Who else trains in Martial Arts and do you feel there's crossover?

grampajack said:

I'm not sure what TKD being less than 100 years old has to do with anything, especially since it's just rebranded Karate

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Americanization notwithstanding, TKD is a distillation of Hapkido and Tung So Do, created specifically to expediently train military troops. So yeah, other than being from a different culture and country (who were historically mortal enemies btw), its just re -branded karate.

grampajack said:

But yea, your typical class as a higher belt is you show up and first you run the warmup. Then the master comes in and assigns tasks to everyone. You spend the first half hour teaching forms to the lower belts. Then after that the master takes you into another room to teach you something new while the lower belts practice what you have taught them. So you're paying full price and getting half the instruction time.

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An instructor doesn't teach you anything, he facilitates you learning it. You can learn more from imparting it to someone else than you thought you knew, and it's a (mammon-less) way of paying back what was given to you.

stoky said:

Americanization notwithstanding, TKD is a distillation of Hapkido and Tung So Do, created specifically to expediently train military troops. So yeah, other than being from a different culture and country (who were historically mortal enemies btw), its just re -branded karate.

An instructor doesn't teach you anything, he facilitates you learning it. You can learn more from imparting it to someone else than you thought you knew, and it's a (mammon-less) way of paying back what was given to you.

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Uh, no. There's a certain argument to be made that teaching enhances one's own skills, but you tell me how teaching forms to yellow belts is going to yield me anything practical in return. And nothing was given to me, the instructor was paid to teach it to me, and I worked my ass off to learn it. It's this attitude about martial arts that really pisses me off. You're paying the guy, and he treats you like he's doing you some kind of favor and expects you to work for him for free in return. I'm sorry...well, actually no I'm not sorry...that is a FOULED UP situation. Big time. Of course that's a common trait of cults everywhere. You give them money to be treated like their employee, all under the guise that they possess some secret knowledge that you will one day be worthy of receiving.

And TKD was transferred from Japan, in the form of Karate, to Korea during the Japanese occupation during WWII. Koreans living abroad in Japan learned Karate while there, then came back to Korea after the war and combined the Karate they had learned with traditional Korean martial arts. At least that's the story I was told. Probably the unique thing about TKD is that it was a for profit enterprise from day one, which probably explains why so many people teach it.

Both of my TKD instructors (one 4th degree and other 8th degree and both Koreans) told me "Americanized" TKD is taught differently than in Korea. It takes years of daily training (it's a lifestyle in Korea) to obtain black belt whereas they are handed out like candy in the USA. My uncle is a 4th degree TKD black belt and along with both of my instructors shared the "real life" versions of street fighting TKD which was more efficient and effective.

Both instructors incorporated use of firearms into weapons training as the 8th degree master said "Even a martial arts master cannot move faster than a bullet fired by a proficient shooter." And the 8th degree master in his 50s said time slows down the body and reaction time but he could still pull the trigger just as fast as when he was in his 20s.

Pursuing USPSA match shooting after my stint in the Army was a natural progression of "weapons training" of my martial arts studies (I liked TKD but fascinated by Aikido, then MMA and now Gongkwon Yusul:

Hokie_PhD said:

I ask as awhile ago, made a reference to martial arts in a thread on training techniques and someone said they were different. I argued that the motor skill control we learn in martial arts is directly related to shooting.

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I agree with you. The discipline of self control and focus readily translates to mastering various shooting techniques.

When I got coached by some kind regional USPSA match shooters, they taught me the "zen" of match shooting. They liken it to getting a black belt in shooting where one masters various aspects of shooting so you "KNOW" that you can absolutely hit the POA when the trigger is pulled. Instead of "hoping" to shoot tight double taps on COM/A zones, they asked me to "make holes appears" anywhere on the target. I started using 1/2 sheets of copy paper as targets and then 1/4 sheets to practice my double taps. With deliberate practice, fast double tap headshot was very doable repeatedly.

