Followup comments to Archone's articles on Weapons training

BACKGROUND

Ages ago, I've archived to my old site, 2 articles by Archone. Found out a little earlier this year that my old archives is down :(. I've mirrored his articles to my new site (well, now old) here:

• Archone's solo weapons training article
• Archone's Updated Weapons Drills

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UPDATE

Konassin reposted the first article to the Spladdle Forum. Posted below are follow ups to Archone's article by Xen Nova and me.

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Xen Nova
08-12-2014, 04:35 PM


holy sh!t i remember this.

I think there is a lot of merit in what he wrote. My 20/20 hindsight after having had some weapons training is that it is better to seek out a high level instructor and get as much training under your belt as possible before you begin training on your own. Unless you're very adept at understanding how the body moves and reacts against and opponent already (previous martial art experience or wrestling, or boxing) then you leave yourself at a severe disadvantage. It is unfortunate that his method is woefully lacking in footwork, but if you have some sort of basis to move your feet then this is a fantastic learning method. After so many repetitions you will be familiar with however your chosen implement moves and feels that you will develop an intimate relationship with using it.

IMO it could be enhanced by a few things

- Actually hitting something of substance! Heavy bag, tree, swinging tire. If you don't know how it feels to have the tool/weapon reverberate in your hands and swing backwards at you then you will be in for quite a shock. Quite imparticularly with weapons like nunchaku that will swing back towards you after striking something.

- sparring so you understand that...even with a stick...you may have to grapple with it...



I understand this is the hardest to come by considering we're talking about solo practice but it is probably the most vital experience to have at least a few times. Even CQB with firearms become difficult within 15feet and most people who want to attack you aren't going to be screaming beserkers from 15 yards away. Which leads to my next point...

- drawing your weapon is an even more important skill to practice. If you can't even get your weapon out all the skill in the world at using it will become pointless.

- Archone's knocking things to the ground system works well but I've found a hanging tennis ball (add some weight to it for speed, I just used 3/8" BB's) to be ideal. You don't have to smack it around, you can develop power on other things (tire/tree/heavy bag) but this is where precision comes into play. a good accurate "9" on his system can double as a strike and a feint. If you can tap the tennis ball and quickly move to a "2" or a "3" then you're developing skills that are very applicable to a real combat situation and you're developing fluid speed in your strikes.

- which leads us to hitting in bunches. After you've developed some familiarity, don't just practice "1" 100 times, practice "9"-"4"-"5"-"2"-"9". Just like in boxing your coach might have you following him around the ring jabbing and then he touches your lead glove and you fire 2-3-2-double jab. the ability to control the distance (footwork) and open your opponent (jabs & feints) leads to the ability to overwhelm your opponent quickly yet still keep him away (jabs) is often what ends engagements. You can't just depend on your one blow. Training just one kick. one punch. You MUST train your strikes in bunches. Learn to open up on someone.

As Mike Tyson said,

Mike Tyson: I'm gonna go in there and jab to the head, then jab to the body, then I'm gonna move after I hit, and punch to the body...
Interviewer: what are you going to do when you get inside
Mike Tyson: ... open up like a son of b!tch.

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Stickgrappler
08-13-2014, 01:43 PM


Master Xen had a great point about hitting in bunches/combinations - instead of drilling just one strike a gazillion times, train various strikes strung together to develop your own combinations.

However, I feel as a noob, it's good to drill just one strike/angle for X amount of times for X amount of time - develops looseness and lessens the resistance of muscles to the motion so you have a relaxed flowing strike instead of muscling through the strike. Relaxation in both mind and body will enable to one to strike faster/think clearer - believe it or not. Most people tense up (sadly including me).

At some point in time though, you have the muscle memory and the looseness of the strike, that is the time to start working on hitting in bunches.

I end with 2 related quotes:

"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times."
~ Bruce Lee

"One becomes a beginner after one thousand days of training and an expert after ten thousand days of practice."
~Mas Oyama

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Xen Nova
08-12-2014, 04:35 PM

I agree with both of your posts.

- Footwork is probably a whole other topic. That said it is why I really do like the filipino systems. They integrate everything so well.

- Not just for the newbie but even for the most advanced practitioner empty air strikes and single repetitions are invaluable. At some point you must bridge the gap between fighting imaginary opponents and striking something real, but even the most experienced fighter will still shadow box and practice one technique repetitively. Something I overlooked before but my old thaiboxing coach would hold pads for me and occasionally move the pads during a combo to simulate missing. You're not ALWAYS going to land every strike and if you're out of position or over committing then you are exposing yourself to counter attacks. It's necessary to learn how to miss properly as well.

- relaxation is such a key component in all sport/athletic movements. I've found the less I "try" to hit and just "let" myself hit the harder I actually strike. IIRC in internal martial arts it's called fa-jing or something similar. Allowing your natural mechanics/kinetic linking to develop the power not trying to over muscle things. I was teaching a lanky kid to use his jab a few weeks ago and it was the most difficult thing to get him to understand that he didn't have to push his jab to hurt someone with it, just flick from the hip. I've found a lot more value in internal MA practices because of the relaxation while 'tense' for example in zhan zhuang / qi gong standing exercises. There is a blog you may enjoy stick, by an weightlifter and zen practitioner http://www.theironsamurai.com/ . I actually was having a hard time getting my power clean up and by reading some of his work and changing my mindset about the lift itself I was able to overcome my previous personal best. He encouraged fluidity and beauty in the movement, to be loose, relaxed in mind, and body. Turns out the less I hyped myself up and tried to yank the weight up to the sky and instead just let the technique do the work the more I could lift.

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To Xen's comment: "Even CQB with firearms become difficult within 15feet and most people who want to attack you aren't going to be screaming beserkers from 15 yards away. "

I mentioned that I posted the following video which examined that situation:

• Surviving Edged Weapons (full video)

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Please check out these other posts by Xen Nova which I've archived:

• MENTAL EDGE: Mental Training by Xen Nova
• TRAINING: Shadowboxing Tips - part 2 by Xen Nova
• TRAINING: Shadowboxing Tips - part 4 by Xen Nova

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Some notes on Deception by RPP Part 4

Today's entry is the last in RPP's Notes on Deception which he posted to Spladdle Forum.

