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.
Boxing is a popular combat sport that has existed for centuries. In this post, i'll give you tips on how to apply boxing for self-defense.
* Disregard the rules - The first step in using boxing for self-defense is ditching the rules. Forget about scoring points, sports strategy, fighting, and any rules in combat sports. They will only hinder your ability to effectively defend yourself.
* Keep it simple - Don't learn fast and unrealistic combos. The longer your combos. are, the more opportunities your attacker has of interrupting them. You'll also waste time and energy. Your aim should be to simply knock out your attacker by hitting vital targets such as the head. See my post "vulnerable body parts for self-defense." for more.
* Train with proper physical conditioning - Remember that in the streets, you won't have padded protection. Therefore you'll need to condition your body to fight without gloves. Iron body training is a great way to condition your hands to deliver powerful blows without breaking your fists. You can read more about it in my post "how to apply iron body training in self-defense."
* Learn what's useful - There's many methods that are practical for combat such as shadow-boxing, sparring, slipping, ducking, bobbing and weaving, rolling with punches, list goes on. You should only train for what you will likely encounter in the street.
* Modify boxing for self-defense - Boxing alone is not enough for self-defense. Remember that you'll be facing weapons, multiple attackers, etc. In order to use boxing effectively for self-defense, you must develop other essential skills. You might want to speed up the timing of your strikes or modify them to make them more economical. You might also want to incorporate dirty fight tactics, trapping, kicking, grappling, improvised weapons, and other useful skills for combat.
Train with these tips in mind. If you want to learn more on how to make boxing work for self-defense, subscribe 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.
Learning situational awareness is one of the most fundamental skills you can learn in self-defense. As children, we were very aware of our environment. Unfortunately as we grew older, we lost these skills due to many factors such as social media. Why is situational awareness important? If you don't have full awareness of your environment, you won't be able to respond to a threat quickly enough. Thus, you will be unprepared for an attack and possibly die as a result. How do you hone your skills in situational awareness safety? The tips below will be based on a certain degree of scientific understanding:
* Practice keeping a safe distance - In order to react quickly enough to an attack, you need to maintain a safe distance between you and a potential threat. How? Stay a few feet away from strangers or potentially dangerous people. Practice verbal assertiveness and establishing healthy boundaries. Use "I" messages. If you don't keep your distance, your vision will be limited. You won't respond quickly enough or if you do respond, it's too late.
* Learn to read body language - One of the fundamental ways of reading an attacker's intent is body language. It's very difficult for people to mask body language. By reading non-verbal cues, you'll raise your alertness levels and act accordingly. What are some signs that someone is about to attack? Dilated pupils, sweat, a clenched jaw, fist, stiff neck, legs in a fighting stance, etc. If you want to learn more, read my blog post "7 warning signs of an impending attack."
* Study your environment - Whenever you plan a trip to a certain area, take the time to research the crime rates. The higher the crime rates, the higher your alertness needs to be. Familiarize yourself well with your environment. Learn where the nearest exits are, where to find cover and concealment, where potential weapons are, where potential allies are, etc.
* Observe your relationships - Sometimes the people you keep in contact with be it associates, friends, parents, lovers, etc. can be potential threats. This can be due to various underlying factors such as unresolved conflicts, negative emotions, violent behavior, physical or emotional neglect, abuse, etc. When you notice changes in your relationships that could potentially lead to violence, you need to act.
* Eliminate distractions - In order to respond quickly enough, you need to get rid of all distractions. If you're driving, turn off your cell phone. If you try to do too may things at once, you may get caught by surprise if an attack were to occur.
* Know where to direct your focus - You don't have eyes at the back of your head. It's impossible to have a complete 360 degree view of the world around you. Therefore the only solution is to figure out where your attention needs to be. You don't have to constantly keep looking over your shoulder for a potential threat but you shouldn't completely let your guard down either. You should divide your focus in order to keep from getting caught off guard.
There was a study done where volunteers were asked to count how many times 3 basketball players in white passed a ball. A woman in a gorilla costume came in and walked away. Half of the viewers missed her. Why? This phenomenon is called inattentional blindness. It's when our attention has become so focused on one particular thing that we lose sight of other things. See the link below for more details.
* Establish a secure parameter - We know that you can't always have your guard up. That's why it's important to designate a safe area and take precautions to secure it. To increase your situational awareness, you must take advantage of the resources already available. This could be in the form of security cameras, alarm systems, and other smart security systems.
