Principles before techniques
Clarity before chaos
A principle-based framework for life under pressure — built around the Five Pillars of Balance, Structure, Breath, Intent and Connection.
what is barebones?
BareBones Combatives is not a collection of techniques.
It is the framework underneath effective movement, pressure, self-protection, and teaching — and it is built for life, not just for fighting.
When something fails under pressure, most people look for another technique.
BareBones asks a better question:
Which Pillar is missing?
That question changes how you train, how you teach, and how you handle pressure anywhere in life.
Two Skulls. One System.
BareBones has two visible layers — the external work people can see, and the internal framework that makes the work matter.
The Broken Skull — The External
Hard skills. Stripped-back combatives. Simple actions that can be trained under pressure.
This is what many people come looking for — and it matters.
But if you only chase technique, only train the outside, and never understand the framework underneath it, this is where you end up: broken.
The smashed skull is a warning.
The Gold Skull — The Internal
The framework. The Five Pillars. The thinking underneath the work.
This is the part that makes the real difference — because it carries beyond the fantasy world of fighting and into how you move, breathe, think, respond, teach, and live.
This is what BareBones actually is.
The toolkit is the vehicle.
The framework is the way.
the 5 pillars
The Pillars are the lens. They help you see what is working, what is missing, and where to return when pressure starts to change the game.
Different doorways. Same framework. One system for pressure, protection, teaching, and life.
Who is this for?
BareBones is for people who already do the work — and for people who are ready to start it properly.
It is for martial artists, combatives practitioners, self-protection instructors, coaches, and defensive tactics trainers who want a clearer lens on what they already do.
It is also for people who have never trained, or who have trained for years and still do not feel ready, and want something simple enough to pressure test without drowning in complexity.
You do not need another pile of techniques.
You do not need to become a clone of anyone.
You need principles you can trust under pressure — and, if you teach, a way to pass them on.
Martial artists who want clearer principles beneath their practice.
Combatives and self-protection instructors who want a stronger teaching lens.
Coaches who work with pressure, performance, and decision-making.
Practitioners who want less decoration and more truth.
Beginners who want simple, pressure-tested foundations.
Learn the Map. Earn the Bones.
For practitioners who want to carry the work properly, the BareBones Instructor Pathway runs from Foundations Graduate to Apprentice Instructor, Full Instructor, and Mentor Instructor.
It is framework-first.
We are not creating combatives fighters. We are developing people who can understand, embody, apply, and teach this work responsibly.
The Combatives Toolkit
A stripped-back, hard-skills combatives system. Simple, portable, and built to work under pressure — whether you have never trained or you have trained for years and want to strip it back to what matters.
The toolkit matters.
But it is not the heart of BareBones.
The toolkit is the vehicle. The framework is the way.
Developed Through 40+ Years of Work
BareBones was developed by Jim Armstrong after more than 40 years of training, teaching, and testing across multiple countries.
The physical work was always the doorway.
Underneath it is the study of how people move, breathe, think, freeze, recover, respond, and grow under pressure — and how that carries into the rest of life.
Learn the Map. Earn the Bones.
Start with the framework, explore the Instructor Pathway, or get in touch about hosting Jim for BareBones training.