Читать книгу Modern Hand to Hand Combat - Hakim Isler - Страница 9

FOREWORD

When I first heard about the Battlefield Proximity Combat system, created by my friend and student Hakim Isler, I wondered why such a system was needed. I thought surely someone has done this before. It seems like common sense that if you are going to send a combat soldier, who is wearing up to a hundred pounds of gear, weapons, and armor into battle, you would want to train him or her in a combat system that focused on how to win a fight for life on the battlefield.

The more I spoke with Hakim and other military friends about training for hand-to-hand survival in battle, the more surprised I became. It turns out that very little, if any, time and attention is given to providing realistic pragmatic training in preparing the soldier’s body, intellect, and spirit on how to achieve victory in those admittedly rare occasions when the battle degenerates down to an eye-to-eye struggle between determined adversaries.

I am aware that some branches of the United States military offer forms of spirit-building training based on sport grappling or sport boxing. Of course, these are by nature spirit-builders only, intended to foster fighting grit in young soldiers as opposed to teaching them what to do to survive the horror of a murderous assault. Spirit-building practice is carried out in light training clothes and not actual battle gear. Techniques taught are based on two individuals, each struggling for the submission of the other, and this does not address the practical techniques needed to preserve lives in actual combat. Spirit-building certainly has a valuable place in the education of young soldiers, but it can in no way replace honest preparation in how to avoid the kind of body and mind lock-up that happens in real battles and could result in death.

As an avid student of Japanese cultural and military history, and an apprentice to the ninja grandmaster in Japan in the 1970s, I have taken the ancient traditions, combat strategies, and philosophies of Japan’s ninja warriors and adapted them for use in the very different thinking West. Obviously, combat in 21^st century America is different from that of the 1500s Japan, so technologies of engagement must also change. Nonetheless, the principles and philosophies are still highly valid and can be adapted. Yes, I still teach historical techniques to those interested, but unlike those traditionalists who hold to antiquated rigidity of form and structure, I realize that an honest and realistic update has to evolve…and here it is in Hakim’s book.

As you read and re-read Hakim’s book, ask yourself critical questions as you move from chapter to chapter.

How prepared am I to win in a horrific unpredictable battle clash?

How much do I know about how the body and brain operates under the surge of stress chemicals released in a dire survival conditions?

How much have I prepared for life saving combat through honest realistic training beyond the manly fun of wrestling a fellow soldier?

How ready am I to let go of the comfort of my previous beliefs and face the chilling prospect of rebuilding my combat preparedness in a whole new and different way?

I believe in Hakim Isler, and I believe in the system he has built based on our training together in Ohio and his life-saving experiences in the sands of the Mideast. Enjoy Hakim’s book. Learn and grow.

Stephen K. Hayes

Founder, Kasumi-An To-Shin Do Ninja Martial Arts

Black Belt Hall of Fame

Author of Tuttle book, The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art

As a member of the Special Operations community for 12 years, I have commanded several unique organizations with a variety of missions. Over the years I have come to realize that combative training is a key ingredient in the making of a Special Ops individual. The Special Operations community employs a variety of combative training systems. The recent evolution of the Battlefield Proximity Combat system captures the essence of all the others, but incorporates new techniques against evolving threats in the 21^st century. I have personally observed Hakim Isler teach his system to my soldiers, who were operating in the toughest parts of Ramadi, Iraq. The confidence with which these soldiers were able to operate on the forward edge of the battlefield always paid dividends.

LTC Michael Layrisson, U.S. Army