Senshido: Reality-Based Self Defense for Everyone
July 24, 2008
One thing that has concerned me for many years about self defense and martial arts is that most tend to focus solely on the physical aspects. While it is important to understand and appreciate how to fight, it is equally important to understand that the physical is only a small aspect of fighting. Senshido features self defense and self development from a holistic aspect incorporating all the aspects of fighting: the emotional, environmental, behavioral and the physical.
A Little Background on Senshido
Senshido Combative Technology is the brainchild of Richard Dimitri of Montreal Canada . He is considered to be one of the top instructors of self defense in the world and has taught the system in law enforcement, military personnel as well as the average Joe.
Senshido is self defense for everyone because it doesn’t rely on strength, size or athletic ability. It is truly the great equalizer in self defense. Because it incorporates all aspects of close quarter combat, it is considered to be a holistic form of self defense and self development.
What You Learn In Senshido
We teach how to be aware of your surroundings; how to listen to your intuition; and the proper way to defuse and deescalate a situation. If a situation can’t be defused or deescalated, students learn how to behaviorally and psychologically set the predator up so that if it goes physical, they increase their odds of getting home safely. We stress doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done, understanding that the force you use must parallel the danger you are experiencing . . . and no more.
A Typical Class…
A typical Senshido class for newcomers revolves around getting properly warmed up and then doing light stretching. Next is the completion of several rounds of Thai kicking and focus mitt drills.
After participants are nice and warm, we get into the lecture portion of the class. This could be going through scenarios, coming to grips with understanding behavior of a predator, pre-contact queues, pattern interrupts, understanding fear, how environment affects your outcome or how to control and channel your emotions to remain calm in the face of adversity.
After students gain knowledge of the fundamentals, common attacks are simulated, using restrained force and realistic dialogue. Full attacks are safely drilled so that students have an opportunity to experience an adrenaline dump. These are usually done in scenario format which replicates a potentially dangerous situation safely.
Students are debriefed afterward to see what they did that helped them ‘get home’ and what they need to pay more attention to in the future. Class ends with stretching and comments of what students learned in the session.
Students eventually learn the physical hallmark of Senshido - “The Shredder”™. This close quarter aspect of Senshido utilizes the five (5) principles of physical retaliation to ensure your safe finish to a fight.
It is gross motor based which is what is optimally available to the human body under stressful situations such as an attack would produce. After students have a firm understanding of the fundamentals, we teach them how to handle situations with weapons and multiple attackers.
Required Equipment and Costs
Students are required to have MMA style gloves that allow them to punch but also deliver open hand strikes. Rates vary among Senshido Affiliate Instructors and HQ in Montréal, but they are very affordable. All Affiliate Instructors are handpicked and screened by Richard Dimitri in Montreal as a form of quality control and also to ensure each individual affiliate is of high character.
Other Benefits
And the great thing about all of this is it can be added to your arsenal of tools if you’re a martial artist. If you have no martial arts experience, that is OK too. This is easy for you to pick up with no prior training.
So, if you are looking for a means to develop yourself as a human being and to learn from the undisputed leader in self defense, incorporating Senshido may be exactly what you’re looking for.
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About the Author: Glenn Wilson is the founder and Chief instructor of GoldenEye Martial Arts and Self Defense in Silver Spring, MD. He has over 20 years of experience in personal protection, holds a 2nd degree Black Belt in Kuk Sool and is a Certified Affiliate Instructor in Senshido Combative Technologies under Richard Dimitri. He can be reached at (301) 318-7959 or at http://www.goldeneyemartialarts.com
How to Buy Good Mixed Martial Arts Gloves
July 13, 2008
If you’re on the market for mixed martial arts gloves and don’t know what to look for, don’t feel bad. Unlike boxing gloves, MMA gloves are a relatively new product to hit the market, and were only popularized after the UFC craze made a big splash after The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 aired.
