Jail tally means of crossing off completed skills repetitions

Just like with runners and athletes training methods have to be about increasing performance.

The difference with military CQC is that there are the risks of what the enemy can do to you.

This makes it somewhat different in regards to psychological considerations and mental toughness requirements.

If the combatant’s mental toughness, inner resolve and downright dogged intestinal fortitude is not at a high level then their chances of victory by threat neutralisation achievement could well be lesser than required to neutralise a formidable foe.

Training in a skill must be about striving for skills perfection in training initially.

This can include skills execution at slower than an enabling level and at considerably lower intensity than an enabling level which will be very much lesser than an actions on level.

When the skill can be executed in one fluid action without fault, then the speed of execution and consequently achievement of increased momentum should be increased in relation to the individual combatant’s physical fitness capabilities.

Only increasing the speed commitment and as such momentum levels must only take place when high level skills competency is achieved. This will ensure in an actions on, the skill employment maintains its correct shape as in the initiation, execution and objective achievement employment phases.

Practicing high repetition individual skills employments at the same/similar levels of speed and intensity with every repetition and increasing them gradually in relation to the individual combatants physical combative capabilities is a must when striving for skills mastery.

When I say high level skills repetitions, I am referring to initially in the hundreds and eventually in the thousands every time a skill is practised to achieve or maintain its integrity.

The mind and the body can get complacent and/or lazy and as such can cease to achieve gains or even worse lose skills competency and output and for this reason once skills mastery has been achieved the following means and methods can be introduced.

• Setting a high target number of repetitions and then when reaching the target extending it by considerable.
• Setting a high target number of repetitions and when reaching it increasing the speed intensely and momentum for an extended period.
• Setting a high target number of repetitions and every 10 repetitions changing from say unarmed offensive assault to a single unarmed counter offensive assault option or vice versa if the high repetition practice is unarmed counter offensive assault.
• Setting a high target number of repetitions on uphill or downhill gradients or varied terrain.
• Setting a high number of repetitions while load bearing with front and rear backpacks or weighted vests.

The important thing is not to cheat yourself and always perform inside your capabilities and when your capabilities have improved through continuous high repetition practice then in increments increase your speed and commitment and thus increase momentum enhancement.

Always remember that for commitment in military close quarters combat equates to approximately ¾ commitment but not full commitment.

Full commitment when using proven dirty tricks to incapacitate an aggressor may well telegraph your intentions through loading or even result in loss of stability or injuries through overextension/hyperextension.

When you’re targeting life support systems targets, delicate human senses or the destruction of limbs ligaments, three quarters of your full commitment capabilities should provide considerably more threat neutralisation output to achieve the objective than required.

Never cheat yourself by telling yourself that your skill looks good enough or is perfect when it is far from it.

Never tell yourself only tens of repetitions is enough to provide increased and enhance capability because it is not.

Always train to be as capable at the end of your practice session as you were at the start and always have reserves in the tank to provide the capability to go the extra distance or at an increased momentum output that may be required for formidale threat neutralisation.

Like some of the great runners in training that would on reaching their designated distance increase the distance by considerable or not only increase the distance by considerable, but sprint the last sector or sprint a greater distance than the pre-decided finishing point.

These types of mind and body tricks in training are to ensure you can under formidable threat, keep going longer, including going harder. When you mind and body get comfortable you need to trick them by increasing the intensity, difficulty and/or duration.

Settling on good enough or okay is not the way to achieve your best levels of performance and as such be capable of high level threat neutralisation objective achievement in an actions on against a formidable foe.

There are many means of individual combatant enhancement known by highly trained and qualified military close combat and military self-defence Master – Instructors that can be introduced to enhance specific skills execution components and the previous are just an outline of how you can increase both your skills competency and physical performance output.

Never fall into the trap of thinking executing a single skill repetition that in your mind is perfect is an indicator of no further practice required.

Just like in my CQC/MSD skills development where the whiteboard or a chalkboard is most important in the physical training hall, so it is important with marking off repetitions of skills to ensure you are counting reps just like counting your rounds.

The old jail tally or a click rep counter will do the job as simple is best just like in CQC skills means and methods.

You never want to run out of capabilities through thinking you have done enough when you haven’t.

Means and methods of training ranging from individual drilling to employment on unmanned equipment through to training with a training partner enemy per utilising equipment and eventually with a training partner without equipment or unrealistic bulky training suits should all be included in your skills competency and commitment enhancement training regime.

Importantly, remember your CQC training is a task to be continued not a project to be completed.

This is very important as rust and skill fade in capabilities creep in continuously if competency levels are not maintained.

There are many factors of skills initiation execution employment that must be checked and critiqued on an ongoing basis to ensure lapses in competency or skills capabilities reduction including downright errors are addressed.

The skilled, confident and capable combatant uses their primary threat neutralisation capabilities in actions on, and never mimics their foes techniques as to do so shows reduced mental toughness and confidence in their own skills by means of either thinking that enemies techniques are superior to their skills or they have developed a competitive mindset over a close combat mindset and are trying to beat their enemy at their own game.

Your best chances of defeating a formidable enemy are by the skills that you have practised and perfected to the best of your personal and combative capabilities and not by changing to techniques that you are not highly trained in and are not fit for purpose.

You don’t undertake pest destruction by on your first bagged bunny racing for home all excited with your single achievement unless you are overexcited, inexperienced or prepared to settle for less than the objective of your undertaking.

Age and physical capabilities obviously affect training and actions on capabilities output and as such may require a different modus operandi.

Our founder the late SMG Harry Baldock had high level expertise in such and practiced what he preached maintaining his modified training regime into his 80s.

You need to be a practical realist identifying and understanding when through age, ailment or injury you need to reconsider your self- protection/combative capabilities. This is a must to ensure you are armed with the correct, safest and best capabilities to effectively protect yourself.

This applies to actions on injuries and wounds where you may well need to utilise other methods of threat neutralisation including non-master extremities.

All too often you hear the soft, weak types looking for reasons not to attend training because of a minor injury when training using other capabilities when injured is all part of mentally preparing oneself in an actions on to never give up and always get on with the task at hand.