STRIKE TRAINING METHOD

 

Strike training was created by Doctor Robert Humphrey as a psychophysiological training method designed for Marines, Police Departments and other Military Agencies in order for recruits to overcome their innate fear of being hit and the fear of striking back at an opponent.  Since Doctor Humphrey's passing, his philosophy and training methods were preserved and refined by former Marine Captain and life-long martial artist, Jack Hoban.

The concept of strike training came to Doctor Humphry during his military service as a lieutenant fighting in Iwo Jima.  The young lieutenant noticed that during combat with the Japanese, many of his marines did not return fire, they froze.  The Marines that were more likely to return fire were young men who had hunted game before.  His solution was to have his Marines go down to the beach and shoot into the ocean. This was done to acclimate young marines to become accustom to killing their enemies.  This technique of exposing fearful people to the things they are afraid of in small increments is championed by many Cognitive Behavioral Therapists today.  For instance, if someone were to have a fear of elevators, the therapist would first take their patient to an elevator and have him walk in and out the first day and perhaps go down one flight the next day, then the next day another flight and another flight the following day.  You don't tell them not to be afraid, you allow them to become more courageous. 

The question is, how can you train a recruit to take a punch and strike back under high stress situations.  The standard way this issue was addressed previously, was to set up boxing matches with the recruits. This method turned out to be problematic.  I can best illustrate the problem with this method through my own experience as a Cadet at the Rockland County Police Academy many moons ago.  During our PT Training at West Point after all of us were tired and charley-horsed we were instructed to form a circle and two by two each recruit would enter the circle and box each other.  The problem was that some recruits like myself were experienced boxers at least at the amateur level, while others had never boxed before, and some had never been in a fight their entire life and were terrified. The experienced boxers would dominate the matches every time, this did little to help the inexperienced recruits lessen their fear of physical combat.

STRIKE TRAINING

The session begins by reviewing the biomechanics of the boxing strikes. The proper way to throw a jab, uppercut, hook, cross, etc.  Learning to strike with all of your body, hips, shoulders, legs while always maintaining your military bearing.  Your body should maintain a relaxed attitude slightly coiled in like a cobra ready to strike at any moment.  Like a cobra, your strike should be felt before it is seen.  Your head should be held erect with your spine straight. When you strike, your fists should go forward, not your head, keep your head out of the striking zone.  Your rear hand should be up near your jaw and your elbows should be held in to protect your ribs.  Since you won't have gloves on in a street situation, your stance should more resemble an old bare-knuckled fighter or martial artist than a modern boxer.  your lead hand should extend further out.  Your knees should be slightly bent, with your knees in direct alignment over your feet.

Now the striking mitts come out and everyone breaks up into groups of two, with the person holding the mitts constantly providing feedback to the striker on his or her form, technique, posture and balance.  Certain concepts like crossing a person's T, concentrating on the timing and the space (Kukan) not the timing of the strike, proper angling, distancing, timing and correct breathing methods are taught.  

LINE TRAINING

Before Doctor Humphrey fought in Iwo Jima, he had been a boxer.  He developed line training to help recruits lose their fear of physical combat.  They would be able to practice combat skills in a controlled environment. The recruits would gear up with a helmet, gloves, mouthpiece and cup. Two people would hold opposite ends of a rope creating a barrier between the two recruits.  One is a receiver and one is a striker.  The receiver is the more skilled boxer who receives his opponent's attacks.  He parries, ducks, slips and avoids his opponents attacks occasionally striking back or counter punching. The attacker attacks the receiver, however if he feels overwhelmed, he can simply step back from the rope in order to gain composure and then continue his attack. This way the attacker can learn to take a punch in a safe environment. "The time period after you get hit is the most important time, during this time it is imperative for a fighter to remain calm" (Gus D'Amato).  Since the person that receives the role of the receiver must be much more skilled than the attacker, there will be fewer of them during a given training period, maybe just one or two.  In order for the receiver to fight many candidates, he or she must be able to stay relaxed, conserving energy.  "The most relaxed fighter is always the winner." (Mike Tyson)

THE ETHICAL PROTECTOR

After the intense physical part of this training session, the class gathers around for a discussion period.  Here we discussed Doctor Humphrey's philosophy of being an Ethical Protector and Jack Hoban's Conflict Resolution Techniques.  As Jack Hoban always says "The ethics must govern the tactics, the tactics determine the techniques employed." 

For a better understanding of this type of training method go to www.livingvalues.com.

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Keep going onward and upwards.

About the Author

Judd Bank is the CEO of CPI Investigations, was a former Detective for the Queens District Attorney's Office and a life-long Martial Artist.

Website:  www.privatedetectiveny.com