Street Self Defense

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There are literally thousands of martial arts, self-defense, and close quarter combat systems out there. All of them have their place and each offers a different perspective which essentially depends on the goal of the student. For example, if the student's interest is in cultural traditions and historical applications of a chosen style/system, they should choose a style/system which emphasizes these particular aspects. However, if the student's interest is in self-defense they should also choose a style/system accordingly.

If your primary interest is in reality-based self-defense, you should be aware that there are a few primary components which should make up such a system. If any one of these components is left out it could ultimately compromise your ability to protect yourself or your loved-ones.

There are 5 primary components of any "reality" system and a few secondary components. These components together represent a complete and comprehensive reality-based self-defense methodology. The components are as follows-

1) Mind-Set & Emotional Conditioning - the willingness and determination to do whatever it takes to survive a violent situation is one of the most important components of real self-defense. Before a student can successfully utilize physical skills to protect themselves they must prepare mentally. This mental preparation is the key to reality-based self-defense.

2) Awareness - the ability to observe the world around us is far more important than any physical self-defense skill. By properly using awareness skills, most people can completely avoid potentially violent situations before they happen. Awareness skills include internal awareness, external awareness, general observation skills, and common-sense strategies such as learning how to not look, act, or think like a victim.

3) Basics - this obviously includes blocks, strikes, kicks, as well foundational concepts principles, and theories. The basics include the study of weapon techniques as well as empty-hand techniques. The techniques should be based upon simple gross-motor skills which can be used effectively under the stress of a real assault.

Obviously, all self-defense and martial arts systems contain the basics. Although, there may be different basics taught by different systems...generally they all offer some solid techniques somewhere within their curriculum. The key is to learn which basics are actually functional in potential life-or-death altercations and which ones are not.

4) Skill & Combat Drills - this includes simple skill developing drills which are used to build skills and attributes that can't be developed as efficiently by other means. Attributes include things such as speed, power, coordination, endurance, flow, conditioning, sensitivity, and others.

Skill and combat drills have been a topic of debate for some reality instructors. Some of these instructors and systems tend to focus on basics and scenarios, claiming that drills have no place in a reality-based curriculum. However, the fact is that without drills these systems will never allow a student to develop to their maximum potential. As mentioned above, drills develop attributes that are needed to survive life-or-death altercations. Any system that neglects these attributes is simply neglecting the student, PERIOD. To put it in perspective it must be pointed out that all modern sports and modern athletes use drills to develop attributes. All modern military branches and soldiers use drills to develop attributes. All academic schools in this country use drills to develop attributes. If your so-called "reality" instructor is slamming drills or slamming those systems that teach drills, it's time to find another instructor.

5) Combat Scenarios - this includes scenarios and situations based on what really happens in the world. They can include scenarios involving robbery, sexual assault, and other vicious physical attacks. The key to scenario training is to make it as realistic as possible while avoiding injury to yourself or your training partners. To make scenarios realistic we need to avoid the common martial arts situations and focus on what is seen out on the street. This means minimizing the commonly taught mount and guard wrestling positions taught in martial arts ground fighting...simply because they have little functional use out on the street. We should know how to deal with them just in case but instead of training for them why not train to avoid them altogether?

Scenarios are taught by a majority of styles and systems. However, the key to realistic training is understanding how those scenarios are taught and how they are used to develop the practitioner's protective & defensive skills.

First, the scenarios need to be based on real-life attacks. The traditional self-defense scenarios versus wrist grabs, for example, are OK to teach beginners, but the truth is that such scenarios do not reflect reality. Traditional ground-fighting positions do not reflect reality, traditional defenses versus karate-style straight punches do not reflect reality. To develop reality-based scenarios we must simply study real-life attacks and build scenarios around such attacks. The key is to progressively increase the reality and intensity of the scenarios to the point of being as close to real-life as possible without the negative consequences such as injury, death or emotional trauma.

The above five components should represent the foundation of any reality-based self-defense style, system, or course. Along with these foundational components we need to include physical conditioning and crime prevention.

The study of all of these components will provide the student with the knowledge and skill that's needed to survive violent situations.

Now that we have an idea as to what should be included in a reality-based self-defense curriculum let's take a look at some things that might not be appropriate for those seeking simplistic and realistic self-defense-

Uniforms- Although uniforms may have their place in a comprehensive cultural-based martial arts systems, they have no place in reality-based training. Simply put, to replicate reality we must train in the clothes we will most likely be wearing at the time of assault, if we are unlucky enough to be assaulted.

Punches- As mentioned in other articles, if your goal is to learn every facet of martial arts then punching skills definitely have their place. However, if the goal is to learn quick methods of street survival, pass on the punching. The reasoning is simple, punching is a learned skill that takes months, sometimes years, to master. Once mastered there are still no guarantees that the practitioner won't severely damage their hands when they need them the most...while being assaulted. Remember, the head contains the hardest bones in the human body, while the hands contain the weakest bones in the human body. Even with this common-sense understanding, it still amazes me how many self-defense courses emphasize punching skills over simpler and more effective techniques.

Traditional Blocks- Although the traditional blocks taught in many martial arts systems tend to work great in a controlled training environment they seem to lose their effectiveness out on the street, especially for those with less training under their belts. Chaotic assaults tend to cause a physiological response in humans. This response, referred to as the fight or flight response, tends to override some of the body mechanics learned through martial arts. In other words, some of these blocks do not represent our natural physiological response to actual real-life assaults. This may lead to conflict between the body's natural ingrained response and the trained response found through martial arts. Simply put, this may lead to a delayed physical & mental reaction to the threat which could lead to a negative outcome...for the good guy.

