The first lifting session since February. I used the same weights in all lifts... except the squats. I started out with only the bar. I added 20-pounds instead of 10. Then another 20-pounds... finishing with 3x5 @ 85-pounds. These still felt somewhat awkward... but not nearly as weak as last winter.
The running has definitely conditioned the legs somewhat. I could tell that the strength between left and right was much more even now. I believe that I was likely over-correcting today regardless and that this is what was causing the problems.
The other bright spot was the high pulls. They started off horrible. The bar was too light. I've written about this before I think: at a certain point the weight on the bar actually facilitates proper form... for me. True that too heavy is always a mistake but starting too light means that I'm sloppy and cannot really tell much about my form or how badly I'm pooching the lift until it's weeks or months later and all was wrong.
On the second set I attempted to lift from the second pull. Again the bar was too light. Also, I was not getting enough momentum... and did not want to jerk the bar from that point. So back out of the rack I went. The work sets were done from the floor. The first two were better than the warm up sets. The very last work set was much better. I was getting more of the components of the lift into play. Traps pull AND then the arms, the back straightening... and ending with the bar above the belt line. These still need A LOT of work but they'll come along.
I will be feeling this tomorrow! My legs are feeling already as is my back. I think that the legs will likely recover faster because they've been getting work from the running. The quads have. The hamstrings... they're be aching. My shoulders, chest and back are going to be hurting as well. GRAND! I run again tomorrow!
This week is a test to see just how blown out I am at the end of the week. I think I'll swallow some Ibuprofin... and go get dinner.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
So The Plan Is...
Ah... Yes, the "plan" is to go running today* (getting ready right now) and hit the weights tomorrow. Then running again on Tuesday. I took last week off. So this week's 5k will be done having done absolutely nothing for seven days. I usually feel horrible after taking that long of a rest... but once again I wasn't sleeping well and I felt the need to "catch up".
We'll be starting completely from scratch on the strength training regimen... back onto the 5x5 routine of course. This week I'll be seeing how I can manage the adjustment. I expect to be completely exhausted by Friday. I predict having to make some MAJOR adjustments to my diet & sleep schedule. I'm going to need green vegetables & a decent amount of protein. (I need to check the expiration date on the yogurt in the refrigerator!)
* Finished todays run about 50-yards short. So once again, when I skip training session, my gait speeds up but my stride shortens. Still, it was a very good session. I wasn't as worn out at the end as I thought i would be. While the legs were feeling the work, I still had a little left when I hit the cool down point. My pace remained fairly steady this time as well. I didnt slow down & start dragging towards the end. Tomorrow should be interesting. I'm sure that I'll have to hold a gun to my head for the first weight lifting session.
We'll be starting completely from scratch on the strength training regimen... back onto the 5x5 routine of course. This week I'll be seeing how I can manage the adjustment. I expect to be completely exhausted by Friday. I predict having to make some MAJOR adjustments to my diet & sleep schedule. I'm going to need green vegetables & a decent amount of protein. (I need to check the expiration date on the yogurt in the refrigerator!)
* Finished todays run about 50-yards short. So once again, when I skip training session, my gait speeds up but my stride shortens. Still, it was a very good session. I wasn't as worn out at the end as I thought i would be. While the legs were feeling the work, I still had a little left when I hit the cool down point. My pace remained fairly steady this time as well. I didnt slow down & start dragging towards the end. Tomorrow should be interesting. I'm sure that I'll have to hold a gun to my head for the first weight lifting session.
Are You An Exerciser Or An Athlete - Part I
Are You An Exerciser Or An Athlete - Part I
By Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems
http://www.staleytraining.com
Probably 90 percent of all American adults are sedentary, fat, and/or just generally soft and out of shape. The fact that you're reading this probably means you're in the remaining 10 percent, which is to your credit.
When I look at the active minority however, it's clear that 90 percent of them are what I call "exercisers." Allow me to explain and define:
Exercisers want to look better, and despite years of neglect and bad habits, they want it yesterday. They try to achieve this end through manipulating the law of thermodynamics. Eat fewer calories, burn more calories. In other words, create a caloric deficit and (hopefully) lose weight and be somebody.
Athletes want to perform better, and despite years of hard training, they still see new PR's in their future. They achieve this end through consistent and progressive training, directed toward a competitive goal
Most exercisers assume that the more an exercise hurts, the more calories it must burn, and therefore, the better it is for you. Similarly, exercisers assume the worse a food tastes, the better it is for you, and if you buy into the law of thermodynamics, it's not hard to see the kernel of truth in this assumption.
Ultimately, being an exerciser is a hard way to go. The exerciser lifestyle is about denial, self-loathing, and guilt.
You've got to make sure you put in enough punishment on the treadmill, and you've also gotta make sure you never eat anything that tastes good. No wonder people hate exercise as much as they hate dieting. I happen to hate both practices myself.
There is a better way however, and that better way is to adopt the mindset and lifestyle of an athlete. Athletes, don't exercise, they train. They don't diet; they refuel. They don't avoid, they seek. If you go into any Olympic weightlifting club, you'll notice that they don't do exercises, they do "the lifts." (meaning, the snatch and clean & jerk). In fact, most weightlifters refer to their workouts as "practices" as in "I'm going to practice."
Exercisers are perpetually trying to "lose weight." When a wrestler or MMA competitor needs to drop weight for a competition, they call it "cutting." Notice how the former sounds negative and reactive, while the latter sounds positive and proactive?
The biggest problem associated with having an "exerciser" mindset is that it compels people to make exercise choices that are contradictory to speed, strength, power, and generally, Type IIB physiology. Here's an example:
You read an article about "time under tension," and since the author is a world-famous strength coach, you decide to give it a shot. On your next workout you decide to squat using a "4-1-2" tempo, meaning a 4-second descent followed by a 1-second pause, and finally, a 2-second ascent. You quickly learn that "TUT" is a very painful experience, and since you associate pain with gain, you're hooked.
It's not until 3-4 weeks later however, that you begin to realize that your agonizingly painful squat routine hasn't put any beef on your quads or hams, and as far as strength goes, you actually feel weaker!
Any motor-learning professor could tell you why...your 7-second reps dramatically reduce the tension on your working muscles, which in turn reduce Type IIB (fast twitch) fiber recruitment in favor of more slow twitch motor units. This sucks, because now you're weaker and slower.
You might assume that the athletic lifestyle is beyond your reach. But being an athlete isn't the exclusive domain of elite performers. In fact, quite the contrary: by strict definition, most athletes are not elite! Instead, being an athlete is a lifestyle and a perspective. It's the way you go about business in the gym. It's a professional attitude, as opposed to an amateur one.
The exerciser does it because he has to; the athlete does it because he wants to.
Making the transition from exerciser to athlete is simple, but not necessarily easy. In the next part of this series, I'll present 5 Critical Practices that'll help you make the switch.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About The Author
Charles Staley...world-class strength/performance coach...his colleagues call him an iconoclast, a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients call him “The Secret Weapon” for his ability to see what other coaches miss. Charles calls himself a “geek” who struggled in Phys Ed throughout school. Whatever you call him, Charles’ methods are ahead of their time and quickly produce serious results.
Click here to visit Charles' site and grab your 5 FREE videos that will show you how to literally FORCE your body to build muscle, lose fat and gain strength with "Escalating Density Training," Charles' revolutionary, time-saving approach to lifting that focuses on performance NOT pain.
http://www.staleytrainingprograms.com
By Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems
http://www.staleytraining.com
Probably 90 percent of all American adults are sedentary, fat, and/or just generally soft and out of shape. The fact that you're reading this probably means you're in the remaining 10 percent, which is to your credit.
