Welcome

The first time I set foot in a martial arts school, I was terrified. As a natural born klutz, I was certain that my trial attempt at karate could have only one outcome; me, making a complete fool of myself. My sensei teases me about “sneaking into the school” to this day. In most of my life’s activities, I had simply been a nearly invisible participant. And, quite truthfully, I was usually content with that. I almost didn’t notice the internal changes that were taking place as I progressed in my chosen art. As it turned out, sticking with karate was one of the best things I ever did for myself.

The internal benefits of martial arts are innumerable, and something that every person deserves to experience. But personal growth aside, I believe that everyone – women especially – deserves a basic knowledge of self-defense. Unfortunately we live in a world where people are not always good, and innocent people are often victims of violent and horrific crime.

Also unfortunate is the fact that, in many cases, these crimes were successful simply because the victim froze, rather than fighting back. That is the main advantage a martial artist has over someone with no training. Our minds are conditioned not to freeze in threatening situations. Self defense has little to do with the flashy, complicated techniques that the martial artists of the movies usually display.

That is the goal of this blog; to give readers some knowledge that they can use to protect themselves in realistic scenarios. Sometimes all it takes is simple awareness and training your mind to react. The focus of this blog will be effective and basic defensive strategies against realistic attacks. I will also introduce the mindset you must adopt in order to defend yourself. And, of course, I will devote some time to other martial arts topics, such as internal benefits, lifestyle, meditation, etc… (After all, those are the things I love about martial arts!).

I hope to use this blog as a backbone for a future self-defense book, but most of all I hope that readers will gain knowledge that may protect them in the future! (Though I sincerely hope that nobody ever has to use anything they learn here.) I hope you find this blog interesting and useful, and that you enjoy reading and learning from it! I must ask though…please use caution should you decide to practice any of the techniques discussed here! These are real and effective self-defense techniques, and injury is a risk. These techniques should be used for self-defense only.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Three Rules of Self Defense (Part 1)

If you are ever attacked, there are three basic rules you should remember. Commit these rules to your deepest memories. You won’t have time to count them out on your fingers. Keep them in mind as you learn and practice self defense techniques. If you apply them to your practice, they will become second nature, and won’t fail you when you need them most.

Rule #1 – Respond Immediately: The Three Second Rule

A perfect defense lasts no more than three seconds. That seems like an amazingly short period of time, but remember that it only takes two or three moves to disable an attacker (unless you waste time on useless targets, but more about that later). You have to get started instantly. Never wait for your attacker to get a firm grip on you or to land a few strikes of his own. Act as soon as you feel that threatening touch or grab. Too many attacks are successful because the victim hesitates.

Your goal here is to take the attention off of yourself and redirect it to your attacker. When he attacks, counter-attack immediately with any strike (to any target) that comes to mind. Put him in pain. If he is thinking about his own pain he isn’t thinking about yours. This distraction may last no more than a second, so follow your initial counter-attack up with two or three more strikes to sensitive targets (see rule #2 to follow). Once your attacker has let go or is disabled, it’s time to high-tail it out of there. Call the cops as soon as you possibly can.

The Bottom Line: NEVER NEVER NEVER hesitate. This only gives your attacker more advantage and a chance to get you under control. Counter-attack and get out within three seconds if you can.

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