Traditional Kicks- These are a necessity for comprehensive martial arts training, but are inappropriate for real self-defense. Under the chaos of an assault, the act of standing can become difficult enough without having to worry about balancing on one leg. Remember, the feet are the foundation for the torso, if the foundation is weak so is everything else. Does this mean that kicks should not be included in a reality-based training program? It doesn't mean that at all but it does mean that we should limit the kicks to simplest and most effective ones, which includes the knee strike, the stomp kick, maybe a low front kick, and possibly a low round kick.

Traditional Ground Fighting- As mentioned previously in this article, ground fighting is needed to become a comprehensive martial artist. However, the need for traditional ground fighting in real self-defense is pretty slim. If a person finds themselves on the ground during an assault their goal should be to get back to their feet as quickly as possible in order to escape safely. The longer a person stays on the ground the greater the chances of severe injury or even death. Traditional ground fighting tactics emphasize locks, holds, submissions, and just plain wrestling, while reality-based ground tactics emphasize simple and efficient survival methods designed to enhance the ability to escape.

If self-defense is your primary reason for seeking out a training course, be sure that self-defense is what you are getting. Discuss your needs with the potential instructor. Be sure to ask questions and make sure you get the proper answers to those questions. If the instructor gives you the avoids or overlooks your questions, find another instructor. If you use this article as a guideline, you can't go wrong.

Steve is a holder of multiple martial arts black belts, a crime prevention specialist, and a certified self-defense instructor. He has taught personal safety to hundreds of men, women, and children. He currently operates Personal Safety Unlimited...an organization devoted to empowering communities through personal protection & safety education.

http://www.personalsafetyunlimited.com

Better Self-That technical

6 better Self-That technical

It was a cold evening January and the Sun was an old man. Fragment the two lights, garage only in areas see gloomier and more menacing. Bettye Floridan hâte machine after work, his eyes darting around like a mouse, heart pounding. He Was suddenly feel a grab for derriere. This is when he survival instincts, and training, he kicked autodéfense.Bettye hips move a sewing machine and well let him down to blanket the man after him, boxe. and other but unfurled his pepper spray key chain, which, Fortunately, has come from for the led at home.

Combination and wool to the full dose of pepper spray to face the sound stagger back, Bettye time to fly in his car, lock the doors, and faster; Autodéfense survived his life and enregistre thousands of lives a year. Autodéfense easy to learn and there are many AIDS autodéfense market to help your arm versus violent criminals.

Self-That.What is there for you to do

Bettye did everything is fine.

1. He made it clear out with his steps to the car.
2. He was aware of the surroundings.
3. ready and pepper spray.
4. it was clear for the man to incapacitate du.

But he was not without attacking: be careful it won't keep you, for this reason, your security into the hands of our own and autodéfense.

Autodéfense is a good technical can learn a lot of local community centers or classes karaté. Police recommend and RADD, which is very popular, because the head of defence training.But if we can't get a blow here other actions you can take to autodéfense against you.

Self-1), That intercourse eyes

If you see a character suspect, at least if he or she knows that you see now it square in the eyes of the show that you know it is there; it seems that you will be quiet, element surprise will come to us.

2) self-That. your arm and

Dangerous weapons of mass destruction; for they will put you to death. If you choose to take up arms to the orders of weapons and a training course to become a absolute experts use. keep in mind that if haters get his hands on her and you will be in greater danger than we are:We suggest pepper spray rather than it incapacitates haters and to you for free, is the most important.

3) Head of Defense.aimed at their soft spots

Targets for the wool, including Bettye did, you even higher, eye. Poker your haters in the eyes of the thumb and twist.Him walking on the Earth looking eyeball, and go to security.His rough, but it work.

4) self-That.use your hands

Aimed at the bottom part of your Palm in the face of the enemy and not nose with a motion when hit your hand. stronger and you seems to be broken nose haters.

5) self-That.call for help

Clever this serious passersby. Sometimes may not have knowledge of you in trouble, Screaming "Don't!" and "call 911!" alertes others situation for you haters know you say nothing, it can go.

6) Head of Defense.stay where you are

If you turned away from all the sound control led you go, you take you to another place where he could our fields and on aggression, you hurt you more Fight like hell., never, never got into a car and hate your chance for their survival slim if you dragged you take someplace else. Follow steps 1-5 to make sure it lost on you.

High, and when he came, we recommend autodéfense. confidence if you strength, faith, wisdom, alert, and self-assured, we can protect yourself and autodéfense, salvation. Spray pepper and District personnel is great tools.But, you should also know what action to take to improve self defense: Autodéfense, a form of art, and your life is précieux more than anything a thief were stolen.

Ralph Winn by 35-year-old education and experience in the security industry. do you one of the many Americans who began to look into improving their home security? this is a problem and store important security home offering best protection against theft and vandalism.

Living here jusqu' vitesse and broken News security and technologies.

Self-classes That woman the Fallacy two women top defense

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There are many who say women learn self-defense better in an exclusively women-only environment. The so-called "experts" say it is less intimidating if women don't have to compete with the men, or, it is easier (more comfortable) to discuss subjects like rape without men present. So, the new trend in self-defense programs is "Women's Self Defense" classes.

I don't agree with this line of reasoning, because the overwhelming evidence suggests that this is the wrong approach. I can't tell you how many times I have heard, "I took a women's self-defense course once. But, I went home and tried some of the stuff on my husband (or boyfriend), and it didn't work!"

There is nothing more confidence-shattering than to spend the time learning all the techniques and starting to feel good about yourself, only to have the bubble burst the first time you try out your new-found skills. Women then begin to feel there is nothing they can do to protect themselves when they can't even make it work against someone who isn't really trying to hurt them.

The real shame is when someone is really attacked, and after repeated attempts, can't make their self-defense techniques work. At that point, they simply give up, and won't fight back no matter what. I can only imagine that someone in that situation would look back on the time or money spent for self-defense classes and feel that they had been victimized twice!

Why "Women's Self Defense" Programs Don't Work!