In conclusion, these are a few key tips to increase situational awareness safety. Above all, you need to accept that there's a small chance that you'll be caught off guard and unprepared for an attack. Situational awarness safety doesn't make you completely invincible but it will help you in most cases. Practice these skills in your daily life.
If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, product recommendations, 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.
Ninjutsu is a Japanese system historically used in Feudal Japan involving espionage, unconventional warfare, hit and run tactics, and much more. Ninjutsu has been historically shrouded in mystery and often glamorized in Hollywood. In this guide, i'll give you some insights and resources on how to apply ninjutsu to your self defense training.
* Discard what's useless and simplify your skills - While you may expect to learn a wide range of ninjutsu skills, the reality is much of it is useless in today's world. You realistically won't be running around in ninja attire infiltrating buildings and using all sorts of weapons in combat. There's no point in training with weapons that you won't carry or legally be able to use in combat. If you are to efficiently practice ninjutsu, you'll only need a limited set of essential skills for self defense.
* Be evasive - Evading a threat in Ninjutsu is one skill set that will prove useful today. If you are to be successful in self defense, you must evade a potentially violent threat before it even emerges. This can be done by remaining anonymous on the web for example. If an armed attacker barges in a public place, you can use stealth techniques from Intonjutsu to silently make an escape or conceal yourself. If you are aware of a potentially threatening person following you, it's wise to divert him or her into a false path. You could also put your potential threat in a position where he or she cannot pursue you without revealing themselves in the process. You can use a distraction to blind your attacker in combat such as powder before escaping.
* Use deception - The essence of ninjutsu is deception. Deception is not dressing in a black ninja suit and performing flashy magic tricks as Hollywood depicts. There's various tactics that are useful in deceiving your attacker such as feints, psychological manipulation, propaganda, persuasion, and so on. Appear strong when weak and weak when strong. One of the ultimate skills of ninjutsu is manipulating your target's perception rather than engaging in combat.
* Blend in with the environment - Part of ninjutsu is using the environment to your advantage to avoid detection. It's critical to have an in-depth understanding of the environment in order to use your ninjutsu skills effectively. You can use camouflage and stealth techniques to evade or engage the enemy when necessary as depicted below.
Certain skills such as Hensojutsu are essential to survival namely in hostage situations. Hensojutsu is the art of disguise and impersonation. Hensojutsu is not just putting on a costume, it involves a deep understanding of sociology. You must have knowledge of the particular social role you want to impersonate. Attackers from criminal organizations may kill or torture you if they suspect you are a potential threat. Applying Hensojutsu such as pretending to be a compliant citizen may save your life. Below is an excellent example of Hensojutsu from a documentary applied to the modern world.
The essence of becoming invisible is not disturbing the course of nature but flowing with it. Blending in with your environment isn't just moving in silence. It's also leaving absolutely no trace behind.
* PracticeEspionage - Another set of essential skills in Ninjutsu is intelligence gathering and counter-intelligence. In certain scenarios such as terrorist hijackings, espionage is a valuable skill set to have. You'll need to engage all of your senses and gather as much intelligence on your enemy as possible. You may also need to leak that intelligence to police officials for example. Counter-intelligence serves to sabotage a potential threat's attempt to spy on you such as an assassin.
In conclusion, these are just some Ninjutsu skills that you can apply in self defense. 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.
I'm going to lay down the brutally honest truth that most people teaching self defense are unaware of or simply don't want you to know. Most self defense systems will get you killed on the streets. There i said it. I'm not going to sugar coat it. I'm not going to try and persuade you why what i teach is better. I'm simply going to give reason why most self defense systems do not and will not work in a real world setting. You can choose to ignore the facts or embrace them. The reasons are as follows:
* No training in situational awareness - When was the last time you heard your self defense instructor talk about situational awareness? There's alot of schools teaching self defense who focus on combat but very few who actually talk about situational awareness. What is situational awareness about? The ability to observe your surroundings and comprehend their meaning. It's about finding which observations are critical to your survival (ex. body language, odd behavior, etc.) and which are just distractions. Many martial arts instructors and people teaching "reality-based" self defense ignore it. What do you think the average reaction time is? According to science, it's around 150-300 milliseconds. During that period of time, your brain has to see the threat coming and process the information in order to respond. That's not alot of time to act. Even if you see the threat coming, there's a chance you still won't be able to respond in time to defend yourself due to factors such as distance. You can test it out for yourself and find out (see link below).