If you missed the previous parts of the series, please read:

• Some notes on Deception by RPP Part 1
• Some notes on Deception by RPP Part 2 
• Some notes on Deception by RPP Part 3

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Notes from Chapter 23 of Robert Greene's 33 Strategies of War







Chapter 23 - Weave a seamless blend of fact and fiction: Misperception strategies

Since no creature can survive without the ability to see or sense what is going on around it, you must make it hard for your enemies to know what is going on around them, including what you are doing. Disturb their focus and you weaken their strategic powers. People's perceptions are filtered through their emotions; they tend to interpret the world according to what they want to see. Feed their expectations, manufacture a reality to match their desires, and they will fool themselves. The best deceptions are based on ambiguity, mixing fact and fiction so that the one cannot be disentangled from the other. Control people's perceptions of reality and you control them.

Military deception is about subtly manipulating and distorting signs of our identity and purpose to control the enemy's vision of reality and get them to act on their misperceptions.

• It is the art of managing appearances.

Since appearances are critical and deception is inevitable, what you want is to elevate your game - to make your deceptions more conscious and skillful.

To master this art, you must embrace its necessity and find creative pleasure in manipulating appearances -- as if you were directing a film. The following are the six main forms of military deception, each with its own advantage.

(1) The False Front

Oldest form of deception.

• Originally involved making the enemy believe that one was weaker than in fact was the case.

The appearance of weakness often brings out people's aggressive side, making them drop strategy and prudence for an emotional and violent attack.

Controlling the front you present to the world is the most critical deceptive skill. People respond most directly to what they see, to what is most visible to their eyes.

• You need to present a front that disarms suspicions.

That best front is weakness, which will make the other side feel superior to you, so that they either ignore you (and being ignored is very valuable at times) or are baited into an aggressive action at the wrong moment.

• Once it is too late, once they are committed, they can find out the hard way that you are not so weak after all.

Making people think they are better than you are -- smarter, stronger, more competent -- is often wise.

• It gives you breathing space to lay your plans, to manipulate.

(2) The Decoy Attack

This ruse began as a solution to the following problem.

If the enemy knew you were going to attack point A, they would put all their defenses there and make your job too difficult. But to deceive them on that score was not easy: even if before battle you were able to disguise your intentions and fool them out of concentrating their forces at point A, the minute they actually saw your army headed there, they would rush to its defense. The only answer was to march your army toward point B or, better, to send part of your army in that direction while holding troops in reserve for your real objective. The enemy would have to move some or all of its army to defend point B. Do the same with points C and D and the enemy would have to disperse all over the map.

The key to this tactic is that instead of relying on words or rumours or planted information, the army really moves.

• It makes a concrete action.
• The enemy cannot afford to guess whether a deception is in the works: if they guess wrong, the consequences are disastrous.

The decoy attack keeps the enemy dispersed and ignorant of your intentions.

To keep people from defending the points you want to attack, follow the military model and make real gestures towards a goal that does not interest you.

You must seem to be investing time and energy to attack that point, as opposed to simply trying to signal the intention with words. Actions carry such weight and seem so real that people will naturally assume that is your real goal.

(3) Camouflage

The ability to blend into the environment is one of the most terrifying forms of military deception.

Preventing your enemies from seeing you until it is too late is a devastating way to control their perceptions.

There are two applications of the camouflage strategy:

(1) Blend into the social landscape. Avoid calling attention to yourself unless you choose to do so. When you talk and act like everyone else, mimicking their belief systems, when you blend into the crowd, you make it impossible for people to read anything particular in your behaviour (Appearances are all that count here -- dress and talk like a businessman and you be must be a businessman).

(2) If you are preparing an attack of some sort and begin by blending into the environment, showing no sign of activity, your attack will seem to come out of nowhere, doubling its power.

(4) The Hypnotic Pattern

Machiavelli's view of people: human beings naturally tend to think in terms of patterns. They see events conforming to their expectations by fitting into a pattern or scheme. They believe the chaos of life is predictable.

Machiavelli's "acclimatization": deliberately creating some pattern to make your enemies believe that your next action will follow true to form.

• Having lulled them into complacency, you now have room to work against their expectations, break the pattern, and take them by surprise.

Once people feel you have deceived them, they will expect you to mislead them again, but they usually think you'll try something different next time. No one, they will tell themselves, is so stupid as to repeat the exact same trick on the same person.

• That, of course, is just when to repeat it, following the principle of always working against your enemy's expectations.

Poe's "Purloined Letter": hide something in the most obvious place, because that is where no one will look.

(5) Planted Information

People are much more likely to believe something they see with their own eyes than something they are told. They are more likely to believe something they discover than something pushed at them.

If you plant the false information you desire them to have -- with third parties, in neutral territory -- when they pick up the clues, they have the impression they are the ones discovering the truth.

No matter how good a liar you are, when you deceive, it is hard to be completely natural. Your tendency is to try so hard to seem natural and sincere that it stands out and can be read.

• This is why it is so effective to spread your deceptions through people whom you keep ignorant of the truth -- people who believe the lie themselves.
• When working with double agents of this kind, it is always wise to initially feed them some true information -- this will establish the credibility of the intelligence they pass along.

(6) Shadows Within Shadows

Deceptive maneuvers are like shadows deliberately cast: the enemy responds to them as if they were solid and real, which in and of itself is a mistake.

• In a sophisticated, competitive world, however, both sides know the game, and the alert enemy will not necessarily grasp at the shadow you have thrown.

So you have to take the art of deception to a level higher, casting shadows within shadows, making it impossible for your enemies to distinguish between fact and fiction.

Make everything so ambiguous and uncertain, spread so much fog, that even if you are suspected of deceit, it does not matter -- the truth cannot be unraveled from the lies, and all their suspicions gives them is torment.

• As they strain to figure out what you are up to, they waste valuable time and resources.