Most of the people who take my self-defense classes are women. Sometimes, I even have a class that is all women. However, that is by coincidence, not design. Women who sign up for my classes know that there may be both men and women in the class. Whether there are actually men in the class is not important, after all, I am instructing the class, so there is always at least one man in the class.

The point is, if a woman is so intimidated by men, that she will not even take a self-defense class with men, she will never survive an attack by a man. Why? Because "intimidation" is just another word for fear. Until she can prove to herself the techniques work on a man, she has done nothing to help her get over her fear of men.

If she is ever attacked, it will probably be by a man! If she hasn't gotten over her fear of men, she will immediately panic, no matter what she has learned. If she hasn't learned how to deal with the bigger, stronger, more aggressive male, she will not understand how the dynamics of the situation will change in the real world!

Women MUST practice self-defense techniques against a man! Otherwise, how will she know they work against a man? This is what we call "realistic scenario training" (more about this later). If she has only practiced self-defense techniques with other women, she gets a false sense of security that her techniques will work in the real world. But, an even bigger problem is that most of what is taught in these so-called "women's self-defense" classes wouldn't work anyway!

Poor Teaching Methods

Much of what is taught as "women's self-defense" is not only ineffectual, but insulting as well. Courses intended only for women assume they are weak, less capable of defending themselves, and therefore need different methods from men to counteract violence. Women have been told to "yell 'FIRE', carry a hat pin or umbrella to jab at him, do something vulgar to gross him out, like tell him you have VD." If any of that junk worked, we'd be teaching men to do the same thing.

The following sample of bad advice still shows up in high schools and women's self-defense courses:

"Confrontation always makes everything worse. Don't react-it might be an overreaction. Don't add to the violence by becoming violent yourself. Don't make him mad. Trying to escape risks escalating the problem."

These ideas are wishful thinking or blind optimism. Experience at real crime scenes teaches you something very different.

Imagine if the percentages of women and men raped were 50-50 instead of 98 percent women and 2 percent men. [Outside of prison, those are the true percentages.] Now imagine someone telling men, "Don't overreact to rape, guys. Go along with his demands so you won't be hurt." I think you can see there might be a double standard that is completely unfair to women.

Doing Nothing

Doing nothing against a violent attack is the biggest risk of all because it makes resistance and escape later far more difficult. Worse, statistics show it actually increases the likelihood that violence will escalate, especially when the crime is rape. The most profound example involving resisting (doing something) versus submitting (doing nothing) was a Department of Justice study of rape published in 1985:

Rapists do not normally pre-arm themselves with weapons. Only 23 percent of 1.6 million cases studied involved knives or guns. [The major exception to this are rapists who break into a residence; 96 percent grab a knife from the kitchen.]
Approximately 51 percent of women resisted in some form, ranging from screaming to fleeing, to fighting back; the remaining 49 percent did nothing.
When broken down between resistance or submission, there was only an increase of two percent in the injury level to the women who resisted.

Yes, there is always a risk involved in fighting back, but there is just as much risk in doing nothing. If you face a rapist and do nothing, he'll rape you. If you face an armed criminal forcing you into his car and do nothing, he'll kidnap you. The "do-nothing" group believes that in doing nothing, they risk nothing.

Doers, in contrast, have simple and direct reasons for taking action: "If I don't do something fast, it's going to get worse."

False Claims

Another problem is the false sense of security given by unsubstantiated claims. One direct-mail women's safety device provides an "instant and easy self-defense" video for women.... "Can you point your finger?... Can you raise your hand?... If your answer is yes, you can instantly escape anything from rape to severe attacks.... It's quick and easy." The product being mentioned here, pepper spray, almost never works this way in the real world.

One television commercial for a women's self-defense program promises "two-minute, guaranteed knockout using your feet. When your assailant tries to grab you, use the heel of your shoe to strike into his head over and over." Could you really learn to do this in two minutes? It takes years of training in karate or taekwondo to learn to effectively kick someone in the head, and even then, it's a risky move. It's just a marketing ploy to get your money.

If you buy a police radar detector that is guaranteed to work, but doesn't, the result is a speeding ticket. If you pay for "self-defense classes" or videos that don't deliver as promised, the result can be severe injury or even death. Relying on someone else's guarantee is only a false sense of security that will only have bad results!

Anti-crime gadgets, and martial arts self-defense programs marketed to women, are often too simplistic and come with unrealistic guarantees. The fact is, surviving crime requires far more mental toughness than physical abilities. Size, weight, conditioning, and upper-body strength don't make the difference. If they did, a lot of men would be in deep trouble. Crime survival takes tough-minded mental conditioning, the same for both men and women.

What Does Work

What works, as proved by the results of both police and military testing, is "realistic scenario training". Scenario training consists of learning techniques, rehearsing them in realistic scenarios, and then visualizing these actions in your mind. It is a method used in many fields, from sports to law enforcement, military to medicine.

Scenario training is a way of planning our responses. We do something similar every day in our regular lives. We plan what to say if the boss criticizes a report we've submitted, or how to appease our spouse if we've done something irritating. Often we actually rehearse the words we'll use, we do it constantly. It doesn't always get us what we want, but it gives us a better chance.

Face-to-face with violence, your first split-second problem is not what is he going to do, but, "what are you going to do?" Scenario training against violence answers that question at the right time... before it happens. You can make mistakes and learn from them before it becomes a life or death situation! Scenario training to survive violent crime draws on real-life crime cases, which allows us to analyze our own mistakes, as well as the mistakes of others, learn from them, and decide how we will respond differently.

Without realistic scenario training, people panic and freeze up; they have no way to cut through the overwhelming fear that boxes them in during a crisis. Everyone needs to train for the same scenarios, and everyone, men and women alike, need to train the same way: to develop the mental toughness needed to survive a real attack!

Summary

This is the bottom line that must be adopted by every woman, every women's self-defense teacher, and every parent of a daughter: If the how-to-survive-violence technique and advice is not acceptable to men, it's not acceptable to women.

