I really enjoy watching a good boxing bout. Timing, distancing, evasion, bobbing and weaving, along with sound ring craft…these things artfully done are a joy to behold. During my time coaching at the Australian Institute of Sports (AIS) Combat Centre, I was fortunate enough to see the country’s best amateur boxers in action. Working with the various Olympic combat sports’ athletes and coaches, my role was to offer insight from beyond the spheres of their individual sports. And, in particular, to introduce principles and methods from Special Forces soldiering to enhance the testing and trainin ..read more

I always enjoy talking with experts — especially those with an appreciation of both the strengths and weaknesses of their expertise as it relates to other fields. One memorable chat happened a few years back, when I was in Las Vegas at a gathering of the Police Reserve. I was a guest of the SWAT team commander, who had previously served in the Special Forces and is now very well known in the USA as a CQB firearms instructor. Among the Police Reserve members there with us was the renowned grappler Royler Gracie (pictured above). Most who follow the martial arts will know the Gracies as the fami ..read more

A few years ago, I was invited to speak at the American College of Sports Medicine by a combat-sports interest group. At the time I was in the leadership team at the Australian Institute of Sports’ Combat Centre, which focuses on the development of elite martial arts athletes. As I finished telling a story in which I related a hand-to-hand combat experience to an ongoing combat sports study we were doing at the AIS, I was asked, “Which martial art do you think is the best for dealing with a real combat encounter?” The question made me pause for a moment. I knew that I probably would have answe ..read more

Common sense tells us that the closer we can get our training to the reality that awaits us, the better prepared we will be for the stress of the real thing. However, this is inherently hard to achieve. The paradox of honing skills for war, in particular, is that you must train to kill the enemy without actually killing anyone (i.e. your training partners, or yourself). This conundrum exists in similar form for all professionals in first-response or ‘front-line’ roles, and not only those who face violence. You can’t be an emergency surgeon without knowing how to properly incise a human body, f ..read more

The word sensei is generally translated as ‘teacher’, but that definition doesn’t do justice to what a good sensei does for those within their circle of influence. Sensei is literally ‘one who has come before’ — so to use the term ‘teacher’ is not wrong, it’s just limiting. A sensei is a teacher but also a mentor, guide, advisor and, just as importantly, a supporter. ‘One who has come before’ means someone who has walked the path that you are now walking, so they know of its obstacles and challenges, and also of its rewards. They may not have finished their own journey along this path — a grea ..read more

The indicators of impending violence are exhibited in offenders’ nonverbal behaviours as they interact with others and their environment. Nonverbal communication accounts for 60-to-70 per cent of all human communication, so it stands to reason that we can decipher a person’s true intent by correctly observing and analysing their nonverbal behaviours within the context of their surroundings. With that said, it is difficult to understand why the martial arts and self-defence industry, by and large, ignores this area of behavioural science and focuses almost entirely on physical responses. The fa ..read more

Through its technology arm, Kinetic XR, Kinetic Fighting (KEF) will offer a complete induction and training package for ADF units and others deploying Airbus’ H145M helicopter in military and front-line roles. Kinetic XR is a joint venture with leading virtual-reality company Liminal VR, which specialises in VR learning systems.  CEO of KEF and Kinetic XR, Paul Cale, said the training would focus on ensuring safe and optimal use of the airframe and its equipment in mission scenarios. “Efficiency and effectiveness are vital with any training endeavour, but especially one where lives are at ..read more

In November 2020, the Australian Defence Force and Kinetic Fighting granted a license to the NZDF to replace its Close Quarter Combat/Military Unarmed Combat combined programs with ACP. The program’s creator, Kinetic Fighting CEO and former Commando Sergeant Paul Cale, will retain his role as ACP subject-matter expert (SME) and advisor, assisting NZ Defence to implement the new syllabus. “It’s great to see our Kiwi brothers in arms enhancing their close-quarters capability,” said Cale. “Close-combat is a vital component of modern warfare, which is why the Australian Army has made it such a poi ..read more

You have probably heard the saying ‘don’t bring a knife to a gun fight’. However, the reality of a gun fight at close quarters is a little more complex than that. In my experience, you’re actually better off bringing both. This is why the Australian Army uses the ‘integrated combat’ approach to training. However, it wasn’t always this way. Until recent years, Army training in close-quarters battle (room-to-room close shooting) and close-quarters fighting (combatives or unarmed combat) were seen to be two very different things. As a result, the attitudes of instructors from both camps were at t ..read more

A good rule for Uber safety — and life generally — is this: Memes are not facts.  Take a minute to imagine this situation. It’s probably familiar enough, if you hark back to the ‘good old days’ before COVID-19: Your Uber pulls up. You know it’s the ride you booked, because the number plate and car model match the information provided in your smartphone app. You always check it before approaching the vehicle. Maybe you also snap a photo of it on your phone, hit ‘forward’ and type in your travel destination, then send it off to your nearest and dearest. (Or, you might just use the Uber app ..read more