Myths on knife fighting and knife attacks

Unfortunately there are many myths about knives in combat circling around. I intend on debunking some of them in this blog post. Being ignorant about how knives work is what's going to get you killed in the streets. That's why it's important to understand knives so you can better use it or defend against it.

* "A knife attacker is going to point the knife at you " - Alot of martial artists and self defense instructors do demonstrations where an attacker is pointing a knife at you like in this video. This is unrealistic. The reality is your attacker won't reveal the knife to you until the time of attack. Even if you are dealing with an armed robber, he or she will likely hold you at knife point. Some will stab you regardless of whether or not you have valuables. Some will just walk up from behind, put you in a chokehold, and slit your throat. Others might pull out a knife in a multiple attacker scenario. You don't really know 100% how someone will attack you a knife.  

* "A knifeman will lunge forward to stab you once " - Another unrealistic scenario that people teaching knife defense do is use the knife as a long range weapon like in this example. In most knife attacks, your attacker will land a barrage of quick uncommitted stabs and slashes. Plus, he or she will keep pushing forward until you fall over or back up against a wall. In many criminal cases involving knives, there are multiple stabbings.

* "You will be able to kick the knife out of an attacker's hand" - Some people teach that you'll be able to kick or shoot the knife out of someone's hand as shown in this video. The chances of this happening is very low if your attacker is moving quickly in and out of range.

* "Your going to be able to use pain compliance to disarm a knifeman" - Some schools namely Krav Maga like to have their students redirect the knife hand and strike the groin repeatedly until the knifeman drops his or her weapon. This might work but if your attacker is determined to kill you and is high off of adrenaline, pain compliance isn't going to work. Your knife attacker will get hit but that might not be enough to get him or her to release the knife. While your striking your knife-wielding attacker, he or she might be stabbing you in the process.

* "Your going to be able to apply a fancy disarming technique" - Alot of schools like to teach knife disarming techniques. Under high pressure where a knife attacker is stabbing and slashing away full speed, the chances of you applying a fancy technique is low.

* "One stab = one kill" - Some people believe that one stab is all it takes to kill someone in self defense. Not so. It depends on where you strike, how deep, how fast, and with how much power. Deaths from knife attacks result from blood loss, shock, and loss of a vital organ's functionality (see link below). It's going to take a while for your attacker to bleed out. In the meantime, you are going to be attacked at full force especially if your attacker is high on adrenaline due to the body's natural pain killers. Against an attacker moving around quickly, it's going to be difficult to land a fatal stab.

* "A knife attacker is going to be tactical" - Many schools teaching knife fighting take two people of the same skill level and have them spar such as in this example. The chances of you coming across a trained or tactical knife fighter is rare unless you consent to a fight. If you are attacked by a knife-wielding assailant, chances are he or she will strike at moderate to high speed (stabbing, slashing, cutting, etc.) It will probably happen so fast that you won't have time to draw your own weapon and will have to resort to alternative means of self defense.

If want to learn more, read my post "Ineffective knife training for self defense" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/04/ineffective-knife-training-for-self.html). 

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

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Should you kill in self defense?

When it comes to self defense, there arises the issue of whether you should kill in self defense or not. How do you know if you must kill an attacker or not? Should you kill an attacker if your life depended on it?

Generally, you should not kill in self defense. You should at most incapacitate your attacker to prevent him or her from attacking you further and that should be enough to save your life. Only in extreme cases where you have no other choice but to kill your attacker. Should you kill in self defense? It all boils down to these questions 1) Can you do it? 2) Can you provide evidence that killing your attacker is justified in court? 3) Are you willing to accept the consequences of your actions?

The mistake many people make is just assuming that they can kill someone because a law in their state permits it. They think "well the laws in my state permit me to shoot a home intruder..." That might be true but it does not mean that you will be justified in self defense. Once you have killed someone in self defense, you have committed homicide period. The question is whether or not your homicide was justifiable and your life will go through dramatic changes. There will be a police investigation to determine whether or not you are telling the truth. You will be held under suspicion and probably treated as a criminal. You will be questioned and the evidence at the crime scene will be examined. The authorities will ask why you didn't flee or take any other preventive measures before resorting to killing your attacker. You will need to provide sufficient evidence to prove that your attacker was intending to kill you. Your word is not enough to prove that your killing was justified. It's your words against those who prosecute you. If you cannot prove that you committed justifiable homicide in court, chances are you will lose in court. You will be punished and possibly serve time in prison.

