I've recently finished watching "Die Less Often: Intro to the Interface of Gun, Knife, and Empty Hand" by Gabe Suarez and Marc Denny.
Its a GREAT DVD and I highly recommend it.
Watching this DVD, I had a "lightbulb" moment. You know, that moment when you realize that maybe the kinds of things you've been training for are far-less likely to happen than you think. That moment when it hits you that being in an empty hand or knife fight is WAY more likely than being in a gun fight. That moment when the idea of having "only 1 life" is very real, and that in this life you don't get "time-outs" or "second chances".
In my head I tend to envision simple scenarios, such as the basic "home invader" or having to draw my gun during an assault on someone else. I spent time training and practicing to draw my pistol, fire my pistol, and hit my target, each time trying to be quicker and smoother than the last. But, I never gave much thought-time to the idea that I may not even have time to draw my gun before getting stuck in the gut or lung multiple times with a 4" blade. Its not that I hadn't considered it before, but its been just recently that the reality of that has sunken in.
The DVD does a couple things that I haven't seen with other training videos.
First, they sprinkle video clips throughout the session to show how a particular technique could be helpful in the REAL world. It was the videos that gave me my first shock. I'm not overly "sensitive" by any stretch, and I've seen my fair-share of violence (real and TV fake), but there is something about the raw aggression of two gang-bangers beating on each other that really turned my stomach. When a living-breathing human being is hit in the face so many times that the only sound he can force out is a gutteral growl, it brings reality right into your living room. It also quickly dispels the myth that fights last any longer than a few seconds. Fights are quick, and they are dirty.
Second, the last 30 or 40 minutes shows students running through different scenarios, and putting what they've learned into practice. Then its taken a step futher and put into slow motion while Marc Denny disects the scenario and shows what was done right, what was done wrong, and where the students could've improved. This was very helpful.
The techincal aspect of the training was good, albeit somewhat wordy and very structured. This isn't always a bad thing, and at least they could always show good reasons why certain techniques worked and others didn't. Much of it is pulled from BJJ and Kali, and they were quick to discuss why not every technique in BJJ or Kalie would work outside of "sport" fighting. The techniques they demonstrated, however, were not for "sport".
I'm a big fan of "one-move-fits-all", and there was a fair share of that. Although they were quite techincal, there were only 4 or 5 basic moves that made up the package. The basic blocking technique was such that it could also be done with a knife in your hand, or a stick, or a gun (as an impact weapon), or even a closed folding knife.
I was very impressed with Marc Denny's instruction. He's not the kind of guy you'd peg for a "fighter", but boy I'd hate to be the punk that demands his wallet. . . . Suarez chimes in from time-to-time with tid-bits, especially when related to incorporating pistols.
The DVD format is quite simple. Its filmed using 2 cameras during one of their classes, with a few guys standing in the middle of a dojo. With the camera work being quite dynamic, it makes you feel as though you're just another observer in the room. Participants cover all age, sex, race, and occupation ranges.
Unfortunately, unlike some other training videos when you can easily grasp and apply the information presented, this particular type of training MUST be done in person. There is absolutely no substitute. After watching this 3 hour DVD I'm no more prepared than when I started. BUT, it certainly provided a good "wake up", and showed what good quality training can yield. It also shined a light on the great big gaps in my training portfolio. I believe someone wiser than me once wrote that its in these "gaps" in which we tend to perish.
If you're in need of a "wake up", I'd highly recommend this DVD.
Its a GREAT DVD and I highly recommend it.
Watching this DVD, I had a "lightbulb" moment. You know, that moment when you realize that maybe the kinds of things you've been training for are far-less likely to happen than you think. That moment when it hits you that being in an empty hand or knife fight is WAY more likely than being in a gun fight. That moment when the idea of having "only 1 life" is very real, and that in this life you don't get "time-outs" or "second chances".
In my head I tend to envision simple scenarios, such as the basic "home invader" or having to draw my gun during an assault on someone else. I spent time training and practicing to draw my pistol, fire my pistol, and hit my target, each time trying to be quicker and smoother than the last. But, I never gave much thought-time to the idea that I may not even have time to draw my gun before getting stuck in the gut or lung multiple times with a 4" blade. Its not that I hadn't considered it before, but its been just recently that the reality of that has sunken in.
The DVD does a couple things that I haven't seen with other training videos.
First, they sprinkle video clips throughout the session to show how a particular technique could be helpful in the REAL world. It was the videos that gave me my first shock. I'm not overly "sensitive" by any stretch, and I've seen my fair-share of violence (real and TV fake), but there is something about the raw aggression of two gang-bangers beating on each other that really turned my stomach. When a living-breathing human being is hit in the face so many times that the only sound he can force out is a gutteral growl, it brings reality right into your living room. It also quickly dispels the myth that fights last any longer than a few seconds. Fights are quick, and they are dirty.
Second, the last 30 or 40 minutes shows students running through different scenarios, and putting what they've learned into practice. Then its taken a step futher and put into slow motion while Marc Denny disects the scenario and shows what was done right, what was done wrong, and where the students could've improved. This was very helpful.
The techincal aspect of the training was good, albeit somewhat wordy and very structured. This isn't always a bad thing, and at least they could always show good reasons why certain techniques worked and others didn't. Much of it is pulled from BJJ and Kali, and they were quick to discuss why not every technique in BJJ or Kalie would work outside of "sport" fighting. The techniques they demonstrated, however, were not for "sport".
I'm a big fan of "one-move-fits-all", and there was a fair share of that. Although they were quite techincal, there were only 4 or 5 basic moves that made up the package. The basic blocking technique was such that it could also be done with a knife in your hand, or a stick, or a gun (as an impact weapon), or even a closed folding knife.
I was very impressed with Marc Denny's instruction. He's not the kind of guy you'd peg for a "fighter", but boy I'd hate to be the punk that demands his wallet. . . . Suarez chimes in from time-to-time with tid-bits, especially when related to incorporating pistols.
The DVD format is quite simple. Its filmed using 2 cameras during one of their classes, with a few guys standing in the middle of a dojo. With the camera work being quite dynamic, it makes you feel as though you're just another observer in the room. Participants cover all age, sex, race, and occupation ranges.
Unfortunately, unlike some other training videos when you can easily grasp and apply the information presented, this particular type of training MUST be done in person. There is absolutely no substitute. After watching this 3 hour DVD I'm no more prepared than when I started. BUT, it certainly provided a good "wake up", and showed what good quality training can yield. It also shined a light on the great big gaps in my training portfolio. I believe someone wiser than me once wrote that its in these "gaps" in which we tend to perish.
If you're in need of a "wake up", I'd highly recommend this DVD.
