This blog covers everything related to self defense including but not limited to training, techniques, principles, martial arts, hand to hand combat systems, weapons, various scenarios, tips, sparring, psychology of combat, the list goes on. It is not restricted to just one fighting art but welcomes every reader regardless of experience to gain knowledge on self defense.
Boxing is a popular combat sport that has existed for centuries. In this post, i'll give you tips on how to apply boxing for self-defense.
* Disregard the rules - The first step in using boxing for self-defense is ditching the rules. Forget about scoring points, sports strategy, fighting, and any rules in combat sports. They will only hinder your ability to effectively defend yourself.
* Keep it simple - Don't learn fast and unrealistic combos. The longer your combos. are, the more opportunities your attacker has of interrupting them. You'll also waste time and energy. Your aim should be to simply knock out your attacker by hitting vital targets such as the head. See my post "vulnerable body parts for self-defense." for more.
* Train with proper physical conditioning - Remember that in the streets, you won't have padded protection. Therefore you'll need to condition your body to fight without gloves. Iron body training is a great way to condition your hands to deliver powerful blows without breaking your fists. You can read more about it in my post "how to apply iron body training in self-defense."
* Learn what's useful - There's many methods that are practical for combat such as shadow-boxing, sparring, slipping, ducking, bobbing and weaving, rolling with punches, list goes on. You should only train for what you will likely encounter in the street.
* Modify boxing for self-defense - Boxing alone is not enough for self-defense. Remember that you'll be facing weapons, multiple attackers, etc. In order to use boxing effectively for self-defense, you must develop other essential skills. You might want to speed up the timing of your strikes or modify them to make them more economical. You might also want to incorporate dirty fight tactics, trapping, kicking, grappling, improvised weapons, and other useful skills for combat.
Train with these tips in mind. If you want to learn more on how to make boxing work for self-defense, subscribe for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.
Let me guess, you've been training for long exhausting periods of time. You've been practicing every technique that your self defense instructor taught. You've been doing everything you can do to defend yourself and yet, your still afraid.
Your afraid that in the face of a cruel and frightening attacker, you will wet your pants. You will forget about everything you've spent your hard earned time and effort training for. You are afraid that if a real attack were to happen, you would freeze as if you learned nothing at all.
Even after everything you've learned, you still feel that your not good enough. You are still afraid that despite everything, you will get hurt. Worse, you are terrified that you might get killed.
What's the solution? How do you defend yourself against an untrained attacker with confidence?
Understand your enemy:
Knowing your enemy is good but understanding your enemy? That's taking your self defense training to heights never before reached. Why? Because you your understanding enables you to effectively give the proper response.
For example, let's say that I work as a cashier. I come across an angry and potentially violent customer. If I understand his or her thought process on a psychological level, this allows me to end the conflict peacefully via. de-escalation.
How do you understand your enemy? You become your enemy. Put yourself in your attacker's shoes. Imitate his or her walk, talk, speech, tone of voice, actions, etc.
Feel everything that your attacker is feeling. Be a predator preying on the weak. Realize that your motives for doing so are based on your own fears of being weak.
Watch this compilation of fights and pay close attention to the patterns of attack. Once you understand your enemy, it's difficult to be afraid because ignorance leads to fear. What to do with that understanding?
Spar like your enemy:
Why do so many self defense systems fail? They don't teach practitioners to spar like untrained attackers. Do you realistically expect the average attacker to come at you with some kung fu moves or boxing jabs?
If you continue to train with trained attackers then you'll only learn how to deal with the trained, not the untrained. How do you spar like the untrained attacker? Adopt his or her mindset.
Make sure that your sparring partner understands the importance of understanding your enemy. When you are ready, take turns roleplaying between an untrained attacker and trained defender.
Start with a scenario to simulate the initial moment before the violent confrontation (ex. threatening the defender) then go into sparring. Do whatever it is any untrained attacker would do whether it's throwing "windmill punches", tackles, grapples, ground and pound, you name it. Do it at full force and high speed until you or your sparring partner loses then repeat the process.
I recommend purchasing Macho Dyna 8-piece sparring set and chest protector for training. The head gear absorbs the impact whether standing or falling as well as the shin guards and the chest protector. Remember that you'll want to keep it as realistic as possible so don't rely too much on the gear. You might need to omit some equipment eventually once you feel confident enough to train under pressure.
