AN INTERVIEW WITH OCFM'S RUSSELL STUTELY

RUSSELL Stutely is one of the formost experts in pressure point applications in martial arts.

Although Russell has trained in many traditional systems, he is well known for his modern combat system Open Circle Fighting Method, or OCFM.

Martial News group editor Phil Doherty finds out more about this remarkable instructor.

PHIL Doherty: Hello Russell, thank you for agreeing to do this interview...
Russell Stutetly:  Hello Phil, thank you for asking me...

PD:  May we start with how long have you been training in martial arts? Who did you start training with and where was this? What system was your first martial art?  What styles and system have you trained in over the years? Why did you choose those particular systems? What is the one system you enjoy the most and why?
RS: I first started training when I was years-old in Shukokai Karate… I did that on and off for a while. Then I got into Boxing and Kickboxing and eventually Shotokan Karate. This was always an on and off situation till I was about 24-years-old… since then I have never stopped training. This has been in Shotokan, Boxing, kick Boxing, Ryukyu Kempo, Ju Jitsu and of course a long time study of Pressure Points. I just kind of fell into these styles. I have always loved Boxing and consider it a mainstay to any system. If I had to pick one system that I enjoy the most… then currently it would be Boxing. This changes every few months though!

PD: Who is your hero and why?
RS: I don’t really have any Heroes so as to speak. I think anyone that works hard to support themselves and their Families is a Hero… I am not interested in any tough man hero stories… they are usually complete BS anyway!

PD:  What grades do you hold? And which one means the most you and why?
RS: I hold a number of grades in various styles ranging from 1st Dan to 6th Dan. The grade that means most me to me is my 3rd Dan Torite Jutsu under Tom Muncy and Rick Moneymaker. This is purely because of the vast amount of information and teaching skills required at that time to attain that grade. Plus, they are two of the best Instructors on the planet and two of the nicest people you could ever wish to meet. We are still great friends.

PD: You have black belts in traditional systems, how did you get into modern combat systems? What attracted you to this part of martial and combat arts and why?
RS: Again, I just fell into it. Over the years there has been so many ‘experts’ and ‘gurus’ who preach this, that and the other. It just made no sense. It was either ridiculously basic or ridiculously difficult. So, we just trained in what works. Which, of course, is different for everyone. So, we teach what works for each person as an individual. There has to be some basic do's and don'ts in place of course… but after that, training should be based around the qualities that the person has.

PD: You are trail-blazer in modern systems by combining different arts and principles together...what do you love the most about the OCFM system and why? Can you explain to the readers what the main principles that underpin the system are?
RS: Describing the OCFM is a difficult task as it means so many things to so many people. In some ways it is easier to say what it is not! Martial Artists tend to have a background in a traditional art such as, Shotokan Karate, TKD etc. These Arts and indeed many others are all considered to be a "style". There are of course many styles of Karate; Shotokan, Shito-Ryu, Shukokai, Goju etc and then branches and off shoots within each of those. Still, they are all considered a "style" and practitioners of these arts are referred to as "stylists" of those same arts. Therefore these practitioners are easily distinguished from others due to those "stylistic" differences and ways to accomplish the same goals, e.g a punch or a kick. These slight differences in application and technique encourage much debate about which is better, sometimes rather heated debate. Stylists from one area may argue over the correct way to be in a certain stance etc. 

All of this is of course a complete waste of time. To argue those semantics is a waste of your training time. To worry about the aesthetics of a technique, with no deep understanding of that same technique, is worthless training. These styles or rather stylists, fall into the trap of learning and performing in a "monkey see, monkey do" manner. To them, the effectiveness takes 2nd place to how it looks. Plus, they must all look the same, regardless of body type, build, body structure and ability level. This is rather like trying to fit a round peg in a square hole!

The OCFM completely differs from this in so many ways. We learn and teach from a principle based method as oppose to the monkey method. It matters not, the aesthetics of the technique, just the effectiveness at that given moment in time.
The key to gaining that effectiveness is by applying "known and proven" principles to each and every technique. This is why practitioners of numerous and diverse "styles" have been able to incorporate the OCFM principles and thus free themselves of the shackles of their system, whilst still remaining true to the original concepts and ideas of a system they may have dedicated much of their life to.

