622 - On Combat: Learn faster - Train slower

James LaFond and Jeth Randolph - from the forthcoming book: "On Combat (2nd Edition)"

Copyright © 2026 by Jeth Randolph

All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the author.

“On Combat: An Anglo-American Frictionary”

Expanded 2nd Edition by James LaFond and Jeth Randolph.

This book will be a practical and experiential handbook on recognising, avoiding, countering, and escaping criminal aggression—covering empty-hand, blunt weapons, and knives—while weighing legal consequences and contrasting transatlantic realities.

Chapters by Jeth will be published here for paid supporters and tagged “On Combat” .

The full, much-expanded special edition print book will follow via Casting Darts Publishing.

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“Slow is smooth and smooth is fast”

In survival fight training and in martial arts in general, the fastest route to progress is often the slowest. Here I will be discussing deliberate, skill-focused sparring. Sparring is a vital part of preparation for survival oriented situations. I have heard many criticisms of it over the years, (some of which I suspect are financially driven for retention and marketing) but have yet to find a convincing alternative for having it in the training spectrum along with other methods.

While some chase constant intensity and “full bore” rounds, the most sustainable, and long term productive training I believe, prioritises technique, structure, targeting, timing, and tactical growth over ego and brute force.

This approach applies equally to empty-hand fighting and weapon-based training with sticks, blades, or other tools, a subject not within the frameworks of combat sports which traditionally spar.

As I hinted above, skill or touch sparring is not the complete picture, it forms one vital part of a broader training spectrum that includes conditioning, technical drills, scenario work, co-ordination and improvisation drills, and yes, harder sessions, but it leads trainees toward a more positive, healthy, and sustainable path than the relentless “go hard or go home!” mentality.

Sparring may be limited, or freeform in structure depending on instruction given.

Yesterday was training with Sensei T - just under an hour of non-stop bareknuckle improvisational work using a focus of corkscrew/ stacked fist punches to the face, liver, spleen , ribs, solar plexus and nose. All punches were with good form that was enough to disrupt structure and off balance on placement. This was followed by a further half hour of continuous knife v knife work using a mix of disarming cuts as well as fatal stabs. All this training was at a steady slower pace and worked on by trainees taking turns to attack and defend. Training as it should be, productive, focused and safe.

These following notes are written for those new to training, so they can start with strong, longevity oriented principles from day one, and for experienced fighters who recognise the value periodically revisiting and refining the foundations that truly matter.

The Hidden Costs of “Go Hard” Training

Full-bore training (and drilling), constant hard sparring at maximum speed and power can very well do more harm than good. It instils fear in trainees who repeatedly get smashed, crushed, or submitted. This repeated negative reinforcement erodes confidence, particularly for developing students. It also dramatically increases injury risk, including joint injuries and concussions from repeated impacts.

Over time, these sessions breed caution rather than courage, hesitation instead of creativity, and higher dropout rates - it’s not a cool thing to consider that a partner might have ceased training for good due to our own over-zealousness in using force in class. In contrast, controlled skill sparring can build real resilience through consistent progress and mutual trust.

Why Slow, Deliberate Training Accelerates Development

Reducing speed creates space for conscious learning. At slower tempos, you can analyse balance breaks, grip adjustments, angles, and transitions in real time. This builds precise muscle memory and sharp tactical decision-making. Partners last longer, train more frequently, and recover better, leading to greater overall volume and compounded growth.

The same principles apply to weapon training.

Slow, controlled weapons sparring allows practitioners to perfect distancing, targeting and disruption attempts without catastrophic risk. Rushing weapon work at full speed often leads to sloppy technique and serious injuries. Deliberate practice develops the composure and precision that translate to high-pressure scenarios.

Slow, randomised sessions become like play where the brain is free from fear and open to creativity and accelerated learning.

Principles for Better Technical Development

Effective skill sparring — whether empty-hand or with weapons:

• In terms of pressure: touch the face, and superficially strike only the surface of the body.

• Keep fists loose.

• The difference from a real strike or tactic used is the lack of speed plus no intention to harm.

• Low kicks (especially to joints etc should only be touches). Even foot slaps against joints can have potential for great harm at an unprepared moment.

• With takedowns, stop at the acquisition phase and use no further momentum before releasing and moving on.

• The same with joint cranks.

• Match the speed of your partner. If you find yourself speeding up - slow down!

• Keep continuous breathing to avoid tension creep.

• Keep your teeth shut!

• Allow your partner’s attempts to develop fully so the mechanics, timing, and feel can be internalised. Do not immediately disrupt, deny or dominate every effort.

• With the greatest of respect: Shut up. Resist the urge to stop a learner every ten seconds to bombard them with your training knowledge or show them something several steps down the line from what a coach has instructed.

• Allow someone time to get things wrong a couple of times and adapt to the new model or working. Use just enough input to help them without eating up the whole session with a lecture.

• Take deliberate turns attacking and defending as instructed by a coach. In weapon training, alternate roles fully and as instructed so both partners develop.

• Relaxation is one of the most important fighting skills there is. It must be present to enable the development of creative violence.

• Prioritise skill, tactics, positioning and timing over “reality -based” intensity they have more long term merit. Focus instead on strategy, setups, feints, and positional awareness rather than emotions or winning.

• Use controlled power and resistance at all times. Apply appropriate strength and speed to prevent injuries. Controlled training demonstrates true mastery.

