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.
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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.
* 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.
* 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.
If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.
There are all sorts of misconceptions about verbal abuse and because of them, it's created an invisible world of pain. In this blog post, i will expose them and their significance.
* "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" - Many people tend to believe that words cannot hurt you. It's your choice to give words power. This is not true. According to a study, verbal abuse can cause physical diseases such as chronic pain, migraine, headaches, ulcers, stammering, the list goes on. The psychological effects include fear and anxiety, stress, depression, anger issues, PTSD, etc. (1). More symptoms are shown in this video.
* "Physical abuse is worse than verbal abuse" - Many people believe that physical abuse is worse than verbal abuse. The reality is verbal abuse tends to be more damaging because verbal abuse causes victims to change the way they view themselves. If victims of verbal abuse were made to feel less than human or worthless especially from people they sought approval from then they may go on carrying those emotional wounds. Their behaviors may reflect emotional suffering caused from verbal abuse in the form of drug abuse or other ways. In fact, the brain of a child who has been the victim of verbal abuse has been shown to differ from that of a child who grew up in a healthy environment (2).
* "Only strangers verbally abuse" - Many people tend to believe that only strangers and bullies engage in verbal abuse you. The reality is that family, friends, spouses, and acquaintances can also be verbal abusers. They may or may not realize that they are being verbally abusive and don't know how to express their emotions in a healthy manner.
* "The best way to handle verbal abuse is to ignore it and walk away" - Many people tend to believe that the best way to deal with verbal abuse is to ignore it and walk away. This can be effective but it's not always possible. If your in a situation where you cannot simply leave like a job or a home then ignoring it isn't possible. Ignoring verbal abuse is even more difficult when it comes from those whom you love. Sometimes, you have no other choice but to confront verbal abuse.
* "verbal abuse doesn't cause violence" - People tend to believe that verbal abuse is completely from violence. Some might believe that they can be verbally abuse and their victim won't become violent. In fact, verbal aggression in the form of insults and verbal abuse is one of the major causes of violence (3). This is why verbally defusing a potentially violent situation is so important. To learn more, read my post "how to defuse a fight before it starts" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/04/how-to-defuse-fight-before-it-starts-in.html).
In conclusion, these are just a few reasons why you should learn verbal self defense. Take the time to share this blog post with people you know and stick to the facts.
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.
This interesting topic was requested by someone i know. Piracy has been a problem on the coast of Somalia for a long time. I will go through a basic self defense guide on how to deal with Somali pirates.
1) Escape or evade the threat - If possible, try to flee or escape as soon as you see the pirates in sight. The sooner you can get away, the better.
2) Comply - If you get captured, comply with the pirates. Give them everything they want. Nothing is worth more than your life. Don't give them a reason to shoot you. Don't provoke them to violence. In short, don't be a hero. Surprisingly, Somali pirates rarely kill innocent civilians so the chances of them killing you is very low as the video highlights.
3) Fight - If for some reason they plan on killing you anyway, it's time to fight. Use the surrounding environment to provide cover and concealment. Disarm one pirate if armed and use his or her own weapon. You must be quick and eliminate the threat quickly or you might not get a second chance to escape let alone live. If you want to learn more about how to deal with multiple armed attackers, read my post "self defense against multiple armed attackers" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/01/self-defense-against-multiple-armed.html.)
In conclusion, this is how you deal with Somali pirates in 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.
I'm sure with all the training, techniques, hard work, conditioning, crimes, etc. people have asked themselves at least once "do i need to learn physical self defense?" I give some of my thoughts and things you should consider regarding that question.
To start, i'm not one of those people who resort to scare tactics. I don't like pulling up a horrible violent crime or statistics and say "see! This is why you need to learn self defense!" Scaring people into learning self defense isn't a healthy much less productive way of building their confidence. Should you learn self defense? It really depends on you. Do you really need it? Personally, i don't need to learn self defense because it's not practical in everyday life. Self defense for me is more of a hobby than it is a dire need. In the areas that i lived, there was no need to defend myself from strangers. I was never attacked or a victim of a violent crime because the crime rate was low. My philosophy was as long as i avoided trouble, i'd have little to no problems with violence. So far, it's worked 100% of the time. Unfortunately, i can't say the same for people living in different areas of the world where violent crime is a daily occurrence.
