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IDX COMBATIVES |
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Return to Core Combatives Page
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CORE PRINCIPLES These principles
formulate the mental component of the IDX
system. Without knowledge and
acceptance of these principles it will not matter what physical ability or
techniques you possess. Avoidance Avoidance is a
simple concept that most people ignore.
It boils down to this: To avoid danger, don’t go where danger is. For example, if you returned home and your
front door lock was broken would you still go in? The answer should be “no”. Call the police and wait outside. Strive to stay away from potentially dangerous
situations. This can be as basic as
staying out of gang areas at night. If
you know someone is looking to start trouble then go somewhere else. Avoid the encounter all together. Also, employ proper safety measures. Many safety tips are covered in the
manual. If you go looking for trouble
then guaranteed you’re going to find it. Awareness and
Color Codes Awareness is your
most important tool. If you maintain an awareness of your environment
you can avoid having to resort to physical means. An awareness of your
environment will help your locate potential threats, cover, hiding places,
weapons and assistance. With practice
you can learn to read danger signals in your environment and also in other
people. When you are outside of the
comfort of your own home you should be alert.
Scan your environment. Identify
and track potential threats and avoid potential dangers. One
method that you can use to train yourself to be aware is Colonel Jeff
Cooper’s color code scheme. IDX has modified it slightly to model a standard street
stoplight that people are very familiar with.
The color codes themselves are not important, however they are meant
as another vehicle in which to remind you how critical it is to be aware of
your surroundings. The codes are: Green: Condition Green is when your guard is
down. In this state you are totally
relaxed and are not particularly paying attention to your surroundings. This state should be reserved only for the
privacy of your home. Yellow: This color implies caution. You should be in Condition Yellow in most
normal circumstances outside of your home.
When you are in this state you are alert and are consciously observing
your environment. Red: When you are forced to enter a potentially
dangerous area or when someone enters your safe zone you should be in
Condition Red. This is a state of not
only heightened mental alertness but also physical. You may need to adopt a passive stance to
control an encounter or you may be concealing a weapon. Continuous Attack Philosophy
The Continuous Attack Philosophy is a concept
that must be applied once combat begins.
You must keep attacking relentlessly.
This will allow you to keep the initiative, reduce your enemy’s
ability to counter attack and keep him on the defensive. Continuously attacking is vital to success
in a conflict. Close the gap and
overwhelm him. Always be moving
forward, driving him backwards. Don’t
hesitate between strikes, try to “size-up” your enemy or admire your
work. Blitz your enemy and dominate. Be tenacious. Direct Striking One of the main failings of untrained fighters is that they use
telegraphic, arcing strikes. In a
combat situation strikes must have two attributes. They must be direct and they must have
power. Direct strikes come in at a
straight line from the current position of your hand or foot to the
target. This allows you to strike with
surprise and to follow-up with your next strike faster. Using circular movements give away your
attentions. This allows the enemy time
to counter. Some systems call this
principle “Closest Weapon, Closest Target”.
This means that whatever weapon that you have that is the closest to a
target on your enemy then use that weapon.
Don’t use a different strike that may take longer to deliver. Your strikes do not need to be chambered or
drawn back to generate power if you utilize the proper power generation
techniques.
Offensive Mindset
The Offensive Mindset is key
to self defense. The Offensive Mindset
mentality is about taking the initiative and preemption. In a true survival situation you need to be
prepared to strike first. Kelly McCann
often uses the term “Self-Offense” instead of “Self-Defense”. Don’t wait for your enemy to move so that
you can counter. Make him react to
you. If you always wait for your enemy
to attack first you will be always starting off at a disadvantage. This does not necessarily refer to going
on the “offensive”. For example, if
you find an intruder in your home you can go on the “offensive” by retreating
to trigger your home alarm or call the police. Then the intruder is going to have to react
to your actions. Power
Generation Power must be
behind your strikes. Power is more
important then speed (this is not to say that speed isn’t important). Without power your strikes will simply be
an annoyance. A determined attacker
will just shrug off weak attacks. A
key to power generation is your positioning, particularly the bend in your
knees. Methods of generation are
body torque, drop step, killing shift, penetration, push/pull, springing and
swivel strikes. Preparation Being
prepared is required in any successful endeavor. The act of preparation includes have pre-set
plans for at a minimum the situations of a home invasion, fire and car
jacking. Your family can also develop
special code words that indicate specific problems. Preparation includes reviewing safety tips
with your family. You should also have
the proper tools available to you.
Things like weapons, flashlights, first aid, fire extinguishers and
repair kits should be purchased in advance and readily available. Don’t be caught unprepared. Realistic
Training Even if you have
the learned the proper mental and physical skills if you don’t properly train
them you won’t be able to apply them in combat. Your training must simulate real combat or
street situations. You must become
accustomed to real situations so you are not out of your element when they
happen. Poor training will decay even
good skills into bad habits and false security. Your training needs to include these
components: Concept of Techniques, Contact, Dynamic Flow, Real Locations,
Resistance, Scenarios and Role Playing. Simplicity Considering
the chaos of combat simplicity in movement is required. People often use the acronym “K.I.S.S.” which stands for “Keep It Simple, Stupid”. Bill Wolfe modified it slightly to “Keep It
Simple and Savage”. It’s a common
human trait to take the simple and make it complex. The general feeling is that complex is
always better, however, Close Quarter Combat isn’t
rocket science. For every complexity
you add you will be that much more likely to fail. Intricate techniques and long sequences may
look good in demonstrations but they are not viable in real combat. There are millions of techniques that look
good when performed at moderate speed, against a consenting partner and when
the specific attack is known. The
flow of combat can’t be predicted but if you employ simple and direct
techniques they provide you with more flexibility to deal with a wider-range
of situations. Those statements may
seem like a contradiction since most of the IDX
manual consists of a description of techniques. However, keep two important points in
mind. First, those techniques are
meant as examples to teach you the principles of dealing with those
situations. They are not meant to be
memorized and copied. Secondly, those
techniques are also to demonstrate to you the numerous various situations
that you may find yourself in. We
tried to provide and example for many of the possible scenarios that you
might find yourself in during a combat encounter. Survival
Mindset An important trigger that must be activated in your mind is the
Survival Mindset. Before a brutal
encounter happens you must determine in your mind that you will do anything
not to be a victim, a statistic. If a
person is trying to seriously injure you, they are trying to take you away
from your spouse, children, parents and friends. They are trying to destroy everything that
you have built. If you realize this
before hand it will help turn on the Offensive Mindset and allow you to apply
the Continuous Attack Philosophy (see section below). Make the conscious determination now that
you will not be a victim. Never give
up. Never surrender.
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