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Why We Do What We Do...

Writer's picture: Sifu Jeramiah GiehlSifu Jeramiah Giehl

Why I do things the way I do. As a martial artist for over 30 years. I train people who are active military, law enforcement and security professionals and civilians seems like a lot who were former street fighters who train with me because they know what we train works and is up to date with current military and law enforcement practices. I've worked as a bouncer and security guard for many years and have seen my share of action. Growing up I was involved in around 35 street fights or so that I remember, not something I'm proud of but just a fact of life growing up in the inner city. In high school I was on the wrestling team, then I got into Taekwondo and competed in that. I got in a couple underground MMA / smoker fights definitely more vale tudo style . It was my fights in the streets, dealing with gang violence, drunk bar fights, altercations with law enforcement as a drunk and disorderly youth acting stupid, security / bouncer work and various fights that inform what I do.


As the UFC became popular I was training in BJJ, Muay Thai and Trapfighting (shoot fighting). But I was still getting in occasional altercations that were "Mass attack" and the MMA format wasn't touching on that. So I started to get back into JKD and Krav Maga, and Kali but still training BJJ and MMA because it's what people are doing. For me the main thing is what works in a street fight, self defense, I've been attacked with weapons, had attempted robberies by gang members with guns and walked away with my life.


For me if you don't train for weapons or mass attack your not training for self defense your training for an MMA fight.


This is one reason even though JKD is a core art for me I'm taking the weapons and sparring them and pressure testing them using JKD and fencing principles because in a street you need to deal with them. If you look at the pictures Bruce Lee shot that were used the Bruce Lee's Fighting Method books he covers weapons and mass attack. Unfortunately I see some JKD people who only train JKD stand up kickboxing. Honestly you need to train weapons and mass attack if what you do is meant for street fighting where your dealing with gang members and people violent crimes.


Fortunately not everyone lives a like where gang members and people commiting violent crimes are around so not everyone has a training martial arts for that reason. I teach and train specifically for that type of scenario.


I like what Guro Burton Richardson says "train to be self defense athletes." Train like and MMA fighter but for self defense. That's a mindset I've adopted. But as Bruce Lee said you have to train your whole body. We are training for total violent combat.


We definitely employ a lot of Paul Vunak's Rapid Assault Tactics program he developed for Seal Team 6, but I also pull elements from Krav Maga, Gracie Combatives / Old School Self Defense BJJ, and Kali / Fencing. The focus for us is total combat that is functional pressure tested and meets the standards of current military and law enforcement practices not just something done 100 or 50 or even 30 years ago. Combat adapts when you become good at something people train to overcome that and thus martial arts will always have to adapt and change.

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