That's why simply using guns to resolve every situation is a very bad idea because a gun is a lethal weapon. You cannot simply shoot someone because he or she threatened to kill you or had a knife. You cannot kill someone because an unarmed attacker broke into your house. The level of force used must be proportional to the perceived threat or it's not reasonable. If you shoot someone swinging punches at you then the level of force used is not proportional to the threat. You are using too much force for a situation that did not merit it and could've been resolved through other means via. hand to hand combat or running away.

After you've killed someone in self defense, you must be willing to pay the consequences. It could be time in prison, a fine, guilt, PTSD, loss of a job, the list goes on. Killing seems easy at first but your life might suffer in the long run once your attacker is dead. This case of a woman who shot her boyfriend is just one example where killing brought alot of problems.

Should you kill someone in self defense? It all depends on the circumstances and your judgement. You should never be reckless. You should always have self control in these situations. Did you do everything you could to avoid resorting to taking someone else's life? Is killing your attacker the only way to ensure your safety and end the threat? These are all important considerations to take into account because killing is a choice that will affect you for the rest of your life.

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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.

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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.


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What is Everything Self Defense?

In this blog post, i will provide you with some background on who i am and why i started this blog.

Since i was a child, i was always interested in the subject of self defense. I've come up with plans on what to do if there was a home intruder and how i'd defend the family with improvised weapons. I was introduced to martial arts through films such as Bruce Lee's "Enter the Dragon", "Way of the Dragon", Jackie Chan's "drunken master", among other films. To top it off, my brother was a Karate student so he taught me a bit on Karate. Since then, i studied many different martial arts every now and then. One of the things that inspired me to learn hand to hand combat was watching two of my friends engage in a street fight with each other one night. It started when they agreed to duel each other so we all gathered around them in a church parking lot. Both agreed that whoever gets knocked down first is declared the loser of the fight. From the time the fight began, i was surprised to see how well both fought. They both seemed to have an understanding of how to street fight. Both landed several punches then retreated. Both landed many kicks to the midsection but they tensed their albs in order to absorb the impact. Finally, one of my friends fell over by accident after a kick and lost. I was eager to get in the fight but one of my other friends said "no he's too little."  

I've had a bunch of sparring sessions with friends and family. We'd engage in fist fights light contact sparring and such. With family, someone would almost always get hurt so we had to stop completely. With friends, i remember engaging in a duel using weapons. I had a small piece of paper shaped into a sword and he had a piece of metal serving as a switch. He cut my legs up a couple of times but i gave him several paper cuts on his hands and fingers. My mom was very upset on the aftermath of the fight. I've also had a sparring session with two of my friends in school where it was a two on one. I can remember slamming one into the chair and trying to attack the other one. My teacher came to break up the sparring session.

I've got into watching shows like "Samurai Jack", "24", and other films. Just seeing how well they adapted to every situation made a huge impact on how i saw not just martial arts but combat in general. I'd ask my older brother questions on how deal with a particular violent situation at the age of 13. I was already coming up with certain ways to defend myself. I didn't retaliate even after being hit by several kids in school. I didn't want the situation to escalate into further conflict and chose not to respond or to avoid the situation all together.

There's several more darker experiences leading me to the self defense world such as anger issues and family. I've never been in a street fight with friends or strangers because i didn't see the need for it. I've never had that deep of a problem where i needed to resort to violence against friends or strangers. I did have several fights break out between me and family. Violence was at one point a way of expressing my anger and frustrations. Sometimes, it was done out of self defense. When my older brother scared me, i can recall one incident where i attacked him by swinging wild punches and i had to be restrained. When i saw my mother beating my sister with a switch, i intervened by landing several kicks (one which split her lip in two). I received a beating in the process. I was also violent towards my abusive father. Bullying also had a negative effect on me growing up. Child abuse, bullying, and getting robbed all these dark experiences built rage up within me among other negative effects. That was the driving force in learning self defense.

