ECQC 5/13-15/2016

[Maple Syrup Actual]

I agree. If nothing else it will shape your training from there on out...otherwise you could spend a year doing some form of combatives that turn out not to even translate to the situations you find yourself in. Then you'll just be PO'd that you wasted time.

It's training...treat it as training. The goal isn't to win ECQC, it's to learn from it (I'm saying that as much for myself as anyone else). If I could convince my wife to put her body at risk in that class, I would want her there. If I could get my 70-something year old dad in there, I would. Don't worry about getting yourself squared away first. ECQC will square the F out of you.

The MUC section alone is going to be great for your head.

[The Apprentice]

Thanks will definitely be signing up.

[EricM]

To the good advice given above, I'll just add in response to your specific concern, do not be worried about dragging the class down. I was well exposed to the mindset and MUC concepts in advance but had zero combatives training when I took it a couple years ago (where I also received the wakeup call that I was physically weak as ****). There is a ton of partner work drilling individual techniques, but there is no prerequisite knowledge. Each is taught from the ground up and Craig will be available while you're working on things to answer any questions (and you'll find other students plenty helpful too). Drills start slow and are easily scaled to the capabilities of the individuals involved. You'll frequently rotate partners so everyone is exposed to working with (against) all different shapes, sizes, and experience levels.

Now by all means, do use the upcoming class as motivation to get some exposure to BJJ, wrestling, etc. in advance if you can. That had been my plan, but I failed to implement it. One of the other students in my class did have a few months of BJJ prior to ECQC...Craig commented that he could see ways it was starting to benefit him during the evos, and the student also noted it helped him better understand what was going on and how to begin to work out of a bad position.

[HopetonBrown]

As someone who doesn't have any real hand to hand training would I be better off seeking some mma style training before attending. I have plans to take his class in November and hope to start bjj after I get off nights but I don't expect to learn that much in only a couple months. I just don't want to drag the hole class down either.

I had zero previous martial arts background, which put me at a significant disadvantage for most of the class. I would suggest getting more fit for it, though. I was the 3rd oldest guy enrolled (at 40), and before lunch on the 2nd day I was the 2nd oldest guy. In all, 2 guys drove themselves to the hospital, and 2 dropped out. I found the class valuable and would recommend to anyone who is remotely fit. It will kick your ass.

[Dropkick]

I had zero previous martial arts background, which put me at a significant disadvantage for most of the class. I would suggest getting more fit for it, though. I was the 3rd oldest guy enrolled (at 40), and before lunch on the 2nd day I was the 2nd oldest guy. In all, 2 guys drove themselves to the hospital, and 2 dropped out. I found the class valuable and would recommend to anyone who is remotely fit. It will kick your ass.

Really? What were their injuries?

[David S.]

As others have mentioned, get as much training as you can beforehand. Don't worry if you can't.

It has been said many times, ECQC is an audit of your self defense skills.

You will find what skills are good, what skills are adequate, and what skills are deficient.

For instance, I found:
My shooting skills exceeded what was required for this type of conflict.
My strength and conditioning were adequate.
My fighting technique, "will to live," and, of course, MUC are what got me "killed."

On the other hand, my training buddy who attended with me found himself much more formidable than expected. In spite of no recent H2H training, he was "that guy" that surprised everyone with how well he did on his first ECQC.

As an aside, the only panic attack I've ever had in my life was leading up to the 2-on-1. At the time, I didn't recognize it for what it was and thought it was dehydration leading to nausea. I opted out. No big deal.

[SLG]

In the 2 on 1, pretty much everyone got shot or stabbed or both. There are some artificialities in any kind of training, and some of these contributed to the high "injury" rate. The other aspect though is that 2 on 1 is just really hard in the real world.

I have done so much force on force, as well as full contact training, plus some real fighting, that I honestly felt no stress during the evolutions. I viewed them more as a bunch of separate fights (had to pause for helmet fixes and such) that I could learn and work certain aspects, rather than a bigger scenario where there was a winner or loser. In most cases, there would have been a pile of bloody bodies, rather than a winner. There were a couple of exceptions to that, and they were certainly cool to watch.

If you do feel stress during the exo's, then you should count yourself as lucky, and take full advantage.

I'm a bit beat up and after Sat., was really feeling my age. Come Sunday morning, I felt better than I thought, and was able to get into the fights with full vigor. I'm paying for it now, but at the time, I had a big smile on my face:-) I told Craig at the beginning that I was looking forward to getting my fight on, and I was able to volunteer for an additional evo beyond my allotted number. Craig and his assistants all said we were a very "fighty" class:-)

The benefit of the clinch pick cannot be met in another way, and has been reinforced as one of my most important pieces of equipment.

[NickA]

Great to hear this feedback from someone with your pedigree SLG, thanks for posting.
I'll third the opinion that you don't need any specific training going in, but I do recommend some conditioning, especially if you've been on the sedentary side for a while. Make no mistake, you'll still gas out in the evos, but it will help you get the most out of the class.
The first full day is not necessarily that intense (until the evos anyway), but you'll be pretty active for several hours. Otherwise, know your limits and don't be afraid to sit out if necessary. We lost two dudes after day one, I believe due to heat issues.
Another important thing - HYDRATE - especially if you'll be outside in warmer temps, and use sunscreen. Skyline1 stayed on me like a mother hen about this and it really helped.
The only other injury we had was kind of self inflicted. Great big powerlifter guy tried to arm curl his way out of an armbar, from a guy about half his size, and popped his bicep. Craig does a fantastic job moderating the intensity and matching people up, this one just happened too fast.

Sent from my XT1095 using Tapatalk

[SLG]

Great to hear this feedback from someone with your pedigree SLG, thanks for posting.

I appreciate that, but I would like to really reinforce what i said about SN as a teacher. I'm not going to go into silly detail, but if you read my bio page, you will get an idea of my frame of reference for teachers. I try to improve the training I provide every time I teach. When I take a class, I'm often more interested in the instructor's teaching ability, than in the material. SN is a REALLY excellent teacher, and his material is as good as it gets.

[taadski]

Great write up SLG.

I'm definitely not a believer in creating hurdles for joe-citizen to exercise their 2nd amendment rights. Far from it. But that said, I've long felt ECQC should be a mandatory experience for those who envision ever having to defend themselves with a firearm. I know I'm preaching to the choir, but far to many folks don't have a very good understanding of the "fight" part of the term 'gunfight'. Craig's class paints that picture VERY clearly.



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