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.
Learning situational awareness is one of the most fundamental skills you can learn in self-defense. As children, we were very aware of our environment. Unfortunately as we grew older, we lost these skills due to many factors such as social media. Why is situational awareness important? If you don't have full awareness of your environment, you won't be able to respond to a threat quickly enough. Thus, you will be unprepared for an attack and possibly die as a result. How do you hone your skills in situational awareness safety? The tips below will be based on a certain degree of scientific understanding:
* Practice keeping a safe distance - In order to react quickly enough to an attack, you need to maintain a safe distance between you and a potential threat. How? Stay a few feet away from strangers or potentially dangerous people. Practice verbal assertiveness and establishing healthy boundaries. Use "I" messages. If you don't keep your distance, your vision will be limited. You won't respond quickly enough or if you do respond, it's too late.
* Learn to read body language - One of the fundamental ways of reading an attacker's intent is body language. It's very difficult for people to mask body language. By reading non-verbal cues, you'll raise your alertness levels and act accordingly. What are some signs that someone is about to attack? Dilated pupils, sweat, a clenched jaw, fist, stiff neck, legs in a fighting stance, etc. If you want to learn more, read my blog post "7 warning signs of an impending attack."
* Study your environment - Whenever you plan a trip to a certain area, take the time to research the crime rates. The higher the crime rates, the higher your alertness needs to be. Familiarize yourself well with your environment. Learn where the nearest exits are, where to find cover and concealment, where potential weapons are, where potential allies are, etc.
* Observe your relationships - Sometimes the people you keep in contact with be it associates, friends, parents, lovers, etc. can be potential threats. This can be due to various underlying factors such as unresolved conflicts, negative emotions, violent behavior, physical or emotional neglect, abuse, etc. When you notice changes in your relationships that could potentially lead to violence, you need to act.
* Eliminate distractions - In order to respond quickly enough, you need to get rid of all distractions. If you're driving, turn off your cell phone. If you try to do too may things at once, you may get caught by surprise if an attack were to occur.
* Know where to direct your focus - You don't have eyes at the back of your head. It's impossible to have a complete 360 degree view of the world around you. Therefore the only solution is to figure out where your attention needs to be. You don't have to constantly keep looking over your shoulder for a potential threat but you shouldn't completely let your guard down either. You should divide your focus in order to keep from getting caught off guard.
There was a study done where volunteers were asked to count how many times 3 basketball players in white passed a ball. A woman in a gorilla costume came in and walked away. Half of the viewers missed her. Why? This phenomenon is called inattentional blindness. It's when our attention has become so focused on one particular thing that we lose sight of other things. See the link below for more details.
* Establish a secure parameter - We know that you can't always have your guard up. That's why it's important to designate a safe area and take precautions to secure it. To increase your situational awareness, you must take advantage of the resources already available. This could be in the form of security cameras, alarm systems, and other smart security systems.
In conclusion, these are a few key tips to increase situational awareness safety. Above all, you need to accept that there's a small chance that you'll be caught off guard and unprepared for an attack. Situational awarness safety doesn't make you completely invincible but it will help you in most cases. Practice these skills in your daily life.
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As a student of self defense, i understand the importance of combat. I understand the importance of training hard to memorize your techniques. I understand the importance of effective sparring.
Nevertheless, i kept having this nagging feeling that there was more to self defense than meets the eye. I had to take a long pause and reflect on the meaning of self defense as opposed to just fighting. I realized that while everything most self defense instructors were teaching had noble intent, the aim was in the wrong direction. I realized fighting was only half the equation. The other half of self defense and probably the most important is avoiding the threat. Unfortunately too much emphasis is put on the combat aspect of self defense and not enough on skills that matter most in the long run - defusing the threat, conflict resolution, situational awareness, etc. Without these essential skills, all that is being taught in self-defense schools is just street-fighting.
That being said, my question to anyone teaching or learning self defense is this - is your school teaching self defense or just violence? Self-defense isn't just putting on a pair of gloves and practicing your punches. It's about developing the proper mindset, skills, and character to prevent or minimize conflict to preserve your life. It's this realization that caused me to rethink what i know and motivated me to search for essential skills to prevent conflict before it starts.
If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.
