How to handle bullying in self defense

Bullying is a very common problem and can leave devastating effects on the victim. If you are the victim of bullying then you are not alone. There are various forms of bullying and many people who suffer because of it. Hopefully, this self defense guide will help you deal with bullying with helpful resources and tips.

* Realize it's not your fault - The first step to dealing with bullying is that it's not your fault. There's nothing wrong with you that made you deserve to be bullied. Bullies tend to pick on those whom they suspect won't fight back because they are projecting their own insecurities. 

* Don't internalize bullying - Everything that a bully says or does to you says isn't about you. It's a bully acting out his or her internal issues. You might not be able to change your bully's behavior but you can change the way you respond to it. Don't take it personal. Focus on responding with a positive approach instead of delving in self-hate and negativity.         

* Use verbal assertiveness - Being verbally assertive can be a powerful method to getting a bully to stop his or her behavior. There's a huge difference between intimidation and being assertive. Intimidation involves verbal abuse and aggression while assertiveness involves confidently projecting your own viewpoint. Assertiveness demonstrates confidence whereas intimidation does not. Being assertive means standing up for yourself without being aggressive. Demand with confidence and a loud voice words such as "stop!" or "no!" when confronted by a bully.    

* Use non-complementary behavior - The bully will likely use verbal insults, teasing, taunts, mockery, intimidation, etc. to get you to react either in fear or submission. Don't give the bully what he or she wants. Learn how to project confidence in your body language and tone of voice without being submissive or aggressive. Show the bully that you are unaffected by him or her. Engage in behavior that your bully won't expect. 

* Use genuine empathy and listening skills - Be empathetic and express understanding. Chances are the bully is trying to communicate to you in an unhealthy manner. If you want to learn more on how to do that, check out my post "Psychological defense against violent intimidation" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/01/psychological-defense-against-violent.html), "how to defuse a fight before it starts in self defense.." (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/04/how-to-defuse-fight-before-it-starts-in.html), and "how to defend yourself against verbal insults" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/01/how-to-defend-yourself-against-insults.html). Practice these skills in the face of verbal abuse from your bully. Don't however make it your responsibility to "save" the bully as your efforts will likely fail because the bully will not want help.  

* Don't engage in violence - Some people like to resolve bullying by engaging in fights after years of verbal abuse. This is often the wrong response. When you are being verbally abused, you should already use verbal self defense to respond then and there. You should not let negative emotions build up until the last minute or you may end up expressing them violently. The consequences of fighting include school suspension or getting beaten by a bully who may be more violent than you. The bully may have weapons or come back with multiple attackers. Violence should be your only last resort when you are being attacked. 

* Get support - Get friends, family, and trusted adults to help you. Never travel alone where you are put one on one with a bully. Having a good support system will give you confidence in dealing with bullying. Bullies hate it when someone has a support system because they tend to target those who are isolated from others. Once you get others involved, the bully will lose power and may leave you alone. Report the bullying to the authorities. 

* Use physical self defense as a last resort - If the bully decides he or she is going to attack you no matter what, you'll need to defend yourself physically. You'll need to be good at reading hostile body language and see an attack coming before you land a knock out hit. If you want to learn more, read "how to end street fights FAST" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/01/how-to-end-street-fights-fast.html) and "how to fight multiple opponents" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2016/12/how-to-fight-multiple-opponents.html). Remember to use the environment to your advantage.            

* Practice self love - Probably one of the most powerful principles in dealing with bullying is engaging in self love. Remind yourself everyday of your strengths and love your imperfections. Bullies will try to change the way you view yourself. If you practice loving yourself on a daily basis, you remove the bully's power and gain confidence in yourself.  

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Why sparring IS NOT self defense

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Psychological warfare in self defense

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.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_and_awe

2. http://www.ancient.eu/article/43/

3. https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviatemin/2017/01/02/ancient-wisdom-for-the-new-year-the-36-chinese-stratagems-for-psychological-warfare-in-business-politics-war/#6826b262779e

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demoralization_(warfare)#Diverting_frustrations_and_hatred_to_a_new_target

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The freedom of creativity in Jeet Kune Do

What makes the Jeet Kune Do philosophy so unique compared to other martial arts' philosophies is the emphasis on expression of freedom and creativity. Jeet Kune Do has no set form or pattern way of thinking. There are no belt systems or forms. Instead, Jeet Kune Do helps it's practitioners see only the beauty in movements rather than styles. The techniques and principles of combat are bent to the will of the practitioners, not the other way around.

