This blog covers everything related to self defense including but not limited to training, techniques, principles, martial arts, hand to hand combat systems, weapons, various scenarios, tips, sparring, psychology of combat, the list goes on. It is not restricted to just one fighting art but welcomes every reader regardless of experience to gain knowledge on self defense.
There are some people who seem to believe that military hand-to-hand combat systems make the best self defense. The reasoning lies in the assumption that people in the military are highly trained in warfare and that it's at a higher level than civilian self defense. Do military combatives make better self defense than civilian self defense?
The answer is generally no and here's why. The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program was eventually designed for self defense during peacekeeping operations (see link below.) The curriculum takes influence from martial arts such as boxing, wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Savate, Krav Maga, Sambo, kickboxing, Muay Thai, kickboxing, Karate, Muay Thai, kung fu, the list goes on as shown in the videos posted. The mindset is to abide by simplicity and efficiency in order to end the threats quickly in combat. There's varying degrees of lethal force being used, some of which is intended to kill. Training exercises include stress inoculation and realistic scenarios. Training tools include shock knives and other methods. During wartime, hand-to-hand combat is essentially useless. Why? Because the main focus is on killing the enemy via. guns and long range weapons which are your primary line of attack. If you have to resort to hand-to-hand combat, you've done something terribly wrong. Either you've been captured, ran out of ammo which should never happen, and have no weapons to defend yourself with. On top of that, a marine's greatest strength is in numbers. A lone marine is very vulnerable to getting killed in the battlefield as opposed to a platoon.
That being said, how effective is military combatives compared to civilian self defense? Military members and civilians both train in martial arts. While military members do use simple and efficient techniques from martial arts, it is not exclusive to the military. You can find this in martial arts such as Krav Maga and Bruce Lee's philosophy Jeet Kune Do. Civilian hand-to-hand combat systems in self defense abides by civilian law while military hand-to-hand combat relies on military standards. If you tried to use unjustified lethal force on an attacker in the street, you'd probably go to jail. If you are in the military then your aim should be to kill the enemy by any means necessary. Therefore, civilian self defense is in no way inferior to military combatives. Civilian hand-to-hand combat and military hand-to-hand combat are simply used for different purposes.
In conclusion, learning military combatives for self defense makes you no more equipped in defending yourself than a civilian who undergoes similar training in hand-to-hand combat. What's the key? The mindset. By applying the principles of neutralizing the threat, keeping techniques simple and efficient, realistic stressful training, etc. - essentially the same results are achieved between civilian and military self defense. This notion that members of the military are somehow superhuman is false. They are no different than a civilian. What distinguishes them from civilians is the ability to work as a team. Training in military combatives will not make you better at self defense and anyone who tries to convince you otherwise to sell you a product is probably ripping you off.
If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.
Psychological warfare is defined as the use of psychology to evoke a psychological response in an enemy to influence his/her behavior, thoughts, attitudes, emotions, and beliefs. Psychological warfare has been used in warfare for centuries to demoralize the enemy. While many techniques and methods have been used at a national level, some are applicable to the individual. I will give you some tips and techniques used in psychological warfare that you could use in the face of overwhelming odds such as multiple attackers.
* Use intimidating body language - People mistakenly believe a battle starts as soon as the first hit is thrown. In reality, it starts beforehand with body language. A potential attacker is assessing whether you pose a huge threat or are just a victim. If you project confidence in the face of potential danger, you communicate to your potential attackers that you aren't weak and submissive. You don't want to be too intimidating or you may be perceived as a threat. Even in a potentially violent confrontation, show no emotion or weakness. This will hopefully cause your enemy to back away.
* Use camouflage or a menacing appearance - In ancient times, warriors would use facepaint and masks evoking supernatural beings to intimidate their enemies. Modern soldiers use camouflage to make themselves invisible to the enemy. This is a form of psychological warfare as enemy targets cannot see their attackers but their attackers can see them. In some situations, you will be able to camouflage yourself and put on an intimidating appearance.
* Shock and awe - The shock and awe military strategy involves the use of overwhelming power or display of forces to destroy it's will to fight. If you destroy your enemy's confidence to win a fight then you weaken his or her morale and thus he or she will flee. This is why in some cases where armed robbers invaded a home, the owners came charging with swords and yelling to create fear. What was the psychological effect? The robbers were confident in the use of guns but when they saw someone wielding a melee weapon and putting on a great display of strength, that confidence was shattered. You can create shock and awe by roaring like an animal, snarls, growls, laughter, causing as much damage to your opponents, or other means of intimidation (1).
