“The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the closest thing to real fighting I’ve seen the martial arts world involve itself in, but until they include guns, knives, beer bottles and do it on concrete, it’s still not there yet.”
Marc “Animal” MacYoung.
Geoff says the defence systems that work in war generally work in reality fighting: the pre-emptive and deceptive strike, and the killer blow. “Things that they used in the First and Second World Wars, such as the single and double foot stomps to the head: gratuitous, ugly and very workable. Punching people so hard that they go back in time, and when they wake up their clothes are out of fashion. Its all very basic, very ugly and very workable. Biting, butting, blinding and anything that will win the fight and save your life.”
Marc Wickert from an interview with Geoff Thompson.
As much as I’ve learned from the full-contact fight sports, my first choice for serious self defence is still old-school WWII Close Quarters Combat.
Originally developed by W.E. Fairbairn for use by the Shanghai Municipal Police, this system incorporates elements of Boxing, Wrestling, Fencing, Judo, Kung Fu and La Savate. With the outbreak of WWII, Fairbairn returned home to become chief Hand-to-Hand Combat instructor to the Commandoes, the SOE and evetually the OSS.
Despite it’s oriental origins, the method remained quintessetially western in character in every way but one, this is not a sport. Stripped down to the bare essentials, the “Shanghai Method” represents the simplest, most efficient means yet devised for turning average, untrained fighters into vicous, all-in brawlers.
If you want to learn the “inner secrets” of the Martial Arts, then this is the place to start. Deadly, dirty, devious…this is as brutal as it gets.
Clint.
“Get Tough” by W.E. Fairbairn
“Kill or Get Killed” by Rex Applegate.
“Shooting to Live” by W.E. Fairbairn and E.A. Sykes