If you are trying to mislead your enemies, it is often better to concoct something ambiguous and hard to read, as opposed to an outright deception -- that deception can be uncovered and enemies can turn their discovery to their advantage, especially if you think they are still fooled and act under that belief. You are the one doubly deceived. By creating something that is simply ambiguous, though, by making everything blurry, there is no deception to uncover.


Chapter 23 -- Reversal

To be caught in deception is dangerous.

• If you don't know that your cover is blown, your enemies have more information than you do and you become their tool.
• If the discovery of your deceit is public, on the other hand, your reputation takes a blow, or worse.

You must use deception with utmost caution, then, employing the least amount of people, to avoid the inevitable leaks.

You should always leave yourself an escape route, a cover story to protect you should be exposed.

Be careful not to fall in love with the power that deception brings; the use of it must always be subordinate to your overall strategy and kept under control.

If you become known as a deceiver, try being straightforward and honest for a change. It will confuse people and your honesty will be a higher form of deception.




This was the final installment in the series of RPP's Notes on Deception.  Deepest gratitude to RPP. Hope it helps you in your Sojourn of Septillion Steps!

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Some notes on Deception by RPP Part 3

Continuing from yesterday's entry of RPP's Notes from Deception in War by Jon Latimer, here is Part 3, which he posted to Spladdle Forum.

If you missed the previous parts of the series, please read:

• Some notes on Deception by RPP Part 1
• Some notes on Deception by RPP Part 2

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Notes from H. John Poole's Phantom Soldier: The Enemy's Answer to US Firepower


H. John Poole's Strategies for Deception List (from the appendix of Phantom Soldier). I'll flesh these out with more notes when I get time, as some of them sound cryptic.


Stratagems when in a superior position

1. Openly cross an open area
2. Seize something valuable the enemy has left unguarded
3. Use the enemy against himself
4. Make the enemy come to you
5. Capitalize on a natural disaster
6. Pretend to attack from one side and attack from another

Stratagems for Confrontation

1. Make Something out of nothing
2. Attack from one side and switch to another
3. Give Murphy's law time to work on the enemy
4. Mask a sinister intention with a good impression
5. Sacrifice minor concerns for the sake of the overall mission
6. Seize the chance to increase the odds

Stratagems for Attack

1. Make a feint to discover the foe's intentions
2. Steal the enemy's source of his strength
3. Draw the enemy away from his refuge
4. Give a retreating adversary room
5. Discover a foe's intentions by offering him something of value
6. Damage the enemy's method of control

Stratagems for Confused Situations

1. Erode the enemy's source of strength
2. Create chaos to make an opponent easier to beat
3. Leave behind a small force to slow and deceive pursuers
4. Encircle the foe but let him think he has a way out
5. Concentrate on the nearest opposition
6. Borrow from the enemy the instrument of his own destruction

Stratagems for Gaining Ground

1. Attack the enemy's habits to undermine his foundation
2. Make an example of someone to deter the enemy
3. Feign lack of military ability
4. Lure the foe into poor terrain and cut off his escape route
5. Mislead the enemy with false information
6. Secretly occupy an enemy-controlled area

Stratagems for Desperate Situations

1. Lull the enemy to sleep with something beautiful
2. Reveal a weakness to cause the enemy to suspect a trap
3. Attack the enemy's cohesion from within
4. Feign injury to yourself
5. Combine stratagems
6. Refuse to fight

The third installment tomorrow. HTH!

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Some notes on Deception by RPP Part 2

Following up on yesterday's entry of RPP's notes on Deception from Silent Warfare by Shulsky and Schmitt, here is Part 2, which he posted to Spladdle Forum. If you missed Part 1 of the series, please read Some notes on Deception by RPP Part 1.

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Notes from Deception in War by Jon Latimer

Quote:

"Surprise is a principle of war … It should primarily be directed at the mind of an enemy commander rather than at his force. The aim should be to paralyse the commander’s will." ~From Design for Military Operations: The British Military Doctrine

Surprise is the great ‘force multiplier’ – it makes one stronger than is physically the case.

• The most important factor contributing to the achievement of surprise is deception.

It might be argued that security is an even more important concern, but in battle it is not sufficient for a commander to avoid error; he needs actively to cause his enemy to make mistakes through deception.

To be successful in the art of deception a deceiver needs to know and understand the mind of the enemy commander.

Quote:

"Rashness, excessive audacity, blind impetuosity, or foolish ambition are all easily exploited by the enemy and most dangerous to any allies, for a general with such defects in his character will naturally fall victim to all kinds of stratagems, ambushes and trickery." ~Polybius in The Rise of the Roman Empire

The place of self-deception in this process is an important one. Our perceptions develop through the process of learning, but are overlain by a sociological and cultural baggage that correlates to our prejudices.

• We view our experiences through these mental templates, and whatever does not fit our prejudices tends to be overlooked or discarded.
• All deception in war should be based on what the enemy himself not only believes, but hopes for.

Skilfully conveyed false information on an information-flooded battlefield often has great influence on the mind of an enemy and the course of operations.

Since military organizations look through doctrinal and physical templates as well as the mental templates of its individual members, it is this that provides the basis for deception. The information an enemy requires to make decisions can be manipulated, if one understands the templates he is using.

A reputation for being crafty and deceptive will enhance the anxiety and uncertainty of one’s opponent.

War is not a gentlemanly pursuit but often a matter of survival requiring ruthless measures in its pursuit.

• It is often times of weakness that commanders first think of deception as a means of evening the odds.
• In the West, deception is seen as immoral and counters military honour.

The most effective deceivers display unorthodoxy of thought that is usually little appreciated in a peacetime army.

• Successful deception is an art not a science.
• Many of the best practitioners have had backgrounds in both the visual and the performing arts.

The art of deception is most successful when applied patiently, with proven techniques guided by solid principles.

The Intelligence Process

A general who knows his opponent’s intentions has an advantage. Knowledge of the enemy’s intelligence capabilities and weaknesses will facilitate feeding him false information and help ensure that he accepts it.

If the enemy has a predilection for particular sources of information, deception planning can be tailored accordingly.

It is important to distinguish between information and intelligence.

• Information is fact.
• Intelligence is the significance of the fact after it has been processed.

The business of collecting information about the enemy is reconnaissance.

