I’d like to share some practical observations and ideas regarding safety of martial art training accumulated in about one year training period with a group of students with mixed martial art experience. By a “mixed” experience I understand both level and style differences.

First of all let me assert that ROSS training environment is definitely one of the safest both comparing to different martial art styles and many other athletic activities.

There are 3 main aspect affecting safety of the martial art training I’d like to discuss here: a) mental, b) skills – dependent and 3) physical.

In the mental plane - let me first assure you we, ROSS practitioners deal with a generic combat style (contrary to non-contact, form- or spiritually-oriented styles). We do throw and hit each other. We attack with weapons and defend against them. We do arm locks and neck cranks. We do acrobatics, we fall, roll and negotiate obstacle. We train in multiple attackers mode. We train outdoors, on sand, grass, icy and sleek surfaces as well as in-doors on wooden and concrete floors. We’re not covered with pads and shields.

Now about our “donts”. We do not compete. We do not earn belts, bells and laurels. Originally the style was practiced mostly by military tactical intelligence and counter- intelligence units. A practitioner was not assumed to spend long years in a remote monastery or in the mountains and then return to the society to restore justice or play in action movies (or both). It assumed a year or so training - then action - alive or dead as a result - if alive - training again and so on. No time for belts, no crowds to cheer in the home town - quite an opposite. The criteria were simple: remain healthy and operational in different weather and climate conditions, be able to carry weapons and ammo, then fight, even when tired and wounded, remain clear minded to be able to detect tiny variations of landscape, read maps, comprehend foreign languages, interrogate caught enemies or escape when caught. And finally, as Captain Dan Tailor said in “Forest Gump”: ”… don’t do anything stupid like having yourself killed”. Of course, here and now in the US we, ROSS practitioners, are not that lethal secret Spetsnaz warriors, ninjas of the 20th century. (And be careful with those claiming they are – a couple of people I personally knew in Russia WERE – and they really did not want to speak about this).

But that inheritance does minimize, in a ROSS training group environment such important factors of risk as: on one hand, competitiveness and disrespect which you can come across in NHB-sport or street-fight oriented schools (which are very often demonstrated combined in spite of cool slogans) and, on the other hand, illusions of traditional and/or non-contact, spiritual oriented schools.

You can think of this as follows: a tactical intelligence unit is rather a tribal then a hierarchical society (contrary to mass infantry formations). It is relatively small and everybody inside has already passed thru something before getting into business. A great confidence and respect to each other must exist as a pre-condition of any action. You don’t have too much ranks to advance and everybody is mutually dependent and important. Similarly, in a ROSS group we care about the health and safety of the group as a whole more than individual progress (which is actually impossible without prosperity of the group).

Skill-related aspect. ROSS is in its youth here in the US. On ROSS seminars I met with people seeking for something new to reveal in themselves, people from grappling and boxing, from 18 to late 50s, people with several decades of martial art experience or curious novices, professional sportsmen or people just carrying about their shape, military and civilians. Some are big and strong, others – slim and vigorous.

How do we maintain safety in such a mixed environment?

My observation is that the following skill combinations are to be a matter of most serious attention from the side of the instructor:

· Novices vs. instructor himself. An aura of invincibility can be involuntary created by novice trainees around the instructor and he/she can, working with the instructor apply such an excessive force that a really serious injury can happen to the instructor, not to the novice

· Grapplers vs. strikers. Grapplers are contact fighters, but some of them are not get used to be hit. They can get angry and competitive. Incremental shock absorption work is advices in this case. On the other hand a grappler can be unaware of the fact the strikers may probably never been choked or locked and are not used to tap in time or unable to maneuver themselves to safety.

· On the contrary, many strikers have no or little ground navigation skills and fear to be thrown to the ground. When falling (on top or bottom) they tend to expose extended arms (with a typical result being a broken clavicle) or elbows/knees (hitting partners groin or lower ribs). When shown locks or chokes strikers, and even more so non-contact stylists can be unaware of how easy it is to break a bone or lead their partner to an unconsciousness.

