self protection, selection of self defence maneuvers PT2

Now that the brain is covered lets get down to the moves. All too often people ask me "what do you do if someone does 'this" referring to a punch, kick, or knife attack etc... Same thing happens in dojos, they teach a different technique for a punch, than a knife attack. Now, in the split second (at best) of an attack, you need to notice whether someone has anything in their hand or not. It is a waste of information. "A small handful of well represented techniques is more use full than a large tangled mess of data," Bruce Lee. We should not limit ourselves to one system, but we also should not limit ourselves to getting stabbed because at last second we saw a knife and changed what we where going to do.

You should chose techniques based of the angle of the attack. Many techniques for a punch, can be used for a knife, baton, or in some cases, a gun. Yes you should learn disarms individually, but you should also practise you other maneuvers as if there is a weapon in the opponents hand. I call these, adaptable techniques.

When you pick these out, you should also think of whether you can do them in a less desirable place than a mat or field of grass. Can you do this in a bathroom stall, buss isle, elevator, alley way. Dopes it require you to hit the ground? then maybe you won't want to do this in the street or where there is broken glass that can harm you more than the attacker (if it involves the bad guy hitting the ground that is OK) I can't tell you how many people get surprised to find out hitting pavement with that Jujitsu move they learned hurts them more than the other guy.

There are a number of attacks that do require a non-adaptable technique. This like firearms, submission, choke holds, and many people forget to practise what to do if you are already knocked down or injured.

From here I will refer to a few arts and what they may have to offer.

Aikido: I love this art. everything and anything in it can be adapted for almost any attack. It is difficult to learn however, but most of the wrist locks can be useful even if they aren't performed properly.

Tea Kwon Do: I am not as much of a fan because most of the moves require plenty of distance therefore making most the techniques unsuitable for enclosed spaces, but it does have plenty to offer and is very easy to pickup and keep the reflexes.

Kung Fu (Shaolin specifically): There may be better schools for this but they are few and far between, the only national source for this arts I would trust is United Studios Of Self Defence. I had a blast and learned many great things there, the arts ranges from close quarters, to distance, and ground combat. Very Very good one to learn from and if you like the Dojo environment this is the place.

Karate: A little stiff and structured for me, but it worked against the samurai.

Mui Tai: Simple, powerful, free form but requires some amount of physical conditioning and doesn't really allow for use of weapons "try blocking a knife with your shin."

The most important thing about practising defencive maneuvers, is to train the mind not to go into "panic" mode, and go into "defend, or fight" mode. It takes practise, and creating realistic scenarios without compromising safety. You should always try to find ways to safely bridge the gap between the safety of the Dojo and the danger of the real world.

self protection pt 5 driving.

Some people have an inherit lack of skill when it comes to driving, maybe you are one of them, or maybe not. But protecting ones self does include safe driving and awareness behind the wheel. There was a time when I was experimenting with "situational awareness" while I was driving. This is dangerous therefore I have come to the conclusion not to worry about it to much, as you could end up distracting yourself from the road and therefore getting in an accident.

Best bet is to follow the basic rules explained in your basic driving instruction, keep your eyes on the road, check your mirrors, and keep attention several if not even more car lengths ahead of you.Do keep any eye open but don't try to get the make and model of every car around you, you will miss the big picture, driving.

Keep an eye out for different things, swayed driving cause then someone could be impaired or having a conflict in the vehicle, driving too far under the speed limit is a good sign of impaired driving as well. If you see such things and anything else that stands out, then you should get the plate #, make and model, color, and location. Remember to always know where you are and where you are headed. If you call the police at anytime, they won't be able to help without that information being accurate.

Don't get me wrong, you should have situational awareness behind the wheel, but don't try to hard or you may over look potential dangers, look for the "right" things, worn tires, loose wheels, sparks under cars, loos loads of cargo etc... all of these things can be dangerous to you and everyone else on the road and should be addressed to prevent injury or death.

Self Protection PT1

First thing to know about self protection is also one of the easiest things to start practicing. "Self Presentation" you will discourage many would be attackers by presenting your self as a difficult target. This is easier for some rather than others. For example, I am a 6ft 2in. and 200 LBS man, right away I am not an easy target.

None the less there are still a few things you can do to tip the scales if you are a 100 lbs 5ft 2in woman. For one, before you leave the house, get all of your stuff in gear. Don't even leave your front door unless you have everything you need, organized, and the right keys in your hand. Criminals like unsuspecting people cause they don't get I.Ded by them, if you are fumbling with your keys and or your purse, or brief case, you will be labeled as an unsuspecting person. If you often go to your car when it is dark out, or in a dark place such as an indoor parking garage, you might even want to get a pocket flashlight and start shining it around, even if you don't know what your looking for, you can present yourself as if you do. Keep your chin up, shoulders back and at least look like you are aware of your surroundings.

Another thing is your attire, people know that you are not going to run very far or fast in heels, but on the other hand the heeled shoes can be used as a weapon, when you choose your clothing you should have things like this in mind, can your run or defend yourself in this? 

That is it for part one guys. Part two will be "situational awareness"