In my blog post "how to use knife-fighting for self defense" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/03/how-to-use-knife-fighting-in-self.html), i explain some of the fundamentals of knife fighting. In this blog post i'll explain the more technical details of knife fighting for self defense. Before you can train in knife-fighting, you need to learn some of the fundamentals for training using a knife. This guide also comes with helpful resources.
* Have a proper knife grip - There are many ways to hold a knife each with their own advantages. For the sake of this post, you'll learn the fist grip. Start by holding a knife with an open hand. Slowly wrap your fingers around the knife like you're making a fist then tuck your thumb on your index finger. This picture should illustrate what it should look like.
* Practice efficient deployment - When carrying a concealed knife, make sure that you place it in an area where you can quickly draw it in combat. Usually you should store it anywhere in the upper body. If you don't put thought into this and just put it wherever, you won't have time to deploy it when you need it. Some knives come with handles and others are strapped. Find one that suits you.
* Learn the angles of attack - The angles of attack using a knife are very simple. You slash/stab upwards, downwards, side to side, and diagonally as the black lines indicate. The red arrow indicates where you should thrust. Once you understand the angles of attack, you'll need to make sure that you avoid or redirect your assailant's line of attacks while delivering your own.
* Practice controlling distance - Distance is very fundamental to any form of combat. How much distance is needed for a knife to reach you? Have someone extend his or her arm and hold either a fake knife or a pen until it touches you. That's how much distance is needed for someone to do damage. While there's no set "safe" distance, you generally should only stay within a few inches to centimeters away from the attacker's knife. If your too close, you'll get hit. If your too far, you won't be able to attack when necessary.
* Practice keeping your balance - If you don't know how to keep yourself balanced in knife-fighting with proper footwork and efficiency then you'll fall over. Make sure that you're in a comfortable fighting stance. Don't over-lean to any direction or take huge steps that compromise your balance.
1. Practice knife drills - If you want to be efficient in knife fighting, you'll only need a basic set of motor skills that can easily be applied to any striking melee weapon. Incorporate any slashing and stabbing movements from any martial art such as Kali. You should be direct and non-telegraphic in every knife attack. Slash or thrust just enough to reach the intended target and retract.
Why is this important? For several reasons. If you do a wild full swing with your arm, you waste time and energy. Your attacker can see the attack coming and thus defend against it. If you attack but don't retract your knife, your attacker can injure your arm in the process.
2. Get the proper training equipment - In order for you to get the best results out of knife fighting, you need to train under intense pressure and realism. I recommend getting a shock knife (link to product below.) They are non-lethal but still scary and realistic enough to keep you motivated enough to perform under stress. Keep in mind that they aren't available for civilians in some states so you'll have to resort to other products. The Spring Assist practice fighting folding metal knife folder is a realistic training knife. It has the look and feel of a real knife. Another one i recommend is the Bokken plus Jim Wagner training knife. This type of knife is useful as you can coat it with lipstick or chalk to mark the areas you or your sparring partner have been slashed or stabbed.
I don't recommend getting full body armor and face masks. You'll want to make knife-fighting as realistic as possible. Only use safety equipment that you'll know you'll need such as eye-protection to prevent serious injury. Use other gear and equipment such as shin guards to protect areas you intend on striking.
3. Practice accuracy - In order for you to defend yourself effectively, you need to incapacitate your attacker as soon as possible. Targeting major arteries and organs will cause blood loss but they won't stop an attacker quickly enough. The same applies to bodily areas that induce pain as your attacker may probably have high pain tolerance.
What are your primary targets? If you sever the radial nerve, this will cause weakness and loss of coordination in the fingers. Your attacker will also have problems straightening the arm or holding the hand. If you slash the the flexor tendons in the hand, the attacker will lose movement in the fingers. Cut the ulnar nerve and the attacker will lose grip strength. Cut thetrapezius muscle and it will cause the arm to go weak. Striking any of these areas aren't fatal but will almost certainly cause the attacker to drop the weapon.
The targets i consider secondary are the triceps, the biceps, the kidneys, forehead,and the subclavian artery.
