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Extract from The Bouncer site
Introduction Freaky Fred is the most Health and Safety unconscious training aid I have ever made. It is also the best training partner I ever had. I can whack, kick and throw Freaky Fred with great gusto, to hell with his landing. But, if I hit the wrong area, I can bust my hand, just like a real fight. For that reason, I have to stay focused when I train with him. Freaky Fred also allows me to back-engineer techniques until they have all their Fine Motor Skill Applications, Courtesy and Safety Protocol removed. I will now explain these points in more detail.
The Conception Freaky Fred was conceived the day my local GP (Dr. 'M') invited me home to see his training aid. We became friendly after I started attending his surgery for a series of injuries caused in my street fights with the Turnip Heads at the bars I covered. The treatment was mostly draining fluid from my elbows and knees. Fast contact with the concrete always exacts a toll. The older you are, the more help you need to recover from these events. Some GP's believe that your body will reabsorb the fluid from Bursitis, but my old system rejects this fluid.
Anyway... during one of these sessions we got talking about dealing with Turnip Heads. It appears GP's have as much trouble with Turnip Heads as any Bouncer. GP's can be called upon to administer in a dangerous situation that also jeopardizes their own safety. So... somewhere between draining, chatting and head locking the GP around his surgery, he mentioned his training aid.
As soon as I saw his training aid I was hooked. Dr. 'M' had constructed it so that the limb movement corresponded to the human anatomy. He demonstrated how to pick it up from a sitting position, stand it against the wall and also use arm locks. There was no end to the ways it could be used. Within a day, Dr. 'M' had constructed the bare skeleton of his training aid and presented it to a very grateful me. I had my own plans to take this initial idea a stage further.
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Freaky Fred - The Bare Bones The bare model shows how heavy duty hinges were used on the back of the knees and at the elbow joints. The centre of the body has a lead barbell weight attached to the heavy duty board. Shelf brackets were used to form the feet. Heavy duty electrical conduit was used where a more universal movement of the joint was required. This was accomplished by drilling a hole into the tops of the arms and then inserting the conduit. This was retained with two wood screws. It would be just as easy to use rope for this task. The head was formed with the conduit. because the whole body will be hung from the head, this section is well secured. |
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The Side View In order to allow more universal movement, the legs are attached to the body with conduit. Again, if the legs drop off through wear and tear, the next trial will be heavy duty rope. |
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Nearly Ready Freaky Fred still needs a head....but he is starting to take shape. The internal packing remains a secret, it's too Health and Safety unconscious to mention. But, it works for me. I knew the Bruce Lee gloves would come in handy one day. During my modification of the GP's gift, I made one leg longer than the other. This worked out better because Freaky Fred would stand in an open legged stance as opposed to a hanging man stance. |
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The Gallows
This piece of equipment has many uses. The tallest posts are 3 meters high and all the posts are 200mm square. The cross beam is of the same material with a section of angle iron attached to stop it from warping. The base of the cross beam has a heavy duty channel, as used in sliding doors. The channel has a single four wheel carrier fitted. |
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Freaky Fred (In the Checked Shirt) and Me The wheel carrier has a short metal rod attached. At the end of this rod is a shackle. The shackle is secured to the shackle in Freaky Fred's head. One of the shackles can be exchanged for a T iron when the equipment is used for throwing drills, so that Freaky Fred lifts and shifts into orbit when thrown. |
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C & R Training If you have a single student or training partner, that partner has to see a technique in action before they can imitate it. The learning curve is much faster if you demonstrate on the kit and then watch your partner on the kit. Here the kit is being used to build up muscle memory for the application of a Straight Arm Bar and walking the subject to the door.
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There will be occasions when a more vigorous and painful restraint are required. The kit can be used to build up muscle memory and move the subject along the beam. |
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Ground Work It happens....Shit happens. When you drop a Reptile, the fight has simply moved to another plane....it is far from over. Drop down fast to capitalize on your good fortune. Make sure your knee lands on something soft that squeals. Bent wrists??? In training always use your palm heel attacks. Who knows?? Perhaps in a real fight you will remember to use them with good effect.
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In this situation I have dropped the opponent, kneeing and kicking the groin on my way down, about to straddle the body with my legs on the outside. I am attacking the opponent's face, trying to induce him to put his hands up in defense. When that happens, I will apply an arm lock. If the opponent is unable to lift their arms, then the fight is over. This position also represents one of the stages in dismounting an opponent without getting kneed. My left foot is on the ground and my right knee is on the opponent's chest as a distraction. At this stage your cover men are coming in to lift the opponent in a restraint. |
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Again, after throwing the opponent down, you want to land on something soft that squeals. While the opponent is disorientated and winded, you can apply an arm lock or restraint to conclude the interaction. |
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Courtesy Protocol, Mat Etiquette and Safety Procedures. The Inside Hock In this situation, both protagonists have warned each other that they are ready to fight and ready to defend. Try and avoid this type of posturing in a street fight. Always drop 'em and run. |
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The attacker has punched out and the defender has anticipated the punch in order to execute a block. Not real...in the street, a punching arm never stays out long enough to either catch or block The attacking arm is usually part of a combination or simply pulled back too fast to counter. Here the defender is too static. He should be ducking, bobbing or dodging the assault. Note how the defender has closed in on his rear leg with it positioned between the attacker's legs. The foot is raised on the toes and the knee joint is in contact with the attackers. In the final stages of the Inside Hock, the defender straightens his leading leg and drops his heel to the ground. This sharp action will lift the attacker's foot off the ground and splay the leg out to the attacker's left. |
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The defender's right forearm is pushing the attackers throat in order to induce the attacker to fall straight back. This combination of the fighting posture, initial block and the fine motor skills involved in using this technique will not be available in a real fight. The principles are sound but the application is concerned for the safe throwing and recovery of the attacking partner. So, how do you escape from this dichotomy of Combat Efficiency and Safety? The answer is not simple. What you have to do is,
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The Inside Hock for Real Once upon a time I asked a Col Blimp type what he thought of my fighting tactics. He tried to insult me by saying "I've never seen anything like it" People are usually horizontal in front of me when they are saying that. Here is an example of the back-engineering you can apply to modern throws with their plethora of Courtesy Protocol and Safety Procedures. This type of throw is used only when your life is in danger, as the opponent will not be the same after this application. |
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Adrenalin will give you wings. Instead of running away, try leaping into the opponent. The right hand is up to distract the opponent, he has not closed the distance as yet. He is still trying to pump up on adrenalin before he launches his attack. He needs time,.. time to think about making your face look like a busted sofa, time for the adrenalin to push him into Reptile Mode and time to close in. Get there before he can. Your left arm covers his strong right arm, your right forearm connects with a lethal or a less than lethal target, depending on the situation. And, finally you leading leg lands between, behind or close to his.
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Drive the opponent back with a combination of arm thrusts and hip thrusts. If your heel has trapped one of the opponent's, they will fall hard on the back of their head. Some of these illustrations are a bit fuzzy. That is because I have air brushed out the clothes line and pole. I'd love to cut it down but, my wife won't let me. |
Ronnie Gamble, the author of this article, is a Control and Restraint Instructor. He also has a BSc. (Hons) in Social Psychology and Sociology. At present he is researching into group behavior at social events and also, planning a training programme for Door Supervisors and Stewards.
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