EMOTIONAL CLIMATE TRAINING (ECT)

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ECT THEORY & DRILLS

(Revisit the Primary Initiation Attack Theory™, Intention to Action Principle)

ECT is a six-stage drill that fully dissects and defines every nuance of an
INITIATION ATTACK and shows opportunities for evasions, interceptions and
recovery/counter attack.

Stage 1 WEAN THE FLINCH Role-Player Aggressor starts the action.

At a safe speed with controlled contact & follow-through, allow the full cycle of action
(punch, weapon strip, tackle, etc) and monitor every stage (personal) of the assault. Do
not intercept or attempt to move, this is key to the formula. Over a short period of time
you will relax into the assault and begin to notice more rather than worry about what your
partner is doing. This process ‘acclimates’ you through the repetition until there are no
REACTIVE FLINCHES (muscular or nervous). For teaching & training purposes, its
important to note this transition as well as notice it in others.

*While we don’t want to nor can we truly wean a natural flinch, in close quarter the less
we flinch, the looser we are, the sooner, faster, meaner we’re all over the aggression.
Nervous tension diminishes spontaneity!

Stage 2 NARRATION PHASE Aggressor starts the action.

Stage 2 only starts when the ‘relative relaxation’ kicks in from Phase 1 (Do not rush the
formula). Good Guy narrates the same solo attack and describes and identifies any pre-
contact cue from stance shifts to a pectoral flex, from eye shifts to finger twitches. And
so on. The importance of this phase is to demonstrate how early an attack can be picked
up. Rather than waiting for the in-coming, we intercept during the loading phase!!

This phase also helps with articulation if necessary and allows the Good Guy to observe
the INTENTION TO ACTION PRINCIPLE empirically.

Stage 3 SAFE & UNSAFE PHASE Good Guy starts the drill.

IMPORTANT DISTINCTION: From this phase on the Good Guy starts the action by
saying out loud: SAFE/SAFE/SAFE…etc until just prior to contact and during contact at
which point he says UNSAFE, UNSAFE-SAFE SAFE.

SAFE represents no contact or line of contact (E.g. weapons/projectiles- opponent can
have a gun but if its not pointed at you [yet] you’re still relatively safe!) UNSAFE
represents a definite point of contact (fist, foot, bottle) or potential contact (gun).

After just two repetitions the participants realize that typically there are 5 to 7 more safe
moments (beats) in every solo attack. This is a magic realization for the warrior athlete.
Why? Because conventional training based on the stimulus/response models fail
because the attacks are launched with the interception occurring during the most ballistic
point or at the angle of entry. (I.e. we slip a punch as it nears us, we block a punch as it
near us, we parry a gun when it’s pointed at us, etc.). The SAFE/UNSAFE evolution
empirically demonstrates the wasted time and opportunity caused by training exclusively
with the conventional sport model.

Stage 4 PRIMAL SPEAR TACTIC Good Guy starts the drill.

During the SAFE, SAFE evolution the operator will intercept ‘just’ prior to the UNSAFE
moment using a PRIMAL FLINCH/SPEAR. This phase is crucial to understanding the
TIME-LINE PRINCIPLE and the connectivity of the startle/flinch mechanism to the
conversion into a tactical action.

The PRIMAL SPEAR should be launched as late as possible to prove that the flinch is a
genuine survival tactic.

*Most people focus too much on the tactical phase, forgetting that a greater danger
exists during the PROTECTIVE and PRIMAL moments which are determined not by
wishful thinking but by the SUDDENNESS, AGGRESSION & PROXIMITY (SAR) of the
opponent. (We are at risk during the ambush not when we are the [metaphoric] sniper.)

*Contact should be made during all evolutions so that balance, recovery, angles and
CWCT (CLOSEST WEAPON/CLOSET TARGET) awareness are all developed.
Obviously attacks to groin, throat etc should be slightly off-line to protect the softer, more
sensitive or vulnerable regions.

PRIMAL SPEARS occur during the STEI moment & SUDDEN AMBUSH.
PROTECTIVE SPEARS result when there is awareness of a growing problem and the
attack is sooner than anticipated but you had started engaging the aggressor mentally,
verbally or even physically.

Stage 5 PROTECTIVE SPEAR Good Guy starts the drill.

During the SAFE, SAFE, UNSAFE evolution the Good Guy will launch the
PROTECTIVE SPEAR just slightly in advance of UNSAFE moment but not anywhere
near the INTENTION TO ACTION moment.

Remember, PROTECTIVE SPEARS are characterized by a pushing aware gesture
where the body & axis, head & mind are fighting between the trained tactical imperative
(move towards the danger) and the behavioral imperative (move away from danger).

Important note: Remember, the temptation to jump the gun (pardon the pun) is created
with the realizations created during SPEAR DRY-FIRE evolutions and then the
SAFE/UNSAFE stage when ‘we’ finally realize that we can move earlier to negate an
attack. DO NOT JUMP SPEED! Make sure that attention to detail is paid to replicating a
true PRIMAL and PROTECTIVE SPEAR during stage 5 & 6.

Stage 6 TACTICAL SPEAR Good Guy starts the drill.

Good Guy is fully engaged anticipates the attack and launches at the INTENTION TO
ACTION stage. (Again, allow for a beat to simulate processing the aggression; in real
life, your brain (body/mind system) must still process the resistance. The SAP Model
even with Consent, Awareness and Skill still is a factor. During this stage the Good Guy
calls SAFE, SAFE but as soon as the aggressor intimates (proverbial furtive gesture)
then a TACTICAL SPEAR should be launched.
BEHAVIORAL INTEGRITY: Crucial to this is the replication of a mini flinch to further
ingrain the startle/flinch conversion process. The classic error is to launch a ‘sport’
SPEAR rather than a ‘street’ SPEAR (which by definition includes the primal moment).

This detail is merely an integrity focus to create Pavlovian Muscle-memory so that
reactive unconscious flinches are picked up by the warriors tactical imperative: “I
must move towards the bad-guy” – this is extremely important in very close
quarter incidents.

In real life you may not flinch during a telegraphic attack or telegraphed resistance, but it
is far safer and important have hard-worked the conversion phase through diligent
training.

The Magic and Benefits of the ECT Formula:

1. Identifies true pre-contact cues (BE A GOOD BAD GUY™ REPLICATIONS)
2. Builds components of FEAR MANAGEMENT and PAIN MANAGEMENT, as
controlled impact should always be included when possible.
3. Helps develop ‘after-action’ awareness through the NARRATION PRINCIPLE during
stage 2. Assists in any post incident legal action.
4. Identifies, CWCT (CLOSEST WEAPON/CLOSEST TARGET) relationships.
5. Greatly reduces real world fear of altercation by viscerally demonstrating how to
aggressively engage a threat at close quarter.
6. POWER OF ONE slogan comes to life as practitioners realize that one move, born of
one’s survival instinct can negate virtually all initiation attacks…linear logic suggests if
you stymie and squash the’ initiation attack’ (SAR) then the fight is nearly over (provided
you can follow up aggressively).

REPETITION OF ECT

Vs. Haymaker
Vs. Tackle

MIRROR DRILLS Phase 2 (evaluate spontaneity after ECT training)

1. Headlock
2. Tackle

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