And my defensive shooting instructor (USPSA RSO) who taught local PD/SD SWAT teams taught me the virtues of point shooting with pass criteria of 4"-6" groups at 7-15 yards with eyes blindfolded - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/point-shooting.814672/#post-10428857

I have taught many groups to shoot and currently teaching defensive shooting techniques to several co-workers and their family/friends and in 2-3 sessions, they are point shooting (eyes open) at full copy paper targets at 7-10 yards. Some of them never shot before and I started them out by shooting COM with their eyes closed. My methods have become unconventional as I have them shoot my Glock 22/23, M&P Shield 9 with only their thumb and middle finger to prove to them, it's proper technique and not brute strength that's needed to control their pistols. The instructions are less like my Army days and more like martial arts instruction of going over each technique and coach them to perfection.

Instead of separate draw, stance, grip and trigger control motions, now it is smooth one fast motion of draw to bang ... bang, even with eyes closed. Seeing them master the quick draw to bang bang at multiple targets is like watching a white belt successfully master the spinning roundhouse kick.

bds said:

Both of my TKD instructors (one 4th degree and other 8th degree and both Koreans) told me "Americanized" TKD is taught differently than in Korea. It takes years of daily training (it's a lifestyle in Korea) to obtain black belt whereas they are handed out like candy in the USA. My uncle is a 4th degree TKD black belt and along with both of my instructors shared the "real life" versions of street fighting TKD which was more efficient and effective.

Both instructors incorporated use of firearms into weapons training as the 8th degree master said "Even a martial arts master cannot move faster than a bullet fired by a proficient shooter." And the 8th degree master in his 50s said time slows down the body and reaction time but he could still pull the trigger just as fast as when he was in his 20s.

Pursuing USPSA match shooting after my stint in the Army was a natural progression of "weapons training" of my martial arts studies (I liked TKD but fascinated by Akido, then MMA and now Gongkwon Yusul:



I agree with you. The discipline of self control and focus readily translates to mastering various shooting techniques.

When I got coached by some kind regional USPSA match shooters, they taught me the "zen" of match shooting. They liken it to getting a black belt in shooting where one masters various aspects of shooting so you "KNOW" that you can absolutely hit the POA when the trigger is pulled. Instead of "hoping" to shoot tight double taps on COM/A zones, they asked me to "make holes appears" anywhere on the target. I started using 1/2 sheets of copy paper as targets and then 1/4 sheets to practice my double taps. With deliberate practice, fast double tap headshot was very doable repeatedly.

And my defensive shooting instructor (USPSA RSO) who taught local PD/SD SWAT teams taught me the virtues of point shooting with pass criteria of 4"-6" groups at 7-15 yards with eyes blindfolded - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/point-shooting.814672/#post-10428857

I have taught many groups to shoot and currently teaching defensive shooting techniques to several co-workers and their family/friends and in 2-3 sessions, they are point shooting (eyes open) at full copy paper targets at 7-10 yards. Some of them never shot before and I started them out by shooting COM with their eyes closed. My methods have become unconventional as I have them shoot my Glock 22/23, M&P Shield 9 with only their thumb and middle finger to prove to them, it's proper technique and not brute strength that's needed to control their pistols. The instructions are less like my Army days and more like martial arts instruction of going over each technique and coach them to perfection.

Instead of separate draw, stance, grip and trigger control motions, now it is smooth one fast motion of draw to bang ... bang, even with eyes closed. Seeing them master the quick draw to bang bang at multiple targets is like watching a white belt successfully master the spinning roundhouse kick.

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That looks about 1000% more practical than anything I ever learned in TKD. What's sad, too, is that most instructors are capable of teaching those techniques, given that most are multi-discipline. I know my first instructor was capable of a very high level of practical applications techniques. I think one thing that stops them is the liability, just too much risk of someone screwing up their back or breaking their neck or something. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the primary difference between American and Korean schools is that America is way more litigious and therefore they have to water everything down.

