Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Fear: Your Ally In Any Dangerous Situation

© COPYRIGHT 2010 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Sword and Pen – May 2010 Issue

[Reprinted With Permission]

American Combato
Seattle Combatives


WE constantly remind our students that fearlessness would be, if they could somehow miraculously achieve it, one of the most serious impediments to defending themselves that could exist.

The commercializers (the "fear no man", the "we’re teaching what the government doesn’t want you to know", and the "learn the ancient and unbeatable secrets of the martial arts" crowd) make fortunes by pushing their wares as being the road to fearlessness in the face of danger, or to that state of mind in which the individual is silent and fearless when confronted by the threat of injury or death at the hands of a troublemaker, etc. Crap. Misleading, untrue, foolish, mind-numbing, absolutely absurd N-O-N-S-E-N-S-E.

The dead, the insane, and — sometimes — the wildly arrogant, are “fearless”. If death, insanity, and wild arrogance is what you are seeking, then perhaps you would be well advised to pursue some of the popular garbage that is being presented "out there" and, also, on the internet. Surely you will indeed find yourself led to that toward which you aspire. You won’t be able to defend yourself in the real world, but you will dissolve your mind in a fantasy that will allow you to enjoy living in a fool’s paradise — until that awful moment arrives when you are called upon to use that which you have been taught, for real!

The truth is that fear must be understood, appreciated, and mastered. It is an energizer par excellence. When you are sufficiently fearful you can move with greater speed, hit with greater power, focus with more intense concentration, and withstand 20 times the trauma that you otherwise would be able to withstand (in a calm or "fearless" state).

Fear can turn you into a dangerous, ferocious, focused wrecking machine — a person who is oblivious to anything save the laser-like intensity of a mind fixed on the destruction of whomever may be posing a threat to yourself, or to those you love.

The initial feeling that accompanies the onset of fear is unpleasant. It is also, unfortunately, experienced by many males to be shameful. This is unfortunate, since there is in fact nothing whatever to be ashamed of when you feel fear. If anything, fear is a confirmation of your intelligence. Being intelligent, the realization that danger may strike makes you fearful — as it should.

Fearlessness would be the reaction of an infant in a crib if you leveled a handgun at his head. He might even giggle and want to play with the gun. Point a loaded handgun at the head of anyone who had a mature brain contained within it, and he would experience fear.

Nature provides, in that reaction of your organism which we refer to as "fear", an instantaneous “warmup” as it were, readying you for action. You cannot take 30 minutes to limber up when you realize that some piece of gutter manure is about to attack you. And you don‟t have to. Fear instantly jars you into a state of readiness to ACT. And you can act with highly intensified efficiency when you are afraid.

Think about this:

If you go to an office job every day you might wake up to an alarm clock early in the morning. Notice that you normally take a long time to really "wake up" and function at peak efficiency? You’re up at six and by around ten in the morning you’re fully alert and functioning at normal productive efficiency.

Now imagine that you are sound asleep, and it is two in the morning. A window breaks in your house! You snap out of sleep and jump up — awake, alert, ready. You are scared! Nature has built into you the capacity to instantly "ready" your mind and your muscles when a sudden emergency strikes. That‟s fear. And that‟s a blessing. It is the last thing you want to “get rid of” if you aspire to a functional capacity with practical self-defense skills!

Punks, bullies, troublemakers, and assorted other sewer scum often approach their intended victims feeling NO FEAR AT ALL. Why? Because these bacteria carefully calculate their evil acts, and they select as their targets those whom they are sure in their own minds will be easy victims to torment. THERE YOU HAVE ONE OF THE GREATEST ADVANTAGES IMAGINABLE, IF ONLY YOU WILL REALIZE AND APPRECIATE IT!

