Three games - standing, clinch, grappling

One way to make a situation easier is to slit it to section and most commen in fighting is to do it according to distance of opponent. Long range is stanging. You could have trappling before clinch, but it's not so common and last is ground work.

Standing

Next step would be to find safe games fro standing, clinch and grappling. For standing I like Rodney Kings approach Crazy Monkey Defense. I am not a CMD instructor so I will not use that name and very likely I don't really understand it the way Rodney uses it. So I will call it something else like "alive heavy bag" drill. Here the heavy bag will punch you back:-)

Clinch

I have drilled some pummeling games, judo breaking balance and ofcourse uchikomi randori. This is hands down the least known element for me. (Maybe I really need to go to aikido again to get more ideas... aikido has no resistance... I want timing so it's not a direct answer, but might give inspiration.) Also there are variation of different rules of wrestling like "mongolian wrestling or sumo" to take ideas from.

Ground work

Grappling but later it should include punching, too. Maybe the game is:

• Can you pass the guard vs keep in control
• Can you control opponent ( in side control, side mount, back..) vs escape
• Can you submit opponent

Principles

Goal of drills or mini fights should be to teach concepts and timing, but not to teach bad happits. So the rules should take in account that in final stage punching is allowed. Games/drills should have an easy assesment - winner is easy to see - clear criteria for when game is over. Criteria should improve technique or be a very solid position. ( I am thinking of chest to chest and having shirt with a circle sticker on chest - when stickers touch and opponents back is on mat - it's over.)

Game should have allways atleast two directions to prevent stalling. (So just laying on the mat with "home a lone" posture is not what I want - Maybe I need to put "stickers" to knees too, to get knee on belly responces :-)

Next step

I think I will work on entry level games on each area - stand up, clinch and ground. Games should be so simple that 8 years old and also 58 y olds can do it, with out technical knowledge of punching. (I would like punching to be technically correct and not just pushing arms straight or playing tag... for me it's been an annoying feature in CM games, but fun part of sparring equals things up.)

BUT drills/games should not teach bad technique ...Bad technique is when you don't have a realistic image of the situation...like most times in aikido ... or BJJ in that matter. (Assuming you think it has something to do with self defence and not sports.) 

So am I building a system for self defence...or sports? Neither I think or both if you like. Mostly ideal would be to have fun and keep in good physical condition - and rules should mimic reality of fight or atleast keep you always in 80 - 20 advantage.

It should teach you to be safe and manouver to postions that are in your favour.

It should increase strength, stamina and agility ( balance)...

Make you feel good...