2) Combat Tai Chi? (Guided Chaos adaptive free-fight self-defense DRILL)

[NIKandSi]

My brothers and I practice judo. Judo practice is rough. It makes you strong and tough. Some judo guys will take punches so they can grab you, then slam you and choke you! It's awful, cause the throw hurts bad and you can't move cause you're pinned and then you get choked! If you try and poke them in the eye or bite them they just get mad and put you to sleep or armbar you. Those hurt! Visit our channel page and hang out. Keep training to beat up bullies. We like your vids!

Nik and Si

[mattkovsky]

@NIKandSi Thanks. Judo does toughen you up and grapplers can often can boxers. However, whip chops to the throat and deep eye socket gouges are not the same as "pokes" in the eye, which is why they were taught by American Judo and boxing champions to U.S. soldiers in World War II to defeat the Japanese in hand to hand combat.

[AHHUAT2]

haha.....jealous housewives fight like this.....not kungfu

[mattkovsky]

@AHHUAT2 Housewives...and U.S. Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. Air Marshals, FBI agents and NYC cops in bloodbaths so your "kung fu" point is irrelevant, perhaps because you don't recognize throat chops and eye gouges when you see them.

[daltonsbadboy]

I studied under Chinese Boxing Institute International...a lot of the thing your doing here are very similiar to our methods. Very good demo video

[warriorfire8103]

Can anyone tell me without doubt, this system works? No hype. You have used it on larger people, not in the gym where it is patty cake? Real world experience. Not class room experience. Something I hate, is wasting time on some gimic.

[teflond0n]

@warriorfire8103 this is just training that you see here. i've never seen sparring in this method before but its martial art applications are very obvious. notice the way they move absorbs and minimises impact, the defensive maneuvers of the arms parry and open opportunities to strike and/or grapple. this is equivalent to taiji/wing chun/bagua push hands training. interesting fighting style.

[pdeus89]

it looks like sloppy wing chun

[mattkovsky]

@pdeus89 The sloppiest.

[cyberslick18]

....wow...

[foosmonkey]

A good fighter is a good fighter regardless of technique or the art employed. I see a lot of free form fighting techniques here that include scratching at eyes, twisting necks, getting in and out of chokes, etc. I also see what appears to be a lot of random slapping about, which might be part of the style?

[UniversalStandards]

@foosmonkey..it's slapping but not in the traditional sense. It's slapping with looseness and complete body unity and it's actually more effective than punching. The thing is, the participants in this video are simply doing a workout and believe me, you have to be tremendously skilled to workout in quarters at that speed without hurting the opponent and without getting so tight that you start grappling. Difficult to explain unless you've worked out with one of the high level guys in this art.

[35503550]

@UniversalStandards Sounds pretty useless, also those slaps make more then 2400~ PSI of pressure? maybe stronger then your punches

[UniversalStandards]

@35503550 if ONLY you knew ;)

[UniversalStandards]

Never heard from nbglass. If anyone doubts GC you can attend a class and find out if its effective firsthand. We don't go around seriously injuring potential students so there's no reason not to try. Something to be aware of which creates confusion is that we don't dance around sparring or voluntarily rolling around trying to tap people out. Because we're self defense, our aliveness which is ALWAYS tested, is in clinch range and always an eye opener for people regardless of background.

[ColonelMarksman]

@nbglass I can find you testimonials in which these other arts end with someone being killed, and moreso successfully arrested. If a police officer (or two) can handle a criminal using these types of martial arts (officers who are bent on bringing you to submission, not death or harm), then what good is it in a true life-or-death situation? Testimonials prove that whatever you did got you out alive. These demos (such as grappling vs knife) show where certain martial arts fail.

[skywalkr2000]

@nbglass no disrespect but your comment about contact flow shows you are not listening. There is no pattern to it and it certainly isn't "dead". Strikes to the throat and gouges to soft targets MUST be pulled. We train with variable resistance right up to full speed. But don't judge this from a short video clip, get hands on. New York ain't that far from Columbus bro, come feel it from it's source while it's around. If you still think we suck feel free to blog about it.

[UniversalStandards]

Well to his credit he agreed to come to Chicago to feel it out for himself. I hope he makes it.

[mattkovsky]

You are working under 2 misconceptions: 1-You're assuming no one in our system has had life-and-death experience. You're wrong. We have active law enforcement and deployed soldiers who have and are using it. If you think sport fighting qualifies as "life-and-death" experience you are deluded and nothing we say will matter to you anyway. 2-We all know what "challenge" you are referring to. As we...