It doesn't matter how good you are in sparring. You will always get caught off guard by the first hit on the street if you don't understand how to be situationally aware. One hit is all it takes to end your life be it from a gunshot, a knife, a KO punch, or any other deadly weapon. Many people teaching self defense ignore that and think that you can defend yourself effectively from any surprise attack.
* No training in de-escalating or defusing violent situations - Alot of people emphasize combat but almost no time is spent on resolving conflict before it starts. People think that a simple apology will suffice when it won't in all situations. You won't learn about the psychology of human behavior and the dynamics of human relationships in a dojo or a "reality based" self defense school. It's this lack of training that leads people to treat self defense as street fighting rather than an actual process of ending conflict peacefully. If you want more, read my post "the most fatal mistakes you can make in self defense." Just look at what happens when you fail to defuse a potentially violent situation properly. (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-most-fatal-mistakes-you-can-make-in.html)
* A sports mindset - When alot of people hear self defense, they automatically picture two guys sparring in a ring or mat with protective gear and gloves on. They might also jump on the MMA bandwagon and believe that martial arts alone will save them in any violent situation. In reality, the sports mentality limits and often hinders your ability to defend yourself. On the street, anything goes. In sport, there are rules and rules are limitations (ex. no dirty fighting, no weapons, no multiple attackers, etc.) Do you realistically expect to survive EVERY violent situation that comes your way by training in a sports environment? If you want to learn more, read my post "Not all combat is the same for self defense!" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/04/not-all-combat-is-same-for-self-defense.html)
* Unrealistic static and flashy combat - I've seen countless martial artists and "reality based" self defense systems show a fancy or "cool" demonstration of techniques. What's the problem? They don't tell you under what conditions the techniques work and when they won't. When a technique or a sequence of attacks are being demonstrated, you'll have a student comply by offering little to no resistance such as shown here. The reality is combat is unpredictable. You don't know how your attacker will respond and that's the scary truth - you don't know. Why don't self defense instructors tell you that? Because it doesn't sell! Let's face it - no one wants to pay for a self defense system that admits it isn't 100% effective. Nevertheless, people want to learn techniques as a "quick fix" for all their problems. Techniques are eye -catching but they are not what will save you in self defense. If there was a set of techniques that worked for every situation, i wouldn't be writing this post but there isn't.
It's easy for a self defense instructor to put on camo pants and act like a tough marine who knows what he's doing. It's easy to apply a wrist lock under a calm controlled environment with a compliant student after a bit of practice. It's easy to get out of a bearhug by delivering a kick to another student's shin in a dojo. That is until your attacker throws you on the ground, beats you up, and renders your technique useless. Until you realize it's all impractical in the streets and you start to blame your instructor or he/she says "you did it wrong.." Assuming you live to tell the story.
* Ignoring physiology, psychology, anatomy, and other factors - A huge part of why most self defense training systems fail is the lack of knowledge on the effects of stress and adrenaline on the body. I've seen alot of Krav Maga practitioners attack by clinching an opponent and knee striking the groin. This might work but that's assuming your attacker isn't under adrenaline. The effects of adrenaline on the body can cause people to perform amazing feats and tolerate huge amounts of pain. If your attacker is determined to kill you and is undergoing an adrenaline rush, inflicting pain isn't going to end the threat. What it will probably do is make him or her angrier and more determined to kill you. There's also demonstrations where your instructed to attack the body. The problem? Most instructors aren't telling you where to hit and that greatly reduces your chances of surviving. If you hit solid bone and your hand breaks, that hand is now useless in combat. The only reason why it works in a school is because of gloves, light contact, or no contact at all in hard target areas. There's also the psychology of conflict that plays a role in your survival. Do you realistically expect an emotionally sensitive soccer mom to have the will to gouge out her attacker's eyes under high levels of stress and tunnel vision?
Unfortunately, many professing to teach self defense ignore all that and assume that what they teach works in every situation.
