1. Quick Tip: Use Any Object as a Weapon
2. Technique: Dismount Assailant with Legs
3. Virginia Tech Massacre
4. New Articles
5. Learn More: General Self-Defense

1. QUICK TIP: USE ANY OBJECT AS A WEAPON

Well, almost any everyday object can be used to protect yourself. Improvised weapons are everywhere around us.

When in Code Yellow, staying aware and scanning your environment for potential threats and escape routes, also identify anything that can be used as an improvised weapon.

It can be a stick, stone, or knife-like object that you can pick up and strike with. Shield-like objects to deflect a strike. Liquids and sprays to throw into a face. A structure that you can pull or push an assailant into.

For more details and examples, read Everyday Objects as Weapons.

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2. TECHNIQUE: DISMOUNT ASSAILANT WITH LEGS

Anytime you are pinned on the ground, you need to get the assailant off, FAST!

Use your available tools to dismount him. For this particular technique, imagine a situation where you are on your back, the assailant sitting on your chest and facing you, and your legs are free.

Lift your legs high, lifting your buttocks off the ground. Move your legs up and around him to catch him on his front shoulders with the back of your calves and heels. Quickly and forcefully push him down with your legs while simultaneously bringing your torso and head up as if doing a sit up.

The objective is to force him off and slap his back and head to the ground. Immediately follow-up with hits to the groin and kicks to his body and head.

3. VIRGINIA TECH MASSACRE

A brief mention of Monday’s tragedy of shooter Seung-Hui Cho’s killing of 32 students at Virginia Tech.

I wrote about how to Escape from School Shootings and Massacres before.

And how a Texas school district initially had a self-defense program for teachers and children against such situations, but then wimped out on the plan:

Should Kids Fight Back Against Classroom Intruders?

School District Wimps Out on Defense Plan

A couple lessons can be learned from these situations:

Parents have the ultimate responsibility of teaching their children proper values, judgment, and responsibility. Children’s self-esteem can be developed and strengthened when parents are involved in their lives. Children who are loved, cared, and listened to will not go on a violent rampage.

I’m not saying that Cho’s parents did not raise them properly. Rather, that in general we can reduce the anger and motivations of would-be shooters through responsible care taking of children.

Children also need to learn self-defense. Not only to survive a school shooting situation, but other situations such as date rape and unpredictable altercations that can happen anywhere. It will also instill in children more awareness of their environment and people, and confidence that can only bolster their self-esteem.

4. NEW ARTICLES

Two new articles added since the last newsletter.

Learn the fighting techniques taught to the U.S. Army. Download the Combatives Manual of the U.S. Army: FM 3-25.150.

Events are held annually to increase awareness of crime and prevention. Learn about these Crime Awareness Months, the sponsoring organizations, and how you can help.

5. LEARN MORE: WOMEN

Specific topics for women include training and classes geared toward women, date rape, sexual assault, and domestic violence.

To learn more about women’s self-defense, check out our articles and resources in the Women Self-Defense section.

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Tags: Newsletter

Combatives Manual of the U.S. Army: FM 3-25.150 - learn the fighting techniques taught to the U.S. Army. Download the official combatives field manual!

Crime Awareness Months - a list of events held annually to increase awareness of crime and prevention, with sponsoring organizations and how you can help.

Technorati Tags: fm 3-25.150, fm325150, combatives, combatives manual, combativesmanual, army, us army, usarmy, jiu jitsu, jiujitsu, ju jitsu, jujitsu, gracie jiu jitsu, graciejiujitsu, gracie ju jitsu, graciejujitsu, gracie, grappling, ground fighting, groundfighting, crime awareness, crimeawareness, crime awareness month, crimeawarenessmonth, self defense, selfdefense, self-defense, personal protection, personalprotection, martial arts, martialarts, self defense resource, selfdefenseresource, safety, security

Tags: Articles

1. Quick Tip: 4 Letter Word - FEAR
2. Technique: Rotational Defense Against Frontal Choke
3. Blog: 10 Ways to Become a Victim of Crime and Violence
4. Site Update: New Features Coming
5. Learn More: General Self-Defense

1. QUICK TIP: 4 Letter Word - FEAR

FEAR can be looked at as an acronym for False Evidence (or Expectations) Appearing Real. What this means is that fear can be based on irrational or unfounded reasons or expectations.

Think of public speaking. It’s one of the top two fears people have. Yet what is the worst that can happen? No physical injury will result, only some mild discomfort.

What about being threatened or attacked? Oral threats are not the same as physical strikes. The assailant will use intimidation through yelling, cursing, and demonstrations of physical violence to gain compliance and control of their victims.

In oral threats, it’s the imagined pain and injury that may happen in the future if you don’t comply. But realize the pain and injury hasn’t happened yet.

In physical threats, the pain and injury are a reality. It will get worse the longer the attack takes.

Facing an oral or physical attack will be scary. The initial reaction is normal, as our primitive self-preservation instincts kick in. To win, you need to override the fear and deal with the reality, not the imagined.

Whether or not the assailant has already hurt you, you must focus on the main objective: survival.

To survive, you have to escape to safety, which may mean fighting back to give you the time and ability to flee.

Surprise is a great weapon because the criminal fully expects victims to comply. They want control. Once you start resisting, they start feeling fear themselves! They don’t want to be caught. They won’t know how to deal with a resisting victim, as that’s not in their paradigm. You are turning the tables on them.

Persistence and determination in self-defense is key. You cannot give up until you are in safety.

Don’t let FEAR control you. You have what it takes to control FEAR for your survival.