When you are trying to decide whether or not you should learn self defense, you should ask yourself these questions
1) Do i need physical self defense? Some people will give into irrational fears perpetuated by the media on violent crimes and thus, end up learning self defense the wrong way. Others use self defense for the wrong motives such as revenge or controlling others. Do your research and see if violent crime in your area is a big issue unless you are a witness to it in daily life.
2) What kind of self defense is more practical for you to learn? If you are a victim of verbal abuse (insults, threats, teasing, blaming, blackmail, list goes on) then learning verbal self defense is more practical than hand-to-hand combat. It's not practical for you to have a physical response to a verbal action.
3) What do you expect to get out of it? - If you don't have any specific goals in mind, you won't get very far in self defense. Could be developing confidence, defending yourself against weapons, hand-to-hand combat, and so forth. Once you have an end goal in mind, work towards achieving it. Make your goals realistic. Don't just ask the typical question "what's the best martial art for self defense?" and then expect to realistically defend yourself in every situation.
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.
Defusing a violent person is one of the most important skills you can have. If you don't know how to prevent a situation from getting worse, you will have many problems defending yourself. Understanding how to defuse a potentially violent encounter can prevent violence from happening. The methods of de-escalation vary depending on your occupation but generally, there are fundamental principles you ought to follow along with some helpful videos.
* Remain calm - If someone gets in your face and starts verbally attacking you, taunting you, insulting you, threatening you, etc. then remain calm. Take deep breaths and make sure that your body language is non-threatening. Don't make any sudden movements or talk too fast. Use a soft and relaxed tone of voice. If your not calm, you run the risk of going into fight-or-flight mode and escalate the situation into violence. Release any tension that you have inside.
* Keep your distance - Take a few steps back away from your aggressor. If your too close, you are in danger of getting attacked and you won't have enough time to respond. If your aggressor steps in, calmly step back. Make sure that you are assertive and politely ask your aggressor to keep at a distance if necessary.
* Know what NOT to do - Learning how to defuse a potentially violent situation becomes easier when you understand what not to do. Don't get defensive. Don't try to justify yourself. Don't get angry. Don't get violent. Don't panic. Don't retaliate with aggression. Don't respond in the same manner that your aggressor is. Don't argue. Don't be disrespectful. Don't act like a victim. Don't try to reason with your aggressor. Don't try to control your aggressor. Don't talk over him or her and be rude. Don't mock him or her and take the situation as a joke. Don't be judgmental. Don't use adjectives to describe what the person is doing. Don't walk away when your aggressor is talking to you unless he or she asks you to. When you do all of these things, you make the situation worse.
* Understand what triggered your aggressor's response - One of the most powerful defenses in psychology is understanding what you did to trigger a response in your aggressor (see link below.) This is not to say that it's your fault for causing your aggressor to respond in such a manner. You should simply understand the deeper meaning behind your aggressor's response to your own actions. Maybe your aggressor didn't like your tone of voice. Maybe your aggressor didn't like the way you treated him or her. Maybe your aggressor didn't like something you said or did. Whatever it is, think "what did i do to trigger such a response?" and go from there.
* Do NOT engage in a power struggle - Under no circumstances should you try to control the other person. Never try to tell how your aggressor should or should not feel. Never give commands. It doesn't do anyone any good to just put your aggressor in a headlock. If you respond with violence, you can expect violence to occur again in the future. If you respond with genuine empathy and an open mind, you will get a completely different more peaceful response.
* Apply the golden rule - One of the most fundamental and important principles of effective de-escalation is treating others the way you want to be treated. Don't like being disrespected? Don't disrespect others. Don't like being mocked? Don't mock others. Don't like being yelled at? Don't yell at others. Don't like being insulted? Don't insult others. Don't like being hit? Don't hit others. Want to be listened to? Listen to others. Treat everyone with the same level of respect and dignity.
* Use non-complementary behavior - Generally, we tend to mimic each other's responses with our behavior. People generally expect a negative reaction to a negative action and a positive reaction to a positive response. When someone insults us, our natural reaction is to insult back. When someone pushes us, we push back. What is non-complementary behavior? Basically, giving a positive response to a negative action or vice versa. It's not yet completely understood scientifically why it works but it works. How to use it in self defense? You need to understand exactly what a person expects to accomplish and how the aggressor expects you to respond.