Mr. Filth approaches you in a confident, fearless manner, because he has determined in his own mind that beating you (or whatever the hell it is his intention to do to you) will be "no sweat". You — being a civilized, nonviolent, and responsible human being — obviously experience an immediate fear of that which you perceive to be about to occur. GREAT! You now not only have all of the physical advantages that the fear response gives you (i.e. you will be infinitely faster, stronger, more resilient, and completely focused when and if you need to employ countermeasures to drop Mr. Filth), but you have the CRITICAL ELEMENT OF SURPRISE! Your would-be attacker not only is in an overconfident, relatively unconcerned state of mind, he has not the slightest awareness of that which you are capable of doing, will do, and the heightened state of strength, speed, and determination with which you will undertake to do it!

When you explode in Mr. Filth’s face and dish out the maiming attack that leaves him writhing on the sidewalk, or crumpled up in unconsciousness as he deserves, he will never know what hit him!

Still interested in becoming “fearless”?

We believe that one of the greatest benefits that we are able to offer those who come to us for training is — in addition to proven techniques that WORK — is that mental conditioning that is so necessary for handling real violence and prevailing against dangerous, determined human adversaries.

You can do it. And you can do it best when you’re afraid, and when you’ve learned how to use your fear energy!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Defending Against Attacks From Behind

I apologize for falling behind on these Combato posts. Between the job search and my own training it's been difficult to keep them current. I know that there aren't a lot of people following or reading this material but it is my sincere hope that those who do can come away with some practical information. Enough at least that they'll be empowered to avoid the imbeciles who clutter the "Martial Arts" community with feel-good claptrap and suicidal nonsense.

Sincerely, Psychobastard.


© COPYRIGHT 2010 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Sword and Pen – May 2010 Issue

[Reprinted With Permission]

American Combato
Seattle Combatives

WE identify three categories of physical attack as the most dangerous, and as being inevitably life-threatening, even to a highly skilled and experienced close combat expert:

1. Attacks involving multiple assailants

2. Attacks by armed assailants

3. Attacks from behind

A great deal of misleading has gone on in the martial arts field for many years, and many who have come to one or another of the "martial arts" in search of practical self-defense have been taught that handling multiple, armed, or rear area attackers is no big deal. Some really absurd and ridiculous techniques have been and are being advanced in a number of schools that not only "don’t work" against these forms of attack, but that likely contribute to the near-certainty of the attacker’s success.

Have you ever seen those hapkido or aikido "defenses" against multiple attackers where the attackers are thrown (often simultaneously!) into the air, and away from their intended victim?

Have you ever watched a ju-jutsu demonstration in which two or more attackers go after a lone defender in a most convenient and orderly fashion — permitting the defender to throw, hold, evade, pin, and thwart his multiple adversaries with ease?

How about those flashy weapon defenses? For some truly suicidal stuff you may access YouTube!

With all due respect to whomever produces videos showing "defenses against knife, club, or gun attacks", you cannot really use 99% of that which these demonstrations present!

Now consider attacks from behind — the topic of this present discussion. While it is certainly possible to develop reasonably good counteractions against unskilled types of attack from behind, the seriousness of this kind of threat is rarely if ever accurately acknowledged by those who purport to teach self-defense. Demonstrations leave observers with the impression that a mugger who seizes a victim from behind can be handled about as easily as a man who approaches from the front and grabs your jacket. Not so.

First of all, the critically important difference between even the clumsiest and most unskillfully undertaken attack from behind and any frontal attack is that the victim does not see the attack coming when it comes from behind. Only when the attack hits does the victim become aware that it is taking place, and by then it may sometimes be too late to do anything about it.

Since this Newsletter goes to many who train in and study systems and methods other than our own — and some visitors to our site, we know, are self-teachers, and learn via books — we want to keep this advice as simple and as generally applicable to everyone, as possible. We hope that we can contribute to our visitors’ improved self-defense preparation, confidence, and realistic training.