I began learning and practicing Wing Chun in 2013 among other martial arts. I realized i had several deep insights in self defense and i wanted to share them with people which is why i started this blog. What makes this blog unique? It teaches simple self defense principles as opposed to techniques and demonstrations. I realized that many martial arts schools and some self defense schools have unrealistic training methods to dealing with violent situations in the street. This is because they don't seek to understand the criminal mindset. Another reason why i don't teach techniques is because what works best for one person may not work for another person. I'm against traditional standardized education because there's so many variables in combat that it's not possible to teach them all in one set of curriculum. I post links that help me personally but i encourage everyone to find the answers to their own questions using the principles i advise. I put a strong emphasis on open-mindedness and look for new ideas while challenging old ones.

What mainly sets this blog apart is the emphasis on dealing with every possible violent situation in self defense. While your average self defense school may teach basic self defense on the street, i inspire people to adapt to every possible situation. Whether it's your average street attacker regardless of size or skill, expected or unexpected attacks, multiple attackers, armed criminals, animals, active shooters, suicide bombers, etc. - strive to persevere your own life at your highest potential. I also tend to give advice on other topics such as situational awareness, conflict resolution, weapons, diffusion, verbal self defense, training, psychology, the list goes on. My goal is to teach people effective self defense by providing a few solutions to many problems. The purpose in all of my posts is to teach people to never surrender when it comes to saving their own lives.

I hope to reach my goals and provide you with insights on how to defend yourself to your uttermost potential.

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Why dialing 911 will get you killed in self defense

Some people have the notion that they don't need to learn any martial art or steps to defend themselves. They think that calling the police is enough to stop a crime from happening. There are several problems with dialing 911 that will get you killed in self defense.

The first is the distance and time of an attack. Let's suppose you are on the street and someone out of nowhere attacks you within 5 feet. It's ridiculous to think you would have time to pull out your phone and dial 911. You would've dropped your phone or your attacker wouldn't have allowed you to commit to any action. The average time it takes for the police to arrive to your house is around 10 minutes (1). Do you realistically expect the cops to make it in time before you are about to get seriously hurt or killed? Think again.

The second is that under stress, you wouldn't be able to dial 911. You would probably freeze up and that would hinder you from dialing any number. Your phone might not even be working or worse, your phone conversation gives your exact location to your attacker.

The last and biggest problem with simply dialing 911 is that the police are under no obligation to legally protect you. The Supreme court has ruled this in the Warren vs. Distract of Columbia case. What about the "to serve and protect" phrase? Well that only applies to the state, not to you. This video explains more.

It is thus your own responsibility to defend yourself in a life or death situation. The purpose of dialing 911 is to address civil matters and conduct criminal investigations. Cops are there to enforce the law, not to be your own personal bodyguards. If you are to dial 911, you must address the most immediate threat first or have someone else call the police. Once you are out of danger, you can then dial 911 to handle a violent criminal.

1. http://freedomoutpost.com/when-seconds-count-police-are-minutes-awayor-your-911-call-goes-to-voicemail/

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Know your enemy in self defense

"To know your enemy, you must become your enemy" - Sun Tzu. I'm convinced in my mind that many instructors professing to teach self defense and many students learning self defense don't know their enemies. They teach techniques and hand-to-hand combat without any understanding of how their enemies work. They get a student to play the role of a violent criminal and throw a punch to demonstrate how to deal with that situation. The response might be with a counter-attack or a technique. You might even see and hear them laugh as they both beat each other up in the process.

The problem? That's not an accurate depiction of real world violence. The reason why you don't see me posting videos where i demonstrate self defense techniques and combat is because simulations are unreliable. You can make up anything in a simulation for the sake of making your techniques work. In real combat however, many students of self defense would probably get killed if they practiced unrealistic techniques. You can have a great imagination but it doesn't mean much if it's not based on reality and facts. It's not to say that you won't be able to beat the average person picking a fight with you but what works in one situation, will not work in a different situation. This is because there's various types of criminals with their own personalities, intellect, methods of attack, behavior, pain tolerance, the list goes on. In this video, this instructor teaches you how to disarm someone with a knife. I'd say half of it would work in a violent situation but the instructor doesn't take into account the possibility his attacker might hit him with the free hand.

