exercise always had a sense of context and we always knew what situation we were training for. It was very interesting to hear about his own path in martial arts and learning under his father, who we all hoped to honor in our own training. Glen taught with humor, humility, respect and an assistant instructor who had a lot of really good tips to share with me and help me learn faster (thanks, Chris!). For more information on Glen Doyle and his martial arts, just check out www.doylesmartialartsclub.com. Also, another big thank you to Kevin Secours for making this seminar possible and all the participants at Integrated Fighting Systems for the great experience.

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.ScrapyardFighting.com

Rules vs Policies

2012-05-21T00:12:00.000-04:00

In my experience, people can often be categorized into two groups when they're training: those seeking "Golden Rules" of fighting and those who want policies for surviving a violent crisis. The first group of people are the same ones who will throw a slow-motion punch at your face and ask you what you'll do. If your answer is longer than 4 words, you'll probably lose their attention. I often call this "martial ADD". I'm not saying that attention disorders are anything to be laughed at, but some students can't seem to focus enough to learn how to think for themselves. As an instructor that can be frustrating. The second group of people typically have a hard time taking anyone at their word and need to understand why something is taught. In my opinion, this is the healthiest attitude to have when learning anything, especially self defense.

Rules
When people are looking for the "Golden Rule" of fighting, they want to be relieved of the responsibility of having to think for themselves. Sadly, there is no universal answer to winning a fight. Training to defend yourself against the unpredictable dangers of the world is one of the scariest and most challenging journeys you can take. If there was an easy answer, someone would have found it and everyone would be a black belt. Rules are for sports and games. This way, everyone is on the same level and know what they can and can't do. My favorite example are poker players. I have a fair amount of experience playing poker and I've noticed that online poker players and those who play in person are very different. It always reminds me of the difference between sport fighting and combat. Online players tend to have a pre-conceived set of rules for every scenario. Lacking the human psychology of the game, poker is much more like a video game to these players, sitting at their computer for hours and often playing several games at once. These players at a table are often easy to read. They might lack the "poker face" needed to trick players and hide what they're holding. At a table, you manipulate your opponent into doing what you want while they think it was their idea. Two very different skill sets. This is just like fighting and training. There are, of course, always a "right" and "wrong" reaction, but when you lose control of the situation you've got to be able to adapt. Train to stay calm and roll with the punches. Don't panic when the scenario doesn't follow any "rules", because they're just an illusion constructed for your comfort.

Policies
A policy is something that you can question. Concepts, principles and theories are logical solutions to a problem that have been tested under pressure. We present these policies with explanations of what the consequences are if they're not followed. This was explained to me very clearly in my first year playing rugby. My fist coach explained to me that there are no rules in rugby, only laws. Not the same thing. Laws can be interpreted by the referee to judge if there was any advantage gained by bending them. If there isn't, no need to stop the game. If you punch someone in the nose, fail to recover the ball and your victim steps on your face...play on. This might be an extreme example but the point remains: question what you learn and everything will make more sense. Now I know why punching the guy who picked up the ball was a bad idea. If consequences aren't presented, we're just all training to omit free thought and train to be robots, ready to malfunction as soon as we lose control of an uncontrollable situation. This "do what I say" training method will doom us to failure. You can question your teachings in a respectable manner. Anytime a student has questioned something I taught (very rare occasion, of course!), it made two things clear for me as their instructor: they're listening and I wasn't clear enough on this particular point. I often encourage students to do the opposite of what I'm saying so that they don't just have to take my word for it. My sensei, Kevin Secours, often makes us warm-up with the "wrong" reaction to train our psyche to feel why this isn't working. We're often brought to the point of structural failure to ingrain the opposite response. In my experience in live combatives, this has been extremely helpful. We can't train "rules" this way because we need to remain cognitive and sharpen our judgement.

As with many lessons in my years of training, this method of learning has served me well in every aspect of my life. Life is easier if you're acting out of free will and not because you're following rules that you don't quite understand. Rules create a fear of consequence mentality, whereas policies explain the alternatives and make it clear why they are undesirable. Critical thinking and proper judgement are the keys to real freedom. You'll feel more confident all the time. Question everything, fear nothing.

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.scrapyardfighting.com
www.combatsystema.com
youtube.com/scrapyardmartialarts
twitter.com/scrapyard514

5 Stages of Guilt

2012-05-14T03:17:00.002-04:00

In training, there is always a chance that someone is going to get injured. This is the unfortunate truth that no one likes to think about too much. Personally, when I get injured, I can accept that as being an unfortunate part of the the job. What I can't handle too well is when a training partner gets injured. No matter what the circumstances are, there's always a certain level of guilt that comes when you've been involved with someone getting hurt. This happened to me recently and, since others experience this sometimes as well, I thought I would discuss it here. I was grappling with a fellow instructor and training partner of 15 years and it ended with him getting hurt. I insist that I forced too hard on his ankle and he politely maintains that he should have tapped earlier. Either way, there was an accident and I was involve and I don't like that one bit. So I know from experience of having to hurt people through fighting and security work that I would have an emotional roller coaster ahead of me. There are generally 5 stages we go through when feeling guilty about something and I knew I would experience them all. Over the course of 48 hours, I decided to document the process.