Adapt to your enemy:
When it's your turn to play the role of the defender, you will have a better understanding on how to deal with the untrained attacker. You will begin to notice seemingly chaotic but predictable patterns. Be fluid and respond accordingly.
When you understand fundamental principles of combat (ex. Keeping your distance, controlling your opponent, timing, speed, accuracy, a strong defense, etc. then it becomes easier to respond. Don't worry too much about applying techniques. Instead, go with the flow.
If your sparring partner is swinging too fast and hard at striking range, you could attack from kicking range. You could take your attacker down via. grappling. You could also intercept your opponent's attack by a powerful strike of your own. It all depends on you and what you feel is instinctively right.
Remember to use the environment to your advantage. If you have something to block your partner's vision, use it. If you can use a car as a barrier then use it to escape. There's very little rules in self defense so you must use whatever works under intense sparring sessions.
With consistent training and understanding, you'll be better equipped with overcoming your fears under intense combat. Through hard work, you can essentially deal with any attacker and be one step ahead in self defense. Train smart and train with intensity to get the results you deserve!
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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
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is assume that because your trained in combat, you can easily deal with an aggressive and violent attacker. You should be more concerned with an aggressive and violent attacker than a trained one. Why? A violent and aggressive opponent is more committed to hurting you than the average person. The more violent and aggressive, the more dangerous. The problem with many self defense and martial arts schools is they train you to deal in a controlled environment. If your training to box with someone who is also disciplined in boxing then of course you will have time to respond both physically and mentally. Against an aggressive and violent person is a completely different story because his/her mentality and method of fighting is different. You don't know what he/she is capable of or just how brutal and violent he/she is. Against ferocious attacks at high speed, weapons, both physical and psychological pressure - you might find yourself knocked out or worse in spite of your training. This guide will help you deal with these types of attackers.
1) Defend yourself psychologically - If there's a build up of aggression and intimidation on behalf of your potential attacker, don't panic or get defensive. Remain calm and keep in mind that your potential attacker is acting out of fear or pain. Your attacker is just as human as you are. Focus on your breathing.
2) Learn how to defend against a barrage of attacks - One of the most common types of attacks is a flurry of punches and kicks in the streets. You must learn how to block effectively to shield yourself. You've probably seen martial arts films where the untrained fighter gets angry and starts delivering a barrage of attacks as the skilled martial artist calmly deflects or dodges each one. In real life, this would not work. As soon as you try to block one punch, you will get hit in the face or the ribs by another one. What's the best way to deal with these types of attacks? A good defensive measure. I personally like to use the pensador guard because it offers protection but also allows use your elbows to break your attacker's fists.
3) Intercept your attacker - If you move back, that gives your attacker a psychological advantage and you will likely get hit eventually. Ideally, you'll want to intercept your attacker and close the gap. If your attacker kicks, you deliver a stop kick and apply forward pressure (step in) as you knock him/her off balance. As you drive forward with the pensador guard, you control (grab) the elbows to stop your attacker from attacking and take him/her out (headbutts or other means of attack). You could also kick a charging attacker and move out of the line of attack (the direction of punches) before you attack from the side or other angles. The goal is to intercept the barrage of attacks and prevent your attacker from attacking period.
As i mentioned earlier, it's a bad idea to come unprepared against an aggressive and violent attacker with improper training. I'm not saying it's wrong to train with someone who's a skilled sparring partner. This training is good to learn how to attack and defend properly but you'll need diversity in your sparring partners. You'll need to learn how to handle the stress and pressure of various kinds of attacks via. wild ferocious aggressive quick strikes. Practice with a sparring partner who spars dirty (groin strikes, headbutts, bites, improvised weapons, etc.) and breaks away from the typical disciplined manner of attacking. Get into the mind of an aggressive and violent attacker then you will understand his or her method of attack.
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
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.
Whether you have access to a local self defense school or you don't, you must spar in your own time if you want to dramatically improve your performance. Why is solo sparring important? Helps you see where you need to improve in hand to hand combat. If you don't spar alone, you won't be able to excel in fighting as well as those who do. This is also be known as shadow boxing except for self defense, you don't solo spar to win a fight. You solo spar to be proficient for survival in self defense. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to effectively shadow box for self defense.
