LEARNING THROUGH PRINCIPLES BASED TRAINING
PRINCIPLES BASED TRAINING.
When we were learning the advanced material in the Pekiti-Tirsia system from Tuhon Leo Gaje in the 1970s and 80s, he often gave us a set of 12 combination techniques built around a core principle for that set.
There usually were 12 techniques in each set and often 3 sets of 12, for the advanced material.
However, he may not have learned that way himself. In talking to various other senior students and comparing notes on how they learned advanced material; I think it’s highly likely that Leo learned a different way than how he taught us.
I now think his learning the system was more principles based and what he latter taught as numbered techniques were just samples of how to apply those principles.
Leo was trained in the Pekiti-Tirsia system by his grandfather Conrado Tortal, beginning when Leo was 6 years old and progressing through the system in the 1940s and 50s. I believe Conrado in his teaching would show Leo a number of techniques to demonstrate a particular theory and let Leo learn through comparing these techniques to discover the main principle involved.
Conrado may have shown Leo 7 or 10 or 20 sample techniques to illustrate the main principle of a set; whatever was needed to demonstrate the principle and help Leo understand it. When Leo started teaching in the US and saw that most of his students where adults and that most Westerners thought in a more linear process than the circular way his grandfather taught in (1), Leo knew he needed to change his teaching methods to better fit his new students. Therefore, he took the format of 12 strikes of the basic Abcedario and used that as a template to organize the advanced material.
Leo often started us with basic drills (such as those found in the 64 Attacks) and then would revisit a basic drill once we learned an advanced set. For example, he had us practice the basic three count drill of Break in-Break out for the first 20 minutes of class as a warm up and hand strength developer. Later, once he had taught us Contradas, he had us do the Break in-Break out drill again, this time beginning with a more direct entry drill.
BASIC BREAK IN - BREAK OUT DRILL
HOW I TEACH THIS DRILL NOW:
I think this basic vs advanced learning method was a bit like the difference between learning basics mathematics in elementary school and learning algebra in high school. In elementary school you were made to memorize a multiplication table that went up to 10 X 10 or 12 x 12.
Then in high school, you are given theories for algebra and are given several sample problems and taught theories of how to solve them, but you are not given a table to memorize. I think too many FMA practitioners are stuck in the memorizing of tables phase (what I call the “Training Wheels” phase) and need to move on to the problem solving phase.
Over the last decade or so, I’ve noticed a real difference between those who learned the system through weekly or even monthly classes or seminars and those who had learned only at a yearly seminar or camp. There was a tendency with the latter to take what was intended to be a warm up or temporary “Training Wheels” phase of training and make it their main way to do the material. Instead of learning how to make smart decisions in a fight, I saw people getting far too comfortable practicing fixed patterns that were fine for a warm up, or helping beginners learn basic body mechanics, but kept them stuck in one place, with no practice of the things they need to survive a real fight.
HOW DO WE SOLVE THIS PROBLEM?
For the last several years I’ve been working on ways to combat this; trying to inject the advanced principles as early as possible into the first day of a student’s training.
I’ve tried to do this by distilling down each advanced set in the system to some core principles and teach these via more complex drills that include at least one element of decision making per drill, instead of a fixed set of 12 techniques.
I had began this with the 5 Attacks Subsystem, in which I brought some sample theories from several advanced sets of the system, superimposed onto the four diagonal angles from the basic 5 attacks.
5 ATTACKS SUBSYSTEM:
How I taught the 5 Attacks Subsystem in the 1990s.
How I teach the 5 Attacks Subsystem now.
As the years went on, I have tried to introduce this principles based training concept into more and more parts of my teaching. My teaching process now with an advanced set is to teach just three representative techniques; build a decision making drill around each one and have the students practice those for the duration of the class. The satisfaction of the students has gone up greatly and they tell me that they really understand the principles of how, when and why to use the techniques far better than when they struggled to learn 12 techniques at a seminar. In all honesty, the biggest help in all this has been the advances in video technology. With easy video downloads, a lot of pressure has been taken off me to get the students to learn all 12 techniques in a set. Now I can focus on teaching them principles that they can use and remember and if they want to learn the whole set for testing purposes, then they can download the video (which they have a better capacity to utilize effectively, now that they understand the principles behind the techniques).
In this video I show a 5 Attacks Subsystem drill using the principles of Pekiti-Tirsia Seguidas (“Batman” style), Contradas ("The Flash” style ) and Recontras (“Superman" style). Superimposing advanced concepts on a basic drill can be a good way to introduce advanced principles to beginning students.
Here is a breakdown of the four principles shown in this video:
1. Beginners 5 Attacks drill: "Be a mirror." In the basic drill, the student is responding to an attack with the same attack, (for example, strike 1 is blocked with strike 1 and strike 2 is blocked with strike 2, etc). This drill helps the beginning student recognize which a specific attack is coming as early in the movement as possible.
