Systema training in London, self defence, Russian martial art

This feature appeared in Combat magazine's column The Negotiator in March 2008.

The Uncomfortable Zone

by Aran Dharmeratnam

In situations involving urban violence, some predatory aggressors try to catch people when they are unaware. Now there is nothing new about this insight; many people know this. But for the moment, let’s take the above insight a little further…When someone gets caught off guard; it is not just the surprise factor that makes it hard for them to access their survival skills. There is something else that can weaken their ability to respond effectively and it is as follows- the person has been pulled into the uncomfortable zone. And in this feature we going to observe this zone; noting some of the ways it challenges people.

The Unexpected Factors...

In mainstream self defence training, people are usually in a focused state. They concentrate on the drill or exercise the instructor has introduced. They know their surroundings. They wear appropriate training clothes that allow them to move with ease. They are fully aware of the training partner in front of them. Hey, they may know more about their training partner’s character than some of his friends or work colleagues. Also in class, they have some idea of the amount of force, their partners will use. And when the instructor gives the command for the drill to begin; they can put their hands in a ready position and prepare for some typical grab or strike to come their way. During the drill, the instructor may provide a few tips or insights. The training partners may also give some feedback. Then the session ends and the students can head home, having burnt some calories and increased their knowledge. Now picture this street scenario….

It is 5.45, an IT consultant dressed in office attire and carrying his lap top is heading home. He heads to a London underground station with a colleague. She is also carrying a lap top in a black case that hangs from her shoulder. Suddenly, a group of youths aged about fifteen, circle around them and start shouting abuse at them. Now it should be mentioned that both these executives have been regular attendees at the martial art classes, run at their company’s gym. They have learnt how to escape from holds and they have engaged in fast paced sparring. They have been shown how to survive a ground fight and they even learnt how to deliver powerful strikes. The instructor also explained to them about the adrenaline rush and aggression management. Right now though, they feel churning waves of emotion racing through them; as they stand face to face with hate and aggression. Now in contrast to their training sessions, they are very uncomfortable. They know nothing about the angry in faces in front of them…

30 seconds ago, they had never even seen these youths. They probably just assumed they would get on a packed train, and head home. Now their path has been obstructed. They don’t know whether the gang will reach for blades or run at the first signs of resistance. Its dark and the street lighting is so poor; they can barely make out the figures or see their body movement. In training, the IT consultants would take some pretty hard blows; but they would always maintain some kind of guard with both hands, to protect themselves. Now barely out of their office, the two consultants have expensive laptops hanging from their shoulders; they are wearing smart office clothes and one of them also has a hand wrapped around a mobile phone. They have had a stressful day at work; their minds are tired. They don’t know how the other will react. The youths circling around them may be carrying weapons; a couple of them even have their hands hidden within pockets, as if they are about to reach for something. So clearly in this hypothetical scenario, there are a number of unexpected factors that surround this mugging attempt.

So different from training…

In the situation we just looked at, we can see that the two IT consultants had suddenly been dragged unexpectedly into the uncomfortable zone – a place where the enemy will not follow the normal rules of social conduct. A place where the enemy will be unpredictable in their actions and dialogue. Even though, the two consultants had received some quite diverse martial arts training; notice that there were still many unexpected factors within this mugging attempt that made the situation so different from their training class. That’s why our training and research sometimes need to address self defence from quite unique angles. You should find that even though there are many factors that can hinder a person’s survival tactics; the more aware you are of them; then you can prepare for them. The unexpected factors simply become factors.

Preparing for the Zone…

So how can people better prepare for the uncomfortable zone? Well first of all, it helps to be aware of all the options available. Not only must we be aware of our options, we should also practise them and apply them within training. The best option is the one that prevents you, your family or friends from being harmed. And sometimes, you may find that a combination of different tactics may be required. For example, in the above scenario, the IT consultants’ best option may have been to cooperate with the muggers’ demands and hand over their valuables. But just in case, the muggers still decided to use violence, then other options would have to be applied or even a combination of tactics. Incidentally the principle of cooperation is one that people sometimes take lightly in training. Sometimes, it is just mentioned in passing. But even cooperation is a tactic that can be explored and practised from different angles. This is something I mention in more detail in my manual Safety Response…. There are ways to hand over valuables that are less likely to antagonise a trigger happy robber. The manual also covers the principle of escape, which is something else that instructors should incorporate into classes.

Things to be aware of:

Let’s briefly look at some of the factors that can make up the uncomfortable zone… -Poor or unusual lighting

-The aggressor’s dialogue and verbal abuse

-The aggressor’s actions or gestures (e.g. he tries to damage the surroundings to show his strengths and intimidate his target.)

-Items the targeted person is carrying, such as: a case, phone or wallet -The noise factor

-Targeted person’s emotional state and physical state

-The surroundings (e.g. person may have to defend themselves in unusual environment)

- Weather conditions

Calm amidst the uncomfortable…

In training, we will often carry out unusual drills or exercises that place students into uncomfortable scenarios. For example, in one drill, students will practise disengaging from aggression; whilst carrying their training bag or a case. In another drill, they have to place a replica mobile phone or wallet into their pocket, before their training partner closes in. (Note that if a person is attacked, whilst carrying a phone or whilst standing at a cash machine; there are other ways of handling this situation- depending on the factors at hand.) Trying to conceal or place the phone or wallet into a pocket may not always be the right option. Some people may even feel it is better if they drop the phone and run. Another drill we practise is learning how to counter or escape from attacks, where the training partner starts with his hand concealed in a jacket pocket or behind his back. The idea here is that he could be drawing a weapon. In the drill, we will use a training knife but sometimes, the training partner will simply attack with an unexpected grab. There are also some street scenarios, where a person has to protect themselves and their loved ones. So certain drills are designed to encourage students to use their peripheral vision. Quite often when I trained with the Russian instructors, they would introduce various exercises and drills which remind people how to make themselves ‘comfortable’ in an uncomfortable situation. These challenging drills help the individual to become more adaptable under pressure and more spontaneous. And when a person is able to remain calm amidst the storm; a solution often presents itself; a path opens up….

Globalkick Systema Training addresses a number of self defence related subjects including avoidance,movement skills,street awareness,ladies self defence, and disengagement tactics.