Stage 1: Denial
The obvious first reaction is denial. As soon as it's clear that someone's hurt, you want that to not be the case anymore. The closest thing to going back in time and fixing the problem is to try and convince yourself that the injury isn't as bad as you thought. In my most recent and unfortunate case, I heard a crack in my friend's ankle and let go immediately, asking him if he was ok. He kept his composure and told me he was fine, so I immediately started to tell myself that I imagined the whole thing. That wouldn't last of course as it became evident that an injury just happened.

Stage 2: Anger
When denial doesn't work and we realize that this situation isn't going away, we often need to find something to blame. For me, I was instantly furious with myself. I was mad that after all these years of training I could still let an accident happen. I should be experienced enough to know when to let go and never should have been generating enough force to even come close to hurting someone. These are all true, of course, and became my main focus for a full 24 hours afterwards.

Stage 3: Bargaining
Denial leads into anger and, when that doesn't help, we try to "cut a deal" with ourselves. This is usually some kind of promise to ourselves to accomplish 2 things: to make sure we don't repeat the unfortunate incident and to make our guilt go away. I spent the whole next day going through various "deals" with myself. I started with "I'm never sparring again" to "I'm only going to train my defense from now on" and then I ended up promising myself that I would take some time to focus on teaching the newer students and less time on fighting for the sake of my ego.

Step 4: Depression
When all the previous stages fail to yield results, the first step to accepting the truth of the situation is depression. To be clear, the stage is referred to as depression, but it isn't always that extreme. I was, and still am, sad about the whole incident. I feel awful that a friend got hurt and that is a totally normal reaction. In my experience, this is often the longest of the stages, rivaled occasionally with stage 2.

Stage 5: Acceptance
After taking some time to meditate on the situation, a certain level of acceptance can be reached. I'm still mad at myself for letting an injury happen, I still want to shift my focus in training for the next while and I'm still upset that my friend is hurt but I know we've both been through this over the years and we'll both be alright. I've had to cope with being responsible for people's injuries before, mostly from working in private security, and the duration of each stage can vary. Sometimes the guilt goes away in a few hours and in some cases it takes months. Acceptance, when reached, is the only permanent stage. Unfortunately, it's a tough road to get there and isn't always reached.

My best advice for anyone going through this is to meditate. Get yourself through the stages by tackling your feelings head-on. Avoidance will just make the guilt worse. Dealing with an injury is an experience that most martial artists have to go through, so being the one who inflicted that on a friend is never easy to accept. You will beat yourself up for it, the injured person will often insist that it's not your fault and friends will offer kind words but, unfortunately, none of that will work. Take the time to acknowledge how you feel.

Wishing my friend a fast and healthy recovery. I'll be nagging you frequently for progress updates. Heal up, brother!

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.scrapyardfighting.com
www.combatsystema.com
twitter.com/scrapyard514
youtube.com/scrapyardmartialarts

The Belt System

2012-04-30T00:30:00.002-04:00

Having a ranking system in your martial arts training is a subject of some controversy. Many argue that the ranks are irrelevant, while traditionalists maintain that it is necessary to learning. I'm far from a traditionalist, but this system has worked for so long and helped me set and achieve goals in my own training. I also train and teach styles that don't have any kind of rank distinction, so I have a base for comparison. I respect the fact that everyone has their own reasons for their preferences, but the following are a few reasons why I support ranks and belts in my training curriculum.

1. Structure in learning
By establishing a curriculum, a ranking system will help distinguish what techniques and concepts should be emphasized for each student. Obviously students with a strong foundation will be advancing at a different rate than others, so the belt system will also help each student learn according to their needs. The lower ranks should work mostly on the foundations of the style, intermediate level students should be training to learn counters and strategy to execute their techniques and advance level practitioners will focus on advanced techniques and applications. Ranks also help us determine how to properly test certain students in exams to evaluate their progress. It really helps to organize the best way to teach a new student.

2. Setting the standard
When you achieve certain ranks, you will develop a certain standard of performance of yourself. This is a good thing, because with every rank comes more confidence. Belt exams have been some of the hardest accomplishments of my life and when you're putting that new belt on for the first time it feels amazing. Acknowledging your level of expertise will force you to admit that you're getting better, therefore removing all excuses in your training. In certain styles (like Kempo Jujitsu, for example) it is also possible to be demoted a rank. This added stress also helps in staying motivated and focused. Overcoming these challenges has directly improved my ability to deal with stress everywhere in my life. Stay confident and proud of how far you've come.

3. Beating a higher rank
As some of you may have experienced, there are few experiences as satisfying as beating someone of a higher rank. In most styles, your belt level isn't solely based on your ability to compete (there are specific requirements at each level), but their rank does indicate that they've been training longer and been through more exams than you. It is a great achievement and should just fuel the fire to train more. My belt was never a limit to how much I could learn, just a constant reminder of how much further i should push myself. I'll admit now that in my more arrogant days higher belts were a sort of target for me in training. Don't worry, most of the time my ass was promptly handed back to me. That just kept me training and trying harder all the time. My rank always made sure that I was always humbled and always hungry. That should never change.

