How to train for untrained attackers when you're insecure

Let me guess, you've been training for long exhausting periods of time. You've been practicing every technique that your self defense instructor taught. You've been doing everything you can do to defend yourself and yet, your still afraid.

Your afraid that in the face of a cruel and frightening attacker, you will wet your pants. You will forget about everything you've spent your hard earned time and effort training for. You are afraid that if a real attack were to happen, you would freeze as if you learned nothing at all.

Even after everything you've learned, you still feel that your not good enough. You are still afraid that despite everything, you will get hurt. Worse, you are terrified that you might get killed.

What's the solution? How do you defend yourself against an untrained attacker with confidence?

Understand your enemy: 

Knowing your enemy is good but understanding your enemy? That's taking your self defense training to heights never before reached. Why? Because you your understanding enables you to effectively give the proper response.

For example, let's say that I work as a cashier. I come across an angry and potentially violent customer. If I understand his or her thought process on a psychological level, this allows me to end the conflict peacefully via. de-escalation.

How do you understand your enemy? You become your enemy. Put yourself in your attacker's shoes. Imitate his or her walk, talk, speech, tone of voice, actions, etc.

Feel everything that your attacker is feeling. Be a predator preying on the weak. Realize that your motives for doing so are based on your own fears of being weak.

Watch this compilation of fights and pay close attention to the patterns of attack. Once you understand your enemy, it's difficult to be afraid because ignorance leads to fear. What to do with that understanding?

Spar like your enemy:

Why do so many self defense systems fail? They don't teach practitioners to spar like untrained attackers. Do you realistically expect the average attacker to come at you with some kung fu moves or boxing jabs?

If you continue to train with trained attackers then you'll only learn how to deal with the trained, not the untrained. How do you spar like the untrained attacker? Adopt his or her mindset.

Make sure that your sparring partner understands the importance of understanding your enemy. When you are ready, take turns roleplaying between an untrained attacker and trained defender.

Start with a scenario to simulate the initial moment before the violent confrontation (ex. threatening the defender) then go into sparring. Do whatever it is any untrained attacker would do whether it's throwing "windmill punches", tackles, grapples, ground and pound, you name it. Do it at full force and high speed until you or your sparring partner loses then repeat the process.

I recommend purchasing Macho Dyna 8-piece sparring set and chest protector for training. The head gear absorbs the impact whether standing or falling as well as the shin guards and the chest protector. Remember that you'll want to keep it as realistic as possible so don't rely too much on the gear. You might need to omit some equipment eventually once you feel confident enough to train under pressure.

Adapt to your enemy:

When it's your turn to play the role of the defender, you will have a better understanding on how to deal with the untrained attacker. You will begin to notice seemingly chaotic but predictable patterns. Be fluid and respond accordingly.

When you understand fundamental principles of combat (ex. Keeping your distance, controlling your opponent, timing, speed, accuracy, a strong defense, etc. then it becomes easier to respond. Don't worry too much about applying techniques. Instead, go with the flow.

If your sparring partner is swinging too fast and hard at striking range, you could attack from kicking range. You could take your attacker down via. grappling. You could also intercept your opponent's attack by a powerful strike of your own. It all depends on you and what you feel is instinctively right.

Remember to use the environment to your advantage. If you have something to block your partner's vision, use it. If you can use a car as a barrier then use it to escape. There's very little rules in self defense so you must use whatever works under intense sparring sessions.

With consistent training and understanding, you'll be better equipped with overcoming your fears under intense combat. Through hard work, you can essentially deal with any attacker and be one step ahead in self defense. Train smart and train with intensity to get the results you deserve!

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Why i teach principles of combat in self defense

It seems that in today's self defense community, people have forgotten about the simplicity of combat. I see so many self defense schools teaching techniques and what to do in X or Y situation. Not enough time is spent on teaching the importance of self defense principles and understanding them. I'll give you a few reasons why i rarely teach techniques and choose to teach principles instead.

* Principles make you more efficient - When under attack, you don't have time to think about "hmm...i'm going to do this..i'm going to do that...then i'm going to do X technique.." It's going to happen so fast that you will have very little time to react much less act. Let's suppose you are far away and someone pulls a 9 millimeter gun at you in an urban city. What do you do? One of the fundamental principles to defend yourself in that situation is to seek cover and concealment. Soon as you see a concrete wall or anything that can stop bullets, get behind it and conceal yourself. What if someone pulls an AK-47? A shotgun? An AR-15? Throwing knives? Same concept. Get behind cover or anything that hides your presence outside the gunman's field of vision. You don't need to be an expert on firearms. You don't need to invest in years of studying each long range weapon in order to know how to respond. You don't need to have a weapon to find cover and concealment. When your against long range weapons such as firearms, the principle of cover and concealment in response still applies.