1) Have the proper mindset - Remember you are solo sparring for self defense. You are not sparring for a boxing match. You are not sparring for a UFC or a martial arts fight. You are not sparring to win a street fight. You are sparring for survival. Your mindset should be to eliminate the threat as quickly and effectively as possible then prepare yourself for the next threat if it exists. You are sparring to survive by any means necessary against every possible situation even the unexpected. Practice fighting dirty. Once you have the proper mindset then you will understand how to excel in self defense training.
2) Have a goal - What are you trying to improve? Techniques? Footwork? Kicking? Speed? Power? Punching? Coordination? Dealing with weapons? Strategy? Don't try to do everything at once as it can be overwhelming. Focus on improving one at a time with a set schedule. Make sure that you assimilated what you've learned well in muscle memory during drills before you begin to solo spar.
3) Have a set schedule - You should have a schedule to spar in many different situations for your solo sparring regimen. If you've read my other posts then you can apply the principles in solo sparring. These are the following situations you ought to spar with:
* Hand to hand combat - Spar to be proficient against various types of attackers (faster, stronger, more resilient, more aggressive, more experienced, etc.) and learn how to adapt to each one.
* Multiple attackers- Practice your strategy against multiple attackers. Prioritize which attackers are most important first and eliminating them before the rest. Make sure that you are moving to positions where you can fight only one at a time.
* Weapons - Practice disarming weapons and skillfully using them as well. Recognize when they are useful and when they aren't in certain situations. Learn when to avoid and when to engage certain armed attackers.
* Use of the environment - Remember to use the environment as a weapon and be mindful that it can be used against you. Use dirt, sand, clothing, lights, and other objects as distractions. Practice sparring in many different types of environments such as uneven ground, in the dark or light, in confined spaces or wide open areas. Use whatever weapons you can improvise against your attackers when applicable. Use vehicles, trees, and other obstacles as shields against your attackers.
4) Practice mental rehearsals - Part of stress inoculation are mental rehearsals which are used by the military and other professionals. The first step is to remain calm and relaxed. Clear your mind of all distractions. The next step is to imagine being in a dangerous stressful situation. Recreate the visuals, the sounds, and feelings as much as possible. Imagine yourself being attacked in various heated scenarios. How would you respond? Visualize yourself performing proper techniques, strategies, and movements. Resist the urge to lose focus and rationalize it by thinking "let's hope that never happens.." or you won't effectively train for self defense. From a psychological level, mental rehearsals strengthen neural pathways required to perform a certain set of skills under high stress.
5) Gain feedback - Look in the mirror and make sure that you are performing everything correctly (good posture, footwork, proper techniques, movements, etc.) You can also film yourself and ask others for advice. By looking for improvement, you can hone your skills and correct your weaknesses.
Finally practice warm ups and warm downs. Continue sparring by yourself and combining mental rehearsals with your physical movements then you will see dramatic increase in performance.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.
Let's say you've gotten framed for a crime you didn't commit and are now into one of the absolute worst situations of your life - imprisonment. Many innocent people are imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. This is a harsh reality caused by a corrupt political and judicial system. If you've done everything you could in the court of law to prove your innocence, failed, and are now facing a prison sentence then don't give up hope. Self defense can work even in prison and it has been done before. This guide will you give you the principles in surviving attacks in prison.
* Psychological defenses - To be successful in self defense especially behind bars, you must be psychologically prepared. Prisons were designed to break down your will. They were designed to make you feel hopeless and vulnerable but this is all in your head. You control how you respond to the environment. Prison walls and people cannot make you despair unless your mind allows it. Don't let the prison walls and other inmates intimidate you. How do you accomplish this? Change the way you view yourself and prison walls. Stop thinking of prison walls and confined spaces as barriers that limit the ability to defend yourself. Think of them as improvised weapons to use in self defense. Don't be intimidated by the size of other inmates. Just because they are muscular, doesn't mean they know how to skillfully use strength. Show no emotion such as fear, anger, happiness, pain, sorrow, and so on as prisoners can exploit your weaknesses. Meditation, deep breathing exercises, and positivity will keep you from having a breakdown.