What's also neat about the more practical techniques is you don't have to be an athlete to do it. In my current condition, I could do most of what they're doing in that video, with the exception of the back kicks to the head, which would take me some serious stretching beforehand. Honestly, though, I think that kind of thing is way overrated. The flank kicks to the head are also something I would classify as for show. That's a great way to score points in the ring, but you really open yourself up to all kinds of bad stuff in real life, and you're throwing yourself way off balance to boot.

I took Karate when I was a kid -- at a place grampajack describes.

I'd love it if someone actually taught bad breath distance [gun] fighting, but it is not happening at a shopping/community center martial arts school. It's probably not happening at any group firearms training class either. The best training if you can get it will probably come from an old cop that assigned to a crap area that picked up a few things he can show you (I look for the cop wearing his taser in a left hand holster and a gun on his right).

Sebastian the Ibis said:

I'd love it if someone actually taught bad breath distance [gun] fighting, but it is not happening at a shopping/community center martial arts school.

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For bad breath distance gun fighting, I do deliberate range drills of point shooting/instinctive shooting with eyes closed and open. With my last 3 groups of co-workers and their families/friends, I demonstrated 3-5 yard instinctive shooting with my weak arm in blocking position and strong hand shooting just clear of holster hitting all rapid fire shots inside the copy paper targets with 6" groups (M&P Shield mag dump in 2 seconds).

These are similar to the drills I run (I do Chest 1 draw but keep the pistol there):



Knife vs skilled gun - Now I need to practice shooting while falling down

Sebastian the Ibis said:

I'd love it if someone actually taught bad breath distance [gun] fighting.

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Keanu Reeves trained hard 8 hours a day for several month in martial arts and weapons handling (now known as the "Wick Program") for original John Wick and did many of his own stunts for John Wick 2 with Machado brothers pushing for "mastery" of movements - Not bad for 50 year old actor (my age).

At 8:00 minute mark of video, Keanu and Machado brothers talk about speed draws, transitions, fast trigger pulls, fast target acquisition, fast reloads, fast malfunction clearing (nice real world touch) all together as "gun jitsu" and at 9:00 minute mark, training with Taran Butler on 3-gun with moving targets along with stationery targets. Keanu comments about his obsession with how fast was the draw, how fast was the trigger pull, how fast was the reload, etc. firing 1000-1500 rounds per training session. "There is something to the mind set ... that gets ingrained in your body ... becomes second nature" (In USPSA we called this the "zen" of shooting where focus and training give you the absolute confidence you can hit anywhere on the target with fast double taps)



I realize this is Hollywood but Keanu Reeves does a good job of illustrating "bad breath distance fighting" with pistol, carbine, knife and pencil (Yes, pencil). Shooting rampage starts at 3:00 minutes.

Enjoy.

Hokie_PhD said:

I ask as awhile ago, made a reference to martial arts in a thread on training techniques and someone said they were different. I argued that the motor skill control we learn in martial arts is directly related to shooting.

So I'm curious who else has trained in martial arts for any real length of time (I don't mean a little while when you were a kid) and feels that the skills you gained via your martial arts training apply to your shooting?

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It does. I did boxing when young, combat fighting and later a few years of Aikido.
things that you learn from one discipline help with the other. If you shoot archery in Aikido there is a lot in common with precision shooting.
Through repetition the mind and body react automatically to situations.
I believe that martial arts help with all sort of things like skiing and how to fall safely.
It happens with so many other things. I think clays shooting like skeet helps a lot with other disciplines like pistol and tactical, specially when you have moving targets and/or tricky angles.

grampajack said:

And TKD was transferred from Japan, in the form of Karate, to Korea during the Japanese occupation during WWII. Koreans living abroad in Japan learned Karate while there, then came back to Korea after the war and combined the Karate they had learned with traditional Korean martial arts. At least that's the story I was told. Probably the unique thing about TKD is that it was a for profit enterprise from day one, which probably explains why so many people teach it.

