WHAT IS A.C.T?
The A.C.T. is an acronym that stands for Adaptive Combatives and Tactics. I developed this concept while teaching Krav Maga at a local studio. Some of the students I was teaching in Krav Maga seemed to struggle with the idea of thinking outside of the box and committing to accomplishing the big picture goal. A few were focused on using techniques and strikes to do the job that maneuvering smartly would have accomplished, showing a lack of tactical mindfulness. A few were struggling to embrace the aggressive and combative nature of Krav Maga, leaving them open to being overcome. Also, they were not well versed in the basic principles of other disciplines such as Judo, Jui-Jitsu, or armed fighting, which left them handicapped when the situations escalated or their beloved techniques failed.
BE READY TO ‘ACT’
As Liam Neeson said in Batman Begins, “Training is nothing. Will is everything. The will to ACT”. This line clearly illustrates why I feel this acronym is fitting for everyone from the private citizen to the Tier 1 operator. Without the will to intervene with an attack on your person, no amount of training will help you.
You can get the best training in the world, but without the will to accept the risks that go along with acting out that training, you have merely wasted your time. There are plenty of cases of “well trained” individuals who froze or panicked in their first combat experience simply because they went through the motions in training and didn’t truly believe the threats were real.
There were other reasons for people freezing in combat, such as the mental wear and tear of processing danger, and mental fatigue, but these were mostly veterans and people who were under continuous exposure to life and death situations. But that is a separate issue I will discuss in another article.
When I hear people say “well, yeah, if I ‘HAD’ to, I would”, I shake my head. The problem with this hypothetical is that it is relying on you being given a white and black scenario where intent of your attacker is obvious and perfectly laid out in front of you. This shows a complete underestimation of the dynamic nature of the world.
Criminals are ambush predators and opportunists. This is why treating everyone with a level of suspicion has saved many lives in the Law Enforcement community. This is why tactics for LEOs is to use appropriate spacing and cover in field interviews and traffic stops. The training is attempting to make them take actions that will give them time to react or respond to threats. Many officers will relax after being on the street without a serious test of their metal, but only at their own peril. There was an experienced and grizzled Officer who was teaching at my Security Academy who, with great conviction, said “The day you start using the word “routine” to describe any of your duties, is the day it is time to quit”. This was followed by a slew of videos showing the difference between the outcomes for officers that were relaxed and those who were suspicious. This worked to teach many that a situation requires vigilance, tactical awareness, and a will to act when the time comes.
It all begins with your mindset and your will to survive and fight. Even if you have no skills in fighting, are you willing to learn how to better defend yourself, or just hope that everyone has good intentions? The act of defending yourself begins with you understanding your right to self-defense and taking a proactive approach to enhancing your capabilities. This means being watchful for threats, and taking steps to learn how to answer the threats you face. It all begins with you willing to ACT.
BE ADAPTIVE
A big handicap in a variety of the role-playing we would conduct is linear thinking. Students who are practicing using Krav Maga would forget about the idea of using a pistol, knife, baton, or other weapon to defend themselves. This was a severe handicap, as well as a failure to be capable of blending techniques from other disciplines and exploiting weaknesses in the moment. This kind of linear thinking is like having a hammer and treating everything like a nail. People who love to shoot will often dream of these ideal scenarios where they have time to use both hands to draw their firearm against the obvious attacker/bad guy. martial arts practitioners will dream about someone who is obviously in need of getting knocked out or grappled. What all these disciplines are forgetting is that situations develop and they can happen anywhere, at any time, to anyone, and by anyone. You have to be training to handle yourself in many different areas, situations, and expose yourself to extreme variables such as no-win scenarios and situations where you get to decide when the situation calls for force. Be adaptive to the situation and be ready to act.
BE COMBATIVE
I know that when you see the word “combative”, you instantly are thinking of different ways of using force against another person. In a way, yes. But in this application, I am using the word “combative” to describe any form of resistance to an attack, including-
Active avoidance (running away)
Verbal de-escalation
Using empty-handed techniques
using a less lethal weapon (OC, Taser)
using a deadly weapon (Baton, Knife, Firearm)
I believe in learning how to do all of the above, and practicing them as a skill to be used, as needed. Again, you will have to be adaptive to the situation and use the appropriate tool for the job. Don’t be a one-trick pony and only focus on one discipline. Sure, it is cool to be a Black Belt in some discipline, but no single discipline will prepare you for the variety of threats that await us all.
BE TACTICALLY MINDED
Part of self-defense is thinking constantly and planning for contingencies. Be watchful as you are cruising around in civilian life and spot areas that could be used as an emergency exit. Look at the individuals around you and try to spot out those that are least aware of their surroundings, and the ones who are looking around. Use that grey matter between your ears to think ahead, before the fight and consider “if I were attacked by someone using (fill in the blank: fists, gun, knife, bat, etc.) what would be my best defense? Do I have room to kick, to maneuver? Any improvised weapons nearby? Think about your environment and your situation.
Make plans and practice to act against-
Immediate threats (Will have no time to prepare and will require reaction)
Imminent threats (Will have some time to prepare and will allow some response and some reaction)
Intentional threats (Will have plenty of time to avoid or stage yourself in position of advantage and possibly recruit help)
SUMMARY
As an avid practitioner in Krav Maga, small unit tactics, and civilian self-defense, I know that there are a variety of ways to accomplish a task in self-defense. Some methods and techniques are less optimal than others, though every fighting system claims to have “the best way” for skinning that proverbial cat. The idea behind A.C.T. is to use combative techniques in a tactically sound manner, adapting to the situation as it develops. I designed A.C.T. around being a system of tools and skills coming together to create a network of defense. It is a system that promotes versatility, longevity, and continued growth, not stagnations and resting on your laurels.