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Balance Your Attributes vs.
Skills Training
If
you've found that training to
develop or retain proficiency in
the art and science of personal
protection covers a vast amount
of real estate, take heart,
you're not alone.
Almost everyone I know in this
business complains about not
being able to spend time on all
of the areas necessary. Even
professionals such as cops,
executive protection specialists
and military personnel spend a
huge amount of time actually
doing their "job" as well as the
associated administrative duties
which leaves very little time
for training or practicing.
Notice I said training or
practicing. While we often use
the two terms interchangeably,
it might be useful to think of
them as relating to two separate
areas. Training is used to
develop or maintain your
attributes. Practice is used to
develop or maintain your skills.
What's the difference?
Attributes are the qualities
you have such as quickness,
balance, endurance, strength,
discipline, dedication, and
determination.
Skills are the abilities
you have such as selection of
strategies and tactics,
application of techniques,
manipulation of weapons and
target accuracy.
One
area that bridges both of these
is coordination. Is it an
attribute or a skill? Probably
both. If you are naturally
coordinated, then your
techniques will be smooth and
efficient. If you practice the
action enough times, your
movements become more
coordinated, therefore more
smooth and efficient.
Okay, you say, so what?
The
problem is that I often
encounter individuals in DT
classes who spend an unbalanced
amount of time in either the
"attributes" camp or the
"skills" camp.
A
sign of the attributes devotee
is the athlete who spends most
of his time pushing iron.
Bigger, stronger and more
powerful are their watchwords.
They expect to crush their
opponents with shear
overwhelming physical power.
"Practice? Why practice when I
can just flatten the guy".
A
sign of the skills devotee is
the person who feels his
superior technique or weapon
manipulation will carry the
day. These people expect to
drop people with their head kick
or by shooting him. "Lift
weights? No way, it will hinder
my speed". "Why workout, no one
ever raped a .38!"
You
can guess where I'm going with
this -- both types are in
serious trouble when their plan
doesn't go according to the
script and their particular
advantages are negated by the
opponent or the circumstances.
Remember, Murphy's Law? Any
thing that can go wrong, will.
And at the worst possible time.
The
300-pound power lifter grabs his
opponent looking to squeeze the
life out of the guy only to
react helplessly as the little
guy pulls out a hidden knife and
stabs him viciously multiple
times.
The
karate black belt round kicks
his opponent in the head, only
to have the guy shake it off and
bum rush the martial artist,
taking him to the ground and
pounding him into the parking
lot.
The
practical shooting champion is
circled by a pack of juveniles
outside of the restaurant. His
trusted firearm is safely locked
in his car's glove box because
in his state it's illegal to
carry a firearm in an
establishment that serves
alcohol.
You
get the point.
I've seen skills people who will
argue endlessly about proper
stance or bone alignment. Yet,
they could not physically run
200 meters to save their
souls.
I've seen guys with the body of
Adonis who cannot perform a
relatively simple weapons disarm
without virtually tripping over
themselves.
I
know we are all pressed for
time. But I implore you to take
a look at the areas in which you
spend most of your time.
Unfortunately, you will probably
fall into one camp or the
other. You might spend the vast
majority of your time running,
biking or lifting. Or you spend
the vast majority of your time
dry firing or shooting targets.
Or maybe you work your weapon of
choice.
Split up your workouts to try
and more evenly cover attributes
training and skill training. If
you are lucky, your instructor,
dojo or defensive tactics
program has a comprehensive
approach. Your program combines
fitness training with repetition
of techniques and role-playing
or realistic scenario training.
If not, you should develop your
own program to cover all these
areas.
Sorry, no one promised that your
path to becoming proficient in
personal protection was going to
be easy. You just have to be
smarter, faster, stronger and
more skillful than anyone else
that you are likely to
encounter. Like Geoff Thompson
says, the ugly truth about
violence is that it can only be
stopped by greater violence.
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