General Self Defense Mindset

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Some things I tell my people:

1. Use good posture with your head held high and aware of your surroundings. Predators target the weak, insecure, unaware or distracted.

2. Eye contact must be natural and brief. A calm cursory glance is expected. A nervous glance triggers aggression. Staring makes people nervous and sometimes angry. Ignoring completely can be effective but not at the expense of awareness. If you feel somebody is a threat and you must keep an eye on them, use peripheral vision and reflective surfaces.

3. Don't walk around with your cell phone to your ear, be aware.

4. In a confrontation don't let anybody get between you and the exit.

5. If you can just walk away, if you can't walk then run!

6. Be mindful that predators don’t always work alone.

7. If you must fight, don’t dally, end the fight with as much force as needed and then get out of there. Keep your hands up, elbows down and chin down slightly.

8. Movement is your friend. Try to stay on your feet. If battling a group keep moving, ideally towards an exit or running away. People run at different speeds so a group will naturally fall into a line that you could repel one at a time.

9. If they pull a knife, grab something to use a shield or barricade, chairs work nicely. If they pull a gun take cover and call the authorities. In fact the moment you know you are going to be in a self defense situation call 911 and just leave your phone on. Pocket the phone and shout your location while you are fighting or fleeing.

10. Make lots of noise, predators don’t like to attract attention.

11. Above all, keep your head, each situation is different try to use common sense.

Very useful, thanks! Especially like numbers 9 and 10, have to remember them if the situation ever rises.

 

[WC_lun]

Some of these replies beg the question, if it was originally a martial art, but now has NO martial application, why do we still call it a martial art? I've seen schools that teach stuff that would be very detrimental to real self defense, but it still is physical activity with a martial-esque flavor. I don't view those schools as martial arts studios, but rather excercise clubs. Too bad the students in them still think they are learning self defense.

 

[WingChunIan]

Semantics. It's called a martial art traditionally, so that's what it is, whether you use it to stay in shape, learn self-defense, or engage in sporting activities. If I wear socks on my hands, are they now mittens? No, they're still socks.

So in your view Tae-bo is a martial art and so is boxercise...... interesting POV. It's each to their own, I personally feel that the term martial art is used too loosley. As far as wearing socks on your hands, what you do in the privacy of your own home is entirely up to you and it's your choice what you call them..........

 

[MJS]

This is something I feel gets neglected by some schools. They get involved in being fancy, teaching how to defend against guns and knives. They learn all the tricks, but the one thing they don't ever dig into is the WHY of it all. They only do the what and how of self defense. The why is to live. With that in mind...

What is the general mindset that you HAVE or you teach?

Mine is that simply end the confrontation, and there are no rules to do that.

IMO, I think there is alot of garbage taught in alot of schools today, along with alot of things that would probably only work in fantasy land. Sadly, alot of these people who train there, actually fall for the BS that they're being taught. On the flip side, there're alot of very good schools/teachers, who're teaching quality, effective material.

What I teach...first and foremost, I feel the most important thing is awareness. Its amazing how many people walk around with their head in the clouds, distracted by their cell phone, etc. No, I'm not saying that we should be some paranoid nut, that looks over our shoulder every 2 secs, but chances are, the badguys are going to target someone whos got their head in the clouds, rather than someone whos aware, and actually paying attention.

Next, and IMO, this goes hand in hand with the above, would be some good old common sense. If you know a certain area is bad, well, if you dont have to go there, dont! When you pull into the parking lot, parking garage, etc, scan the area. If you know a bar or club is bad news, dont go, and if you do, again, be aware.

As for physical techniques...well, for me, I tend to be a follower of the KISS method. Simple, effective, quick and to the point. All the flashy stuff...well, save that for the demos and fantasy land.

I've mentioned this before, but it's worth saying it again. I think alot of schools only focus on what I call the 'during' portion of the defense. Everyone has a tech for what to do when the badguy is actually attacking, but what about before he attacks? What about after? I'm talking about what you can do to avoid the confrontation in the first place, and how to deal with the aftermath. IMO, I think Rory Millers books talk about this very well. IMO, his stuff should be required reading, as its a wealth of knowledge.

 

[MJS]

And why should they? The dojo I study at offers karate classes, not 'how to defend yourself using a variety of non-karate techniques'. It's like complaining that public libraries are lousy restaurants. Self defense is related to the study of karate, and many places offer self defense courses specifically. I go to my dojo to learn karate. I'll worry about my own self defense.

With all due respect here Bill, and perhaps I'm just misunderstanding you, but frankly, I find this odd, coming from you. I mean, in past discussions, you've talked about people complying and not being macho with what they know, yet if all someone knows is how to kick ***, well, IMO, you can't or shouldn't be too surprised, when someone responds with the "If someone did that to me, I'd bust his face!" comments.

 

[WC_lun]

Rory Miller's books are very good for those interested in self defense.

 

[MJS]

Some of these replies beg the question, if it was originally a martial art, but now has NO martial application, why do we still call it a martial art? I've seen schools that teach stuff that would be very detrimental to real self defense, but it still is physical activity with a martial-esque flavor. I don't view those schools as martial arts studios, but rather excercise clubs. Too bad the students in them still think they are learning self defense.

Good point, and thats why I personally wouldn't consider Tae Bo or P90X or any similar programs, where they're using 'martial arts' type moves, martial arts. IMHO, they're not martial arts....they're exercise programs. Of course, the people who market these programs, probably aren't telling their customers that.

 

[Instructor]

With all due respect here Bill, and perhaps I'm just misunderstanding you, but frankly, I find this odd, coming from you. I mean, in past discussions, you've talked about people complying and not being macho with what they know, yet if all someone knows is how to kick ***, well, IMO, you can't or shouldn't be too surprised, when someone responds with the "If someone did that to me, I'd bust his face!" comments.

Pride and ego have no place in self defense, that kind of stuff usually escalates the situation.

 

[MJS]

Pride and ego have no place in self defense, that kind of stuff usually escalates the situation.

I agree. However, like I said, if all someone knows is how to kick ***...well, whats that saying, when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail...or something to that effect..lol.

My 'complying and macho' comments, stem from past debates that Bill and I have had. For the record, I enjoy discussions with Bill. While we may not always agree, I do respect him for his opinions.

 

[Instructor]

I agree. However, like I said, if all someone knows is how to kick ***...well, whats that saying, when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail...or something to that effect..lol.

My 'complying and macho' comments, stem from past debates that Bill and I have had. For the record, I enjoy discussions with Bill. While we may not always agree, I do respect him for his opinions.

As do I....