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The way I heared it , from Chuck Seriff, was that after Choi Hong Hi's imprisonment by the Japanese, he focused on traditional Korean techniques that would be particularly effective against Karate, which he was trained in while serving as a conscript in the Japanese army.
One of the tenants in the ITF was that it not be taught for material gain.

IMO, there is no perfect martial art. Perhaps the best is to mix folks and techniques as much as we can and then new ideas are born.
This changes with the persons innate characteristics and the environment. Things change and improve to be more effective and we
should not try to restrict those too much with rituals and traditions, it is against natural evolution that served us well for many thousands of years.
I think the most important thing, aside from the physical abilities and all that, is the state of mind.
In a very dangerous situation any good fighter knows that the fight you always win is the one you do not participate on so that wisdom
prevails and a wise person will choose to simply walk away from a fight.
But then if the fight is unavoidable and upon us and it is for one's life then we are not going to be easy prey.
Training and conditioning is the key like the defensive shooting.
Like an old wise samurai once said: We fight at the dojo, we play at the battlefield.

I know I'm late to the conversation, but here's my take on it:

Martial arts training improves co-ordination, body awareness, reaction speed, and increases the effectiveness of stabilizer muscles, all of which are helpful in shooting for my perspective.

But that aside, I don't think fighting techniques learned in martial arts have any cross-over into shooting. That is until it comes to self defense shooting, at which point close quarters success may require some use of both skill sets.

Martial arts and their effectiveness for real world self defense is an entirely different conversation from the OP. But to sum up my thoughts on that, being well rounded and adaptable is better than sticking hard to one discipline when your butt is on the line. I took BJJ for a few years, and if all I remember is how to create distance, and how to keep myself protected on the ground, I feel pretty good with that.

stoky said:

Choi Hong Hi ... focused on traditional Korean techniques that would be particularly effective against Karate

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Many of my instructors studied both Karate and TKD and showed us the differences. My take away was Karate focused more on hand techniques rather than legs.

All the instructors emphasized elbow strikes were more powerful than hand strikes and kicks were way more powerful with longer reach than hand strikes with less chance of injury. Therefore we were encouraged to use kicks as primary strike and elbow/wrist/hand strikes as secondary/follow up to kicks as back up if kicks missed and we were in hand strike range. We trained to always perform at least one kick so multiple kicks were delivered, often to different parts of the body especially with fake/feigning of punch/kick so actual kicks could not be blocked. Also, eventual goal of training was to deliver kicks powerful enough to go past the hand blocks to connect with the head.

1stmarine said:

IMO, there is no perfect martial art. Perhaps the best is to mix folks and techniques as much as we can and then new ideas are born.

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I absolutely agree.

Every one of my instructors studied multiple forms and treated TKD as part of a tool set as each form had advantages and disadvantages. You wouldn't use a hammer to saw and drill as a hammer. They emphasized proficiency with multiple forms and strongly encouraged we adapt parts of other forms to supplement weak areas of TKD. For my uncle, TKD was a pre-requisite study for Hwa Rang Do and Hap Ki do and he also studied Judo. Most TKD masters studied other forms and held black belts in those forms. My 8th degree TKD master told me why expend the energy and potential injury when I can simply help my attacker down to the ground with the help of gravity or take the attacker on a flip using his momentum. He said often, when the attacker falls flat on his face/back, embarrassment and realization that he met a greater match is enough to end the fight.

For shooting, if you only practice shooting at static targets hung at 7 yards and keep shooting at a single point of aim, your skill set will be very limited. My defensive shooting instructor wanted us to reach mastery of 4"-6" groups at 7-15 yards with fast mag dumps using:

- Two hands at chest, modified isosceles, isosceles
- Strong hand
- Weak hand
- Sighted or point shooting
- Standing, sitting, kneeling, lying on side or on back (what if you have to shoot from the bed?)
- Multiple targets
- Moving targets
- From cover
- Fast mag changes (Spare magazines are insurance against multiple attackers)
- Back up gun
- On the move

Just as there are many types of kicks in martial arts, there are many ways to shoot and training to mastery of each provides us with more shooting options. I like having options in life as plan A don't always work out and we must default to plan B and plan C and so on.