* Neglecting the laws of self defense - Perhaps a huge neglect in self defense circles is the legal system. Alot of people just assume that they can attack in any manner and claim self defense in court. How you handle a situation is going to determine whether or not you legally acted in self defense. If the police find that you used excessive deadly force on an attacker, it's going to make YOU look bad. Unfortunately, alot of self defense schools neglect incorporating the law and ignorance of the law is what will get you locked up.
* Unrealistic view of combat - Alot of martial artists and "reality-based" self defense systems paint a beautiful picture of combat. The reality is combat is anything but beautiful. It's hideous. It's bloody. It's vile. It's grotesque. The notion that your going to walk out of an intense violent battle without any flesh wound is an illusion. When people get punched multiple times, there is bleeding on an internal level that people often aren't aware of. You will likely be left with "battle scars" be it psychological or physical. Whether you survive or not is irrelevant. You have to accept that you might be left with irreversible damage no matter what happens. Could be the loss of an organ, blindness, a limb, or any other permanent reminders. That's the price you pay for getting into violent situations.
In conclusion, these are just some of the reasons why most self defense systems fail. The choice is yours. You can choose to continue living in a fantasy world where the facts don't apply. You can choose to continue searching for "the best martial art for self defense." You can choose to invest in courses teaching you static techniques on how to deal with situations than face the reality of combat. You can also choose to acknowledge the facts and base your training around them. After all, it's your life. I hope that you make the right choice because it means the difference between life and death.
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.
It might be obvious that a big part of self defense is hand to hand combat. Nevertheless its important to understand why that is so. Is hand to hand combat required? No but I'll give you a few reasons why you should learn some bad hand to hand combat skills.
One of the reasons you should learn hand to hand combat is for the advantages it brings. You can knock someone out, keep attackers at bay, do weapons disarms, and alot more. You also have control over the degree of deadly force you use. You can't get that from weapons alone or a one size fits all approach. Deadly weapons only have a high degree of lethal force for killing your attackers. If you read my post "why relying on weapons will get you killed" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2016/12/why-relying-on-weapons-will-get-you.html) then you understand why relying weapons alone for self defense isn't a smart idea. Even in situations where deadly weapons are involved, hand-to-hand combat will be useful in creating distance between you and your attacker as you use your own weapons.
As for the one size fits all approach, people tend to underestimate attackers who mean them harm. If you were to ask people what they'd do if they were attacked,some of the answers you'll get will be "well i'd just kick him in the balls..." Not denying the effectiveness of a groin strike but it's easier said than done. There's several variables that affect whether you are successful or not. Your attacker might be wearing a jock strap, move out of range, have a high pain tolerance, or be on drugs. How likely are you to land a groin strike in a chaotic situation with a moving attacker? Even if you land a groin strike but that's not enough to take him or her down, what will you do then?
Here's one very fine example where relying only on weapons did not work. A police officer approaches a man who is a former heavyweight boxer and the boxer decides to attack him. The officer uses pepper spray which fails then his gun. The officer fires and lands a direct hit but the boxer keeps fighting. The boxer disarms him and attempts to shoot him but the gun jams then uses it as a melee weapon. From what it seems like, the officer has no training in hand-to-hand combat which is a huge disadvantage in this situation. The only thing that saved the officer were his peers.
While you might not get attacked by a heavyweight boxer or be put in this situation, the point is your attacker is unpredictable. There's no one solution that's going to work for every situation as far as the physical aspects of combat go. If your weapons don't work or you get disarmed like in this situation, your in deep trouble. Hand to hand combat helps build confidence and understanding of what to do in case your first attack doesn't succeed.
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.
It's interesting to note that many Americans believe that violent crime is increasing according to polls. They might take self defense classes or buy weapons for home defense. In my other post "do you need to learn self defense" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/04/do-you-need-to-learn-self-defense.html), i mentioned whether or not self defense was practical. In this post, i'm going to discuss how much violent crime is going to affect you.
Violent crime is actually quite different from people's perceptions. Violent crimes have in reality gone down since the 90's according to the FBI's statistics (1). Most cults, sociopaths (2), and what we think are common violent offenders are non-violent. Serial killings account for no more than 1% of all murders (3). That being said, this whole perception that your likely to be a victim of a violent crime is wrong. It's surely possible but with a few considerations.
There are many violent crimes that go unreported so we don't have a completely accurate statistics on violent crimes. Violent crimes vary depending on where you live and where i live for example, violent crimes rarely happen. They also depend on your occupations as some put you at more risk, your relationship, where you travel, and more.