When I look at the active minority however, it's clear that 90 percent of them are what I call "exercisers." Allow me to explain and define:
Exercisers want to look better, and despite years of neglect and bad habits, they want it yesterday. They try to achieve this end through manipulating the law of thermodynamics. Eat fewer calories, burn more calories. In other words, create a caloric deficit and (hopefully) lose weight and be somebody.
Athletes want to perform better, and despite years of hard training, they still see new PR's in their future. They achieve this end through consistent and progressive training, directed toward a competitive goal
Most exercisers assume that the more an exercise hurts, the more calories it must burn, and therefore, the better it is for you. Similarly, exercisers assume the worse a food tastes, the better it is for you, and if you buy into the law of thermodynamics, it's not hard to see the kernel of truth in this assumption.
Ultimately, being an exerciser is a hard way to go. The exerciser lifestyle is about denial, self-loathing, and guilt.
You've got to make sure you put in enough punishment on the treadmill, and you've also gotta make sure you never eat anything that tastes good. No wonder people hate exercise as much as they hate dieting. I happen to hate both practices myself.
There is a better way however, and that better way is to adopt the mindset and lifestyle of an athlete. Athletes, don't exercise, they train. They don't diet; they refuel. They don't avoid, they seek. If you go into any Olympic weightlifting club, you'll notice that they don't do exercises, they do "the lifts." (meaning, the snatch and clean & jerk). In fact, most weightlifters refer to their workouts as "practices" as in "I'm going to practice."
Exercisers are perpetually trying to "lose weight." When a wrestler or MMA competitor needs to drop weight for a competition, they call it "cutting." Notice how the former sounds negative and reactive, while the latter sounds positive and proactive?
The biggest problem associated with having an "exerciser" mindset is that it compels people to make exercise choices that are contradictory to speed, strength, power, and generally, Type IIB physiology. Here's an example:
You read an article about "time under tension," and since the author is a world-famous strength coach, you decide to give it a shot. On your next workout you decide to squat using a "4-1-2" tempo, meaning a 4-second descent followed by a 1-second pause, and finally, a 2-second ascent. You quickly learn that "TUT" is a very painful experience, and since you associate pain with gain, you're hooked.
It's not until 3-4 weeks later however, that you begin to realize that your agonizingly painful squat routine hasn't put any beef on your quads or hams, and as far as strength goes, you actually feel weaker!
Any motor-learning professor could tell you why...your 7-second reps dramatically reduce the tension on your working muscles, which in turn reduce Type IIB (fast twitch) fiber recruitment in favor of more slow twitch motor units. This sucks, because now you're weaker and slower.
You might assume that the athletic lifestyle is beyond your reach. But being an athlete isn't the exclusive domain of elite performers. In fact, quite the contrary: by strict definition, most athletes are not elite! Instead, being an athlete is a lifestyle and a perspective. It's the way you go about business in the gym. It's a professional attitude, as opposed to an amateur one.
The exerciser does it because he has to; the athlete does it because he wants to.
Making the transition from exerciser to athlete is simple, but not necessarily easy. In the next part of this series, I'll present 5 Critical Practices that'll help you make the switch.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About The Author
Charles Staley...world-class strength/performance coach...his colleagues call him an iconoclast, a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients call him “The Secret Weapon” for his ability to see what other coaches miss. Charles calls himself a “geek” who struggled in Phys Ed throughout school. Whatever you call him, Charles’ methods are ahead of their time and quickly produce serious results.
Click here to visit Charles' site and grab your 5 FREE videos that will show you how to literally FORCE your body to build muscle, lose fat and gain strength with "Escalating Density Training," Charles' revolutionary, time-saving approach to lifting that focuses on performance NOT pain.
http://www.staleytrainingprograms.com
Friday, August 28, 2009
Weapons And Self-Defense
Integrating Weapons Into a
Combat & Self-Defense Curriculum
© COPYRIGHT 2009 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Sword and Pen – May 2009 Issue
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
THAT weapons are part and parcel of the original Eastern and Western martial arts is no revelation. However, today's atmosphere presents two challenges that, for the most part, have either not been met or have been poorly met by those who teach and who practice close combat and self-defense.
While a significant number of those who come to the study of martial arts today do so for self-defense and not in order to partake of a classical/traditional discipline or a competitive sport, the truth is that perhaps only three to five percent of those schools and teachers purporting to teach "self-defense" are truly doing so. For the most part the plethora of schools in the United States, Canada, and Europe teach antiquated fighting methods; methods that, at the expert level, may be adapted to use in emergencies, but that are not in any sense all-out practical combative arts. The statistically average black belt holder in virtually any of the typical systems being taught today is probably no better able to defend himself for real than would be someone who has been wrestling or boxing for six months or so.
The reason why native Asian masters (notably men like Richard Chun, who dispatched a gang of punks single-handedly, and Takayuki Kubota, who established a reputation when he came to Los Angeles in the 60's by helping LAPD officers "pacify" dangerous street louts) fare so well when they are put to the test is: They have put in year upon year upon year of grueling practice for hours EVERY DAY before arriving in this Country. In fact two months of the training that these masters have undergone exceeds what most of the more serious black belts who have been promoted here amounts to, in two years!
A champion boxer or a champion wrestler can also defend himself exceedingly well. But that which a "champion" can do after devoting himself body, mind, and spirit full time to his training says nothing about what most people need — and possess the genetics to do — before they can protect themselves in a real life predicament.
Classical/traditional, no more than sporting/competitive, is NOT the way to go for close combat and self-defense!
Weaponry as taught in the martial arts today bears not the slightest relation to that which the private citizen needs for practical self-defense. And when students of the martial arts become enamored of such implements as the nunchuku, sai, tonfa, bo staff, and samurai sword, etc. they may in fact become capable performers of traditional weapons skills, but that are not acquiring practically functional weapons abilities for 21st century requirements — in peacetime or in war.
We have spoken with some excellent classical/traditional students and teachers over the years. Their attitude, when and where they see their training as being undertaken for "self-defense" is either: "Oh, I don't bother with that ‘traditional' weaponry. I just do the unarmed stuff, which I can use in the street," or "I realize that those traditional weapons are limited, but when you get really good with ‘em they're better than nothing!"
We respectfully disagree with those philosophies. And although we respect and appreciate that classical/traditional weaponry — like classical/traditional unarmed combat — can be a most valuable practice for those enthusiastic about such things, we must insist upon its impracticality for actual use, today.
What is practical and effective today? Primarily firearms. Secondarily, weapons such as fighting knives, walking sticks, and combat tomahawks (like the superb La Gana "American Tomahawk"). As a last resort one may use improvised and expedient "weapons-at-hand" (like a letter opener, a pen or pencil, a rolled up magazine, a utility knife, a screwdriver, hammer, a rock, or a chair, etc.). But relying upon a manriki-gusari (length of chain that is weighted at both ends), throwing darts or stars, or any of the myriad other "martial arts weapons" is — for practical, modern use — foolish.
The weapons of today are the weapons that the modern student of close combat and self-defense must acquire and train to use.
Unfortunately, a percentage of those who come to the study of martial arts for self-defense actually do so because they prefer not to use weapons! They "don't like" guns or knives, for example. What these people need is to be trained correctly. The fact is that is doesn't matter what these individuals "like" or "don't like". Weapons are and always have been a reality! The person who believes — and who is encouraged by some commercializer who has no business representing himself as a self-defense teacher, to continue to believe — that unarmed self-defense is sufficient and will enable him to protect himself against weapons that may be employed against him, is dangerously misinformed! He is living in a fool's paradise, and the greatest favor that a real teacher can do such a one is to frankly confront him with the truth. Weapons — real, effective, modern weapons — are not an "option", but are rather a necessity for practical self-defense. And unless weaponry is regarded as being integral to a study of close combat and self-defense, that study is dangerously and seriously incomplete.
The modern adult student of self-defense regards unarmed combat, and armed combat, as his proper concern.