* Demoralization - This is the systematic method of breaking your enemy's will to fight. When you are faced with multiple attackers, always take out the most powerful ones first. Once the leaders of the pack are injured or dead, the rest will become demoralized. This method was used by the U.S media published a photo of Osama Bin Laden's corpse to demoralize the will of Islamic terrorists to fight. Another way you can demoralize your enemies is through grappling holds or knocking the wind out of them.
* Instill fear and doubt - In order to instill fear and doubt in the minds of your enemies, you must have strong mental fortitude. Show nothing but pure strength. Don't show a hint of weakness regardless of what your enemies use against you. If you get hit with the most devastating attacks, shrug them off as if nothing happened. Channel pain into anger and motivation to attack with more force. If you are being haunted down against men intending on killing you, become the hunter and leave each one half-dead. Vlad the Impaler left his enemies impaled on poles as they suffered a slow death to send a strong psychological message. Make them feel like prey rather than predators.
* Use your enemy's values and beliefs to your advantage - This involves using what your enemy values be it religion, people, money, etc. and using them as shields as you attack. For example, Cambyses 2 knew that the Egyptians revered cats especially their goddess so he had his men paint her face on their shields. He also lined up cats and more revered animals in the front lines. The Egyptians fled in terror and were massacred in the process (2).
* Fight dirty - Fighting dirty is an effective means of intimidating your opponents. Using headbutts, biting, and doing whatever it takes to survive even if you damage yourself in the process shows that you are dangerous.
* "Borrow a corpse to resurrect the soul" - According to the 36 Chinese stratagems, you should take an institution, a technology, a method, an ideology lost in ancient history and modify it for application in modern combat. For example, the Aztecs liked to use death whistles which mimicked the sound of a thousand corpses. Anyone who heard them entered in a trance-like state and would be terrified (3). If you could somehow use a similar device from the past such as the death whistle for a specific purpose (ex. a distraction) then it will give you the upperhand.
* Use deception - In ancient warfare, people would often deceptively make their armies appear bigger than they actually were. These kinds of psychological operations still exist today. If you know how to use the environment to your advantage, you might be able to trick your enemy into believing you are more powerful than you truly are.
* Destroy a group from the inside out - When you are captured or faced with overwhelming odds, disrupt the organization from within. Divert your enemy's hate and anger on a new target, namely the leader of your multiple attackers (4). This method of psychological method was used effectively by the U.S military as depicted in this documentary. Suppose you are captured and notice a leader mistreat one of his men. You need to get his goon to channel hate and anger towards the leader, turning your attackers against each other.
* Be unpredictable - If you establish a pattern that is too predictable, your enemy will see through it and ruin your plans. Appear strong when you are weak and weak when you are strong.
* Pretend you know something your enemy doesn't - You can do this through body language such as smiling when you are fighting. This may cause your enemy to be uneasy as you give off the impression you found a weakness in his or her defenses.
* Use threats - When you are fighting multiple opponents or one who is prone to being intimidated by threats, threaten them. Make sure that you already established credibility in order to make your threats effective. If your threats aren't credible enough, your opponents will call you out on your bluff. When you proved you can walk the walk and not just talk the talk then you will cause discomfort. Some attackers may flee to avoid getting hurt.
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Let's assume that you are walking down the street on your phone and suddenly you are attacked by a group of assailants out of nowhere. Would you be able to defend yourself? If so, how? If you have no idea how to defend yourself against an ambush, you've come to the right place! This 2-step self defense guide will teach you the basic fundamentals in surviving an ambush.
1) Have situational awareness - This is probably the most important step. Without situational awareness, you won't be able to effectively deal with an ambush. You don't have eyes in the back of your head so you need to channel your attention to where it matters most. Keep an eye on those around you and read their body language. Do you see people who look suspicious? Do they stare at your every movement? What do their facial expressions say about them? Are you being followed? Do you hear someone running from behind you? These are all important observations you should make in order to spot an ambush before it happens. You will need to put yourself in the minds of your attackers to do this well. A useful technique in these types of situations is one that the military uses called slicing the pie. The idea is to scan corners or potential hiding places in circular angles where the enemy cannot see you but you can see your enemy. If you create distance between you and potential attacker or attackers, you create more time to react. Jim Wagner elaborates more on this concept.
2) Attack or avoid your attackers - If you spot the attackers and can avoid them all-together, do so. If you are hit from behind, you need to turn quickly and face your attacker or attackers. The second best way to deal with an ambush is by attacking. Your attacker or attackers will expect you to go to the defensive or comply when there's an ambush. By attacking or counter-attacking at full force, you surprise your attacker or attackers. This video explains how this works.
Practice countering ambushes in training with your sparring partners and using these principles in mind.
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.
