This past Saturday Dr. Chapél was given the Platinum Lifetime Achievement Award.

Picture after the awards banquet with some of the usual suspects.

Grapple Control Mechanism

By Professor Ryan Angell

Originally posted on the KenpoTalk Forum at: http://bit.ly/elJNuf

I think the Grapple Control Mechanism (GCM) most people are familiar within is the Braced Index, which is typically used to defend against an attacker trying to encircle you with his arms (front bear hug). The GCM must be accompanied with other Alignment Mechanisms to be most affective. If you use properly executed Body Alignment Mechanism (BAM, usually used to align the Upper Platform) and Platform Alignement Mechanisms (PAM, used to align the Lower Platform) along with a properly executed Thrusting Index resulting in a Braced Index you will have achieved what is referred to in SubLevel Kenpo as the Statue Principle.

However, a GCM is just that, a mechanism that controls your attacker's ability to grapple you. Through Psychology of Confrontation Theory and Reading and Reacting to Martial Posture you may end up using several different GCMs throughout the course of a self defense technique. A specifically executed strike, to a specific target can result in your attacker being forced into a Negative Martial Posture resulting in momentary control of your attackers ability to grapple … hence GCM.

It is our goal in SubLevel Kenpo (as I am sure with other Martial Sciences) to control the space while engaged with an attacker … at all times. No moment is left unaccounted for. Every single body part is allocated to a specific task/function.

It seemed like a lot of posters were familiar with SubLevel Kenpo. I hope I didn't ramble on too much with too many SLK centric terms.

These are not the SubLevel Kenpo definitions for these terms, merely a brief description to give deeper understanding to this post…

Lower Platform – below the waist

Upper Platform – above the waist

Statue Principle – when the lower and upper platforms are aligned with one another making the entire body virtually immovable 

Read and React

By Professor Ryan Angell

“Read and React” may be a seemingly simple concept on the surface – watch what your attacker is doing and respond accordingly. However, it has been my experience from my travels and teaching seminars that Read and React is often not given the attention it requires to affectively train for a real world combat environment.

It seems that many martial art/science practitioners are more interested in being fast in execution rather than acknowledging there is a Paired Rhythm that exists between attacker and defender. At an early stage of my training the analogy that brought the concept of Paired Rhythm to light was a game of billiards. While playing billiards you wouldn’t take your next shot while some of the balls on the table were still moving. Not only is it against the rules to do so, but also how could you possibly know the outcome of your next shot if the balls on the table are still moving. Much like billiards, a self-defense scenario presents the same difficulties if you try to “take your next shot” while your attacker is still responding to the previous shot.

Often times first time observers of SubLevel Kenpo™ notice the techniques have a slower timing signature than what they may be accustom to. It is explained that being in a hurry, or trying to execute a technique fast for the sake of being fast completely disregards the fact that there is another person involved in the equation. Or, in other words, disregards the principle of Paired Rhythm 

I have seen practitioners make some very dangerous assumptions in the training process. They’re taught a technique for a right punch and get so focused on dealing with only that single right punch they assume it’s the only thing they need to be worried about. A mantra we have at MSU is, “if he’s going to throw one punch, he’s going to throw two. If he’s going to throw two punches, he’s going to throw three… ”.

Learning how to assess Martial Posture, gaining a deep understanding of Psychology of Confrontation, and slowing down allowing yourself the time necessary to Read and React should be primary goals in the martial sciences and defensive combat scenarios.

"The ball of the foot is utilized in human anatomy for "mobility." The heel of the foot is used for "stability." Therefore, when placing the foot specifically for the purpose of “PAMing” the heel of the foot should make contact with the floor slightly before the rest of the foot sustains resistance.

The human body will always adjust its mechanics to the circumstances, unless over-ridden by a conscious effort. The act of “walking” for example, is essentially a series of controlled falls utilizing an inverted pendulum. That is, the anchor point is at the bottom, (where the foot plants,) and the pendulum (hips), swings over the anchor point and falls forward.

The rear foot begins the mobility process by rocking forward into and on the ball of the foot and utilizes the muscles in the lower body to “push off” to begin the pendulum swing. As the hips fall forward the opposite leg reaches forward, sharply placing the heel on the ground creating a “bracing angle” to control the fall.

In walking there is always one foot on the ground, and that foot will perform the needed function of either providing mobility in the push off with the ball of the foot, or controlling the fall by creating stability with the placing of the heel sharply for the bracing angle.
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Therefore in normal walking, the mechanics are a combination of mobility and stability, shifting from one to the other as needed in the biomechanical function and process of walking.

However, when the gait is changed significantly, in conjunction with the speed of that gait or stride, the biomechanical function changes to accommodate the mechanical request. 

When you are running as fast as you are capable, biomechanically, the body is completely mobility driven and both feet are off the ground at some point in the stride, with maximum mobility on demand being the requisite mechanics. Therefore, you will run from ball of the foot, to ball of the foot, anatomically not utilizing the heel of the foot in the scenario because it is not needed.

The above examples are anatomical extremes of essentially the same biomechanical function, with the body making adjustments to accommodate changes in speed and the extended stride.

