Although training with a partner is the ideal way to train Combatives, we will often not have access to training partners. So instead of not training at all, we can train alone and still have a good session.
Some tips to keep in mind when training alone:
- Don’t try to do too much in one session. Pick just a few techniques or exercises to work on during the session and stick with them. If you try to cover too much, you will scatter your focus and end up learning nothing. Remember that a good Combatives workout is about repetition. To be good you have to train some select techniques over and over again until you master them. If you try to master too many techniques at once, you will not master any.
- Train thinking about the street. This means that you do not train in a sporting way. So no shadow boxing or long training sessions. Everything you do should be combative, not sporty. Warm up first, then practice your exercises and techniques in short bursts. A true street fight is a blast of energy that doesn’t last long. There are no rounds. Only periods of intense combat lasting only a few seconds. Your training should reflect that. Basically do it like fk for no more than ten seconds, then stop and repeat.
- Add emotional content to your training. Whatever you do, you have to back it up with the right mindset. If you hit the bag, do so with all intent and aggression. Really imagine that you are in a situation and you have to humiliate this guy. Anything else won’t do. You are practicing the access state as much as the physical techniques. Hit the switch, fuck off, and then turn the switch back off, making sure to check the status every time. By training in this way, you ensure that techniques come out under pressure when you need them. This is the only way to train.
- Resist the urge to do long sessions. Long training sessions are for endurance athletes and sports fighters. You will benefit most from shorter sessions of about fifteen to twenty minutes, but train at maximum intensity during that time. If you think that one session is not enough, train twice a day.
1. NEAR AND STRIKE DRILL
The great thing about this exercise is that you don’t need any equipment and can be done anywhere.
Start from a square stance, then move into a close stance with your arms out front as if controlling your space, then from there launch a preemptive strike.
Repeat several times.
To make the exercise more useful, use your imagination. Imagine that there is someone in front of you, causing you pain. Control your space as they try to get in and then when you think the time is right, attack with all intention and visualize yourself taking down the guy. Remember, the emotional content is what makes these techniques stick.
2. FENCE, STRIKE, EXPLOSION AND FINISH
As stated above, only after striking preemptively do you continue to shoot your opponent with multiple strikes, moving forward as you do so (forward) before finally finishing off your opponent with knees and elbows or some other technique of your choice.
3. BRAWL IMAGINARY DRILL
For this exercise, you will play an entire attack scenario from start to finish. Think of a scenario first. You could be walking to your car in a dimly lit parking lot after a particularly tiring day at work, or you could be standing outside the restaurant after having drinks with friends. What. Your imagination is the limit here.
Once you have a scenario in mind, really put yourself in it, mentally and emotionally. Start acting like a real actor would.
Take the example of parking. You are walking towards your car when you see two dodgy looking guys hanging around near your car. Your arachnid sense begins to tingle and you can feel the adrenaline begin to bubble inside you. Something is not right (really feel this!). As you continue walking towards your car, one of the boys (dressed in jeans, a black jacket, and a baseball cap) asks you for a light. Tell him you don’t have one. You’ve barely responded to him when the other guy (in sweatpants and a dark-colored hoodie) suddenly rushes toward you, throwing his fist back in preparation to punch you. The fight has started.
That’s the setup. How this scenario plays out is up to you. The important thing is that you mimic each movement as it occurs. If you hit one of the guys, do it for real and feel the impact. If you get hit or grabbed, really react.
Fall to the ground and fight. Represents the whole fight. Then when I’m done, walk away.
Done right, with your imagination in full swing, this can end up feeling like a real fight. It’s almost like visualization practice, but you are physically representing each movement instead of imagining it in your head.
Try to be alone when doing this exercise. If someone sees you, they will think you have lost your mind while diving and fighting imaginary attackers.