Rich Dimitri of Senshido has contributed several articles to The Martialist.  He's also been interviewed in this issue of our publication.  Given that, it seemed only fair to give readers a brief look at the materials Rich produces for sale to the public.  At the request of The Martialist's publisher, Rich sent a total of three videos and a textbook.  The videos are Submission Termination (Tape 9), Outnumbered But Not Outgunned (Tape 13), and Functional Combative Drill Training (Tape 18).  The text is a spiral-bound, self-published reference titled In Total Defense of the Self: Enhancing Survivability and Gaining the Tactical Edge.  The tapes feature Rich and several training partners who are well-known to those familiar with Senshido's instructors and organization.  The text is copyrighted 2001 to Rich.

IN TOTAL DEFENSE OF THE SELF

I have always preferred books to videos.  While it is true that one can glean more from a video when attempting to learn movement mechanics or other material involving motion, a book can be carried anywhere, absorbed in a non-linear fashion, and annotated for reference.  With that in mind, I'd have to say that any collection of videos by Rich should be viewed in conjunction with a reading of the text.

In Total Defense of the Self is a relatively thorough write-up of the philosophy behind Senshido.  It's just under a hundred pages of single-sided, 8-1/2 x 11 inch paper with a spiral binding (which means it can be folded back on itself for convenient reading).  While no single book can serve as an inclusive "bible" to one man's fighting knowledge, you could think of this as the Spark Notes to Senshido.

From the dedication to "Street Soldiers" to the introduction through the body of the text, it's clear that Rich's sympathies lie with the defender, not the world's criminals.  He makes no apologies for telling you precisely the principles and concepts you will need to deliver force to an opponent, preemptively when necessary, in order to succeed against violent aggressors.  The book covers a wide array of concepts that range from physiological and psychological effects of stress and violence to the importance of awareness, recognition of pre-contact indicators, psychological techniques used against assailants, and the physical tools of force.

Rich's 20 Commandments of Hand to Hand Combat includes exhortations to be aware at all times, to "survive at all costs," to "lead with speed," and to keep one's ego under control.  "Never," Rich tells the reader, "let your emotions control your cognitive intuition."

Entire chapters are devoted to awareness and intuition (including Senshido's version of the usual color code danger ratings most systems employ), stances and postures (such as the "passive stance" Senshido students use to defuse conflict while protecting their bodies, similar to the "fence" and CFA's "de-escalation stance"), emotions (particularly fear), surviving violent confrontations, reflexive responses (as well as the mind, body, and spirit), physical retaliation and combat ranges, weapons, and drill training. Significant attention is paid to the mindset and psychology of force and violence.  The book concludes with a section on philosophy and a note from Rich, as well as a list of terminology, suggested reading list, and bibliography.

Rich takes a holistic approach to fighting and survival, refusing to segregate various theories, concepts, techniques, and body postures into neat little isolated categories of application.  He views fighting as a continuum, a living body of ideas and practices that must be approached in whole to be understood.

Senshido's Five Principles of Physical Retaliation, for example, are these:

• Economy of Motion
• Non-Telegraphic Movement
• Opportunity Striking and Defending
• Primary Targets
• Tactile Sensitivity

These principles are explained in detail and comprise a very sound fighting system.

The book is primarily text, with a couple of photocopied pictures in just one of the sections.  While Rich is not a professional writer, he gets his point across and imparts some very useful information while doing so.

SENSHIDO ON VIDEO

Judging from the three tapes Rich sent me, Senshido instructional videotapes are very informal.  Production quality is consistent with something made and edited entirely on home video equipment, with the graphic disruptions and copy problems one would expect from such an arrangement.  All three tapes start with the same introductory montage of training footage, accompanied by hollow background music.  The bodies of the tapes, however, consist of Rich and his training partners at the Senshido facility.

Most of each tape is adequately bright and audible.  Rich comes across as remarkably friendly and accessible, with a good sense of humor (he and his partners frequently joke and even clown around a bit on camera).  It is obvious that each tape was filmed with only a general idea of the material to be covered, an approach that speaks to the fact that Rich is very knowledgeable in what he does.  He simply starts talking with a topic in mind, going off on tangents as would anyone engaged in a discussion of a subject he knows well.  

While this leads to what seems, at times, as a disorganized presentation, it also enhances the good-natured atmosphere of each tapes.  These are not strutting urban commandos imparting dire hard-won lessons of blood in the streets (though there certainly is plenty of hard-won information on violent realities communicated).  These are friendly people giving you the benefit of their experience in a casual setting dominated by serious goals.  I imagine a seminar with Rich and the Senshido staff would feel exactly like watching these tapes.  Each one left me feeling as if I'd learned quite a bit, even if the "instructional design" of each video could be enhanced with more methodical planning.