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2. TECHNIQUE: ROTATIONAL DEFENSE AGAINST FRONTAL CHOKE

Here’s another way to defend against an attacker who is choking you from the front. This is the rotational defense, and is more powerful than the plucking defense covered in a previous newsletter.

Sharply step back with one leg, rotating your body 90 degrees, and simultaneously raise and straighten your arm closest to the assailant, placing your bicep to your ear. Your feet should be shoulder length apart. This rotation breaks the assailant’s grip on your throat.

Then quickly drop the raised elbow with your body weight, slightly bending your legs. The upper arm/tricep strikes the attacker’s arms and hands to clear them from your neck. If possible, use your other hand to trap the assailants’ hands against your chest.

Immediately counterattack by using elbow strikes to the face and neck, and knee strikes to the groin and torso.

3. BLOG: 10 WAYS TO BECOME A VICTIM OF CRIME AND VIOLENCE

I thought I’d have a little fun and give a new perspective on the serious subject of self-defense. I wrote a sarcastic top ten list on how to become a victim. I hope this will strike a chord in how you think about your everyday safety.

Read the blog entry.

4. SITE UPDATE: NEW FEATURES COMING

I want to hear from you! The blog has a comments feature where I’ve received some interesting comments so far. It doesn’t matter if you agree or disagree with what I write. I like a healthy discussion.

Soon, you’ll be able to do the same on other articles on the site.

Additionally, I’ll be adding a forum for everyone to share knowledge and opinions and be part of a like-minded community.

Anything else you want to see? Let me know!

5. LEARN MORE: GENERAL SELF-DEFENSE

There are fundamental self-defense tips and techniques that everyone should know. Build your personal protection foundation and make self-defense second nature. Experienced practitioners can also gain value by reviewing and practicing the fundamentals.

To learn more about general self-defense, check out our articles and resources in the General.

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In no particular order:

1. Ignore Your Surroundings

Don’t pay attention to your environment. Solely focus on where you’re going, or get lost in your thoughts. Don’t look around you to see if there are any potential problems. Don’t worry about loiterers around your car. Talk on your mobile phone on your way to the car or walking on the street. Keep your head down.

2. Be a Soft Target

Act in a way that assailants will choose you over others. First, be oblivious to everything around you (see #1 above). Act meek and fearful. Look down and slouch. Don’t speak up or look at anyone.

3. Don’t Have a Plan

Be a spontaneous free spirit! You figure that if you’re ever in a confrontation, you’ll immediately react properly, without ever planning an escape or rehearsing an escape plan. Don’t quickly scan for exits wherever you are. At home, don’t develop an escape plan (which can also be use for escaping a fire) with your family.

4. Ignore Your Instincts

Instincts are for cavemen. We’re in the 21st century now and our brain knows better. Those funny feelings (intuition) that something isn’t right are illogical and not based on any fact. Ignore your feeling that those group of young thugs could be trouble, or that gut feeling that your date is being overfriendly. Without hard evidence, just go along and don’t worry about anything bad that might happen.

5. Always Comply with a Criminal

Believe the criminal when he says he won’t hurt you if you do whatever he asks. After all, criminals get to their esteemed positions by always telling the truth.

6. Give Up

Why bother resisting or finding ways to escape? After all, karma has brought you face-to-face in a confrontation, and there is nothing you can do to get out of it. Well, other than let the criminal do whatever he wants with you. If you do resist or try to escape, it’ll just make him more angry, and you don’t want that. Be a polite vicitm and the confrontation will soon pass.

7. Focus on Complex Techniques

You need several years of advanced martial arts training to be really effective in using techniques based on fine motor skills. Those simple moves using gross motor skills are for wussies and are just plain uncool. You want to show off your spinning jump back kicks to your assailant so he knows who he’s dealing with.

8. Focus on Not Getting Hurt

Getting hurt sucks. It’s not worth geting a scratch, bruise, broken bone, or cut if you try to escape. After all, you’d rather be found dead and intact than alive and injured. You’ll look better in a coffin that way.

9. Rely on a Lethal Weapon

Having a gun or knife will protect you in all situations - at work, home, or running errands. You’ll always have your gun or knife ready to use. Or they’ll warn you before they 21 feet from you. Since 21 feet is the distance it takes for someone to reach you before you can pull out a gun and fire 2 rounds. A criminal would be ashamed and dishonored if he didn’t give you fair warning before he attacked you.

10. Wait to Be Attacked Before Responding

Having mastered the rules of etiquette, you are exceedingly polite and considerate. So you don’t say or do anything until someone already attacks you. After all, you don’t want to be rude or embarrased by yelling “stay back,” “no,” or “I don’t want any trouble.” Your civility will protect you from bad things happening to you.

Conclusion

This article was meant to be a humorous and sarcastic view on the serious subject of self-defense. Learn the lessons contained herein. Effective self-defense is the opposite of what is outlined above. Be safe!

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Tags: General

1. Quick Tip: Role Play with Children
2. Technique: Side Kick When On the Ground
3. Blog: Date in Jail for Drugging Beer
4. Learn More: Jeet Kune Do

1. QUICK TIP: ROLE PLAY WITH CHILDREN

Make it easy and fun for your children to learn self-defense through role play. Self-defense role play with young children makes it appear as a game, and allows learning to be anchored in the body. It’s complementary to and a great supplement to the “What If” game.

Set up several common scenarios that a child may encounter. Ruses a stranger or potential abductor can use are: ask your child for help to find a lost pet, say they are a friend of the parents, and an authority figure such as a police officer or security guard. Or maybe the adult knocks on the front door to ask to use the phone for an emergency.