How does this relate to self defense? It should be part of situational awareness. It all boils back to my post "know your enemy in self defense" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/02/know-your-enemy-in-self-defense.html). Don't get overwhelmed by fear that you blindly take precautions against an enemy you think exists and be completely unaware of the real enemy. Look at the facts. If you plan a trip, look to take on a job, in an abusive relationship, traveling through a dangerous neighborhood then take precautions for your safety. Don't walk right into a trap. Be aware of your surroundings and take steps to avoid even being in a violent confrontation to begin with.
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.
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.
I'm sure with all the training, techniques, hard work, conditioning, crimes, etc. people have asked themselves at least once "do i need to learn physical self defense?" I give some of my thoughts and things you should consider regarding that question.
To start, i'm not one of those people who resort to scare tactics. I don't like pulling up a horrible violent crime or statistics and say "see! This is why you need to learn self defense!" Scaring people into learning self defense isn't a healthy much less productive way of building their confidence. Should you learn self defense? It really depends on you. Do you really need it? Personally, i don't need to learn self defense because it's not practical in everyday life. Self defense for me is more of a hobby than it is a dire need. In the areas that i lived, there was no need to defend myself from strangers. I was never attacked or a victim of a violent crime because the crime rate was low. My philosophy was as long as i avoided trouble, i'd have little to no problems with violence. So far, it's worked 100% of the time. Unfortunately, i can't say the same for people living in different areas of the world where violent crime is a daily occurrence.
When you are trying to decide whether or not you should learn self defense, you should ask yourself these questions
1) Do i need physical self defense? Some people will give into irrational fears perpetuated by the media on violent crimes and thus, end up learning self defense the wrong way. Others use self defense for the wrong motives such as revenge or controlling others. Do your research and see if violent crime in your area is a big issue unless you are a witness to it in daily life.
2) What kind of self defense is more practical for you to learn? If you are a victim of verbal abuse (insults, threats, teasing, blaming, blackmail, list goes on) then learning verbal self defense is more practical than hand-to-hand combat. It's not practical for you to have a physical response to a verbal action.
3) What do you expect to get out of it? - If you don't have any specific goals in mind, you won't get very far in self defense. Could be developing confidence, defending yourself against weapons, hand-to-hand combat, and so forth. Once you have an end goal in mind, work towards achieving it. Make your goals realistic. Don't just ask the typical question "what's the best martial art for self defense?" and then expect to realistically defend yourself in every situation.
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.
When it comes to self defense, you must be aware of training methods or lack of understanding that could cost you your life. These are very common mistakes that I have seen many people make. By taking them into consideration, you will learn what to do and what not to do in order to effectively defend yourself. The mistakes are as follows:
* Failure to defuse or de-escalate - The most common and biggest mistake many self defense instructors and students make is failure to prevent a situation from getting violent. Even if they do, it's rarely discussed. You cannot provoke someone or allow the situation to get worse and then claim self defense. You cannot just attack someone because you "feared for your safety" or you wanted to "teach someone a lesson."
This video is an example of such a case. The aggressor in the train starts taunting and acting aggressively towards others before someone trained in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu applies a chokehold. What's wrong with this situation? He didn't try to de-escalate or defuse the aggressor first.
Nothing justifies you initiating the first attack. The level of response must be proportional to the level of danger. As long as your potential attacker is talking, there's time to defuse the situation. If you fail to de-escalate a situation from getting violent and have to attack, it's too late.
* "Walk away from a fight " - You've probably been told that if your up against someone who is angry with you, walk away. What's wrong with this advice? You didn't defuse your aggressor. If your aggressor is angry with you, walking away sends the message "you aren't worth my time and you don't matter.. " Your aggressor will feel mocked and even more angered then possibly attack you from behind. This seems like a humble approach but very unwise in practice.
