Sayoc Vital Templates are cataloged physiological “Vital Targets” of the human body which are selected for efficacy in shutting down deadly force threat (“stopping power”). These targets are then mapped and presented to the new student as a basic building-block of the Sayoc Kali curriculum.
It is important to note that Vital Templates are cataloged targets from the higher-order fighting-responses from the Feeder / Receiver feedback loop. The Sayoc Vital Templates come directly from Sayoc Tuhons and Full Instructors and are based on actual responses which are then distilled down into a teaching framework for new students. They are the last link in a chain of experience, not the other way around.
Intent and Accuracy
Intent
The first principle that Vital Templates teach is intent. This is one of the most important aspects of our training. Many of you out there are already familiar with “dead drills.” You can see them a mile away. They are drills that might be flashy, but there is no “Oomph!” to them. You can feel the dead energy. There is no intent.
Vital Templates, if trained correctly, install correct intent to a specific target. Read Guro Nick Stevens article: Do You Train a Blade System? In a fight for your life, anything you touch must be a Vital Target. If you use a beat in time to attack anything at all, with no purposeful intent to a Vital Target, you will have created a future beat in time that your life is still in danger. If you rack up too many of those beats in time, your life is never out of danger. Read: Sayoc Timers and Switches
Accuracy
Another principle that boxers and shooters will understand is accuracy. The first thing you learn as shooter (after safety, of course!) is how to shoot accurately – target practice. Accuracy comes before speed, clearing failures, shooting on the move, combat reloads, etc. That is because if you can’t shoot accurately, none of the other things really matter.
Vital Templates are one of the things that can be trained solo. If you have a B.O.B. dummy, a fortified heavy bag, or target board, you can train your accuracy with a blade. It’s just like working the heavy bag or going to the range.
Curriculum Installation
Vital Templates also act as a mass download of information. This information is then installed as a common framework, or language, that instructors and training partners can use to economize their teaching and training.
Vital Templates lead up to Sayoc Transition Drills, which lead up to Stop-Blocks, which lead up to Sayoc Silak, Phase II and Phase III tapping, etc. And then it continues from there.
An understanding of vital targets puts you head and shoulders above the average joe when it comes to stopping a deadly threat. Sayoc Vital Templates are specifically designed to launch-pad your proficiency with a blade.
NEXT: Video: 3-Count Vital Template