PD: What is Principle Based Training?
RS: It is quite literally what it says. For example, in a typical Karate School, a front kick will be taught in a specific way and that is how it MUST be performed… no matter what!
In OCFM, we would say that the objective is to get your weapon (e.g the foot) to the target (e.g groin) in the fastest, most powerful, most impactive and most destructive manner possible, whilst at the same time, maximising your own safety and ability to carry on with further strikes and or defend yourself.

That general statement could be applied to any strike to any part of the body and that same principle of effectiveness then applied to all locks, throw, takedowns, strangles etc.. in fact to each and every technique! To do this properly, means that we must have a thorough understanding of the body and how it works. It is this understanding that can enable us to "break down" each technique into its constituent parts and then re-build it, adding in as many of our principles as possible, to increase the effectiveness still further.

So, to do this and to teach this to others, we must know and understand as many of these principles as possible. We must be able to articulate, demonstrate and impart this knowledge in an easy to understand, easy to replicate fashion.

Sounds a daunting task! To be able to break down every technique and rebuild it!
Well, the good news is that the vast majority of the hard work has been done for you. The principles (often referred to as Players) upon which techniques are based, have been documented and laid out in a structured learning plan. In this way, the Coach, can more easily pass this information on to his students.

To make this easier to understand, think of it like this. If you have a Boxing background, then you have a completely different training background to a Judoka. However, many of the principles that make up a technique will be the same. How could they be? One is punching and the other is throwing and locking etc.
Well, look at it this way, what do you need to have in place before you can punch or throw your opponent? Distance, your own stability and balance, loss of balance and/or stability in your opponent, alignment of your own body, mis-alignment of your opponent, footwork and the list goes on.
These are all PRINCIPLES that make up a technique. From the above example, you can now see that these principles can be picked up from one area, say striking, and utilised in another, say throwing.

PD: You known across the world for your pressure point skill and knowledge. Could you please explain to the reader the place these skills fit in context to wider martial art techniques and principles? When should you use pressure points...and when is it not wise to use them?
RS: If the principles outlined above are in place, then you will be using Pressure points and what we call players to The Game in everything that you do. They are an integral part of your technique. They are an addition to that which you currently know… not a replacement

PD: What is the highlight of your martial arts career and why?
RS: The main highlights are the people I have met, the friends I have made and seeing the "light bulb" moment every time we teach. Plus, seeing the results that Police Officers get after just a few hours of training in my system. They are able to make it work in real life situations right out of the box

PD: If you had your time again what would you do different and why?
RS: Coach more fighters and have a full on fighters gym (assuming that lottery win came through). I still firmly know that armed with the information we have at our disposal in the OCFM, that we can advance fighters at any level way beyond where they are now. That would be so cool!

PD: What are your ambitions for the future?
RS: To keep passing on this VITAL information to as many people as possible. To ensure the development and growth of my Coaches and enjoy watching them help others to advance their studies to new levels.

PARALYMPIC JUDO STAR VISITS SCHOOL

By Luke Robbins

PARALYMPIC Judo star Sam Ingram has returned to school to help inspire a new generation.

Ingram, who won a silver medal at the London 2012 Paralympics, visited Whoberley Hall Primary School, Coventry, to give a talk to the children on Olympic Judo.

He told them about winning his bronze medal in Beijing 2008 and his aim to win gold at the next Games being held in Rio Janiero, Brazil in 2016.

he also demonstrated Judo techniques, and then had the children try them out.

Sam was born with a condition which affects his vision. He was born with conal dystrophy, which has left Sam with impaired vision, sensitivity to bright lights and poor colour vision.

Laura Crane, Head Teacher, said: "There's a lot of talk about inspiring a generation and Sam has inspire our children and this generation.

"He showed the children a montage of photos and mixed in with them were photos of Sam as a child in his Whoberley uniform.

"It brought it home for them that here's someone from our school, and in 15 or 20 years maybe it could be them."

Some of his old teachers and the teaching assistant who had guided him during school days turned up for Sam's visit.