Knowing how to handle yourself when confronted with violence is your only insurance against becoming a victim, or just another statistic in a police report. You have car insurance, home-owner's insurance, life insurance, health insurance...

What insurance do you have against being the victim of a violent crime? A long-term self-defense program offers the most comprehensive training, and therefore, the best opportunity to learn to handle almost any situation that may occur. However, if you don't have the time to commit to a long-term program, at least some form of weaponless self-defense training is better than none.

But women MUST practice techniques with MEN! The idea that women can learn to defend themselves against men, without training with men, is simply false.

Resources:

Strong, Sanford - Strong on Defense; Simon & Shuster, Inc.; 1996

Federal Bureau of Investigation - Uniform Crime Report; 2000

Mark Jordan is a 6th Degree Black Belt in Budoshin Jujitsu, Vice-president of the American Ju-Jitsu Association, and a Certified Self-Defense Instructor with the International Association of Close Combat Professionals. You may find out how to contact him for training, or read more of his articles by visiting his website:
AllJujitsu.com.

Self defense-8 Phases of a Self-strategy That effective training and programs

To have a far greater things missing from most martial arts, security on autodéfense is a estriktiye and systemized plan backed by the student on total and he needs. We can post and mental confusion autodéfense move in technical or mentally retarded prédéfini, or a different style of curriculum that sorts out and technical skills that students will learn at these levels, I say about is a formula or plan of action two areas that make up a system, in whom all real self protection of the Earth.

There is no 8 phases, elements, self defense for a strategy on all fronts.Every important Element in if you have several options possible also to speak many different threats and possible danger, but each case like a spare a global strategy that allows you freedom, address, and the ability to control and predict the flow of a dangerous situation, not just to handle it effectively if things get physical, but you will be able to.

1) there are many more options to seek bona escalate the situation in utiliser self defense is not physical

2) Used effective cover, secret and technical escape to avoid were attacked by an attacker, ....

3) Survive post trauma and possible legal problems may be as far as the consequences of a self defense

As I teach students serious I was looking for self defense maîtrise they knew if they are on the traditional art of ninjutsu the Ninja-on modern, rue against autodéfense, 8 Phases of a Self-strategy That effective training and programs.

1) General disability employment awareness- de sensibilisation and education;

the danger exist in the world, and you CAN touch
b: what sort of dangers that you have been given the opportunity to come on
c environnements., you will be most risque

2), The disability employment awareness heed to and observing elements and change.

the surroundings you (the weapons, obstacles, and danger exist or are available to you?)
b. action two others (which is done from the suspiciously, character, or is threatened to ouvertement?)
c and well-being. County (do you alert, healthy, and well you nervous, sick, distrait, without emotional crazy?)

3) Escaping for security- sensibilisation two and planification.

the physically safe environment of a dangerous
b, covering rest in a potential enemy
barrier use c. and other shields will keep you safe, since short arms, objets to income or other attack weapons

4) Psychological Distraction tactics- mental confusion you distraire otherwise against the ear to you like a goal you can do that in utiliser.

the current (such as faking a heart attack, etc.)
b. feigning (like that you don't hear your reading of it threats you orders) ignorance
c; used Immer (tell a joke you otherwise act as if the sound only play to you what you have too easy a target for all the people with him worth its efforts)

5) Dissuasion tactics- FIGI haters and direct, committed, verbal, and Language Arts visuels that both gave him a last chance to changed his mind, and communicate very clear that you will be a target difficult.will not allow it to continue with an attack on without resistance.

6) Physical self defense- used well and apply appropriate skills to avoid, and counter attacks assailant as bypass.

the, "5 D" of their own without effective defense strategy
3. b key effective action for their own poor
3. c Strategy Center for effective defensive action

7) Regagner composure and control- that Des and post trauma neutralisant effects-trouble you can know that your haters to you no choice but to take action that your 5 scenes. needed Unlike popular belief, as he generally apply in psychiatry and Adviser mondes, Sen. this goat is currently in existence and prepared to head defense action ever.

8) Defend against my nearest friends, Legal problems, is performing to a logical, rational, the strategic reason for internships 2 3.4 & 5, and use them before would be forced to resort physical action in stage 6 for self defense legal, you will not have to show what you have done everything in our power to avoid physical aggression if we really convince many members of the legal system, administrator in your place, you are not a martial artist or the student autodéfense because you "love".

I saw last year that most schools and programs to focus primarily on physical technical. While necessary, true warrior or professional experts understood that both the strategic thinking and has been the target of other konansyonel "" than seen in competitive fighting styles, allow for a sense of control situation physical technical alone may not be given.

For this reason I teach 8 these two Phases autodéfense the list every to several option.But every new level add technical tactics, and "intensity" to not in the first level there is a defensive response. understanding and control of this estriktiye, 8-stage plans give you a real sense of "maîtrise" and the ability to control and put an end to all sound would be attacked.

Do you want to learn more about the way, I will make it? I just completed my new ecourse marque autodéfense for success, "Foundations of Self Mastery, That"

Download it free here.And its own defence without

What if you could learn in time, rather than months you, more than the average karaté autodéfense student or not both remplissage, the mentally retarded, as military atmosphere? how? Follow simple, proven this system for defense.http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com

Jeffrey Miller teach individuals, organizations, and martial arts teachers how to life as a victim of domestic violence in a bad situation has fallen. Jeff "If you have a great to learn what you need to do a contraceptive pills, I can show you how to maître skills necessary to the success of self-defense against any guarantee.

Basic Self-defense Techniques for Women

Isshinryu Karate Master, Harold Long has taught over 40,000 people self-defense, and anti-rape clinics for women. And Master Long takes you through 44 Empty-Handed techniques.

