The most fatal mistakes you can make in self defense

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.

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Attacking matters more than self defense techniques

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.

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How to use knife fighting in self defense

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.

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Science and self defense

I'm going to be honest and say that almost all of the self defense systems you see out there are unreliable. Reason why i say that is because they haven't been tested by science. I have not seen one scientific study examining the effectiveness of a martial art or a "reality based self defense system." Of course you'll find some studies such as "Fight Science" (see video below) examining the nature of martial arts' legends but fighting is quite different from self defense.

Science is about making observations and testing out ideas. It's about establishing a controlled environment and eliminating possible biases that could affect the results. Science is about making measurements and applying what is scientifically known to the real world. Unfortunately, so many self defense instructors rely on experience or tradition to draw their own conclusions on what they deem is effective self defense.

For example some police officers teaching self defense will tell you something along the lines of "I've worked with many people using guns so in my experience the best way to deal with a gun is..." Easy for them to say because they are police officers. Their job isn't self defense. Their job is to subdue and prosecute criminals. Police officers rarely have to deal with gun disarming because they almost always make sure they carry loaded guns. Police officers have guns, batons, chemical sprays, tasers, back up, the list goes on. You don't on the other hand. There are so many different variables and factors in each violent situation. Do you really think it's a smart idea to base your self defense training on one cop's experience?

Too many people are looking for the ultimate fighting system for self defense that will protect them in every situation. The reality is there is none because almost none have been tested in a scientific setting. There are simply too many factors and safety concerns that it's nearly impossible to repeatedly test in a lab. Some martial arts masters have failed to live up to their training when it came to a completely different variable as shown in this video below. In the end, all we have are theories when it comes to techniques and combat. What happens is people learn combat in a certain school then end up not using it, using only some of it, or use it only to find it's useless in a real violent encounter. If we cannot scientifically test self defense combat systems or martial arts effectiveness in violence, we cannot expect to have reality-based self defense.


What's the best way to learn how to defend yourself? Use your head, not your fists. Study the human body and it's weaknesses. Study physics and it's relationship to the body. Study the proper force and speed needed to deliver a knock out or incapacitating blow. Study criminal behavior. Study how crimes occur and the warning signs of an impending attack. Study human behavior and human relationships. Study the environment that you are in. Listen, learn, and continue to have an open mind. Apply the knowledge that you've learned in self defense rather than relying on a system to do all the work for 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.

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Why sparring IS NOT self defense

Many people believe that sparring helps them to develop hand-to-hand combat skills for use in the real world. They believe that the more you spar, the better you will be at defending yourself. I'm here to tell you that sparring alone will not make you better at self defense. Don't misunderstand me, i'm not saying that you won't learn any skills that could be used for self defense. I'm simply giving you many variables and considerations to take into account. Here are my list of reasons why the way most teach sparring is ineffective for self defense:

* Sparring doesn't prepare you for the unexpected - Think about it. You have two people on the mat with head gear and a bunch of other safety equipment on. Both know that they are about to fight and consent to it. In the real world, you don't know 100% that you'll be attacked. Your attacker won't tell you if he or she is going to attack and how. I've tested this myself with a sparring partner on multiple occasions. Coincidentally, he hit me without letting me know we were sparring. If that happened on the streets, i probably would've been knocked out. Sparring does not teach you how to deal with those situations.

* Sparring teaches street fighting - Once you put on your headgear and other safety equipment for sparring then prepare yourself for hand-to-hand combat, you are training for street-fighting. Why is it street fighting and not self defense? For one, sparring doesn't teach you how to avoid a potentially violent situation or diffuse it. Another reason you have to consider is that your attacker may not do those Karate kicks or Judo throws that your partner used in class. If you expect your attacker to just exchange punches only to find out you've been hit from behind by one of his buddies or attacked with a lethal weapon, all of your sparring lessons were just rendered useless. The last reason is that you aren't learning to neutralize the threat quickly enough. The longer the fight goes on, the more danger you put yourself in. Unfortunately, you will find many people claiming "self defense" be it on youtube or in person when they were street fights in reality because they gave their consent.