This is a perfect example of non-complementary behavior in action. Guy in blue pushes guy in white back in an attempt to provoke him to violence. The guy in blue seems to expect the guy in white to either A) Fight back B) Get defensive. The guy in white does something completely different. Instead, he chooses to engage in a bizarre dance that completely confuses his aggressor before running away. The guy in blue doesn't even bother chasing after him but shakes his head instead.
* Show genuine empathy and listening skills - Ask for your aggressor's name and then use it in your speech. This helps personalize the relationship between you two and demonstrates empathy. Show your aggressor that you genuinely care about his or her well-being. Validate his or her feelings by saying something like "I understand that you feel X and you have every right to feel that way..." Let your aggressor vent his or her feelings. Remember that validating your aggressor's feelings does not mean that you agree with his or her behavior. Restate what your aggressor said to make sure you understand what was being spoken. You could start by saying something like "so you are saying that..." Make sure that you asked open-ended questions to get your aggressor to respond. Know when to agree with your aggressor. It's harder to get upset with someone when you are in agreement with him or her.
* Get your aggressor to think logically - When your aggressor is angry, the right side of the brain responsible for emotions is activated while the left side for reason isn't. That's why you cannot reason with your aggressor. You will need to get your aggressor to somehow use the logical part of his or her brain in order to successfully defuse the situation. You might want to use numbers in your speech such as "so number one, we are having an issue with....number two, we are dealing with..." so on.
* Redirect negativity into positivity - In martial arts namely Wing Chun, there's a principle of redirecting your opponent's force and using it against him or her. The same principles apply to verbal communication. When someone aggressively vents his or her anger at you, redirect it to a more productive conversation. Use this as an opportunity to find solutions that are a win-win situation. Diverting your aggressor's attention from the initial motive for anger onto another subject or an observation in your environment is also good for relieving tension in your aggressor. Offering to move to a more private place to talk is also helpful. You could say "what do you say i buy you a drink and we can discuss this more?" Apologize when appropriate for any wrongdoings you may have done to offend your aggressor.
* Use "I" messages - Don't make accusatory statements like "YOU did X..." Don't use vague generalizing and offensive statements like "what you did was bad..." Be specific as to how your aggressor's behavior made you feel in a phrase such as "I feel X when you yell at me..."
Sometimes, there's going to be attack no matter what you do so you need to be ready to defend yourself physically if a situation spirals out of control. In conclusion, these are just the basics of how to defuse a situation from getting violent. 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.
When it comes to self defense, you must be aware of training methods or lack of understanding that could cost you your life. These are very common mistakes that I have seen many people make. By taking them into consideration, you will learn what to do and what not to do in order to effectively defend yourself. The mistakes are as follows:
* Failure to defuse or de-escalate - The most common and biggest mistake many self defense instructors and students make is failure to prevent a situation from getting violent. Even if they do, it's rarely discussed. You cannot provoke someone or allow the situation to get worse and then claim self defense. You cannot just attack someone because you "feared for your safety" or you wanted to "teach someone a lesson."
This video is an example of such a case. The aggressor in the train starts taunting and acting aggressively towards others before someone trained in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu applies a chokehold. What's wrong with this situation? He didn't try to de-escalate or defuse the aggressor first.
Nothing justifies you initiating the first attack. The level of response must be proportional to the level of danger. As long as your potential attacker is talking, there's time to defuse the situation. If you fail to de-escalate a situation from getting violent and have to attack, it's too late.
* "Walk away from a fight " - You've probably been told that if your up against someone who is angry with you, walk away. What's wrong with this advice? You didn't defuse your aggressor. If your aggressor is angry with you, walking away sends the message "you aren't worth my time and you don't matter.. " Your aggressor will feel mocked and even more angered then possibly attack you from behind. This seems like a humble approach but very unwise in practice.
* Assuming you know your enemy - Alot of self defense instructors assume that you will be attacked by a stranger. They then base their training on situations they imagine would happen. In reality, most attackers are people who you know. Cases where a complete stranger is going to jump out of nowhere and grab you from behind is very rare. Your enemy is most likely going to be your friend, a family member, or spouse first. Once you establish a relationship with said person say a spouse, you will eventually let your guard down and lose the will to fight. By the time you realize the danger, it will too late. That's why many serial killers were successful in their crimes because they were very social and established a relationship with their victims. The life of Ted Bundy is one infamous example. You need to be very careful who you let in your life to prevent violence in the future. To learn more, check my blog post out "know your enemy in self defense" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/02/know-your-enemy-in-self-defense.html)
* Assuming that you are invincible - Doesn't matter how much self defense you know, you will make mistakes no matter how small and they will cost you. Even if you survive a violent situation, you might still have to live with irreversible damage. Could be an amputated limb, loss of an eye, scars, malfunctioning body parts, PTSD, the list goes on. You are not invincible. Your body is very fragile which is why you need to pick your battles wisely.
