Build your combat strategy with a piece of paper and mind maps

Build your combat strategy with a piece of paper and mind maps.

What I want to talk to you about today is something that’s usually never done in gyms but I want you to start building your fight strategy and you have to do it with a piece of paper and mind maps.

As you work out to take levels, belts, accolades, etc. you really have to start understanding your personality, your strategy, your approach, it becomes important to find your own style and to build part from there the “your martial art”, your martial expression.

Attention!!! It does not mean that you now create a martial art as you often hear or do by complacent federations/associations that give rise to some “presumptuous” (I do not add anything else) but simply that in that art express your form, your way, your art.

The fundamentals

Even if you have to build your strategy, it doesn’t mean you don’t have to train the fundamentals, don’t do the exercises and don’t follow your master’s instructions like drills, combinations, etc. but build your own fundamentals first and also explore your personal strategy.

Ps. In practice do not make your own at the beginning but after explore new ways but always followed, with humility, with the right critical sense and respect for your or your masters.

This approach that I’m going to explain also helps you to improve and even prevent (if not eliminate) some ups and downs that everyone happens to have during training and training.

Create your own style

The purpose of “”Building your “game plan” on a sheet” is to help you understand how you too need to start building your own personal style.

I know you do it when you sparring, but what I’m asking you to do is use a coffee table strategy and test it to see how it works.

The way and the method by which you work out, how you do it and see/monitor if with that system you get an improvement is something that past the beginner phase begins to become important.

This phase is important to build and emphasize your own characteristics and style.

You have to do targeted workouts and exercises, which are functional for you and not just do what everyone else does, because you can have different needs.

This is what makes and is a real martial “art”, a real form of art, a human expression.

Once you start building your style and strategy you start to understand what are the things that work for you. You really start to excel.

One very common thing that happens is that the student is put in the gym to make techniques and combinations, common training methods, etc.

But learning and adding everything their coach/teacher teaches you in class, you don’t have to stop there, but it’s a job you have to do.

Now as I told you, you never have to disturb your teacher’s teaching, but there’s a reason that’s important.

He doesn’t just teach you and so he has to do the balance of skills so he has to find a method that suits all the people who are in the gym.

There are gyms that have 50/60 students per class, and the work I’m talking about would be impossible to propose to such a large class if not dividing it but it is an absolutely necessary job for those who practice competition and combat sports.

Self-defense

I haven’t forgotten you practicing self-defense!

You also have to make a precise attack strategy, even thugs have a tactic when they go to break the bales to someone whether it is to provoke or to rob.

You if you want to make a real leap in quality you have to avoid this condition, because then you start to become all a copy of the other you expect the same strategies and combinations becoming predictable.

You don’t have to be anyone’s copy but yourself.

Find what you like in what your coach teaches you in class and what you feel good use it to fit it into your strategy, it definitely teaches you some very useful things.

Not being a “Collector of Techniques”, you do not need anything, what you need is a strategy in martial arts where to insert the techniques.

Clearly your strategy must be contextualized to the type of attacker or opponent it is.

Now to do this I want to make you as an example using a scheme that you too can use to build your strategy.

This type of scheme is called mind map which is a very interesting topic is that it helps you to display on a sheet only all your mental process that you do in a natural way when you also study your martial art.

If you want and need to delve into this topic look for Tony Buzan who is a luminary in this field.

Mind maps to build your strategy

A
mind map
is a form of graphical representation of thought theorized by English cognitist Tony Buzan,starting with some reflections on techniques for taking notes. The goal is to implement visual memory and then store concepts and information at the time of recall.

Mind mapsmind mapsshould not be confused with other types of maps such as conceptual maps from which they differ in both structuring and the implementation model and scopes of use.

I recommend you to deepen this way of managing information because it can be useful in various areas.

How to build your strategy

1. START FROM IN PIEDI – So the standing phase.

From here you can divide it into a standing strategy and a ground strategy.

You have to do this based on the type of opponent and your strategy that should be the one in charge otherwise you are the one who suits your opponent’s style, which is fine but you should direct the game.

So when you start writing you have to start from the “Standing” section in the middle of your sheet because you don’t want to start from the ground unless you’re writing a fight strategy, but this also theoretically starts from standing up.

In theory all matches start from standing although for personal defense it would take a separate section because you could be in the car, sitting, etc.