The vast majority of self defense instructors i've seen train to deal with strangers on the street, not realizing that most crimes involve someone you know. For more info., check my post ("Trust no one in self defense" http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/01/trust-no-one-in-self-defense.html). Ok so you know how to deal with the average robber but what about the more strategic and methodical robber? What about a member in your family who intends on hurting you? It's very rare for a complete stranger to see you from a distance and think "that guy/girl looks rich and vulnerable, i'm going to hide behind these bushes so i can rob him/her!" That's why i post videos of real life scenarios and facts to not only teach you self defense, but also understanding criminal behavior. You've probably heard countless times "try and diffuse the situation" or "avoid conflict.." Well how exactly are you going to do that effectively if you don't know your enemy? Without understanding your enemy, you won't be able to defend yourself in every situation.

When your training for self defense, you must get into the mind of your enemy. If you were your enemy, what would you do? What would be your goals? Strategies? Tactics? Where would you eat? Sleep? Live? What would you be feeling? What do you hope to accomplish and how would you do it? Research your enemy and then imitate him/her during sparring or have someone else do it. If your enemy is aggressive, be aggressive. If your enemy is intimidating, be intimidating. If your enemy is violent and ruthless, be violent and ruthless. If your enemy likes to use weapons, use weapons. Know your enemy and you will win many battles. Self defense isn't just about combat, it's also about applying knowledge to avoid conflict.

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Master verbal self defense before anything else

Master verbal self defense before anything else:

A shocking fact as i was watching a documentary on the S.W.A.T is that most situations are often resolved without a single shot being fired. S.W.A.T has to judge whether or not a criminal is worth killing. In some cases, police have found that people who act out in violent behavior would not have done so if they were in a rational state of being. There are other cases where various factors influence criminal behavior such as drugs, emotional issues, etc. where violence is unnecessary.

Many self defense instructors teach the physical aspects of self defense but neglect the verbal and psychological aspects which are just as important. It takes more skill to subdue the enemy through verbal communication than violence. By mastering verbal self defense, you can do many things to prevent conflicts from escalating into violence such as diffusing a heated argument.

There was a great example of verbal self defense in which a passenger got off his bike and walked to a construction worker being verbally abusive (see link below.) He was trying to intimidate the construction worker. A few more construction workers came to his aid as the passenger began threatening and intimidating them. The construction workers simply stood there expressing no fear, anger, or any other emotion. The passenger eventually saw that he didn't get the reaction he wanted and began to feel that they were a threat thus backed away.

Words have power and can bring healing or destruction. Words are powerful and can be used to de-escalate a potential attacker without throwing a single punch. By learning how to verbally and psychologically deal with intimidation, manipulation, threats, blackmail, insults, etc. you learn to protect your self esteem. Physical self defense is secondary because verbal communication is where violence starts and stops. The reason why verbal self defense takes more skill is because it requires compassion, listening, empathy, humility, patience, self control, trust, and many other qualities which take a lifetime to build. People like to think in terms of how to respond to a straight punch or a side kick but are forgetting what goes on before the confrontation. Take a minute to assess the following scenario:

You spilled some coffee by accident on a man who's lost his job, his wife, and house. He's fed up with so much anger, pain, and resentment then decides to take it out on you by shouting verbal attacks along with taking up a fighting stance.

You could respond by resorting to violence in self defense or you could peer behind the obstacles (insults, shouting, aggression, etc.) and make an empathetic connection to his vulnerable emotions in an attempt to diffuse the situation. Often times people will put on a mask and project a frightening image when in reality, its a defense mechanism to hide their most vulnerable emotions. Animals often intimidate each other but its for survival. The message they are sending is "back away, don't hurt me.." By listening without judgement, you will gain a better understanding about what the other person is trying to communicate from within. From there, you are able to hopefully help the person face their inner conflicts diffuse the situation and thus prevent physical conflict.      

Unfortunately you can't prevent every physical conflict but imagine the number of violent attacks that would disappear if only people communicated with each other. Understanding people and their thoughts, emotions, attitudes, feelings, etc. will help build a better world of compassion.

What are your thoughts? What are ways to diffuse a potential attacker with your words and body language? How can you show compassion and use your energy to calm rather than provoke someone to anger thus creating the potential for violence? What are ways to respond against verbal attacks while connecting with a potential attacker's inner emotions? If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.