• Surveillance, a part of recon, is the systematic observation of selected areas.

The specific purpose of military intelligence is to forecast what the enemy will do, where and when he will do it, how and in what strength. To be of any use, this must be disseminated to decision makers as quickly as possible.

• Always bear in mind that there is a distinct and important difference between an enemy’s capabilities (which are relatively easy to define) and his intentions (which seldom are).

Quote:

"If there are three courses of action open to the enemy, he invariably chooses the fourth." ~Helmuth Graf von Moltke

Prediction inherently involves a measure of informed guesswork, and as a result some commanders have felt their guesses to be as good as their staff.

• A commanders snubbing of intelligence staff can be useful to deceivers

Quote:

"A great part of information obtained in war is contradictory, a still greater part is false, and by far the greatest part is of doubtful character." ~Clausewitz

Things which inhibit accurate intelligence assessment include:

1. Contradictory indicators
2. Missing data
3. Fast moving events
4. Time lags between data collection and analysis
5. Pure chance

The aim of the intelligence officer is to watch the picture take form and predict what it will become.

In attempting to create a misleading image the deceiver is not trying to fool the opposing intelligence officer so much as the opposing commander, a process that requires an understanding of both the opponent’s intelligence processes and the enemy commander’s attitude towards it.

The intelligence process takes the form of a simple cycle.

1. Direction: The commander must tell his staff what he needs to know so that they can allocate resources to collect information.
2. Collection: Information comes in from sources and collection methods.
3. Process: Information then processed into intelligence.
4. Dissemination: Intelligence disseminated to those who need it. By constantly re-evaluating what is known by what is not, the cycle then continues.

From a deceiver’s point of view, the critical phases of enemy’s intelligence cycle are the collection and processing phases.

It is directed towards the enemy’s sources and agencies that false information must be directed, and a knowledge of what he is looking for during processing will assist in sending the ‘correct’ wrong information, since it is by reading ‘signatures’ of operation that intelligence staffs make predictions.

Each army has its own characteristics, which must be carefully studied, and knowledge of one’s own characteristics immediately opens up deceptive possibilities for the display of false ones.

Sources and Agencies involved in the process

An intelligence source is anyone or anything from which information can be obtained.

An intelligence agency is any organization or individual dealing in the collection of information for intelligence use.

Sources of intelligence throughout history include:

1. HUMINT: Spies, prisoners, locals and other people. Captured enemy documents and prisoners of war. Although the reliability of both is very questionable: documents can easily be plated and prisoners are not always trustworthy.
2. Reconnaissance: By foot, horseback or armour.
3. SIGINT: radio intercepts, electronic warfare
4. IMINT: Aerial photography, imagery analysis

Security

Security is as fundamental a principle of war as intelligence.

• Detailed knowledge of enemy’s reconnaissance and intelligence capabilities are vital if one’s secrets are to be preserved.

Field or operational security involves the concealment of one’s own strengths and intentions from the enemy.

For the purposes of both security and deception Napoleon was in the habit of continually altering the composition of his major formations.

The larger a proposed operation, the more difficult that concealment becomes.

• Operational security is most effective when applied systematically; it must be directed from the highest level and must concentrate on critical activities, identifying what indicators an enemy will look for and what information these might convey to the enemy.
• It must also take account of the enemy’s reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition capabilities; so that measures can be designed to neutralize these. There is no form of camouflage more effective than putting out the enemy’s eyes.
• Assessments must be made before and during an operation and continuously revised, since any protection measures taken must appear a normal part of activity: routines can thus both aid security and provide a basis for deception.
• The plan must be capable of change at a short notice.

The very identity of a general must be subject to security, and deception can aid this.

• A general’s personal routine can be an indicator of forthcoming operations.

Counter-Surveillance

Before offensive deception measures can be planned, friendly surveillance effort must be directed towards establishing the type and density of the enemy’s sources and towards looking for weak spots.

• As an aid to security and an integral part of the information battle, counter-surveillance, involving all those active and passive measures taken to prevent hostile surveillance of a force or area, forms the first category or level of deception.

An enemy deprived of all intelligence or faced with ambiguous information may react unpredictably, and his actions may not necessarily be exploitable. Nevertheless, denial of genuine information is always an important objective and confusion may in some cases be a useful method of supporting deception by undermining the enemy’s intelligence effort.

Active counter-surveillance measures include attacking enemy reconnaissance forces and passive ones.

• The priorities for defensive deception measures should be related to the enemy’s reconnaissance priorities and capabilities, underlining again the need to understand as far as possible the enemy’s intelligence cycle.

Camouflage is a key element of counter-surveillance.

• Deception, not concealment, is the object of camouflage.

The penultimate installment tomorrow. HTH!

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Some notes on Deception by RPP Part 1

My friend RPP took some notes on Deception which he posted to the Spladdle Forum. Today's entry is the first of four in this series. Deepest thanks to RPP for taking the time to type this up and share.

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I'm somewhat obsessed with deception. So, I'm gonna post various notes on Deception I've gathered over the last few years here (originally I had them on a now defunct blog, but they'd probably serve more of a purpose here). Hopefully the concepts will be useful for others.




Notes from Silent Warfare by Shulsky and Schmitt pages 116-126


Deception is the attempt to mislead an adversary’s intelligence analysis concerning the political, military, or economic situation he faces, with the result that, having formed a false picture of the situation, he is led to act in a way that advances one’s interests rather than his own.

• Considered a form of counterintelligence
• Deception and intelligence failure are related concepts.

• One side’s successful deception implies the other side’s intelligence failure.
• Deception can be applied in war or peace.

• It is more often applied in wartime.
• Deception ranges from tactical to strategic.

Peacetime deception operations are not common, tend to be less well known, and are sometimes harder to identify as such.

The content of the deception – the false view one wishes one’s adversary to adopt – obviously depends on the situation and on how one wishes one’s adversary to react.

Situations

(1) Situation: Wartime

• Deception: Launch a surprise attack and convince adversary no attack is coming
• Deception: Launch an attack with enemy knowing attack is coming by convincing adversary attack is coming at a time, in a place, or in a manner other than what is actually planned.