Now you have to have at least two strategies on your feet, regardless of whether you’re good at projecting or not.

You can decide on a standing strategy or bringing to the ground, you can insert a projection that you like or different ways to pierce the guard as a fake, or a clinch grip, etc …

2. COSTRUISCISCI THE STEPHANE STEP – Once you have your list of things you like to do starting from “standing” start filling in the section that are situations and then enter that shots you want to insert in that section.

For example you’re standing hit with a hook fist and go into Clinch (another section), from this position that shots shot (knee, elbow, head) then I’m going to project with a tripping and I go into side control and from here (choking, leverage in Figure 4 ) or step into Mount and I do (choking, blows, other) insert three alternatives.

You have to imagine a hypothetical fight sequence, I know that’s likely not to happen that but you have to build a strategy with variables and with changes that however lead you to the solution you thought.

For example you went into side control, you turn around then try to stand up or go on your guard and from here. Etc.

The purpose of doing so is to actually help you think about how to create attack situations and create your own

Combat tactics creating it in your mind while writing, must not limit itself by chance but you have to live the fight with your mind.

You do this when you practice shadow boxing, butI want you to do it on paper as well because you have to make your mind faster and with a strategy.

I am much more to flow and feel the rhythm of combat, but this approach you can not have at the beginning as a result this method helps you develop what?.

Know what to do when you have to fight and not stay to think too much while you’re in the ring on what to do because you already have a strategy.

3. COSTRUISCI A STRATEGY ALTERNATIVA – If something changes you need to know what to do –

Once compiled into sections that stemmed from your attack sequence where you win, you have to pull out the sections where the opponent attacks you or project you and imagine what to do and go see if you can go back to your attack strategy that failed or a different alternative.

Or even if you win, you have to think about the alternative strategy that is, you attacked with kicks , now only punches, or projectietti, etc. that is, you change your approach to combat because you imagine that you have pulled a lot of boxing and instead now kick combination attacks, to surprise your attacker.

4. JUST ADD THE THINGS YOU LIKE TO DO – enter things you do well and that you get good results (hits, projections, levers, etc.) and things you know you’re not technically perfect but have the potential your strategy.

The purpose of doing so is that otherwise you get hold of your hand and write me techniques instead I want to prevent you from writing a huge list in every section that doesn’t make sense.

One thing that can be useful is that if you realize that there are sections where you don’t know what techniques to put in means that you have weak areas technically is that you have to focus on developing them, studying them.

It is not enough to add something to fill the space you need to know about it.

Another reason why you don’t have to do this is because even if you only have one technique to list in the section also strive to find something that can integrate or replace that kind of approach is something you can build out of that section your system.

Example do not use the clinch that section is empty but you can have the alternative of projections

It means you don’t use that strategy in melee, but you’re just trying to project it to the ground.

As if you don’t know the ground fight you’ll project but you’ll never go ashore once projected.

This also helps you visualize your blank sides, where you technically have gaps.

5. ADD MORE SYSTEMS – Since you have to enter the techniques that you feel or familiar then you have to and you can also insert shots that are not of your martial art but that come to you spontaneously.

If you like to do skipped football, or the Muay Thai clinch, or a Judo technique, etc. enter it because it’s fine.

6. No NEED TO FILL ALL AREAS – In relation to “Phase 4” where I was talking about the techniques also in this module 6, there is no need to fill all the spaces with techniques just because there are spaces to write, there may be areas that are not part of your strategy.

You must have at least 2 or 3 options in each section as a general rule but make sure you don’t force it by putting anything to fill spaces even if they are techniques you don’t use and don’t know (example elbows, or projections, etc.) Read Step 4.

Of course, over time, increasing your technical baggage will fill them up.

7. FOR EVERY STYLE HAVE A PARTY COMBAT STRATEGY – If you train on your feet, make a strategy for boxing or Muay Thai, or Kickboxing.

If you train on the ground make a strategy for this style.

Make for each situation a strategy and its variants.

Note well that I like to maintain the same approach, I mean that if you are aggressive it stays so both standing and on the ground if you are more defensive/matchr then keep this second approach but nothing forbids you to be more stand-up and more aggressive on the ground.

No limits.

8. SEMPLICIST – you have to understand that with your strategy must be simple even in the form written on the sheet, write to the techniques without descriptions or only simple descriptions only where they serve because in fact writing it you already know the content the simple word reminds you what you need to do.