The fear of physical conflicts and confrontation can be a very scary experience especially to those with no training in physical combat. There is a tendency to freeze up or flee from violent situations because of fear. Even with training in hand-to-hand combat, fear still can still cripple people and keep them from defending themselves. This guide will teach you how to overcome your fear of violence with helpful videos and a link below:
* Realize your not a victim - Don't focus on what your enemy will do to you, focus on what you will do to your enemy. If you keep thinking "i'm scared i will get hit..i'm scared i will get stabbed...i'm scared i will get killed..", you are thinking about what your enemy will do to you and not the other way around.
Think of a time when you didn't know how to control something (a car, a plane, a computer, anything) How did you learn? What were the results? It's the same principles with the art of fighting. It's ultimately about control whether it's of you or your opponent. If your opponent throws a punch, you simply move out of the way or block it. With practice, you will learn how to think of yourself as a problem solver but you cannot do that if you see yourself as a victim. This video explains more.
Try this training tip. Get a sparring partner and get your partner to punch you in slow motion. As soon as you see the punch coming slowly towards you, choose how you want to respond in self defense. You could move back, block, evade and counter-attack, etc. Keep doing this until you feel comfortable and tell your sparring partner to strike faster. Make sure to wear safety gear while your at it.
* Face your fears - It's common to avoid fears we don't want to entertain the thought of. We tend to rationalize things by thinking "let's think about nice and happy thoughts.." as a defense mechanism. When a violent situation arises, people use this defense mechanism and try to rationalize the situation out of denial. "I must hear fireworks..." when there's gunshots. "That man must be moving towards the store instead of me..." Even though his body language clearly indicates aggression and violent intent. "This can't be happening to me.." even when it clearly is. Simply thinking "positive thoughts" does not work if you are caught in a violent situation. We tend to think if we avoid it, we are safer but that's far from the reality. You must face your fears head on if you are to survive. This video demonstrates this concept.
This principle is what the military practices in order to survive in combat. By facing your fears, you actually reduce anxiety and empower yourself to handle the situation. In order to overcome your fear of fighting, you must ask yourself "what am i afraid of? Getting hit? Not knowing how to respond? Not knowing how to defend myself?" and come up with a plan on how to overcome that fear. For example, if you are afraid of getting hit in an actual fight then practice getting hit during sparring. Have your sparring partners or partner surround you as you wear safety equipment and gear to protect your body. Instruct them to hit you at full force and speed. Don't fight back or avoid getting hit. Instead cover your vital areas. The more you are accustomed to the stress of getting hit, the better you will respond in sparring and the less frightened you will be of getting close to your opponent to land your own attacks.
* Train with intensity - In order for you to overcome your fear of fighting, you need to induce stress in training and sparring. If you are too relaxed then you won't be able to handle the intense pressure of combat in the streets. See my posts "how to train for combat realism" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2016/12/how-to-train-for-combat-realism.html) in order to understand how this works.
* Realize fear is actually a good thing - Many people perceive fearlessness as a powerful trait to have but without fear, you wouldn't be able to perform well in self defense. Fear is a good emotion to have because it triggers our fight-or-flight response. Fear heightens our senses, makes us more alert, increases our reflexes, the list goes on. People have done very amazing feats in fear. Without fear, you wouldn't respond as quickly and would probably die in an intense situation. Use fear to your advantage rather than eliminating it or being crippled by it. Watch this video of how a firefighter performed under adrenaline caused by fear.
* Use tactical breathing - Breathe and hold your breath for at least 4 seconds before engaging in sparring or during a stressful situation. Repeat the same process until the fear subsides. This is a practice members of the military do to reduce stress, anxiety, and calm the nervous system. If you don't breathe, you won't get the oxygen you need and thus won't be able to perform very well.
* Admit your fear and engage in self talk - This is a military practice when soldiers are dealing with a frightening experience. Rather than keep your fear bottled up, spend time talking about it with a friend and motivate yourself mentally. You may hear a quiet voice in your head that tries to induce fear and anxiety in you. Learn to mentally talk over this voice and empower yourself.
* Laugh it off - Sometimes laughter is the best medicine. By poking fun at the intense sitaution you are in, you learn to calm your nerves and see the situation in a different light. That's why some people laugh at an intense situation. It's not because it's funny, it's because laughter helps relieve stress and nervousness. Laughter has several health benefits.
* Imagine the worst possible case scenario - This is another military practice. If you are caught in a situation where you are afraid for your life, what's the worst that can happen? Death? Life in a coma? After that, what happens then? You will cease to exist. That's it. When you come to terms with death and suffering then the fears lose their effect on your mind. By engaging in the worst possible situation during training, they will have less impact in combat.
