This blog covers everything related to self defense including but not limited to training, techniques, principles, martial arts, hand to hand combat systems, weapons, various scenarios, tips, sparring, psychology of combat, the list goes on. It is not restricted to just one fighting art but welcomes every reader regardless of experience to gain knowledge on self defense.
You've probably heard martial artists or self defense instructors say "size doesn't matter..don't use brute force in a street fight.." This isn't true. Size and strength absolutely do matter! The strategy for dealing with a much larger and stronger attacker is different from dealing with someone who is your own size. If you are a large and built person but don't know what to make of your physical abilities in self defense, this guide is for you.
1) Know yourself - In order for you to put your strength and size to good use, you must understand who you are. What are you good at? Lifting weights? Taking a hit to give a hit? Packing a powerful punch? Grappling? What do your work outs consist of? What about nutrition? The more information you can glean from your body, the more you can put it in a self defense situation.
2) Understand the source of power - Many people have the misconception that strength equals power. Why is it that stronger and larger attackers lose to much smaller people? They don't know where their source of power comes from. In this example, a Jiu Jitsu black belt easily overpowered a body builder who was much stronger and larger than him. What's the catch? Redirecting the flow of energy. If you don't know where your source of power comes from and how to use strength to your advantage, you will lose a fight involving dangerous opponents. Where does your source of power come from? The ground, the core (center of mass around the torso area), and momentum. Simply lifting weights and building outer muscles won't make you fit to fight. To be a good striker for example, you must learn how body mechanics work and how to develop your inner muscles responsible for powerful hits (see helpful link below). All the muscles in the world will not help you in a street fight. Only when you understand your source of power do your muscles serve you well.
3) Develop your own fighting abilities - Some people like to think speed and skill is superior to strength. This isn't necessarily true. Two can play at that game including you. How do you develop your own fighting prowess for combat? Recognize your strengths and weaknesses. Are you fast? Slow? Do you have longer reach? Tire too easily? Some ideas i've come up with are training to time your accurate punches and pack alot of power in each one. If your size and strength makes you tire more, learn how to invest your energy wisely. You may want to use momentum, gravity, balance, and strength in your attack strategy. Learning wrestling or some striking art like boxing may be useful to you. It's also beneficial to understand your attacking range and your opponent's. Doesn't matter how fast or agile your attackers are, they will eventually have to get close to you and that gives you an opportunity to strike. You also have to be mindful of how your investing your energy. If you face a faster opponent, all you have to do is move just a little bit to where you won't get hit instead of trying to dodge every attack. One powerful punch combined with superior strength timed correctly can bring devastating consequences (broken bones, damaged organs, possibly death). You could also slam your attackers to the ground and nullify their attacking ability using momentum which also would cause damage. If someone tries to knock or throw you over, lower your center of gravity then attack. This video of a wrestler taking on multiple opponents is an inspiring example of how strength could be applied in combat.
If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below. http://www.paywithapost.de/pay?id=7b715806-c78b-4bfd-badf-4242da2bf8f2 http://www.expertboxing.com/boxing-training/boxing-workouts/why-lifting-weights-wont-increase-punching-power
An effective and often neglected method of avoiding conflict is psychologically defending yourself against an intimidating person. Many self defense and martial arts schools teach that when faced with someone intimidating you, you should be ready to respond physically. They don't teach you how to deal with the psychological aspect. Physical self defense should be your last resort. This guide will give you insights into how to diffuse a potentially violent situation from an intimidating and violent individual. Down below, i've posted a helpful link to deal with intimidation.
I will create the following scenario and i want you to think about your responses. Imagine an abnormally large menacing muscular man approaches you at a bus stop or in a park and let's assume that you practice self defense. Imagine you both engage in the following dialogue:
Man : "..don't you practice self defense in X school?"
You: "..yea i do.."
The man then aggressively gets in your face and says in a more challenging tone of voice.
Man: "..well i think your a fraud...i think what your learning is garbage and it's what's gonna get you killed...you know i just got out of prison and i've beaten guys like you to a pulp...what's to stop me from crushing your skull in and having your blood flowing all over this ground right now?!? Think you can take me on?!? I will destroy you fool!"
Here are the some of the common mistakes people make.
1. Get defensive - When people are insulted or verbally attacked in any way, their response is to defend themselves. You may respond by insulting your offender back or justifying yourself in the face of accusations ex. being a fraud. Once you get defensive, you give your offender power over you because he/she knows your weaknesses. All your offender has to do is keep pressuring you until a fight breaks out because you are validating his or her judgement on you.