Principle 1: ANY ATTACK FROM BEHIND MUST BE REACTED TO ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT IT IS DEADLY

There is simply no wiggle space here. You cannot afford to pause for a fraction of a second. As soon as violent controlling contact or impact occurs from behind, ATTACK! Go into immediate retaliatory action and do not stop until you are safe.

"Suppose it’s just a practical joker, or a foolish friend?" you might ask.

We have never had any affection in our heart for so-called "practical jokers"; and the last thing that we would regard as unfortunate is the loss of a "friend" who considered it "cute" or "funny" to simulate an attack against us, from behind. In simpler, even plainer language: To hell with morons who behave like that. If they get injured for their buffoonery, then let it be.

DO NOT SABOTAGE YOUR ABILITY TO DEFEND YOURSELF OUT OF CONSIDERATION FOR IMBECILES AND JERKS.

Principle 2: APPRECIATE HOW DANGEROUS ATTACKS FROM BEHIND REALLY ARE, AND GO TO EVERY LENGTH TO SAFEGUARD AGAINST THEIR OCCURRENCE.

Alertness and situational awareness is one of the first essential elements of individual security and self-protection. With a commitment to remaining in "condition yellow", and with efforts to invariably keep your back well protected and unapproachable, you can eliminate nearly every form of rear area attack.

Far and away, this is the best "self-defense technique" against an attack from behind.

Principle 3: TRAIN TO REACT TO CLOTHING, ARM, AND BODY GRABS FROM BEHIND NOT MERELY BY VIOLENTLY ATTACKING IN THE MOST EXPEDIENT MANNER (KICKING BACK, LASHING BACK WITH CHOPS, HAMMERFISTS, ELBOWS, GRABS FOR THE ENEMY’S TESTICLES, ETC., BUT ALSO BY GROWLING AND YELLING AS FEROCIOUSLY AS YOU ARE ABLE TO DO.

The unexpected and sudden yelling and snarling that accompanies your immediate acts of violence will serve to disorient most assailants, immediately. Remember that arm, clothing, and body grabs are unskillful attack methods, and so the assailant who moves on you in this manner — although potentially very dangerous — will almost certainly be unsophisticated in proper unarmed combat, and will be doubly shocked when you not only commence violent reaction, but also begin snarling and growling like a madman.

PRINCIPLE 4: IT IS CRITICAL THAT EVERY ATTEMPT MADE — WHETHER DELIBERATE OR COINCIDENTAL — TO PULL YOU OFF BALANCE TO THE REAR, BE FOUGHT AND COUNTERED IMMEDIATELY.

Body holds ("bearhug" type attacks) will automatically be countered properly by first slamming oneself forward and down, stomping viciously into the feet/legs, and violently turning and slashing or kicking to the rear will take care of other types of seizures of the limbs or clothing. However, mugging type arm strangles and chokes from behind, and the application of such attacks as the wrestling full nelson hold can present a much more difficult challenge to the defender.

Twist violently and turn whenever a forearm invades from behind, around your neck. Go in the direction of the momentum provided by the attacker’s arm.

As you twist and turn, smash into the testicles and grab hard! Drive elbow blows back into the attacker’s solar plexus/sternum area.

Always drop your bodyweight when grabbed from behind. This creates a problem for the attacker in supporting and controlling your weight.

BITE AND BITE HARD — into an enemy’s arm, hand. or fingers when and if possible, and do not release your biting grip. Retain your bite as you followup with other blows and smashes. This will likely rip flesh from the attacker, and — if his fingers are bitten, break the bones of his fingers.

PRINCIPLE 5: TURN! TURN AT THE VERY FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO, AND DRIVE INTO YOUR ATTACKER AS VICIOUSLY AS YOU CAN.

Do not focus on breaking the attacker’s hold, or simply getting free of his grip. In order to optimize your chance for successfully escaping and defending yourself, you must go on the attack! The sooner your enemy is injured and the faster your actions make him realize that YOU are after HIM, and after him with MURDEROUS INTENT, the better.

Never forget that all close combat is at least 50% MENTAL.