When utilizing these basic human mechanics in the typical “stances” of the martial arts, if one is seeking to achieve a “martial science” perspective, the same anatomical rules must apply. However, because the human body is not anatomically designed to move rearwards, (backwards), or laterally, (sideways), efficiently, it also has the ability to move into a “disassociated or loose connectivity” mode that allows fluidity of movement of its many parts, over structured efficiency. 

Unfortunately, humans tend to use the “disassociated ability mechanism” out of context and for personal preferences most of the time, and as result humans are capable of injuring themselves through simple improper even non-contact movement, and even more so when “resistance” or loads are added to the equation.

Because the body is incapable of performing all functions simultaneously it will, as in walking, choose what is best for the immediate physical circumstances. The P.A.M. or “Platform Aligning Mechanism” is designed to compensate for inefficient movement humans must make usually by necessity by forcing the body into a structured mode, compensating and canceling the “disassociated” mode. 

When and how to utilize the PAM with, and in conjunction with all the variables of stances, and foot maneuvers, is a basic science unto itself.

This is not a new method and has always been quite prevalent in Traditional Chinese Arts, and Ed Parker Sr. can be seen utilizing the method in his many available videos. The research and codification of the method and the creation of the term is my own, the method itself is old school. The trick is to know, when, where, and how to use it in conjunction with your physical activities, whatever they might be.

Although there isn’t much dispute in the running community re the mechanics of “sprinting” or “walking,” there is a debate between the best method for “long distance runners” who fall in between the two methods, where time and speed are both large factors. These are the primary factors that should determine which method is best. So the answer here is not surprisingly, “it depends.” Distance and time are subjective relative terms of the runner and their goals in conjunction with their physical capabilities and conditioning. Typically however, one or the other must be utilized. Only an understanding of the mechanics involved, relative to the speed, distance, and length of stride, can determine which method is best at the time.

No. We don't "spar" in the way most martial art schools do. More than 80% of the guys that train with us and under me are law enforcement (my instructor was a cop for over 35 years).

It's been my experience that sparring usually creates very bad habits because they either train with tournament in mind and scoring points is very different than staying alive on the street, or there are usually very key components of Psychology of Confrontation that are ignored.

We use self-defense techniques from the SubLevel System that "re-wire" the body through Neuromuscular Programming™, therefore creating hard synaptic pathways. The techniques build on one another from level to level and incrementally introduce new external stimulus. The "what-if" scenarios are built into the system and the ability to recognize and respond to varying degrees and combinations of attacks are "hard wired" into the synapses. The end result is the ability to perform extemporaneously in the way others hope to achieve through "sparring".

Our method of training is a little more traditional in that our students do exactly what the curriculum mandates and do not deviate. Over time (and sooner than you might think) they acquire a level of competency and are able to protect themselves as proven by the sheriff's deputies that return to class with real life experiences in the jails on a daily basis.

It was my first time meeting Jim Corn from Kyusho International. What a pleasure. This man has an immense amount of knowledge of pressure point activations, sequencing, and the like and very eager to share his information as long as you're willing to listen. I learned quite a bit.

Shawn Steiner (Chinese Kenpo), Gary Boaz (Aikido), Asa Seeley (Kyusho), and Chad Seibert (Systema) were return instructors that I met last year. They all had completely new information to teach from last year which really shows their depth of knowledge in the Arts.

Chris Mooseman and Niko Huffman also instructed and shared their insights into professional MMA fighting and Aikido respectively.

If you ever have the chance to train with any of these gentlemen I would highly suggest it.

I'm already looking forward to next year.

Additionally, you also have the problems that occur when one student mimics another. If you ask most martial arts instructors they will tell you that every so often they’ll look up at their students and they’re all doing a technique in a way that they (the instructor) never taught. The instructor will stop the whole class and ask where they all learned to do that particular technique that particular way and they will all swear the instructor taught them. What happens is one student has an incorrect observation or interpretation of something he/she saw the instructor do and now other students are now mimicking that student.

Alternatively, SubLevel Kenpo offers a different approach to the teaching process of the Martial Sciences called Body Index Training, or BIT Training. This type of training utilizes very specific, bio-mechanically sound, physical movements called Indexes. For example, when a student is first being taught an inward block they are taught to stand in a proper right neutral bow (that they have already been taught using BIT Training) facing 12:00. The student is then taught to execute a series of Progressive Index Movements, which are an Outward Downward Index, followed by a Lateral Wrist Index, followed by a Lateral Upward Index, which then puts them in position to thrust their forearm, at a 45-degree angle, as a Geometrical Path towards 10:30.

Using the very specific movements of BIT Training forces a student to learn the exact method and manner of execution of the SubLevel Kenpo curriculum. This type of training leaves little, if any, room for misunderstandings or incorrect interpretations of the curriculum. BIT Training also produces a high level of consistency in the material that spans the entire student body. One of the first things you may notice of the students within a school that utilizes BIT Training is that from beginner to the most advanced students they all have the exact same basic execution of basic material. However, as we all know, there is no such thing as material that is only “basic” – only a basic understanding. So, as students progress in their SubLevel Kenpo training, their understanding, and therefore their execution progresses as well. They learn more sophisticated indexes that increase the proficiency of their execution.