* Principles make you fluid - You may have seen Krav Maga practitioners when faced with a gunman, they'll grab the gun as they punch the face multiple times or perform a technique as shown in this video. This looks good but it's not always effective. Your attacker might have high pain tolerance and the adrenaline might make the pain less severe. He or she might even see you going for the gun and move back then shoot you. How would you resolve that with principles? Quickly redirecting the line of attack and establishing firm control over the weapon via. controlling the arm with both hands. If the gunman moves back, you move forward and apply the same principles. Another principle is obstructing your enemy's field of vision. If you got an object (any object) in your hand, throw it in your attacker's vision. You can control the arm and attack at once. As long as you understand principles, you can defend yourself more fluidly. If you forgot a technique or it didn't work, your in a big trouble.  

* Principles help you understand combat - It's one thing to know techniques but it's another to completely understand combat. Techniques are static and only work in particular situations. Combat is fluid and changing. What did techniques teach you about maintaining distance? Controlling your opponent? Accuracy? If you keep thinking in terms of techniques and what to do in different scenarios, you won't understand the essence of combat. Want to know the best way to counter a headlock, a chokehold, a bearhug? Preventing that from happening in the first place by keeping your distance. As soon as your attacker tries to go into grappling range, you could use your footwork to get out of range and land a kick to the groin as a stop hit then explosively go for a knock out punch. Creating distance isn't just used in hand-to-hand combat. It also applies to weapons as well. Whether your holding a knife, a gun, a stick, or a rock - you will need to control the distance between you and your attacker to ensure your own safety while maximizing the effectiveness of your attacks.

I'm not saying you should never use techniques but don't depend on them to save your life. It's understanding principles of combat that teaches you how to better defend yourself more efficiently and effectively.

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Is grappling effective in self defense?

I've often heard people talk about grappling's use in self defense. Some say it's a bad idea and others say it's a good idea. Is grappling effective in self defense? I will give my stance on the subject.

It all depends on many factors. I can't give you a resounding "yes! It's effective!" or a "no you should never grapple in self defense.." It's what you make of it as a practitioner that determines whether or not it's effective for self defense. What i can say is that much of what is taught in grappling arts such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo, Combat Sambo, etc. will most likely not work in self defense.

You've probably seen or underwent some training involving stand up grappling as shown in this video. You take your opponent down and apply grappling maneuvers in order to apply a firm grappling hold. In addition, you will probably be given rules that forbid you from striking or be expected to primarily focus on grappling. The problem with this is that 1) There's no soft mat in the street to break your fall. There might be solid concrete or glass that could cause injury or knock you out if your head makes full contact with it. 2) Your training with grapplers, not strikers. Your attacker is probably not going to move around trying to "feel you out" (at least not in America.) Most likely, your attacker will either attack by striking or with a deadly weapon. If your attacker does use grappling and goes for a takedown, it's probably going to be so he or she can continue striking you!    

Will that type of training prepare you for self defense? Most likely not. This does not mean that grappling is completely useless in self defense. Sure you might be able to apply an armbar every now and then but not against every attacker. The effectiveness of grappling depends on several things and more

1) The purpose of grappling
2) How you use it to end the threat quickly
3) Controlling the range between you and your attacker
4) Controlling your attacker.

For example, if someone tries to apply a rear naked chokehold then i'd use a Jiu Jitsu throw. It'd take too much time to figure out how to escape using some fancy grappling techniques then apply a chokehold of my own to make my opponent pass out until a few seconds. It's alot more effective for me at least to throw my attacker to the ground and go into my kicking or striking range (ex. stomp kick to the head.) If you want to learn more, read my post "grappling for self defense vs. grappling for UFC" ( http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/01/grappling-for-self-defense-vs-grappling.html)

In conclusion, grappling's effectiveness depends on how you use it. There's no martial art style that is guaranteed to make grappling 100% effective for you in self defense. Once you understand the basic principles of grappling and combat, you can understand how to make grappling work for you.

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Not all combat is the same for self defense!