Just like your training I don’t want to make your learning harder so it needs to be simple even your strategy because it has to be lean fast fluid. If you make it complex right away then it freezes and becomes non-functional.

Since you write these areas (possibly with the help of your coach or an expert at the beginning) and these lists are filled with aspects that you like and that you want to insert into your strategy do not write so much because you will remember well regardless of the simplified descriptions you enter because it is your mental map

9. CONTINUITY (LET ALL FLOW TOGETHER)

Creates as connecting lines between one section and another as if it were a direct consequence.

A good idea is to use colored pencils to make things easier to read.

Then he studies how each section flows into the other section to see if it makes logical sense and works on that.

E.g. Jab Cross Hook Left (Strike) attack ➡vading to project to the ground ➡ I go side control ➡ Lever to the shoulder.

You can insert variants, double attacks, defenses and then changes of shots or guards, changes of control, levers, you can pop up weapons, more opponents, etc.

You have to start from the beginning to the end.

What you’re doing is writing strategies, you’re fighting with your mind.

Ps. If it is useful to give a name to the sequence of techniques, because if you know it in your head the only name makes you start the whole sequence of techniques in a row.

Es Combo Punch, Kick Power, etc.

10. THE PRATICA

Now this is a fundamental stage practicing your combat tactics!.

I will use and the real test, it is not enough to do all this written work and not use it, in fact I tell you that this is the most important phase that makes you understand if your strategy works.

Practice these situations hundreds of times.

Break your game plan down into the sections and then drill them.

It chains the various areas and sections and is accustomed to each wine section to feel unique, it must become something continuous and spontaneous, a whole not a single technique but all functional to your strategy.

Talk to your coach about your strategy and let your coach watch what you want to do and explain and analyze with your master/coach.

I recommend practicing this after class, you don’t have to go and disturb your school’s program.

Run through the flow that you’ve built the techniques, at first unpack the attack sequence and then make it unique from start to finish, when you drill into footwork, guard, weight, etc. detail.

11. SCHEMATIZZA

The goal is to create a MISURA ATTACK system for yourself.

A system and strategy that works for you over and over again.

Once you feel very comfortable with this system then go and build other mini strategies out of this scheme of yours.

Always expand your game.

Add to each section, but you can break down more of that as you break down each single list item under each section.

You have to imagine finding a solution or answer to any obstacle that can occur with a list of actions in each section, standing (punch, kick, elbow, knee) and on the ground (hits and strangulation and joint levers, various submissions).

Think of your fundamentals as the trunk of a tree and your game plan sections like branches growing from the tree and sprigs growing from each larger branch and so on.

You have to imagine and live inside tea fighting, this scheme also helps you when you have to do the void or shadow boxing, or shadow MMA.

12. REVISITING

This is something you always have to do because it changes your technical level and your experience and for some even your fitness.

Revisit your game plan constantly.

Even if you’re not completely changing your strategy, there are always changes to be made.

People who are skilled in combat often have so many options and movements that they used and tested, because they were beginners or white belts or blue belts, but immediately they never stopped making and create their SYSTEMS around themselves, using the few or many techniques they knew based on their knowledge of that moment is over time they continued to insert adjustments.

They have not looked for other techniques but used the ones they know to incorporate them into their way of fighting to make them few or so functional to their strategy.

For this reason too, they have become good, because they have used the technique in a functional way to themselves and their way of fighting and their physical characteristics making the most of them.

13. TEST (YOUR STRATEGY)

Build drills with patterns to apply based on the type of attacker/adversary.

But now you have to do it no as drill but apply them within sparring sessions.

This is where you see what works the most and less and what to modify to make the techniques work and above all build the correct attributes.

Be careful not to discourage you at the beginning you will make a lot mistakes, continue, insist, you can not learn everything with a few repetitions.

Conclusions

I know, this post is not easy to read because putting on paper a combat strategy requires your opponent’s visualization, imagination and study skills.

It’s a job that top coaches often do!

But you also have to get involved, even if you don’t have a coach try to study a training partner by watching him sparring, watch there combinations pull, usually what he prefers to make, the mistakes he makes, the flaws of his guards, what makes him strong, what he suffers during sparring or matches, both physically and psychologically.

Now, stop! Now just read to start building your strategy!.

Stay Tuned!

Street Fight Mentality & Fight Sport

Andrea