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Hardcover guard and deflection confidence building

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A method I have developed for increasing confidence and competency in cover guarding and deflection of strikes is by utilising a basketball or soccer ball.

Putting on your hard cover guard locking the hands on the highest part of your skull  above your ears and keeping your arms in- line with your outer body line secure a basketball under your chin in against your chest holding it in position between your forearms of your hard cover guard.

Have your enemy per training partner utilise round house strikes at your cover guard and between your cover guard.

This will test and true up your cover guard while maintaining safety.

Utilise combative respiration by exhaling via your mouth each time you cover against a roundhouse strike or deflect a straight or upper cut strike.

The impact will be taken on your forearms in the case of roundhouse strikes or against the ball for straight-line or uppercut strikes.

This practice not only assists with achieving confidence and competence but also through repetition reduces adverse reactions such as blinking.

For straight-line or uppercut strikes. utilise the directly opposite arm of your cover guard position to deflect the strike before it can strike the ball, however if it does strike the ball the impact will be absorbed by the ball.

This is an excellent way to develop a sound hard cover guard combined with correctly timed deflection capabilities and reduce the effects of close quarter contact through familiarity and achieved confidence in your hard cover guard and deflection capabilities.

Article written by Tank Todd

Special Operations CQB Master Chief Instructor. Over 30 years experience. The only instructor qualified descendent of Baldock, Nelson, and Applegate. Former instructors include Harry Baldock (unarmed combat instructor NZ Army WWII), Colonel Rex Applegate OSS WWII and Charles Nelson, US Marine Corps. Tank has passed his Special Forces combative instructor qualification course in Southeast Asia and is certified to instruct the Applegate, Baldock and Nelson systems. His school has been operating for over eighty years and he is currently an Army Special Operations Group CQB Master Chief Instructor. His lineage and qualifications from the evolutionary pioneers are equalled by no other military close combat instructor. His operation includes his New Zealand headquarters, and 30 depots worldwide as well as contracts to train the military elite, security forces, and close protection specialists. Annually he trains thousands of exponents and serious operators that travel down-under to learn from the direct descendant of the experts and pioneers of military close combat. Following in the footsteps of his former seniors, he has developed weapons, and training equipment exclusive to close combat and tactical applications. He has published military manuals and several civilian manuals and produced DVDs on urban self protection, tactical control and restraint, and close combat. He has racked up an impressive 100,000+ hours in close combat.