2. Seguidas set 1 drill: "Fight like Batman." When you are fighting an opponent who is your equal in size and strength, then you should out think him and move more efficiently than he does.
3. Contradas set 1 drill: "Fight like The Flash." When you are fighting an opponent who is bigger or stronger than you, or has a more dangerous weapon (for example a sword vs your stick), then you should avoid going "force on force" with him or his weapon; instead combining deceptive footwork and multiple smaller attacks to hit him from unexpected angles.
4. Recontras set 1 drill: "Fight like Superman." When you are bigger or stronger than your opponent, but he is faster or has better endurance, then you may have a need to shut him down quickly, before he can put his superior speed or endurance into play. Recontras assumes the opponent understands Contradas principles though and does not charge straight in, making it more difficult for him to counter you with the principles shown in set 1 of Contradas.
Note: Please turn on Closed Captions (the CC button) for the video below as the acoustics are not so good in this room.
Please watch the Doble' Baston videos below and study how the second video on each subject tries to teach the principles that the first version was just a sample of.
Doble' Baston in the 1990s:
How I teach Doble' today:
Doble' Contradas: For when you are faster than the opponent.
Recontras: For when you are stronger than the opponent.
ESPADA Y DAGA:
Teaching an Espada y Daga class where I teach all the "number ones" of Attacks, Disarms, Contradas and Recontras, to give the students a better understanding of the principles of each.
Please notice that the drill in the video below requires a non-symmetrical timing: ie, I am responding to what my opponent is doing and trying to counter his movements, not mirror them. Espada y Daga is an advanced technique for advanced students. These days I skip the symmetrical version of this drill and give the non-symmetrical version on day one of training.
EMPTY HAND VS KNIFE AND KNIFE VS KNIFE:
The classic teaching order on Hand vs Knife.
How I teach Hand vs Knife now: This is part of the Integrated HVK course in which I teach both the Basic hand vs knife course (against hammer grip) and the Advanced course (against icepick grip) in the same class.
In this video, we are training a defense against the grab portion of the Grab & Stab attack, moving towards an escape route open to your right. Not shown on the video but next in a class, you will practice three escape options moving to the left. We will do this first with an opponent holding a knife in hammer grip, then in icepick grip. I can use the same gross motions and progression of training in a knife to knife class.
More on this video: The diagram that begins the video is based on Pekiti-Tirsia Ranging Footwork and lays out the footwork and sequence used against a grab attack, with the red rectangle with the circle in it representing your opponent standing in a left lead stance. The red arrow is his left arm reaching out to grab you. The items in green represent your choices of directions during the fight. This footwork is a framework on which you can put the techniques used by the upper body.
This drill is set up as a “when-then” scenario, as in “When the escape route is to your right, then you move to your right.”
I call this set up a “Decision Tree” drill, in which you are deciding where to move, based on the obstacles (such as walls or other bad guys) and opportunities (escape routes or objects that can act as cover, depending on the weapon you are facing) that are present at that moment. In this sample, the escape route is to your right. In class, you will also practice for an escape route that is to your left.
There are four sample stages, based on three ranges, but these stages are fluid and may not occur in this order.
Stage one starts when the attacker tries a grab or push at long range as a “shark bump” (a non-committed testing move to see how you will react). You take a step back on a roughly 45 degree angle to get a better view of the area and access the threat. Your hands are up in a non-threatening gesture so witnesses will see that you are not the aggressor in this, as you make a statement that says you are trying to de-escalate the situation. (Note: I misspoke at the 1:20 minute mark when I said “move to their right” I should have said “move to your right.)
Stage two is when the attacker makes a more committed grab attempt, but is still at long range. You take a step back towards the escape route or cover and get into a defensive stance. Increasing the range between you and the attacker gives you more time to access, plan and react.
Stage three is when the attacker moves into medium range (defined as they are close enough to grab or strike your torso with the lead hand). You then move 90 degrees to the side, evading their attack and giving you better access for your own counter attack.
Stage four is when the attacker steps in deep enough that the rear hand becomes a threat.
If you see this coming you can “charge the ambush,” counter attacking at a forward 45 degree angle, thereby giving them less time to react, while still giving you good angles for your own strikes.
I start the Hand vs Knife class with a warm up of common knife thrusts, so the students have a better idea of what they are up against.
HAMMER GRIP:
ICE-PICK GRIP:
I will be teaching these drills and more during my seminars and camps this year.
Train Hard, but Train Smart,
Tuhon Bill McGrath
For more info, please visit the PTI Seminars page: https://pekiti.com/pages/upcoming-seminars
(1) For more on how Grand Tuhon Gaje was taught the Pekiti-Tirsia system by his grandfather, see my essay "Leo Stories, part 3" https://pekiti.com/blogs/news/the-thought-provoking-process-leo-stories-part-3-aka-go-ask-grandma