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.
There are some people who seem to believe that military hand-to-hand combat systems make the best self defense. The reasoning lies in the assumption that people in the military are highly trained in warfare and that it's at a higher level than civilian self defense. Do military combatives make better self defense than civilian self defense?
The answer is generally no and here's why. The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program was eventually designed for self defense during peacekeeping operations (see link below.) The curriculum takes influence from martial arts such as boxing, wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Savate, Krav Maga, Sambo, kickboxing, Muay Thai, kickboxing, Karate, Muay Thai, kung fu, the list goes on as shown in the videos posted. The mindset is to abide by simplicity and efficiency in order to end the threats quickly in combat. There's varying degrees of lethal force being used, some of which is intended to kill. Training exercises include stress inoculation and realistic scenarios. Training tools include shock knives and other methods. During wartime, hand-to-hand combat is essentially useless. Why? Because the main focus is on killing the enemy via. guns and long range weapons which are your primary line of attack. If you have to resort to hand-to-hand combat, you've done something terribly wrong. Either you've been captured, ran out of ammo which should never happen, and have no weapons to defend yourself with. On top of that, a marine's greatest strength is in numbers. A lone marine is very vulnerable to getting killed in the battlefield as opposed to a platoon.
That being said, how effective is military combatives compared to civilian self defense? Military members and civilians both train in martial arts. While military members do use simple and efficient techniques from martial arts, it is not exclusive to the military. You can find this in martial arts such as Krav Maga and Bruce Lee's philosophy Jeet Kune Do. Civilian hand-to-hand combat systems in self defense abides by civilian law while military hand-to-hand combat relies on military standards. If you tried to use unjustified lethal force on an attacker in the street, you'd probably go to jail. If you are in the military then your aim should be to kill the enemy by any means necessary. Therefore, civilian self defense is in no way inferior to military combatives. Civilian hand-to-hand combat and military hand-to-hand combat are simply used for different purposes.
In conclusion, learning military combatives for self defense makes you no more equipped in defending yourself than a civilian who undergoes similar training in hand-to-hand combat. What's the key? The mindset. By applying the principles of neutralizing the threat, keeping techniques simple and efficient, realistic stressful training, etc. - essentially the same results are achieved between civilian and military self defense. This notion that members of the military are somehow superhuman is false. They are no different than a civilian. What distinguishes them from civilians is the ability to work as a team. Training in military combatives will not make you better at self defense and anyone who tries to convince you otherwise to sell you a product is probably ripping you off.
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.
Krav Maga is a fighting system developed for the Israelidefense forces. Krav Maga is not a traditional martial art as some make it out to be. There's no katas involved for one. Krav Maga is a modern system combining techniques taken from boxing, Aikido, wrestling, Judo, and other martial arts strictly for self defense. This is a self defense guide on how to apply the most fundamental principles of Krav Maga to your training. I don't believe the Krav Maga schools in the U.S accurately represent the essence of Krav Maga so this guide will help you understand what Krav Maga is about.
* The spirit of Krav Maga - The essence of Krav Maga is to never stop fighting. Doesn't matter if you are bleeding profusely, suffered broken bones, a severed limb, the list goes on - never surrender. The fight doesn't end until you survive or your completely dead. When you train, you must train with this mindset in order to capture the spirit of Krav Maga.
* Build your techniques on natural instinct - What makes Krav Maga different from other martial arts training is the reliance on your body's natural movement to form techniques. For example, if my natural reaction to wild punches is to guard my head then i can base my Krav Maga techniques on that natural reaction. It's much easier because it's already in my instincts as opposed to relearning how to walk and fight in other martial arts.
* Ending the threat as quickly as possible - In Krav Maga, we deal with the most immediate threat first as quickly as possible. We don't spend too much time on dealing with one opponent. We end the threat quickly as we look for the next possible threat. Some Krav Maga schools introduce an MMA setting or rules during sparring. This isn't authentic Krav Maga. When your in a sparring session, your goal is to end the end the threat as quickly and efficiently as possible. Moving around and waiting until you see an opening to attack isn't adhering to Krav Maga principles. Krav Maga is focused on aggression and going "all in" at full force until your enemy is on the ground.