Besides, "zen" level mastery of shooting also comes in handy when you are bored at the range as you can start shooting smiley faces and letters A, B, C ...

When a group of young shooters were making a lot of noise and shooting crazy "ganster" style, I quietly started shooting letters A, B and C on 4 copy paper targets I had on the cardboard. When they realized what I was doing, they became quiet and wanted to know what I was shooting. I showed them my Glocks and asked if they wanted to learn to do the same. Of course, I had instant students wanting to learn the way of the pistol.

stoky said:

The way I heared it , from Chuck Seriff, was that after Choi Hong Hi's imprisonment by the Japanese, he focused on traditional Korean techniques that would be particularly effective against Karate, which he was trained in while serving as a conscript in the Japanese army.
One of the tenants in the ITF was that it not be taught for material gain.

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All I can tell you is that the way both are taught in the US, it's 6 of one and a half dozen of the other. The name TKD means "the way of the foot and the fist," and Karate means "empty hand." They even use the same weapons, which are essentially farm implements.

The only real difference I could see at the time was that Karate used some stuff TKD instructors considered outdated, like walking stance and flank kicks. However, those elements are still in the forms in TKD, so the origins are obvious to anyone who's done both. Competition rules are slightly different, as is the protective equipment, but anyone who competes in either would feel right at home in either one with little adjustment. The major difference is that TKD has banned hand strikes to the head because no gloves are used. Which doesn't make a whole lot of sense because you can 360 back kick someone square in the head. The face is even pretty much open season for kicks, especially the spinning variety involving the heel (a la Walker Texas Ranger). Go figure...

My second TKD instructor was also taught by a Korean immigrant (inherited his school actually), who was old even back then. Extrapolating from his age and rank, I can say with a high degree of certainty that he was involved in the sport from its very beginnings in Seoul. And that's the origin story that they told, that TKD came from Karate, which is consistent with the historical information.

Let us not confuse things even more here ... and I don't want to hijack this thread any further.

The version of TKD taught in the US is "sport" based on martial arts and not an actual "martial art" according to Korean government and world TKD federation.

Hwa Rang Do, Hap Ki Do, Kuk Sool Won and Gongkwon Yusul are actual "martial arts".

My 4th degree black belt uncle described traditional Korean version of TKD as kick based techniques utilized by spear yielding foot soldier with limited hand techniques as back up requiring studying of additional forms to make one whole.

grampajack said:

The major difference is that TKD has banned hand strikes to the head because no gloves are used.

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interesting
There were no such rules when I trained. We used pads on our hands and feet, but they didn't cover the bottom of the feet.
Rules were light contact to the head and moderate contact to the body. This was more strictly enforced at CU than at Seriff's.
A lot of cops trained at Seriff's and contact rules were especially lax in that subvenue.
I loved it
.........and I felt like I was helpin em out.

No gloves so no punch to head? There's no padding on the bottom of feet and IIRC, kicks are about 20 times more stronger than punches. I rather get punched in the face/head with bear hand than be kicked like these guys



As to no hand strikes to head, this is "formal" TKD punches and hand strikes

This sort of discussion often seems to roughly devolve into groups who favor compatibility and integration of unarmed techniques/skillset with gun use, a sharing of some physical benefits (balance, strength, speed, strength, etc), and/or adopting a more flexible mindset and grasp of martial applications of fighting/defensive disciplines ... or, none of the above. Okay, what's wrong with any of that, in itself?

It doesn't mean any particular handgun owner has any interest in developing martial abilities, or that any particular practitioner of martial arts or fighting systems will "naturally" acquire gun handling and shooting skills.