* Sparring has rules - Many forms of sparring include no hits to vulnerable areas. Sparring conditions you to only strike anywhere but those areas. That's a great hindrance to you and an advantage for your attacker who intends on seriously injuring or killing you. Another common practice is instilling "point systems." This is where you execute certain attacks or techniques to score points. When you have enough points, your opponent is considered defeated. This type of training is instilling false confidence be it with your fists or weapons because it completely ignores adrenaline rushes and pain tolerance. You might be surprised to find that no matter how many times you hit your attacker in the real world, he or she still won't go down. As a result, your confidence will start to break and chances are, you will give up or get hit. Some sparring sessions include making an opponent tap out. In reality, your attacker will do everything in his or her power to attack you. Once you let go of your submission hold, there's nothing preventing your attacker from landing a fatal blow. This video depicts one example where a man was being assaulted before others followed.

* Sparring neglects everything else in violence - Combat is much more complex than what sparring classes teach. There are adrenaline rushes, fight or flight response, weapons, multiple attackers, drugs, alcohol, stress, morals, psychology, the list goes on. If you are being bullied to the brink of insanity and your self esteem is being drained, do you really think you will be able to use what you learned in sparring against the bully? No. The bully already has a psychological advantage against you. If you freeze because of insecurity, the bully will take advantage of that and beat you up. If you aren't mentally prepared to hurt or kill your attacker then you will get hurt or killed. Thee aftermath of a violent confrontation (injuries, PTSD, prison, etc.) is also something to think about.

* Sparring gives false security - It's easy to fight when your wearing headgear, gloves, and other safety gear along with knowing that your partner isn't trying to kill you. In real life, you won't have this luxury. Your attacker will try to hurt and kill you. Your fist might break the moment you make contact with your attacker's jaw or cheekbone. Will sparring teach you how to handle an attacker trying to intimidate you? Will sparring condition you to cause real injury to another human being? Will sparring teach you how to execute eye gouges and other dirty fighting tactics properly? No. This is why sparring gives false confidence.

In conclusion, nothing you learn in self defense schools is guaranteed to save your life and this includes what i teach. You'll have a percentage of people who've misused hand-to-hand combat intended for self defense to street fight. You'll have a percentage of instructors who teach hand-to-hand combat but never had to use all of them in self defense. You'll have those who used them but the results were far different than expected. There's too many variables that you cannot account for all of them in self defense training. What's the best advice i can give you? Don't get into a violent situation. Focus more on avoiding or diffusing conflict before it starts.

 If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.

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Accept challenges in self defense

The problem i have with martial artists and self defense instructors is that there is rarely any challenges accepted. I see demonstrations. I see applications. I see everything but solid experimentation in an unrehearsed environment. When i hear things like "i don't need to prove anything..", that gives the impression of false humility. If you are truly humble, you should be open to change and being proven wrong. You should be open to correction because what you think you know in self defense is a matter of life and death.

When someone poses a challenge to you and one of your teachings, accept it. If you are truly confident in your ability to defend yourself, you should be able to take on the challenge. If you are filled with self doubt, you should reflect on yourself and your training. Accepting a challenge should be viewed as a means of self awareness and self improvement as opposed to feeding into someone's ego. Now does that mean you should accept every challenge? Not necessarily because some people may try to lure you into a trap. Nevertheless accepting challenges can help build confidence, skills, and understanding. If you were proven wrong in a particular teaching, accept it and modify what you know. By doing this, you will be practicing effective self defense in addition to gaining a new perspective. If you never accept challenges, you won't grow at all in self defense and learn from your mistakes.

In conclusion, true humility is when we are willing to admit we are wrong while acknowledging what we do right.  If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.

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Self defense against a chainsaw attack

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.