(2) Situation: Peacetime

• Deception: Convince adversary that one is stronger than one really is
• Deception: Conceal one’s actual military strength to lull one’s adversary into complacency and failure to increase his own military forces.

Blocking true signals and manufacturing false ones

If we visualize the intelligence process as the reception and interpretation of signals emitted by the activities of the side under observation, then implementing a deception operation involves blocking, to the extent possible, the true signals (those that reflect actual activities) and substituting misleading ones.

The first half of the task is the problem of security.

• If too many true signals get through, the adversary is unlikely to be deceived, although he may be so confused by the mixture of true and false signals that he cannot form a coherent picture of the actual situation.
• The first prerequisite of successful deception is the ability to block most, if not all, of the channels by which the adversary collects intelligence information about one’s activities.
• This is easier to do in war than peace.

Blocking intelligence-gathering channels requires:

• A comprehensive knowledge of the intelligence channels by which the adversary receives signals.
• A good counterespionage capability, as one well-placed human source could reveal the actual situation or deception plan.
• Know the adversary’s technical intelligence-collection capabilities in order to thwart them.

The second half of the task is manufacturing false signals

• Planned with the adversary’s human and technical intelligence-collection capabilities in mind.

Feedback

In conducting a deception operation, one faces major uncertainties:

• Were all the real signals blocked?
• Did the manufactured signals reach the adversary?
• Did he draw the desired conclusions from them?

To answer the questions, successful deception employs some method of finding out how the adversary is assessing the situation.

• If he is not alert enough to have noticed the false signals, or if he has not interpreted them as the deceiver wished him to, more can be manufactured to get his attention and lead him to the desired interpretation.
• If he begins to sense anomalies in the (false) picture of the situation the deceiver has planted in his mind, new signals can be created to explain them away.
• If enough true signals have reached the adversary to enable him to understand the situation correctly, one may wish to abandon the deception and change plans.

Feedback can be obtained in many forms:

• In some cases (such as wartime deception, or deception in support of surprise attack), the adversary’s actions (or lack of them) may be sufficient indication of whether he has been deceived.
• In other cases, adequate feedback may require good intelligence about the other side’s views of the situation

The more long-term and strategic the deception, the more important good intelligence feedback becomes.

• The deceived party’s responses to such deception take longer to become manifest: thus, one needs some other way of knowing whether the bait has been taken.

Peacetime deception requires better intelligence feedback than wartime.

• In wartime adversary is more likely to act quickly based on his understanding of the situation, during peacetime the adversary is under less pressure to act quickly
• This is why deception is rarer in peacetime than in war.
• The adversary in wartime is also more likely to be deceived because he is under pressure to act quickly and has less time to analyse the situation.

Deception and Self-Deception

The false view must be plausible to the adversary

• Success is more likely if the deception scenario is based on what the adversary thinks is the case anyway.

Counterdeception

Experience shows that defeating every attempt an adversary might make at deception is very difficult.

• There is a strong psychological resistance to the idea that one is being deceived.

Understanding deception is the first step toward figuring out how to avoid being deceived; by understanding the factors that facilitate deception, one can at least be alert to the possibility of deception and recognize some warning signs.

One is particularly vulnerable to deception when one is dependent on a small number of channels of information and when the adversary is aware, at least in general terms, of the nature of these channels and their mode of operation.

• When one understands the risk of being deceived that comes from heavy reliance on a single known channel, one can decide what to do about it. The best corrective is to maximise what might be called “unexpected collection,” such as collecting information at times and places when the adversary doesn’t anticipate it.

Part 2 tomorrow. HTH!

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LEARNING: Effective Learning Strategies

My friend RPP posted to the Spladdle Forum a paper he came across on how effective various learning strategies were including the old stand-bys:  highlighting and summarization.

You may be surprised which learning strategies ranked High and which ranked Low. Irrespective of how your favorite learning strategy ranked, if it works for you, keep doing it! However, check out the Study, perhaps you may improve your learning using one of the strategies which ranked High.

Found this article on Reddit:

http://bigthink.com/neurobonkers/

Based on the following paper: Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques: Promising Directions From Cognitive and Educational Psychology.

It has a list of effective learning strategies ranked.

Techniques ranked High

• Practice testing
• Distributed practice

Techniques ranked Moderate

• Elaborative interrogation
• Self-explanation
• Interleaved Practice

Techniques ranked Low

• Summarization
• Highlighting
• Mnemonics
• Imagery use for text learning
• Rereading

Thank you RPP. Hope this helps your Learning on your Sojourn of Septillion Steps!

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BOXING: Joe Silvia - Keep your hands up!

Excerpted from http://www.spladdle.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5981:

Ausgepicht posted:

After you throw the right hand, don't be lazy...

...bringing it back. If you are a Pro and haven't learned this basic, you should be ASHAMED.

 

Another example of being lazy-dropping your other hand while punching:

 

Another basic that you should have mastered BEFORE you have become a Pro.

Stickgrappler's Note:  Not my GIF's. My thanks to the unknown GIF makers.

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BOXING: Why punches in bunches and not singles?

Excerpted from http://www.spladdle.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5984:

Why punches in bunches and not singles?

Ausgepicht posted:

Another fundamental that you should have down.

Here's why:

 

 

 

NOTE:  Not my GIF's. My thanks to the unknown GIF makers.

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BOXING: Slipping punches? Part 2 by Leon

Excerpted from http://www.spladdle.com/forum/showthread.php?t=638:

Slipping punches? Part 2 

By Leon

D.E.B.:

Sweet Science 101 for this skill starts with the double end bag [d.e.b.]. Your bag set up must be set up so that the bag isn't too fast. Different tightness for different stages in athleticism is the idea.

Jab the d.e.b. standing profile, but out of the pocket or crease, foot placement wise...think of the d.e.b as the right hand of someone holding the pads, also think of your left foot forward as being right in front of imaginary opponents lead foot [the secret to the d.e.b. is hitting it so it comes back in a straight line]. When it comes back slip to the left [simulates slipping a right hand], slip to the right [simulates slipping a jab], then slip left again and start over but now start on the right so its like: jab, slip right, left, right...instead of jab, slip left, right, left. Do sets of the aforementioned 3 slips for every jab. Its a good idea to be closer to the bag then normal for this drill.

