Today’s article will include some quotes from Coach Brian Hill, plus a bit of my background and how it has influenced what I teach in regard to whether striking an assailant could be an option. Please know that I am not currently training, nor am I an expert in this field. I am just a person that has had the opportunity to spend more than 20 years as co-owner and manager of our Mixed Martial Arts gym called Fusion Fitness & Mixed Martial Arts. We had youth and adult programs where 120 students trained with us per month. I loved watching, training and interacting with the students and our coaches because I learned so much. Brian and I had to make a tough decision in 2020 and close the doors due to Covid.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a fusion of full-contact sports that support a wide array of fighting techniques, history, experience, principles, styles, decisions and skills. MMA is usually a combination of jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, karate, Taekwondo, judo and wrestling (just to name a few) that make up a cohesive fighting system.
Yes, I trained in striking/basic groundwork/decisions, and in 2015 I became a coach in our Force Readiness and Close Quarter Decisions classes. Both training and managing our gym was a very educational part of my life and truly made me fall in love with distance management. I got to see firsthand what pre-planning and what following through with that plan looked like.
I think that now is a good time to mention that knowing your state’s laws/codes on the “use of force” for self and in defense of others is very important. I would print that information, fold it up and place it in your purse or wallet. If something happens, there is a high chance that you will know more than the on-scene officer.
This article will focus on striking, the close-quarter decision, which is usually under six feet, depending on the technique. When it comes to striking, distance is the key factor to hitting or not getting hit. Muay Thai is probably the most common style of striking because it includes knee, kicks, punches and elbows. In an MMA fight, this is an effective way to cause damage, especially when paired with other martial arts techniques. This style of fighting can also be very effective in self-protection, but only at the correct distance. Brian says, “There are three distances in striking. There is long, middle and short. Without movement, ‘long’ is around the six-foot mark where kicks would be best fitted, ‘middle’ would include, but not limited to, punches and palm strikes and ‘short,’ where knees, elbows, upper cuts and in-close fighting would be the best fit.”
While in the gym, I also got to see great decisions and poor decisions. How did I know the decision was poor? They got their egos crushed by getting hit, taken down, tapped out or they “went to sleep” – aka, choked unconsciou – none of which was in their game plan. How did I know their decisions were good? They were able to remember their pre-fight strategy, manage their emotions, get back in the fight when things did not go their way and bring that master game plan back in play for the win.
I watched hundreds of training sessions in our octagon and I started to study our fighters’ moves and distances. I recognized that offence and defense had a different body language, stance and distance goals. I also looked for repeatable pre-strike “tells” that would help me understand how much time their partners had to react. If you are a highly trained professional and you are at the correct distance, you can see it coming, react and respond.
I coach Force Readiness and Close Quarter Decisions and honestly, the bad guy’s body posture is very similar to the postures I saw in the octagon. The main difference that I see is how a normal, everyday person off the street responds. We are not trained professionals and our reaction times are slower, or none at all.
In our Reactionary Zones, we call the distance of six feet and under, the NO CHOICE zone. It’s not that you don’t fight back; it is that you probably have no choice but TO fight back. If they choose violence, then you have NO CHOICE but to manage that violence with an answer of your own.
Why “NO CHOICE?”
Now that we have covered “why” we call it the NO CHOICE zone, let’s cover a few options that you may have:
For some, this can be a very difficult distance to manage but the good news is that if you pay attention to changes in your environment, understand pre-assault cues, have a few short verbal commands memorized and have a master game plan, you just may be able to avoid an issue all together.
Read more of Shelley Hill’s articles at her website and at The WON.
Shelley Hill wears a "bunch of hats." Her husband, Brian, named her the “Indispensable Organization Wizard” about 25 years ago and that has become her official title. Shelley is co-owner, XO and instructor at The Complete Combatant. She is an HK Brand Ambassador, publishes regular articles in Women’s Outdoor News and Shooting Illustrated, teaches online classes, is an Active Self Protection Certified Instructor, an Instructor Graduate of Modern Samurai Project's Red Dot Instructor program, NRA Certified Instructor, Certified NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, Refuse to be a Victim Instructor and is a Certified OC (Pepper Spray) Instructor through Chuck Haggard's Agile Training & Consulting. She is the designer and mastermind behind Image Based Decisional Drills, Smart Choices , LockedIn Grip, The Complete Combatant's annual The Mingle for professional ladies in the "firearms/self defense" industry and The Quest for red dot shooters. She is also the President of a non-profit organization called Blue Line Ponies. This 501c3 focuses on providing a retirement range for our career service horses. Shelley is also a presenter at several national conferences is a public speaker and she actually loves people. View all posts by Shelley Hill