* Realize fear is a mere reaction, not a reality - We tend to become afraid of what we consider a dangerous situation, the reality is the situation isn't dangerous at all. It's our perception of danger rooted in fear. Your own fear is simply a reaction to a particular circumstance. Fear does not define reality at all. You may feel like dying but you aren't. When you learn to disassociate fear from reality, you learn to understand how to better control your fears.
By conquering your fears during training, you learn how to quickly and effectively respond 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
While you probably think self defense against grenades is ridiculous or useless, explosives have been used by school shooters such as in the Columbine massacre. They had the knowledge and materials needed to make explosive devices. Let's say that you are in a situation and you get attacked by an active shooter or terrorists, how would you respond to a grenade landing near you? This guide will help you.
1) Recognize the threat - Keep a watchful eye on what goes on. Do you see someone carrying a grenade? Do you see suspicious activity? Keeping track of the suspicious people who walk in or around buildings will give you cues of a potential danger.
2) Attack and/or take cover - If by chance, you are at close range to an attacker who pulls out a grenade and is about to detonate it, attack. Trap the hand and take your enemy down. Do an immobilizing strike (strike to the throat, side of neck, temple, and other pressure points) if possible Secure the weapon as you prevent the pin from being pulled and carefully perform a disarm as you secure the arm. I don't recommend punching your attacker in case the grenade falls or the pin is removed as shown in this video because there's so little time. I do however recommend using your enemy as a shield. That being said, reposition your enemy over the grenade if possible and take cover.
If you are at a long distance and a grenade is thrown, sprint then take cover. If you can use a wall or another obstacle to shield you from the blast then do so. If not then your best bet is to get down and tuck your arms in as you close your legs with your feet pointing at the grenade. Why do this? Because even if you avoid the explosion, you can still die from the shrapnel and debris caused by it. By protecting all of your vital areas, you minimize that risk. You should also yell "grenade!" to warn those in the military or those who've been trained to respond to explosives.
3) Escape - Right after the grenade has detonated, you need to escape as quickly as you can to avoid the possibility of gunfire.
Spend time practicing these tips with an object mimicking a grenade.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
While using various melee weapons such as your fists or knives in self defense are good, the use of the environment will greatly improve your skills as a fighter. The reason why the military and other great war strategists were so successful was because they realized the importance of using the environment to their advantage. Here are several key principles you should know to become a better warrior whether facing one opponent or multiple opponents.
* Don't restrict yourself to close quarters combat - Don't assume that you always have to fight your opponent face to face. You can fight from a distance with various tools and weapons from many different positions. It is not an act of cowardice, only resourcefulness.
* Use improvised weapons - Are there cars nearby? Use them as obstacles. Slam or push your opponent into them. Do you have a ball point pen? Stab your opponent in vital areas with it. Is there a window nearby? Break it and use the broken glass to stab your opponent. Bright lights? Flash them in your opponent's eyes as a distraction. Are you in a confined area? Push your opponent into the walls and restrict his/her movements. When faced with projectiles, you could find cover or concealment. There's many different ways you can use weapons to improve your chances of survival. Learn to see everything around you as a weapon.
* Camouflage - Soldiers and snipers are skilled in blending in with the environment to ambush their enemies. You can also use it applying your knowledge of nature to strategically defeat say a group of armed attackers. Blend in with your surroundings until you become virtually invisible.
* Confuse your enemies - Attack at unpredictable patterns from various positions and conceal yourself in fog, water, buildings, trees, etc. Don't be confined to one predictable method of attack as the enemy can quickly figure you out. The more you stress and frustrate your enemies, the more chances you have of throwing them off guard.
* Use traps - There's many ways you can use booby traps or other means of defeating your enemies such as luring them into dangerous animals or into hidden explosives. Drawing them out in the open, ambushing, and bating them are just some ways you could attack your enemy.
If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.
There are some people who seem to believe that military hand-to-hand combat systems make the best self defense. The reasoning lies in the assumption that people in the military are highly trained in warfare and that it's at a higher level than civilian self defense. Do military combatives make better self defense than civilian self defense?
In conclusion, learning military combatives for self defense makes you no more equipped in defending yourself than a civilian who undergoes similar training in hand-to-hand combat. What's the key? The mindset. By applying the principles of neutralizing the threat, keeping techniques simple and efficient, realistic stressful training, etc. - essentially the same results are achieved between civilian and military self defense. This notion that members of the military are somehow superhuman is false. They are no different than a civilian. What distinguishes them from civilians is the ability to work as a team. Training in military combatives will not make you better at self defense and anyone who tries to convince you otherwise to sell you a product is probably ripping you off.
