Gedanate

I’m 5′10″ and around 160lbs. So I’m not small, but not large. I want to study a good self defense form of martial arts that can be applied in the real world (street fights). I’ve heard Kenpo karate is excellent for this. What do you guys say.
If it’s important I’m a Taosit.

I know a woman who is in her 40s who told me that once she kicked a guy as hard as she could while she was wearing high heels.

She drove her heel into his groin until he lost consciousness, and she confided to me she didn’t care how badly it had hurt him… even if he could never have children after what she did to him.

Do all women who have been taught self defense think and act like this?

What’s the difference between martial arts and self-defense? It’s quite simple when you look at it. Self-defense is about getting home in one piece. Martial arts is about self-improvement, fitness, and looking good.

Most martial arts will teach you some self defense skills and will certainly boost your self confidence; but whether your skills will save you in a real self-defense situation purely depends on how the incident starts.

You need to realize that martial arts training in a gym or a dojo is a strictly-controlled environment. It has to be so, or else there would be so many injuries to the participants that the school would quickly go out of business, and the owner would be bankrupted by lawsuits or thrown into jail.

So martial artists are taught to ‘fight’ by a set of rules. Those rules are designed to prevent the contestants from getting seriously injured. Receiving a few bruises, or even a black eye does not count as an injury per se. I have been taught that injury is where you are carried off to a hospital trauma department. Injury is where a surgeon has to go to work on you before your body can start to heal. Injury is where you cannot carry on, no matter how determined you are.

A broken leg is an injury, so is a ruptured testicle.

So even the toughest, full contact martial arts still have very few serious injuries. If they had more, they would not have many students left.

But out on the street if you choose to get into a fight, you have no way of knowing how a fight is going to end. There is no referee to stop the fight if it gets totally out of hand, and there are no rules. None whatsoever. So you have no way of knowing in advance whether the other guy is going to drop you with a sucker punch and then mark or maim you for life while you are lying on the ground dazed.

It does happen. There are plenty of psychos out there, just looking for an excuse to do serious damage to somebody else… anybody else – and you will do fine if you are stupid enough to make yourself available to them.

That is why you should always apologise if necessary and walk away from a fight. So what if the guy calls you chicken. Are you really so vulnerable that it worries you?

It is only in the movies that the hero proves he is tougher than the bad guy. We would all like to be such a hero, but then ‘being tough’ like that is social posturing. It’s trying to be the alpha male – the top dog – so you can impress and win the girls. Save that for the ring, where there is a referee.

Wanting to be a hero will get you crippled or killed. Avoid the fight and go home in one piece.

That’s my take on it. Does anyone else care to comment?

A reader recently asked me, How can I train to be mentally prepared and avoid panicking if I get attacked?

He said, David, I am scared I will betray my nervousness to an aggressor.

How can I prevent this from happening?

Hey, David.

What would you recommend as the best way I can learn self-defense at home? I am all by myself and I have nobody to practice with.

Are there any good books you can recommend, videos or DVDs I should look at, web sites I should visit for this info?

I am looking for self defense, not some particular type of martial art. I have no particular leanings here. I just want something that will work for me when I need it, and I don’t want to limit my options.

Thanks in advance…

Confused writes:

How can you make sure you hit your opponent’s pressure points accurately and effectively?

Is there a visual indicator I can rely on, like a certain patch of wrinkles in the other guy’s shirt that  shows the spot I need to hit. What should I look for?

I try them out on myself (in case I ever need to use them for self-defense. But when I train with a sparring partner, everything happens so fast that I am not sure my jabs have hit him in the right place. And most times when I do know I hit the spot, I also realize it was purely by luck.

I have never done any martial arts training, but I’m asking this question in case I’m ever attacked and need to defend myself. I would much rather use pressure points than other attacks.

Is it true that if you just blindly punch someone, it’s more likely you’ll be the one getting hurt? That’s why I’m asking about vulnerable points on the human body.

What do you think is the best self defense weapon?

I am planning to make a gift and was thinking about buying any of self-defense weapons. I know that they are all designed to give you time to escape, but anyway, what is the best? Pepper spray doesn’t look as a serious option, maybe a stun gun?

I am interested in learning boxing for self defense.

Is it hard for someone with no fighting experience to learn how to box?

How effective is boxing in a real confrontation, and how hard is it to learn?

Where do I go now to find out more?

Knowing how to do a back breakfall instinctively, without thinking about it, keeps you from cracking your head open as your body hits the concrete. This is a quite a common injury in real street fights, and has resulted in many deaths and criminal charges of manslaughter or worse.

