Articles


Reality Bites…and Scratches and Kicks and Screams

By Meredith Gold

You’re grabbed from behind and feel a knife pressed to your throat. Adrenaline floods your body as you try to get your bearings and figure out what to do. Your hands are trembling, your pulse is racing and, though it’s hard to h ear above the sound of your own heart pounding in your ears, you’re pretty sure you hear a voice telling you that if you don’t get in the car, you will be killed.

Amazingly, you find yourself talking to the guy; telling him that you don’t need to get hurt. He should relax and put the knife down so you can give him what he wants. But, his energy tells you that he won’t be dissuaded - he wants to hurt you. That’s it. It’s time to go! In a flash you reach up and pluck the knife away from your throat. Using both hands to control his weapon hand, you spin around and smash the knife back into your assailant’s fac e. He’s reeling from the blow when you deliver a full force knee to his groin. As he drops to the ground, you fi nish him off with a blistering knee to the head.

Now what? Get the hell out of there? Call 911? Both are great ideas, but for now, just go to the end of the line and let your classmate take his turn. This is Adrenal Stress Scenario Training! It’s wild, it’s raunchy and it’s as real as you can get within the bounds of safety! This awesome self defense method doesn’t count style points – the goal is to tap into your fighting spirit and do what’s necessary to survive. Is it refined or beautiful? Not a chance. Is it incredibly effective? Absolutely!

Anyone who’s been in a real street fight or assault situation knows that the chances of it going down the way you practiced in the dojo are slim to none. Fights are sloppy, scary and unpredictable. Most of the time people are talking trash, hitting below the belt and flailing far more than they are connecting. Real violent encounters are challenging to prepare for in a traditional martial arts environment because most systems that teach self defense are practiced using techniques that almost always begin and end the same way and there is little or no authentic anxiety or fear involved. “Dirty” shots and full force blows to vital targets also require a level of protective gear that most schools just don’t have.

That’s where Adrenal Stress Scenario Training (ASST) comes in. It prepares you to deal with the unpredictable nature of a real world assault by combining ever-changing realistic verbal and physical scenarios with simple, gross motor movement-based physical defenses practiced full force, full speed against heavily protected mock-assailants or “muggers”. It allows you to taste the adrenaline and stress of a real conflict in the safety of a controlled environment and discover what will and won’t work in the heat of the moment. Whether you’ re a complete novice or an experienced martial artist; male or female; out of shape or elite athlete; ASST will blow your mind and take your training to a whole new level!

My friend Hock Hochheim has a great saying: “Train For Chaos, Thrive In Chaos”. The fact is a real assault can be overwhelmingly chaotic, with adrenaline pumping; time both slowing down and speeding up; physical coordination going right out the window and even the simplest thought process becoming impossible to comprehend. If you haven’t trained for it, and I mean in a chaotic manner, there’s no way to really know how you’re going to respond in a crisis. You’ve gotta get real in order to be ready.

This concept has clearly taken hold in the martial arts world. In the10+ years that I’ve been teaching ASST programs (including RMCAT and my own program “R-A-W Power”), the shift toward reality-based training has been unmistakable. There are a lot of good programs available these days and, from what I’ve seen, those that use ASST are among the most useful and educational of the lot. I feature ASST regularly in the column I write for this magazine (“Beyond Technique”) and I’ve been very gratified by the interest many of you have shown, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to address some of the most commonly asked questions I receive, as well as include some other information that I hope you will find helpful.

Where Did ASST Come From?

This training method and protective gear were originally developed in the early 1970’s as a women’s self defense program called Model Mugging (because the realistic scenarios were “modeled” on real world assaults) by a martial artist named Matt Thomas and a group of his colleagues. Their program offered everyday women a fast and effective way to learn and dynamically apply verbal and physical skills to survive the types of assaults they were most likely to encounter in the real world.