One of the biggest misconceptions people have about self defense is assuming all or some forms of combat are the same. Instructors in traditional martial arts, MMA, police and military training, combat sports, etc. seem to lump one or all together in one category and call it self defense. This is not the reality. Not all forms of combat are equally much less best suited for self defense. Each form of combat was made for a specific purpose so the mindset and training will be built upon a specific goal. They are similar but not the same. I will go through several forms of combat and explain how they are different from self defense with educational videos.

* Traditional Martial arts - As I mentioned before in my blog post "why martial arts does not mean self defense" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2016/12/why-martial-arts-does-not-mean-self.html), martial arts' styles were created to suit the needs of a particular generation in time for many reasons (health and fitness, self defense, war, dance, etc.) Ninjutsu for example was designed to help ninjas complete their missions involving espionage and evasion of the enemy. They would use weapons such as katanas to engage their attackers. Other martial arts like Kendo aren't even used for self defense or any fighting. They are used more for building moral character via. Bushido. You will train in katas or "forms ", ancient techniques, weapons, hand to hand combat, etc. in the martial arts world. You might have to invest years in training to perfect your skills.

How is this different from more practical self defense? In the 21st century, alot has changed since the time of its creation. Alot of things that worked back then are now obsolete in the modern world. If you tried to use a katana on an unarmed attacker now, you will run into alot of problems with the law. Modern self defense addresses modern problems. No one will attack you with bo staffs, butterfly knives, katanas, and other ancient weapons that traditional martial arts train you in. No one is going to realistically throw everything in one punch as seen in martial arts demonstrations. Your not going to be able to magically know when you will be attacked. Your attackers will use modern weapons with modern day approaches. Much of the combat shown in traditional martial arts are done for the sake of the art or it's original purpose, not to defend yourself in the modern world.

* Combat sports - Some martial arts like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai were designed for sport. Modern martial arts in the form of MMA train it's practitioners in multiple traditional martial arts within striking, kicking, and grappling ranges. The goal is to either cause an opponent to tap out or get knocked out. There are weight divisions, verbal taunts, rules, sportsmanship, alot of time to prepare, championships, alot of room to fight in the ring, judges, the list goes on.

The problem? The sports mindset is different from the world of self defense. In the real world, you risk breaking your fists in a street fight if you punch incorrectly or solid bone thus reducing your chances of effectively dealing with the next threat. That's why you see MMA fighters and sport based martial artists spar with gloves. The other issue is that you are training to fight someone on a similar skill level when it comes to sport. There's no weapons, no multiple attackers, no dirty fighting, no disadvantages in size, and no one trying to kill you in the ring. On the streets, there are no rules. Effective self defense should prepare you to respond to any situation. There's no "fighting fair" when your defending yourself. In fact, there shouldn't be any fighting at all. Your not going to survive every situation if you treat each one as a fist fight.Your goal should be to end the threat as quickly as possible by putting your attacker at a disadvantage usually through two ways 1) Incapacitation 2) Taking away mobility with or without the use of weapons. For example, if i'm faced with an attacker throwing punches and i have a sweater in one hand then i'm going to throw it in his face. This will provide a distraction for me to land a kick to the groin and another kick to knock him or off balance then run away. If i don't fight dirty then it's skill against skill and if my attacker is more skilled than me, i'm probably going to get hurt or killed. Even if schools in combat sports claim to teach self defense, they most likely won't teach you how to fight dirty or how to use weapons to end the threat quickly.

* Street-fighting - This is like sport except it's a consensual agreement for both parties to fight although there's no assurance that it will be fair. If your attacker hates the fact that you won a fist fight, he or she can shoot you dead in anger and humiliation as shown in this video example. Once you agree to meet someone for a street fight, you are no longer acting in self defense. In self defense, you should attempt to defuse your aggressor or avoid these situations all together for your safety.

* Combat in law enforcement - Military officials will train in hand-to-hand combat (such as martial arts) and weapons to kill or capture the enemy as quickly as possible. The police's main goal is to use weapons and hand-to-hand combat to subdue criminals. They are armed with an arsenal of weapons (handcuffs, guns, tasers, batons, pepper spray, the list goes on.) They are allowed to kill someone if that person has proven to be too great of a threat. Their greatest strength is teamwork and spend alot of time honing their skills together.

How is this different from self defense? You don't have the same advantages and authority as law enforcement does in self defense. Furthermore, your aim isn't to kill unless there is no other way to stop an attacker intending on killing you and you can justify it in court.

In conclusion, you have to know what your purpose is in self defense and abide by a process. You have to know how to make combat systems effective for you in self defense. I'm not confident that many people learning self defense understand the dynamics of real world violence because they are confused. The best thing you can do is understand the different types of combat to avoid confusion and learn how to defend yourself better.