People, being humans, got to where they are today by being tool users, though. We can devise tools to make us better able to dominate our environment, or at least better survive in it.

Learning "tool-less" fighting/defensive skills may, indeed, potentially help make many tool-users more effective and adaptable in also using tools designed for use in some of the same roles, meaning self defense and protection.

Other persons may never wish to link those pursuits and abilities, nor consider whether there's a potential beneficial synergism that may be realized.

Individual experiences may yield individual results and opinions.

But I was told we fight like we train.

I think deliberate training at the range is paramount instead of shooting a couple of boxes of ammo and calling it good.

Gone are the days of training for a single attacker. Today's criminals and gangsters are better equipped, better informed and seen way too many movies and actually put to practice what they seen. Home invasion robberies of city I left involved multiple gang members observing the streets for days, using two spotters with radios, multiple armed attackers overwhelming residents confident that they can overpower even pistol armed residents with sheer number, speed and power to commit their crime as told by LEOs I shot with and my wife's two cousins who are city police and sheriff's deputy.

This was the main reason why we decided to leave and seek out a quieter town with lower crime rate and less gang activity for retirement. But I continue to practice my range drills to anticipate multiple attackers. It's the lifestyle I have chosen for myself, the way of the pistol because it now hurts for me to do an axe or hook kick and my body makes all kinds of funny noise when I do my kata/poomsae.

But my focus and self discipline I learned in the Army and martial arts carry over to my pistol shooting. I don't train to shoot and hope to possibly hit the target but look, listen and feel with anticipation of "making holes appear" on target precisely as I will them using point shooting - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/point-shooting.814672/#post-10428857

When I introduce new shooters how to point shoot, I have them shoot COM until POI matches POA with their EYE CLOSED. When they finally reach POI and POA convergence during the initial session and rapid firing using only their thumb and middle finger to control the pistol, their eyes are opened and mind shattered to the reality of shooting.

Yes, there is "way of the pistol" and we should teach it to the future generations. Not doing so is like a martial arts master father not passing along the knowledge to his sons.

This is learnable and doable (jump to 1:50 minute mark of video to see 53 year old lady high speed point shooting without sights):

bds said:

Yes, there is "way of the pistol" and we should teach it to the future generations.

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....specially now that the Modern Technique of Pistol is passe

@bds I like your thinking.

If you want to be well conditioned you have to think outside the box.
Specially because those who might want to hurt you do go outside the box too.

The most important rule of engagement is that, there are no rules!

So the more you push yourself to some sort of limit (controllable limit) the easier it will be to detect what works and what
not to concentrate in efficient and effective tactics.

I like Patton because he tough us that if we work hard on good tactics then the rest falls into place. This applies to life too.
I remember one day in IDPA type of training we start the shooting session starting from one of those reclining patio chairs
and immediately getting up to engage several targets. I am thinking *** I am doing starting a drill from a patio chair but at the same time
I am thinking... who knows where are you going to be or how you are going to find running your sorry azz looking for cover. lol.

So I guess one just have to go out there and keep working on whatever they through at me.

We talk about equipment and ammo all the time but I think the most important investment one can make in their arsenal is
to spend some time and money in training, professional training. Nothing like having a professional or a experience buddy looking at
you giving you pointers after you screwed up somewhere. Egos stay at home.

I think you are right a huge legacy we can pass on to our kids are those tips and tricks but in reality, IMHO, the most important
lesson to teach is not a specific tip or recipe but the love to learning itself.

I think like with any situations that require structure and discipline is a good opportunity to also teach the kids the importance
of hard work and to learn about our obligations as much as we know about our rights.

This is where many parents and schools screw up these days imo.

stoky said:

interesting
There were no such rules when I trained. We used pads on our hands and feet, but they didn't cover the bottom of the feet.
Rules were light contact to the head and moderate contact to the body. This was more strictly enforced at CU than at Seriff's.
A lot of cops trained at Seriff's and contact rules were especially lax in that subvenue.
I loved it
.........and I felt like I was helpin em out.