[mattkovsky]

As we clearly stated at the time, it was made by 2 unauthorized students in our school who were severely reprimanded. Perkins tried to broker a friendly training session and "exchange of knowledge" but by that time the keyboard warriors (your friends we'll assume) began their usual vile, profanity-laced offers to rape, sodomize and perform several other "mature" acts any one of which would bring criminal charges...

[mattkovsky]

...You cannot deal with children or adults who act like them. And yes we have no credibility in martial arts Romper Rooms for which we care very little.

[Kovacs1979UK]

Has ANY of this been proven with full contact?

[mattkovsky]

If by "full contact" you mean soldier-to-soldier combat in Iraq or Corrections Officer riot control in Oregon prisons or violent arrests in NYC bloodbaths then yes, it's been tested. If by "full contact" you mean "safety rules-regulated sport fighting in an octagon-shaped enclosure for televised entertainment purposes" then no, it hasn't been tested.

[dennisd292]

@mattkovsky why hasnt it been tested? how can you swear by something without testing it?

[mattkovsky]

What are you testing? Sport fighting is a test of sport fighting skill, not safe-your-life war fighting skill. To read a million reasons why (if you were a cop or soldier you'd already know them), see this discussion on Amazon: "Should MMA be taught as Combatives to the Military???"

[putittogether]

@Kovacs1979UK Yes

[TheUserUndefined]

It's just some guys slapping each other...

[krrrruptidsoless]

In your jack benny stance. Did you ever try a joke to change the mood? Just wondering.

[mattkovsky]

This is the best youtube post ever.

[krrrruptidsoless]

@mattkovsky

Thank you, SIR.

[arikandel2002]

Actually, yeah. Not necessarily a "joke," but from the "interview" situation I injected a little self-deprecating humor and the situation calmed. Wouldn't work in ALL situations but it did then.

[nwaikikai]

Great stuff! I've been doing Aikido for over twenty years and have been dabbling in the sort of stuff I see in this clip for the past seven or eight years. I am convinced that Aikido as it should be done incorporates all of the things I see evident in the movement of John P. and Matt K. I'm hoping to incorporate more and more of the stuff you guys are doing in my Aikido practice. Even with the little I'm doing now the effect on my Aikido is significant. Again, great stuff, guys!

[D081]

its all about 0:20 do that while someone is tryin to attack you.. lol

[looklikebuddha]

Once again arm chair masters chime-in. I am so thankful I live in the NYC area. I have had many years of training in various MA systems including 4yrs serving in the USMC. Nothing has even come close to the knowledge shared by this man J. Perkins, a true artist who has no need to inject a false sense of ego that so many other systems need to compensate for their lack of effectivness outside the parameters of a dojo or octagon.

[UniversalStandards]

Ironmongoose, your ignorance is apparent by the belief that you think we don't utilize moderate contact. Unless you have an insurmountable size, speed or strength advantage, anything more than moderate contact against someone skilled in these principles will simply get you hospitalized. Outside of GC I haven't seen a single system that isn't riddled with flaws inte realm of self defense. The same thing that makes you laugh will make you cry.

[IronMongoose1]

laughable to anyone who's trained with even moderate contact

[Steps4security]

This is very close to Escrima empty hand tactics

[arikandel2002]

Not really, I used to teach Escrima, and I can tell you it's very different.

[judgement357]

I understand the concept of your art. Unfortunately many people feel that if you don't do no form of sport fighting then your not a real fighter. This is why a few of them get killed. keep up the good work.

[kommisar]

This is the stupidest "exercise" I've seen second to only that patty cake crap you see in WC. Although this does resemble a real street fight it looks like the type that involves people who have no clue how to fight. Any skilled person wouldn't do something as stupid as stand upright with their chin sticking out and slapping the other guy. There's so many things wrong with this I don't know where to start. If this is your idea of "self-defense" then I feel sorry for your students.

[UniversalStandards]

What does it mean when you have people that are supposedly "skilled" and they train with us and can do practically none of their techniques? Sneak into a seminar and try your skilled techs on one of us during Contact Flow. And NO, I'm not threatening you because I don't know you. It's just that you have no clue what you are talking about because your perceptions are being filtered through your previous experiences, however incomplete.