* Assuming you know your enemy - Alot of self defense instructors assume that you will be attacked by a stranger. They then base their training on situations they imagine would happen. In reality, most attackers are people who you know. Cases where a complete stranger is going to jump out of nowhere and grab you from behind is very rare. Your enemy is most likely going to be your friend, a family member, or spouse first. Once you establish a relationship with said person say a spouse, you will eventually let your guard down and lose the will to fight. By the time you realize the danger, it will too late. That's why many serial killers were successful in their crimes because they were very social and established a relationship with their victims. The life of Ted Bundy is one infamous example. You need to be very careful who you let in your life to prevent violence in the future. To learn more, check my blog post out "know your enemy in self defense" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/02/know-your-enemy-in-self-defense.html)
* Assuming that you are invincible - Doesn't matter how much self defense you know, you will make mistakes no matter how small and they will cost you. Even if you survive a violent situation, you might still have to live with irreversible damage. Could be an amputated limb, loss of an eye, scars, malfunctioning body parts, PTSD, the list goes on. You are not invincible. Your body is very fragile which is why you need to pick your battles wisely.
* Failure to resolve conflict - One of your most powerful tools to self defense is conflict resolution. If you don't resolve conflict, you allow the situation to escalate and unresolved conflict can lead to violence. Around half of the homicides involve domestic violence and abusive relationships. If you receive a text message from a friend or acquaintance threatening to attack you, that's when you act. Don't wait until you are under attack to respond. You should already be trying to resolve conflict peacefully to prevent violence. Once you resolve conflict, you give people less reason to take out their negative emotions out on you.
* Neglecting your environment - Many self defense schools train in a nice open area on a mat clear of weapons indoors. In the real world, that kind of environment doesn't exist. When your in a violent situation, you will either be in public or in your house. There will be many barriers and improvised weapons your attacker can use. There might be glass on the floor or confined areas making it difficult to defend yourself properly. The environment and how well you can use it will determine how likely you are to survive an attack.
* Neglecting laws on self defense - Many people practicing self defense seem to forget everything about the legal system. They think "well the law in my land says that i am permitted to do X..." That may be true but there'll still be an investigation to determine if you were acting in self defense or not. If you have a weak case, you might end up serving time in prison. That's why you need to be mindful with how you defend yourself physically in order to not look like the aggressor.
* Assuming self defense is only physical - Self defense is more than just physical. There's verbal and legal self defense that are just as important. Many self defense schools make the mistake of only focusing on hand-to-hand combat for example but there's no emotions being incorporated in the training. In reality, your attacker may start off intimidating you, taunting you, screaming at you, or insulting you to reduce your confidence. He or she might be enraged or frustrated before the fight starts. You might freeze under those situations or lose confidence and get hit in the face before you know it. You will also need to defend yourself under the court of law or you might get charged as the aggressor than vice versa. Psychology, emotions, and so many other variables affect how likely you are to survive a violent struggle.
* Failure to recognize danger - The ability to recognize danger is a very important skill in self defense. Let's suppose someone with suspicious behavior walks past you and pulls out a knife then slits your throat from behind. You won't have enough time to react if you do not foresee danger and by the time you do, it will be too late. This video stresses the importance of foreseeing danger. A knifeman walks in a store, slits one guy's throat, and continues attacking.
*"You have to know what it's like to get hit " - This is a ridiculous belief circulating in some self defense circles. Why not train to avoid hits and delivering them instead? Taking a hit is counter-productive. Training to take hits defeats the purpose of self defense. If you train to take attacks, this picture sums up what will eventually happen to you.
* Failure to keep your distance - Keeping your distance is very important because it allows for reaction time and safety measures. The closer you are to someone, the harder it is to respond effectively. Suppose you were talking to someone face to face in public and suddenly, the person stabs you multiple times. You wouldn't be able to respond in time because your eyes would be too focused on the person's face to see the knifeman reach for the knife in his or her pockets. Keeping your distance prevents that from happening. This video gives an example of what happens when you don't keep your distance.
* Failure to get to safety - When you neutralized the threat, you must run as fast as you can out of danger. If you defeated your attacker in hand-to-hand combat and he or she is still conscious, he or she can pull out a gun then shoot you. There's also the risk of multiple attackers coming in to help your attacker.
* Failure to adapt - There's only so much you can only train for in self defense. There will probably be some scenarios that you did not train for. Your attacker might open fire on you or others from a distance or a bomb might go off followed by an attack and you might get taken by surprise. When this happens, you will need to assess the situation in order to determine the best of course of action. For example, if i was approached by someone wielding a knife demanding my valuables then i would keep my distance but also comply. My eyes would be on the knife as i hand over my valuables. If the knifeman still wants to attack me, that's when i attack and attempt to disarm him or her. Adapting to every situation is crucial to making the choice that will ultimately save your life in the end.
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.