Act as if you are an perpetrator, and say the things that would get the child to comply. Usually the perpetrator is charming and friendly. Compliance could be the child helping the adult find the lost pet, or getting in the car of the parent’s “friend,” or opening the door.

Better yet, get a friend your child doesn’t know to be the perpetrator, with you out of sight but close by, watching and ready to intervene.

Based on the child’s responses, either praise him for the correct action, or discuss in a non-judgmental manner why a different approach could be better. Never blame or punish the child for the incorrect answer, as this is likely new to them. They don’t have the experience or judgment yet.

It’s important to not scare your child while role playing. You want to empower them through knowledge and confidence of what to do in certain situations. As you work with your child, they will develop the judgment and confidence to act correctly in your absence.

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HIKUTA. The SCIENCE of Self Defense! Beyond “power punching,”speed hitting,” and “martial arts.” Moves are made with nearly the speed of thought. Pulled or light blows stagger, stun, and knockout. Full power moves (used only in extreme situations) cause massive damage. Developed by experts in the fields of body movement, psychology, and combat science. Quickly and easily mastered.

Click now => Hikuta

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2. TECHNIQUE: SIDE KICK WHEN ON THE GROUND

In a previous newsletter, I discussed how to kick while on the ground. That particular variation had you on your back, using it to form a stable base for the technique.

When in violent confrontation, you might find yourself on your side. It’s faster if you can deliver a kick in whatever position you’re in, rather than repositioning first before delivering the kick.

When on your side, establish a base with your bottom arm and leg. Brace the arm slightly above your head, to act as a stop or anchor from being pushed or hitting your head on the ground.

Kick with the leg that is on top. Recoil it by bending and bringing the knee toward you. Then kick out forcefully by extending the leg out toward the target. Flex the foot back and strike with your heel or arch. Imagine the force shooting out from your heel.

Repeat.

3. BLOG: DATE IN JAIL FOR DRUGGING BEER

The recent sentencing of a San Francisco man for drugging his date’s beer serves as a reminder to never leave your drink unattended. Date rape drugs can be added to the drink while you’re not looking.

For details, read the blog entry.

4. LEARN MORE: JEET KUNE DO

Jeet Kune Do was developed by the late Bruce Lee. He developed his own “style” of fighting that combined Wing Chun kung fu, Western boxing, and fencing. He continually sought out what was effective from a variety of systems and was not constrained by tradition or style.

To learn more about Jeet Kune Do, check out our articles and resources in the Jeet Kune Do section.

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An observant waitress and a bartender’s quick thinking averted a potential rape. Karri Cormican, the waitress, swapped out the drugged beer with another, on the guise that the beer was bad.

As the waitress talked to the woman, Tatiana K., outside the bar about what happened, Szlamnik dropped 2 pills into the new beer, which the bartender, Hannah Bridgeman-Oxley, saw, incredulously. The pills were later identified as alprazolam, commonly sold as Xanax, a central nervous system depressant prescribed to relieve anxiety.

Police took the 2 beers as evidence, and last week Szlamnik was sentenced to one year in prison.

The lesson here? Never leave your drink unattended. Date rape drugs are used to make victims unable to refuse sex, with no recollection of the sexual assault. The drugs are virtually undetectable and leave the body quickly. Read this article to learn more about date rape drugs, avoidance strategies, detecting whether you’ve been drugged and raped, and what to do if you think you’ve been a victim.

Technorati Tags: rape, date rape, daterape, date rape drug, daterapedrug, date rape drugs, daterapedrugs, zalepron, sonata, alprazolam, xanax, noes bar, noesbar, bar, beer, bartender, waitress, san francisco, sanfrancisco, Joseph Szlamnik, JosephSzlamnik, Szlamnik, Karri Cormican, KarriCormican, Cormican, Hannah Bridgeman-Oxley, HannahBridgemanOxley, Bridgeman-Oxley, BridgemanOxley, self defense, selfdefense, self-defense, personal protection, personalprotection, martial arts, martialarts, self defense resource, selfdefenseresource, safety, security

Tags: News, Women

1. Quick Tip: Feinting Fear and Compliance
2. Technique: Defense Against Hair Pull
3. Learn More: Krav Maga
4. Editor’s Note

1. QUICK TIP: FEINTING FEAR AND COMPLIANCE

Usually you’ll want to counterattack as soon you believe you are in a dangerous situation. But sometimes you will be subdued before you know what has happened.

If they plan to hurt you further, such as in a rape, you can buy a little time by feinting fear and compliance. Deceive. Gain the assailant’s trust to let his guard down.

At some point during the assault, he’ll look away, or have one hand in a compromised position, such as reaching for his pants or a weapon. He can’t be alert and pay attention to you 100% of the time.

Pretend that you are scared and say that’ll you’ll do whatever he asks. Wait for the mistake or distraction.

Then use the element of surprise and launch a counterattack with a flurry of strikes, elbows, kicks, bites, yells, etc.

Surprising statistic: women who resisted rape survived more often than those who complied.

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HIKUTA. The SCIENCE of Self Defense! Beyond “power punching,”speed hitting,” and “martial arts.” Moves are made with nearly the speed of thought. Pulled or light blows stagger, stun, and knockout. Full power moves (used only in extreme situations) cause massive damage. Developed by experts in the fields of body movement, psychology, and combat science. Quickly and easily mastered.

Click now => Hikuta

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2. TECHNIQUE: DEFENSE AGAINST HAIR PULL

Assailants look for a hairstyle that can be easily grabbed, such as long hair, ponytail, braid, or bun.

If your hair is grabbed, place your hand on the assailant’s hand holding your head. Press down on your head to relieve the pulling pressure.