4. Begin with a scenario of attack - Alot of schools do drills, techniques, and sparring but neglect one of the most important aspects of knife fighting - knife deployment. You'll need to construct a scenario where you need to hone your skills in situational awareness, creating distance, and deploying your knife quickly. It's not as simple as just pulling out your knife in the face of danger. Doesn't matter how good you are at knife sparring. If you haven't trained to recognize a threat, you won't be able to draw your weapon fast enough against an unexpected attack in combat.
Make a scenario with a partner where he/she'll try to surprise attack you with a lethal weapon be it through a conversation or walking past you on the street. If you don't have a partner, visualize one. If you want to learn more on how to do that, check my blog post "how to train for combat realism" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2016/12/train-combat-realism.html). Start by learning how to read violent and aggressive body language. Signs of an attack may include dilated pupils, open mouths, tight and raised shoulders, a tense body, heavy breathing, placement of feet, nervousness, etc. Where are your potential threat's hands placed? Usually people planning an ambush with a concealed weapon will place their hands in their pockets before they strike. Make sure that you keep a safe distance away from the potential threat and you raise your level of alertness based on hostile body language.
5. Transition to knife sparring - When knife sparring, you need to have two different sparring sessions. One is for the untrained attackers and the other is for trained attackers. For the one involving an untrained attacker, either you or your partner need to mimic his or her movements. When someone is playing the role of an attacker, have him or her engage in various reckless attacks at different speeds. Could be a sewing machine fast stabbing or slashing. Have him or her rush in towards you. Be creative and use different types of attacks.
For the trained knife fighter, now you have to be more tactical. Remember that in knife sparring for self defense, you ought to have no rules. Use whatever is necessary to survive. When faced a trained knife attacker, you'll need to create an opportunity to put him or her at a disadvantage. You can do this through improvised weapons, feints, the environment, distractions such as kicks to the legs, and "slicing the pie" or "fighting on the blind side." This involves using your footwork to get into a superior position where your closer to the body and farther away from the knife. From there, slash and stab at vital areas then quickly retreat.
6. Keep practicing - All that's left is that you consistently practice maintaining proper balance, footwork, timing, speed, redirecting and avoiding the line of your opponent's attack, the list goes on. With consistent training, you'll be a skilled knife fighter in no time!
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I'm going to lay down the brutally honest truth that most people teaching self defense are unaware of or simply don't want you to know. Most self defense systems will get you killed on the streets. There i said it. I'm not going to sugar coat it. I'm not going to try and persuade you why what i teach is better. I'm simply going to give reason why most self defense systems do not and will not work in a real world setting. You can choose to ignore the facts or embrace them. The reasons are as follows:
* No training in situational awareness - When was the last time you heard your self defense instructor talk about situational awareness? There's alot of schools teaching self defense who focus on combat but very few who actually talk about situational awareness. What is situational awareness about? The ability to observe your surroundings and comprehend their meaning. It's about finding which observations are critical to your survival (ex. body language, odd behavior, etc.) and which are just distractions. Many martial arts instructors and people teaching "reality-based" self defense ignore it. What do you think the average reaction time is? According to science, it's around 150-300 milliseconds. During that period of time, your brain has to see the threat coming and process the information in order to respond. That's not alot of time to act. Even if you see the threat coming, there's a chance you still won't be able to respond in time to defend yourself due to factors such as distance. You can test it out for yourself and find out (see link below).
It doesn't matter how good you are in sparring. You will always get caught off guard by the first hit on the street if you don't understand how to be situationally aware. One hit is all it takes to end your life be it from a gunshot, a knife, a KO punch, or any other deadly weapon. Many people teaching self defense ignore that and think that you can defend yourself effectively from any surprise attack.