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BOXING: Slipping punches? Part 1 by Joe Silvia

Excerpted from http://www.spladdle.com/forum/showthread.php?t=638:

Slipping punches? Part 1 

By Joe Silvia

“Anyone have any good drills for slipping?”

Slips are used against straight Punches (jabs and crosses) and work best at a longer range/distance because they rely on your visual acuity. Remember, footwork and fighting measure are fundamental.

1. Solo Dry Run - Shadowbox, preferably near a mirror to develop proper fundamentals. Add a clothesline and continue refining.

2. Partner Dry Run - Isolate the Jab. Isolate the cross. Work approx. 25 reps each.

3. Boil the Frog - Isolate the Jab. Have partner jab you with light intensity. Work slipping outside, then inside. Do rounds. 2 or 3 minute rounds. 3, 4, 5? As many as it takes until you FEEL you are getting it. Add moderate intensity. Rinse and repeat rounds. Add heavy intensity. Rinse and repeat rounds. Add the cross and start everything from the beginning.

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BOXING: Peck & Shoot: The Jab by Leon

Excerpted from http://www.spladdle.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139 and http://www.spladdle.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1471

Peck & Shoot: The Jab

By Leon

This is almost a lost technique in the gyms of today. When I started training @ the Fall River PAL in 98' [home to Scott Pemberton, Ray Oliveira, Jason Pires] the trainer, Libby, taught this drill. Actually Pemb taught it to me. This drill basically sparring w/out being hit. A gym must for reaction training!

There are two basic elements to this two man drill. One person shoots, the other pecks or catches.


Part 1. Jab


3 minute rounds. 1st 30 seconds one person shoots and the other pecks, switch sides after 30 seconds. The pecker [no jokes!!! LOL] is the one who is getting the most benefit of the drill. HIS reaction is being trained. Shooter can focus on punch form if desired.

Guard is high and out [I like Olympic style for this drill]. When the shooter shoots, the pecker catches said jab [right hand] and fires back to the shooters right hand. The key is proper speed...start slow and get faster as reaction gets better. Also, don't get monotonous [one after another] as it will ruin the drill, so take your time.

Catching is trained w/the right hand 1st and later can catch w/the left. Careful on the peck that you don't over exceed in case of a fake. The best way to do it is push the peck hand out instead of a downward motion. I'm talking mere inches...on the low side.

Stay still and keep movement to a minimum. Bad habits come from too much movement.

From my experience this is the best and safest way to train a fighter how to be a counter puncher or just counter via parry in general.

I will post more installments [this is just the base], just wanted to start with the most basic element. Its better to see it in a video...I'll either record one or try and find one. Enjoy!

Now that the ground work has been laid, I'm going to step on the gas a little. In this installment, I'm going to elaborate on what we've already covered.


Part 2. Jab to the body.


Doing everything the same as previously mentioned in Part 1, we're going to add the jab to the body for the one who is pecking.

A major element of the intermediate and advanced stages of 'peck and shoot' call for the body being protected. You can do that through adjustments to guard style, or, if you keep your arms high you just have to be really aware of your openings.


Hitting the body wont be as easy because when one shoots, the glove is naturally a closer target. Go slow and and turn up the gas as the footwork becomes more comfortable. The basic footwork formula consists of a shuffle into the crease, firing, then moving back into position out of the crease.

a. Shooter shoots, jab is pecked, jab to body. Focus on getting back into position as fast as possible as you'll have to get into the pocket or crease for the body shot [shuffle to your left if your orthodox]. More on why later. Even if you don't shuffle and are both still try and get back up quick. The longer your down there the more danger your in [see Cotto vs.Margarito].

b. Shooter shoots, jab is pecked, jab to glove [shooters right glove], jab to body.

c. Repeat 'b', but add another jab to glove after the jab to body. Get in the pocket, get out.

The footwork I mentioned is the base. Once your totally comfortable and have controlled quickness, try different directions laterally. Try moving left on 'c' at the last punch. Also try going to the right as well. You have to be quick so you can get to his body, under the jab, before he gets his jab hand back. This is a gem for moving to the right.

Moving to the right will be easier if the shooters stance isn't perfectly profile, this goes for lateral movement to the left as well. If he's a little [or a lot] square, going to the right is easier and lets face it...many boxers fight square or get square a lot.


COMING SOON:

In parts 3 and 4 I'll go over pecking the jab and countering with the left uppercut and left hook [my favorite].





Stickgrappler's note:

This was intended to be written up as six parts by Leon. He only posted parts 1-2.

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TRAINING: Shadowboxing Tips - part 4 by Xen Nova

Excerpted from the now-defunct www.spladdle.com:

INTRODUCTION

B&S posted:

Shadow Boxing Tips

I think this is possibly the hardest thing to learn. Over a year later I still look like a drunk retarded bear in a mosh pit if I try to do it with any speed at all. Particularly when I try to throw a hook. Any help, if only for my own vanity?

• Part 1 had advice from Joe Silvia aka Ausgepicht - if you missed it, please read here.
• Part 2 with Xen Nova's tips is here.
• Part 3 was some of my thoughts and can be read here.

What follows is Xen Nova's 2nd reply.

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You know what's really great about this? We've all had different martial-journey's but have come to similar conclusions about the most basic and beneficial aspects of combat. There's a lot to learn from here, because despite minute differences we have overwhelming similarities.

Repetition, Visualization, Mental cues...etc

You can damn near write a book on this:

Shadow-fighting: Simple Execution, Unlimited Depth



Stickgrappler,

That was GREAT, you put into a better framework EVERYTHING I was trying to say. I didn't even think the visualization thing was NLP. Turns out I use that a LOT (even picking up chicks lol). A lot of terms I can use as well. Its frustrating trying to think of how to say something you inherently get, like you said, I'm not a wordsmith like Aus lol.