Then move your head and hand together toward the assailant. Moving away will only increase the pain. Moving toward the assailant also adds the element of surprise.

Attack with various weapons, depending on your position relative to the assailant: palm-heel strikes, backfists, elbows, knees, low kicks, attack to the throat and groin. He’ll likely let go of your hair during your attacks, giving you more freedom in choosing your self-defense techniques.

3. LEARN MORE: KRAV MAGA

Krav maga was originally developed for the Israeli military forces to quickly teach a wide variety of soldiers effective hand-to-hand combat. It’s easily learned, retained, simple, and continuously improved based on real-world situations.

To learn more about krav maga, check out our articles and resources in the Krav Maga section at => Krav Maga

4. EDITOR’S NOTE:

After a long hiatus, I’m back to providing you more self-defense and personal protection information. In the coming weeks, more features and content will be added to the website as well!

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Their modus operandi from the press release:

In most cases, two male suspects arrive at the front door of the residence and indicate that they work for the “water department” and are investigating a problem with the water service. The suspects enter the victim’s home and ask the victim to go outside to turn on a hose for flushing of the system. While the one suspect distracts the resident, the other suspect removes cash or other personal property from the residence. After the suspects depart, the victim uncovers the theft.

What’s insidious about this ruse is that it happens under the victim’s nose. Thankfully no violence is involved.

The police department offered the following safety tips to residents:

• Do not open your door to strangers - always talk through the door and view them through your peep hole.
• Create the illusion that you are not home alone - when answering the door make comments that would lead someone to believe there is someone else in the house.
• Verify the person is who they say they are. This can be through a combination of tests including: city/utility ID card, identifiable clothing, presence of a vehicle with identifying marks.
• If in doubt, call the utility the person claims to be from.
• If the person leaves without explanation call your local police department immediately.
• If the person leaves without explanation pay attention to what the person looked like and any vehicle descriptions.
• Report suspicious happenings to the Police Department.

Children especially should also be taught to never open or answer doors to strangers, even if they appear to be authorities, such as law enforcement, or need emergency help, such as using the phone to call 911.

Even I don’t open the door to strangers when anyone knocks on the door. Not even for children or women, as you never know if an accomplice is out of range of sight of the peep hole. I talk through the door.

Add this ruse and scam to your list to be aware of.

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Tags: News, General

1. Be alert and aware! It’s easy to be distracted by the crowds, selecting the right gift, being preoccupied with holiday activities. Maintain confident body language so criminals pass you over for a “softer” target.
2. Keep shopping bags, valuables, purses, and wallets close to you. Keep purses or bags closed. The more expensive an item, the closer to your body it should be. Keep a firm grip.
3. Supervise children at all times. If you feel you will be distracted from supervising them while shopping, make arrangements for a babysitter. Older children should take a friend with them when going shopping.
4. Recognize that there is safety in numbers. Shop with friends and relatives instead of going alone. Each of you can look out for each other. Make sure everyone maintains awareness and is not distracted by each other’s company.
5. Return to your vehicle frequently to unload purchases in the trunk. If you have to put them in the passenger compartment, put them on the floor and cover with a blanket. Unloading your bags frequently reduces the amount you have to carry. Also move the car to another parking space afterward.
6. Watch out for loiterers near your car. Get a security guard for assistance if there are.
7. Park in a well-lit, well-trafficked area of the parking lot at stores and malls. Avoid secluded and dark areas, as confrontations won’t be seen and yells for help won’t be heard.
8. Have your keys in your free hand well before approaching the car. It will save time in getting into the car and the keys can be used as an improvised weapon if necessary. Lock the door immediately after getting in.
9. Watch out for friendly strangers. They may ask a question or offer to assist you with your bags to distract you or put you in a compromising situation.
10. When shopping online, make sure you are dealing with a reputable online store. On checkout, before entering your payment information, make sure the page is encrypted and secure. Keep your anti-virus, anti-phishing software up to date. Check the return policy before placing your order.
11. After opening gifts, don’t advertise to criminals of your big ticket item with your trash. Tear down and cut up product boxes into small pieces to fit into garbage and recycling cans.
12. At parties, always watch your drink and don’t let it out of your site. Read the article on date rape drugs (men read this too).

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Tags: General

1. Quick Tip: Reflections for Awareness
2. Technique: Hip Rotation for Effectiveness
3. Learn More: Krav Maga

1. QUICK TIP: REFLECTIONS FOR AWARENESS

You can enhance your awareness skills by using reflections of windows and other reflective surfaces. In Code Yellow, you already constantly scan your environment wherever you are.

Now add looking at windows (store, building, car) and other reflective surfaces (mirrors, water, bus shelter walls, large artwork, etc.). Notice the reflections of people in blind spots or behind you that you may not see with your usual scanning.

At lunch yesterday, as I walked into a building, I looked at the reflection of large windows in front of me, and saw someone behind me. I previously sensed she was behind me. The reflection confirmed it and gave me more information - their distance, rate of speed, movement, and appearance.

This information is useful for assessing the level of threat and response time, if any, and to help give authorities a description of the assailant, if necessary.

Years ago, I learned to use reflections for bicycling safety. Riding a bike on the street can be dangerous, and you have to use whatever you can to see cars and pedestrians around and behind you.

Now you have 2 tips for the price of one!

2. TECHNIQUE: HIP ROTATION FOR EFFECTIVENESS

Over the last several weeks we’ve covered the majority of the techniques you’ll likely need in a self-defense situation.

Fundamental to the effectiveness of most self-defense techniques is hip rotation. You’ll find that many sports also use hip or waist rotation - tennis and baseball, for example.