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Can one punch kill in a street fight?

We've all heard of the "one punch, one kill" phenomenon but can one punch kill in a street fight or is it just a myth?

Scientifically, yes one punch can kill someone. Many people get into street fights not realizing the brutality of what goes on internally. The impact of a punch can send the person's head on the concrete, create a brain hemorrhage, and death from blood loss. You could also tear a major artery at the base of the brain (AKA brain stem) as the head snaps back which leads to blood loss (see links below.)

National Geographic's "fight science" provides an explanation for the science behind a knock out punch. The impact of a punch can send someone's brain rippling in the skull and hits the back of the skull, causing trauma. It then hits the front of the skull, creating more brain trauma in a concussion. Neurotransmitters fire electrical circuits causing the loss of consciousness. Your body contains dissolved sodium, potassium, and calcium. Each time someone takes a hit to a nerve, potassium leaves and calcium rushes in which destabilizes the calcium balance. The brain tries to keep it all balanced but at the expense of energy. There comes a point when the brain tells the body to shut down to conserve energy and fix damaged neurons later.


Even if your attacker doesn't die, a punch can lead to permanent brain damage. Personality changes can occur and so can dementia among other changes. The brain isn't the only target that can cause death. A punch to any vital organ or bundle of nerves can cause death as well due to internal bleeding, blood loss, and irregular heartbeats. This video is just one case where one punch has killed a person.

This is exactly why you should not engage in any street fight unless it is for self defense! Even if it's sports fighting, you must be prepared to face the consequences it will have on your body.

www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/.../one-punch_killings_they_happen.html

www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/sports/.../boxing-knockout-sports-science/

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Self defense against police brutality

Police brutality has been a problem in history for generations and many deaths have happened because of it. How do you defend yourself against police brutality? This self defense guide will teach you the essentials in surviving an attack from corrupt cops.

1) Know the laws in your vicinity - Without understanding the laws in your location, you won't be able to know when the police are acting out of line. If you act out of line, you will probably get prosecuted.

2) Comply - If you are unlawfully given orders by a corrupt police, comply. Don't try to argue and get violent. Some people like to do this to provoke the police and the result is they end up getting beaten. You will have time to justify yourself in the court of law later. You must realize at the present moment, the cop has weapons and you don't. You do not want under any circumstances give the police a reason to attack you.

3) Draw as much attention to yourself as possible - Get others to record the situation with their cameras. This helps build your case of self defense and makes it less likely for the police to engage in police brutality. If you don't have witnesses, it's going to be very hard to prove you were acting in self defense. Make sure that your eyes are on the cops and not wandering elsewhere. Keep track of the unlawful behavior of the cop.

4) Know when to defend yourself - If you've complied by doing everything that was asked of you and the police officer still wants to attack you, it's time to strike.You defend yourself against the police in the same manner you would any street attacker. Make sure that you avoid the shield or push against it and use it to avoid the line of attack as shown in this video. Be cautious of the cop calling for back up as you don't know whether or not the other officers are corrupt or unaware of the corrupt officer's behavior. If the officer is wearing body armor, strike at unprotected areas of the body.

For gun disarms, read my post "self defense against a gunman" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2016/11/self-defense-against-gunman.html)

For blunt weapons disarms, read my post "self defense against a baseball bat" and apply the same principles when faced with a baton (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2016/12/self-defense-against-baseball-bat.html)

For taser disarms, read my post "how to defend against a taser" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2016/12/how-to-defend-against-taser.html)

For defense against chemical sprays, read my post "self defense against pepper spray" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/02/self-defense-against-pepper-spray.html)

For self defense against multiple armed attackers, read my post "self defense against multiple armed attackers" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/01/self-defense-against-multiple-armed.html)

Practice with a sparring partner. If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.

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What self defense IS and what it IS NOT

In this blog post, i will clarify a few misconceptions on self defense and explain what true self defense is. By understanding what self defense is about, you will learn how to better defend yourself on the streets. In the video posted, it gives you some myths on self defense.