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.

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Does size matter in self defense?

A very common question I often see asked when it comes to self defense is "Does size matter in a fight?"

I often get bothered by this question because it makes seem as if size is the only determining factor in a fight for self defense. Does size really matter? It depends on you. Size is only one variable that will determine who survives. If you just assume that an attacker with superior strength and size will overpower you then you will have a hard time defending yourself.

Yes, size does matter but what matters more is your confidence, your skills, your ability to adapt, your skills, your intelligence, and your ability to use size to your advantage. In my blog post "how to skillfully use brute size and strength " (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/01/how-to-skillfully-use-size-and-brute.html) I explain why muscular large people aren't necessarily skilled in fighting. If you land a well placed kick to a bodybuilder's groin, it's going to bring him or her down. Doesn't matter how muscular the person is. If I'm faced with a large attacker who knows a bit about grappling, now those muscles will serve as a disadvantage for me. If my attacker is slow and tires easily then I strike from a long range which is a disadvantage for my attacker.

In conclusion, size only matters when you understand how to use it to your advantage. Whether you are small, skinny or muscular, fast, strong, overweight, tall or short, you need to ask yourself " how can I use my size to my advantage? How can i use my opponent's size against him or her? How can I develop the confidence to face any attacker of any size?" I leave you with an inspirational quote by Mark Twain shown in this picture.

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.

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Attacking matters more than self defense techniques

When you come across any self defense system, you'll want to ask yourself "am I going to be able to recall what I've learned in a real fight? " Unfortunately, many self defense schools teach ineffective techniques that won't work in an actual violent situation. Why do i say that? For the following reasons:

* Your attacker is unpredictable - Many times you will often see demonstrations of self defense instructors doing a certain technique such as a wrist lock or sequence of moves. The students comply because in their minds, the instructor knows best. The problem with this is that the attacker doesn't react. In the real world, you don't know your attacker. You don't know if he or she has a concealed weapon. You don't know if your attacker is trained. You don't know how your attacker will respond if you apply a certain technique if you can apply it at all.

* Combat is fluid and intense - In a violent situation, there's going to be alot of striking and movement at varying speeds. When your under high levels of stress, you won't be able recall complex motor skills. Worse, you might give your attacker an opportunity to land a hit. You might see martial arts demonstrations where the student playing the role of the attacker attempts to grab or choke the defender. This type of attack is rare so the training is unrealistic. In a real attack, your attacker will most likely do alot of striking and some unskilled grappling. As soon as someone is on top of you, your attacker's punches will land straight to your face and other areas before you can perform one technique. In combat, things happen so quickly that you won't be able to use any techniques. Just look at any compilation of attacks on the internet or in person as in this video for instance.

* Techniques promote a faulty mindset - By thinking of combat in terms of techniques, your movements become mechanical rather than natural. You will start to depend on techniques to get out of every situation. If you train to deal with a certain situation but did not train for a completely different scenario in the real world, chances are you will freeze. You won't know whether to do what technique and by the time you do, you would've already been hit.

If you were to ask me "what's the best way to deal with any violent situation?" My response is "attack! attack! attack!" It's easier to memorize only a few attacks than to spend more time learning different techniques for different scenarios. This is because you can end the threat much quicker if you strike than if you applied a sequence of movements or armlock. You might even move faster under an adrenaline rush than if you weren't. Picture the following scenarios and see how the principle of attacking would end a violent confrontation fast.

* Someone tries to grab your shirt with both hands while leaving his/her vulnerable areas exposed. Since your attacker is grabbing you, that leaves the body completely defenseless unless your attacker lets go. What's the solution? Knock him or her out with one hit to the head area.

* Someone puts you in a rear naked chokehold. What's the solution to escape? Strike the groin repeatedly, elbow strike the ribs, strike the face, kick the legs, etc.

* Someone grabs your arm. What's the solution? Knock him or her out by aiming for a specific target (jaw, under the chin, neck, throat, etc.)

Think of any scenario in your head and the principle should still be the same. It doesn't matter what your attacker does, if you can't remember anything else then at least remember to attack until the threat is over. Sure you can use a technique or two but it's not as important as training your quick reflexes, accuracy, power, timing, fluidity. By focusing on using a few solutions for many problems, you learn to end the threat more efficiently.