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TRAINING: Shadowboxing Tips - part 2 by Xen Nova

Excerpted from the now defunct www.spladdle.com:

INTRODUCTION

B&S posted:

Shadow Boxing Tips

I think this is possibly the hardest thing to learn. Over a year later I still look like a drunk retarded bear in a mosh pit if I try to do it with any speed at all. Particularly when I try to throw a hook. Any help, if only for my own vanity?

Advice from Joe Silvia aka Ausgepicht was posted yesterday - read here.

Xen Nova and I also replied with some advice. Will post mine on Friday along with Xen's 2nd reply tomorrow. Follows is Xen's 1st reply:

---

Aus is 100% correct (per usual).

Hopefully my outlook on shadowfighting can aid your struggles, because I felt the same awkwardness when I began shadowboxing.

Non FRAT Version:

• Box super slow
• Drill just specific techniques at a very casual speed till your efficiency goes up

I'll begin by telling you the one thing that improved my thaiboxing beyond any other drills, skills, and other bullsh!t. I just started shadowboxing for 45min to an hour. Completely changed everything. And then lets work on your specific difficulties. So ok lets back track...

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MMA: UFC 100 - a few animated gif's

My thanks to the original gif makers and to my friend Ausgepicht for posting the gif's to his forum Spladdle. I uploaded to my pichosts to help save on bandwidth. Enjoy!

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GEORGES ST. PIERRE VS THIAGO ALVES



GSP won by unanimous decision. Despite a groin pull, GSP throughout 5 rounds continually took Alves down and controlled him on the ground. GSP's takedowns scared off Alves' kicks.

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BROCK LESNAR VS FRANK MIR

Frank Mir's best chance in round 2 against Brock Lesnar was this exchange.



This was Round 2 of Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir. Round 1 was almost the whole round of Brock ground and pound similar to the round 2 G&P.

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DAN HENDERSON VS MICHAEL BISPING

Henderson and Bisping fought because they were the coaches of The Ultimate Fighter season 9.

Bisping, known as a stand-up fighter only, tries to take world-class wrestler Henderson down.



The KO that put Bisping to sleep.



Here's a bigger pic of the flying elbow/forearm after the KO.



Bisping was told by his corner to stop circling to Henderson's power which was his right. One of Boxing's maxims says the same thing. He paid by not listening to the advice.

The preview of this blog entry shows the large pic correctly, but after posting, it seems to be cut off. Right-click save as and then view it offline.




Enjoy!

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MMA: UFC 98 - Hughes X Serra & Machida X Evans animated gif's

Got these pix from Spladdle. Enjoy!



My thanks to the GIF makers at FightReport.com. Round 1. Click the pic for a bigger picture.





My thanks to the unknown GIF maker. Round 3. Click the pic for a bigger picture. Click the animated GIF for a bigger picture.


Hughes was rocked in round 1 from Serra's headbutt and right hand. Serra couldn't finish Hughes. Serra gets taken down in round 2 and Hughes controls and dominates with his ground and pound. Most of round 3 saw Hughes in control and with a little left to the round, Serra gets a takedown and starts his ground and pound. Hughes wins by unaimous decision.

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My thanks to the GIF makers at mma-core.com for the next 4 pictures. Click the pix for a bigger picture.







Evans was tentative and when Machida turned it on, he exploded. First 2 pictures are of the KO that cemented the win of the Light Heavyweight Championship for Machida. The last 2 pictures were from earlier in the fight.

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MMA: Lyoto 'The Dragon' Machida 1 - Background and Takedowns

NOTE: This entry contains gif's that I didn't make. I dl'd off of Spladdle blog and uploaded to my pichost to save on original gif-maker's bandwith. My thanks to the unknown gif maker(s).

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Let's take a look at Lyoto 'The Dragon' Machida.

The buzz around Machida is that he is elusive, currently undefeated, and that his background is Shotokan Karate. To be trained in a traditional martial art and to be successful in MMA is a rarity these days as the MMA fighters of today seem to train a blended MMA hybrid style of BJJ, Muay Thai, boxing, and wrestling. It seems MMA has turned to the TMA to get an edge in MMA competition.

Lyoto Carvalho Machida (born May 30, 1978) is a Brazilian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter currently fighting as a light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

The son of a Japanese-Brazilian Shotokan karate master, Yoshizo Machida, Machida holds an undefeated record that includes victories over former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz, former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin, and current UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn. He is currently ranked as the #2 and #4 light heavyweight fighter in the world by MMAWeekly and Sherdog respectively. Machida is noted for his karate-influenced striking style that implements an unorthodox stance and an elusive strategy.

Machida fights out of Black House.

For more info, check out:

• Official Site
• www.mixedmartialarts.com
• Sherdog
• Wiki

Some animated pictures of his takedowns. A friend (ronin) says the punch to sweep takedown is from Shotokan.

UFC 76 - Lyoto vs Kazuhiro Nakamura - September 22, 2007

2 takedowns in this gif




1st one is probably in other MA, but when I first saw it, my knee-jerk reaction was that it's a silat takedown called, IIRC, Kengit Siko.

WFA - Lyoto vs Vernon White - July 22, 2006

UFC 79 - Lyoto vs Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou - December 29, 2007

UFC 67 - Lyoto vs Sam Hoger - February 3, 2007

takedown look familiar? :-)

UFC 84 - Lyoto vs Tito Ortiz - May 24, 2008

Suplex time.

K1 Heroes 1 - Lyoto vx BJ Penn - March 26, 2005

How would you describe this takedown?

UFC 94 - Lyoto vs Thiago Silva - January 31, 2009

My friend Ausgepicht posted to the Spladdle Forum:

Funny, if you showed someone a highlight or a bunch of GIFs of Lyoto, they would think he was a ridiculous, technical machine....which he clearly is, but if you told them these ninja moves were done rounds or fights apart, they would be flabbergasted.

I think anyone watching the GIFs or highlights would come away thinking that this is simply how the guy fights....just beating the sh!t out of everyone.

Truth is that there's at least 5 minutes between these ninja moves!