Since you learn Judo, Aikido, Hapkido or Jujitsu by throwing your partner and being thrown in turn by him, you have to learn  right from the start how to break your fall safely, because you will be thrown many, many times while training. And at senior levels, as you get closer to Black Belt skill level, you can expect to throw and be thrown yourself scores – or even hundreds – of times during training sessions that could last from one to two hours.

And when you are skilled enough to be chosen as someone’s Uke (that’s the attacker who gets thrown all over the place) for a demonstration or a competition you are expected to  take some hard falls without getting hurt. So you had better be darned good at tumbling.

So martial arts breakfalls will get you fit alright.

It is like you are doing weight-lifting, over and over again. But it is the weight of your own body that you have to keep picking up each time you rise to your feet after being thrown.

How much did you say you weigh?

The most basic of all breakfalls used in Jujitsu, Judo and Aikido is the back breakfall. You start to learn this one at first from lying down on your back, on the training mats or on the ground.

As your skills improve, you graduate to sitting and then squatting breakfalls. Then you learn to do them from standing at your full height… and when you get good at them, you will be able to handle being hurled at speed and with full power by your training partners.

You learn to keep your head from smashing into the ground as you land, and you learn how not to place your arms and hands.

The way an untrained person tries to break their fall – by placing their straight arms out behind their back and between them and the ground as they loose their balance and fall down – almost guarantees that they will break their arms, one or both clavicles (the collar bones) and possibly their coccyx (or tail-bone) as well.

Uninitiated onlookers who are watching an Aikido, Hapkido, Judo or Jujitsu training session think that the guy flying through the air is being thrown… as if Tori*  that’s the person doing the ‘throw’ is tough and strong. But it’s not a matter of superhuman strength, it comes from timing and feeling for and understanding your opponent / partner’s balance – and how to break that balance.

And it’s true, some of the so-called ‘throws’ wouldn’t actually throw many real-life attackers, like out on the street. What they would do is cripple the guy. The Uke jumps over his own arm from, say, a Kotegaeshi wrist throw because he knows only too well what will happen to his arm if he is too slow taking that breakfall. So he does this flying somersault and his body goes thump on the ground; but what he has actually done is avoid a serious injury from a potentially dangerous martial arts technique.

Think about it. What hurts you more … a punch in the head or having your arm broken in two places?

That’s why we learn to breakfall.

* Note: Tori, the defender who executes the throw is called Nage in traditional Aikido styles.

My young children and I would like to learn a martial art for self defense. What is the best martial art for this?

If there are no martial art classes in my area, does anyone know any step-by-step instructions on line somewhere?

We just need to learn how to get out of a bad situation fast if we have to.

Thanks for your suggestions.

(In the U.S) I’m young and I’ve been thinking about having my Mother and Sister take a self-defense course and then have them carry a non-lethal weapon (for self defense) in case anything were to happen.

What are some self defense weapons other then tasers and stun guns? and how much would a self defense course cost?

Thanks.

I have a minor disability that affects my balance somewhat and my ability to stand for long periods. I’d like to learn some effective self defense. Would boxing be adequate?

I don’t really care for participating in tournaments, I just want the self defense bit of it.

I already carry a concealed firearm, but since I travel by air a lot in my work, there are many places I am not allowed to bring my pistol. Therefore I need to be able to use my hands and body to defend my life if necessary.

Police officers in Mobile Alabama used as taser on a mentally-disabled deaf man who had spent a long time inside a toilet cubicle in a store’s bathroom.

Not realizing that the unfortunate fellow was deaf and mentally-challenged, the boys in blue knocked on the door and called for him to come out. And when he didn’t hear them, they gave him a dose of pepper spray which they sprayed underneath the toilet stall door.

The officers then broke open the toilet door and immediately tasered the hapless man, later named as Antonio Love, age 37.

When the cops realized they had swarmed a deaf and disabled man, they tried to book him for disorderly conduct. Fortunately, the charges were thrown out by a duty magistrate, and Mr Love’s family have since lodged a formal complaint about the incident.

What style of self-defense would be best for someone with no experience?

I’m not athletic or very flexible, but I’m hoping to learn some self defense. Is there one that will be able to give me some skill in the art, but will not be too demanding in the beginning? I’ve heard that most forms of self-defense require a minimum level of fitness in the beginning.

Yes, I could carry a weapon, but that’s not always possible in case of a attack. For example, a lot of places don’t allow pepper spray.

An Aboriginal man has burst into flames after Australian police shot him with a taser gun.

The incident occurred at the Goldfields Aboriginal Community in West Australia, where W.A. police officers had been trying to arrest the intoxicated man for petrol-sniffing. (Drug and alcohol abuse is common in these remote villages where there is little employment and nothing to do. And sniffing petrol is cheaper than buying other intoxicants.)