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Tips on improving self defense grappling

In my previous post "grappling for self defense vs. grappling for UFC" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/01/grappling-for-self-defense-vs-grappling.html), i outlined the differences between grappling for self defense and grappling for sport. In this self defense guide, i will explain in further detail how to apply grappling in the streets.

* Know when grappling is applicable and when it isn't - Sometimes, you cannot win a street fight with grappling alone. You will need striking and kicking skills. There's many fights on youtube where the grappler tries to take it to the ground. While the grappler wins, he is still hit in the process and struggles to apply grappling holds well. You don't want to take a fight to the ground where your vision is limited and you are very vulnerable. This is an example of such a case where grappling failed. Understanding when grappling is useful and when it isn't is key in self defense.

* Embrace dirty fighting - Learn about all the illegal moves in grappling arts and use them to your advantage. Headbutts, biting, eye gouging, groin strikes, elbow strikes, throat grabs, bashing someone's head repeatedly against the concrete, weapons, etc. are all legal in a street fight. Use your environment to your advantage. Simplify your grappling techniques by incorporating these dirty fight tactics in your grappling skills. Raw Combat International gives useful grappling moves for self defense.

* Throw away unessentials - In order to effectively use grappling in self defense, forget about the sports mindset and making your opponent tap out. Discard grappling rules and anything that hinders you from learning grappling for self defense. Self defense is a matter of survival, not of competition.  

* Control your opponent - Controlling your opponent is very important in grappling. You will want to target certain areas such as the arms, legs, and the head to establish a firm hold on your opponent. Once your opponent is under control, you can choke or strike and do whatever you want. Make sure that the grappling holds you choose prevent your opponent from attacking you effectively.

* Use your opponent's momentum against him/her - Don't fight force against force. Absorb your opponent's force and use it against him or her. Let's suppose you are on the ground and your opponent is on a high mount trying to strike you. Feel the energy, redirect it, and allow it to carry your opponent over out of balance. If someone tries to choke you from behind, you could also use momentum to carry your opponent over and break free from the hold.

* Protect your balance - Balance is very important to avoid being taken to the ground. Lower your center of gravity, use momentum, sprawl and brawl, strike, etc. to keep your opponent from executing a successful takedown. Make sure that you have quick and mobile footwork to stay outside of someone trying to grapple with you.

* Set up a takedown - In order to be skilled at setting up a takedown, you need to trick your opponent and understand the range to do it. You will also want to use a takedown useful for self defense. You don't want to go to the ground with your attacker but you'll want to take your attacker down. For example, i like to grapple my opponent from a side position before i sweep him or her down. Rather than go down with my opponent as seen in sports, i release my hold the moment my attacker is falling over. I find these takedown techniques also useful for self defense.

* Be fully aware of your surroundings - Generally, you will want to learn grappling techniques that don't limit your vision. You will also want to scan your surroundings if you are on the ground to make sure there are no multiple attackers. For example, applying a rear naked chokehold works well in choking someone out but my vision is limited. I cannot check to see if my attacker is reaching for a weapon in his or her pockets. I am also vulnerable to strikes to the face. Applying a full nelson is a better grappling hold because 1) My attacker's arms are within my control and vision 2) It establishes full control over my attacker.

* Grapple from a dominant position - The best position to grapple an attacker is when he or she is in the prone position as shown in the picture below. This is where your attacker is at his or her most vulnerable and it's very difficult to resist. Grappling holds such as the boston crab prevent your attacker from reaching for a weapon and escaping. Attacking from a side position where your free to strike and grapple is effective because you only have to deal with his or her arms than the legs.  

* Have a strategy - If you are to use grappling effectively for self defense, you need a strategy. Perhaps you know your opponent is a superior striker so grappling would be useful in neutralizing his or her striking ability. Perhaps you need a human shield against multiple attackers so applying a grappling hold on one as you move around is effective. Grappling can be used to escape from an opponent mounting you on the ground.

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.

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Self defense against martial artists

As i've discussed in my older blog posts, you may come across martial artists who intend on hurting you. It's important that you learn how to defend yourself against martial art bullies. This self defense guide will give you some essential tips on evading or defeating a martial artist in a street fight. It's important to note that you should have some basic hand-to-hand combat skills. Otherwise, it will be much more difficult to take down a martial artist. With that in mind, here are several tips on defense against martial artists.

* Fight with uttermost aggression - If you come across having to defend yourself by fighting a martial artist, you need to be as aggressive as possible. Attack at full force and speed. Chances are, most martial artists do not know how to deal with an aggressive and outright violent attacker. This is because they typically train in a calm and controlled environment against other compliant martial artists. If you can attack a martial artist with overwhelming force, you will eventually land a few hits and probably stress him or her out.