Over the last 30 years scores of talented people have contributed to the evolution of the original concept and today the core ideas and padded “mugger suit” have spun off into a variety of different programs that range from children’s safety and awareness all the way to martial arts applications against the gear. Unfortunately, because they existed on the periphery of the traditional martial arts community and catered to a predominantly female audience, for many years programs that used ASST were viewed with a fairly skeptical eye.

That changed when Peyton Quinn and Michael Haynack saw how effective the training method and protective gear were. They decided to integrate them into their already existing RMCAT program and as a result, today many people within the martial arts world have come to embrace this awesome training tool and often refer to it as the “Cadillac of reality-based training”!

Why Is Adrenal Stress Conditioning Important?

If you’ve ever been in a fight, heated verbal confrontation or any extremely stressful situation, you’ve probably had a taste of the negative effects that adrenaline can have, including: inability to think rationally or speak effectively; loss of fine motor skills; tunnel vision and auditory exclusion. Because of this, often times it’s not as matter of skill, but rather, who is more used to dealing with adrenaline that determines the outcome of a conflict.

People who work in high stress / high danger jobs such as: military, law enforcement or security / bouncing generally become adept at functioning effectively under the stress of adrenaline because of repeated exposure. It’s been proven that the more you experience it, the easier it becomes to stay focused, coordinated and powerful. ASST provides a way for those of us who don’t have a dangerous job to learn how to be effective while experiencing adrenal stress. You can get the repeated exposure without having to actually put yourself in a potentially dangerous situation.

Research in the field of neuro-biology has shown that learning anything in an adrenalized state accesses a different part of the brain than cognitive learning, making it easier to recall and access information or skills under extreme stress. That makes it the perfect learning state for self defense. During your first few scenarios, you’ll feel chaos and confusion, but before long, you’ll find yourself doing and saying things you never imaged you would! In the course of one day I’ve seen people literally transform from tongue-tied, flailing messes into confident verbal de-escalators who fight with accuracy and focused intent.

Why Is There Such An Emphasis On Verbal Skills?

The goal of ASST is to make the scenarios unpredictable, evolving and ambiguous, so they feel as real and dangerous as possible. Just like in a real fight or conflict, they never happen the same way twice, so you must respond in the moment and be ready for anything. A big part of that unpredictability involves a verbal exchange. Many assailants use their words as the opening volley, to see if you will be a good victim, so knowing what to say and how to say it may very well determine what direction the conflict goes.

In order to prepare you for this, as well as desensitize you to the power of their often harsh language, the padded “assailants” assume a variety of characters and personality types as they engage you in dynamic verbal boundary setting and de-escalation situations. You must use your words as a first line of defense, which can be easier said than done. While we all understand the importance of “talking your way out of a fight”, until you’ve actually tried doing it while your adrenaline is flowing, it’s hard to grasp how difficult it can be to stay calm, relaxed and focused enough to speak effectively.

People often regard the verbal component as the most challenging and useful portion of the training. Many would rather just hit the jerk, but the goal is to de-escalate a situation and avoid a fight, if possible, so it makes sense to practice your verbal skills as much as your physical technique.

What Physical Techniques Does ASST Use?

We concentrate on gross motor movements that will survive the effects of an adrenal “dump”. Techniques that are commonly used include: palms, knees and elbows. These simple and solid techniques keep your weight low and body centered, are safe to deliver full force / full speed and have proven most successful in both the training scenarios as well as real world confrontations reported by former students. There is also a comprehensive ground fighting / rape defense component because, especially in the case of attacks against women, that is often where the victim ends up.

The basic course focuses on only a handful of these techniques because, until you get used to the physiological effects of adrenaline, often times you’ll find it impossible to execute anything more elaborate. When you combine verbal harassment with the physical threat posed by the “mugger”, it often doesn’t occur to your reptilian brain to do much more than primitive, instinctive movements. Hitting with power is the name of the game because these guys are so well padded that there is no hesitation on their part about engaging, so you must stop them using techniques delivered full force and full speed. If you don’t strike effectively, they will keep attacking!