Naturally, weapons must be taught carefully and responsibly. The acquisition of weapons should of course be legal, and we encourage no one to violate any laws. Our point here is merely to emphasize a point that must be understood because it is true. Weapons are integral to martial arts training, or the training is not "martial", at all.
In our System we focus on laying a strong foundation in physical, technical,
tactical, and mental training first. (We refuse to teach weapons to anyone, save perhaps an elderly or handicapped person, who does not first acquire unarmed capabilities). This provides some measure of assurance that the individual will be confident and adept enough to keep the use of weapons in their proper place. He will not, in other words, regard them as a crutch, and resort to them when their use is neither necessary nor lawful.
We respectfully suggest that other teachers follow this example. Our advocacy of weapons is always for their lawful and responsible use only when absolutely justifiable and necessary in legitimate self-defense.
One final thought: Of great importance in modern close combat and self-defense training is improvised weapons — or "expedient" weapons, or "weapons-at-hand". While the modern handgun, shotgun, fighting knife, and walking stick are appropriately taught as formally manufactured practical weapons, no student should miss the acquisition of knowledge and skill in the use of everyday objects and tools that are at hand, as weapons: eating utensils, pens, pencils, items of furniture, even such things as gravel, rocks, branches, and grooming aids, etc.! The only limit here is imagination and will. (Note:— While so-called "martial artists" do not appear to appreciate the fact, many of their "traditional weapons" were incorporated into the martial arts because they were conveniently improvisable at the time. Nunchucks, tonfa, long bo, etc. are ALL archaic "weapons-at-hand" that were incorporated into classical Okinawan karate because that was all that the unarmed peasants could speedily improvise and employ with their unarmed [karate, or "te"] skills! It is hilarious to hear some hallucinating moron in 2009 who — topknot and all — fancying himself a "true martial artist", espouses these "traditional" improvised weapons, yet who disdains the idea of a modern student learning some of the improvised weapon skills that, for instance, we teach to our pupils!).
We are realists in teaching self-defense. So should you be in learning self-defense.
Bradley J. Steiner
Combat & Self-Defense Curriculum
© COPYRIGHT 2009 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Sword and Pen – May 2009 Issue
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
THAT weapons are part and parcel of the original Eastern and Western martial arts is no revelation. However, today's atmosphere presents two challenges that, for the most part, have either not been met or have been poorly met by those who teach and who practice close combat and self-defense.
While a significant number of those who come to the study of martial arts today do so for self-defense and not in order to partake of a classical/traditional discipline or a competitive sport, the truth is that perhaps only three to five percent of those schools and teachers purporting to teach "self-defense" are truly doing so. For the most part the plethora of schools in the United States, Canada, and Europe teach antiquated fighting methods; methods that, at the expert level, may be adapted to use in emergencies, but that are not in any sense all-out practical combative arts. The statistically average black belt holder in virtually any of the typical systems being taught today is probably no better able to defend himself for real than would be someone who has been wrestling or boxing for six months or so.
The reason why native Asian masters (notably men like Richard Chun, who dispatched a gang of punks single-handedly, and Takayuki Kubota, who established a reputation when he came to Los Angeles in the 60's by helping LAPD officers "pacify" dangerous street louts) fare so well when they are put to the test is: They have put in year upon year upon year of grueling practice for hours EVERY DAY before arriving in this Country. In fact two months of the training that these masters have undergone exceeds what most of the more serious black belts who have been promoted here amounts to, in two years!
A champion boxer or a champion wrestler can also defend himself exceedingly well. But that which a "champion" can do after devoting himself body, mind, and spirit full time to his training says nothing about what most people need — and possess the genetics to do — before they can protect themselves in a real life predicament.
Classical/traditional, no more than sporting/competitive, is NOT the way to go for close combat and self-defense!
Weaponry as taught in the martial arts today bears not the slightest relation to that which the private citizen needs for practical self-defense. And when students of the martial arts become enamored of such implements as the nunchuku, sai, tonfa, bo staff, and samurai sword, etc. they may in fact become capable performers of traditional weapons skills, but that are not acquiring practically functional weapons abilities for 21st century requirements — in peacetime or in war.
We have spoken with some excellent classical/traditional students and teachers over the years. Their attitude, when and where they see their training as being undertaken for "self-defense" is either: "Oh, I don't bother with that ‘traditional' weaponry. I just do the unarmed stuff, which I can use in the street," or "I realize that those traditional weapons are limited, but when you get really good with ‘em they're better than nothing!"
We respectfully disagree with those philosophies. And although we respect and appreciate that classical/traditional weaponry — like classical/traditional unarmed combat — can be a most valuable practice for those enthusiastic about such things, we must insist upon its impracticality for actual use, today.
What is practical and effective today? Primarily firearms. Secondarily, weapons such as fighting knives, walking sticks, and combat tomahawks (like the superb La Gana "American Tomahawk"). As a last resort one may use improvised and expedient "weapons-at-hand" (like a letter opener, a pen or pencil, a rolled up magazine, a utility knife, a screwdriver, hammer, a rock, or a chair, etc.). But relying upon a manriki-gusari (length of chain that is weighted at both ends), throwing darts or stars, or any of the myriad other "martial arts weapons" is — for practical, modern use — foolish.
The weapons of today are the weapons that the modern student of close combat and self-defense must acquire and train to use.
Unfortunately, a percentage of those who come to the study of martial arts for self-defense actually do so because they prefer not to use weapons! They "don't like" guns or knives, for example. What these people need is to be trained correctly. The fact is that is doesn't matter what these individuals "like" or "don't like". Weapons are and always have been a reality! The person who believes — and who is encouraged by some commercializer who has no business representing himself as a self-defense teacher, to continue to believe — that unarmed self-defense is sufficient and will enable him to protect himself against weapons that may be employed against him, is dangerously misinformed! He is living in a fool's paradise, and the greatest favor that a real teacher can do such a one is to frankly confront him with the truth. Weapons — real, effective, modern weapons — are not an "option", but are rather a necessity for practical self-defense. And unless weaponry is regarded as being integral to a study of close combat and self-defense, that study is dangerously and seriously incomplete.
The modern adult student of self-defense regards unarmed combat, and armed combat, as his proper concern.
Naturally, weapons must be taught carefully and responsibly. The acquisition of weapons should of course be legal, and we encourage no one to violate any laws. Our point here is merely to emphasize a point that must be understood because it is true. Weapons are integral to martial arts training, or the training is not "martial", at all.
In our System we focus on laying a strong foundation in physical, technical,
tactical, and mental training first. (We refuse to teach weapons to anyone, save perhaps an elderly or handicapped person, who does not first acquire unarmed capabilities). This provides some measure of assurance that the individual will be confident and adept enough to keep the use of weapons in their proper place. He will not, in other words, regard them as a crutch, and resort to them when their use is neither necessary nor lawful.
We respectfully suggest that other teachers follow this example. Our advocacy of weapons is always for their lawful and responsible use only when absolutely justifiable and necessary in legitimate self-defense.
One final thought: Of great importance in modern close combat and self-defense training is improvised weapons — or "expedient" weapons, or "weapons-at-hand". While the modern handgun, shotgun, fighting knife, and walking stick are appropriately taught as formally manufactured practical weapons, no student should miss the acquisition of knowledge and skill in the use of everyday objects and tools that are at hand, as weapons: eating utensils, pens, pencils, items of furniture, even such things as gravel, rocks, branches, and grooming aids, etc.! The only limit here is imagination and will. (Note:— While so-called "martial artists" do not appear to appreciate the fact, many of their "traditional weapons" were incorporated into the martial arts because they were conveniently improvisable at the time. Nunchucks, tonfa, long bo, etc. are ALL archaic "weapons-at-hand" that were incorporated into classical Okinawan karate because that was all that the unarmed peasants could speedily improvise and employ with their unarmed [karate, or "te"] skills! It is hilarious to hear some hallucinating moron in 2009 who — topknot and all — fancying himself a "true martial artist", espouses these "traditional" improvised weapons, yet who disdains the idea of a modern student learning some of the improvised weapon skills that, for instance, we teach to our pupils!).