* Fight dirty - Many martial artists train with rules such as point systems or forbidden moves during sparring. Nine times out of ten, they won't know how to defend against dirty fighting tactics. In fact, they might even be taught to avoid them and that's their weakness. Be as brutal and as ruthless as you can be. Headbutt, eye gouge, bite, use improvised weapons, the environment, etc. If a martial artist puts you in an armbar, bite down on the calf muscles as hard as you can. Use dirt, sand, glass, and other means of blinding the martial artist as you attack. Do as much damage as you can.

* Learn how to deal with high kicks - One of the key factors in determining whether or not you survive an attack by a martial artist is taking advantage of high kicks. Kicking high takes alot of time and compromises an attacker's balance. When a martial artist kicks high, close the gap between you and your attacker then knock him or her balance. You could trap the leg and land a stomp kick to the rear leg. You could also evade the kick and counter-attack with a kick to the rear leg. There's several ways of dealing with high kicks. This video gives insights on dealing with high kicks.

* Take the martial artist off balance - The key in defeating a martial artist or any fighter is taking away balance. When faced with a Wing Chun fighter for example, he or she is vulnerable to takedowns and grappling. Once the martial artist is on the ground, his or her striking power is almost useless.

Practice these principles with a sparring partner. 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.

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How to fight in restraints

Let's assume that you've been abducted or kidnapped and find yourself in handcuffs. If you want to escape and survive then you must learn how to fight in restraints be it zip ties, duct tape, rope, or any other types. If your legs are restrained then there's not much you can do but if it's just your hands that are bound, this guide will teach you how to fight in self defense. Helpful videos are also included.

1) Identify the position you are restrained in - Are your hands bound in front of you or behind you? Are you seated in a chair or standing? Learn as much as you can about how your kidnappers or abductors restrained you and the types of restraints used. The more you know, the better you will be able to act accordingly.

2) Calculate the best opportunity to strike - In order to fight in restraints and escape your kidnappers successfully, you must learn when the best time to attack is. If your hands are the only limbs bound then you need to keep it that way. As soon as your kidnappers bind your legs too, it's over and you will lose almost all of your fighting ability. You also cannot allow yourself to be seated on a chair because then it will be much harder for you to gain an advantageous fighting position. If you are in between two kidnappers with each one holding your arms, you are at a disadvantage. As soon as you try to attack one, both will feel your resistance and you may get the beating of a lifetime. The best time to strike is when you are at a position of advantage and your attacker has minimal to no contact with you.

3) Attack and escape - As long as you can move your arms, legs, and other areas of your body then you can still attack. Use headbutts, shirt grabs, double backfists, hammerfists, elbow strikes, finger jabs, sraight punches, uppercuts, deflections, kicks, knee kicks, bites, grappling holds, shoulder hits, etc. It's very important that you have your hands in synch with each other and strike in one swift motion. You can't fight effectively with both hands working in opposite directions. Since your movements are limited, you should attack in a straight line. Be careful not to lose your balance or your kidnappers will seize the opportunity to restrain you again on the ground and you may not get another chance to fight back again. Some knowledge on ground-fighting will be useful in recovering from falling over (see "grappling in self defense vs. grappling in UFC http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/01/grappling-for-self-defense-vs-grappling.html ) If an opportunity of escape arises, take it by all means as it is more dangerous to stay and fight.

4) Break free from the restraints - You will need to buy time and break free from your restraints quickly at some point. Having knowledge of how to break free from zip ties, rope, handcuffs, wire, and other kinds of restraints quickly will be useful to you in a kidnapping situation. You also need to be aware of your surroundings and somehow get the proper tools needed to release yourself from the restraint.

Practice with a partner using toy or training handcuffs. 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.

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Grappling for self defense vs. grappling for UFC

Earlier, i made a post on whether or not you should groundfight in self defense (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/01/should-you-groundfight-in-self-defense.html). In this post, i will address how to make grappling work in self defense. In order for you to understand how to make it work for self defense, you must understand the differences between grappling in sports and grappling in self defense. I will outline the differences here. Before i go further, i will note that some critics of grappling argue that you should never take it to the ground in self defense. This is true but it's easier said than done especially when your opponent is trying to take you off balance or grapple you. It's not as simple as not going to the ground and getting up. If you try to get up, your opponent will seize that opportunity to close the distance and attack you. I won't tell you "you should never ground-fight or grapple". I simply ask you "can you make it work in self defense?" Without further notice, i present the differences between grappling for self defense and grappling in sport.