[violentbuddha]

Kempo will train w/ more form b/c in a real fight, it degrades to chaos and we believe its best to have some precision in madness. so you train so that chaos becomes the norm. really bizarre. some things i have doubts about, namely the bat technique. i would like to hear your open opinions on the flaws in other arts in a real fight. for example: Kung fu, Aikido, Karate, etc. i see you have issues with locks and grappling, as do i. does that mean Aikido is out? i have so many questions!

[UniversalStandards]

Imagine a 4th degree in a traditional art art not being much more skilled against a resisting attacker than a guy with no training at all. This is typically what we find and sorry, but I'm not going to name specific systems. People take this stuff extremely personal. If you are forced to move as if you are fighting for your life all precise technique goes out the window. The question is how well you can stay rooted, balanced, pliable and unified when your "cage gets rattled".

[elmabullaz]

I'd have a lot more faith in this kinda thing if you jsut organised it so a real life boxer came in, you got in the ring, and let him take real punches at you so i can see how well you do!

[UniversalStandards]

WHAT? Some of you people have absolutely NO IDEA how much extensive experience many of us have training in some of these sportive systems as well as against them. Hell, one of the guys in this very video IS a boxing coach. The problem is that boxing/dueling is not the dynamic that we deal with so it wouldn't look like anything you could quantify as us "conquering" the sport of boxing anyway. Listen, the cliche is old but it bears repeating anyway, "don't box a boxer".

[PadLockum]

Yeah...and "Don't Go to the ground with a grappler"...and I guess in your case...don't slap box with guided chaos or roll on the ground and kick at them. lol

[skywalkr2000]

You just shouldn't move on one of us period. Not to sound pompous but we're pretty well versed in the self defense thing.

[UniversalStandards]

Cute.

[mattkovsky]

In the initial attack you step in obliquely at 45 degrees. The feet are generally in an "L" stance primarily (front forward, rear 45 to 90 degrees) but not as a rule. What's not clear from the clips is that by "sideways" we mean either bladed, momentarily "turned" (top half sideways one way, bottom the other) or facing squarely momentarily in the transition from one turn or root change to the other. We don't mean rigidly sideways one way (ala fencing) without change or adaptation.

[amenra13]

Wow! Did I just see a clinch and a takedown at 0:26. I thought you couldn't do that to a guy using free form adaptive conbat techniques.  I wonder what other combat styles train in that all the time. Judo/BJJ maybe? Your own videos reveal the holes in your arguments.

[mattkovsky]

No silly grasshopper, we did the takedown just so you could see what you do once you're ON the ground. Even the most ignorant beginners in class know that!

[andrehanderson]

LOL

[Ronin6575]

What's not practical? This is all practical. If you've never just relaxed and let it go this way, you can't imagine how well it works. I started playing around with exercises similar to this that I just made up years ago and found it worked better than my formal , more orthodox methods ever did...These guys would totally trash most classically trained people in a close encounter.

[sapateiro2006]

Looks like good fun. Not practical though.

[markjitsu1]

how do you know you strike with FEROCIOUS power?

[skywalkr2000]

Because I can make a heavy bag buckle and fold in half and the bag dosen't even swing. You can clearly see when someone gets a good one. You want to penetrate into the bag using a drop and not push it away. Dropping energy makes you hit as if you weigh around 2.5 times more than you normally do. Working it in contact flow allows you to deliver it.

[UniversalStandards]

Because I've actually hit people. I've said it before and I'll tell you again, it's easier for us to go full contact, although the times I've done it someone was laying at my feet writhing in pain. The majority of our uncooperative training consists of getting into advantageous positions using our 5 major principles. At any given moment during these drills we can hit with full power but the idea is to preserve our training partners, not destroy them.

[PadLockum]

I'll admit, if you slap box like this everyday..you are going to get good hand eye coordination and get better at seeing openings to attack. BUT The problem with this is that you don't learn how to train half unconscious from a hit, and if you rely on instincts when you get punched, your instincts have been training to pull punches with all your wits about you. Driving sober is easy...driving drunk takes practice lol (Jk but making a point) You get punch drunk u need to know how to drive still.

[mattkovsky]

Your comment about slap boxing indicates you have no concept of what's going on here. These are open hand strikes (chop, gouges, palm heels) to soft targets (throat, spine, eyes, etc.) that only a jerk would apply to a training partner full power (as you can do with gloved punches to the head). This art is more about feel (which works better when punch drunk) than eye-hand coordination, further explaining your misconceptions.