* Failure to resolve conflict - One of your most powerful tools to self defense is conflict resolution. If you don't resolve conflict, you allow the situation to escalate and unresolved conflict can lead to violence. Around half of the homicides involve domestic violence and abusive relationships. If you receive a text message from a friend or acquaintance threatening to attack you, that's when you act. Don't wait until you are under attack to respond. You should already be trying to resolve conflict peacefully to prevent violence. Once you resolve conflict, you give people less reason to take out their negative emotions out on you.
* Neglecting your environment - Many self defense schools train in a nice open area on a mat clear of weapons indoors. In the real world, that kind of environment doesn't exist. When your in a violent situation, you will either be in public or in your house. There will be many barriers and improvised weapons your attacker can use. There might be glass on the floor or confined areas making it difficult to defend yourself properly. The environment and how well you can use it will determine how likely you are to survive an attack.
* Neglecting laws on self defense - Many people practicing self defense seem to forget everything about the legal system. They think "well the law in my land says that i am permitted to do X..." That may be true but there'll still be an investigation to determine if you were acting in self defense or not. If you have a weak case, you might end up serving time in prison. That's why you need to be mindful with how you defend yourself physically in order to not look like the aggressor.
* Assuming self defense is only physical - Self defense is more than just physical. There's verbal and legal self defense that are just as important. Many self defense schools make the mistake of only focusing on hand-to-hand combat for example but there's no emotions being incorporated in the training. In reality, your attacker may start off intimidating you, taunting you, screaming at you, or insulting you to reduce your confidence. He or she might be enraged or frustrated before the fight starts. You might freeze under those situations or lose confidence and get hit in the face before you know it. You will also need to defend yourself under the court of law or you might get charged as the aggressor than vice versa. Psychology, emotions, and so many other variables affect how likely you are to survive a violent struggle.
* Failure to recognize danger - The ability to recognize danger is a very important skill in self defense. Let's suppose someone with suspicious behavior walks past you and pulls out a knife then slits your throat from behind. You won't have enough time to react if you do not foresee danger and by the time you do, it will be too late. This video stresses the importance of foreseeing danger. A knifeman walks in a store, slits one guy's throat, and continues attacking.
*"You have to know what it's like to get hit " - This is a ridiculous belief circulating in some self defense circles. Why not train to avoid hits and delivering them instead? Taking a hit is counter-productive. Training to take hits defeats the purpose of self defense. If you train to take attacks, this picture sums up what will eventually happen to you.
* Failure to keep your distance - Keeping your distance is very important because it allows for reaction time and safety measures. The closer you are to someone, the harder it is to respond effectively. Suppose you were talking to someone face to face in public and suddenly, the person stabs you multiple times. You wouldn't be able to respond in time because your eyes would be too focused on the person's face to see the knifeman reach for the knife in his or her pockets. Keeping your distance prevents that from happening. This video gives an example of what happens when you don't keep your distance.
* Failure to get to safety - When you neutralized the threat, you must run as fast as you can out of danger. If you defeated your attacker in hand-to-hand combat and he or she is still conscious, he or she can pull out a gun then shoot you. There's also the risk of multiple attackers coming in to help your attacker.
* Failure to adapt - There's only so much you can only train for in self defense. There will probably be some scenarios that you did not train for. Your attacker might open fire on you or others from a distance or a bomb might go off followed by an attack and you might get taken by surprise. When this happens, you will need to assess the situation in order to determine the best of course of action. For example, if i was approached by someone wielding a knife demanding my valuables then i would keep my distance but also comply. My eyes would be on the knife as i hand over my valuables. If the knifeman still wants to attack me, that's when i attack and attempt to disarm him or her. Adapting to every situation is crucial to making the choice that will ultimately save your life in the end.
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.
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.
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 blog post, i will clarify a few misconceptions on self defense and explain what true self defense is. By understanding what self defense is about, you will learn how to better defend yourself on the streets. In the video posted, it gives you some myths on self defense.