* Ground-fighting in UFC is for subduing opponents or K.O, ground-fighting for self defense is to recover your original position - The aim of grappling in MMA especially in the sports world is an offensive measure taken to make your opponent submit or knock him or her out. In order to use ground-fighting for self defense, you must only use it as a defensive measure to gain a more dominant position. You don't want to throw a few punches and immediately go for a flying armbar. That makes no sense as grappling is unnecessary not to mention dangerous in that case. You'll want to end the fight in a standing position but if you get taken to the ground, you will want to create an opportunity to get back on your feet. For example, if your attacker is trying to ground and pound you - block and buck. From there, you can get in a position where you can get back to striking your opponent. This video illustrates my point.

* Ground-fighting in UFC has rules, ground-fighting in self defense doesn't - One objection critics bring is "ground-fighting is dangerous for you because your attacker could use a weapon." Well you could use a weapon too. Whether you train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or Judo, you need to free yourself from point systems and the sports mindset. There's nothing stopping you from gouging your attacker's eyes out, biting his/her ears off or throat, biting the calf to escape an armbar, striking the groin, stabbing or shooting him/her from the ground, breaking limbs, bashing his/her head on the concrete, etc. To top if off, you could reposition yourself to control your opponent from reaching for a weapon.

* Ground-fighting in UFC is complex, ground-fighting in self defense is simple and efficient - Because UFC limits many attacks, people who use grappling have to work their way around that in order to make grappling effective. This results in complicated movements that don't do well in self defense. In order to make grappling work in self defense, you must free yourself from the way typical people train in grappling. I find many of Master Wong's teachings on ground-fighting to be efficient and simple. Rather than the standard double leg takedown used in sports grappling that exposes your body and compromises balance, you could use more of a single leg sweep takedown method.

* Ground-fighting in UFC is for engagement, ground-fighting in self defense is for disengagement - As i mentioned in my 1st point, UFC's aim of grappling is to submit your opponent or cause a knock out. The strategy is to "go all in" so to speak and in gain a dominant position on the ground. Grappling namely ground-fighting in self defense should be used to disengage your opponent and create an opportunity to get back on your feet. If for example you get knocked down, you still could keep your opponent at bay with kicks or knock him/her over which gives you the chance to get up quickly. Alternatively, you could carry your opponent with his/her momentum to the ground. If you are attacked by a wrestler or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter, your goal should be to escape the lying position rather than outgrapple him or her on the ground.

As you can see, it all boils down to the training and how skilled you are in using grappling for self defense. If you don't want to go to the ground, what measures will you take to prevent that from happening? Anti-grappling? Sprawls? When using grappling or ground-fighting in self defense, you have to ask yourself "what's the strategy behind your usage of those areas of combat? How will you apply them to self defense as opposed to sport?" 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.

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How to skillfully use size and brute strength

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.

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http://www.expertboxing.com/boxing-training/boxing-workouts/why-lifting-weights-wont-increase-punching-power

Self defense against strangulation

Strangulation is a deadly type of assault in the streets and it probably means your assailant is trying to kill you. You only have a short amount of time to respond properly before you run out of oxygen. Hopefully, you will learn everything you need to know from this guide.

When we are being strangled with a rope or chain, our natural reaction is to use force with force and pull forward so that we can breathe. This is ineffective especially when dealing with someone stronger than you. If your being strangled with barbed wire or any other kind of wire, you won't be able to pry your fingers into it and yank it off of you. What's the best line of defense? Go with the flow. If your attacker is pulling back, simply turn your body sideways or facing him/her. Are there any obstacles such as an attacker pushing his or her knee against you? Clear the way with your arms and turn your body. Attack at full force with palm strikes to the face, chops to the sides of the neck, finger jabs to the throat and eyes, hammerfists to the temple, hits to the chest, etc. Don't worry about trying to release the attacker's grip on the weapon because that's an advantage for you. Once your are doing damage to your attacker's body, he or she will have to let go at some point but by then it would be too late. The last thing you want is for the situation to escalate into a grappling contest. This video demonstrates how this idea should be practiced.

Practice with a sparring partner with safety precautions. 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.