2. Not taking what your intimidator says seriously - Some people may laugh it off and say "yea man i don't buy it..." Your offender may say something like "oh you think this is a joke?!?" then start attacking you. This is bad because if your offender threatened you and there's some credibility to the threat, your verbal attacker may try to communicate violently that he or she means serious business. You should always take threats seriously.
3. Avoidance - Some people will shut down and try to psychologically avoid the situation by saying something like "i don't want any trouble." The person intimidating you may respond with "well trouble found you. Why don't you man up and deal with it?!?" Once you are in this particular situation, it's unavoidable unless there was a way of escape. If you try to back up without first disengaging psychologically, you give your offender power over you and he or she may end up attacking you.
If you don't respond with violence, the person intimidating you may try to keep pushing your buttons and finding out your weaknesses by saying something along the lines of:
"...what if i ended up hurting your loved ones, would you fight me then? I just threatened your loved ones and you won't do anything about it..your pathetic! Your a coward! Your a joke!"
If you've snapped out of fear for your loved ones safety then you've already given what your intimidators want and that is violence. If you suddenly freeze in fear, that's bad because you could get hit at any moment and not be prepared to respond.
What's the best way to diffuse the situation without resorting to violence?
* Know your enemy - According to behavioral theorists, people who resort to intimidation do so out of fear. It's fear of your race, your skills, your gender, your orientation, or some aspect of you that makes them feel inferior. Perhaps they grew up in an environment where they've been intimidated by authority so their way of coping is by intimidating others and believing that the only way to survive is to intimidate. Think about this. Why would someone who is truly secure in his or her knowledge seek to intimidate someone who is seen as weaker than him or her? Only someone who seeks to prove something to him or her self would go out of the way to intimidate you. Behind whatever image the person intimidating you puts up, there are hidden vulnerabilities.
* Keep your distance - Keep your enemy in your vision. Last thing you want is someone sneaking up behind you and hitting you with a weapon before you get jumped. Don't allow yourself to get too close.
* Focus on your body language - Show no aggression or any emotion. Keep a calm composure. Focus on breathing. Let the person intimidating you that his or her methods won't work on you. Don't look him or her in the eyes. Your focus should be on his or her body so you'll be able to respond quicker in case of an attack.
* Emphasize with your enemy - Learn to see the inner child of the person intimidating you. He or she may scream, destroy objects, and do many things to instill fear in you but there's a hidden message being communicated. Maybe he/she has never been acknowledged as a child or bullied. Either way, try to put yourself in that person's shoes. Show empathy by thinking "it must not be easy to come from a place where you had to compete to show dominance...it must not be easy living in an environment where you have to resort to violence to communicate your feelings" By showing compassion, you will become less afraid and less stressed out as you will begin to see the human side of your potential attacker.
* Don't assume the victim role - Resist the urge to fall into the victim mentality where you feel you are powerless to do anything in these types of situations. Change the way you view yourself and learn to see yourself as a problem solver. If you see yourself as a victim, you may end up blaming yourself for not fighting back afterwards.
* Focus on yourself, not on your enemy - Your intimidator will shift the focus from you to him/her and how "tough" he/she is ex. "..i just got out of prison and i've beaten guys like you to a pulp!" When you focus on your enemy, that's what creates fear. When you are facing an intimidator, keep the focus on yourself and what you've accomplished. Focus on your abilities and be confident in who you are.
* Communicate with your verbal attacker - Rather than assume everything he or she says is wrong, validate his or her words. That is, learn to see your attacker as a partner rather than a threat. Get your offender to express his or her feelings in a constructive way to get a different reaction. For example, you might ask something along the lines of:
Man: "..well i think what your learning is garbage, i think your fraud!"
You: "...thanks for your honesty, what makes you think i'm a fraud?"
This will cause the person intimidating you to process your question and think of an answer thus diffusing the situation to some degree. Continue to ask probing questions to get to the root of what the intimidating person really wants from you.
* Know your strengths and improve your weaknesses - In order for you to withstand psychological pressure and keep from losing self control, you must know yourself. What are your weaknesses? If your attacker points them out to make you feel inferior, realize how valuable your strengths are and how you are trying your best. For example, if you are insecure about your striking ability then focus on other areas which you excel at and stress their importance.
* Diversion - Shift the focus away from yourself to other topics like the sun or the police to distract the initmidator from channeling his or her energy on you. For instance when the man in the scenario above instigates a fight, you could say "by the way, there's other people staring at us.."