SUBMISSION TERMINATION

The subject of this tape is groundfighting.  Rich makes a distinction between groundfighting and grappling, which can take place standing up in a clinch as well as on the ground.  He outlines his complete and total approach to fighting, including psychological issues, before spending some time speaking about the things that can lead dedicated grapplers into trouble when confronted with "street" realities.  Concepts such as dealing with concealed weapons, the difficulties of unusual terrain, and the problems represented by clothing are all discussed.

"A good fighter knows how to grapple," Rich states. "A great fighter knows when to grapple."  The balance of the video consists of drills and exercises that illustrate the principles Rich teaches to negate the enemy's attack (by jamming it, for example), release that attack (Aikidoka will recognize this concept), redirect that attack, and retaliate.  He spends plenty of time talking about pre-contact cues, stances, dealing with and maximizing outcomes from your natural flinch response, and the importance of relying only on gross motor skills in stressful situations.  Familiar Senshido principles like the "closest weapon, closest target" guideline appear (as I imagine they do in most of Rich's videos) and many permutations of groundfighting scenarios (or situations leading to groundfighting scenarios) are outlined.

When necessary, training partners wear helmets to allow for more realistic striking.  Training knives are also used.  Rich stresses that you must assume your opponent has a concealed weapon and could use it at any time in a groundfighting situation, for any other assumption could lead to your death.

OUTNUMBERED BUT NOT OUTGUNNED

The focus of this video, as in Sammy Franco's Rat Packed, is dealing with multiple attackers.  As expected, there is similarity in the material covered – for truth is truth, regardless of the teller.  The most important concept to be gleaned from Rich's presentation is the idea that a multiple attacker situation is as much a psychological fight as it is a physical one.  By refusing to prepare your opponents mentally for the fight, instead catching them when they are not prepared, you give yourself the advantage you must have to face more than one violent attacker.

The usual physical principles of dealing with multiple assailants are covered, including positioning one of the attackers such that his body becomes an obstacle to the others.  Rich again discusses the need for preemptive striking when necessary, never neglecting the legal consequences of one's actions.  He also points out that, while viciously neutralizing one attacker may have a demoralizing effect on the other assailant's), this will not always be the case.

The need to be as vicious as possible, to take advantage of every opportunity and every dirty trick and technique, is described at length.  Rich cautions the viewer never to make assumptions about what will happen, never to plan one's reactions and therefore lose time to thinking when direct and non-telegraphic action is required.  He outlines targets, covers the vital importance of good footwork (cautioning against crossing the legs), and spends a great deal of time on drills that reinforce the concepts explained.

You must train, Rich explains, for worst-case scenarios.  "If I keep preparing for drunk Average Joe, tha's as good as I'm going to be."  Through the course of the tape he leads the viewer from conceptual framework to physical strikes and footwork to dialogue and the techniques of verbal de-escalation.  Fighting from unusual positions and postures (such as sitting in chairs) is also covered.

FUNCTIONAL COMBATIVE DRILL TRAINING

While each of the previous tapes incorporates drills (with and without protective equipment depending on specific needs), Functional Combative Drill Training is entirely built on ways to train.  Rich is a firm believer in "alive" drills and related training.  This tape is a great way to see how such drills are performed and to learn ways to improve the realism of your own training.  Rich does caution the viewer not to watch the tape and then wander out drafting training partners who haven't seen it, as watching a video and teaching the concepts it contains are not the same thing.

Drills explained and performed at length, with permutations involving weapons and multiple attackers, include a "mental blueprinting drill" in which students practice processing as much quick information as possible about an aggressive person's posture and cues.  There is a neat "rooftop" drill in which students fight in an ever-smaller enclosure (to "fall off" is to die), grappling drills, tool and target development drills, and drills revolving around intercepting an assailant's intention to act.  "There's no end to what you can do to challenge yourself," Rich says eagerly.  He encourages the viewer to experiment and to keep drills as "alive" as possible.

CONCLUSION

The Senshido materials I've seen make me want to examine more.  This is worthwhile information that, while not presented formally, is nonetheless too valuable to miss.  While there are other Reality Based Self Defense instructors out there whose materials are as good and still others who present their work more "professionally," it's hard to imagine too many people with Rich DImitri's unique blend of cheerful energy and optimistic worldliness.