Principles of the Clinch

By Justin White & filed under All Articles, Non-Firearm Defensive Tools.

Whether you’re a serious student of combative arts or just a casual fan of the combat sports, you’ve probably heard the term “clinch.” There seems to be an endless stream of variations, most named for the part of the world they come from (e.g., the Thai clinch or the Greco-Roman clinch) or the way they…

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Evaluating New Techniques

By Justin White & filed under All Articles, Defensive Training Concepts.

One of the more popular, though misguided, sayings in combatives training refers to a new technique as “just another tool for your toolbox.” It’s one of those comforting industry truisms that makes a good soundbite without actually explaining anything. As teaching goes, it’s really no different than “because I say so.” The problem with the…

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Pride and Glory, Life and Limb, Part II: Bridging the Gap Between Competition and Combat

By Justin White & filed under All Articles, Non-Firearm Defensive Tools.

In Part I of this series, we discussed some of the differences between training for sport MMA and training for real-world violence. Now that the differences, including some of the advantages and disadvantages of each, have been dealt with, let’s look at how to bridge the gap between the two sides. Here are some suggestions…

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Pride and Glory, Life and Limb Part I: Differences Between Competition and Combat

By Justin White & filed under All Articles, Non-Firearm Defensive Tools.

Opinions on training for competition, such as sport Jujitsu or Mixed Martial Arts, versus training for real-world conflict fall over a wide spectrum. On one end is a crowd that advocates “If it won’t work in the cage, it won’t work anywhere,” and at the other extreme is an equally large group insisting “There are…

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