4. Target on your back
Reaching higher ranks will continue to train you in stress management. As I mentioned, it feels great to tie off that belt for the last time and putting on your new one, but that feeling is quickly bumped aside when you feel the lingering looks of everyone in your dojo. Like it or not, the higher your rank the bigger the target on your back. I admitted earlier that I would deliberately seek out higher ranks in training and I quickly learned that it goes both ways. This constant pressure will also keep making you better. I often sign off with "Fight or Die" and this is because of something my sensei told me on the day that I earned my black belt. He explained to me that most people see black belts as being indestructible, so the challenges won't just increase in numbers but also in intensity. He wasn't lying! I've been fighting my ass off ever since that day and that has allowed me to really improve fast. I'm challenged every time I teach a class or seminar and I take no offence to that at all. I enjoy the challenge and appreciate the people who would like to train with me.

These are just some observations I've made that differ from when I'm training or teaching a non-ranking system. There isn't the same level of pressure or accountability, but these aren't fatal differences in your training. Just some reasons why the belt system is a preference of mine. We each need and look for different experiences in our training so make sure you're clear on what works best for you. Find the methods that bring out the best of what you have to offer and stick to it!

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.ScrapyardFighting.com
www.CombatSystema.com
youtube.com/ScrapyardMartialArts
twitter.com.Scrapyard514

Fighting Angry

2012-04-16T00:54:00.000-04:00

Every sport fighting fan loves a good grudge match, myself included. It's always fun to get into a good dramatic story on why two people should throw down. The best fights are often motivated by the need to win something, like a championship or avoiding an elimination in a tournament. A grudge match, however, is totally different. Often the fighters' top priority is to hurt their opponent or make them look bad. The audience usually eats this up because the need to assert dominance is often more entertaining. When there's something like a title on the line, fights are often defensive and highly technical, which doesn't always sell as well. Angry fights, on the other hand, are all about offense. This is not always the most intelligent approach. Good for fans, bad for the fighters.

Lost Focus
For me, the most important thing in a fight is to keep the brain goal-oriented. This enables us to stay cognitive and keep the reptilian brain from taking over. By staying engaged with our thought process, we can focus on ending the fight while taking as little damage as possible. We can control the pace and keep our strategies sharp. Your ability to adapt goes out the window when you decide to just rage out. A fighter who can keep his cool will solve this problem in no time. If you're only goal is to hurt your opponent, then you might be at a loss after you land your first punch. If he's still standing after that and you can't come up with a new plan, you'll inevitably just repeat your plan. You'll be stuck in a loop, so to speak, because you've shut off the intelligent part of your brain and can't adapt. Stay sharp and stay smart.

Tension
Letting yourself indulge in anger when you're fighting won't just make your mind freeze, but your body also. Anger leads to tension, which reduces mobility. This will also increase your heart rate (like it needed to be higher in a fight) and tire you out faster. Your muscles will tense up and you'll feel stiff. Your mobility will be greatly reduced, which will make it challenging to keep up. So now you'll be unable to stick to a smart strategy, run out of breath and not be able to move as much. This is all before your opponent even throws a punch! Fighting is hard enough, don't make it worse.

Taking Damage
There's a common expression in sports: "Defense wins championships". This is a strategy that requires some fore brain activity. You have to be able to think to enforce this concept. The idea for intelligent fighters is to win while taking as little damage as possible. This isn't such a priority when someone loses their temper. I've seen it happen and felt this myself (younger days, thanks to my corner for correcting that). When you're motivated by malice, you stop caring about your well-being. This shortens careers, kills brain cells, will get you killed in a street fight and often cost you the match. Also emotional control is a matter of discipline, which is a reflection of your training.

Getting mad and losing your temper often means that there's an insecurity that has been exposed. In fighting, people are often angry because they might not think they can win. Not every time, but often if someone makes it personal with me, I see it as an act of over-compensation. Losing your temper is losing control. Train hard, stay disciplined and push yourself regularly. Keep cool, stay healthy and keep winning.

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.ScrapyardFighting.com
www.CombatSystema.com

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Visualization: Keep it real

2012-04-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

"Visualizing" is a word that gets thrown around a lot, especially in the world of fighting and training. The concept is often encouraged, but rarely elaborated. Guided meditation drills and role playing in your training can help you focus on the context of what and why you're training. Sometimes, however, we get too caught up in the idea of fighting for our lives in an alley somewhere and we get carried away in training. Out of fear, we compete instead of practice, which can hinder us just as much. It's hard to learn anything new or practice your timing when your stress is too high. A careful balance needs to be established in our training and one of the best ways to find this "sweet spot" is to meditate on the two extremes.

Not Enough
If we don't remind ourselves why we're training and take some time to imagine the scenario that would cause us to fight then the greater purpose is lost. Instead, we risk getting caught up with competitive drills and unrealistic techniques. We forgot how/why we'd be fighting. It's like seeing someone with perfect timing on the pad drills, but have never punched someone or been punched. Warning signs of this include getting distracted with irrelevant details, concern with how you "look" when doing the exercise and overly concerned with labels and names of everything. A punch to the nose and suddenly everything is grouped into two piles: techniques that will make this stop and everything else. Those are the important details. To fix any issue resulting with under-visualization, train harder. And by "train harder", I really mean "hit harder". Any kind of role playing or reality simulations you can add to your training, periodically, will greatly improve your ability to understand the reality of defending yourself.