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How to beat a more skilled opponent in self defense

While many self defense instructors give their students instructions on how to beat the average attacker in the streets, you may on rare occasion run into an attacker who is more skilled than you. First of all, i would like to dispel the myth that a trained fighter would not want to fight you. Just look in the news and you'll see reports of UFC fighters beating their own spouses. You will find cases where martial artists have used their training to bully and intimidate other people such as in this video. Therefore someone who is more skilled than you has a reason to bully you especially when that person is misusing his or her skills for evil. I won't avoid the subject and rationalize it like others have by saying "just run away..." or "just don't get into a fight..." because those aren't effective self defense solutions when you are forced to respond to an attacking and arrogant boxer. Instead, i provide you with some principles and guidelines in surviving against an attacker who is better trained than you are.

The problem with calling someone a "skilled" fighter is that it's too vague of a term to be defined accurately. What criteria are we using to define skill? What exactly is a skill? According to the dictionary's definition, it's the ability to do something well. In the fighting context, skill is a very broad term. Someone could be skilled in striking quickly at close range but do poorly when attacking long range. Another person could be skilled in keeping distance with kicks but less skilled than someone else who excels at breaking through defenses. Someone could be great at packing power in their punches but lack proper timing and speed. Can someone be highly skilled in absolutely every aspect of fighting? No! Why? Because it would take too much time and energy to devote yourself to fighting with weapons, hand to hand combat, awareness, balance, speed, strength, grappling, groundfighting, timing, striking, kicking, evading, the list goes on at the uttermost level. Skilled does not equal invincible.

Let's assume that you've had some experience in hand to hand combat and face someone who is a better striker than you while the fight lasts longer than usual. You keep getting hit no matter what kinds of attacks you execute. How do you fight someone who is more skilled than you in that area? I give a two-fold response.

1) Avoid your opponent's strengths and exploit weaknesses - I'll take the infamous fight between Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm. If you followed Ronda's career, notice how she utterly dominated her opponents in close quarters combat. When she faced Holly Holm, she faced a formidable opponent. Why is that? Holly Holm attacked her from a long range. What led to Ronda's defeat? She couldn't adapt. This is a perfect example of where Ronda was skilled at close range fighting but Holly Holm had superior skill at long range attacks. Now you may object and say "well that's sport fighting, not self defense.." but that's besides the point. You apply the same principles in self defense. If your opponent is better than you at close range, you go long range. If your opponent strikes high, you strike low. If your opponent is stronger, you yield to his or her force and use it against him or her. If your opponent is more skilled than you in hand to hand combat, you use weapons. You may even choose to attack from the shadows. If your opponent is impatient, be patient and make him or her get frustrated. If your opponent gets angry too easily, anger him or her. By exploiting your opponent's weaknesses, he or she is bound to make a costly mistake.

2) Recognize patterns and break them - How do you beat a more experienced and skilled attacker? You go against your training. You learn to break patterns and use improper techniques when the time is right. Before you say "are you crazy?!? That's ridiculous!", bear with me. I've read an excellent article on beating a highly skilled opponent using anti-technique and looking for patterns in fighting (see link below.) After pondering this concept, it makes sense. When facing a more skilled opponent in striking, look for patterns and break them. If you were taught to punch in a specific structured and disciplined manner, you use an awkward structure of attack to deceive or confuse your opponent as it hits him or her. If your opponent has a habit of counter-attacking your attacks, you fake a punch then move to the side to evade the counter-attack and deliver a kick to the groin. If your opponent expects you to do that because you've been conditioning him or her to see a pattern in your moves, you change the pattern again then strike from a different angle and strategy.

Why does this work? In psychology, our minds tend to see patterns in random data. That's just the way we humans work. When we encounter something random that goes against our perceptions and beliefs, we are thrown off guard. Think about it. If someone spends countless hours practicing proper techniques in drills and sparring against opponents using the same or similar structure, do you think he or she would be prepared to attack someone who strikes with extraordinary form? I highly doubt it.

Bruce Lee explained this concept exceptionally well "empty your mind...be formless..shapeless..like water...you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup..you put it into a bottle, it becomes the bottle...you put it into a teapot..now water can flow or it can crash...be water my friend.." If you always confine yourself to rigid techniques and structure, your movements along with your thinking become mechanical. Liberate yourself from styles and techniques. Become like water. Be fluid and rigid when the time is right. Do the unexpected and adapt to your opponent's movements. Become one with chaos and order.

In conclusion, i leave you to ponder on these principles in your training. 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.

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http://www.expertboxing.com/boxing-strategy/boxing-styles/how-to-beat-a-better-fighter