Police allege the Aborigine then held up a can of gasoline and a cigarette lighter and threatened them not to approach him.

The police say they warned the man several times but he would not comply with their commands. They then shot him with the taser gun, and the man’s petrol-soaked clothing immediately ignited.

The police rushed to put out the flames, but the Aborigine was severely injured. He was taken to hospital with third-degree burns to ten percent of his body.

A police inquiry will try to determine if it was the taser jolt or the man’s cigarette lighter which caused his clothes to ignite.

I have dropped motorcycles a couple of times in my life and been glad I knew how to breakfall properly. And by ‘properly’ I mean your breakfalls have to be instinctual. When you need to save yourself from injury there isn’t time to think.

Once while racing some other guys on a tight corner, this is years ago – remember, I had the bike’s drive chain slip off the sprocket and lock the rear wheel while I was gunning the bike round a right-hand corner uphill.

I skidded into the curb and literally flew head-first over the handlebars. But I did a perfect rolling breakfall and came up on my feet.

The other guys (who were two-up on their bike) stopped to check I was okay, bless ‘em. But they were staring at me as if I had just walked on water. And by the way, I wasn’t wearing a helmet either. (That was a few decades ago.)

…your breakfalls have to be instinctual. When you need to save yourself from injury there isn’t time to think.

The other time I was backing another motorbike downhill and turning backwards into a steep drive. I thought I would let gravity do the work but I couldn’t keep my balance going backwards, so I fell off.

I landed flat on my back and protected my head without thinking. I was red-faced a little bit but unhurt. A watching neighbor was freaked out and expected me to be hurt.He was amazed that I hadn’t been hurt in any way – just my slightly-dented pride.

Another true breakfall story. A friend’s teenage son was walking on rocks at the beach when he slipped on some wet seaweed. His feet just shot out from under him in the blink of an eye, but because he had trained in our club for several months he did a back breakfall and had bruised fingers but no injuries. Without knowing how to breakfall, his dad (another Aikido black belt) told me his boy would have smashed his head open on that rock without any doubt. So the young man survived, thanks to his Aikido training.

Every few weeks I read newspaper stories of people who have been ‘king hit’ (punched out) in some drunken brawl or in a road rage incident. And they fall and crack their head on the concrete. They die, and someone gets prosecuted on a manslaughter charge or worse.

Knowing how to breakfall can save your life. Absolutely.

Indian women need self defense as violence against women gets even worse.

I am a young Indian woman and since I travel to work every day, I would like to learn some form of self defense to defend myself from thugs or creeps who sometimes hassle me.

I am thinking I should do a martial art of some kind. I don’t care what it is… karate, judo or anything. It just has to work if I need it.

Does anybody know where I can find a womens’ self defense class somewhere in South Delhi that has evening sessions? I would be glad of any advice you can give me.

Martial arts childrens' classes

I find myself in the same situation that I would imagine most parents have at some point. With the world in the state that it is I feel the need to make sure my son grows up knowing how to look after himself and that if the worst happens he can at least have a good chance of defending himself. My son is five now and I think it’s about time for him to begin to learn so that by the time he is going off down the town with his friends he will have some self-defense skills. As well as the benefits of a bit of discipline, the sporty activities can’t be anything but good for him.

How I chose the martial arts club and style

A man who died after being Tasered by Australian police had been stunned up to 28 times, according to reports made public today. But the acting president of the Qld Police Union, Ian Leavers, said he wants an end to public speculation, and that the coroner’s inquest should be allowed to run its course.

Antonio Galeano was stunned by up to 28 times by arresting north Queensland police, and details of the autopsy reveal that the 34-year-old man had a heart condition.

Perhaps it is time Australian police were taught better self-defense and manhandling skills instead of relying on gadgets to bridge the gap for their lack of … whatever.

If someone with a dicky heart was hit multiple times by a stun gun, I personally am not surprised he died. And certainly the street cops are unlikely to have known the risks.

In the meantime, the police personnel involved in the incident have received death threats, and are under police protection themselves.

I believe all our police need better training and less gadgetry.

I’ve heard people ask, what to carry for self defense, and my reply to them is a simple ‘That depends…’

The need for self defense can happen any place and at any time. Every threat is different, the laws in every country, and state differ widely, and so do the police forces, and the law courts too. In short, it is a quagmire, and it is very easy to make a mistake when you try to defend yourself.

Now let’s make one thing very clear right away. I am not a legal expert. If you want to get a legal opinion, go and pay a good lawyer or take a law student out to dinner. But I’ll tell you now, the first thing you need to understand about self defense is that under-reacting can get you killed, injured or raped and over-reacting will get you jailed, where you can expect to be injured and raped as well. It’s not much of a choice, is it?

