Close Combat Training: Distance After Control
Cecil BurchDescription
PDN Contributor Cecil Burch demonstrates a close combat training technique. There are a lot of options once we have established the body lock and have broken the attacker’s posture. We can put him on the ground and run away. We can put him on the ground and go to the ground with him and strike from there. We can hold onto him and maneuver him someplace. We can slam him into a wall.
Instead of covering all these options, in this video Cecil deals with one end goal that he believes is a good one in close combat training: creating distance between you and the attacker.
The Sumo Step
After establishing the body lock and breaking the attacker’s posture, he wants to get into a better position so he can choose what he wants to do. During this, he figures that the attacker will be fighting back. Using leverage, Cecil goes to the attacker’s back by using what he calls a Sumo Step: a deep step and when he plants the step, he drops his waist. He has moved toward the back of the attacker.
As appropriate for this type of self-defense training, Cecil demonstrates the Sumo Step a few times, both in slow motion and at speed, so viewers can see what the different parts of the body should be doing while executing this close combat training move.
Creating Space
Once at the back, Cecil releases the lock and puts both his hands on the attacker’s back as a wall so the attacker is not able to turn into him. Then as quickly as possible, Cecil disengages and creates space by pushing off the attacker’s back with both hands and stepping away.
From here, Cecil can deploy a gun if he has one, or he can run, if this is an unarmed self-defense incident.
There's a lot of options, once we've established that body lock and we've broken his posture. We can do a ton of things. We can dump him on the ground and run away. We can dump him on the ground and go to the ground with him. We can start striking from there. We can hold onto him and maneuver him someplace. We can slam him into a wall. There's so many different options. Instead of trying to cover all of them, we'll deal with one end goal that I thinks a very good one. Probably as close to a universal end goal as you can have in a fight. So, we've established the body lock, we've broken his posture. I decide I don't want to stay here. I want to get to a little bit better position, so I can choose what I want to do. So where I'm going to go, is I'm going to go to his back. Now, I can try to just muscle my way over, but again, I'm assuming he's fighting. That he's not just standing there. Even if I've got his posture broken, maybe he's holding onto my head, maybe he's clamping down, doing something. I don't want to just think I can slide over. Instead of muscling my way, I'm going to use some leverage. So I'm going to do what I call a sumo step, with my outside leg. I'm going to lift up, a deep step, and as I planned it I'm going to drop my waist. I still have the control. I never release the body lock. I still have control over his posture, but this step, moves me away from him and towards the back. So here, big step, back. I keep my head tight. The same way I'm pulling my elbows in on the side, I'm going to do from the back here. So at speed, because I'm not going to be that big with the sumo step, that's a way to practice it, to get used to it. But in reality, all I'm going to do is here. Again, I have a lot of options. Can work a choke. I can hit. For our purposes, assuming I'm a concealed carry holder, law enforcement, whatever, I'm armed. I want to use it. So, I'm going to release the lock. Put my hands on his back as a wall. I'm not going to push him. It's just a wall. I don't want him immediately being able to turn into me. So I'm going to disengage and make space, as fast as I possibly can. Okay? So, again from the side. Here. And from here, if I have a weapon, I can go to guns. Maybe I have enough room to hightail it and run. So, now Glen's going to do it to me. Again. So even if I turn towards him, if he's put up that wall, it's going to slow me down, so that I can't just turn and grab. Especially if he's bringing a weapon out. So, you can see, as he's moving away, he's creating space, he's getting to a situation where now he can run. He can maybe have help arrive. He can be prepared now, "Oh, you've started the fight? Okay, I can fight as well."
The "sumo" step is fine as long as the person does not have you in a head lock. If he does, chances are, you are not going to side around behind him.
Well I suppose this is good if your assailant isn't 'too much' into attacking you, such as I have seen in surveillance video, where the attackers is constantly throwing punches/elbows. I prefer what I just read in this months issue of USCCA magazine, when caught in a headlock just use your 'outside' arm/fist to sledgehammer the assailant in the nuts! Its quick, needs very little thought, minimal movement, just swing your fist into his cahonas! Done! Then while they are lying on the ground with snot flowing out of their nose and tears from their eyes, gasping desperately for a breath, you can walk away or stomp his ankle then knee, further limiting his ability to come after you.