The Combat Reality: Training for the Real Fight

Let’s talk about combat — not the choreographed kind you see in movies, but the kind that happens when chaos hits. The moment when fear tries to take the wheel. The moment your training either steps up or falls short.

Here’s the deal: Combat is not a fantasy. It’s not a kata. It’s a conversation between life and death, and your role is to answer clearly, confidently, and with control. And that’s where most people fall short — they train for perfection, not for pressure. They train forms, not feelings.

So let’s break it down. This is combat reality, Rick Tew style. No fluff. Just fight principles that translate to real life.

1. Train in Chaos, Not Comfort

If you’re only practicing in a gym, with soft mats and predictable partners, you’re training your body — but you’re not training your mind. And in the real world, the mind breaks first.

My students know we don’t just train on smooth surfaces. We train on rocks, on dirt, in water. I make them fight in the rain, barefoot, sometimes blindfolded — not to be cruel, but to build the real muscle: mental adaptability. Because when you can’t control the environment, you control your response.

Lesson: Seek discomfort. That’s where growth lives. That’s where the real fighter is born.

2. Make the Mind the Weapon

Your most dangerous weapon isn’t a punch or a kick or a ninja costume — it’s decision under duress. You need to think fast, act smart, and move forward — all while fear is whispering that you can’t.

Mental martial arts is my foundation. If your mind cracks, your body follows. So we train for flexibility — not just in limbs, but in thinking. Be ready to change strategy mid-fight. Be ready to drop ego. Be ready to adapt instantly.

Lesson: Combat is a mental game first. Strength without strategy is just wasted muscle.

3. Real Combat Is Unfair — So Be Prepared to Be Unfair

There’s no honor in getting hurt because you followed the “rules.” In the street, there are no referees. There are no mats. There’s only win or lose. Survive or submit.

You have to train for the unpredictable. Be ready to face bigger opponents, multiple attackers, or someone with a weapon. And when it happens, you don’t fight fair — you fight smart.

Lesson: Use your environment, use your mind, and if you have to — break the rules to win the fight.

4. The Best Fight Is the One You Avoid

Yeah, I said it. The guy who trains warriors still believes the ultimate technique is not fighting. Why? Because true warriors have nothing to prove. They walk away because they can. Not because they’re weak — but because they’re in control.

We train not to fight more, but to need to fight less. When you carry yourself like a warrior — calm, aware, confident — most fights dissolve before they begin.

Lesson: Control the fight by controlling the energy before it even starts.

5. Live Like a Warrior, Always in Training

Combat isn’t just a moment. It’s a lifestyle. When you train with purpose, you live with power. You become someone who responds to life — not just reacts. Whether it’s a physical confrontation or an emotional one, your ability to handle it comes from what you’ve built every day.

Lesson: Be ready, always. For the fight. For life. For whatever shows up.

Final Thought:

Real combat is not about showing off. It’s about showing up.

Show up for your training. Show up for yourself. Show up for life’s toughest moments. That’s the essence of my martial arts philosophy — not just training for the dojo, but for the daily fight to stay strong, smart, and centered.

Train hard. Live free. Think like a warrior.