With hip rotation, you have longer reach and more power. Longer reach because you’re extending your entire body instead of just the striking limb. More power because you’re using the momentum of your body mass behind the strike.

Depending on the technique, you might also drive, or push, off your rear foot or leg to send more weight and power through the strike.

Compare a technique with and without hip rotation and driving off your foot/leg.

With a palm-heel strike, keep the torso stationary and strike by pushing forward and up with your arm.

Now try the same by bending the legs a little, and then pushing off and up with your rear foot/leg as you rotate the shoulder and hip toward the target.

You should have noticed that both your reach and force of the strike is much greater.

Now try a low kick with and without hip rotation. Just extending or swinging the leg while the hips are stationary is not nearly as effective as whipping your hip around and forward, putting weight and acceleration behind the kick.

Yet another technique to use with hip rotation is the knee strike.

What other techniques in your arsenal can be made more effective with hip rotation?

3. LEARN MORE: KRAV MAGA

Krav maga was originally developed for the Israeli military forces to quickly teach a wide variety of soldiers effective hand-to-hand combat. It’s easily learned, retained, simple, and continuously improved based on real-world situations.

To learn more about krav maga, check out our articles and resources in the Krav Maga section.

Technorati Tags: reflections, reflection, reflective, glass, awareness, window, windows, hip, hips, hip rotation, hiprotation, waist, waist rotation, waistrotation, power, reach, body extension, bodyextension, bicycling, bicycling safety, bicyclingsafety, bicycle safety, bicyclesafety, cycling, self defense blog, selfdefenseblog, self defense, selfdefense, self-defense, personal protection, personalprotection, martial arts, martialarts, self defense resource, selfdefenseresource, safety, security

Tags: Newsletter

1. Quick Tip: Safe Shopping
2. Technique: Attack the Knees
3. Learn More: Combatives

1. QUICK TIP: SAFE SHOPPING

The holidays are here, and for many that means lots of shopping for gifts. Hordes of shoppers means more targets for criminals to attack and steal.

The main deterrent is to be aware of your surroundings. Criminals look for those who are distracted, not paying attention.

Be in Code Yellow and scan the area, being alert to potential threats. There may be people loitering around your car. A polite person may use a ruse, such as asking for the time or directions, to distract you while they or their assailants attack. Your intuition may tell you to avoid someone or a situation.

Well before you approach your car, have your keys in hand, and have one hand free (not carrying a shopping bag). If necessary, you can use your keys and/or free hand to defend yourself.

Once you get in your automobile, lock it immediately and start the engine. If someone outside tries to open a car door, you will be ready to drive the auto out of danger. Only after the door is locked and car started, situate yourself, putting the purse, jacket, or small bag away.

Keep your wallet, purse, and shopping bags close to you, and maintain awareness of where they are at all times. It takes just a few seconds for a thief to run off with your valuables while you’re not paying attention.

Just as important, make sure your children are close to you. They should be aware of strangers befriending them and using lures of video games or other toys to get them to wander off with them.

2. TECHNIQUE: ATTACK THE KNEES

Generally, body joints are designed to bend only one way. If you attack them in a direction they aren’t designed to bend, you can cause extreme pain and disable the assailant.

When attacking the knees, target the front or either side of the knee.

Lift and bend your leg, and thrust the foot onto the target, straightening your leg as you do so.

Some additional tips on correct position and movement:

Rotate the foot so that it’s perpendicular to the leg being attacked, as this provides more margin for error.

Bend the foot back with the toes toward you. This encourages the proper part of the foot in making contact with the target.

The bottom of your foot, preferably from the heel to the ball, should make contact with the knee.

Think of driving the power straight through the heel. Use your body weight for extra power.

If you practice attacking knees with a partner, be very careful about making contact. Use focus pads instead, as they will allow full force practice.

3. LEARN MORE: COMBATIVES

Combatives, also known as close quarter combat and hand-to-hand combat, was developed during World War II to quickly train soldiers in fighting in close quarters. It’s still popular today as a self-defense system due to its brutally effective methods.

To learn more about combatives, check out our articles and resources in the Combatives section.

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1. QUICK TIP: BE A HARD TARGET AGAINST RAPISTS

Criminals look for easy targets that are unaware and seem won’t resist. The following are characteristics they look for and avoid, to improve your chances of not being selected as a potential victim.

Rapists avoid women who carry an umbrella or other object that can be used at a distance.

Men look for a hairstyle that can be easily grabbed, such as long hair, ponytail, braid, or bun. Women with short hair are usually not targeted.

Rapists look for clothing that is easily and quickly removed. Some rapists even carry scissors.

The most common time of attack are between 5:00 and 8:30 a.m. Be extra vigilant in the early morning hours.

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2. TECHNIQUE: MORE GROUND FIGHTING

Last week we discussed using the axe kick when fighting on the ground. A few weeks ago we discussed the principles of using stand up techniques on the ground.

More specifically, you can use the knee and elbow strikes when the assailant is on the ground and you have mobility. For example, he is stunned or temporarily unconscious from hitting his head on the ground.

These techniques are typically performed when you are on your knees.

With a knee strike, hold on to the opposite side of the target with your hands, for example the side of his torso. At the same time you thrust your knee forward into the target (torso), pull it into your knee. Repeat several times quickly and powerfully. Targets can include his ribs, abdomen, and head.

The direction of an elbow strike should be straight down into vital areas. Add extra power by dropping your weight with the elbow. Alternate between your left and right elbows if desired. Again, lots of vital targets are available - abdomen, solar plexus, chest, throat, and head.