* Learn the inmate code of conduct - In order to survive, you must learn how to interact with prisoners and guards. The golden rule still applies even in prison. Treat others how you want to be treated. Don't stare or smile at anyone as it could be interpreted as a sign of aggression. Don't stare at anyone's cell as inmates could think you are plotting to steal. Stand up for yourself and defend your own race. Failure to do so could result in other inmates beating you since those are dishonorable acts. Do your time quietly and don't reveal anything about yourself to anyone as it could be used against you. By learning how prisoners work, you can avoid many potentially dangerous situations.
* Be aware at all times and adapt - Unlike the streets where you can anticipate attackers, prison inmates are very smart and that's what makes them deadly. They use various strategies to attack such as ganging up on you, ambushes, distractions, etc. They may often start riots just so they can attempt to hurt or kill you. Learn the warning signs of a potential threat and never get close to strangers. Keep as many inmates in your vision as possible. Look for warning signs of a potential attack. Be aware of cameras and prison guards. Keep your guard up at all times.
* Learn how to fight in confined areas - Use walls and confined spaces to your advantage. You could slam or push inmates into walls, bars, fences, tables, concrete, etc. Walls can also be used for protection and a better position to defend against attacks from behind. If you know a martial art or combat system specializing in close quarters fighting such as Wing Chun then you'd be in an ideal environment to use it. Learn how to control space and trap your opponents. If you close the distance and use the walls to prevent your attackers from using kicks or punches, that works well in your favor.
* Train hard - When your locked inside a cell, be productive. Do lots of push ups, solo sparring, hand conditioning by striking hard surfaces, crunches, sit ups, pull ups, martial arts or boxing training, and more exercises. You'll want your reflexes and body to perform at it's uttermost potential.
* Learn how to use weapons and defend against them - Prisoners are extremely skilled in using and making improvised weapons such as shanks, blunt weapons, even guns. In some cases, use of weapons is necessary for survival. You should also know how to defend against them. If you for example come across a prisoner trying to stab you with a shank, disarm him/her (see http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2016/11/self-defense-against-knife.html to learn how.) Be cautious of the leveraging arm. Inmates may try to grab your shirt with one hand and use the other to stab you. A more dangerous position to be in is pushed up against the wall as inmates stab you. If an inmate is using both hands against you, learn how to control the one closest to you and get to a better position to break the arm or trip him/her.
* Learn how to work around prison rules - Sometimes, you must adapt to the prison rules for your survival. How dangerous of a situation are you in against other inmates after you? If it's too threatening, do something that will get you put in solitary confinement for example such as seriously injuring another inmate bent on killing you. Once in solitary confinement, you are in worse conditions but at least your temporarily safe from other inmates.
These are the basics of self defense in prison. Here are some additional tips to help you.
* Don't join any prison gangs - Resist the urge to turn to prison gangs for protection. Once your initiated, your in for life. Any attempt to desert or disobey orders could result in your death or the deaths of your loved ones.
* Build a reputation for yourself - In order to survive, you must send a powerful message to other inmates be it to inspire fear or respect. Ensure that your actions and verbal or nonverbal communication are consistent at all times. How people perceive you will determine the chances you have of survival.
Practice fighting in confined spaces with a partner and use of weapons in 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.
As a Wing Chun practitioner, i sought the way i thought that was ideal for me. I believed that Wing Chun would help me become the ideal warrior that is until i realized it's limitations. Traditional Wing Chun footwork is solid and strong no doubt. Wing Chun sifus teach that as long as your footwork is mobile, you don't need to waste too much time on footwork. Simply step back and close the gap. I soon found that if faced with an attacker who has a more free moving footwork like a wrestler, how can you expect to end the threat quickly in a Wing Chun stance? The traditional Wing Chun fighting footwork would not be able to respond to those types of situations. When i stumbled across Master Wong's Wing Chun teachings on youtube explaining that Wing Chun must evolve in order to face those situations, i soon realized one of the flaws in the way Wing Chun was being taught today. Wing Chun sifus might counter this by saying "when confronted with an opponent seeking to compromise your balance, simply maintain it and close the gap.." but it's hard to do when your opponent moves faster than you and will probably knock you over with their powerful attacks. Wing Chun's systematic weakness is groundfighting so if your on the ground, you would have no way to defend yourself against a BJJ fighter! If the only way to respond effectively to the systematic weaknesses of Wing Chun is being more free in movements, what does that say about traditional Wing Chun?