We are realists in teaching self-defense. So should you be in learning self-defense.
Bradley J. Steiner
Workplace/Public Place Violence
© COPYRIGHT 2009 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Sword and Pen – May 2009 Issue
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
LAST month another nut massacred a group of innocent people, for no apparent reason. The incident occurred in Binghamton, New York, and doubtless our readers are familiar with the story.
One of our Black Belts suggested that we discuss this problem of workplace murder and mayhem, and that if possible we offer some suggestions on how people might prepare themselves just in case it ever does happen to them. It would seem, from the news reports of late, that it is happening to someone, somewhere — all of the time.
There are no "nice" ways to handle a would-be murderer, and so we shall not insult the intelligence of our esteemed readership by suggesting any. Instead, let us be straightforward and clear:
First, no one should overlook the fact that it could happen to him. Any workplace or public place is the possible site of explosive violence by some lunatic.
The obvious "best" reaction to the appearance of an armed madman who is apparently intending to unleash lethal force is immediate armed response. Shoot him! Thus, we advocate when and where it is possible to do so legally: Have a loaded firearm available to you, with which you are proficient, at all times. (Of course this sounds "outrageous" to those who have been brainwashed into believing that private citizens ought not be armed. That is most unfortunate).
Most likely, one will not have access to a firearm when and if a deadly threat manifests unexpectedly in the workplace or elsewhere. Things are still not hopeless, but it must be emphasized that without a loaded gun that one is able to handle competently, it becomes a significantly greater challenge to handle a crisis in which one is threatened by armed violence. Unarmed, insofar as firearms are concerned, your initial reaction to the awareness of a would-be killer's presence must be to ATTACK HIM, AND TO ATTACK HIM WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT! The killer's initial approach will likely consist of his appearance on the scene or his suddenly arising and making some kind of announcement or insane statement that momentarily astonishes all who are present, as he physically moves to produce the weapon with which he intends to carry out his plan. It is at that moment when some piece of furniture should be smashed into him or thrown at him, and when he should be pounced upon with force-to-kill. If there is nothing at hand, drive into him physically and attack his throat or his eyes. Plainly put: This is the moment of truth. It is now that every ounce of your strength, every measure of your fighting
spirit, and every nuance of physical combative skill that you possess must be mercilessly brought to bear in order to save not only your life, but the lives of any other innocents who may be present. USE DEADLY FORCE. The threat is clearly lethal, and there is no time to delay or to bother with forbearance and restraint.
Get the madman. Render him unconscious and helpless. Do not stop until he cannot move! Don't worry, right now, about the weapon on his person. If you've smashed him down and battered him into unconsciousness, it doesn't matter which pocket, or where upon his person he may be concealing the gun with which he intended to commit murder. He can be disarmed once he has been neutralized.
If the madman already has his firearm in his hand then the situation is worse — but it is still not hopeless. He still must be attacked.
Countering the lunatic when there are many people present is somewhat easier than if you are the sole target of his rage. Act, if possible, when the weapon is directed away from you and, if you can do so, while he is speaking. Follow the same instructions outlined above, if possible striking his weapon bearing hand downward with some heavy object (or, if necessary, with a powerful handaxe chop) before going at the nut, himself. (Question: "Isn't this risky?" Answer: "Of course it is, fool! But it's more risky to simply allow yourself and anyone else present to be passively shot dead! This is the real world, bubba! There is no more any ‘guaranteed way' to handle a crisis such as this than there is a way to go to war with any sort of ‘guarantee' that there'll be no casualties on your side!").
If you are directly in the gunman's sites, so to speak, and he is clearly intending to fire, and he does not move the weapon so that you are, for a moment, out of alignment, then you'll simply need to take a chance and attack him. You've always got at 50/50 chance of successfully saving your life when you resist. There is a 100% certainty, however, that if you do not resist, you will simply die.
Dodge without warning out out the weapon's path and move in at the lunatic as fast as you possibly can. Use deadly force on him, forthwith. Remember: It's kill or be killed, plain and simple, and HE caused the situation.
When and if a gunman is within reach at the time he issues his threat, take him down at once. A powerful blow to the throat, a jab into the eyes, or a knee breaking kick, following by a good stomping when he hits the floor should accomplish what needs to be done. If there is a weapon in the madman's hand at the time he issues his threat, then employ proper counter-weapon actions. These should be successful if done without warning and if undertaken with all-out force, speed, and no restraint.
No doubt our advice will be resented by many and discredited "publicly" by some who hold jobs as cops (but who, in our position, have no business being law enforcement officers), and who know that we are spot on in what we say. Readers must take responsibility for their own thoughts and actions, and each person must decide for him or herself what makes the most sense when deciding how to handle life-threatening crises. We take no responsibility for anyone's use or misuse of that which we espouse. You have a mind; you decide what makes sense to you. Then, take full responsibility for whatever you choose to do.
If one will study the outcome of such incidents that have occurred over the decades in which this sort of atrocious violence was visited upon innocents by armed crackpots (in San Ysidro, California or in Stockton, going back some, right on to the Canadian incident a few years back, when a lunatic massacred the female engineering students in a classroom, after dividing the students into two groups, and then mowing down the females, etc.,to Killeen, Texas, to Columbine, and on and on) one will understand that surrender and passivity and ducking under desks just will not cut it. We, as a professional, HAVE studied these incidents — and dozens more — and the solution is for the populace to get tough, and to be prepared to crush these murdering nutjobs whenever and wherever they make their appearance.
There you have our input, for whatever it may be worth. We'll conclude with some obvious suggestions:
• Try always to secure a workplace, permitting access only to authorized employees and expected visitors
• Report any threats, in person or by phone, to the police, and if threatened, prepare, "just in case"
• If you are a supervisor or executive learn how to tactfully and decently speak to and manage people. The phenomenon of "going postal" did not receive such a label because of employees' responses to the conspicuously excellent management style of supervisors in the various post offices where and when some loosely wrapped carriers or others finally snapped and went ballistic. Some people have a very, very low tolerance for sarcasm, disrespect, and verbal abuse or humiliation
• If you are an employee, be respectful an tactful with your coworkers. Same reasons as above
• If anyone with whom you work shows signs of violent resentment toward anyone and verbally discusses using violence against others, report it
• Once again: Never think that it will never happen to you, or that "it couldn't happen here"
Bradley J. Steiner
Sword and Pen – May 2009 Issue
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
LAST month another nut massacred a group of innocent people, for no apparent reason. The incident occurred in Binghamton, New York, and doubtless our readers are familiar with the story.
One of our Black Belts suggested that we discuss this problem of workplace murder and mayhem, and that if possible we offer some suggestions on how people might prepare themselves just in case it ever does happen to them. It would seem, from the news reports of late, that it is happening to someone, somewhere — all of the time.
There are no "nice" ways to handle a would-be murderer, and so we shall not insult the intelligence of our esteemed readership by suggesting any. Instead, let us be straightforward and clear:
First, no one should overlook the fact that it could happen to him. Any workplace or public place is the possible site of explosive violence by some lunatic.
The obvious "best" reaction to the appearance of an armed madman who is apparently intending to unleash lethal force is immediate armed response. Shoot him! Thus, we advocate when and where it is possible to do so legally: Have a loaded firearm available to you, with which you are proficient, at all times. (Of course this sounds "outrageous" to those who have been brainwashed into believing that private citizens ought not be armed. That is most unfortunate).
