Eskrima Kombat

I just recently purchased Geoff Thompson’s Kindle book The Fence, and it’s a must-have read that covers subjects you’re unlikely to find anywhere else. Geoff worked for years as a bouncer at a club, where he was involved in dozens of physical encounters. It was through these experiences as much as his martial arts background that he evolved his fighting method, a key part of which is The Fence. He admits that the fence is a simple concept.

“In most aspects of life where a problem might present itself, simplicity is usually the answer, but often it is often grossly overlooked because of its modest demeanor.”

What is interesting and unique about the fence is that it’s not so much about what you do during the fight, like most martial arts technique books and videos. The aim of the fence is to set you up pre-fight so that you are in a position of control.  As Geoff says, “The winner and loser in most situations is usually determined by what happens pre-fight as opposed to in-fight.”

The fence is a means of maintaining distance. He makes the point several times, as I have concluded, that you can’t afford to grapple. He gives examples of friends of his who were stabbed –one of them fatally– while grappling on the ground and bystanders got involved. He also cites guys who have been kicked to death by bystanders as they wrestled on the ground. If you think about it, as you go to the ground your head is at a level where someone standing and witnessing the fight can deliver a very powerful kick.

Geoff’s method is preemptive, meaning he aims for the first shot. He also goes for the knockout and explains how to knock someone out. Based on his experience and that of his peers, a knockout is not only possible, but very much probable using his system. If you can achieve a first shot knockout, then blocking, trading punches, grappling, weapons, etc., aren’t much of a concern.

The tactical and psychological insights Geoff offers are themselves enough to make the book a must-buy. But in a section that I find to be solid gold, Geoff includes the methods of his peers, men that he has personally seen triumph in physical confrontations, usually by way of knockout. To me this is extremely valuable real-life research on what works in violent confrontations.