Over Visualization
Don't over do it. I see people become too competitive in their training (usually beginners) and they stray from the focus of the exercises. A lot of times this comes from a fear and over compensation. When someone is insecure with an aspect of their training or their overall abilities, they often try to avoid confronting this area by being over aggressive in their drills. This is like pretending you didn't hear the question because you don't know the answer. There's only one way to get better and that's by constantly visiting your weak areas and improving them, not hiding behind your comfort zone. When this happens in training, you're not only removing yourself from the exercise, but also depriving your partner of the chance to improve also. Stay focused. Save the fighting for the street.

Meditate
Keeping your training in context shouldn't be difficult for you. You know why you're training and each drill should be relevant to some kind of fighting context or skill set development. When you see someone stray from the focus, this usually means that they need work in this area, but opted to go to a place that is more comfortable for them. No one is improving anything this way. If you're partnered with someone, frequently take them out of that zone, stop the drill, remind them what the focus of the exercise is and reset. Stop them every time or you're running the risk of getting lost in some competitive battle of egos. Meditate regularly on the two extremes of focus and keep yourself grounded in the middle. You showed up to the dojo to leave a slightly different person. Make sure you get what you're working for.

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.scrapyardfighting.com
www.combatsystema.com
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youtube.com/scrapyardmartialarts

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Fear

2012-03-26T15:07:00.001-04:00

"The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but, it is fear."
Gandhi

We all know that we don't like fear, but often just go through life knowing that and doing little else. Fear is something that should be identified and confronted all the time. We use it as a gauge to see if our weaknesses are occupying too much of our brain. We often fail to overcome our fears because it's easier to just allow it to exist in our consciousness and not have to face them, but as time goes on these fears become stronger and more dominant. Consider fear a harmful bacteria for your spirit. If left unattended, it will multiply and spread, much like a cancer. To achieve our goals and live a life we deserve, we should regularly visit what scares us and try to overcome it or, at least, stop them from growing.

Don't Freeze
So we know that fear is unpleasant, but we don't always realize how damaging it can be in a crisis. We encourage people to confront their fears because in moments of crisis, the fear can take over and stop us from making intelligent decisions that could save our lives or the lives of loved ones. When fear takes over, you'll feel like someone with really cold hands has grabbed your heart and started squeezing. It becomes hard to think, breathe or even move when this happens. This is because our cognitive minds have been turned off and we're regressing into an animal state of flight or fight. Sadly, depending on the level of violence of the crisis, the "fight or flight" response is sometimes forced into a "fight or die" situation. We couldn't ever train to a point where we'd be totally comfortable with an uncontrolled violent scenario forced onto us, but if we are honest about our fears and train ourselves regularly, there are some ways of staying cognitive and, at least, improve our chances. Fighting a situation is hard enough, don't add to it by having to fight yourself also.

Problem Solving
Fear will tense our muscles, therefore causing them to respond slower to the demands of our brain. Fear will create a chaotic environment that could result in hundreds of different outcomes, changing every second, therefore giving the unfocused mind too much to calculate and cause that "mind spinning" feeling. To make things worse, fear will cause shallow breathing, therefore not using approximately two-thirds of our lung capacity (hyperventilating), therefore not allowing enough oxygen travel to the brain or muscles. Your fear is a double agent, living in your body, but actually working for the enemy. You can't be prepared for every possible scenario, but there are things you can do to keep your brain on your team. Keep the cognitive mind engaged and you can avoid many of these effects of fear. The mind is goal-oriented, so keep thinking. A lack of goals will result in chaos, keep control by speaking and listening. My sensei also advises to start acting. This is a cognitive exercise that will keep your fore-brain engaged and prevent the animal mind from taking over. This of course doesn't guarantee anything, but will help you stay intelligent and increase your ability to solve the present problem. This situation was forced onto you, but you can't take any time to feel sorry for yourself. This is what's happening now and you owe it to yourself and everyone in your life to be smart about it.

SIDE NOTE: As of last year, it was estimated that someone's chances of getting attacked or robbed in North America were 1 in 250. These stats were based on reported crimes, so it might be a little skewed since many crimes go unreported. That being said it is still unlikely that you will be in a violent crisis, but also far from impossible.

It gets better/worse each time...you decide
So whether we confront fear on our own terms or when it's forced on us will greatly determine who will win the war. If you wait for the chance to be victimized, you'll spend a portion of your life avoiding certain things and always a little worried that someone will come along and push fear on you. This will make your fear stronger with time and will start to dictate how you should live your life. I'm claustrophobic and spent about a year and a half avoiding elevators, which was surprisingly difficult. After climbing up 8 flights of stairs and being locked in a stairwell, I decided that it was time to do some research on how to overcome fear. By identifying something that is negatively influencing your life through fear, you can decide where and when you want to confront that. It won't happen over night, but at least you'll be stronger and more confident on a regular basis. Once you make progress against fear, it's hard to fall back. Move forward all the time.