In self defense, it's very important to learn when exactly to use knives in a lethal situation and the laws surrounding them. If you pull out a knife on an unarmed attacker, it will look very bad on you in the court of law. This is because it might be ruled as "unreasonable force." Use of a knife should only be used if someone is clearly trying to kill you be it with a deadly weapon. Once you understand the legal consequences of using a knife in self defense, you are ready to begin the fundamentals of knife fighting.
* Disregard the unessentials - Throw out all the fancy knife techniques and false ideas that people teach on knife fighting. Forget about knife-fighting for sport. Forget about Kali, Escrima, and complicated movements that martial artists teach. In a life or death situation, you won't be able to perform all of these complex motor skills under high levels of stress. For example some might teach you to block a downward strike as you simultaneously punch or stab. In reality, an unresistant attacker might pull away and slash your arm in the process then slit your throat. When you simplify knife fighting and hone your reflexes, you will be better equipped with recalling what you've learned in training. Your goal should be to incapacitate your attacker as quickly as possible and then flee to safety.
* Learn the basics of using a knife - How you wield a knife, how you conceal a knife, how you grip a knife, etc. all influence how fast you are able to defend yourself in combat. If your knife is positioned in such a way that you can't draw it quickly enough, you will get shot or stabbed. If you don't know how to grip a knife properly, it will fall out of your hands which puts you at a disadvantage. Understand the weapon you wield and you will be able to use it well in combat.
* Create distance to draw your knife - In order to effectively defend yourself with a knife, you must learn to understand how to create distance. Attacks can happen at lightning speed. If you don't know how to create distance, you won't be able to draw your knife and you will get hit in the process. How do you create distance? Using footwork and the other weapons in your arsenal - legs, arms, head, etc. You will need to identify the threat and keep the line of attack away from you to give you enough time to draw your knife. Let's say someone tries to ambush you out of nowhere with a lethal weapon and tries to land deadly blows. You could create distance by landing kicks to the legs when your attacker is striking high as you move back and draw your knife quickly. You could also use an attacker as a human shield when faced with multiple attackers and draw your knife quickly that way. If you don't have distance, you don't have reaction time.
* Intercept your attacker's weapon hand first - When your engaging say a knife attacker in a knife fight, it's far easier to attack the hand controlling the knife. If you try to reach forward and strike the body, you will get hit in the process. If you intercept your attacker's knife hand and attack it, you will do damage to a point where your attacker might question whether your worth it or not. Your attacker might simply drop the knife due to the pain or be incapacitated from the strikes to the arm. When your attacker is for example stabbing at you like a sewing machine, you quickly move back or to the side as you slash his or her hand. If your attacker tries to slash your body, you slash the hand or arm. If your attacker tries to slash your body, you repeat the same process. This picture is an example and a video on the side will help you understand more. Once you strike the closest target, you can strike the vital areas.
* Attack from the blind side - The blind side is defined as the position where your attacker cannot attack effectively with all of his or her limbs. Once you've attacked your attacker's primary line of defense (the knife hand), you close the gap and attack from a position as shown in this photo. The reason being is if you choose to directly engage your attacker face to face, it's your skill against your attacker's. If your attacker is skilled or too violent, you will likely get struck. By attacking from the blindside, you can trap and strike your attacker while he or she cannot do the same.
* Understand how to trap - Trapping as shown in this picture involves grabbing your attacker's weapon hand to briefly immobilize the limb as you strike. I strongly advise you to learn how to trap your attacker's elbow as you can easily control your attacker's limb. As long as you control the arm wielding the weapon, you can quickly strike while your attacker is completely defenseless. Trapping is important because it's a safer way to end the threat than risk getting hit in the process.
* Know where to strike - You cannot simply attack anywhere the knife and expect the fight to end. You will need to realize which areas are non-lethal and which are lethal. You should not strike to kill your attacker unless you have solid proof that he or she intends to kill you or you might face time in prison. Therefore, you should strike in non-lethal areas to incapacitate your attacker. Target the muscles in the legs, arms, the armpits, the biceps, etc. Once your attacker is disabled, you can quickly flee the scene and call the police.