Most likely, one will not have access to a firearm when and if a deadly threat manifests unexpectedly in the workplace or elsewhere. Things are still not hopeless, but it must be emphasized that without a loaded gun that one is able to handle competently, it becomes a significantly greater challenge to handle a crisis in which one is threatened by armed violence. Unarmed, insofar as firearms are concerned, your initial reaction to the awareness of a would-be killer's presence must be to ATTACK HIM, AND TO ATTACK HIM WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT! The killer's initial approach will likely consist of his appearance on the scene or his suddenly arising and making some kind of announcement or insane statement that momentarily astonishes all who are present, as he physically moves to produce the weapon with which he intends to carry out his plan. It is at that moment when some piece of furniture should be smashed into him or thrown at him, and when he should be pounced upon with force-to-kill. If there is nothing at hand, drive into him physically and attack his throat or his eyes. Plainly put: This is the moment of truth. It is now that every ounce of your strength, every measure of your fighting
spirit, and every nuance of physical combative skill that you possess must be mercilessly brought to bear in order to save not only your life, but the lives of any other innocents who may be present. USE DEADLY FORCE. The threat is clearly lethal, and there is no time to delay or to bother with forbearance and restraint.
Get the madman. Render him unconscious and helpless. Do not stop until he cannot move! Don't worry, right now, about the weapon on his person. If you've smashed him down and battered him into unconsciousness, it doesn't matter which pocket, or where upon his person he may be concealing the gun with which he intended to commit murder. He can be disarmed once he has been neutralized.
If the madman already has his firearm in his hand then the situation is worse — but it is still not hopeless. He still must be attacked.
Countering the lunatic when there are many people present is somewhat easier than if you are the sole target of his rage. Act, if possible, when the weapon is directed away from you and, if you can do so, while he is speaking. Follow the same instructions outlined above, if possible striking his weapon bearing hand downward with some heavy object (or, if necessary, with a powerful handaxe chop) before going at the nut, himself. (Question: "Isn't this risky?" Answer: "Of course it is, fool! But it's more risky to simply allow yourself and anyone else present to be passively shot dead! This is the real world, bubba! There is no more any ‘guaranteed way' to handle a crisis such as this than there is a way to go to war with any sort of ‘guarantee' that there'll be no casualties on your side!").
If you are directly in the gunman's sites, so to speak, and he is clearly intending to fire, and he does not move the weapon so that you are, for a moment, out of alignment, then you'll simply need to take a chance and attack him. You've always got at 50/50 chance of successfully saving your life when you resist. There is a 100% certainty, however, that if you do not resist, you will simply die.
Dodge without warning out out the weapon's path and move in at the lunatic as fast as you possibly can. Use deadly force on him, forthwith. Remember: It's kill or be killed, plain and simple, and HE caused the situation.
When and if a gunman is within reach at the time he issues his threat, take him down at once. A powerful blow to the throat, a jab into the eyes, or a knee breaking kick, following by a good stomping when he hits the floor should accomplish what needs to be done. If there is a weapon in the madman's hand at the time he issues his threat, then employ proper counter-weapon actions. These should be successful if done without warning and if undertaken with all-out force, speed, and no restraint.
No doubt our advice will be resented by many and discredited "publicly" by some who hold jobs as cops (but who, in our position, have no business being law enforcement officers), and who know that we are spot on in what we say. Readers must take responsibility for their own thoughts and actions, and each person must decide for him or herself what makes the most sense when deciding how to handle life-threatening crises. We take no responsibility for anyone's use or misuse of that which we espouse. You have a mind; you decide what makes sense to you. Then, take full responsibility for whatever you choose to do.
If one will study the outcome of such incidents that have occurred over the decades in which this sort of atrocious violence was visited upon innocents by armed crackpots (in San Ysidro, California or in Stockton, going back some, right on to the Canadian incident a few years back, when a lunatic massacred the female engineering students in a classroom, after dividing the students into two groups, and then mowing down the females, etc.,to Killeen, Texas, to Columbine, and on and on) one will understand that surrender and passivity and ducking under desks just will not cut it. We, as a professional, HAVE studied these incidents — and dozens more — and the solution is for the populace to get tough, and to be prepared to crush these murdering nutjobs whenever and wherever they make their appearance.
There you have our input, for whatever it may be worth. We'll conclude with some obvious suggestions:
• Try always to secure a workplace, permitting access only to authorized employees and expected visitors
• Report any threats, in person or by phone, to the police, and if threatened, prepare, "just in case"
• If you are a supervisor or executive learn how to tactfully and decently speak to and manage people. The phenomenon of "going postal" did not receive such a label because of employees' responses to the conspicuously excellent management style of supervisors in the various post offices where and when some loosely wrapped carriers or others finally snapped and went ballistic. Some people have a very, very low tolerance for sarcasm, disrespect, and verbal abuse or humiliation
• If you are an employee, be respectful an tactful with your coworkers. Same reasons as above
• If anyone with whom you work shows signs of violent resentment toward anyone and verbally discusses using violence against others, report it
• Once again: Never think that it will never happen to you, or that "it couldn't happen here"
Bradley J. Steiner
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Results From Training Depend Upon Your Input
© COPYRIGHT 2009 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Sword and Pen – July 2009 Issue
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
THE techniques of close combat and self-defense are fairly simple. They can be easily understood, learned in a reasonable period of time, acquired initially with no tremendous physical prowess or athletic talents, and — once acquired — they can be retained pretty well. However, anyone aspiring to be really good in the art of close combat, to achieve a level of great personal confidence and skill, and to be able to handle just about any adversary under any conceivable conditions, anywhere, must understand that there are no short-cuts. The only path to practical knowledge and reliable skill is through practice, practice, and more practice.
Regularity and persistence, much more than prolonged and extensive all day sessions in the practice hall, are the keys to mastery. This is especially true in practical close combat work, since workouts of two, three, or even more hours duration are quite customary for classical/traditional "martial arts", while sessions lasting between 30 and 60 minutes are quite sufficient for the combat trainee — but those 30 to 60 minute sessions need to be put in with the regularity of a chronometer and the persistence of a religious fanatic!
We neither kid nor exaggerate. The person who, taking a few lessons in self-defense, now believes — because what he was taught is simple and was easy to physically perform once he was shown how to do it — that "now he‘s got it", is a fool. To use an analogy: A person of average intelligence and average physical ability can be taught the basic boxing punches, how to stand and move, and how to hit using simple combinations, within a few hours — maybe even less time than that. But that doesn‘t mean that the individual can box! The hard part comes only after the technique of boxing has been taught and understood by the pupil. Now TRAINING can be done effectively; and if the individual wishes to be able to box, then he must train. And he must train assiduously and hard, even to become a mediocre boxer, let alone a champion.
You get out of something that which you put into it. This applies to the study of any discipline, not merely to the art of close combat.
Most teachers of the martial arts face certain inevitable problems in running their schools. One of these problems is maintaining students by keeping their interest. And "keeping their interest", as far as most people are concerned, translates into ―always teaching them something new "just so they can 'feel‘ that they are getting their money‘s worth". We
KNOW that, with zero "padding" and fluff in our program we give people considerably more than their money‘s worth. But we also know that only a small percentage of people have the brains to appreciate that fact, unless the typical industry practice of "teaching them something new all of the time" is followed.
Fine. We‘ll settle gladly for those students with the brains to appreciate the right way of training in the combat arts! "Feeling" that you are getting something worthwhile does not always or necessarily mean that in fact you actually are getting anything worthwhile. You are getting something "worthwhile" in a combat arts and self-defense program when the right principles are endlessly pounded into you, and when you are drilled and drilled and drilled, and drilled some more in the proven techniques that work, and not merely in "more and more techniques".
