Debunking 3 Common Myths About Close Combat Training

Close combat training seems to have gotten more attention over the last several years.  Some people think that this change in focus is long overdue, while others remain standing behind their more traditional martial arts self defense strategies.  Before you can decide which of these approaches is more aligned with your personal thoughts, it is important to understand why this shift in paradigm began in the first place.  Here is a look into recent attack statistics and how they led this change.

Many more traditional forms of martial arts self defense teach a variety of different ways to attack and defend yourself. However, a majority of their techniques were not designed to be used when your attacker is right next to you. A roundhouse kick may look great, but does you no good unless your assailant is several feet away from you and standing still. Several recent studies have pointed out that during an attack, the actual assault will occur during the “in fighting” stage and “close quarter” range. These statistics means that forms of martial arts which focus more on long range attacks will quickly become less useful in a real-world attack.

Because the assault itself happens during the in fighting stage, close combat training provides the tools necessary to deal with aggressive action in close quarters. This type of training shifts your mindset from “block and counter” to “attack”. The reason that this shift in mentality is important is because in such aggressive conditions, attacking is a much more effective first move. Remember, with more traditional forms of martial arts self defense, a referee normally stops the action once the combat range becomes so close. Additionally, the closer your assailant is to you, the faster the less time you have to react, thus you need to be in attack mode, not blocking mode.

Another reason that the paradigm is shifting towards close combat training is because it is designed to cope with physical disadvantages.  During traditional martial arts training, you will often be practicing and competing with people who are roughly the same size and have the same ability.  This type of environment is not an effective simulation of a real attack.  Statistics show that most attackers will be either bigger or stronger (or both) than the attackee, which will limit the effectiveness of the more traditional art forms, whereas newer forms of training often give this issue much more consideration.

As you can see, there are a number of reasons why the paradigm has been shifting towards close combat training and away from more traditional forms of martial arts self defense.  Some of the more prominent contributing factors to this shift include: the range in which the assaults happen, the need to go into an attack mode, and the need to compensate for being at a physical disadvantage.  There is still value to be found in all forms of martial arts, however statistically, some are less applicable to a real-world attack situation than others.