3. GROSS MOTOR MOVEMENTS

When threatened, you undergo adrenal stress. The instinctual fight-or-flight response causes a “dump” of adrenaline in the body, which in turns causes you to revert to the most basic and primal movements and thinking.

A martial artist won’t be able to use their fine-motor skills that require coordinated and complex moves. So that cool joint lock or pressure point strike may not be not be recalled under adrenal stress.

Even techniques you’ve learned over several years may not be recalled. Example: a couple years ago at my kung fu school, I attended a self-defense class that used a head-to-toe padded instructor. Black belt after black belt didn’t use the many refined techniques they’ve learned, and commented as such. They reverted to the most basic of moves.

Certainly training under adrenal stress would improve recall under a real self-defense situation.

Mainly though, simple movements using your large muscle groups will be remembered and used more easily. In your training, focus on techniques that use gross motor movements.

4. LEARN MORE: REALITY-BASED

Reality-based self-defense is a personal protection system that usually combine techniques and attitudes from two or more traditional and/or non-traditional martial arts and/or fighting systems. Their focus is on what is effective in the street and not on tradition or aesthetics.

For information and resources on reality-based self-defense, check out our articles and resources in the Reality-Based section.

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1. Quick Tip: Willing to Kill?
2. Technique: Axe Kick
3. Blog Update / AWSDA Seminar Review
4. Learn More: Equipment

1. QUICK TIP: WILLING TO KILL?

In a life-or-death situation, your mindset will determine whether you live or not. You may need to make a split-second decision on whether to apply lethal or deadly force to your assailant.

Legalities aside, your mental preparation will determine your actions.

One prominent self-defense instructor, Phil Messina, suggests making two lists and reviewing and updating them every month:

1. What are willing to kill for?
2. What are you willing to die for?

Is it your children, spouse, significant other, or relatives? Companion animals, close friends, livelihood? Religion, politics, your country? Your house, valuables, and other property? Your ego and/or honor?

Decide on what you will kill and die for now, before you encounter a life-or-death situation. You may have only seconds to execute your decision, seconds that may determine whether you live or die.

2. TECHNIQUE: AXE KICK

A variant of the axe kick can be used in ground fighting, when both you and the assailant are on the ground and he is still close to you. It’s named after the downward chopping motion of an axe.

The kick is accomplished when you are on your back. The the back of your heels make contact to the assailant on the ground. Targets of the axe kick can include the chest, abdomen, groin, neck, and head.

While on your back, lift your bent legs up over your target. The back of your legs and heels are facing the target. Kick by swinging the heel forcefully downward, with your knee as the pivot point. Alternate your legs and throw a flurry of kicks to overwhelm.

3. BLOG UPDATE / AWSDA SEMINAR REVIEW

I wrote a lengthy blog entry of my experience at the American Women’s Self Defense Association 15th Annual Training Seminar. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn self defense or teach rape prevention. Included in the 4-day seminar is an optional rape prevention instructor course on basic self defense.

Read more about the classes I took and additional resources.

4. LEARN MORE: EQUIPMENT

Stay safe when training by using gloves, focus pads, shields, and body guards. Find a personal security device or less-than-lethal weapon such as pepper spray or kubotan.

Learn more about training and personal protection equipment. Check out our articles and resources in the Equipment section.

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The staff and attendees were very open and friendly. Nobody I met had big egos and everyone was willing to share their knowledge.

We all have the same vision - to end violence against women and provide self-defense and rape prevention training.

From AWSDA’s website on what they do:

AWSDA promotes greater awareness about women’s self-defense and rape prevention through its quarterly newsletter and conferences. AWSDA members are encouraged to explore new teaching techniques and concepts, and share strategies for promoting women’s self-defense in their communities through the newsletter and at the annual training seminar.

The following are reviews of selected classes I took. Grab a cup of joe, sit back, and read on.

The Bulletproof Mind: Psychological Preparation for Combat

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman

Grossman is the author of the acclaimed books On Killing and On Combat.

He is a national expert on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) related to combat and killing. Grossman stated that people are more likely to be destroyed by the aftermath of an incident than the incident itself.

The statistics on mass murders at schools are shocking. They are increasing at an ever-increasing rate. He cited Jonesboro, Arkansas at 5 dead, Columbine High School, Colorado at 6.5 dead per murderer (13 total) in 2 hours, and finally Red Lake, Minnesota at 7 dead in 8 minutes.

Grossman stated that while the tragedies get into the news, the many that get thwarted by authorities don’t. Many children are caught before a crime is committed.

Grossman makes a strong case that the next U.S. terrorist attack will be at our schools. It will likely be 4 schools attacked simultaneously via car bombs. Daycare centers are also on list. The terrorist attacks will destroy our way of life, as all schools will be shut down immediately until security measures can be put in place in all of them.

He cited the Beslan school hostage massacre in Russia in 2004. In that incident, armed Muslim terrorists took more than 1,200 children and adults hostage in the school’s gym. On the third day, 344 civilians were killed, of which 186 were children.

Read more in the book Terror at Beslan: A Russian Tragedy with Lessons for America’s Schools.

Another book Grossman recommended was Innocent Targets: When Terrorism Comes to School.

Our job is to keep kids safe.

He advocated a 3 Step Model for school shootings. Very simplified, the objective is to MOVE! The 3 steps are:

1. Move away from violence.
2. Move to a preselected secure location.
3. Move again if there is good info to do so.

Medical technology has dropped the murder rate (actual deaths) although serious assaults have increased worldwide to about 4 to 5 times compared to approximately 40 years ago.

Another issue that is subject to criticism is his assertion that media violence is linked to school violence.