Under-reaction is where you fail to fight back hard enough, and your attacker is free to do whatever he likes with you.

That’s okay if he just wants your wallet or purse. But how do you know that’s all he wants? There is no guarantee he will play by the rules, and who said there were any rules to play by in the first place. This is not about playing. This is you being threatened with violence by somebody, who wants to cow you into accepting whatever they plan on doing to you.

That is not a position you want to be placed in.

But over-reaction is where fear kicks in and overrides your better judgment.

Some guy threatens to punch you, so you pull out a knife or a handgun and you blow him away…

Hmmm. It looks so impressive in the movies, but now this confrontation has become a homicide. The police will have to investigate, and crying ’self defense’ really isn’t going to impress them too much.

Your would-be attacker didn’t have a weapon. You are unharmed in any way. There are no witnesses who will testify that he threatened you. So now, you’re in the shite. Up to the neck in deep, smelly doo-doo.

You can expect to be arrested. If the cops aren’t impressed with your story, you will probably be charged with unlawful manslaughter – or whatever. If they don’t like your face it could even be murder. If you are fortunate enough to be offered bail, you will have to pay the bail to get out, and then go and hire a good criminal lawyer. Lawyers are expensive. Good ones are very expensive.

If you own your own home, chances are you’ll have to sell it to finance the lawyer. So by the time the case has finished going through the courts, he’ll be richer, you’ll be poorer. And who’s to guarantee you won’t do jail time? I mean, win or lose, that lawyer gets his fee.

Even if you don’t get sent to jail, the family of the guy you shot or stabbed is just as likely to try and sue you… that’s if you’ve got any assets (money) left for them to grab. They hate you so they may sue you anyhow. And if they aren’t law-abiding folks, they may decide to get their revenge more directly.

Are you starting to understand there are consequences if you kill somebody, or even injure them severely? The law generally doesn’t approve of citizens being hurt by violence.

Generally speaking, the law does recognize a person’s right to defend themselves from violence; but the law also expects that the amount of violence you use to defend yourself should be the minimum necessary to get the job done. And the job is to make you safe… not necessarily to place your attacker in the mortuary or cripple the guy for life.

Every response you make should be appropriate to the threat. If he’s just loud-mouthing you and calling you names, that doesn’t legally give you the right to beat the cr*p out of him. Even though he may have said he was going to do it to you. Socially it may be okay. Like if you hit him a couple of times and he stays down, the group as a whole may approve of your teaching him a lesson and, hopefully, nobody will have you arrested. But who is going to guarantee that’s the way it will happen?

Ideally, if he wants to punch your nose, then you both could have a nice clean boxing match together. There would be a referee to make sure that nobody gets hurt badly, and everyone goes home as pals. That’s a dream.

The reality is you think you’re going to have a boxing match, but he decks you while you’re getting ready, and if you are lucky, that’s the end of the fight. He has shown his superiority to the group and everyone has witnessed your defeat.

Your pride is bruised, but you aren’t hurt. Learn from it and move on. Grow up.

So if the local bully wants to make you look like a jerk in front of everyone in a bar or a diner someplace, you ought to decline and walk away. He still gets to ‘win’ by making you look chicken. Live with that.

You do not have the right to pull a weapon on him if he is unarmed. And if you fight him, you have chosen to fight him. If you could have walked away and avoided a fight, then you cannot call it self defense when you fight him. It doesn’t matter if you win or lose. You chose to fight.

There is no ‘moral superiority’ here. You are just as much to blame as he is, and the law won’t sympathize with you if he gets injured. I mean, if walking or even running away was an option, and yet you chose to fight instead. It is not self-defense, it is a duel… And duels are illegal.

If the person threatening you really is a criminal, and he is armed with any weapon, then you don’t fight. You give him your money. Give him your watch. If you are sure he is going to kill or rape you, then you may have to choose to fight. You’d better be trained, and you had better know exactly what you are doing.

Sometimes you may have to fight back even if the odds are stacked heavily against you.

I suggest you spend serious time, money and effort and do a self defense course and / or learn a martial art. It could one day save your life or, let’s face it, it might get you killed. But I think it is better to have the skills and knowledge than not have anything to fall back on in an emergency.

As for carrying a weapon for self defense, well you can only really do that in some of those places where there is no law and order. Certain parts of South America, Africa and the Middle East come to mind here. But if you live in a so-called civilized country with a functional police force and a legal system then you have no excuse to carry a weapon. It is meant to be up to the police to protect you.

The best weapon you can carry is your brain. Use it, don’t bruise it.