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.ScrapyardFighting.com
www.CombatSystema.com

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6 Simple Weight Loss Habits

2012-03-19T12:34:00.000-04:00

Having spent the last few years practicing and experimenting with different diets, I've managed to learn a lot about nutrition and how/what to eat to compliment your level of activity. The body is a complex machine, so an error in dieting can really have long-term effects so it's important to do your homework and consult a nutritionist. There are some simple habits that you can start right away to clean up your diet. These are some quick adjustments that have consistently shown me great results. I still encourage everyone to do a little research and take a deeper interest in your health, but feel free to implement these changes right away.

1. No White Carbs
Regardless of the technical terms, cutting out "white foods" will change what kind of carbs you're putting into your system. This is as simple as literally substituting white foods with their whole grain counter parts. Examples include white bread, white sugar and pasta. Those were my most common source of carbs and all have multi or whole grain alternatives. It takes about a week to adjust to the difference in taste.

2. Don't Drink Carbs
Don't drink your carbs, proteins or nutrients, whenever possible. Stick to water when drinking, even avoiding sports drinks. Despite their design to re-hydrate you, they contain sugars. Not a terrible amount, but for the sake of losing weight it's better to drink just water. Protein shakes are also very popular, but you won't extract as much of the protein as you suspect and they can be fatty. Again, for the purpose of losing weight it's best to avoid these. I now carry a water bottle at all times and no longer but milk, cream or sugar in my coffee or tea.

3. Weight Training
Weight training, no matter how light or intense, will cause your metabolism to go into overdrive. Even light weight training on a regular basis will keep your heart rate slightly elevated and will actually make you lose weight in between sessions. Your body fat percentage will actually be improving when you're not even working out! Train regularly and you'll be burning calories in your sleep.

4. Cardio
Make sure to frequently exercise your cardio. Whether it's a run, elliptical, bike ride or even a long walk, do this on a regular basis and you'll see very fast results. Ideally, aim for 30 minutes of uninterrupted movement. Set a pace you can maintain and around the 30 minute mark you'll be burning your highest amount of fat cells. The longer you go after the half hour mark, the more you burn. As your muscles tire and your heart-rate continues to rise, your calorie-burning ratio will rise exponentially. To start, shoot for 30 minutes and you're all set.

5. Eat Big to Small
Although this is pretty much the opposite of popular habits, start your day with a large breakfast and make each meal after that smaller and smaller. This will kick-start your metabolism and you'll be burning calories all day! Your largest meal has all day to digest and burn up and each meal will be easier for your body to absorb. The tricky part is dinner time. By this procedure, supper should be your smallest meal. The closer you are to your bed time, the less calories you should intake.

6. Cheat Day
Hardly the most important tip, but definitely my favorite is having a cheat day. This is designed to be your guilt-free day of eating everything you miss. I'm sure dietitians and nutritionists would tell you to keep it to one meal or something, but I like to take a full day of indulging. Since starting this, I've seen instant results. For one thing, you won't be craving anything as badly during the rest of your week, knowing that you can indulge later. Aside from the psychological comfort, this also causes a spike in your metabolism. Your body can eventually adapt to any diet and that's when you stop seeing progress or plateau. By having a day of random eating in the midst of your structured diet, your body gets confused and goes into overdrive. So when you start your diet again the following day, you'll actually be burning a little more than usual to compensate. Avoid letting your cheat day spill out into another day. This is why many professionals but limits on this concept, because people can take it as a free pass to making exceptions. You work hard at being healthy, so keep it to one day.

So these are the most successful habits I've picked up over the years. Although, there's more to dieting and eating healthy than this, these are the no-excuse quick habits you can start right away. If you have a genuine interest in your health, dive right in! Remember, eating well and losing weight are two different things. For example, anything you consume after a workout of at least 30 minutes won't have any effects on you as far as gaining weight, but also won't help you lose any either. Pay attention to these "golden rules" of dieting and make sure they fit your needs. Good luck and please send me pics and info on what you've got lined up for cheat day!

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.ScrapyardFighting.com
www.CombatSystema.com

NEW VIDEO: A SCRAPYARD ST PATRICK'S DAY GREETING!!

Stress of Success

2012-03-12T13:31:00.003-04:00

Someone once told me that success can't be easy, otherwise everyone would do it. In fighting terms, not everyone can be the champ at once. Someone has to beat out the rest and rise to the top. This is true everywhere in life. When you're doing well, you can work hard to share that success with others and inspire someone to rise to the occasion and do the same. Obviously there are a lot of obstacles along the way and that's what makes the journey special. However, the path is hard enough, there's no need to make it even worse. Often, our own fear of success can get in the way. Other times, people around you will be reminded that they're not as focused or making as much progress and might resent your efforts. These are obstacles that we should consider not worth our time. That might sound harsh, but there's enough challenges ahead that the ones that can go away by just acknowledging them should be the first to go. The journey to your goals isn't a nice walk in the park, think of yourself charging forward, making your own path, swatting distractions to the side and crashing through the many obstacles ahead.