When Bruce Lee was alive, he would study each individual movement and find flaws. He'd almost always wanted to know "why? Why do we do things a certain way?" He'd discard the traditional methods of using a particular type of attack or technique in favor of what worked for him. According to William Cheung, Bruce Lee criticized modified footwork and asked "look, why is it like that? Why do i have to do this?" (see link below.) That's when Bruce Lee realized the truth in combat existed in each individual, not a particular style or system. What works for one person may not work for another person. In this video, Dan Inosanto lists the differences between Jeet Kune Do and Wing Chun.

The freedom that is found in the JKD philosophy is the ability to fight in your own way. There's almost no rules in Jeet Kune Do. You do what works best for you. For example, conventional wisdom says "don't take the fight to the ground because of the possibility of weapons and multiple attackers.." Jeet Kune Do's answer is "can you make it work? How can you beat someone on the ground quickly addressing weapons and multiple attackers? What exceptions exist? What are the proper conditions for taking the fight to the ground?" Another saying people bring up in combat is to not kick high because you could lose your balance. Jeet Kune Do's answer is once again "can you make it work?" Perhaps you could steal your opponent's balance through trapping the hand as land a high kick to the head. When does kicking high work and when is it not applicable?

Jeet Kune Do isn't just about the freedom from principles or styles, it's also about making your ideas work. For example, i like to apply a bit of psychology and psychological warfare in combat because i find them useful in certain situations. I take inspiration from Sun Tzu, accounts of warfare from the Bible, and other sources. As long as what you use works in combat, the JKD philosophy is - use it. Can't find a useful technique for a particular situation? Invent your own.

That's the beauty of Jeet Kune Do and apart of being fluid. It's about not confining yourself to a predictable pattern or way of fighting. You are your own best master. 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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If you have a weapon, why learn martial arts?

The guns vs. martial arts debate has been a fascinating one even to me. A question people seem to be wondering is "if you have a gun, why learn hand to hand combat?" As i mentioned in my blog post "why relying on weapons will get you killed" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2016/12/why-relying-on-weapons-will-get-you.html ), i've already listed several key reasons why using only weapons is a bad idea. Why should you learn hand to hand combat?

First, most situations don't require a gun and would be legally or physically dangerous if you do use one. Many people use guns and think about survival than about the legal consequences that follow. According to law, you are generally only allowed to shoot if someone is using lethal force against you. Other than that, you could be convicted of a crime and sentenced to prison. If you want to do time in jail or prison every-time a violent situation arises and possibly get your gun taken away then by all means use a gun for self defense. If you want to learn how to avoid that then you should learn hand to hand combat in addition to firearms training.


The other critical reason why you should learn hand to hand combat in addition to gun self defense is because you need to create distance, time, and speed in order to use your gun effectively. Guns are long range weapons. Fists are short range weapons. If you don't know how and when to use each one appropriately, you may find yourself wrestling with an attacker over your gun. If you can land the first shot with no problems and your enemies scatter then good! If you lose the gun then that's very bad for you. I once saw a video of a gun defense instructor teach students that when faced with multiple attackers, you should punch one guy and then clinch as you fire two shots in him before you shoot at the others. This is very bad advice because the other attackers could hit you from behind and take the gun away from you. By using guns and hand to hand combat together, you are better equipped to defend yourself. When fighting multiple attackers, you beat them up. If someone draws a gun, you could either disarm or use an attacker as a shield before you draw your own gun and fire. If the gun jams or you run out of ammo, you could still use it as a melee weapon and do some serious damage.


While this would work in theory, the chances of you needing a gun in self defense are rare and often pose more problems than solutions. A study done showed that there was no advantage to using guns than other means of self defense.

In conclusion, you can't just simply "point and shoot" without considering the potential consequences that follow such as killing an innocent person by accident.

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

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How to do effective solo sparring

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.

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Why relying on weapons will get you killed

You've probably heard people ask "what's the best weapon to defend myself? Should i use a gun? A knife? A stun gun? A taser?" While salesman and companies offer weapons for self defense. What they don't want you to know is that - there is no best weapon for self defense! They are essentially lying to you by giving you false confidence that you can defend yourself for profits. They don't warn you about the severe drawbacks in each weapon. There are four questions you must ask yourself before you even consider purchasing a weapon 1) Am i able to use it? 2) Do i know how to use it? 3) Am i prepared to use it? 4) Do i have a strategy when i'm using it? I will go over several weapons and explain why each one is ineffective under the wrong circumstances.