* Self defense IS NOT about fighting - When people talk about self defense, they automatically think of martial arts and combat. Yes, fighting is apart of self defense but it's meant to be used as a last resort. The real battle begins before the first punch is thrown in the mind. If you failed to recognize potential danger, you've already lost half the battle. There's many variables that could go wrong despite years of training. You could get hit unexpectedly or kill someone by accident. You might even come across a situation that you haven't yet trained for. What's the best way to prevent that from happening? Pick your battles wisely! If you have no fighting experience, that's very good. That means you never had to put yourself in harm's way. If you want to learn, read my post "why martial arts does not mean self defense" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2016/12/why-martial-arts-does-not-mean-self.html).

* Self defense IS NOT about simulations - Many people like to be creative and come up with solutions to potential problems then teach them. The problem with this is that it's not always based on reality. Criminals don't think like you do. If you took a self defense course on defending against home invasions in combat when many robberies occur when your not home, you've trained unrealistically for self defense. Realistic self defense is about facts and understanding the criminal mind then train around what you know. If you want to learn more, read "know your enemy in self defense" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/02/know-your-enemy-in-self-defense.html).

* Self defense IS NOT about provocation - Some people like to think they can provoke someone to violence and still claim self defense. You might not be attacking others physically but you are attacking them verbally and psychologically. Thus, you are the one essentially starting a fight.

* Self defense IS NOT about sport - Some self defense classes host sparring sessions with rules and let their students fight as if it were a sports competition. This isn't effective self defense because there's no guidance on how to avoid or resolve conflict, how to diffuse a situation, how to end the threat quickly, or how to get to safety. Self defense has no rules. As long as you are successful in defending yourself, use whatever works.

* Self defense IS NOT about disregarding the law - Some people like to get straight into a physical confrontation without thinking about the law. They are so quick to draw a weapon on an unarmed attacker. This is very reckless behavior. If the police find evidence that you acted unlawfully, you are going to be charged and be punished. Therefore, you should fight with caution and not make it look like you are the assailant.

Now i will discuss what self defense is.

* Self defense IS about resolving or avoiding conflicts - Part of self defense is learning how to resolve conflicts peacefully without resorting to violence. If you can avoid a dangerous neighborhood or give someone a reason not to fight you, you've successfully defended yourself.

* Self defense IS about ending the threat quickly - The longer you fight, the more danger you put yourself and others in. Effective self defense is not flashy. It's simple and efficient so it seeks to end the threat as quickly as possible. 9 times out of 10, you don't know your attacker. You don't know how skilled or violent he or she is. If you think of combat as a fight rather than survival then it's going to be skill against skill. If you focus more on catching your attacker off guard and doing whatever it takes to quickly end the threat, doesn't matter how skilled your attacker is in hand to hand combat.

* Self defense IS about using what works - There's no precise definition to self defense. It's basically about using whatever works to defend yourself. There's no "cheating" in self defense. If your attacker cannot fairly attack you, that's too bad for him/her and good for you. There's no "right" or "wrong" way to defend yourself as long as it accomplishes your goal without putting yourself in harm's way.

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.

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Do military combatives mean effective 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.

     
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Corps_Martial_Arts_Program

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.

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How to use brass knuckles in self defense

In this blog post, i will teach you how to defend yourself with brass knuckles step by step. As i mentioned before in my blog post "self defense against brass knuckles" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2016/12/self-defense-against-brass-knuckles.html), brass knuckles can shatter bone and damage soft tissues. A hit with brass knuckles and you could end up potentially killing someone. It is therefore crucial that you only use brass knuckles in a life or death situation.

1) Wear brass knuckles properly - Brass knuckles are a powerful tool to use against an attacker but you must wear them properly. Otherwise, you will end up injuring your hands and possibly breaking your own fist in the process. The correct way of wearing brass knuckles is depicted in this video. 