Outside Pressure
As many studies have confirmed, social support is very important in a person's life and in the case of some athletes can actually affect their performance. Goal setting also becomes more successful when a sense of accountability is achieved by involving a friend or co-worker on their progress. So, in most cases, involving other people in your efforts usually yield good results, but there are exceptions. Usually not malicious, some people in your life might feel a subconscious resentment toward your success. This isn't personal. Your achievements might remind someone of their failures or lack of focus towards their own goals, whether they realize it or not. This makes you exposed to a constant subconscious negative presence that will, with enough time, hinder your future progress. This kind of negative stress from outside influences has been proven to affect an athlete's performance or recovery by up to 20% in the wrong direction! In combat, where often a half a second is the difference between victory and defeat, that has huge implications on just how much our environment can change our results. Identify and eliminate.

Self-Imposed Pressure
People around you aren't the only ones that can add unnecessary stress to your work, you can to. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemies. This is something all too familiar to me. Be careful when setting unrealistic goals for yourself and establishing a standard that you can't possibly keep up with. I'm all for aiming high, but if you set yourself up for failure all the time you're programming your brain to expect failure. All your goals should be broken down into smaller, more achievable goals. This way, your programming success with every step on the way. The further you go, the more you've experienced success. Imagine if you were running toward a goal and found a way to gain speed with every step along the way. Tell a friend or colleague about your goals and how you plan on achieving them. This will hold you to a sense of accountability, but also keep you grounded. Hopefully, your friend will tell you if you're setting impossible standards for yourself.

Guilt of Success
For some, success comes with guilt. This guilt can come from outside factors and/or from somewhere inside yourself. When we start to see progress in worker toward a better life for ourselves, we sometimes wonder if we're being selfish and why others around us might not be as happy. Being focused on what makes us happy isn't selfish, it only becomes selfish when we are happy at the expense of others. When there are people around us working for the same, keep charging forward to help clear the path for them, as others might have done for you. Don't feel guilty that others aren't where you are on the journey, it's not a race. Be available to those who ask for your help and guidance. Some will be inspired, others will be offended. That's normal. Be careful of those who resent you, as mentioned earlier, they will find a way to slow you down. Above, we mentioned how they can add stress, but they can also add guilt. Keep your mind open to catch backhanded compliments and other subtle attempts to make you feel like you're doing something wrong by being happier. It's a fight, both inside and out, with yourself and others.

Stress and fear are killers of the body, mind and spirit. If your soul could get cancer, it would be from too much exposure to fear and stress. Think of all your proudest moments and chances are fear and stress came along at some point to try and ruin it for you. We've been engaged in this battle since we were infants, but we've accumulated all the tools we need to win this war as we grew up. Through years of training, I've managed to convince myself that as soon as I feel fear or stress, chances are I'm about to do something I'm going to be proud of. Make whatever association you need to notice fear and stress and charge right into it and meet it head on. As you continue to move forward and break through walls, don't feel bad. You owe it to everyone who could potentially be inspired to better themselves to keep going forward. No one's getting left behind, we're just not all at the same place. The first rule of First Aid training applies everywhere: you can't save anyone if you can't save yourself. Acknowledge and eliminate. Be confident in yourself, aware of others slowing you down and make no apologies for improving your life. For all we know, this might be your only one. Make it count.

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.ScrapyardFighting.com
www.CombatSystema.com
www.youtube.com/ScrapyardMartialArts
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NYE Resolutions: Only 64% Still Going Strong by Now

2012-03-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

Progress
So, by now about half of the people who have made new year's resolutions have either failed or gave up already. Technically, both of those outcomes are the same, since you have to decide to stop trying if your first attempt didn't work. One of my resolutions this year was to talk less; more specifically to say what I want with fewer words. I can honestly say that I'm failing miserably. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I'm more long-winded than ever. I haven't given up on that, though, and have made a list of things I can do to practice using less words to express myself (discussed below). It's a work in progress. Another resolution of mine (I wrote a list this year) was to make my monday to friday training schedule non-negotiable. So far so good. A few exceptions included teaching classes and minor injuries, but overall my momentum is going strong and training couldn't be better.
An interesting side note: although not formally a resolution, I read about a psychological experiment about people giving up their right to complain for a set period of time. I'm about two weeks into a forty day attempt at this and although it can be challenging I'm getting great results. I highly recommend that you all try this, even if it's only for a week!

Stats
According to the University of Scranton's Journal of Clinical Psychology, we're not alone. In fact, of all the people you know that made resolutions, it's only expected that 8% of them will achieve their goal how they said they would! I plan on being in that group and then we can make it bigger each year. It's easy to feel strong right after you make your resolution, 75% of us can breeze through the first two weeks, but only 64% will make it through the first month and that drops down to a sad 46% after six months. By have way through the year, have of us have already given up! Most of this can be fixed with some clear and organized goal setting and an action plan. Step by step we can get there, we have all year!

