Close the distance and achieve the clinch….with life!!
During my career in the military I got the chance to attend a lot of amazing courses. Everything from leadership development to a three week brain smoker called Pathfinder (don’t get me started!). One of the courses that I attended very early on was level one of the Modern Army Combatives Program. It was the first course I attended and was immediately hooked. Through the rest of my career I would go on to attend levels 2, 3, and 4. For those in the know, I just dated myself! I found a love for martial arts and would also go onto get my black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
During the level one course the culminating event, after completing a proficiency exam, was something known as the clinch drill. Essentially what the clinch drill boiled down to was the unarmed candidate would have to close the distance with an unarmed combatant. The combatant would have on boxing gloves and be authorized to deliver strikes to the face and body of the candidate who was attempting to achieve one of the appropriate clinch maneuvers that had been taught during the course. The candidate was not allowed to hit back. They were only authorized to defend themselves from strikes and achieve the clinch. The candidate had to complete this task three times in order to graduate the course.
Being a level 4 combatives instructor meant I was authorized to run courses so I participated in far more clinch drills as a striker than anything else. Every class I taught culminated with this exercise and every class I saw the same results.
Think about it. Best case scenario here is you are getting punched in the face and body by me. That’s just starting out! How many times? As many as it takes for you to get the job done! There was no choice! If you wanted me to stop hitting you, then you better make it happen.
The first step to making this successful for the candidate was that acknowledgment. That first, real pragmatic acceptance. Knowing and owning the simple truth that they are going to get hit, it is going to hurt, and there is no other way. That pragmatic acceptance is massive in taking that next step.
The second step is just that, start moving forward. Knowing you’re going to get hit, that it will hurt, start closing the distance. That striker is your problem now. They are the thing separating you from graduating this course. The only way now is forward. Close the distance!
The third piece is more complex. For the obvious reason of now being punched in the face, but there’s more to it. You are in it now! You’ve closed the distance with that problem and now you have to take action! There’s tons of distractions coming your way, but you have to stay focused. Everything matters now. Keeping your hands up, changing levels, strafing to avoid strikes and get in position. All these things need to keep happening in order to achieve that clinch.
So often life is just like this. We stand facing a problem, one that we already know is going to hurt! Let’s be real, its going to suck. Identifying that doesn’t mean you get to run away, quite the opposite! Acknowledge and own it! Start closing the distance!
Realize those truths and start moving forward! It’s not going to get any easier staring at it from a distance, and it only gets done by you getting in there and making it happen! Once you’re in it, you’re in it! There’s no backing up! Getting hit on your heels can mean a knock out! Keep pushing forward, keep your hands up, your chin tucked, eyes open and look for those angles. Keep going until you achieve that clinch on life and take control!
The clinch is a dominant position. Not only does the striker lose the ability to effectively hit you anymore but it also puts you in position for a take down. By staying the course, accepting the pain, and staying focused you have changed the momentum of the fight 100%. Now you are in charge and get to impose your will on the situation.
So I challenge you, the next time life throws one of those level 4 combatives instructors of a problem in your way, don’t retreat. Acknowledge the pain or as we used to say “embrace the suck”, start closing the distance, achieve the clinch, take that problem down and then get to work imposing your will!