[UniversalStandards]

PadLockum, we are severely, severely, severely pulling these strikes. Again, I've said this repeatedly, when you come in and feel it you'll understand this after a very short period of time.

[skywalkr2000]

Someone trained in this would be able to hit acurately even in the dark when you couldnt see a thing. So it's not about seeing any target it's about feel, as Matt has said. Your nervous system gets tuned to a very high degree if you train often enough. Evidenced by the ease that some of the high level guys get the better of younger and stronger dudes. Working with someone good can feel like you're trying to punch (or grab) ribbons and at the same time the're dropping bricks on you.

[forcer110]

LOOKS LIKE BREAK DANCING

[allasnark99]

nice

[marcelthemaoist]

Some of it looks similar to Systema "play" (sparring).

[kehisgreat]

Also check out the forum on the attackproof website and see some of the responses on the groundfighting that was included to the recently concluded seminar in London.

[kehisgreat]

Try not to discount the effectiveness of what you are viewing. When you view Master Watson you see what is possible and not many people have the ability to move like that or Master Ridenhour taking the individual down is also showing what is possible with the groundfighting application. Just envision someone striking your knee with a kick. How well will your leg survive that. Look at the groundfighting DVD or example on yourtube.

[kehisgreat]

Understand that going to the ground is hardly ever a good idea but I'm sure you would agree that sometimes you are left with the worse of all possible options. This is what the groundfighting is for when you find yourself falling to the floor or you decide to because of the attack in front of you.

[NoTeefa]

alright, I understand the idea behind the training methodology, and I agree that its probably a good drill to prepare yourself for your average street fight. But the throwing yourself on the ground to some goofy spin kick has got to stop, that's just retarded.

[jelqer]

Is this basically intended to overwhelm your opponent with a flurry of spontaneous attacks?

[UniversalStandards]

Not solely. The reason we train in that manner is because we never assume that our movements will work so we continue flowing as if it they fail or as if the attacker is skilled enough to avoid them.

The reality is that we strike with FEROCIOUS power because of body unity and dropping and we may only have to flow for a split second to put ourselves in better position to strike or avoid getting struck. The real fight would end much, much faster depending on the skill level of the attacker.

[clementchew]

This vaguely reminds me wing chun/tsun lat sau exercises, although I'm sure it's something entirely different.

[UniversalStandards]

It is very different. Same ideas but we have a modality of training that allows us to execute those ideas in practice and in reality.

[UniversalStandards]

What exactly are you saying or asking us? From what I'm reading you are neither contesting something we've said or raising a relevant point.

[kehisgreat]

Some of you think there is just a lot of slapping going on. I suggest looking at the other contact flow video. In the slow motion part of the video you can see the various strikes that are landing. You can also see how they are staying lose to avoid penetration from the strikes.

Most of all remember contact flow is an "EXERCISE" and really not more then that because a real fight will not look like that but it improves your ability to respond and adapt to the fight in front of you.

[XD4133]

Well it's their fault for not understanding It doesn't have to look graceful to be effective.

[kehisgreat]

The majority of students have taken other arts in the past and most law enforcement officers, military personnel and others who put there life on the line every day has abandoned their previous teachings because exposure to this art magnifies what they have been missing from previous teachings.

So come to a class and make a informed decision based on 1st hand knowledge.

[kehisgreat]

I encourage everyone to attend a class and see for yourself. Don't worry about being "served". That's not the intention of inviting others to class. Attending a class will give you a chance to observe and feel what every student is writing about and then you make your assessment about the art based on your observations.

[OctoBox]

do you practice contact flow?

i like the look of the stand-up, like wing chun, boxing, and tai chi on crack!!

the ground stuff needs work, but it gives me ideas :)

[UniversalStandards]

Yes, standup Contact Flow is Wing Chun, boxing, Tai Chi and Muay Thai on steroids.

As for the ground stuff, I admit that it looks silly. When you actually try one of the traditionally popular ground fighting methods against it, they just don't work. You just can't set up any type of positions.

On the other hand, and this is may seem contradictory, but the high level grapplers who train with us can indeed get their grappling off in many real conditions.

[jellybeansinc]

it is wayy too rhythmic, u would get raped by a guy that isn't as aggressive and takes time with stronger strikes

[UniversalStandards]

LOL!!!the only reason it's rhythmic is because we aren't striking to actually inflict damage the way we would in a real situation. WE ARE ACTUALLY THE ONES WITH THE STRONGER STRIKES. Most of you will never believe me until you feel it for yourselves. Oh well.