* Gun - I've heard alot of people say "i don't need to learn martial arts, a gun will solve everything.." First of all, the laws on self defense are very complex. If you can't build a solid case in which you can legally justify it was self defense then you will get punished under the court of law. There's been several cases where people have used guns  Someone can pull out a knife, say "I'm gonna kill you!", and you are still not legally justified in shooting that person. Unless he/she rushes towards you and clearly tries to kill you, you are legally justified in using a gun. By then, it's already too late as you'd have been stabbed many times. There are a bunch of people sitting in jail right now because they illegally used a gun and failed to adhere to the legal laws on self defense.

According to the 21 foot rule outlined for police officers, it takes at least 21 feet for an officer to be safe from a knifeman. If your at a distance from a knifeman and you can shoot then good for you. The problem is not every knifeman will attack that way. Some will have it concealed. Do you realistically expect to draw your gun and stop someone charging at you from a few feet? Another issue with using a gun is that it's very hard to shoot and stop a moving target at vital areas especially under high levels of stress. Adrenaline rushes can greatly increase the chances of people taking 2 and more gunshots as they attack you at full force. The idea that you can just shoot an attacker twice and the attacker's down is Hollywood fiction.  

This is one of my favorite videos i love to use as an illustration of what happens when gunmen confront a knifeman. Notice how many times police shot him and he still kept attacking! Do you think the gun was the appropriate weapon of choice in that situation?

* Knife - Just because the gun poses several problems, doesn't mean a knife is any safer. Same problems apply under the court of law. A knife poses the same problems as a gun. Realistically, you won't be able to stop an attacker in an adrenaline rush coming at you head on. You probably wouldn't even have time to draw your weapon if the attacker rushes in before you pull it out. If you do draw a knife, you would need to strike at vital areas in order for a knife to be effective. Against a highly aggressive and violent attacker, you probably wouldn't be able to do it accurately especially if you don't know how to handle stress. Even if you hit a vital area, the attacker may not even feel it and just keep attacking. It takes alot of time for the attacker to bleed out and by the time the attacker does, you'll probably be dead or seriously hurt. There's also the great danger that the attacker may knock the knife out of your hand and take it away from you. What would you do then?

* Stun guns and tasers - More reasonable than a deadly weapon but it still has fatal flaws. You'd have to get very close to an attacker which is what you don't want in order for it to work and many times - it does not work. Many police officers have found that criminals who are under high levels of adrenaline resist the effects of stun guns. If your attacker is wearing thick clothing, it makes the stun gun harder to penetrate. It also takes a few seconds for it to take effect upon contact. Do you realistically expect this weapon to work against a non-compliant attacker or multiple attackers? A taser is more effective as it fires probes into attackers and immobilizes their movements but it still has it's drawbacks. If you miss a violent attacker with a deadly weapon which is highly likely under stress, you don't have enough time to reload the cartridge and fire again as you would with a gun. Even if you land a direct hit, the attacker can STILL resist! If you need proof, just watch this video.

A trained police officer hunts down a perp and uses the taser. Only ONE of the probe actually gets stuck on the perp, reducing it's effectiveness before it gets seemingly torn off due to movement. The police officer gets shot in the leg shortly afterwards. Realistically, would a taser have been appropriate in these types of situations?

* Pepper sprays, mace, and other chemical weapons - These weapons also have the same problems that stun guns have. There's no guarantee that the pepper spray or other chemical based weapons will completely stop your attacker. If you miss, your in deep trouble. Watch what happens when cops use pepper spray on a man high off of PCP and how ineffective it was in subduing him. The wind and other environmental factors can render any spray weapons useless.

Still not convinced? Check this video out. By the time you spray your attacker in the face, he/she would've already landed several attacks before the effects start to kick in.

A gun does not make you a skilled shooter anymore than a guitar makes someone a musician. It's all about how pro-efficient you are in the weapon. In what situations is the weapon useful and what situations will it get you killed? What's your 2nd line of defense in case your primary line of defense fails? You have only your mind to rely on when weapons fail you. If you don't know the strengths and weaknesses of your weapon then my advice to you is don't use it until you do.

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How to avoid getting kidnapped

There are many children in the U.S who are kidnapped and the number of adults kidnapped is unknown as those over 21 are disregarded by the Uniform crime report. Therefore, you should know how to defend yourself kidnappers just to be on the safe side.

1) Have situational awareness - Think critically - Why would a car or van pull up at high speed in front of you? Definitely not to park or do any other normal activity. Trust your gut instinct. You can hide, run away, or fight when the situation calls for it. Don't just stay still and wait until the car doors fly open for you to respond, act quickly. If you have nowhere to go, pay close attention to what they look like and what they're armed with. 

