A good example of a man with a plan making a lifetime of training useless:
Martial arts are good training, but they are also conditioning. Do Karate for points, or Judo competitions, and you will, without thinking, grow used to fighting without expecting an eye-gouge like this or a pencil jammed into your ribs to puncture your heart as you grapple on the ground.
Oddly enough, if this account is right, the Green Beret didn’t expect it to go that way either:
The intent on the straight finger to the eye was to freeze his base, and try to get him to pull his head back, which is what usually happens. In this case, he didn’t pull his head back because he had already fully committed to his movement.
I felt squishy material on my finger, and realized my finger was buried in his eye socket (where the infratrochlear nerve is) and based on the sound, and his reaction, I thought his eye popped out.
Also, what you couldn’t see in the video is that he was on the ground for an hour, unable to get up. They finally decided to take him to a hospital.
Part of what helped him stay calm was his ability to keep his left hand in good position to control his opponent’s hands. His opponent, meanwhile was expecting a strike, which I think made the slow moving open hand, that moved in slowly, almost as if about to gently rub his forehead, seem harmless. As a result his amygdala, trained to respond to quick fast blows didn’t flag it as being as important as it was. Had it come in quicker, he might have tried to block or avoid it.
There is a big difference between what most training trains you for, and what happens in an environment where anything can happen. I remember a guy I trained with when I was younger who briefly trained in a club in Arizona where they did eye gouges, broke fingers, and allowed groin strikes. It took him a while to adjust.
All food for thought as the Apocalypse closes in.
Spread r/K Theory, because you have to watch out for the guys who will do anything to win
[…] Green Beret Vs Peruvian Special Forces […]
All h2h training appears to me to suffer from one of two problems: either it’s unrealistic & habituates gaming or it’s so realistic that you run a serious risk of crippling injury (which renders you ineffective later when you need all you’ve got.) I don’t see any 3rd way.
Go back to YouTube and watch it at 0.25 speed.
0:32 Circling, eyes locked.
0:33 Mr. Peru thought he’d get the jump on the GI with a quick set of hands since there was no starting bell. Oddly Peru brings his hands up half-committedly, I’m not sure if this was intended to be a strike or just him trying to get his guard up, but it was enough movement to get the GI to bring his hands up in response. He gets maybe 6 frames of movement before GI has his hands from hanging to in position, higher than Peru. Watch USA’s left leg sink into the ground, already shifting his weight forward, as his right knee comes up defensively. Both of them are committed at this point, both have their weight forward, back left legs extended pushing off, but the GI is in much better position. His left hand is already slightly extended, bringing up a guard. His right hand is retracted, preparing for a snake-like finger strike to the face. Peru has his hands dropped, right in front of his belly, coming upwards, perhaps to strike but quickly turning into an attempt to deflect the snake strike.
0: 34 That snake strike was 3, maybe 4 frames. Lightening fast, and spot on. Peru’s hands flail trying to get USA off of him, and his right hand comes up defensively to his face. Meanwhile GI is shifting his weight off his front right foot from the strike back to a balanced and relaxed stance, recognizing that his opponent is reeling. His body relaxes, hands drop, but his eyes never move.
Good shit. Good post.
Wow, this is why I would try to avoid hand to hand if at all possible. Ever seen drug-addicted homeless or turned down a panhandler? Those guys will eye gouge and bite. They are likely covered in filth (their own feces) and probably stuff like MRSA or TB. Most people could become like that after a few weeks without food. Pack heat and always wear your safety glasses. If you’re in the biohazard lab of life were homeless, liberal, zombies are flinging STD covered poo/piss bombs before they try to bite, you are going to need eye protection. Expect the unexpected.
Thank you for this post. Forwarded it to my college-age kids for instructional purposes. If you have any more like this in the AnonCon vault, keep ’em comin’.