* Efficiency - Krav Maga stresses efficiency in movement and ending the threat as quickly as possible. If it takes you years to perfect one technique then that's not efficiency. If it takes you a tremendous of practice to perfect one attack then that's not efficiency. If you continue attacking an opponent even after he or she is down then that's not efficiency. While your doing that, someone else could sneak up from behind and hit you. Attacks in Krav Maga should be simple, take little energy, and very easy to learn. You should have already learned the basic skills to defend yourself by the end of the first class.
* Simultaneous attack and defense - In Krav Maga much like Wing Chun, you attack and defend at the same time. If someone throws a straight punch at you, your response should be to parry and counter-attack with a punch in one swift motion. Blocking and then throwing a punch of your own takes too much time.
* Retzev or continuous motion - In Krav Maga, you should be in continuous motion when attacking and constantly attack your enemy's unguarded areas. As soon as your opponent guards the upper body with his or her arms, you attack the lower body with kicks and other strikes. When your opponent lowers the arms to defend the lower body, you repeatedly strike the upper body.
* Targeting the body's vital areas - In Krav Maga, you must make every hit count by attacking the body's vital areas. This includes the eyes, groin, knees, shins, feet, throat, neck, eyes, sternum, temples, nose, face, etc. It would take longer for you to end the threat by hitting anywhere other than those areas.
* Realistic fight training - When training, you need to fight against a moving resistant opponent and engage in various intense scenarios. It's important that you learn how to apply techniques in sparring as opposed to demos. with a compliant partner. You might see traditional Krav Maga instructors teaching you that when faced with a gunman, you should grab the barrel or slide and repeatedly punch your attacker. This is unrealistic training because it doesn't address possible resistance. The gunman could move back and redirect the line of fire then shoot you. The gunman might also be quicker than you and move back to avoid your hand grab then shoot you. Krav Maga focuses on fighting in hand-to-hand combat, weapon disarms, hostage situations, multiple attackers, active shooters, distractions such as smoke to simulate fog, ambushes, the list goes on. Since an attack can happen at any time or place, you need to learn how to fight in any position - standing, lying on the ground, or sitting. Stress is also a must. If your not stressed under pressure in Krav Maga training then you won't perform at your best when you are faced with a real street confrontation. Krav Maga training also puts emphasis on intense cardio work outs and pad-work. This video demonstrates how accurate Krav Maga training is more or less conducted.
* Use improvised weapons - In Krav Maga, your aim is to use whatever weapons are at your disposal or the environment to end the threat quickly. It's a waste of time to engage your enemy in hand-to-hand combat when you have a baseball bat in your hand. You need to be aware of your surroundings and use whatever tools are there. When fighting armed attackers and you disarm one, pick up the weapon then start using it on the rest. You must train your mind to see everything as a weapon.
* Use what works - Krav Maga is different from other martial arts in that it uses what works even if it's not in your school's curriculum. If a weapon, technique, or attack is effective then use it.
* Quickly going from the defensive to offensive - In Krav Maga, you must learn how to quickly go from defending yourself to attacking your opponent. The longer you stay in the defensive, the more danger you are in. You need to create an opportunity to aggressively strike back against your enemy.
In conclusion, Krav Maga is about using a few solutions to answer various problems. Keep this in mind rather than look for countless Krav Maga techniques. Practice applying these principles in self defense 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. http://www.paywithapost.de/pay?id=7b715806-c78b-4bfd-badf-4242da2bf8f2
You've probably heard martial artists or self defense instructors say "size doesn't matter..don't use brute force in a street fight.." This isn't true. Size and strength absolutely do matter! The strategy for dealing with a much larger and stronger attacker is different from dealing with someone who is your own size. If you are a large and built person but don't know what to make of your physical abilities in self defense, this guide is for you.
1) Know yourself - In order for you to put your strength and size to good use, you must understand who you are. What are you good at? Lifting weights? Taking a hit to give a hit? Packing a powerful punch? Grappling? What do your work outs consist of? What about nutrition? The more information you can glean from your body, the more you can put it in a self defense situation.