* Assertively set consequences - If your intimidator persists in violating your boundaries and gets physical with you, set proper consequences. Make the consequences non-aggressive but also non-submissive. For example, if he or she persists on violating your physical boundaries then you might say something along the lines of "If you don't stop, i'm going to have to call the police. Is that what you want?" This may quickly turn from violation to respect for not backing down.
During training, practice these techniques with a partner or in mental rehearsals. Go through my scenario again and see how it's different from your prior response. Remember that someone who intimidates you is acting out of inner misery. Hopefully your offender will back away after he/she realizes you aren't intimidated or you'll have an opportunity to walk away from the situation when the opportunity presents itself.
If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below. http://www.paywithapost.de/pay?id=7b715806-c78b-4bfd-badf-4242da2bf8f2https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/communication-success/201409/how-successfully-handle-aggressive-and-controlling-people
Unfortunately, some owners irresponsibly let their aggressive and violent dogs on the loose to attack. Dog attacks can cause serious damage or infections and can turn fatal. Therefore you must be vigilant and learn how to defend yourself against a violent dog should it ever happen. There are many ways to fend off an attacking dog but several basic principles should be followed:
a) Distance
b) Control
c) Takedown
d) Immobilization
1. Know the signs of attack and act - A dog may approach growling and barking at you. The best thing to do is turn to the side and remain calm to show the dog you are not a threat. Stay still with your hands balled up in fists to keep it from biting your fingers but be careful not to get too close to the dog. Don't turn your back on it. Give the dog some treats or other objects as a distraction to get away quickly without running. Get to higher ground if your quick enough or inside a building. You can also assert your dominance by making yourself bigger than you are such as using an open umbrella.
2. If the dog attacks, defend yourself - Grab sticks and stones to use as weapons. If that's not an option then get into a fighting stance and keep your distance. Remember the vital areas of the dog such as it's sides, throat, back of the head, nose, eyes, ears, private areas, tail, slender bones in its front legs, or neck when it tries to bite you head on.
3. If the dog persists, control and takedown - Move to the side and grab it by the neck then put your whole body weight on the dog with your knees on it's body. Make sure the dog is on it's back. You may need to use your arm for the dog to bite onto before you quickly take it down. If you have a bat, use it as a biting stick before you take the dog down. The reason being is that if it lets go or tries to violently shake your limb apart, the damage would be less severe and advantageous for you if your on top of the dog.
4. Immobilize the dog - Using the bony part of your forearm, apply as much pressure as you can to the dog's windpipe for about a minute until the dog passes out. If the dog's bitten your arm then you can force it inwards to create a gag reflex rather than pulling out and tearing your flesh in the process. You can also forcefully rip its front arms apart or snap it's neck by turning it to it's side and violently twisting it's head around to the opposite side of it's body. You can gouge out it's eyes. You could also pick up the dog by it's hind legs and throw it into a pool or off a building to give you time to escape.
Important things to remember:
* If all else fails, get in a fetal position and protect yourself - Protect your throat, chest, face, neck, and other vital areas.
* Dogs have a high pain tolerance - You can't hurt a dog in the same way you would a normal human and expect to survive. Pain may anger the dog further so its best to incapacitate or discourage the dog from attacking.
* Never overcommit to an attack - Don't put all of your energy and overextend your body in one attack as the dog can move back then move in to attack. Use just enough force to divert the dog away from attacking you.
* Hold the dog's tongue as a defensive measure - The dog will not bite down for fear of biting off its own tongue if you have a firm grip on it.
* Apply certain self defense and martial art techniques when appropriate - Some techniques from wrestling, BJJ, and other combat systems would work well to choke a dog out.
Hopefully someone will come to help you and you won't have to kill the dog unless its infected. If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.
If you've read my other blog post on self defense against a knifeman (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2016/11/self-defense-against-knife.html) then you should have a general idea of how to disarm a swordsman. Like self defense instructors teaching impractical fancy knife disarms, self defense instructors also teach fancy impractical sword disarms as well. I've taken some courses in sword fighting and had some experience in disarming during sparring sessions. Therefore, i will use what i know to help you defend yourself against a swordsman. While it is highly unlikely that you will come across situations such as these, there are several criminals who have used swords to murder innocent people and cops. In the case that it does happen, you should note several differences between swords and knives.
Knives are short range weapons, move quicker than swords, don't require committed attacks, used more for lightweight, etc.