I soon realized that every style has it's own systematic flaws. Even moreso, many martial arts have strayed from realistic self defense training and more into other uses such as sports or health-related fitness training. It was when i stumbled across Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do that i realized this was what i was seeking. Having no way as way and no limitation as limitation. Bruce Lee's guiding thought was absorbing what was useful and discarding what wasn't. Jeet Kune Do's training was rooted in full contact no holds barred sparring to train for combat realism.
Jeet Kune Do is a fighting philosophy not a style but there exists two distinct schools of Jeet Kune Do. The first which seeks to preserve Bruce Lee's fighting style, Jun Fan Gung Fu as a means of teaching Jeet Kune Do. The second school loosely applies Jeet Kune Do concepts to any martial arts and develops the individual fighter. I learned that the term "Jeet Kune Do" is just a name. Some call Jeet Kune Do the original MMA, modified Wing Chun, modified boxing, etc. but in reality, Jeet Kune Do cannot be clearly defined. Bruce Lee intended it to be a personal journey of self discovery. Only when you embark on this journey that you begin to understand the meaning of Jeet Kune Do.
Bruce Lee saw that each style was confined to one particular fighting range (close range, long range, grappling range, trapping range) but no one style had all the answers to each situation. Thus he believed that the ideal martial artist should be proficient in all ranges and borrow from any simple techniques irrespective of style. Jeet Kune Do is about seeing reality from different perspectives and being fluid. The way of the intercepting fist appealed to me because it served as a defense by being a powerful offense unlike Wing Chun sifus training you to deflect with one hand while using the other to attack. What most appealed to me about Jeet Kune Do aside from freedom of expression is it's philosophy of adapting to every situation and evolving as an individual.
It is my personal conviction that the Jeet Kune Do philosophy will help people reach their full potential especially in the field of self defense. As i walk on the path to finding the true meaning of Jeet Kune Do, i hope to discover the essence of my identity and what lies beyond.
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 many people going into self defense wondering "which techniques can i use to beat bigger and badder opponents...what's the most effective punch to beating someone in a street fight.." They go into martial arts schools trying to learn how to deal with many different types of attacks. They want to learn techniques, techniques, and more techniques.
The problem is that you won't ever be able to excel in self defense if you rely only on techniques. There are many martial arts and self defense schools that teach techniques but neglect the strategies of self defense. Strategies, principles, and concepts of self defense are far more important than techniques. If you always rely on techniques, you will never become a proficient fighter in self defense. That's why you'll rarely see me teaching you any techniques in my blog posts. Techniques are just the tools to help you achieve a certain goal but they are not the foundation of self defense. You can learn techniques on how to deal with a hook punch or a headlock but if you don't learn certain principles such as keeping distance, balance, when to attack, efficiency, etc. then techniques are worthless. Not all techniques can be applied to every situation so it's important to understand strategy.
If you must learn techniques, which ones should you learn? The simplest ones. People will try to sell you flashy techniques that look good in demonstration but are impractical in a real street fight. You won't be able to recall everything under high levels of stress. Simplicity and efficiency are what determines whether or not a certain techniques are effective. If you perform a set of fancy techniques, someone can intercept with a simple punch and you'll be knocked out cold. The more simple a technique is, the faster you'll be able to recall it and respond. This applies to boxing, Karate, Wing Chun, Sambo, Krav Maga, Jiu Jitsu, or even basic punches and kicks. This video will help explain more in full detail.
Why are strategies more important than techniques? Because strategies are the plans to accomplish a specific goal. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. If you have no guidance in dealing with specific situations, you won't know how and when to apply techniques. If you don't know when and how to apply techniques, you won't be able to apply them at all. Learn strategies, concepts, and principles of self defense. Only then will you be truly wise and able to see many different violent situations more clearly.
I hope that this post gave you some insights into how to improve your training.
If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.
Boxing is a popular combat sport that has existed for centuries. In this post, i'll give you tips on how to apply boxing for self-defense.
* Train with proper physical conditioning - Remember that in the streets, you won't have padded protection. Therefore you'll need to condition your body to fight without gloves. Iron body training is a great way to condition your hands to deliver powerful blows without breaking your fists. You can read more about it in my post "how to apply iron body training in self-defense."
Train with these tips in mind. If you want to learn more on how to make boxing work for self-defense, subscribe for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.
