In terms of CONTENT, what is the difference between AMOK! and Xtreme Combatives?
AMOK! and XC uses the same moves.
The Core Training Program
The Training Program is divided into the Knife Defense and Knife Fighting programs; each divided into 25 individual lessons as presented in the videos. You do not need the videos so long as you have a licensed trainer to guide you but they can be enormously helpful in your progress.
Knife Fighting Core Skills: Accessing, Attacking, Counter-Striking, Disarming, and Takedowns
Knife Defense Core Skills: Protection, Counter-Striking, Grabbing, Disarming, and Takedowns
Focus Courses expand upon core skills in those areas: (i.e. faking, exchanging, take-downs, etc), and some present new tactics and activities (i.e. traps, struggles, anti-grappling, solo training, paired training, coordination and timing, etc) and
Specialty Courses present the core skills for fighting with other weapons (i.e. machete, kerambit, specialty knives, impact, flexible, projectiles, improvised, etc) and explore specifics dealing with real-world conditions (i.e. uneven surfaces, multiple opponents, low-light, restrictive environments, etc).
In terms of METHODOLOGY, what is the difference between AMOK! and XC?
AMOK! and XC use different methodologies.
Training people can be compared to boiling frogs. If you drop a frog into a pot of very hot water he will immediately jump out, but if you drop him in warm water and slowly heat it, he’ll stay until he’s cooked. The water is the same, but the intensity of the heat differs.
The AMOK! methodology initially emphasizes heavy fighting activities in favor of practice and training activities. (The water is boiling). This is indeed the fastest known way to develop skill but typically, only people who feel a pressing need to be functional quickly will voluntarily train with that level of intensity. (Most frogs jump out).
Some of AMOK!’s most dedicated Trainers suggested I implement an “Intro” course to offer untrained persons some basic tools to negotiate the difficulties of the AMOK! arena (turn down the heat) but to do that would undermine the primary “fight-based experience” central to AMOK!’s Guided Discovery methodology.
An ideal no-compromise solution is to have a separate program altogether that uses the same moves (content) but alters the emphasis of activities (same water, lower starting temperature). The Xtreme Combatives methodology initially emphasizes training and practice activities that offer people a chance to prepare for more intensive fighting activities. (Frogs enjoy their swim). In this way, AMOK! remains unchanged and Xtreme Combatives solidly develops others in a way that achieves more positive outcomes for them.