While violence in movies, television, and video games are not the primary cause, it is the last factor that pushes children over the edge to acting out in violence. Grossman pointed out two video games, Grand Theft Auto and Postal 2.

According to Grossman, in Grand Theft Auto the video game player simulates a killer that among acts of crime and violence, can pour gasoline over a prostitute and light her on fire, kill police officers, and worse.

He cited research by the Indiana University School of Medicine showing the differences in brain scans of subjects with low exposure to media violence vs. high exposure of media violence. The brains of those with high exposure showed markedly low or no activity in both sides of the brain.

When brain activity is low, the forebrain, or part of the brain that is responsible for reason, is shut off and the midbrain, or mammalian brain, responsible for the 4 Fs (Fight, Flight, Food, and Reproduce), takes over. Without the capacity to reason, more base behaviors take over, hence more violence.

In another study by Stanford University, it was discovered that less television resulted in less violence. When students turn off the TV and video games, there was a 50% decrease in verbal aggression and 40% decrease in physical aggression. Additionally, there was a significant reduction in obesity and overeating problems.

Grossman also stated anecdotal evidence that students got better test scores and performed better in sports games.

Interested in putting this in place? Check out National TV Turnoff Week.

His statement: TV is cultural nerve case - odorless and tasteless, but deadly.

Rape Prevention Instructor’s Course

Liz Kennedy and Phil Messina of AWSDA and Modern Warrior Defensive Tactics Institute in Lindenhurst, New York

The AWSDA rape prevention instructor’s course is designed to deliver introductory 4-hour low-cost self-defense courses to women for life-and-death situations.

The legality of self-defense was covered - what you can do and when, and how much force to use.

A rape awareness video was shown with 3 vignettes - a real 911 call of a woman about to be raped in her home, and 2 fictional scenarios with a couple in a car and another couple in an apartment. We learned what was done correctly and incorrectly in each scenario, and who had the best tactical advantage.

Other topics and techniques that were discussed and which we practiced included:

• Buying time and getting ready for combat
• Defense techniques - blocks
• Offense techniques - palm strikes, elbow strikes, finger jabs
• Kicks
• Throws
• Ground techniques
• Weapons

Kennedy discussed the ineffectiveness of pepper spray and stun guns. I had the opportunity to be on the receiving end of a stun gun. Felt like some sharp pinches, certainly not enough to stop or deter me. Pepper sprays can even incense an attacker, and won’t work on those who are high on drugs and/or high on adrenaline.

A manufacturer of taser guns was at the seminar. I was very impressed with their effectiveness on even the strongest folks. In talking with a police officer later, she told me she would never use pepper spray, and highly recommended a taser gun.

AWSDA’s motto: You have an absolute right to defend yourself!

Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona, billed as “America’s Toughest Sheriff,” was entertaining. He’s done a lot to reduce the cost of running his prisons.

For example, he issued pink underwear to inmates, because the white ones were being smuggled outside for sale. Prison meals cost $0.15 each, probably the lowest in the U.S., due to getting food donations. He eliminated salt, pepper, coffee, TV, movies, smoking, porn magazines, and weightlifting equipment.

He re-instituted chain gangs, including ones with just women, which he claims is the first in the U.S.

Instead of building permanent structures for new jails that would cost millions, he erected “Tent City,” prisons made with surplus military tents.

Some of his tactics are seen as controversial, but I’m all for it. If you break the law, you don’t have the right to all the extra stuff cited above. Deal with it.

Parent-Child Awareness Self-Defense

Cheryl Fuhrmann, U.S. Family Martial Arts Center in Pohatcong Township, New Jersey

Fuhrmann was one of my favorite speakers at the seminar. I was stunned at how pervasive child predators and their use of the Internet to lure children was.

She showed excerpts from NBC Dateline’s To Catch a Predator investigative series, which filmed sting operations by NBC Dateline with law enforcement.

Some of the stings were coordinated by the non-profit Perverted Justice.

Shocking statistics:

• 1 pedophile per square mile in U.S.
• 150 girls and 300 boys are molested by a predator before he is caught.

We also watched short excerpts of Steal-Proof Master, a 40-minute video targeted to children, to create awareness of the 10 profiles of child predators:

1. The Gift Giver
2. Friendly
3. The Game Player
4. Helpless
5. The Leader
6. The Messenger
7. The Magician
8. The Promiser
9. Cool
10. Scary

The important thing that children should recognize is that some adults can trick children. Children are raised to be helpful, cooperative, and respectful of adults. But they can be excessively so. Bad guys will take advantage of these behaviors.

Give children permission to say “no” and to pay attention to their intuition.

We also played an awareness game where paired folks went through short obstacle courses - one with a blindfold and the other with a balloon. The objective of the game is to increase communication, awareness, and confidence between the child and parent.

Another useful exercise Fuhrmann had us do was to sit back to back with another person, and without looking at the other, write down the following:

• Shirt color
• Pant color
• Hair color
• Eye color
• Age
• Weight
• Shoes

The point of the exercise is to teach parents to remember what children are wearing before they leave to school for the day, so that they can provide a good description of the child to authorities if they go missing.

In fact, another game you can play with your children is an awareness game using the environment, where you quiz each other of what you see. For example, what is the color of the eyes of the woman at the store? What does that man’s body language say?

Fuhrmann presented the drug problem with children, particularly GHB and Ecstasy.

Other attendees cited sex bracelets, rainbow parties, and erotic asphyxiation.

Even though the problems of sexual predators, drugs, and sex are pervasive, if we can help just one child, it is worth the effort.

A Look Inside the Warrior: Literally or Physiology of Fight or Flight and What We Can Do About It!