Once people started entering mixed martial arts schools in droves, and programs started cropping up all over, every martial arts supplier and equipment manufacturer started cranking out their version of mixed martial arts sparring gear.
The problem with this is that the MMA gloves you typically find in stores can be of a very poor quality. At the very least, they don’t last very long under hard training, and at the worst they can lead to injuries that can put a damper on your or your partners training.
So, let’s look at what fight and sparring gloves are supposed to do, then we can take a look at what you need to look for when choosing a good glove for training or competition.
And The Purpose of the Glove Is…
Mixed martial arts fight gloves are designed to protect the user first, and their opponent second. MMA sparring gloves have the same purpose, but generally have quite a bit more padding than fight gloves, to allow for sustained sparring with as little injury as possible.
Note that I say, “…as little injury as possible” – not “prevent injury”. MMA is a contact sport that involves hitting another person. You will get injured if you participate in hard sparring for any length of time. Get that through your head, and don’t expect the glove to protect you from every little scrape and bruise; they’re not designed for that.
What they are designed for is to:
- Protect your hands and wrists from injury when striking –
- Protect your sparring partner or opponent from sustaining serious cuts during a fight, or to reduce trauma during sparring.
So, there are two types of MMA gloves:
- Fight gloves (which are lighter and thinner)
- and Training/Sparring gloves (which come with a bit more padding over the knuckles).
So, a word of caution… if you spar with fight gloves, you’re more likely to get injured. That’s why you’ll want to have a pair of the lighter fight gloves to hit the pads and drill with (simulating fighting conditions) and a thicker pair of sparring gloves for – you guessed it – sparring.
And, if you plan to compete chances are good that the promoter (if they are sanctioned) will provide brand new fight gloves for the event. This is generally a requirement for safety (because, no matter how good a glove is, the padding wears out over time) and hygiene (because, the cleaner the glove, the less likely you are to get an infection from a scrape or cut).
Choosing Mixed Martial Arts Gloves
The first thing to consider when choosing which MMA gloves to buy is the material. If they’re made of “man-made” or “synthetic” or “simulated cowhide” materials, skip them. Ditto if they have any nylon straps that are integral to the construction.
These types of materials tend to leave nasty scrapes and cuts, even during light sparring. Also, unlike leather, synthetic materials tend to harden over time, losing their pliability and increasing the risk of injury.
So, only buy gloves that are made with 100% soft cowhide or calfskin leather. This is the same stuff that boxing gloves have been made from for years, and for good reason. It’s durable, and it tends to soften over time… the more you use it, the more comfortable it gets.
Another thing to look for is whether the wrist straps cover any Velcro on the glove. The strap should wrap completely over the Velcro and secure snugly while covering the Velcro material.
Why? Being a synthetic material, Velcro is abrasive, leading to additional scrapes and cuts. But, it’s also the most appropriate material for fastening the gloves, so you’ll have to live with it. A quick tip: look for gloves that have the soft side of the Velcro on the wrist, and the abrasive side (with the little nylon “hooks”) on the strap.
Manufacturers and Suppliers – Choose One That’s Knows What They’re Doing
There are a few manufacturers that have been making fight gloves for years that you can trust.
They are:
- Ringside
- Title
- Combat Sports (a division of Ringside)
All of the above brands of gloves and be found here at very reasonable prices:
Click Here to Buy Mixed Martial Arts Gloves
A relative newcomer but one that is also worth mentioning is RevGear. I use their equipment, and I’m especially fond of their MMA training glove. The leather is soft and supple, and even with the added padding you can still open and close your hand fairly easily.
I hope this article has helped you understand the difference between a cheap glove and a good mixed martial arts glove, as well as the reasons to avoid buying cheap equipment.
Now, go buy some good mixed martial arts gloves… your hands will thank you, and your training partners will likely appreciate it as well.
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About the Author: Mike Massie has been teaching the martial arts for over twenty years, and is a well-known and outspoken advocate on the topic of ethical martial arts business practices. He resides in Austin, Texas.
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