27/10/2018
MILLING
(ONE MINUTE OF CONTROLLED AGGRESSION)
In all martial artists no matter what branch of style they practice there will come a time of mental challenge, a challenge that internally questions what you have achieved so far, and one that asks yourself, “will this stuff really work.” For some, along the way this barrier has been overcome via a full-contact sporting bout or even a street fight. Yet for the vast majority of practicing martial artists this internal question has never been resolved. Most martial artists in truth are in poor condition to fight for real. They can’t take a hit or hit well and usually they are in poor physical condition to boot. This is backed up by the great kick boxer ‘Benny Uquidez’ in his book, “Training and Fighting Skills.”
QUOTE: “Boxers are in better condition than Karate fighters as they are always getting hit, they also have to be in very good condition. They are always working on power, impact and speed. Their bodies are conditioned to take that impact. In martial arts competitors don’t get hit with that kind of impact often enough to be conditioned for it. In traditional tournaments a person might get hit during thirty seconds of a three minute time period, and even then the hits are controlled. In boxing the fighter is getting hit constantly during the round, so he has to be in better shape.” END QUOTE:
Conditioning on many levels for a martial artist is very important but, it is never more so important than on the levels of mental and physical aggression. To install aggression we need to do something that facilitates this, and this is where ‘Milling’ comes in. Milling is akin to sparring however unlike sparring, milling is purely about getting stuck in rather than technique and strategy. It’s also about going harder than usual for a shorter period than in regular semi-contact sparring rounds. Milling can bring a martial artist to their peak of fighting confidence. Milling is a favourite exercise of the Royal Marine Commando’s and the Parachute Regiment alike simply because it’s primal and it installs aggression at a base level. It also humbles people and makes one learn not only to give pain but, to have to take some pain too. It stands to reason that elite soldiers would favour these types of methods as what good is a soldier or warrior that can’t fight for real!?
For the few martial arts students whom are exposed to milling by their informed instructors, to them of course it’s a scary and daunting prospect. Many martial arts styles don’t even do semi-contact sparring so milling would be a step too far for them anyway. Even for advanced students whom do milling from time to time the task is a little unsettling. For all those whom do it though, they know how necessary it is to do towards becoming a fully effective and functional fighter.
So what is milling? Well… basically milling is usually one minute of controlled all out aggression with the point at hand to cause as much pain as possible to the person in front of you. This aggression is somewhat controlled in the sense that large 14 to 18oz gloves, a gum-shield, footpads, and a groin guard are worn as a safety measure, and in the case of beginners a head guard is advised to be worn. There should always also be a referee of some sort who will break up the mêlée where necessary, and someone present either the referee or a spectator is also trained in first aid. I have found from experience over the years that somewhere between forty five seconds and one minute is enough to give the students as much stress, and feed back as they need to improve in confidence and condition. This doesn’t sound like much time but, when all hell breaks loose and your shipping leather it can seem an eternity. I find that this is a good thing to do once or twice a year with those students whom want to participate usually on an assigned Sunday afternoon. If you spar regularly with decent contact, while wearing protective equipment then you will already be doing a lot of fight preparation training, so by adding milling occasionally you will just be putting the cherry on top of the cake so to speak. The down side to milling much like contact sparring is that there’s always a high chance of incurring an injury. Injuries such as chipped teeth, cracked ribs, split lips, blooded noses, cut eyebrows and concussions I have found happen when doing milling. This is why it’s not for everyone, and it only ever should be done with truly interested, willing participants, and advanced students whom are ready and able to deal with the stresses that it causes. On the up side however, students get a tremendous buzz a feeling of euphoria after they complete the round. It also fosters a sense of camaraderie with their fellow students. They feel more powerful and self-confident in their abilities; they feel a deep sense of achievement and self-esteem. The feeling of knowing that you had the balls to go for it for those who dare to try is an unparalleled feeling. It becomes an inner knowing.
My students have in the past related to me how the event scared them but, they still did it, rising to the challenge win or lose their round. They all come to realise that winning or losing is not paramount in milling but, rather that it is merely the taking part that counts. Yes someone’s hand will be raised at the end but, it matters not, it is the being involved and the facing of your fears while conquering them that really counts. Martial arts should be about know yourself better, and in turn from that knowledge, knowing others better also, for you are the others, the other are you. My students often tell me after the session how the milling in a short moment seems to bring all they have been learning from me into one sharp moment of clarity. It puts it all into place and makes sense of all the regular training. This to me makes milling when done correctly an invaluable part of martial arts training and development. It’s easy to see why commando’s and Para’s do milling regularly.
To correctly perform a milling round for any instructors and students interested in doing so the basic guide-lines that I use are as follows: partners off with someone close to your weight height or if not ability. Gear up with a head guard, 18oz boxing gloves, groin guard, gum-shield, and foot/shin pads (if kicking also), do not wear a body guard as you need to take body shots to some degree and you need to move comfortably. Make it clear that both participants should try to hit at around 90% of their power and that they should stop if a participant is downed on one knee or flat out on the floor or they are pulled apart to adjust protective gear, etc, by the referee. Remember to have more than one person present who is first aid trained and preferably the referee should be a martial artist too. Make sure a well equipped first aid kit is on hand just in case. Let the students perform just one round unless agreed otherwise with more seasoned students or if a round was particularly pure in aggression and content. I should stress here in closing that the term ‘FULL- CONTACT’ is often touted openly but, it’s mainly a false terminology in the martial arts. That is to say that full-contact in martial arts training is always done with some form of protective gear on, whereas real full-contact combat is done with no protective gear on, having no rules, no referee, often no mercy, and anything goes. So that all milling conditioning exercises and sparring are all methods and tools that help lead us up to that ultimate reality of combat.
Property and copyright © of Jimi Heys S.P.A.R.T.A. 2018.