2) Understand the source of power - Many people have the misconception that strength equals power. Why is it that stronger and larger attackers lose to much smaller people? They don't know where their source of power comes from. In this example, a Jiu Jitsu black belt easily overpowered a body builder who was much stronger and larger than him. What's the catch? Redirecting the flow of energy. If you don't know where your source of power comes from and how to use strength to your advantage, you will lose a fight involving dangerous opponents. Where does your source of power come from? The ground, the core (center of mass around the torso area), and momentum. Simply lifting weights and building outer muscles won't make you fit to fight. To be a good striker for example, you must learn how body mechanics work and how to develop your inner muscles responsible for powerful hits (see helpful link below). All the muscles in the world will not help you in a street fight. Only when you understand your source of power do your muscles serve you well.
3) Develop your own fighting abilities - Some people like to think speed and skill is superior to strength. This isn't necessarily true. Two can play at that game including you. How do you develop your own fighting prowess for combat? Recognize your strengths and weaknesses. Are you fast? Slow? Do you have longer reach? Tire too easily? Some ideas i've come up with are training to time your accurate punches and pack alot of power in each one. If your size and strength makes you tire more, learn how to invest your energy wisely. You may want to use momentum, gravity, balance, and strength in your attack strategy. Learning wrestling or some striking art like boxing may be useful to you. It's also beneficial to understand your attacking range and your opponent's. Doesn't matter how fast or agile your attackers are, they will eventually have to get close to you and that gives you an opportunity to strike. You also have to be mindful of how your investing your energy. If you face a faster opponent, all you have to do is move just a little bit to where you won't get hit instead of trying to dodge every attack. One powerful punch combined with superior strength timed correctly can bring devastating consequences (broken bones, damaged organs, possibly death). You could also slam your attackers to the ground and nullify their attacking ability using momentum which also would cause damage. If someone tries to knock or throw you over, lower your center of gravity then attack. This video of a wrestler taking on multiple opponents is an inspiring example of how strength could be applied in combat.
If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below. http://www.paywithapost.de/pay?id=7b715806-c78b-4bfd-badf-4242da2bf8f2 http://www.expertboxing.com/boxing-training/boxing-workouts/why-lifting-weights-wont-increase-punching-power
The guns vs. martial arts debate has been a fascinating one even to me. A question people seem to be wondering is "if you have a gun, why learn hand to hand combat?" As i mentioned in my blog post "why relying on weapons will get you killed" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2016/12/why-relying-on-weapons-will-get-you.html ), i've already listed several key reasons why using only weapons is a bad idea. Why should you learn hand to hand combat?
First, most situations don't require a gun and would be legally or physically dangerous if you do use one. Many people use guns and think about survival than about the legal consequences that follow. According to law, you are generally only allowed to shoot if someone is using lethal force against you. Other than that, you could be convicted of a crime and sentenced to prison. If you want to do time in jail or prison every-time a violent situation arises and possibly get your gun taken away then by all means use a gun for self defense. If you want to learn how to avoid that then you should learn hand to hand combat in addition to firearms training.
The other critical reason why you should learn hand to hand combat in addition to gun self defense is because you need to create distance, time, and speed in order to use your gun effectively. Guns are long range weapons. Fists are short range weapons. If you don't know how and when to use each one appropriately, you may find yourself wrestling with an attacker over your gun. If you can land the first shot with no problems and your enemies scatter then good! If you lose the gun then that's very bad for you. I once saw a video of a gun defense instructor teach students that when faced with multiple attackers, you should punch one guy and then clinch as you fire two shots in him before you shoot at the others. This is very bad advice because the other attackers could hit you from behind and take the gun away from you. By using guns and hand to hand combat together, you are better equipped to defend yourself. When fighting multiple attackers, you beat them up. If someone draws a gun, you could either disarm or use an attacker as a shield before you draw your own gun and fire. If the gun jams or you run out of ammo, you could still use it as a melee weapon and do some serious damage.
While this would work in theory, the chances of you needing a gun in self defense are rare and often pose more problems than solutions. A study done showed that there was no advantage to using guns than other means of self defense.
In conclusion, you can't just simply "point and shoot" without considering the potential consequences that follow such as killing an innocent person by accident.
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.
Jeet Kune Do is a fighting philosophy developed by Bruce Lee. It emphasizes freedom from rigid martial arts styles and using practicality over traditional techniques with no real world application. If you are interested in becoming more proficient in self defense and want to learn Jeet Kune Do, this is the guide for you.