Swords are long range weapons, move slower than knives, require committed attacks and blocks, heavier than knives, have longer handguards than knives, etc.
1) Be Vigilant - Pay close attention to your surroundings. Keep a safe distance from strangers. Recognize that it's much harder to conceal a sword than it is to conceal a knife. Your primary goal should be to avoid conflict and run.
2) Strike first - If you can't run away and your at a close distance then don't wait until the swordsman draws his/her weapon. It takes only a few seconds for a swordsman to get into a fighting stance, grab his sheath with one hand, grab the hilt of the sword with the other, pull it out, and point it directly towards you. That's plenty of time for you to close the distance and grab the handguard then do whatever attacks you want before you disarm the swordsman. Don't waste a single second.
3) Use a weapon - If the swordsman has already had his/her weapon drawn then it's time to improvise and get a weapon of your own if you are unarmed. Look for an object that the sword cannot cut apart and that would either serve as cover or an offensive weapon.
4) Move outside the line of attack - There are around 9 angles from which a swordsman can strike. Regardless, the same principle applies for any angle of attack. This video demonstrates the general idea of how to prepare for attacking a swordsman.
5) Control the blade - From a relatively safe position, you can briefly struck at the swordsman vision as a distraction as your other hand grabs the hilt then perform a disarm. You can redirect the blade several ways 1) Using a palm strike or slapping perhaps grabbing at the safe parts of the blade (sides, top, etc.) as you strike. 2) If the situation calls for it - you could grab the entire blade with one hand and the hilt with the other then disarm your attacker. Historical accounts actually affirm that with proper hand techniques, you could grip a stationary blade and not get cut. This is very risky so use with extreme caution. Do not use this on a moving sword as you are likely to get your hands cut off in the process. This would only work on a still blade. Do not grab the sharp edges of the blade with both hands and wrestle it out of the swordsman's hands as you will also get cut. Grabbing the sword would probably work best against a two handed swordsman as the previous video demonstrated. 3) You could alternatively push the attacker's arms away to redirect a strike before you control and disarm.
6) Disarm - For a one handed sword, it'd be best to throw your opponent off balance or immobilize via break his arm to render his attacking ability useless and make it easy to retrieve the weapon. For a two handed sword, you could tilt the blade until the attacker's grip is lost under pressure. Run away an dispose of the weapon where the attacker cannot reach it.
Several important key things that may save your life:
* Timing - As i've mentioned before, a swordsman has to commit to an attack or block. By that, i mean that the swordsman must use his/her body namely footwork in coordination with the arm and wrist to attack or defend. A swordsman cannot kill you unless he/she lunges forward or moves his/her arm to a certain degree before retreating to a defensive position. When is the perfect time to intercept? Before or after an attack is completed.
* Footwork - A swordfighter's stance is very essential in attacking and defending. By knocking the swordfighter off balance, you greatly reduce his/her attacking power and gain a grand opportunity to disarm him/her.
* Use your environment - Pay close attention to your surroundings. If you can get a sword stuck in a tree or car roof, a wall, that would be a great opportunity to strike at the swordsman and disarm him.
* Vision - A Swordsman's vision is vital in attacking and defending. Obstructing his vision with bright lights, sand, dirt, toxic substances, and other objects will briefly distract him/her thus giving you enough time to make your attack or retreat.
* Control - Grabbing hold of the swordsman's wrist and arm like you would a knife or the hilt is key to a successful disarm. Once you've gained control, you could drive the sword into the swordsman or take it away.
* Distance - It only takes some distance for the blade to reach you. A swordsman especially one with one-handed swords would have to extend his/her arm in order to strike, briefly leaving it vulnerable. This allows for you to control and isolate the offending arm (wrist + elbow).
* Accept pain - You will get cut mildly or severely but it's entirely possible for you to survive.
Mistakes to avoid:
* Don't try to "catch" the blade - I did an experiment with a friend where i'd kneel down then attempt to catch a downward sword strike. As soon as i got in position, he simply redirected his practice sword to a different angle and i was hit to the side instead. It doesn't take much for a swordsman to redirect a sword with just the flick of a wrist. It'd take a miracle for you to perform this move correctly.
* Don't move back too much - The more you move back, the more opportunities you give the swordsman to strike you. If you back up into a wall trying to avoid the sword, you will most likely get killed. You will want to be just close enough to avoid getting struck by the blade. Move around the swordsman to get into a position where you can strike and disarm.
I'd encourage you to spend some time practicing these techniques and principles with a partner using a fake sword. If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.
If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.