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Women's Self-defense classes-misleading Self defense for women

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There are many who say women learn self-defense better in an exclusively women-only environment. The so-called "experts" say it is less intimidating if women don't have to compete with the men, or, it is easier (more comfortable) to discuss subjects like rape without men present. So, the new trend in self-defense programs is "Women's Self Defense" classes.

I don't agree with this line of reasoning, because the overwhelming evidence suggests that this is the wrong approach. I can't tell you how many times I have heard, "I took a women's self-defense course once. But, I went home and tried some of the stuff on my husband (or boyfriend), and it didn't work!"

There is nothing more confidence-shattering than to spend the time learning all the techniques and starting to feel good about yourself, only to have the bubble burst the first time you try out your new-found skills. Women then begin to feel there is nothing they can do to protect themselves when they can't even make it work against someone who isn't really trying to hurt them.

The real shame is when someone is really attacked, and after repeated attempts, can't make their self-defense techniques work. At that point, they simply give up, and won't fight back no matter what. I can only imagine that someone in that situation would look back on the time or money spent for self-defense classes and feel that they had been victimized twice!

Why "Women's Self Defense" Programs Don't Work!

Most of the people who take my self-defense classes are women. Sometimes, I even have a class that is all women. However, that is by coincidence, not design. Women who sign up for my classes know that there may be both men and women in the class. Whether there are actually men in the class is not important, after all, I am instructing the class, so there is always at least one man in the class.

The point is, if a woman is so intimidated by men, that she will not even take a self-defense class with men, she will never survive an attack by a man. Why? Because "intimidation" is just another word for fear. Until she can prove to herself the techniques work on a man, she has done nothing to help her get over her fear of men.

If she is ever attacked, it will probably be by a man! If she hasn't gotten over her fear of men, she will immediately panic, no matter what she has learned. If she hasn't learned how to deal with the bigger, stronger, more aggressive male, she will not understand how the dynamics of the situation will change in the real world!

Women MUST practice self-defense techniques against a man! Otherwise, how will she know they work against a man? This is what we call "realistic scenario training" (more about this later). If she has only practiced self-defense techniques with other women, she gets a false sense of security that her techniques will work in the real world. But, an even bigger problem is that most of what is taught in these so-called "women's self-defense" classes wouldn't work anyway!

Poor Teaching Methods

Much of what is taught as "women's self-defense" is not only ineffectual, but insulting as well. Courses intended only for women assume they are weak, less capable of defending themselves, and therefore need different methods from men to counteract violence. Women have been told to "yell 'FIRE', carry a hat pin or umbrella to jab at him, do something vulgar to gross him out, like tell him you have VD." If any of that junk worked, we'd be teaching men to do the same thing.

The following sample of bad advice still shows up in high schools and women's self-defense courses:

"Confrontation always makes everything worse. Don't react-it might be an overreaction. Don't add to the violence by becoming violent yourself. Don't make him mad. Trying to escape risks escalating the problem."

These ideas are wishful thinking or blind optimism. Experience at real crime scenes teaches you something very different.

Imagine if the percentages of women and men raped were 50-50 instead of 98 percent women and 2 percent men. [Outside of prison, those are the true percentages.] Now imagine someone telling men, "Don't overreact to rape, guys. Go along with his demands so you won't be hurt." I think you can see there might be a double standard that is completely unfair to women.

Doing Nothing

Doing nothing against a violent attack is the biggest risk of all because it makes resistance and escape later far more difficult. Worse, statistics show it actually increases the likelihood that violence will escalate, especially when the crime is rape. The most profound example involving resisting (doing something) versus submitting (doing nothing) was a Department of Justice study of rape published in 1985:

Rapists do not normally pre-arm themselves with weapons. Only 23 percent of 1.6 million cases studied involved knives or guns. [The major exception to this are rapists who break into a residence; 96 percent grab a knife from the kitchen.] Approximately 51 percent of women resisted in some form, ranging from screaming to fleeing, to fighting back; the remaining 49 percent did nothing. When broken down between resistance or submission, there was only an increase of two percent in the injury level to the women who resisted.

Yes, there is always a risk involved in fighting back, but there is just as much risk in doing nothing. If you face a rapist and do nothing, he'll rape you. If you face an armed criminal forcing you into his car and do nothing, he'll kidnap you. The "do-nothing" group believes that in doing nothing, they risk nothing.

Doers, in contrast, have simple and direct reasons for taking action: "If I don't do something fast, it's going to get worse."

False Claims

Another problem is the false sense of security given by unsubstantiated claims. One direct-mail women's safety device provides an "instant and easy self-defense" video for women.... "Can you point your finger?... Can you raise your hand?... If your answer is yes, you can instantly escape anything from rape to severe attacks.... It's quick and easy." The product being mentioned here, pepper spray, almost never works this way in the real world.

One television commercial for a women's self-defense program promises "two-minute, guaranteed knockout using your feet. When your assailant tries to grab you, use the heel of your shoe to strike into his head over and over." Could you really learn to do this in two minutes? It takes years of training in karate or taekwondo to learn to effectively kick someone in the head, and even then, it's a risky move. It's just a marketing ploy to get your money.

If you buy a police radar detector that is guaranteed to work, but doesn't, the result is a speeding ticket. If you pay for "self-defense classes" or videos that don't deliver as promised, the result can be severe injury or even death. Relying on someone else's guarantee is only a false sense of security that will only have bad results!

Anti-crime gadgets, and martial arts self-defense programs marketed to women, are often too simplistic and come with unrealistic guarantees. The fact is, surviving crime requires far more mental toughness than physical abilities. Size, weight, conditioning, and upper-body strength don't make the difference. If they did, a lot of men would be in deep trouble. Crime survival takes tough-minded mental conditioning, the same for both men and women.

What Does Work

What works, as proved by the results of both police and military testing, is "realistic scenario training". Scenario training consists of learning techniques, rehearsing them in realistic scenarios, and then visualizing these actions in your mind. It is a method used in many fields, from sports to law enforcement, military to medicine.