This is part of Machida's elusiveness… he picks his spots… counter-attacks. When I saw some of his fights, I was probably like a lot of the typical MMA fans, looking for an exciting match with a knockout for the payoff. I initially felt bored watching his fights. But as I watched more of his fights, I realize what was going on. He is an excellent technician. Great tactitian and sticks to his strategy of counter-attacking. This all adds to his elusiveness. He thoroughly frustrated Tito Ortiz when they fought. Ortiz is quoted as saying, "He’s very elusive and it was tough to chase him down, he’s a great fighter."

I've noticed Machida does something with his body which I call the Machida Sway. He sways/rocks his body to and fro, kind of like what the Dog Brothers call the 'snaky stick'. The stick hand is always in motion to mask the intention of a strike. Machida seems to me the same when he sways his body. In a future entry, I will take a look at his feinting... the Machida Sway.

Machida will be facing 'Sugar' Rashad Evans for a shot at the Light Heavyweight title. Good luck Lyoto Machida!

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MMA: Bellator Fighting Championships

There's a new MMA event called Bellator.

Bellator Fighting Championships is a first of its kind Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion that will be broadcast nationally in the U.S. starting April 2009 through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes. Bellator will also be broadcast to countries around the world through a collection of broadcast agreements.

Bellator, Latin for “Warrior,” began with the realization that the fighters and the competition between the fighters must be the central focus of any Mixed Martial Arts organization. With that in mind, founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney set into motion a new business model in MMA, where elite, world-class fighters will control their own destiny. At Bellator, fighters use their hands, knees, elbows, feet, hips and heart to determine who fights for the world title. In short, Bellator is a modern MMA tournament, bringing together a collection of world class competitors under one banner to fight for the right to call themselves World Champion. While matchmaking plays a key role in the development and maturation of fighters at various stages of their careers (particularly early in their careers), once fighters become world-class competitors, our belief is that they should be able to control their own destiny.

Bellator’s events will be nationally televised through ESPN Deportes, with each broadcast focusing solely on the fights and fighters. Bellator Fighting Championships is not a “reality television” program, but is instead real sports programming in its purest form. Bellator is simply the best fighting the best to determine who becomes champion and who earns the largest purse. Bellator’s premiere season consists of 12 two-hour events which will be broadcast every Saturday night in primetime, with the first show airing April 4, 2009 (click here to view full schedule). The nationally televised events will showcase a combination of tournament and non-tournament special feature bouts. There will be four simultaneous tournaments taking place in season #1 over a three month period: one in each of the Featherweight (145 lb.), Lightweight (155 lb.), Welterweight (170 lb.) and Middleweight (185 lb.) divisions. Eight world-class fighters from around the globe will be represented in each division. To win the Bellator Championship, a fighter must win a total of three fights, each consisting of three five-minute rounds over a three month period. At the end of the initial three month, 12-event season, Bellator will have crowned four Bellator Champions and will have awarded each Champion $175,000. In round #1 of the competition, winners earn $25,000. In round #2 (Semi-Finals), winners earn $50,000 and in the Finals, winners earn $100,000.

Check out http://www.bellator.com/ for more info. From this young event, comes an awesome sub as well as an awesome KO.

In the running for KO of the year :-)

BFC (Bellator Fighting Championship) 6 - Yahir Reyes X Estevan Payan - 5/8/2009 - Reyes with a spinning backfist KO of Payan

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In the running for submission of the year :-)

BFC (Bellator Fighting Championships) 5 - Toby Imada X Jorge Masvidal - 5/1/2009. Imada with an Inverted Triangle Choke








NOTE: I got these pix off of Spladdle and my thanks to the unknown gif maker(s).

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TECHNIQUE: Superman Punch in MMA

Here is an early instance of the Superman Punch used in MMA:

BIB - Beatdown in Bakersfield - Savant Young X Danny Suarez - 2006-11-17


<


NOTE: The above 2 animated pix were made by me off of a youtube flv. The quality is not that good as you can see, but the source wasn't high quality:

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2 recent instances of the Superman Punch. Not my pix, my thanks to the unknown gif maker(s) for them. I got them off of Spladdle and uploaded to my pichost to save on bandwidth:

UFC 92 - Forrest Griffin X Rashad Evans



UFC 94 - GSP X BJ Penn

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For more info:

• Check out my friend's, Jason Couch's, article on the Superman Punch here: http://martialhistory.com/2009/02/the-superman-punch/
  
• http://www.markstraining.com/2008/03/rare-but-effective-strike-superman.html
  

Expert Village's How-To instructional vidclip

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It is said that some TMA like Goju-Ryu, TKD as well as Muay Thai has this punch. Just curious, anyone recall the first instance of the Superman Punch in MMA?

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VIDCLIP: Practical uses of Nunchuku ;-)

Well not youtube, but I labelled this post as such. Sincerest thanks to Spladdle member Ausgepicht for posting this!

Related video - check out http://stickgrappler.blogspot.com/2008/11/bruce-lee-playing-table-tennis-with.html for a video of Bruce Lee (impersonator) playing table tennis with a pair of nunchuku.

Enjoy!

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NEWS: Search and find magazines on Google Book Search

Search and find magazines on Google Book Search
12/09/2008 09:47:00 AM

from: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/search-and-find-magazines-on-google.html

[snip]

...

Today, we're announcing an initiative to help bring more magazine archives and current magazines online, partnering with publishers to begin digitizing millions of articles from titles as diverse as New York Magazine, Popular Mechanics, and Ebony. Are you a baseball history fanatic? Try a search for [hank aaron pursuing babe ruth's record] on Google Book Search. You'll find a link to a 1973 Ebony article about Hank Aaron, written as he closed in on Babe Ruth's original record for career home runs. You can read the article in full color and in its original context, just as you would in the printed magazine. Scroll back a few pages, for example, and you'll find a two-page spread on 1973's fall fashions. If you'd like to read further, you can click on "Browse all issues" to view issues from across the decades.

...

[snip]

Now here is the cool part of this news item.... check out the Black Belt magazine archives on google books here:

http://books.google.com/books?id=wtsDAAAAMBAJ

I haven't had time yet to go through all of the Black Belt issues, but there are a lot up... there may be a few holes in the collection. I don't know yet, but I will be poring over the archives in the next few days.


NOTE: props to Spladdle member RPP for giving me a heads-up on this!

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