Click to expand...

Idk where you trained, but those aren't Olympic rules. Karate uses the gloves, TKD uses armor, hence the bare feet and hands and no punches to the face. No such rule of light contact applies anywhere in TKD. If it's legal then full power is okay.

Martial arts is good, it teaches you to be confident without any sort of firearm or knife.

I think that in terms of fitness & strength as well as acquired speed, yes, there is maybe some crossover.

I'm coming in late to this one, and didn't read every post verbatim, but gave a cursory scan of much of the content.

In answering the OP, I started on handguns as a kid a few years before I started wrestling, which I carried through college. I added belts thereafter in BJJ and Judo, as well as have several years of kickboxing and MMA which, like wresting, don't use belts to warn how dangerous a fighter might be.

I was a bouncer for 5yrs during and briefly after college, and had ample opportunity to apply my craft.

I do personally feel being trained and practiced in martial arts does offer distinct physical and psychological advantages for the defensive or competitive shooter.

What I will say - having seen a criticism of BJJ above and application for street fighting - only inexperienced BJJ fighters will take the fight to their own back outside of competition. As a direct example, some of the World level fighters with which I train (which is easy to say affirmatively, since Worlds were just last wk) will almost unilaterally pull guard at the outset of any normal match, however, when they fight MMA, they'll focus on stand up until they can get the takedown/throw. As a wrestler/judoka myself, I look for the throw and the top position no matter what context I'm fighting, but it puts a lot of burden and exertion on me in a strict BJJ match where I could save energy and get to the mat faster and easier by pulling guard. Fools who watch too much UFC pull guard in the street.

One thing I have not seen mentioned above which I believe applies as a direct transfer from TMA to shooting technique is the dynamic foundation. Anyone can stand on a firing line and hit targets on a square range, and anyone can stand in front of a heavy bag and look like Lennox Lewis. But when you start moving, forcing folks to move their feet without sacrificing their stability, things fall apart for a lot of people. A jab and a shot are delivered differently, but if you have an inherent connection to a stable yet dynamic fighting foundation, you'll be a step ahead.

I also believe firmly, having found myself in life and death situations more than I might like, training and competition helps a person develop their familiarity and subsequent functionality under stress. I'm not sure I believe a person can practice "stress management" effectively, since that requires intentional and artificial stressors - but when another man is on top of you and pounding your face into hamburger, you find out quickly either how to manage high stress stimulus or that fighting isn't for you. When you find yourself pinned under the horns of a bull with a broken leg and a collapsed lung, you find out fast whether you're an intelligent fight or panicked flight type. When you feel a knife stick into your arm after being attacked in an alley behind your bar, you figure out quick whether you can manage that stress to cease the attack or not.

They say everyone has a plan until they get hit. I don't buy that. Because if you know you are going to be hit, your plan includes it, accounts for it, and your training and practice adapts to it. As a direct example, when I get hit hard enough in MMA to put me on Queer Street, my left hand goes up to my forehead and my right hand shoots the snatch single - without a thought. Having that inherent reflex has saved me in competition as well as in "live fight" when an expected beer mug found my temple.

When a stray dog surprised me a few months ago running from behind our garage when I stepped out of my truck, my reflex was to clear my G19 - without a thought. That development of strategic and practiced response is a skill learned in martial arts, which can be adapted to firearms use. Whenever I saw a belly button move forward for 15yrs of my life, my instinct was to stuff the shot - something I practiced constantly. When I see a fighters right foot advancing, I react with a Kosoto - something I practice constantly. If I see someone moving a little too quickly or a little too directly towards me in a parking lot, I side step between cars and clear my clothing - something I practice constantly.

So if nothing else, training and practice in martial arts teaches a practicioner how to practice and establish automaticity of technique, which translates over to defensive and competitive shooting.