Accountability and Action Plan
Since the last time I've written about being accountable to your goals and making an action plan, even more studies have been done (or at least discovered by me) to support these claims. Achievements need to be planned and defined. So make sure you keep your resolutions specific and if they're vague, create smaller goals to organize exactly what it is you want and how to get there. Also you should own your goals. Claim your resolutions by telling someone about them and keep them informed on your progress, the good and the bad. This has been studied and proven to increase your chances of success by over 20% (I'm currently researching and compiling studies in this field for an upcoming book. Keep checking ScrapyardFiighting.com for updates on this.). <-------------Me holding myself accountable for the completion of this project.
For my resolution of using fewer words, I've created an action plan. I realized that I wasn't succeeding at this because it was too vague. It wasn't a resolution in that state it was more of a wish. So, I've started using all forms of written social interactions (Facebook, Twitter, Social E-Mails, Text Messages) like they have a character limit. Twitter is a social media site that enforces a 140 character limit on every update, keeping interaction short and sweet. I've recently started doing this everywhere I could think of and I'm starting to get the hang of it. It's still a bit of a challenge, but soon it will become the norm and, hopefully, become a habit even when speaking. I will, of course, continue to ramble and rant here on the blog though.

Hopefully you haven't given up yet. If you've already achieved your goal for the year, feel free to make a new one. Don't brag and don't get lazy, I'm in the business of punching people. If you've failed or are losing momentum remember that the solution might be as simple as just telling someone or writing down some steps to getting started. Make them as immediate at possible. Nothing you can't start doing within the week; the next three days are even better. Whatever your resolution was, it's clearly something that was important to you at some point so keep going for it! I sincerely hope this helps. I'll be bringing this up again in a few months and hopefully you won't be one of the 22% of people who will give up between now and then! In the meantime, train safe and train hard.

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.ScrapyardFighting.com
twitter.com/scrapyard514
twitter.com/jordanbill
www.CombatSystema.com

Tactical Application, Not Concept Demonstration

2012-02-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

Youtube Fighting
I've become more and more strict with myself in my training when it comes to this. The days of being impressed with a demonstration and then trying to imitate that spectacle are over. When watching a demonstration of a concept, it should be clear what the objective is. When watching combat sports, you see two people trying to win a fight as fast as possible, taking as little damage as possible. You can always see with at least one of the two fighters exactly what they're gameplan is and how they plan to win. They're not out there trying to show how well they can take a hit, they're there to finish. This is also the desired objective in almost any self defense context, with the exception of restraint obligations and third party protection. In its simplest form, self defense comes down to two universal tasks: reducing the risk of getting hurt and stopping the conflict from continuing. Watching someone dance around a swinging knife to make the point about movement or artificially run circles around a group of "attackers" looks great but doesn't teach anything. I like to call that "Youtube Fighting". People might even get results by trying to imitate this kind of stuff in class, but might be in for a nasty surprise when pressure testing or confronted by this scenario in real life. Maybe I sound bitter, but this is something that needs to be taken seriously. Get educated, not entertained.
When training to defend yourself in a specific scenario, apply the following action plan:

Survival Concept -> Strategy of Execution -> Tactics -> Experiment/Pressure Test -> Results Analysis

Concept Stage

This is your first stage. Discuss a specific scenario that you would like to simulate and learn to defend yourself against. Pro fighters and athletes do this all the time. They practice for a specific team or person by creating a series of most-likely scenarios. Example: Defending against an armed attacker (knife) with empty hands.

Strategy

In this stage, research and discuss effective methods of self defense to accomplish the desired outcome (the Concept). Compile any existing data that you can find on this and consider how to implement what you find into your strategy. Often you can find case studies and methods that professionals use and train in most. To keep with our example: We learn that risk is greatly reduced when the knife is isolated, as opposed to swinging wildly in the air. A risk-reducing strategy is to have the knife pinned against our body, their body or the ground, with two hands securely controlling the knife arm.

Tactics

Tactic development is broken down into the necessary skill-building drills to be efficient at executing the techniques we'll need to enforce our Strategy. Usually variations of hand-eye coordination drills. In the case of our knife attacker, we'll need to work on movement and evasion exercises to avoid stabs and slices. Also we'll need resistance when attempting to secure the arm with the knife. We need to be able to avoid attacks, close distance as safely as possible and isolate the attacker and knife. Lastly we'll need to train ways of finishing this conflict from the secured position, which might be something new to you. Research and drilling are necessary here.

Pressure Test

This is our experimental phase. Here, we will simulate the entire scenario and try to put to practice what we've been training with as much resistance as we can safely enforce. There should be some level of stress here in order to study how our concept is applied with adrenaline and fear. Protective gear is highly recommended here for both parties, in order to reduce risk of injury and overcome inhibitions for both people. Take an honest approach when reviewing your results. Regardless of success or failure, you now have priceless data on the realism of your chosen scenario. Honestly categorize everything into what worked, what didn't and what you think would after more training. Start the process over and apply the new information where applicable. Stay safe and good luck!

These are steps to organize your training and leave no room for mysticism. Keep your work honest, ego free and always seeking the truth. When watching a demonstration, viewers should be able to clearly see exactly what the defender is doing to protect themselves. This is the difference between impressing an audience or educating them. When the conflict is over, viewers should be thinking something along the lines of "oh I see what he did there. I'd like to try that myself it work for him." It might not be flashy, but it just might save your life. Happy training.