· Sport oriented fighters in multiple attackers mode. These folks used to fight one to one and can get berserk feeling their skills are rendered helpless in a chaotic environment when a physically weaker opponent can perform a successful attack from the least expected angle. Instructor’s control over the mass attack exercise incremental and homogeneous tempo is strongly advised.

· Watch for those who get tired during the training – better switch them from complex acrobatic movements to breathing exercises. Otherwise that last effort of theirs can lead to an injury.

Physical aspect. Referring again to the ROSS origins, I will address a handful of body parts (targets in combat, or areas to protect, both in you and your partner in training) divided by major categories. These categories have “weight” which I define as a ratio of (injury danger * injury probability) / how easy is to deliver the injury.

Please note that I’m not trying to address tiny pressure points and esoteric “delayed death touches” when speaking in a context of military CQC (with main implements to be rifle butt and bayonet, infantry shovel and helmet, feet in heavy boots and tired arms bearing arms and ammo).

The highest rating belongs to eyes. No other organ can be damaged with such a little effort. The utmost attention must be paid when training with a) stick; b) knife, especially when disarming by kicking or striking (knife trajectory can be very unexpected for observers) c) open palm strikes; d) multiple attackers mode; e) training in the forest.

Many people are unaware of how painful, disorienting and fearsome are incident, leave alone deliberate strikes (or pressure applied) to eyes. I myself was completely paralyzed once in a street fight buy a guy which put his thumbs on my eyes and asked if I still have questions to him. Never was I that helpless and never felt such a fear in a fight!

·Groin. Men, I have nothing to add to your own experiences on the subject! For ladies I’d like to cite a classical story told by John Gilbey in his “Secret Fighting Arts Of The World”: A gardener overhearing a discussion of two rich ladies about what is the worst pain in the world an opting between earache, toothache and childbirth, asks them: “Say, any you ladies ever been kicked in the scrotum??”

Shortly about this:

- pay attention to how you do straight leg kicks similar to karate mae-geri. You can get tired or wear winter shoes, not bare feet as you used to be; or it can be sleek and your fancy upper chest kick can land directly into somebody’s family treasures;

- knee strikes – that can be lethal and must be trained with utmost care;

- frontal strikes with stick;

- and, please, don’t land on anybody with your elbows/knees in front of you; same when somebody lands on you;

- don’t move too viciously in semi-guard position;

·Neck and throat. Be very careful – here we really speak about life and death. Whereas some force has to be applied for serious injury it is neither that great nor controlled by you only. I mean that Aikido-style irimi-nage or similar throw applying little force (plus mostly opponent’s inertia) to the opponents neck in the direction side-back (even worse with some pulling upward) can easily break it!

Another category (similar to Judo katatejimi choke) can be really dangerous for throat when performed with excessive force (with side, sharp-boned part of arm applied to the throat).

Yet another problem can be neck cranks similar to crucifixion technique performed by a (strong) novice in grappling.

· Various grand slams landing the opponent to his back and/or head/neck area. Specifically when applied to non-grapplers.

·Legs: knees and ankles – on locks they can sometimes break before pain comes. (I once traveled by feet to a hospital about 2 miles, the day after I had 3 of 5 instep bones broken).

Be also very cautious about somebody incidentally landing on internal or external side of your feet after a throw. A torturing knee pain is guaranteed every cold season for years ahead! As with all the situations considered here this is actually one of the simplest and realistic counter-throw technique in a fight – when being thrown to land, if possible, with all your mass on the side of the attackers leg.

·Arms: the most popular problem is landing on an extended hand upon throw – a regular ground navigation training and working on various falls (and we do have many contrary to other styles!) will greatly diminish that chance. Small joint manipulation – fingers can be broken really easily – so don’t try to submit anybody in your group with a pinky-lock! Be very cautious when training shock absorption with a weak fist – hitting somebody’s elbow can break finger(s) as a match! Same when trying to deflect (instead of creating a plane) a powerful straight or side kick with a palm.

Train safe and have fun!