* Protect your body - You ought to expose as little of your body as possible. I prefer turning my body sideways with my knife hand pointing directly at my opponent, my chin tucked in, and my other arm preferably wrapped in cloth to protect my vital areas. Your knife hand should be positioned in such a way that it creates distance between you and your opponent. If your knife hand is too close to your body, you risk getting struck in other body areas such as your throat and you won't have enough time to react. If your knife hand is too far extended outwards, your arm is vulnerable to getting struck and your attacks won't be as powerful. You'll want to strike or extend your arm then retract to the original position not just for power but also to defend your arm. You'll want the knife to be positioned as shown in this picture. Don't block with your other hand as it exposes it to attack. If you do, this allows your attacker to retract and slash the arm.
* Use your other weapons - Don't get so focused on your attacker's weapon and your own knife that you forget about your other weapons. If someone tries to grab your knife hand, attack him or her with the free hand. Could be a finger jab to the eyes, a chop to the neck, a hook punch to the jaw, etc. and then strike with your blade. Use your kicks to keep the distance between you and your attacker. Use your free hand to trap, distract, attack, and defend as well. By combining your skills in hand-to-hand combat with your skills in knife fighting, you put your attacker at a severe disadvantage. Using improvised weapons and the environment also puts you at an advantage. If you manage to momentarily blind or distract your attacker with any object, that will give you a split second to strike in a vulnerable area. This picture illustrates an example. Don't overuse your other weapons such as a leg or your attacker might seize the opportunity to strike at a vital area.
* Don't under-commit nor over-commit - If you telegraph your knife strikes in say wild slashing, you will automatically allow your opponent time to respond and your attacks will be poor. Wild slashing and over-extended arms might compromise your balance, causing you to fall over. If you under-commit meaning you don't put enough power in your strikes and use only tight knife attacks, you also won't do enough damage. All you will do is cause a few cuts but not incapacitate your attacker. To do maximum damage, you must understand how to use your body weight to drive force in your attacks while keeping your balance. You must also be quick with your strikes, removing unnecessary movement and reaching your intended targets. Generally, you should attack forwards, sideways, diagonally, up and down at different angles. Once your strikes reach the intended targets in quick motions, you retract your hand to defend your body. Anything beyond that is wasted movement and will likely give your attacker an opportunity to hit a vital area.
* Control the line of attack - The real danger is the line of your opponent's attack which is the blade. Make sure that you either avoid it or redirect it away from you. For example, if your opponent tries to go for a stab - you can side step out of the way and slash the arm as shown in this picture.
Practice this with a sparring partner using a rubber knife or marker. 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
Chainsaw attacks might seem like a rare occurrence but they have happened before as shown in this video. What to do in these kinds of situations? How do you disarm someone attacking you with a chainsaw? Simple. You apply the same principles as you would with any weapon such as distance control, closing the gap and intercepting attacks, avoiding the line of attack, controlling the weapon, isolating it, and disarming. Read my post "self defense against a baseball bat" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2016/12/self-defense-against-baseball-bat.html) if you haven't already. The basic principles are as follows.
1) Control the distance - In this video, notice how some threw chairs at the chainsaw-wielding assailant. You'll want to use improvised weapons and objects such as tables to keep your attacker at bay. If there are none, you'll want to be at a safe distance but not too safe to where you can't disarm your attacker quickly.
2) Close the gap and intercept - The best time to strike is before or after an attack is completed. When someone is wielding a chainsaw, he or she can slash and thrust the weapon. If the attacker thrusts the weapon forward, you'll want to move to the side quickly and quickly close the gap then control the weapon. If you only move to the side but not try to control the weapon or close in on your attacker, you will get cut down. Timing is a matter of life and death.
3) Disarm - Once you got a firm two-handed grip on the weapon for better leverage, disarm by rotating it upwards or downwards then forcing it out of your attacker's hands. You could also the attacker's own momentum against him or her. You could also attack the legs and disrupt balance. Use kicks and other attacks as distractions. The choice is yours.
Practice with a sparring partner wielding a fake chainsaw. 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.
Boxing is a popular combat sport that has existed for centuries. In this post, i'll give you tips on how to apply boxing for self-defense.
* Train with proper physical conditioning - Remember that in the streets, you won't have padded protection. Therefore you'll need to condition your body to fight without gloves. Iron body training is a great way to condition your hands to deliver powerful blows without breaking your fists. You can read more about it in my post "how to apply iron body training in self-defense."
Train with these tips in mind. If you want to learn more on how to make boxing work for self-defense, subscribe 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.