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

ScrapyardFighting.com
CombatSystema.com
Twitter.com/Scrapyard514
Youtube.com/ScrapyardMartialArts

Punching Through the Comfort Zone

2012-02-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

No matter much or how hard you train, it's always possible to fall into a comfort zone. Of course, this must be avoided at all costs. Working at the same pace with the same people all the time can make even something like sparring a mundane routine. Pressure should be periodically introduced into your training in order to make sure that you're aware of what is working well for you and what needs more work. I've been guilty of this myself, so I've put together some changes you can make once in a while to switch things up. Stress (or eustress, instead of distress. Will be discussing that at length in a future project) should be introduced with pressure testing in order to train proper application. Everyone is comfortable at different things, but these are adjustments that work best for me. Hope at least one of these helps you in your training as well.

"Prepare for the worst, hope for the best."
Always work with someone better than you. This should be a standard for you. Working with someone that has more experience will automatically make you work harder and draw out everything in your arsenal. This will make it abundantly clear what techniques and principles are well ingrained and what needs work. Of course there are ways to challenge yourself against someone you know you can beat also. When working with someone less experienced, give yourself limitations in order to work on technique and timing. When working with someone you know is more advanced, your heart-rate might peak earlier than you're used, forcing you to deal with that. Also, with more experience, there's a good chance that they'll be pushing the pace as well, again forcing you to adapt. It's good for your development to have someone else take control once in a while (in practice only, of course). If you find that you're having a hard time stepping out of your comfort zone, especially in sparring, a better, stronger and faster opponent will do that for you. What's the worst that could happen? Nothing that you haven't had done to you before in your training, probably. Deal with it. You'll be happy you did.

Say it Out Loud
Without accountability for our goals, we create a circumstance where it's ok to fail. Commit to your goals by verbalizing them. If there is something you want to accomplish in your training (or life, for that matter), tell a friend or training partner what that goal is. It's really not even important if they follow up or even care, to be honest. It forced you to say what you want out loud, making you that much more committed to those results, even if it's just to yourself. This will also provide more reflection if you fail, as opposed to the temptation to just avoid that part of your training. You'll be more likely to solve what went wrong and will want to try again as soon as possible. For an even harder challenge, tell the person you're working against what you would like to try doing and you'll automatically have them resisting fully. Give it time and you'll eventually succeed. Determination and patience will yield the best rewards and you'll have accomplished a task under the hardest possible circumstances, making all future attempts much less stressful.

Draw Attention
This one always works for me. Having an audience or someone filming always gives me a little extra adrenaline, but often my best results. I've worked on instructional videos, video game stunt work, competitions and teaching classes and seminars and having a group of people paying that much attention to me still makes me nervous. This is great for training. Any scenario that forces you to deal with an adrenaline spike is a great simulation to how you'd feel in a crisis. The idea is to create the physiological conditions of a violent conflict, without the risk of injury (minimal risk of injury, at least). An extra bonus of having a friend or group watch you work is the feedback. Getting a third party source of information is terrific for what adjustments you should make in your training. The same goes for your sparring partners. They know what you did well and what you didn't, take advice from them and not your ego.

Analyze Yourself
I've always recommended that you film yourself training and I still do. This doesn't have to be done often, but every few months take the time to watch yourself work. You'd be surprised, as I often am, by what mistakes you make and when. You'll notice first what bad habits you have that stop you from doing certain things, but keep watching until you can spot the little things. By this I mean the small mannerisms that if you would have noticed from an opponent you could use to defeat them. Often, even when successfully execute a technique, we make a dozen mistakes along the way. Sometimes it's just luck that got us through and sometimes it's just inexperience on your opponent's part. Either way, if you knew you were doing that you'd stop right away. Sometimes taking a step outside your body and watching is the only way to notice these things. I also recommend only watching your footage after some meditation. Watch with a clear mind and a checked ego. You're not doing this to praise yourself, so it's fine to only look for the mistakes. It's ok to be frustrated when you spot them too; that's the whole point. As long as everytime you watch footage you're a new fighter, you're making progress. New mannerisms, new techniques and new mistakes are signs of evolution. If your ego can take it, the footage will keep you honest.

An Adrenaline Experiment
Recently, my friend Ben and I decided to conduct an experiment to see how it affected our performance. We've sparred each other countless times, under all kinds of different rules. Often simulating various combat sports rules in order to constantly change the context. This time, we decided to draw some attention to ourselves. Essentially, we combined all of the methods mentioned above. It started with setting a future date for our sparring "match" to take place, followed by two weeks of openly challenging each other and talking some smack. This got a lot of our friends' attention and, even though we were all taking it lightly, everyone started to anticipate a fight. This means we both committed to this and were now accountable. We also agreed to film the whole thing, in order to see how different we moved and fought. When the day finally came, I was a little more excited and my heart-rate peaked much earlier than usual. It was a great change and this small simulation took me a little out of my comfort zone, which lead to a harder-than-usual level of intensity in our hits. While icing my many bruises later, the footage showed me a normal amount of mistakes for what I'm used to, but they were completely different from last time I had watched myself. Overall, I'd consider the whole experiment a success. It was fun, safe and gave me results. Now I have a billion new things to work on. That's honest training.

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

ScrapyardFighting.com
CombatSystema.com
Twitter.com/Scrapyard514
Youtube.com/ScrapyardMartialArts