Scenario training is a way of planning our responses. We do something similar every day in our regular lives. We plan what to say if the boss criticizes a report we've submitted, or how to appease our spouse if we've done something irritating. Often we actually rehearse the words we'll use, we do it constantly. It doesn't always get us what we want, but it gives us a better chance.

Face-to-face with violence, your first split-second problem is not what is he going to do, but, "what are you going to do?" Scenario training against violence answers that question at the right time... before it happens. You can make mistakes and learn from them before it becomes a life or death situation! Scenario training to survive violent crime draws on real-life crime cases, which allows us to analyze our own mistakes, as well as the mistakes of others, learn from them, and decide how we will respond differently.

Without realistic scenario training, people panic and freeze up; they have no way to cut through the overwhelming fear that boxes them in during a crisis. Everyone needs to train for the same scenarios, and everyone, men and women alike, need to train the same way: to develop the mental toughness needed to survive a real attack!

Summary

This is the bottom line that must be adopted by every woman, every women's self-defense teacher, and every parent of a daughter: If the how-to-survive-violence technique and advice is not acceptable to men, it's not acceptable to women.

Knowing how to handle yourself when confronted with violence is your only insurance against becoming a victim, or just another statistic in a police report. You have car insurance, home-owner's insurance, life insurance, health insurance...

What insurance do you have against being the victim of a violent crime? A long-term self-defense program offers the most comprehensive training, and therefore, the best opportunity to learn to handle almost any situation that may occur. However, if you don't have the time to commit to a long-term program, at least some form of weaponless self-defense training is better than none.

But women MUST practice techniques with MEN! The idea that women can learn to defend themselves against men, without training with men, is simply false.

Keep your system simply! Self-defence and Science performance stress

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"There Are No Superior Martial Arts,
Only Superior Martial Artists"

I've read, heard, repeated and written that phrase so often I can't even remember where it came from. The reason I like it so much is because it's true!

This article is not another effort to debate the merits of one self-defense system over another. Nor is it to argue about which style will or won't work "on the street." All martial arts have components within them that are powerful fighting techniques. It's important to know which ones they are!

Self-Defense Systems Differ,
But Self-Defense Principles Don't

On the surface, martial arts and self-defense systems seem different. However, if they are legitimate and effective, the principles underlying them are the same.

Principles are the rules about the way things are. They are inarguable, non-negotiable and unchanging. They have nothing to do with the way we think things are or the way we want them to be. Like the laws of physics, they just are.

As "Martial Scientists," our goal is to explore, discover, test and confirm the operative principles that define and influence the reality of combat. Your ability to produce a desired result, in this case to effectively defend yourself, is a direct result of how well you understand and apply the principles of combat and human performance.

What Do You Know About
Performance Under Pressure?

This article is about how fear and stress affect fighting performance. Whether you consider yourself a seasoned martial artist, a self-defense enthusiast, or a self-taught "ham & egger" who just wants to stay in shape and boost your confidence, this information is important to know. If you are training for self-defense, you need to select and develop skills that will be effective in the chaos of a violent conflict. This article will help you in that process.

FEAR, STRESS AND SELF-DEFENSE

Stress Is Good, But Only If It
Works For And Not Against You

Stress is our response to a real or perceived threat that we inherited from our ancestors. It was, and is, essential for our survival as a species. That survival mechanism, often called the "Fight or Flight Response," is a good thing. If properly managed, it can be a powerful force in fighting off (fight) or escaping from (flight) a violent assailant. However, if ignored or misunderstood, stress can impair our mental and physical performance and compromise our effectiveness in a fight.

What Is "Self-Defense Stress?"

Stress, as it relates to violence, is the response to a perceived discrepancy between a threat and your ability to control it under conditions where the outcome has the potential for death, injury or physical degradation.

The Symptoms Of Stress

Stress causes a variety of psychological and physiological changes. Without getting into the specifics of those changes, the affects of intense stress on performance fall into three categories:

1. Perceptual Distortion - loss of peripheral vision and depth perception, hearing may be impaired, changes in pain sensitivity, etc.

2. Cognitive Impairment - the emotional centers in the brain become predominant and creative or logical thinking is impaired.

3. Motor Skill Deterioration - the ability to perform certain physical actions is impaired by stress. However, other actions can actually be enhanced by stress.

Each of these categories could form an article (or book) of their own. However, for the purposes of this article, I'll confine myself to information pertaining to the selection and performance of physical skills.

THE KYSS! PRINCIPLE (Keep Your System Simple!)

Why Do Black Belts Get Beat Up?

Why is it that so many martial artists get beat up? I'm sorry to burst your bubble if you thought otherwise but the fact is that many people, even after years of training, have been thumped by "unskilled," intoxicated adversaries. How can that be?

Often people train with a distorted mental map of what it's like to be in a real, knockdown, drag-out, anything-goes street-fight. They confuse sparring with fighting and find themselves hesitant, overwhelmed by fear or attempting techniques that just don't work.

The more clearly you understand the realities of a "fight" and the affects of being in one, the better you can prepare yourself for the chaos of personal combat.

Motor Skills Classification

Motor Skills is a fancy name for physical actions or techniques. They can be divided into three categories:

1. Fine Motor Skills - are actions involving small muscles, dexterity and eye-hand coordination. The ability to perform fine motor skills deteriorates at low to moderate levels of stress.

2. Complex Motor Skills - are actions that link three or more components in a sequence that requires timing and coordination. At moderate to high levels of stress, the ability to perform these skills is also impaired. Many martial arts techniques are complex motor skills. This explains why techniques that may work fine in low-stress training fail in a high-stress street-fight.

