KO Target-Acquisition
Your MIni-mission:
KO Target-Acquisition
Overview
The “KO Target-Acquisition” game develops your ability to quickly identify the most effective targets to strike on your attacker in order to achieve a one-strike knockout. When defending yourself, “where” you strike is even more important than “how hard” you strike – so quickly acquiring the most vulnerable point on your attacker should be a primary focus before you launch your strike agains them.
Materials Needed
- A realistic “human” target to practice with.
- This can be a “BOB” training dummy, a homemade PVC training dummy (see the “DIY Tactical Funhouse” course for instructions), or a photorealistic shooting target. A real person can be used to help you train but be careful with your strikes as these are high-value, high-damage targets you’re seeking out.
- Colored tape or some other marking material
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Mark Your 10 “KO Targets”: On your training “person”, place a small piece of colored tape or other marking on each of the “knockout targets” shown in your training:
- Forehead
- Chin (left/right/center)
- Neck (left-/right-side carotid artery)
- “GB20” (“Gall Bladder 20”; left-/right-side pressure points on the back of the head)
- “S6” Pressure Points (“Spleen 6”; inside of the legs – left-/right-side – one hand up from the ankle)
- Target One At A Time: Starting with only one of your 10 targets, stare at its precise location and with your body in a powerful (yet “natural”) position, reach out and softly “strike” the target using one of your practiced “street strikes” from your training.
Perform 10 strikes to the same target – starting with 5 slow-motion strikes to begin the “neuro-tactical programming” process of mapping your target-acquisition in the brain… and then slowly increase the speed of your strike with each repetition for your last 5 strikes. You only need to end at about 75-90% speed for your final strike for this to be effective.
- Slow Is Smooth, Smooth Is Fast: Do NOT yet worry about speed and power. Accuracy is far more important and the speed and power will be there when you need it in a real-life scenario.
- Score Your Hits: Record the number of “hits” on your precise target for your 100 strikes and use it to compare with future game sessions.
tips from the trenches
Pay Attention To Your Strike-Target Combos: Acquiring a target visually and being able to strike it effectively are not the same thing. Use different strikes against the same target so you can better identify your most effective striking methods for each of the targets you’re training with. Use this feedback for better understanding your own personal limitations better, as well as areas for continued training to continue to level-up.
Pick A Partner: If you have the availability of a training partner, it’s incredibly valuable to train in slow-motion with a real person… but it’s strongly suggested to first train with a static target and then confirm your training with a real person.
Wrapping Up
The “KO Target-Acquisition” game is absolutely necessary for long-term programming of your ability to quickly seek out your attacker’s body for “targets of opportunity” as the fight unfolds. Real attacks are dynamic in nature and your attacker isn’t going to stand there and wait for you to decide where you’re going to strike him. You must acquire the mastery of quickly identifying only a core number of high-value, high-damage targets on the human body and then decisively strike with a knockout blow to end the fight as fast as possible.