Lance Dauby, Proactive Women’s Self Defense of North Carolina

Inspired by Bill Kipp’s work in FAST Defense, Lance Dauby discussed what the body does in an adrenal stress dump and went through some exercises he uses in his self-defense courses to work though it.

When a person is in fear, shunting of the body occurs. Also called vasoconstriction, blood vessels constrict in extremities and parts of the brain. That’s what causes a person’s face to go white and to freeze in fear. The body is in survival mode and keeps the blood in the front part of the brain, the heart, and lungs.

When untrained, a person in fear will go into fight or freeze, rather than fight or flight.

You can train to control your response to fear, but you can’t stop the physiological response of an adrenal stress dump.

Deep breathing is the key to control. Remind yourself to breath deeply and slowly under adrenal stress. You may need an instructor to remind you during drills.

The drills he used was to have one participant come into the center of the room, with other attendees in a large circle around the instructor and student. Dauby played the role of the attacker, and the student would defend only when attacked. These sessions lasted about 30 seconds each. We struck back against a pad with a palm strike, introduced an additional attacker, and hit him with a foam baton.

What’s interesting is that when the student is in front of 30 other peers, his adrenaline actually goes up because he wants to do well in front of his peers. Almost like public speaking.

Additionally, the instructor can introduce “woofing,” or shouting threats at the student. Also, a coach can be right behind the student, orally giving her instructions. So can the other students. In real encounters, students recall the words of encouragement from the coach and other students during an attack. This had the effect of giving them strength and focus in successfully defending themselves.

Another lesson is that most women are not used to hitting, so are tentative at first and tap or pull their strikes. Instructors should gradually build up the intensity of the hits, until the student is comfortable with hitting through the target with sufficient power.

Defending Against a Grappler

Chip Slade of North Carolina

Chip Slade emphasized not to get hung up with particular techniques. Instead, focus on the goal.

I loved this class because I learned some basic grappling skills that would help me in ground fights. He taught us defenses against a variety of attacks by wrestlers and grapplers.

Nearly every middle school, high school, and college in the U.S. has a wrestling team of 30 to 50 males. Which leaves a large number of men with at least basic grappling training. A competent grappler can smother attacks relatively easily.

Some of the defenses taught were: sprawl (against double leg takedown), basic guard position, mount position, side mount position, star sweep, and guillotine choke.

The aim of the defenses is to have the attacker go into a negative time frame, where he is reacting and defending. If he’s defending, he can’t be attacking.

Shotgun Training

Louis Awerbuck of the Yavapai Firearms Academy in Prescott, Arizona

Limited spots were available for live handgun and shotgun shooting training. I got the shotgun class. The last time I shot a gun was about 20 years ago. I never used a shotgun before.

12 of us got to use 12 gauge shotguns in the basic shotgun class. Most of the class was lecture, and we only had about 40 minutes of actual shooting. There was a lot to cover in 4 hours, with one instructor.

We learned safety, loading, unloading, shooting, stance, and moving one to two steps to the sides. When it came time to shoot, we were only six feet from the cardboard targets. No matter, I got to fire a shotgun!

Empty Hand Lethal Techniques

Phil Messina of Modern Warrior Defensive Tactics Institute in Lindenhurst, New York

The final class of the four days was another eye-popping topic.

Messina talked at length about the psychology of killing. He relayed 4 real life cases of confrontations between law enforcement and crime suspects. 2 appeared to be “accidental” deaths while 2 were “intentional.”

The point is that once someone commits a crime, he or the police officer may die in a confrontation. Most killing in hand-to-hand combat is not an accident - it’s intentional.

“The only thing a predator fears is another predator.”

What are you willing to die for? Willing to kill for? Make 2 lists and add to it every month. It prepares you for a life-or-death confrontation where you may have to kill a criminal.

If you are in a life-or-death situation with the other person intending to kill you, but you are not willing to kill, you will probably lose.

Be prepared to Win. Not merely Winning vs. Living, or Winning vs. Not Losing. Fight to Win!

How many will kill a helpless or almost helpless person?

Messina set up a hypothetical scenario. You are on the second floor of your home with your child in a bedroom. You hear a noise on the first floor, and leave your young child and go downstairs. You are able to knock the intruder to the ground. As he falls backward, he hits his head on hard floor and gets knocked out.

Then you hear glass breaking on the second floor, accompanied by your child screaming. Is it the intruder’s accomplice that entered the second floor? Or did your child break the window?

What do you do? Leave the knocked-out intruder to investigate the noise and possibly encounter the intruder’s accomplice? What if the knocked-out intruder regains consciousness? You will have a worse problem with multiple assailants.

Would you kill the knocked-down intruder with an improvised weapon? At the moment he is helpless or nearly helpless. But he is an intruder that could potentially do further harm if he regains consciousness.

Messina further demonstrated and explained how to kill with improvised weapons and empty hand techniques. He focused on the principles of why a technique would work, so you can problem solve and develop your own solutions to attacks.

Techniques involved inserting long, pointed objects (rat-tail comb, pen, tweezers, scissors, and ruler) through the head, penetrating certain parts of the brain, and levering the object to damage the brain. He also covered breaking certain bones and moving limbs or impacting body areas, moving the internally broken bones to sever arteries or internal organs, or impacting the sternum to fibrillate the heart.

Messina covered the TV myths of breaking necks and how to effectively do it. Another technique was effectively hanging someone with just your bare hands.

Conclusion

I learned so much about self-defense and met some great folks. And renewed my enthusiasm for empowering others to defend themselves.

Whether you are an instructor or student, you must go next year! It will be held at the same place (Phoenix) next year sometime in November.

You have an absolute right to defend yourself!

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