As your training progresses, things get increasingly scrappy and wild. You will find that your shots are being blocked, your techniques countered and weapons or multiple assailants might enter the picture, but because your body has grown more used to the effects of adrenaline with each scenario, you will be able to handle it. Martial artists find they can suddenly access all sorts of their techniques under extreme stress and those who have never fought before are able to deliver strikes with accuracy and power. This makes ASST an extremely adaptable training method. It can be used for virtually any martial art application, yet also offers effective simplicity for the complete novice.

What’s The Deal With The Protective Gear?

Some programs call it the “mugger” suit while others call it the “bulletman”. No matter what you call it, there’s no getting around the fact that this custom made protective gear looks like Mr. Potato Head on steroids! Designed and built-to-order by one of the originators of this training method, Mark Morris, this gear can comfortably withstand full force / full speed blows to the most vital targets. Critics have called it “bulky” and “slow”, but the truth is, while it may look that way, it offers a level of protection and maneuverability that is truly state of the art.

Commercially available protective gear works well for it’s designated purpose (law enforcement / baton training, sparring, etc.), but anyone who has received a full force blow to the head or groin knows that it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of protection for those areas. The ASST gear is specifically designed for maximum protection of those important targets. Its main components include a professional football helmet covered in 3 inches of varying densities of foam and a 2 layer “super groin protector” designed to dissipate and re-direct the force of groin shots.

We believe that students must be able to strike vital areas full force / full speed if they are to get a truly authentic fighting experience. While the gear does allow this, it’s not foolproof and simply putting it on doesn’t protect the wearer 100%. “Muggers” are required to go through rigorous training to learn how to use the suit safely. They must understand the limitations in order to use it as effectively as possible. For example: chokes are not possible because of the shape of the helmet and joint locks are simply too dangerous in full force, spontaneous scenarios. That being said, high kicks and falls can be easily executed, making martial art applications very dynamic!

How Can ASST Help Me With My Martial Arts?

A group I recently worked with called this training “the next level” in their martial arts training. That’s fairly accurate, I think. It’s not a replacement, but rather, a great addition to anyone’s existing training regimen. It provides an opportunity for practical application of techniques with no fear of harming your opponent and allows you to answer a variety of “Would that really work?” questions in a very visceral way!

Physical technique almost always deteriorates at full force / full speed, but you don’t usually find that out until the heat is on and that’s just a little too late… One great advantage of ASST is that you can really unleash and discover what techniques will and won’t work in spontaneous scenarios. In a crisis, your focus can’t be on perfect technique - it has to be on getting the job done and going home in one piece. Realistic scenarios practiced under adrenal stress are the next best thing to the trial-by-fire of an actual street encounter that could end in injury or even death.

I like to think of ASST as the C.P.R. or “fire drill” of the self defense world – you hope you don’t have to use it, you don’t want to use it, but if the situation requires it, you need to know that your skills will survive the stress of reality.

My Thoughts

This training has come a long way since it’s early days. If you remember it seeming “soft” or unrealistic when you first saw a women’s program, I hope you’ll give it another look. I don’t apologize for the fact that the ASST method has mainly focused on giving thousands of average women incredible skills and life changing confidence over the years, yet I also I feel confident that, no matter your gender or experience level, there is a program available today that will challenge you and help you become a more effective fighter.

The benefits are obvious, from a martial arts / physical point of view, but I believe that it’s what your not expecting to get from a full force self defense program that really makes ASST so special. That is: a feeling of real personal empowerment and accomplishment. It’s an unavoidable bi-product of this training. Everyone has questions or concerns about their ability to respond effectively in a crisis and this training method allows you to “put yourself on the line” and test yourself in a safe way. I’ve seen it time and again – no matter what your life experience or training history is, ASST can have a profoundly positive effect on your sense of confidence and help you break through personal barriers.

If you’d like to find out how to bring this training method to your own school for a seminar or ongoing program or would like information about how to get trained to use the “mugger suit”, please see the side bar to find out who offers these services.