* Understand the root of Jeet Kune Do - Bruce Lee took ideas primarily from fencing, Wing Chun, and boxing as the basis for his Jeet Kune Do. By learning about the principles and concepts from these fighting arts, you will understand Jeet Kune Do more clearly.
* Liberate yourself from styles - Many martial arts tend to follow traditional patterns of movements and beliefs. While they serve you well in health and fitness along with learning the art for it's own sake or sport, many are ineffective in real combat. Even if they are effective, many styles tend to abide by set movements. Jeet Kune Do is about the freedom of expression. There is no "right" or "wrong" way of doing Jeet Kune Do. It's simply about what works best for you and keeping an open mind. You are free to take techniques from any style and art regardless of origin as you utilize it in your own personal system. Some people like to teach the original Jun Fan Gung Fu (Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do) in order to teach Jeet Kune Do principles and concepts to others. If training in Jun Fan Gung Fu helps you understand the concepts and principles of Jeet Kune Do then by all means do so but there is no set standard for understanding Jeet Kune Do. Understand the root and from there, you can start to apply Jeet Kune Do to your training.
* Abide by the economy of motion - The economy of motion is derived from Wing Chun. It's the principle that the simplest things work best with only the necessary movement. I'll break it down into several parts:
Efficiency - An attack which reaches it's target in the least amount of time. A straight line is generally the shortest distance between two points. Therefore, it's much more efficient to strike in a straight line rather than from a curved angle as it takes less time and little wasted movement. This is why Wing Chun practitioners attack from the centerline, an imaginary line running down the center of the body. Directness - Doing what comes naturally in a disciplined manner. There's no "fixed" way of attacking or defending in Jeet Kune Do. Simply do what feels right in a given situation.
* Understand the centerline theory - Control the centerline and you control the fight. Your centerline is the most important in a fight so you must always protect it. Exploit your opponent's centerline. Think of his/her attacking or defending limbs as obstacles that you must get past in order to reach your primary target - the centerline.
Now onto the principles of attacking and defending:
* Absorb what is useful, discard what isn't, add what is uniquely your own - In Jeet Kune Do, there are four ranges you should be proficient in. 1) Close range 2) long range 3) Trapping range 4) grappling range. In order to build your own Jeet Kune Do system, you must absorb practical techniques and attacks from different styles. They ought to be efficient and simple in order for you to effectively use them in combat. Don't just pick techniques for techniques sake, integrate them into a system using all of the ranges. Think of yourself as a sculptor chipping away at unessentials to create a sculpture. Here's a list of examples of how this could work.
1) Close range - Choose styles that emphasize striking such as Wing Chun, Krav Maga, boxing, praying mantis kung fu,etc.
2) Long range - Wing Chun, Savate, Karate, Muay Thai, Taekwondo, etc.
3) Trapping - A concept in Wing Chun where you briefly grab one or both of your opponent's limbs as you make an attack.
4) Grappling - Wrestling, Jiu Jitsu, Judo, etc.
By being proficient in all ranges, you are able to freely use more than if you confined yourself to one style.
* Embrace your freedom of expression - Once you understand the ranges and freedom found in Jeet Kune Do philosophy, embrace the freedom to attack in any way you see fit. If someone tries to kick, i can counter with a Wing Chun or Savate kick and do all sorts of rapid strikes to vital areas of the body then grapple my opponent's elbows as i deliver a headbutt followed by a slam to the ground. I could also kick, get in close range and trap one of my opponent's arms before i do an armlock then an armbreak or a Judo throw. There's endless possibilities to what you can do in a fight.
* Learn the art of interception - In swordfighting, i learned that there are different angles of attack from which i could intercept or attack my opponent. If my opponent lunged in to thrust me in a straight line, i could intercept him/her by giving a counter-thrust to redirect the line of attack away from my body as my attack reaches my opponent. If my opponent strikes high, i counter-attack by striking my opponent in the chest. The same ideas used in swordfighting and fencing are simply transferred to Jeet Kune Do via. hand to hand combat. In the art of interception, the best defense is an offense. Master the art of interception by merging your attacks with your deflections in one movement. There are three kinds of interceptions:
Attacking the centerline - This kind of interception seeks to strike at your opponent's centerline (center of mass, chest, and other vital areas.) If someone tries to do a straight punch, i intercept my opponent's attack by delivering a punch of my own while deflecting his or hers and hitting my target (ex. the head.)