Is that way not boring? Actually, not for everyone. For dilettantes, probably; but dilettantes become good at NOTHING except prattling to similarly shallow entities such as themselves, at social events and during coffee breaks at the office. Serious minded individuals can appreciate the need for hard and regular practice of fundamentals, and for the thorough mastery (not just "learning how to do") of core skills.
"I‘ve always wanted to learn self-defense!" What teacher of martial arts has not heard that comment? We learned, decades ago, that it is normally a guarantee that the student will — more often than not — be a complete dud (if he enrolls, at all). Unless the person is in his late teens and perhaps has honestly never been given parental consent as a child to train, or had the opportunity to find a school where he could learn, or even possibly not yet found the type of instruction that he has been looking for so far, the obvious thought (not necessarily to be articulated!) in the teacher‘s mind should be: "Hmm. If you‘ve 'always wanted‘ to learn self-defense, then why haven‘t you taken steps to do so previously?" In other words, the "I‘ve always wanted to learn . . ." bleat is most often indicative of a rather weak, impulse-dominated mentality — not of an enthusiastic, no-nonsense, serious student. Oh yes, the impulse-driven do "want to learn self-defense". They want to learn it today. But tomorrow, after they appreciate that it requires discipline and effort, and that they will need to work at it, they will not want it any longer. Oh, certainly, it will be the "system‘s" fault, or the "teacher‘s" fault, or "they‘ve realized that they can‘t afford it", or that they "don‘t have the time", ad nauseum. The simple truth, which is never faced by these types, is that the fault is their own, and it derives from a serious personal flaw: The unwillingness to face the fact that nothing good in life comes easily, and that if they wish to really learn how to defend themselves, effort is required, and will continue to be required for quite a while, before their desire is realized.
What about boredom? Well, what about it? Who the hell has not experienced boredom in his life? DEAL WITH IT! REFUSE TO GIVE IN TO IT. PERSIST. Remind yourself of the tremendous value of the pursuit in which you are engaged and go back at it with renewed determination and resolve.
Learning the art of close combat and self defense requires an investment of money, time, and energy. People always find the money, time, and energy for that which they want the most. There are people who protest that they "can‘t afford" professional level instruction in combat arts. But they manage to afford spending about $10 a day on cigarettes (that‘s $300. a month! — to kill themselves) and perhaps an equal amount on liquor. Others say they "don‘t have the time" to train. But they manage to waste hours every day on pointless gossip or television viewing, or chasing one-dimensional morons of the opposite sex, for the most pathetically shallow "satisfactions" of meaningless involvements. Still others complain that they "lack the energy" to train. Yet these same people find the energy to fritter away on far less healthful pursuits than disciplined training in combat skills.
Look — people have a right to do as they wish. It is not for us to determine how others should and should not spend their money, their time, and their energy. However, since we are presumably addressing in this Newsletter those who are sufficiently interested in the combat arts to read about them, it is probable that a high percentage of these people also want to acquire genuine proficiency in them. Therefore, please heed our words. If they sound harsh it is not because we are trying to put anyone down. What we are trying to do here is provide, where it is feasible to do so, a much needed "wake up call".
We know in our heart of hearts from personal experience that there are few things in life that will pay you as well as investing the money and then spending the time and the energy that is required to become skilled in close combat and self-defense. We also know how that project ought to be undertaken. We have spent more than half a century acquiring that knowledge. We are being honest with you, and we have no desire here save to help you to adopt a realistic, self-actualizing, long-range beneficial philosophy and motive to action.
The skills and techniques are simple. But you‘ve still got to apply yourself and commit yourself if you want to master them and enjoy the attendant confidence and ability that comes with such mastery.
Give 100%, and you‘ll get 100% back. And when it comes to being able to defend yourself, protect those you love, walk, talk, and act with poise, self-assurance, and confidence, 100% is a hell of a lot!
Bradley J. Steiner
Sword and Pen – July 2009 Issue
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
THE techniques of close combat and self-defense are fairly simple. They can be easily understood, learned in a reasonable period of time, acquired initially with no tremendous physical prowess or athletic talents, and — once acquired — they can be retained pretty well. However, anyone aspiring to be really good in the art of close combat, to achieve a level of great personal confidence and skill, and to be able to handle just about any adversary under any conceivable conditions, anywhere, must understand that there are no short-cuts. The only path to practical knowledge and reliable skill is through practice, practice, and more practice.
Regularity and persistence, much more than prolonged and extensive all day sessions in the practice hall, are the keys to mastery. This is especially true in practical close combat work, since workouts of two, three, or even more hours duration are quite customary for classical/traditional "martial arts", while sessions lasting between 30 and 60 minutes are quite sufficient for the combat trainee — but those 30 to 60 minute sessions need to be put in with the regularity of a chronometer and the persistence of a religious fanatic!
We neither kid nor exaggerate. The person who, taking a few lessons in self-defense, now believes — because what he was taught is simple and was easy to physically perform once he was shown how to do it — that "now he‘s got it", is a fool. To use an analogy: A person of average intelligence and average physical ability can be taught the basic boxing punches, how to stand and move, and how to hit using simple combinations, within a few hours — maybe even less time than that. But that doesn‘t mean that the individual can box! The hard part comes only after the technique of boxing has been taught and understood by the pupil. Now TRAINING can be done effectively; and if the individual wishes to be able to box, then he must train. And he must train assiduously and hard, even to become a mediocre boxer, let alone a champion.
You get out of something that which you put into it. This applies to the study of any discipline, not merely to the art of close combat.
Most teachers of the martial arts face certain inevitable problems in running their schools. One of these problems is maintaining students by keeping their interest. And "keeping their interest", as far as most people are concerned, translates into ―always teaching them something new "just so they can 'feel‘ that they are getting their money‘s worth". We
KNOW that, with zero "padding" and fluff in our program we give people considerably more than their money‘s worth. But we also know that only a small percentage of people have the brains to appreciate that fact, unless the typical industry practice of "teaching them something new all of the time" is followed.
Fine. We‘ll settle gladly for those students with the brains to appreciate the right way of training in the combat arts! "Feeling" that you are getting something worthwhile does not always or necessarily mean that in fact you actually are getting anything worthwhile. You are getting something "worthwhile" in a combat arts and self-defense program when the right principles are endlessly pounded into you, and when you are drilled and drilled and drilled, and drilled some more in the proven techniques that work, and not merely in "more and more techniques".
Is that way not boring? Actually, not for everyone. For dilettantes, probably; but dilettantes become good at NOTHING except prattling to similarly shallow entities such as themselves, at social events and during coffee breaks at the office. Serious minded individuals can appreciate the need for hard and regular practice of fundamentals, and for the thorough mastery (not just "learning how to do") of core skills.
"I‘ve always wanted to learn self-defense!" What teacher of martial arts has not heard that comment? We learned, decades ago, that it is normally a guarantee that the student will — more often than not — be a complete dud (if he enrolls, at all). Unless the person is in his late teens and perhaps has honestly never been given parental consent as a child to train, or had the opportunity to find a school where he could learn, or even possibly not yet found the type of instruction that he has been looking for so far, the obvious thought (not necessarily to be articulated!) in the teacher‘s mind should be: "Hmm. If you‘ve 'always wanted‘ to learn self-defense, then why haven‘t you taken steps to do so previously?" In other words, the "I‘ve always wanted to learn . . ." bleat is most often indicative of a rather weak, impulse-dominated mentality — not of an enthusiastic, no-nonsense, serious student. Oh yes, the impulse-driven do "want to learn self-defense". They want to learn it today. But tomorrow, after they appreciate that it requires discipline and effort, and that they will need to work at it, they will not want it any longer. Oh, certainly, it will be the "system‘s" fault, or the "teacher‘s" fault, or "they‘ve realized that they can‘t afford it", or that they "don‘t have the time", ad nauseum. The simple truth, which is never faced by these types, is that the fault is their own, and it derives from a serious personal flaw: The unwillingness to face the fact that nothing good in life comes easily, and that if they wish to really learn how to defend themselves, effort is required, and will continue to be required for quite a while, before their desire is realized.
