Monday, May 16, 2011

This is video from when I took Modern Army Combatives.  Level 1 is a one-week course for eight hours each day.  (There is also a Level 2 and a Level 3 but the timing of my spine going south kinda put the ixnay on doing any more.)

The first day was Choke Day.  Unfortunately, I don't have any video from that.  The gist of it is you and your partner are taught the correct chokehold by the instructor and then you sit with everyone in a circle and, one by one, choke each other out while the instructor watches to make sure you do it correctly.  I got to get choked first :).  I was sitting with my arms straight out at my sides and I had to keep looking at the instructor.  I remember he kept saying "Look at me, look at me" and the last thought before my eyes closed and I went out was this really peeved "I am!"

Coming out of it is kinda weird.  I remember this...swirl of sound where I knew it was sound but nothing made sense.  Then I heard my name and everything just kind of snapped back into focus and I was back in the land of the living :).

These are videos from Punch Day.  You are taught several particular holds beforehand and then the setup goes like this:  The guy doing the punching has completed Level 3.  He is going to hit you and the only way you can get him to stop is through neutralizing him by completing one of the holds.  The instructor tells you that the Puncher is pretty much not going to stop otherwise..