Limb destruction - This method of interception involves attacking and/or destroying the limbs. For example if someone throws an uppercut punch, i could counter-attack by delivering a downward elbow strike to the fist which would break the hand. If my opponent does a high kick, i could trap it and deliver a powerful stomp kick to the side of my opponent's rear leg's knee which would cause it to break. Limb destructions are useful because they render an opponent's ability to attack and defend useless.
* Practice the difference kinds of attacks - In Jeet Kune Do, there are five ways of attacks and other attacking concepts. They are as follows:
Stop hits - When an opponent is closing the distance, you deliver a stop hit or kick to intercept his or her movements. For example if an opponent were to charge at me, i would intercept him or her by delivering a stop kick to the knee before i get in close range and delivering my own attacks.
Simultaneous attack and defense - This is one of the basic principles in Wing Chun. Blocking an attack before you deliver an attack would take too much time and energy. It's much more efficient to simply redirect an attack as you deliver one of your own at once. For example, if someone were to throw a punch - i would counter with lap sao followed by a straight punch. If someone tries to elbow strike me, i could easily use pak sao or lap sao as i deliver a punch to the solar plexus. In Wing Chun, there is no committed attacks or parries. A finger jab could instantly change to a straight punch or a hammerfist at any given moment. A punch could change to a lap sao or elbow strike. Spend time practicing deflecting attacks as you deliver attacks of your own.
1. Single Direct Attack - This kind of attack is delivered in a straight line. An example would be a straight punch to the chest.
2. Attack By Combination - This is a sequence of attacks delivered either to the upper body, midsection, or lower body. An example would be the boxing jab, hook, cross. Another example would be a kick to the knee, a straight punch, elbow strike, finger jab to the throat or eyes, a chop to the neck, and palm strike to the chest. Practice delivering a combination of attacks.
3. Progressive Indirect Attack - This is delivered by feigning an attack before quickly changing the direction of your original attack to another area of the body or using another attack instead. For example, i may choose to do a finger jab to the eyes and cause my opponent to get a flinch response. As soon as my opponent flinches, i follow up with an uppercut to the ribs. Practice delivering a mix of fake attacks to distract your opponent from defending against certain vital areas as you deliver real attacks.
4. Hand Immobilization Attack - This kind of attack is executed by trapping or subduing an area of your opponent's body. For example, if my opponent moves back while i'm attacking - i can deliver a stomp to the foot and keep my opponent from retreating while i finish him or her with devastating blows. I could also grab ahold of hair or clothing as i strike.
5. Attack By Drawing - This could be done several ways but the aim is to draw your opponent into a trap you've made. For example, you could purposefully leave an area of your body unguarded to make your opponent think that's your weakness only to deliver several attacks of your own when he or she moves in. Practice leaving an area of your body exposed as you try to get a reaction out of your opponent while you plan your attacks. Low kicks - Generally, Jeet Kune Do follows the same principle as Wing Chun when it comes to kicks. A kick should be delivered no higher than the waist except in Jeet Kune Do, this isn't set in stone. Low kicks are harder to stop as they take less time and energy to reach the intended targets than high kicks. They also don't compromise the fighter's balance.
Non-telegraphed hits - Bruce Lee believed that you shouldn't telegraph your attacks because it gives them away. As soon as you wind up for a punch, your opponent can counter-attack before you finish it. Thus, you must practice not giving away your moves via. body language. Observe yourself in the mirror and make sure that you strike without warning.
In conclusion, i leave you some more additional tips for training using Jeet Kune Do concepts.
* Use your freedom wisely - Just because you have the freedom to perform countless techniques, does not mean that you should. The real skill is how you use the few techniques that you've learned to resolve many different situations as well as the fighting ranges. Exploit your opponent's weaknesses and avoid his or her strengths. If your opponent is a superior striker at close range, you attack him or her at other ranges.
* Blend the ranges - In other fighting arts, you focus only on getting to a particular range. In Jeet Kune Do, your focus is on attacking your opponent from any range. Let's say you went up against a striker at close range and counter-attacked his strikes with of your own. If your opponent retreats but is still within your long range attacks, you kick. If your opponent grapples you, throw your opponent to the ground or use anti-grappling techniques to get back into close range striking.