* No training in de-escalating or defusing violent situations - Alot of people emphasize combat but almost no time is spent on resolving conflict before it starts. People think that a simple apology will suffice when it won't in all situations. You won't learn about the psychology of human behavior and the dynamics of human relationships in a dojo or a "reality based" self defense school. It's this lack of training that leads people to treat self defense as street fighting rather than an actual process of ending conflict peacefully. If you want more, read my post "the most fatal mistakes you can make in self defense." Just look at what happens when you fail to defuse a potentially violent situation properly. (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-most-fatal-mistakes-you-can-make-in.html)
* A sports mindset - When alot of people hear self defense, they automatically picture two guys sparring in a ring or mat with protective gear and gloves on. They might also jump on the MMA bandwagon and believe that martial arts alone will save them in any violent situation. In reality, the sports mentality limits and often hinders your ability to defend yourself. On the street, anything goes. In sport, there are rules and rules are limitations (ex. no dirty fighting, no weapons, no multiple attackers, etc.) Do you realistically expect to survive EVERY violent situation that comes your way by training in a sports environment? If you want to learn more, read my post "Not all combat is the same for self defense!" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/04/not-all-combat-is-same-for-self-defense.html)
* Unrealistic static and flashy combat - I've seen countless martial artists and "reality based" self defense systems show a fancy or "cool" demonstration of techniques. What's the problem? They don't tell you under what conditions the techniques work and when they won't. When a technique or a sequence of attacks are being demonstrated, you'll have a student comply by offering little to no resistance such as shown here. The reality is combat is unpredictable. You don't know how your attacker will respond and that's the scary truth - you don't know. Why don't self defense instructors tell you that? Because it doesn't sell! Let's face it - no one wants to pay for a self defense system that admits it isn't 100% effective. Nevertheless, people want to learn techniques as a "quick fix" for all their problems. Techniques are eye -catching but they are not what will save you in self defense. If there was a set of techniques that worked for every situation, i wouldn't be writing this post but there isn't.
It's easy for a self defense instructor to put on camo pants and act like a tough marine who knows what he's doing. It's easy to apply a wrist lock under a calm controlled environment with a compliant student after a bit of practice. It's easy to get out of a bearhug by delivering a kick to another student's shin in a dojo. That is until your attacker throws you on the ground, beats you up, and renders your technique useless. Until you realize it's all impractical in the streets and you start to blame your instructor or he/she says "you did it wrong.." Assuming you live to tell the story.
* Ignoring physiology, psychology, anatomy, and other factors - A huge part of why most self defense training systems fail is the lack of knowledge on the effects of stress and adrenaline on the body. I've seen alot of Krav Maga practitioners attack by clinching an opponent and knee striking the groin. This might work but that's assuming your attacker isn't under adrenaline. The effects of adrenaline on the body can cause people to perform amazing feats and tolerate huge amounts of pain. If your attacker is determined to kill you and is undergoing an adrenaline rush, inflicting pain isn't going to end the threat. What it will probably do is make him or her angrier and more determined to kill you. There's also demonstrations where your instructed to attack the body. The problem? Most instructors aren't telling you where to hit and that greatly reduces your chances of surviving. If you hit solid bone and your hand breaks, that hand is now useless in combat. The only reason why it works in a school is because of gloves, light contact, or no contact at all in hard target areas. There's also the psychology of conflict that plays a role in your survival. Do you realistically expect an emotionally sensitive soccer mom to have the will to gouge out her attacker's eyes under high levels of stress and tunnel vision?
Unfortunately, many professing to teach self defense ignore all that and assume that what they teach works in every situation.
* Neglecting the laws of self defense - Perhaps a huge neglect in self defense circles is the legal system. Alot of people just assume that they can attack in any manner and claim self defense in court. How you handle a situation is going to determine whether or not you legally acted in self defense. If the police find that you used excessive deadly force on an attacker, it's going to make YOU look bad. Unfortunately, alot of self defense schools neglect incorporating the law and ignorance of the law is what will get you locked up.
* Unrealistic view of combat - Alot of martial artists and "reality-based" self defense systems paint a beautiful picture of combat. The reality is combat is anything but beautiful. It's hideous. It's bloody. It's vile. It's grotesque. The notion that your going to walk out of an intense violent battle without any flesh wound is an illusion. When people get punched multiple times, there is bleeding on an internal level that people often aren't aware of. You will likely be left with "battle scars" be it psychological or physical. Whether you survive or not is irrelevant. You have to accept that you might be left with irreversible damage no matter what happens. Could be the loss of an organ, blindness, a limb, or any other permanent reminders. That's the price you pay for getting into violent situations.