* Self defense IS NOT about fighting - When people talk about self defense, they automatically think of martial arts and combat. Yes, fighting is apart of self defense but it's meant to be used as a last resort. The real battle begins before the first punch is thrown in the mind. If you failed to recognize potential danger, you've already lost half the battle. There's many variables that could go wrong despite years of training. You could get hit unexpectedly or kill someone by accident. You might even come across a situation that you haven't yet trained for. What's the best way to prevent that from happening? Pick your battles wisely! If you have no fighting experience, that's very good. That means you never had to put yourself in harm's way. If you want to learn, read my post "why martial arts does not mean self defense" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2016/12/why-martial-arts-does-not-mean-self.html).
* Self defense IS NOT about simulations - Many people like to be creative and come up with solutions to potential problems then teach them. The problem with this is that it's not always based on reality. Criminals don't think like you do. If you took a self defense course on defending against home invasions in combat when many robberies occur when your not home, you've trained unrealistically for self defense. Realistic self defense is about facts and understanding the criminal mind then train around what you know. If you want to learn more, read "know your enemy in self defense" (http://everythingselfdefense.blogspot.com/2017/02/know-your-enemy-in-self-defense.html).
* Self defense IS NOT about provocation - Some people like to think they can provoke someone to violence and still claim self defense. You might not be attacking others physically but you are attacking them verbally and psychologically. Thus, you are the one essentially starting a fight.
* Self defense IS NOT about sport - Some self defense classes host sparring sessions with rules and let their students fight as if it were a sports competition. This isn't effective self defense because there's no guidance on how to avoid or resolve conflict, how to diffuse a situation, how to end the threat quickly, or how to get to safety. Self defense has no rules. As long as you are successful in defending yourself, use whatever works.
* Self defense IS NOT about disregarding the law - Some people like to get straight into a physical confrontation without thinking about the law. They are so quick to draw a weapon on an unarmed attacker. This is very reckless behavior. If the police find evidence that you acted unlawfully, you are going to be charged and be punished. Therefore, you should fight with caution and not make it look like you are the assailant.
Now i will discuss what self defense is.
* Self defense IS about resolving or avoiding conflicts - Part of self defense is learning how to resolve conflicts peacefully without resorting to violence. If you can avoid a dangerous neighborhood or give someone a reason not to fight you, you've successfully defended yourself.
* Self defense IS about ending the threat quickly - The longer you fight, the more danger you put yourself and others in. Effective self defense is not flashy. It's simple and efficient so it seeks to end the threat as quickly as possible. 9 times out of 10, you don't know your attacker. You don't know how skilled or violent he or she is. If you think of combat as a fight rather than survival then it's going to be skill against skill. If you focus more on catching your attacker off guard and doing whatever it takes to quickly end the threat, doesn't matter how skilled your attacker is in hand to hand combat.
* Self defense IS about using what works - There's no precise definition to self defense. It's basically about using whatever works to defend yourself. There's no "cheating" in self defense. If your attacker cannot fairly attack you, that's too bad for him/her and good for you. There's no "right" or "wrong" way to defend yourself as long as it accomplishes your goal without putting yourself in harm's way.
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 blog post, i will provide you with some background on who i am and why i started this blog.
Since i was a child, i was always interested in the subject of self defense. I've come up with plans on what to do if there was a home intruder and how i'd defend the family with improvised weapons. I was introduced to martial arts through films such as Bruce Lee's "Enter the Dragon", "Way of the Dragon", Jackie Chan's "drunken master", among other films. To top it off, my brother was a Karate student so he taught me a bit on Karate. Since then, i studied many different martial arts every now and then. One of the things that inspired me to learn hand to hand combat was watching two of my friends engage in a street fight with each other one night. It started when they agreed to duel each other so we all gathered around them in a church parking lot. Both agreed that whoever gets knocked down first is declared the loser of the fight. From the time the fight began, i was surprised to see how well both fought. They both seemed to have an understanding of how to street fight. Both landed several punches then retreated. Both landed many kicks to the midsection but they tensed their albs in order to absorb the impact. Finally, one of my friends fell over by accident after a kick and lost. I was eager to get in the fight but one of my other friends said "no he's too little."