What about boredom? Well, what about it? Who the hell has not experienced boredom in his life? DEAL WITH IT! REFUSE TO GIVE IN TO IT. PERSIST. Remind yourself of the tremendous value of the pursuit in which you are engaged and go back at it with renewed determination and resolve.
Learning the art of close combat and self defense requires an investment of money, time, and energy. People always find the money, time, and energy for that which they want the most. There are people who protest that they "can‘t afford" professional level instruction in combat arts. But they manage to afford spending about $10 a day on cigarettes (that‘s $300. a month! — to kill themselves) and perhaps an equal amount on liquor. Others say they "don‘t have the time" to train. But they manage to waste hours every day on pointless gossip or television viewing, or chasing one-dimensional morons of the opposite sex, for the most pathetically shallow "satisfactions" of meaningless involvements. Still others complain that they "lack the energy" to train. Yet these same people find the energy to fritter away on far less healthful pursuits than disciplined training in combat skills.
Look — people have a right to do as they wish. It is not for us to determine how others should and should not spend their money, their time, and their energy. However, since we are presumably addressing in this Newsletter those who are sufficiently interested in the combat arts to read about them, it is probable that a high percentage of these people also want to acquire genuine proficiency in them. Therefore, please heed our words. If they sound harsh it is not because we are trying to put anyone down. What we are trying to do here is provide, where it is feasible to do so, a much needed "wake up call".
We know in our heart of hearts from personal experience that there are few things in life that will pay you as well as investing the money and then spending the time and the energy that is required to become skilled in close combat and self-defense. We also know how that project ought to be undertaken. We have spent more than half a century acquiring that knowledge. We are being honest with you, and we have no desire here save to help you to adopt a realistic, self-actualizing, long-range beneficial philosophy and motive to action.
The skills and techniques are simple. But you‘ve still got to apply yourself and commit yourself if you want to master them and enjoy the attendant confidence and ability that comes with such mastery.
Give 100%, and you‘ll get 100% back. And when it comes to being able to defend yourself, protect those you love, walk, talk, and act with poise, self-assurance, and confidence, 100% is a hell of a lot!
Bradley J. Steiner
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
The “Yawara” Hand Stick:
© COPYRIGHT 2009 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Sword and Pen – February 2009 Issue
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
LIKE the knife, the little yawara hand stick is an old, old weapon that refuses to become obsolete. We thought that discussing it might be helpful to our readers; and we‘ll go ahead and offer some practical training and use suggestions, too.
First of all, let‘s quickly explain what a yawara hand stick is, just in case anyone is not aware of what the implement is.
The yawara hand stick is a short stick (could be plastic, wood, or metal, but wood is the most common) that is about five or six inches long, and varies between about an inch and an inch and a half in diameter. Many examples have been commercially manufactured and sold, but the truth is that a simple length of hardwood with no shaping, designing, or modifying whatever will serve as well as any commercially purchased ―yawara stick for practical use. The little device probably originated in China or India (used in conjunction with ch‘uan fa or "kung fu" systems, or with Hindu varmannie) but it is best known as deriving from that Japanese ju-jutsu system known as yawara (hence the popular name "yawara stick").
As the stick was employed in that ju-jutsu system it was an adjunct to control and manhandling when the bugei (warrior) took on the role of a fuedal age cop — ie keeping order, arresting non-dangerous but politically inconvenient or annoying types, etc. The purpose of the yawara stick was to enable the user to inflict severe pain by applying tremendous force and pressure — using the end of the stick — to vulnerable nerve centers and pain points that the warrior relied upon to make control and arresting grips practicable. In the hands of a powerful, well-trained, Samurai ju-jutsu and sword fighting expert who was battle-hardened and whose task was to control unskilled, physically puny (if obstreperous) peasants, the yawara stick worked like a charm. For modern and practical employment in the self-defense venue, we completely disregard the use of the yawara stick in its classic ju-jutsu form.
We regard the handy little yawara stick as an often valuable personal defense aid when utilized to augment the capability of its possessor to strike focused, hard blows to vulnerable target areas. We have always incorporated basic yawara stick training into our fundamental stickwork, which we teach at Brown Belt, 3rd Class.
We do not recommend that anyone purchase a "manufactured" yawara hand stick. This is not because there are not good quality yawara sticks available for purchase. There certainly are. However, a yawara stick per se is a "weapon". And, carried in a pocket it becomes a concealed weapon — something that, if observed and challenged by a law enforcement officer, either because it was noticed or perhaps used against an assailant, could bring about some serious problems for the individual who used the stick.
[Bloggers note: Below are examples of commercially available "yawara sticks" offered by Cold Steel. They are from left to right; the Sharky (or Pocket Shark), the Koga SD1 & the Mini Koga SD2. While I would prefer to carry and utilize the SD2... both of the Koga models are CLEARLY weapons! (The SD1 ia also TOO LARGE for the purposes delineated in this atricle.) The Sharky however... is a fully functionaly PEN! You can carry it on an airplane, into a courthouse... virtually anywhere that you cannot carry any other weapon except perhaps a walking stick.]
There are plenty of simple substitutes for a manufactured "yawara stick" that can be carried and used for personal defense without being construed to be "unlawful concealed weapons", should one unfortunately find oneself having to explain "just what that 'thing‘ is, and how come you were carrying it!?" We strongly urge that a reader opt for one of those items, rather than a "yawara stick" per se.
Here are some suggestions for an improvised yawara hand stick:
• An old pot handle
• A mini-maglite
• A 5" to 6" plain piece of steel tubing (1 to 1-1/2" in diameter)
• A 5" to 6" piece of hardwood (1 to 1-1/2‖ in diameter)
• A thick, heavy pen
• A utility knife handle (steel or hard plastic)
Note: While due to the fact that a utility knife is "not really a weapon"
you could probably carry one with impunity with a blade inserted.
However, whether to do so or not is something each individual will
need to decide for himself.
That ought to be sufficient fuel for thought and consideration if the yawara stick appeals to you! There are other things that make excellent yawara type sticks, too.
A yawara stick is properly gripped by holding it securely in the center, allowing a small protrusion of its mass from both ends of your clenched fist. Each of the protrusions constitutes a striking point to be employed against the opponent.
Master the HAMMERFIST BLOW and the HANDAXE CHOP. You now have the proper striking technique for that portion of the yawara stick that protrudes from the little finger side of the gripping hand.
Master the INWARD REVERSE HANDBLADE STRIKE and/or the INWARD FOREARM BLOW and you have the proper method of delivering decisive hits with the portion of the yawara stick that protrudes from the thumb side of your clenched hand.
That simple? Why, yes it is. At least in theory. Then comes the hard part: PRACTICE.
Best targets for the yawara hand stick blows delivered in the thus far described modes are:
• Eyes
• Mouth/nose/philtrum/nose bridge area
• Temples
• Sides of neck
• Ribs
• Kidneys
• Testicles
• Base of neck
Another application of the yawara stick is by direct, straight-line thrusting. For this blow to be effective you simply master the straight punch — COMBAT style. This means a simple straight line untelegraphed blow in which (when the hand is used for the punch, per se) is never delivered to any but the soft STERNUM TARGET area. And the fist is ALWAYS palm-in (or in that position referred to in karate styles as the vertical fist position). For your information: Do not "corkscrew" a punch when delivering a fist blow barehanded. This causes the bones of the wrist to twist, and weakens the wrist support for the blow, on impact. With a yawara hand stick in your grip cant the fist forward so that the thumb side protrusion of the stick is foremost. That will be the impact point and you will drive the stick‘s end in a straight-line punching action to the desired target.