3. Gross motor skills - are simple, large-muscle group actions like a squats, pushups and push/pull-type movements. This includes basic fighting skills like a straight punch, a hook punch or a Thai boxer's knee strike for example. Unlike fine and complex motor skills, gross motor skills DO NOT deteriorate under stress. In fact, they are enhanced by the affects of fear and stress.

Obviously we want to rely predominantly on gross motor skills when designing a self-defense response system.

The "Less-Is-Best" Theory

Some self-defense and martial arts instructors believe in the "More-Is-Better" philosophy. They think that learning a high number of techniques will increase the ability to respond effectively to a wider variety of situations; that the more elaborate the fighting system the more adaptable it becomes.

If you hold this philosophy yourself, please forgive my bluntness but...YOU'RE WRONG!!! The More-Is-Better approach does not withstand scientific scrutiny. Complex or elaborate techniques don't work in a real fight. It's as simple as that.

In contrast, the "Less-Is-Best" approach is more practical, realistic and consistent with what science tells us about the way we perform under stress. Here are a few of the benefits of keeping the number of techniques to a minimum.

Faster Reaction Time

As far back as the 1800's, researchers knew that the more responses you have to a stimulus, the longer it takes react. In 1952, a researcher named Hicks confirmed that for every response choice added, the amount of time required to react doubles! This is widely known as "Hicks Law," and has been repeatedly confirmed by subsequent research. In a self-defense situation, the longer you take to respond to a threatening action, the more likely you will be injured and defeated.

Fast Results With Minimal Training

Another issue that supports the idea of keeping your inventory of techniques to a minimum is the amount of time you have to practice and the time it takes to build technique competence. (remember: competence builds confidence which reduces stress!)

Imagine you work on 20 techniques and you train for an hour per session. That means you have 3 minutes to invest on each technique. If however, you reduce the number of self-defense techniques to three (just an arbitrary number), you invest 20 minutes on each technique, conceivably investing 600% more time and repetition on each one. What technique wouldn't be improved by six times more training?

The Brass Knuckle Effect (Cognitive Clarity)

Imagine you knew you were about to be attacked by a large, strong, psychopathic assailant. There is no way of avoiding the fight. Let's say your self-defense system consists of 20 different techniques. In the stressful moments preceding the encounter your mind is reeling; trying to figure out the most appropriate course of action.

Keep in mind that your cognitive abilities are impaired by stress. Stress-related "brain damage" prevents you from forming a logical or creative solution to your predicament. What will you do?

Seeing your dilemma, a good friend (if he wasn't before he is now!) discretely passes you a set of brass knuckles. What do you suppose has just happened to your thought process?

I'll hazard a guess that the mental fog begins to lift, your stress decreases and your objective becomes clear. It's now a simple matter of taking those brass knuckles and slamming them repeatedly into vulnerable parts of your opponent's anatomy. Seems simple now doesn't it?

The potential of you winning the encounter has been significantly enhanced. That same affect can be achieved without the brass knuckles by sticking to a limited, yet adaptable, inventory of dependable fighting skills.

THE SCIENCE OF STRESS POINTS TO THE NEED TO SPECIALIZE

Virtually all accomplished fighters are known for specific techniques that they excel at. However, if you ignore their "bread & butter" techniques, most of them would be considered "average." Those fighters excel because of their ability to simplify their system and build on their superior techniques.

Knowing what you now know about technique selection and stress performance, what do you think about the merits of "specializing" in a core set of fighting skills? Here's how to get started.

Explore Your Strengths

Don't just latch onto a fighting tactic arbitrarily. Evaluate your existing skills and select a strike, a kick, or a finishing hold that seems like a "good fit" for you. What technique to you consistently land or apply when sparring? What is your best or favorite technique? What technique do you feel you would resort to under pressure? Answering these questions will get you started with the specialization process.

Adaptability

Having as few techniques as possible doesn't mean that you limit your ability to respond to a wide variety of situations. The idea is to take that specialty strike, kick, joint lock or choke and train it in as many different ways as possible. Learn to apply those basic skills at different ranges (striking, clinching or on the ground), against different partners, against different apparatus and in as many drills as you can think of. Learn how to set them up and follow them up. Strive to learn a lot about a little, not vice versa.

Train to Momentary Exhaustion

A good way to see how well a technique holds up under stress is to train it to extreme fatigue. You can bring on the physiology of intense stress by exerting yourself. I call this "blitz training" in the heavy bag article: "There's nothing like a swift kick to the bag." on my site at:

http://www.protectivestrategies.com/heavybag.html

Blast out a technique or combination repeatedly for a specified duration or until you can't do it any more. I can guarantee that gross motor skills will be the only ones conducive to this type of training.

Keep in mind that you wouldn't do this training all of the time. You need time to recover between intense workouts like this.

Obviously you must be healthy and in good physical shape to do in this training. Refer to my disclaimer page for precautions before following this advice.

http://www.protectivestrategies.com/disclaimer.html

Simplicity Is Not Inflexibility

A final note in keeping things simple is that the process of specialization doesn't mean that you stop learning, experimenting or that you abandon your existing training program in lieu of a "bare-bones" self-defense program.

If you are proud of your traditional martial arts system stick with it. If you love to jump up, spin around and kick things, then by all means, go for it! Just don't confuse techniques that will work in a street fight with those that won't. Apply the science of stress performance by adding specialty training to the degree that you want to develop practical self-defense skills.

SO WHAT? HOW TO USE THIS INFORMATION

Using The "KYSS! Principle"
To Evaluate A Potential Specialty Technique

Now its time to put this stuff into practice: Based on the priority you place on "fighting skill." (there are several other benefits and reasons to train) Take a good, hard look at the skills you have in your inventory and the amount of time you plan to invest in training.

Decide on what proportion of your training you want to dedicate to self-defense. Design your system based on the following "KYSS Criteria."

=> is the technique a "gross motor skill?"

=> do you have confidence in your ability to perform the skill under pressure?

