Viam Chao

**Viam Chao** (Latin for "way of chaos") is a self-defense and fighting system developed by Daniel Donche Jr to supplement Loricism (a philosophy of "internal martial arts"), in order to fill in the gap to offer a "full-spectrum self-defense system" (as Loricism focuses on non-physical external incursions and internal self-produced incursions, Viam Chao was developed to provide the self-defense against external physical incursions). It is derived from a combination of techniques sourced from boxing, catch wrestling, tae kwon do, jeet kune do, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and other street fighting techniques. It is similar in spirit to krav maga in that it favors aggression.

Viam Chao has a strong focus on aggression, strategy, practicality, and efficiency. The name, which means "Way of Chaos" in Latin (Latin to match Loricism naming conventions), is intended to highlight the core principle, which is to disrupt an opponent's strategy with psychology, pain, confusion, etc. There are ten core strategies employed to generate chaos. Another essential component of the system is "concept over memorization." The approach is to teach concepts and ingrain them into practitioners so there is no forgetting in the heat of the moment.

Similar to Krav Maga, Viam Chao has a philosophy emphasizing aggression (proculco, predator-prey swap, etc.), simultaneous defensive and offensive maneuvers (for efficiency), disruption of intent or distraction through pain, misinformation and confusion (feints, fakes). It strives to be effective throughout all ranges of combat (far, mid, close) and in a variety of situations.

## History

Development technically began in 1999, with the official opening of Donche's first school, Triple Dragon Martial Arts & Boxing, in Casper, Wyoming. It was here that many of the initial ideas were formulated, and as more exposure to other systems happened in the coming decades, the strategy and methodology became more honed. Much of the terminology and organization, however, wouldn't become solidified until the mid 2010's.

The sport aspect was finalized in 2023, after looking at the rulesets of several other sports (judo, bjj, sambo, catch wrestling). Like Sambo, there are two formats for viam chao.

## Self-Defense for the Body

Viam Chao was formulated to supplement Loricism, which is a self-defense system/philosophy for the mind. As such, Loricism is built into Viam Chao (see Ranking System). Loricism espouses a full-spectrum approach to self-protection:

* Physical Self-defense - Viam Chao or other martial art/combatives system
* Mental Self-defense - logic, reason, rhetoric, and psychology
* Spiritual Self-defense - defense against attacks from ourselves (negative beliefs and attitudes)

## Divergences

One of the most common (and reasonable) questions about Viam Chao is on how it differs from other styles of martial arts. Most of the differences are in concept, the key being that of strategy infused into the techniques.

In terms of style or technical aspects, it is very lax compared to some of the more traditional styles. For example, it doesn't matter which way the fist is aligned (horizontally, vertically, diagonally). *The things that don't matter don't matter.* Another example of this is that sometimes the ball of the foot is a striking surface for the round kick (but the shin is still preferred). This is not seen in many other systems. It is this way because there is "no reason for it not to be an option."

As a sport, it differs from others in several ways: it allows continuous full contact to most targets (whereas some arts do not allow targeting below the waist or to the face), it encourages striking during grappling, rewards getting back to the feet after going to the ground, and most importantly it allows multiple submissions in the same bout.

Lastly, it has a unique ranking system. The color progression (grey, blue, red, green, brown, black) is not found anywhere else, but most importantly, the color of stripes denotes one's ranking within the Loricism system. This is also the reason why a white rank sleeve is used on all belt colors, since it is the only color that would work with the stripe colors. Note that white sleeves within bjj denote high level competitors; this is not the case with Viam Chao, and it was never intended to represent anything other than a logistical practicality.

## Symbolism

The Viam Chao logo features 5 interlocking rings with ten points protruding in different directions within. The 5 rings symbolize the five elements of martial arts the style tries to instill: self-defense, measurement of progress, character development, constant improvement, and always the student. The directional arrows signify the element of chaos, and there are 10 to symbolize the 10 concepts of Viam Chao.

## Sport

Viam Chao includes a sport element, which is designed to promote the major concepts it teaches. A basic match includes 3 rounds (3 minutes, 2 minutes, and 1 minute concluding round) in which participants attempt to score as many points as possible using submissions, takedowns, and returning to standing. The only non-point win is through knockout.

### Striking

Striking is full-contact, and strikes may use any surface except the head. Strikes may also not contact the eyes, throat, or groin. Strikes do not score points, and the match is continuous.

### Transitions

Transitions are take-downs or successful returns to standing. These are worth 2 points for a takedown, and 1 point for returning to standing. A takedown does not count if the opponent falls or slips of their own accord, and a return to standing must be met with resistance to count.

A knockdown is considered a takedown.

### Submissions

The match is not automatically over if a submission is executed to tapout. Points are given and the match is reset to continue for the remainder of the time limit. More points are given for submissions while standing. These include joint locks, cranks, and chokes.