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http://www.itsprimalprotection.com/2012/02/how-to-handle-threats-and-intimidation.html

Why compliance may get you killed in self defense

Why compliance may get you killed in self defense:

You've probably heard self defense instructors say "comply with everything an armed robber says and you'll survive, there's no need to fight..." but this is bad advice. You might survive or you might your throat cut or head shot anyways.

Logically, we would believe that compliance would ensure our safety if a criminal makes a demand but our ways of seeing the world differ from that of a criminal. Self defense instructors may neglect this and that's why it may cost you your life. Criminals are sick. They have little to no morals. They don't have a problem with killing you because your life means nothing to them. You have to evaluate what you value and what they value. What if they demanded you give them one of your loved ones? Would you comply to survive? An armed robber will not take any chances of you reporting to the police so they will likely kill you even if you comply. Criminals are out to fulfill all their sick fantasies - rape, murder, torture, theft, extortion, you name it. Would complying help you or others survive then?

The best way to deal with criminals is to think like them. If i decided i'm going to rob a bank, what measures would i take to prevent myself from getting caught? If i take someone hostage, how would i ensure that i can get away with a crime? By identifying the kind of criminal and motives you are dealing with, you are better prepared to make an assessment of the situation. Who are you dealing with? A gang? Armed robbers? The more you know, the better you will respond.

I've heard plenty of horror stories where victims of a violent crime ended up being killed despite doing everything that their attackers asked of them. My grandfather was stabbed by a gang member and was not even given a chance to comply. It only takes a split second for an armed robber to kill you.

What's the best course of action when someone threatens your life and makes demands? Deception. In my other post "use of psychology in self defense" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2016/06/use-of-psychology-in-self-defense.html), i explain the importance of using criminal psychology in self defense. In general psychology, we tend to see patterns in human behavior especially criminals. Don't give the perception that your strong because then that arises suspicion and cautiousness. Give the perception that your weak. The armed robber has probably committed tons of robberies thinking that because he has a weapon, his victims are compliant thus letting his guard down. He will not expect you to be trained in self defense and that gives you the advantage. Compliance is the most critical time to respond and surprise attack your offender via weapon disarms, strikes, etc.

There's a great chance you will get killed but it's a gamble between life and death. Research has shown that resistance to a criminal's personal demands was effective (see link below.) The most important thing to remember is that compliance is a means of creating opportunities either to escape or fight for your life.

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

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http://www.activeresponsetraining.net/resistance-to-violent-crime-what-does-the-research-show

Use of psychology in self defense

The use of human psychology is rarely discussed in self defense when it can prove very useful in any situation. We can apply tons of self defense techniques in Martial Arts, use of guns and other deadly weapons but few are aware that the human mind itself is a vulnerability as much as the human body is. The use of human psychology especially criminal psychology can greatly even the odds of survival.


What are the essential questions in order to effectively use psychology?

1) Motivation - It would be alot easier to use psychology against someone you know than a complete stranger. What are the motives of your attacker? Demanding on how they interact with you such as demanding for money with a gun pointed at your head, you can then assess the situation and create a plan.

2) Understanding triggers and flaws - Knowing your enemy is very important when applying psychology. What causes your enemy to cower? What makes him or her tick? Is your enemy under pressure? How can you avoid them? What vulnerabilities does he or she have?

3) Manipulation - How can you use what you already know about your enemy's psyche to get the reaction that you want? This can range from creating a distraction or causing an enemy to overreact and thus over or under commit to attacking/defending. There's many ways that you can manipulate people by an in-depth understanding of human behavior.

It is important to understand that while your life is in danger, not every attacker will harm you if he or she will not benefit. For example, threats are psychologically effective when they are credible and when they are conditional. If the victim knows he or she will be killed then the threat is ineffective. It is also dangerous for the person sending the threat as the victim will have nothing to lose and will likely physically retaliate as a means to survive on their own terms. A prudent robber keeps this in mind when he or she holds everyone hostage in a store or bank. This mentality can aid you especially when you have a strong willpower and understanding of how to break thinking patterns of the common criminal.

This is a very insightful video that will illustrate my point of view. The mindset is essential first and foremost when it comes to any violent encounter.

In conclusion, psychology can help you survive unscathed when you understand fundamental principles and how to use them to your advantage. 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