I've had a bunch of sparring sessions with friends and family. We'd engage in fist fights light contact sparring and such. With family, someone would almost always get hurt so we had to stop completely. With friends, i remember engaging in a duel using weapons. I had a small piece of paper shaped into a sword and he had a piece of metal serving as a switch. He cut my legs up a couple of times but i gave him several paper cuts on his hands and fingers. My mom was very upset on the aftermath of the fight. I've also had a sparring session with two of my friends in school where it was a two on one. I can remember slamming one into the chair and trying to attack the other one. My teacher came to break up the sparring session.
I've got into watching shows like "Samurai Jack", "24", and other films. Just seeing how well they adapted to every situation made a huge impact on how i saw not just martial arts but combat in general. I'd ask my older brother questions on how deal with a particular violent situation at the age of 13. I was already coming up with certain ways to defend myself. I didn't retaliate even after being hit by several kids in school. I didn't want the situation to escalate into further conflict and chose not to respond or to avoid the situation all together.
There's several more darker experiences leading me to the self defense world such as anger issues and family. I've never been in a street fight with friends or strangers because i didn't see the need for it. I've never had that deep of a problem where i needed to resort to violence against friends or strangers. I did have several fights break out between me and family. Violence was at one point a way of expressing my anger and frustrations. Sometimes, it was done out of self defense. When my older brother scared me, i can recall one incident where i attacked him by swinging wild punches and i had to be restrained. When i saw my mother beating my sister with a switch, i intervened by landing several kicks (one which split her lip in two). I received a beating in the process. I was also violent towards my abusive father. Bullying also had a negative effect on me growing up. Child abuse, bullying, and getting robbed all these dark experiences built rage up within me among other negative effects. That was the driving force in learning self defense.
I began learning and practicing Wing Chun in 2013 among other martial arts. I realized i had several deep insights in self defense and i wanted to share them with people which is why i started this blog. What makes this blog unique? It teaches simple self defense principles as opposed to techniques and demonstrations. I realized that many martial arts schools and some self defense schools have unrealistic training methods to dealing with violent situations in the street. This is because they don't seek to understand the criminal mindset. Another reason why i don't teach techniques is because what works best for one person may not work for another person. I'm against traditional standardized education because there's so many variables in combat that it's not possible to teach them all in one set of curriculum. I post links that help me personally but i encourage everyone to find the answers to their own questions using the principles i advise. I put a strong emphasis on open-mindedness and look for new ideas while challenging old ones.
What mainly sets this blog apart is the emphasis on dealing with every possible violent situation in self defense. While your average self defense school may teach basic self defense on the street, i inspire people to adapt to every possible situation. Whether it's your average street attacker regardless of size or skill, expected or unexpected attacks, multiple attackers, armed criminals, animals, active shooters, suicide bombers, etc. - strive to persevere your own life at your highest potential. I also tend to give advice on other topics such as situational awareness, conflict resolution, weapons, diffusion, verbal self defense, training, psychology, the list goes on. My goal is to teach people effective self defense by providing a few solutions to many problems. The purpose in all of my posts is to teach people to never surrender when it comes to saving their own lives.
I hope to reach my goals and provide you with insights on how to defend yourself to your uttermost potential.
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.
I'm going to be covering a controversial topic surrounding violence on men and women. The question i will address is "should men hit women in self defense?"
My answer is it depends on the circumstances. Your appropriate response should be determined by the amount of force being used against you. If the woman is insulting you,tells you that your violating her personal space, and pushes you then obviously punching her wouldn't be justified. If you can avoid the situation without fighting back then do so. If the woman is attacking you with a deadly weapon and deadly force then hitting a woman is justified. Grab the arm, break it, disarm the weapon, land a few hits to the face and knees, do whatever you need to do to survive.
Keep in mind that this also applies to men. If a man pushes you and you have the opportunity to leave then do so. There's no favoritism in self defense. You have every right to defend yourself regardless of the person's gender.
If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my blog for updates, more advice, and exclusive content in the near future. I'm proud and excited to offer a FREE sample chapter of my E-book "Jeet Kune Do: How to build your own fighting system for self defense!" It's essentially a step-by-step guide on how to make your own self defense system suited to fit your own needs using Jeet Kune Do. If you would love to receive your FREE chapter of my e-book, click on the link below and share a post via. social media then it's yours for FREE! Be sure to also fill out the survey on the right and provide feedback on my blog. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below. http://www.paywithapost.de/pay?id=7b715806-c78b-4bfd-badf-4242da2bf8f2
* 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.