2) Protect your weapon hand - If you only have one pair of brass knuckles, you must protect that hand. I recommend changing your stance and putting your free hand in front of you. By attacking with the free hand as the lead and using it for trapping or defensively, you make it harder for your attacker to disarm you. If your attacker manages to somehow grab the arm controlling the weapon, you will be put in a difficult situation. Use your free hand as a distraction or a means of creating an opening and strike with the brass knuckles. If your good then you can land a hit with brass knuckles by all means. 

3) Attack the body's vital areas - When using brass knuckles, you must strike at the body's vital areas to use them effectively preferably bone. Striking the sternum or ribs could cause these bones to break, possibly causing organ damage and difficulty breathing. Striking the collarbone could make it difficult for your opponent to move his or her arms. Striking the jaw and underneath the chin will cause a knock out if enough force is applied. 

4) Use curved attacks - Since you don't want to injure your hands with the impact of the blows, i'd advise for you to use attacks from curved angles such as hook punches or uppercuts. Other than that, you apply the same principles and skills in hand to hand combat as if you were unarmed.  

Practice with a partner using toy brass knuckles and safety equipment during sparring. If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.

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How to be proficient with weapons

In my blog post "why relying on weapons will get you killed", you understand why relying only on weapons will get you hurt or killed. In this self defense guide, i will teach you the basic principles in being skilled with weapons.

* Understand the weapon's strengths and weaknesses - By understanding the pros and cons of using a specific weapon or type of weapon, you will learn how to use it wisely. For example, a gun's potential weakness is the potential to jam. In the case it does jam, you will need to resort to another weapon quickly. Weapons can be used as striking tools, projectiles, defensive measures, distractions, the list goes on.

* Understand the weapon's range - Weapons can be long range, close range, or both. Guns for example function in both close range and long range. By understanding the weapon's range, you will understand how to engage or disengage an enemy from a particular range. If you don't engage an enemy in the weapon's strongest range then you are in a bad position. For example, a gun is ideally a long range weapon. Therefore, you will need to engage the enemy in that particular range.

* Learn how to create distance between you and your attacker - In order to use weapons effectively, you will need to draw them first. This requires reaction time and distance. If you don't learn how to create distance and increase reaction time, you will get hurt or killed. You may need to use hand-to-hand combat before you can disengage from an attacker at close range, create distance, and draw your gun at long range.

* Understand when to use weapons and when not to - There's a time and place to use weapons. If deadly force is being used against you then you will need to equalize that with deadly force. If deadly force is not being used against you then you cannot legally respond with deadly force. Sometimes, particular weapons are useless in a specific range. This is why you need to rely on other weapons such as your fists as opposed to relying solely on the weapon for self defense. Look what happens when a cop tries to engage an armed criminal at close range. He tries to reach for his gun but can't get upholstered and gets shot. Had he engaged his enemy in hand-to-hand combat at close range, the outcome may have been different.

* Learn to see everything as a weapon - By learning to see everything in your environment as a weapon, you will never run out of weapons to use. Everyday objects such as cars, walls, trash cans, writing utensils, pipes, sticks, stones, glass, keys, chains, rope, the list goes on can be turned into weapons. With creativity and improvisation, you can use almost anything as a weapon when you understand how weapons are used.

* "Weapons are meant to be felt not seen" - If you reveal your weapon too quickly before engaging an enemy, you give him or her enough reaction time to defend. If you learn how to distract or sneak up on your enemy to create time to quickly draw your weapon, your enemy won't see your attack coming. Keep your weapon concealed until the right moment then draw and attack.

* Keep it simple - Rather than focus on complex techniques, focus on simple attacks and defenses. The principles of attack are the same. You target center of mass and attack your enemy in vital areas of the body from many different angles. Training your reflexes, awareness, speed, timing, power, precision, and applying a strategy or tactics is far more important than technique.


 If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.

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