=> What technique is most successful for you in training sparring or competition? (however don't confuse those activities with fighting)

=> Is the technique applicable in a wide variety of situations, at different ranges, in different environments, ring clothing that you were during your day-to-day activities?

=> Are you able to construct a wide variety of training drills to build adaptability and flexibility in your chosen techniques?

=> Are there techniques that you've selected that are redundant?

=> Do you understand the underlying principles and biomechanics of performing and applying the skill with optimal efficiency?

CONCLUSION

Stress in a combative situation is a given. Expect it. It's going to be there. Your performance is the result of how confident and well prepared you are in addition to how well designed your self-defense response system is. Attack the problem of stress performance this way:

=> Simplify your system through specializing in a handful of effective and adaptable techniques.

=> Artificially create stress in your training sessions to inoculate yourself to it to some degree (more on this in future articles) and...

=> Select gross motor skills that will be efficient under stress.

Knowing what you now know about stress performance isn't it obvious that the "KYSS! (Keep Your System Simple!) Principle" is worth incorporating into your training? Scrutinize and evaluate your inventory of fighting skills and select those that meet the KYSS criteria and you will improve your performance in a combative situation dramatically. The bottom line of what I want you to take away from this article is that if you are training for self-defense Keep Your System Simple!

============== Self-Defense Quote =================

"There are no superior or inferior martial arts, there are only warriors and non-warriors"

"Each martial art is based on doctrine, a set of broad and general beliefs. People who study a single doctrine tend to shut out ideas from other sources and convince themselves that their's is the one true way of fighting. They become slaves to the very doctrines they profess."

Forrest E. Morgan, Maj. USAF

Living The Martial Way

A Manual For The Way A Modern Warrior Should Think

 

Self-defense for women-why most programs are not

Women's self defense items constantly in news and hot topic for conversation. It seems that every police officer Karate Instructor has its own philosophy and theories about how and why of self-defense for women and girls.

Although it is true that many of the same methods and tactics to teach men to defend itself just won't work for women, why? ...

...Because attacks on women, on their basis, certain specific problems, issues and conditions, which are often very different men who find themselves in situations of women forced into defensive. things that, frankly, not men.

If that's what you're really concerned about, you owe it to yourself to do some serious research to get more information about the real world self defense for

women built around issues relating specifically to women's self-defense.

Now before you start rolling of the eyes or nodding their heads, it's not a matter of lib for women or anything like it just the way it is.

What are the things distinguish self defense for women?I'm glad you asked.

Well for starters, physiologically speaking, is the ratio of the strength of k-7-3 between male and female.This means that if you had to be men and women, having the same height, weight, build, side-by-side, and all things considered (health, fitness, etc.) ...

...people will still be two and a half times stronger than a woman!

This is not theory or one man convinced others this scientific fact.

Further, women are more likely to hit, grabbed and pinned than fists and feet. For men this is just the opposite: the fact is that most of us were due from childhood, play, and, Yes, to fight sex very differently and attackers are no different.

The good news is that more and more women are lives by increasing the benefits of martial arts and self-defense programs to increase their level of self-confidence and a sense of security. That is, and not-so-good news ...

...There is a shortage:

* Martial arts instructors understand scientific defense, and life experience to teach from the perspective that shares this experience.

After all...

...If your instructor has never been in the real world of self-defence situation by itself, it will make it virtually impossible for them to teach real self-defense to anyone-not to mention self defense for women.It's kind of like going to the priest Advisor for marriage counseling, who have never been married. They both have information passed to another, but in any case did not express this information based on real word knowledge.

However, there is a predominance of ...

...the so-called self-defense experts who are tough guy, fighter type or "reality-deal with it! macho type.

These people are, by their very nature are "slugger" types that rely on speed, strength and size of the win.Since self-defence situations usually include a bigger, faster, stronger by an attacker, victimization smaller, less developed trust – and that '' s sexactly that most women are against you attacked ...

...These instructors and their "first-strike-and-crush-them-where-are-stand mentality, knowledgeable, far from being perfect or are able to deliver the necessary lessons necessary for women to protect themselves from the assailant, intent to dominant them physically.

Other considerations for girls

The following is a partial list of some of the other major difference between self defense for women and men.The main thing to remember is that ...

... self-defense situation is very different from sports or a contest on a competitive basis where the willingness of participants to insure They are evenly matched. "just cause".I was in competitions and I have been attacked, and I can tell you without any moment doubt that ...

...There is nothing "fair" or "even" a real attack. NOTHING!And once your personal space is invaded by the other person wants to beat you to your core, you'll know what I mean and never, ever buy crap that most of these so called experts shovelling.

With that said please know that I did not say that every self defence or martial arts instructor is full of it.Just what you need to know what you need and make sure you are getting.Remember, you don't buy a sofa, you can take back the error in this area is literally could cost you your life!

Here are some other differences between men and women in training, good program must address:

* Cultural impact-girls are taught from a very young age that the fighting lady not as. "

Oh my God! whatever people think!

* Situational Self-rape and sexual abuse are two of the main differences between men and women when it comes to suriviving attacks.

The fact that men usually are more obvious situations (Street and competitive (Yes Yes! go! "-The type of fighting), while women and more and more young girls to handle subtle tactics as date rape or ambushed by groups.

Add to that the number of differential discussed earlier, and you have a very different situations that require very different self-defense tactics.

* Incorrect data-I believe that the majority of teachers and trainers is good and they are not out to con you. it's just that they don't have real experience to go on, so they are doing that everyone makes when they don't know better ...

...they make assumptions that seem logical and rational, within their terms of reference.

The problem is that we are talking here of self-protection.

...self defense for women ...

...girls self-defense. ...

...vegetable soup. where if you make a mistake, you can just dump the pot and start over.

As I said earlier, the error situation self-defense for women in any situation demanding protection against an attack from attackers intentionally hurt you, can be very costly indeed.