• Learning and improvement for both parties over winning. Give positive feedback on good or creative technique from your partner - they might have just taught you an idea after all!

• Maintain composure. Let emotions take a backseat. This isn’t and NEVER should be a real fight!

• Soft training allows for regular mixed weight/ skill partner combinations - just like in real life. Full bore training does not, and so we need to create unrealistic weight/ skill matches to reduce injury risk.

• Your partner is the most important person in the room. They are helping you develop.

• If their skill level is low and they do weird stuff, remember that guy who tries to mug you might also do weird shit too! Try and adapt to it and use it for development.

• The better you can make your partner, the better the training experience they will offer you over time.

The Role of Limited Full-Bore Experience

Full-bore training and the occasional taste of real pressure have their place — but they should be limited and purposeful. The experience of intense sparring or an actual fight carries over and gives you a new perspective on softer work.

All of these things are secondary to the real experience of having been attacked - they will only ever be partial aspects of the real thing. Without fear of life, it will always be like that no matter what some dude’s marketing says.

Once you’ve felt genuine adrenaline and chaos, the slower, technical sessions become richer. Softer training amplifies what you’ve learned in harder moments. It gives you the space and time to refine details, wire new pathways, and integrate lessons that chaos alone cannot teach.

A highly experienced (decades) police trainer that I know once explained that adrenal stress training has clear limits. He is of the opinion that after repeated real-world exposure at a high enough level, it stops working as effectively for veterans. Such training is best reserved for new recruits who need to experience pressure for the first time and have that benchmark experience to draw from going forward.

For the average member of the public, a good coach will occasionally apply controlled pressure to build confidence. However, for those who show up already experienced in fighting, the greater benefits come from technical development, heightened awareness, and soft-skills refinement rather than repeated maximum-intensity drills.

Dominance Theatre, or “Thanks for the MBT, dude!”

I was once struck full force in the head from behind during a supposed skill learning section of a seminar by a well-known UK self-defence instructor, ostensibly to “teach me a lesson.” Which was hilarious as I was, along with a small group of others, about sixty seconds into trying to figure out a series of moves he’d just asked for.

I spoke with James LaFond and was interested to hear that he had experienced something very similar with another prominent figure from the US who espoused equally hard training during a seminar demo.

Sometimes you can be set up as a visiting instructor from another system - no matter how polite and respectful you are - I was asked in a friendly way where I was from, and then told that I trained with Hock Hochheim and was therefore from a soft style in comparison to theirs. The sucker punches are to show you as “caught out” in front of their people.

This is to show that ALL training must be hammer and tongs or it isn’t realistic to those that have bought into the whole belief system of the style.

It’s also about marketing to the type of fearful individual that is impressed by strength and size too.

Beyond the squared circle

The habits you build in controlled sparring transfer well to life. In a frictional world full of conflicts that can’t be appropriately answered with physical responses like workplace disagreements, family tensions, negotiations, or difficult conversations , “full bore”-only reactive types can struggle.

Skillful training instils the ability to give others space, time your responses, and seek creative, tactical solutions instead of just ploughing in. It builds calmer individuals who handle prolonged duress far better than uptight “Caveman gross motor” advocates.

Don’t get me wrong the bodybuilder, tattooed bull-in-a-china shop approach can work well on a specific type of situation and aggressor demographic - if you have the physical agency to do it - and in short bursts, but can crumble when situations become far more complex or drawn-out - and almost like clockwork, they may well be.

Most of us inhabiting the Blue Corner of life need a broad range of creative solutions to survive rather than just one.

Train like an old man

Skill sparring supports smarter, more sustainable progress. It is far better for your long-term health than constant maximum-intensity training. Some karate systems advise shifting from hard “Sanchin” training to softer methods around age fifty, to avoid health problems. You can see that the belief contains some recognition of the non-sustainability of certain methods.

A man I trained with when I was younger advised: “Why not train like an old man when you’re young?” Build control, precision, and sustainability early so you can train effectively for decades. As an older man now, I can see and understand the bigger picture of this smart advice. We are training to survive a lifetime rather than for some finite short term goal.

How Training Should Make You Feel

If you only have the benefit of partner training once a week, that time would be better spent doing softer developmental technical sparring and drilling and then adding solo bag work and so on in your own time, than attempting to go as hard as possible, get injured, need time off work, or be unable to even solo train due to wear and tear.

If your time is limited and you are not training for an immanent problem situation OR specific combat sport event, then you are training for longevity by default.

On most occasions, you should leave training feeling energised by the session, not depressed and smashed to bits. If you consistently walk away drained, demoralised, or especially if you are often injured, it is worth honestly considering the cause.

This doesn’t mean you should stop training at that club, it just means you should examine the intensity, the culture, your training partners, or the overall approach and then decide if that can be improved or not. Sustainable progress comes from training that nourishes both body and spirit.

Long-Term Benefits

Whether you are brand new to training or a seasoned fighter, embracing these principles will give you deeper technical understanding, fewer injuries, stronger mental resilience, and more all-round confidence while still allowing a nothing-off-the-table approach to defending yourself.

Avoid the fear and eroded/erroneous self-belief common in ego-driven environments and instead become an adaptable, composed individual who excels under pressure , unarmed, with and against weapons, and in life.

Slow, skillful training used in the correct way doesn’t just build better fighters, I believe it builds more patient, respectful, emotionally regulated, and strategically minded people.

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