* Adapt to every situation - The idea behind Bruce Lee's inspirational saying "be like water" is adapting to the circumstances. If you cannot adapt, you most likely will not survive. For example, using attack by combination will not work against say a Wing Chun fighter who intercepts your attacking combination and attacks at close range. It's therefore crucial that you change your strategy of attack appropriately. Your fighting art especially in self defense must be fluid and subject to change. Adaptability is one of the most important fundamentals of Jeet Kune Do.
* Fight dirty - In Jeet Kune Do, there are no rules. Be brutal and ruthless. If someone tries to do armbar, you could bite their legs then elbow the groin repeatedly. If someone's ontop of you, pull him or her closer and bite his or her ear off or throat. You could bodyslam someone to the concrete and cause a concussion. You could grapple an opponent, do a chokehold followed by breaking his or her neck. Use weapons, blind your opponents, slam an opponent into a wall as you bash his or her against it before you end the fight with devastating blows. The idea is to not fight fairly. Jeet Kune Do for self defense is about survival, not about winning or losing.
* Always evolve - Be humble enough to change your beliefs and challenge them in sparring against a non-compliant partner. If your ideas on a technique's effectiveness in combat are wrong, accept it but refine your skills on what you have learned. If you've made a good move in sparring, look for a better one. Always strive for improvement in all aspects of your life.
* Engage in full contact sparring - Bruce Lee advocated for full-contact sparring to improve your skills. If you want a set of sparring gear to get started, i recommend these products. The Macho Sports/ Martial Arts Chest Protector is lightweight and allows for quick mobility. It absorbs alot of impact very well. The Macho Dyna 8 piece sparring gear comes with a face mask, head gear, shin guards, and gloves. This set comes in sizes range from small to X-large and various colors. They are also shock-absorbent to impact. Be sure to practice safely with your sparring partner and memorize Jeet Kune Do principles.
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.
Many people talk about fighting a stronger opponent but sometimes, a faster opponent is more dangerous. Here's a few tips on how to defeat an opponent who relies on speed in self defense.
* Look for weaknesses - Just because your attacker is fast, doesn't mean he/she knows how to use speed in a street fight. Speed must be developed but there might be some areas where the attacker has not trained sufficiently. In what ways is the attacker slower? Kicking? Footwork? Controlling distance? Striking? Look for specific weak spots and once you find them, take advantage of them by striking there.
* Keep at a close distance - If you move too far back, you create space for your attacker to strike quickly. If you stay too close, you will get hit. Therefore the best position to be in is close enough to where you can quickly move in. Forget about blocking or dodging because you will get hit since your attacker's faster. It only takes a few inches for you to escape the attacker's striking range so distance is key. All you have to do is move out of the direction of the attacker's fast strikes and into your own range as you launch a counter-attack.
* Control the elbows - One of the best strategies to counter a fast striker is grappling. Wrestling, BJJ, Judo, or any other grappling art would be useful in these types of situations. As soon as the faster attacker finished his/her attacks, move in quickly and grab hold of the elbows to neutralize his/her attacks then slam or throw him/her on the ground. There's a good chance that you will get hit but focus on rendering speed useless by bringing the faster person to the ground. Remember to not go to the ground with him/her as it's more dangerous for you. Stay in a standing position as you finish the fight with kicks, stomps, etc.
* Make your escape - Don't think that once your attacker's on the ground you have to necessarily end the fight. Is there an opportunity to escape? Take it. It's not worth risking your life by staying longer in the fight.
Practice these principles with a partner who's faster than you.
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.
There are some people who seem to believe that military hand-to-hand combat systems make the best self defense. The reasoning lies in the assumption that people in the military are highly trained in warfare and that it's at a higher level than civilian self defense. Do military combatives make better self defense than civilian self defense?
In conclusion, learning military combatives for self defense makes you no more equipped in defending yourself than a civilian who undergoes similar training in hand-to-hand combat. What's the key? The mindset. By applying the principles of neutralizing the threat, keeping techniques simple and efficient, realistic stressful training, etc. - essentially the same results are achieved between civilian and military self defense. This notion that members of the military are somehow superhuman is false. They are no different than a civilian. What distinguishes them from civilians is the ability to work as a team. Training in military combatives will not make you better at self defense and anyone who tries to convince you otherwise to sell you a product is probably ripping you off.