In conclusion, these are just some of the reasons why most self defense systems fail. The choice is yours. You can choose to continue living in a fantasy world where the facts don't apply. You can choose to continue searching for "the best martial art for self defense." You can choose to invest in courses teaching you static techniques on how to deal with situations than face the reality of combat. You can also choose to acknowledge the facts and base your training around them. After all, it's your life. I hope that you make the right choice because it means the difference between life and death.
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.
You've probably seen Filipino martial arts such as Kali engage in drills as shown above or similar knife fighting techniques for self defense. While it looks practical for self defense, i'm going to give you a few reasons why it's not. This post isn't to downgrade Kali or any other martial art that practices knife fighting. It works in the martial arts world. It might even work at least once in a real situation but you shouldn't rely on them for self defense. We need to be honest and not allow our preconceived notions of "art" get in the way of effective self defense. Here's my list of reasons why knife training in martial arts don't work in self defense with some helpful resources.
* Impractical training drills - Alot of masters like to teach traditional Kali "flow" training drills where two people stand in front of each other with knives and coordinate their movements. This type of training is ineffective for self defense for several reasons 1) It's static. In a real life violent encounter, your attacker is going keep moving forward with repeated strikes. 2) There's no intent to attack. In a real life attack, your knife attacker is going to throw alot of strikes to a point where you won't be able to deflect them all as taught in flow drills.
* There's no knife dueling in self defense - Alot of knife fighting in Filipino martial arts is geared towards knife dueling. Realistically, someone who intends on attacking you isn't going to wave a knife around and challenge you. He or she is going to surprise you by having the knife concealed then draw it and attack when you least expect it. By the time you realize the danger, it's too late. There's a difference between knife duels where you know it's going to be a fight and a knife attack where you probably won't expect it.
* Unrealistic knife attacks - In some martial arts self defense demonstrations, you might see someone put everything in one stab as you are taught a technique. In real knife attacks, your knife attacker is probably going to repeatedly stab you in a "sewing machine" fashion at various speeds. He or she might grapple to hold you in a firm position as he or she stabs or slashes away. Compare the knife attacks you see in Filipino martial arts to the knife attacks that have actually happened in the street.
* No situational awareness or distance control being taught - Very often, you will find a knife attacker conceal a knife before deploying it at the moment of attack. Situational awareness and reading body language are what's so crucial in saving your life in a knife attack. Someone in a crowd or store can walk close to you before quickly drawing a knife and slitting your throat before you'll have time to react. You surely won't have time to draw your own knife if you don't know how to create distance. If you don't know how to read a potential attacker's body language in order to recognize the threat, you will get seriously hurt or killed. Situational awareness and reading body language are two essential skills that you won't learn in a martial arts setting.
* Ineffective sparring sessions - Some schools like to teach point systems and rules (ex. no striking the face) or only making light contact with your knife. The result is when a real violent situation, your slashes are not going to be powerful enough to cut through muscles and tendons. They are only going to cut your attacker. Point systems are useless if they don't teach you how to end the threat efficiently. There's no rules out in the streets so following rules in training will only limit you when an attack happens in the real world.
There you have it. Knife fighting is alot more chaotic and intense than martial artists make it out to be. You don't have to take my word for it. Test it out in unrehearsed sparring sessions as you mimic an untrained knife attacker repeatedly stabbing you quickly as you try to apply Filipino martial arts then see the results. Knife-fighting is not a dance. It's a matter of life and death.
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.
It's interesting to note that many Americans believe that violent crime is increasing according to polls. They might take self defense classes or buy weapons for home defense. In my other post "do you need to learn self defense" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/04/do-you-need-to-learn-self-defense.html), i mentioned whether or not self defense was practical. In this post, i'm going to discuss how much violent crime is going to affect you.
Violent crime is actually quite different from people's perceptions. Violent crimes have in reality gone down since the 90's according to the FBI's statistics (1). Most cults, sociopaths (2), and what we think are common violent offenders are non-violent. Serial killings account for no more than 1% of all murders (3). That being said, this whole perception that your likely to be a victim of a violent crime is wrong. It's surely possible but with a few considerations.
There are many violent crimes that go unreported so we don't have a completely accurate statistics on violent crimes. Violent crimes vary depending on where you live and where i live for example, violent crimes rarely happen. They also depend on your occupations as some put you at more risk, your relationship, where you travel, and more.
