The mix represents the general overall fighting art styles that I chose to incorporate in the self-defense training at the Pittsburgh Combat Club. Styles that give us the necessary skills and tools needed to survive a threatening encounter. Now this is very general as each student based on their abilities, body type, injuries etc. will definitely have different mixes. Best way to think of this is as a toolbox. A plumber’s tools will be different from a carpenter’s. Yes they may both have a screwdriver and a saw but they will use them differently.
Ok, so what general tools are we looking at? Suffice it to say that we explore the following:
BONE: This is unarmed fighting - utilizing the limbs (fingers, hands, fists, elbows, knees, feet, etc.) for striking from intermediate range to close quarters infighting. This also includes any sort of balance manipulations (throws, displacements, trips, etc.) and body controls (such as locking). Learning how to fall and more importantly how to get back up quickly is in this area too.
BLADE: Self-defense has to include weapons. Without a doubt you will have a weapon pulled on you. You must be able to understand how to deal with such items. The first of which is a blade - one of the most common weapons available. You must learn the follies of defending against a blade. You must also understand how a blade is best utilized.
BATON: Probably the oldest know weapon to mankind - the stick. Sticks can be an actual stick or more likely a baseball bat, an umbrella, a broom handle, a pick axe, a police baton, a frying pan, etc. Any bludgeoning device is in this category. Defending against such items is the key. Likewise, how do we best use it for our own self-defense? This is the way. LOL.
Again, this is but a general categorization of what we learn at the Pittsburgh Combat Club. Students each build their own general toolbox that is unique unto themselves and their situation. And some specialize in certain areas of specific interest. So “the mix” is a general recipe that is spiced up with your own special ingredients.
TIP: Another mix is your outlook. You want to have the ferocity of a a wild animal when fighting back but it needs to be mixed with the strategy and tactics of a chess master. Remember your greatest weapons are your heart and your mind.
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