Do you practice for "environmental" variables?

Question

For example, do you simulate fighting in a room full of furniture, uneven terrain, or constricted space. Just curious how others might train for these situations. And please don't answer if it is going to be a this style is better than that style for this and that. It is about training not styles. Give me some drills you use if any, and include the scenario, levels of resistance, and equipment if any.

Answer 1

We Have a course for adult students called "Urban Defense Tactics" that take many realistic environmental factors into the training such as tight quarters. Protecting your partner, using surroundings, parking lots, alley ways, multiple attackers, weapons. This is an intense class I relay enjoy helping teach this class. I feel it relay does prepare you for the street. So far two student report back one rape prevented and one robbery prevented. I feel relay great about that.
Trying to describe situations and scenarios verbally is not something I would even try if my writing skills were better.
If our school is doing this there must be other schools out there doing something similar.
It comes to this you must at some point train realistically if you are going to be able to say I can defend myself in the real world. A nice soft mat or hard wood floor is not any thing like concrete, asphalt, or for that matter dirt.
That is one reason I don't like to go to the ground, although you need to be able to.

Answer 2

In my classes we do a couple of things because as you have already deduced, throwing punches, kicks, or strikes in a parking lot or in a bar is different than throwing them in a studio. For that matter so are a lot of other things such as the terrain and various obstacles around that you have to take into account if you have to defend yourself. Things like a wall next to you, or if you are caught on the ground in between two parked cars, or in a prone position on your couch can all make a difference.

Each month we do some kicking, punching, and striking with shoes on and in street cloths. It is better to find out in the studio what it feels like to throw some things, or move and do some things with everyday type cloths and shoes on. Often times your balance is different, shoes can retard the positioning of your ankle, foot, and toes to do some kicks, and some clothing can be to tight or restrictive for some techniques. We also practice some of the self-defense techniques near or up against walls and bags so that students are forced to be able to go a different way with a technique or rely on a second technique to deal with the situation. I have a couple of old hanging bags to use as obstacles on the floor for this along with practicing some of the ground fighting and self defense scenarios on a carpeted hard wood floor instead of mats as well as use folding chairs for some of the situations and scenarios.

Answer 3

Most Krav Maga classes emphasize understanding your surroundings and especially dealing with multiple opponents. There are lots of drills we do just because of this. In our classes we will sometimes fight in the alley behind the school or parking lot, and against walls where we can't back up.