2) Fight - Are there multiple attackers? Take out the closest one before you make your escape. Don't stay there trying to beat all of them or you will be overwhelmed. See my other post "how to fight multiple attackers" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2016/12/how-to-fight-multiple-opponents.html) for reference. Are there gunmen? Perform a quick disarm (see "self defense against a gunman" http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2016/11/self-defense-against-gunman.html) on one and open fire on the others as you make your escape. It doesn't even have to be an accurate shot. It just has to scare them into either fleeing or taking cover creating distance between you and them.

3) Escape - The best course of action would be to escape as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Move into an area where there are likely more people and more chances of scaring off the attackers. Draw as much attention to yourself as possible. If your locked inside a trunk, you should at the very least figure out how to get yourself free if bound. Once your hands are free, look for an improvised weapon. Once they open the trunk, surprise attack them at full force. If you can, fall out of the trunk and get as far away from it as possible. This will draw even more attention to yourself especially if your on a highway. If your bound inside the car, try to free yourself and jump out of the car at the right moment. If at the back seat on the highway, you could attack the driver and create an accident which causes the car to stop completely. You may get seriously injured or killed but in the hands of kidnappers, that's probably going to happen anyway. The aim is to escape by any means necessary.

Here's more advice to help you escape your kidnappers. I will be giving more advice on how to escape kidnappers in the future so keep a watchful eye.

* Learn how to get out of restraints and fight - This may look like something out of Hollywood but it's been done before. Don't believe me? Just look at this example of a man who escaped an execution at the hands of armed men despite being bound and using one of their weapons against them. As long as you can freely move your body, you can apply kicks, headbutts, biting, chokes, elbows, punches, and any training in martial arts or other combat systems. By developing the skills and using the right tools, you can break free from restraints thus giving you the ideal opportunity to attack then escape.

* Seize the opportunity to take action - The key in doing this is to by having a very alert mind and proactive mindset. Take a look at this video where a man gets kidnapped at gunpoint and forced to sit in the passengers seat. He doesn't sit there thinking "well i got kidnapped, there's nothing more i can do so i might as well give it up..." He waits until the right moment and makes his move.

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

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How to fight multiple opponents

How to fight multiple opponents: 

Fighting multiple opponents is a very dangerous situation as your attackers may have weapons and various skills aside from a numbers disadvantage. Hopefully this guide will help in dealing with multiple attackers.

1) Try to diffuse the situation - Are you given the option to leave? Best well take it. Talking your way out should be your 1st option or avoidance. If they are clearly out to hurt you then proceed to the next step.

2) Move strategically - Never let multiple attackers surround you. Once surrounded, you will be overwhelmed. Instead, move around your attackers in circles. The goal is to get at least 2 attackers or more depending on their numbers lined up while attacking the one closest to you.

3) Fight quickly and efficiently - Don't spend too much time spending too much energy on one opponent that you become too exhausted to fight the others. It's therefore crucial that you change your attack strategy. Focus on incapacitating your attackers and taking them out with one hit. Break their arms, knees, knock them off balance, and other techniques such as Dim Mak would work well. Joint locks, Muay Thai clinches, other submissions would not work well as your opponent could be armed or break the hold, making you vulnerable. Instead, grapple one opponent and use him as a shield as you push him/her against the others or into a brick wall.

4) Prioritize - Is there someone who's armed or more skilled than the rest? Take that person out first. If you can disarm or knock that person out, you can hopefully discourage the others and maybe get a knife in self defense. The important thing is to prioritize which attackers to take out first, second, and last.

5) Use Psychological attacks - Getting to your opponents heads is critical in surviving against multiple attackers. Is there a leader? Take him out 1st. The leader is usually the one taking the initiative to attack. Once the leader is down, that will discourage and break the morale of the rest. Be ruthless. The more visible the damages you create, the more your attackers will be discouraged. The sight of an arm break will likely send a powerful message that may scare off your attackers. Are there psychologically weaker guys? They usually are reluctant to attack unless the more dominant attackers are bringing you down. Perhaps you could firmly exclaim "i'm going to get you!" as you fight your way through in an attempt to scare them off.

6) Escape - If you are able to, escape. You don't have to keep fighting until everyone is down. The longer the fight goes on, the greater chances of injury or death.

Some more important tips:

* Pay attention to allies - If you have friends who know how to fight or are armed then you ought to use them to your advantage. Be sure that you protect them at all costs.

* Use of weapons - Don't hesitate to use any weapons at your disposal such as knives, guns, sticks, pipes, glass, sand, dirt, cars, walls, doors, rocks, bikes, and other deadly objects. Weapons will be a great equalizer to deal with multiple opponents and may scare them off. If you disarm someone, pick up the weapon as soon as possible and start using it. Don't let it fall into another attacker's hands.