How does this relate to self defense? It should be part of situational awareness. It all boils back to my post "know your enemy in self defense" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/02/know-your-enemy-in-self-defense.html). Don't get overwhelmed by fear that you blindly take precautions against an enemy you think exists and be completely unaware of the real enemy. Look at the facts. If you plan a trip, look to take on a job, in an abusive relationship, traveling through a dangerous neighborhood then take precautions for your safety. Don't walk right into a trap. Be aware of your surroundings and take steps to avoid even being in a violent confrontation to begin with.
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.
In this self defense guide, i will teach you how to intercept your opponent which can be done either by a direct strike for a knock out or destroying a limb. Keep in mind that the way you apply Jeet Kune Do principles in the streets is different from the way you apply it for the sake of the art. In self defense, you must eliminate the threat quickly. If you don't, you will endanger yourself or others further.
1) Situational awareness - In order to intercept in Jeet Kune Do and end the threat quickly, you need to be aware of your environment. Who is a potential threat? Who isn't? Is there a potential for an ambush? Make mental notes of your surroundings.
2) Read body language - In these situations, it's important to read body language. Let's suppose you get into an argument with someone who's being aggressive towards you. If you don't know how to control distance and read body language then you won't be aware of an impending attack. There's several cues in the body that give away someone's intent of attack. Is your potential attacker's body tense? Is your potential attacker in a fighting stance? Is your potential attacker clinching his or her fists? How is the body positioned? You need to be aware of these cues and be ready to respond accordingly.
3) Empty your mind - In order for you to land an intercepting blow, you must empty your mind of all distractions and focus only on your response. You should have a peace of mind and body even under high pressure. If you are tense and afraid then you won't be able to respond effectively to your opponent. Thought and action must be in harmony with one another. When you sense your opponent is about to strike, you commit to your strike with power and precision. You cannot hesitate for a split second or your opponent will land the first strike.
4) Recognize the body's vital points - Your primary targets of attack should be the temple, jaw, under the chin, throat, neck, the nose area, back of head, and other areas of the head in order to knock your opponent out. For the arms, you could hit the biceps, ulnar nerve, shoulder, or armpit. Striking the leg's femoral nerve and other vital areas will incapacitate your opponent's legs upon impact. Spend time learning which areas of the body you ought to hit and for what purpose. This video gives some helpful insights on the arm's pressure points.
5) Intercept or destroy the limb - There are several ways you can intercept your opponent's attack. I will generally focus on the single direct attack leading to a knock out and limb destructions. To intercept with a single direct attack, you could evade and strike a pressure point responsible for a knock out. You could also deflect your opponent's attack while striking your opponent in a knock out pressure point. Moving to a side position as you attack is also effective for intercepting your opponent. For limb destructions, the goal is to destroy a limb's use in combat whether by breaking it or incapacitating it through nerve strikes. There are several possible applications for limb destructions. For example, you might come across a very tall attacker so it might be difficult to knock him or her out when he or she has a longer reach than you. There's several ways you could destroy the limb. One is by delivering an elbow strike to the fist, causing severe damage to the hand if not breaking it entirely. You could also deliver strikes to major nerves in the arm to numb it's use before you close in and cause a knock out. If you want to learn more about limb destructions, i recommend watching Master Wong's videos on JKD which are focused on teaching them.
Practice timing your interceptions and limb destructions in training with safety equipment (gloves, head gear, shin guards, etc.) Hitting your sparring partner in vital areas is risky so be careful not to apply too much force to avoid injury or causing a knock out.
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Active shootings have become more common and have taken many lives so it's of critical importance that you learn what to do before active shootings take place. If you don't have a plan beforehand, you will probably freeze when an active shooter starts firing rounds. This self defense guide teaches you some of the basic and most fundamental keys in dealing with active shootings with a few helpful videos:
1) Situational awareness - Studies show that active shootings are usually planned in advance. Active shooters have some emotional and psychological issues before they go out to commit horrendous acts (see link below.) They also have access to weapons. It's important you keep track of those around you and their body language. Signs such as pulling shirts down, wearing unusual clothing, or leaving bags in certain areas are key to spotting active shooters. Knowing where the exits are and where your attention needs to be are also key elements in situational awareness. If you suspect an active shooting is about to take place, you need to take action.