[tockoriusoschael]

This is not wingchun! This is a technique to take of the fear and learn to move the arms and legs while works with other partner without injure (in principle, of course).

[building7911]

it looks alot like wing chun with half the technique

[arikandel2002]

Well, take it from a guy who practiced wing chun for seven years (and taught for many of them): This provides what wing chun promises and more, with NONE of the technique, only pure adaptability and attribute development. See skywalkr2000's insightful response regarding how "technical" lethal violence is.

[building7911]

so ur saying that blind flailing is more effective than concentration and technique? this looks something like wing chun style blocking but much less technical, and this looks nothing like catch wrestling (native american martial arts hmph!)

[skywalkr2000]

Full adrenaline/all out fights have nothing to do with concentration and technique. Are you gonna "wing chun" someone who wants to hurt your daughter? No, your gonna go completely buck wild and hold nothing back. Remember what Bruce Lee said "a punch is just a punch and a kick is just a kick" the point is: who cares what it looks like as long as the job gets done. The best way to do that is to be reactive, sensitive and balanced while hitting in an unmerciful frenzy.

[awakenedstream]

im pretty sure being accurate and aligning your body to connect with power would have to factor in there too. if you spend all your time flailing, you arent training yourself to actually hit. i can see some validity in what you say, but if this video reflects the bulk of the training, this ma is crap.

[skywalkr2000]

You definitly don't know what you are watching. I understand though because it's difficult to get a read on whats going on in the video without ever feeling it first hand. Come to a class, feel for yourself then call it crap if you want. But don't be suprised if you get served cause many of the fighters here are world class and can hit like nobodys business.

[benbryant]

Are you seriously advocating rolling towards a standing opponent and kicking their legs rather than standing up?

[mattkovsky]

Absolutely not. That is a strategy if you involuntarily wind up on the ground. Read the threads on the other clips and you'll see.

[23bibis]

very good

[looklikebuddha]

you only understand the true power when you feel it.

[j0e14]

all you have to learn is an effective stiff jab and a heavy right straight. more than 50% of all standing fights end with a straight right, (usually led by a jab first)

and all ground based martial arts are useless too.

opponents friends will beat you to death

hit and run

[building7911]

and if he doesnt have friends you are free to break his arm without interfearence and if he does and u try and strike u can get hit from 2 directions at once! sounds fun

[jefjays]

NICE!!!

[UniversalStandards]

Impressive!

[mattkovsky]

Yes there are some similarities to Systema, especially the looseness principle. There are many differences tho with regard to sensitivity and dropping energy (more akin to push hands and cold power in tai chi). John Perkins touched hands with Vladimir at a NY seminar and confirmed they are quite different.

[o0UniqueJay0o]

I dont think this would work well against a fast heavy-handed boxer who would throw feints, but then again this "contact flow" might work well against these wild street fighters

[arikandel2002]

Again, Contact Flow is merely an exercise to enhance combative attributes such as subconscious adaptability, balance, looseness, body unity and sensitivity. You do not "use" contact flow if you are attacked. However, the attributes developed through contact flow practice allow you to act and react effectively with whatever is necessary.

[arikandel2002]

Oh, and at least two of trainees in the video are (or at least were) fast, heavy-handed boxers. Others are top-level grapplers, bouncers, martial artists, soldiers and law enforcement officers. Quite a group.

[hksargovernmentsucks]

i think it is similar to Wing Chun

[alphaj9]

Ok my question is then how do you train techniques? Is this free form just a smaller part of a larger training session?

[mattkovsky]

Yes. There are many drills to enhance Balance, Looseness, Body Unity, Sensitivity and Adaptivity and apply them to WWII CQC striking. The best explanation to an observer is that it's a mix of CQC and tai chi, but not really.

[alphaj9]

Isn't that pretty much like not having any training at all. Attacking however you can in random ways with no real guidance to what you are trying to do or a game plan.

[mattkovsky]

Not even close. Think of an elite jazz musician. In order to do amazing solos and improvs he has to let go of any pre-planned patterns and flow with the energy and emotion of the music. Practicing nothing but fixed scales and memorized melodies leads to utter failure as an innovative and creative performing artist. It's no different with the chaos of a real fight. You have to practice adaptation to become adaptive. This is why we train principles of motion and not choreographed techniques.

[bajovato]

great analogy. I can see that for I myself am a Jazz musician.