* Use of the environment - Use your environment to your advantage. Trees, cars, walls, doors, pools, and other areas can be used as obstacles to separate attackers from you.

* Be wary of who your fighting - A group of hooligans will behave much differently from a well organized gang. A street gang will be far more dangerous, aggressive, and violent than a bunch of punks who want to feel powerful by beating those weaker than they are. Even if you survive a gang attack, they may put a price on your head.

* Training tip - Practice with a group of friends in unscripted sparring sessions and different scenarios. Learn what realistic combat looks like. Every group of multiple attackers are distinct. Some may ambush you. Some may try to sneak up from behind. Some may come at you all at once or some may move strategically. You will have to learn how to adapt to each kind of attack by keeping basic principles in mind - fighting one at a time by strategic movement, finishing each opponent quickly, prioritizing, etc.  Practice good, quick, and mobile footwork in coordination with your attacks/blocks.

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

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How to effectively train for self defense

How to effectively train for self defense:

Self defense is the science of taking measures to protect one's own health and life. The problem with many self defense instructors is that they are too accustomed to teaching techniques and drills that are useless in the streets. You can practice techniques but if you fail to condition yourself to survive and adapt when they fail, you will get seriously hurt or killed. Effective self defense relies on fundamental principles more than techniques. That being said, i hope that my tips will help you in creating effective training.

* Learn unarmed combat - Whether it's martial arts or other unarmed combat systems, you will want to learn the fighting art that you are most comfortable with. To gain a better understanding of how armed combat works, it's helpful to understand how to defend yourself unarmed. There is no "one size fits all" to self defense. If you managed to throw a punch that your self defense instructor taught you and you ward off your attacker then good but what if you miss? By learning hand-to-hand combat, you will know how to deal with those situations.

* Work out with purpose - Don't just get muscular or physically fit, have a purpose for why you want to get physically fit and build muscles. Muscles may actually hinder your self defense training. Instead, focus on learning which muscles and physical abilities are useful in self defense. Learn which muscles are responsible for improving punching and kicking power then work those out. Work on balance, speed, agility, strength, stamina, and other essentials to self defense using various exercises.

* Choose quality practice over quantity - When i was a boy, i used to practice Karate high kicks but could never do them right because i didn't understand them. Don't just practice a technique without understanding. Understand what your practicing and why. Focus on using proper form and techniques as you incorporate it in your muscle memory rather than winning a sparring session. Push hard but not too hard. Train smarter not harder.

* Absorb what is useful and discard what isn't - As Bruce Lee said "absorb what is useful and discard what is useless. Add what is uniquely your own." There are many self defense "how to" guides teaching you how to defend yourself of a particular situation such as a gun disarm. While there are great techniques, there are also ones that are completely ineffective. There are many martial art techniques used in sports such as MMA which work well in those situations but when applied in self defense, they are useless. For example, using a Brazilian Jiu Jutsu armbar would work well in a competition but wouldn't work well in the street because you leave your whole body exposed to attack. As a student of self defense, you must have discernment. What techniques are best suited for self defense vs sport or training? You can pay a self defense instructor to teach you techniques but the questions you ought to be asking are - Is it simple? How simple? Are these techniques effective? How effective? Are they practical? How practical? Are they efficient? How efficient? Are they realistic? How realistic? Question the authority. Credentials won't mean much if you end up killed for using impractical techniques in a lethal circumstances. Therefore it is best to figure out for yourself as a fighter which techniques are practical and which aren't.

* Adapt to various situations - While you can learn techniques and practice sparring drills for many hours, you won't be able to apply them in self defense if you do not adapt. There are many variables that could alter the outcome of an attack on the street thus it's important to train in various situations without rehearsals. For example, if you've learned to disarm a gunman at close range then how would you respond to a gunman who pulled out his gun and fired from a longer distance? Adapting to every situation is crucial in self defense and you must be conditioned to it in training. If you practiced sparring with one partner then practice sparring with multiple attackers. Train sparring opponents with practice guns, knives, bats, etc. Spar with boxers and other types of fighters. Practice mock scenarios where you are forced to expect the unexpected and remember to keep certain principles in mind.


* Learn how to avoid conflict - Many self defense instructors teach the physical aspects of self defense but self defense can also be verbal, psychological, emotional, and mental. People will insult you and provoke you to attack so you must practice self control while not allowing your enemy to harm you with words. There are also cues and signs indicating a potential threat. Learning to diffuse a situation before it gets violent is more skilled than fighting itself.

I sure hope that these tips will greatly aid you in your training for self defense. 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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