2) Escape - As soon as you sense shots being fired or smoke grenades being tossed in, you need to escape through the nearest exit as soon as possible. Some active shooters will use smoke to conceal themselves before they shoot civilians. If you have a gun, you don't want to try and engage in a gunfight with an active shooter. This is because if you get killed in the process, you won't be able to effectively help others. You may also be mistaken for the active shooter by the police and killed by accident. If you can land accurate shots as you make your escape then do so but ultimately you will want to get to safety and call for help. Make sure that you run in unpredictable patterns only if the shooter is firing at you. Other than that, run as fast as you can in a straight line to an exit. Be sure to alert others of the danger to prevent them from entering.
3) Hide - If you are stuck inside a building then you need to hide. Before you do, you will need to get as many people following you as possible if they want to survive an active shooting. Get inside a room and lock the doors. Turn off all lights and barricade the doors. Turn off your cellphones and be as quiet as possible. Get down as low as you can in a far corner of the room to avoid gunfire. If the active shooter sees that he or she cannot access the room quickly enough, the shooter might believe there's no one there or not bother trying to break in.
4) Fight - If you are caught in a situation where you absolutely must fight as a last resort then you need a strategy and end the threat by any means necessary. If you have an ally such as a cop or civilian trained in firearms then you need to protect him or her at all costs. If that person dies, you lose a huge advantage over the active shooter. If you are with a group of people then you have a numbers advantage against the active shooter. If you are trained in gun disarming then you need to take the initiative and take out the gunman yourself. Since there's only active shooter, he or she cannot defend against every attacker. Perhaps you could have someone serve as bait to distract the gunman while you take the gunman down and attack until you disarm him or her. Once the gunman is down, you could have the other survivors use weapons or hold the shooter down then disarm him or her. You will need to be resourceful and use cover, concealment, distractions, improvised weapons, among environmental factors when fighting an active shooter.
Practice defending yourself against an active shooter in various scenarios with a partner using a fake gun.
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Someone asked me how do you defend against a technical truck. A technical truck is basically a truck with a gun mounted on it. Like with any gun, there are several things you need to keep in mind :
*Vision
*Cover and concealment
*Distance
* Accuracy
*Timing
* Focus
1) Situational awareness - Be aware of your surroundings and keep away from the truck. Make sure that the people in the truck don't see you.
2) If spotted, fight and escape - If your spotted, what weapons do you have? A gun? Fire as many shots into the driver as you can. If you have no weapon, make one. You can use a bag, a shirt or sweater, or other objects to impair the driver's vision or focus and hopefully get them into an accident. Run for your life but move in an unpredictable pattern in order to make it harder for the gunner to shoot you. If you don't have a weapon, obstruct the vehicles vision and path. By that i mean you use cover and concealment to evade the vehicle as you would a normal shooter on foot. The only difference is that move into areas that are inaccessible to the vehicle. This picture should illustrate my point:
If i suddenly ran through the narrow spaces between these houses to escape, would the gunner be able to fire accurate shots? If not, what would the technical truck have to do in order to get me? Turn the vehicle around and drive along the road? By the time he does all that, i'm already long gone. The key is to use buildings or other obstacles as cover and concealment. The technical vehicle's driver has to be careful because he has to maneuver around other vehicles, face a road block, a dead end, mud, and other terrain that would potentially immobilize the vehicle.
Here's what happens when a technical driver lacks a good understanding of his environment. In this video, this technical truck is under fire but the driver doesn't see that a car is in front of him probably due to stress or a loss of focus. The technical truck faces a head on collision and gets into a terrible accident. In summary, this is how you deal with a technical truck.
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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.
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* Study your environment - Whenever you plan a trip to a certain area, take the time to research the crime rates. The higher the crime rates, the higher your alertness needs to be. Familiarize yourself well with your environment. Learn where the nearest exits are, where to find cover and concealment, where potential weapons are, where potential allies are, etc. 
* Establish a secure parameter - We know that you can't always have your guard up. That's why it's important to designate a safe area and take precautions to secure it. To increase your situational awareness, you must take advantage of the resources already available. This could be in the form of security cameras, alarm systems, and other smart security systems.
If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, product recommendations, 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.