Targets for this blow may be:
• Any part of the face or throat or neck
• The solar plexus or sternum area
• The hypogastrium (lower abdomen, just above bladder)
Since the stick will be the contact point rather than any part of your bare hand, it is okay to target the bony facial area with this type of "punching" action.
One method of using the yawara stick that we personally developed involves a movement that depends upon a bit more practice than the more fundamental, basic blows thus far described. It is simple and employs gross body movement — but it‘s just a little more advanced and ought to be worked on after the simplest blows have been developed. We call it the "EYE CRUSH".
Our "eye crush" blow is delivered by directing a palm down thrust of the fist directly toward the attacker, at head level, and having the fist "go right past, and alongside" the adversary‘s temple area. This causes the protrusion of the yawara stick from the end of the fist to literally crush the eyeball into the opponent‘s head. Yes — it‘s a nasty technique, and we developed it and intended it to be so — purely and exclusively to enable a perhaps physically disadvantaged defender to stop a potentially lethal criminal assailant in a legitimate self-defense emergency. This action is not to be practiced on a human partner, and it should not be utilized save in the most extreme situation.
Another use of the yawara stick that we favor is RAKING or RIPPING ACROSS the enemy‘s face in a vicious downward/inward type hammering kenpo blow — tearing at his eyes/nose/mouth/lips with the little-finger side of the fist protrusion of the stick. This is done as though the stick were a sharp blade and the intention was to "cut right through" the entire facial structure of the opponent. Also, a very dangerous, nasty technique. To be employed exclusively in situations where on has no choice but to physically stop someone who might cripple or kill him, or do such a thing to a loved one, etc. (NOTE:— The reader will no doubt surmise that the utility knife — with the blade inserted — is perhaps the best configuration of yawara stick for this particular technique!) Warning: These actions are dangerous and potentially lethal. To be used only to save life and limb. Readers are responsible for their own actions and we disclaim all responsibility for any use or misuse by anyone of these skills. Our purpose here is to merely provide information academically. NEVER USE ANY DEGREE OF FORCE UNLESS IN UNAVOIDABLE SELF-DEFENSE, AND ONLY IN PROPORTION TO THE NEED AT THE TIME.
There are some simple ways to develop a high level of yawara stick ability. Let us suggest a few of them here to get readers started .................
• Holding the yawara stick in a secure grip practice pounding either end into a tree. This will strengthen your grip and insure that the stick will not "slide" in your hand when you strike a live adversary.
• Practice with a wrist or ankle weight around your striking hand. Do this once per workout for every five or six workouts you undertake with the stick.
• Use one of Bruce Tegnér‘s brilliant ideas for developing accuracy: Tape a ping pong ball to a string and suspend the ball to whatever height you require for delivery of whatever blow you wish to develop. Strike at (but do not actually hit) the ping pong ball. You can actually hang several ping pong balls at varying heights and practice rapid, multiple hits, as your proficiency improves.
• Try to establish a permanent carry place for your yawara stick. Make it convenient, and try not to change it. Now, practice speedily accessing the stick — and then going into immediate action with your strikes. For obvious reasons, if you carry a little stick, it is a good idea to have it already in hand when going to your vehicle in a lonely parking garage, or when leaving your house in the evening; or when returning home, if you anticipate the prospect of encountering any creatures who might mean you harm!
• Work the stick into both defensive (ie counterattacking) and offensive combinations and skills that you normally work on unarmed.
Good luck to all of you in mastering this handy, effective little ancient/modern weapon of self-defense!
Sword and Pen – February 2009 Issue
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
LIKE the knife, the little yawara hand stick is an old, old weapon that refuses to become obsolete. We thought that discussing it might be helpful to our readers; and we‘ll go ahead and offer some practical training and use suggestions, too.
First of all, let‘s quickly explain what a yawara hand stick is, just in case anyone is not aware of what the implement is.
The yawara hand stick is a short stick (could be plastic, wood, or metal, but wood is the most common) that is about five or six inches long, and varies between about an inch and an inch and a half in diameter. Many examples have been commercially manufactured and sold, but the truth is that a simple length of hardwood with no shaping, designing, or modifying whatever will serve as well as any commercially purchased ―yawara stick for practical use. The little device probably originated in China or India (used in conjunction with ch‘uan fa or "kung fu" systems, or with Hindu varmannie) but it is best known as deriving from that Japanese ju-jutsu system known as yawara (hence the popular name "yawara stick").
As the stick was employed in that ju-jutsu system it was an adjunct to control and manhandling when the bugei (warrior) took on the role of a fuedal age cop — ie keeping order, arresting non-dangerous but politically inconvenient or annoying types, etc. The purpose of the yawara stick was to enable the user to inflict severe pain by applying tremendous force and pressure — using the end of the stick — to vulnerable nerve centers and pain points that the warrior relied upon to make control and arresting grips practicable. In the hands of a powerful, well-trained, Samurai ju-jutsu and sword fighting expert who was battle-hardened and whose task was to control unskilled, physically puny (if obstreperous) peasants, the yawara stick worked like a charm. For modern and practical employment in the self-defense venue, we completely disregard the use of the yawara stick in its classic ju-jutsu form.
We regard the handy little yawara stick as an often valuable personal defense aid when utilized to augment the capability of its possessor to strike focused, hard blows to vulnerable target areas. We have always incorporated basic yawara stick training into our fundamental stickwork, which we teach at Brown Belt, 3rd Class.
We do not recommend that anyone purchase a "manufactured" yawara hand stick. This is not because there are not good quality yawara sticks available for purchase. There certainly are. However, a yawara stick per se is a "weapon". And, carried in a pocket it becomes a concealed weapon — something that, if observed and challenged by a law enforcement officer, either because it was noticed or perhaps used against an assailant, could bring about some serious problems for the individual who used the stick.
[Bloggers note: Below are examples of commercially available "yawara sticks" offered by Cold Steel. They are from left to right; the Sharky (or Pocket Shark), the Koga SD1 & the Mini Koga SD2. While I would prefer to carry and utilize the SD2... both of the Koga models are CLEARLY weapons! (The SD1 ia also TOO LARGE for the purposes delineated in this atricle.) The Sharky however... is a fully functionaly PEN! You can carry it on an airplane, into a courthouse... virtually anywhere that you cannot carry any other weapon except perhaps a walking stick.]
There are plenty of simple substitutes for a manufactured "yawara stick" that can be carried and used for personal defense without being construed to be "unlawful concealed weapons", should one unfortunately find oneself having to explain "just what that 'thing‘ is, and how come you were carrying it!?" We strongly urge that a reader opt for one of those items, rather than a "yawara stick" per se.
Here are some suggestions for an improvised yawara hand stick:
• An old pot handle
• A mini-maglite
• A 5" to 6" plain piece of steel tubing (1 to 1-1/2" in diameter)
• A 5" to 6" piece of hardwood (1 to 1-1/2‖ in diameter)
• A thick, heavy pen
• A utility knife handle (steel or hard plastic)
Note: While due to the fact that a utility knife is "not really a weapon"
you could probably carry one with impunity with a blade inserted.
However, whether to do so or not is something each individual will
need to decide for himself.
That ought to be sufficient fuel for thought and consideration if the yawara stick appeals to you! There are other things that make excellent yawara type sticks, too.
A yawara stick is properly gripped by holding it securely in the center, allowing a small protrusion of its mass from both ends of your clenched fist. Each of the protrusions constitutes a striking point to be employed against the opponent.
Master the HAMMERFIST BLOW and the HANDAXE CHOP. You now have the proper striking technique for that portion of the yawara stick that protrudes from the little finger side of the gripping hand.
Master the INWARD REVERSE HANDBLADE STRIKE and/or the INWARD FOREARM BLOW and you have the proper method of delivering decisive hits with the portion of the yawara stick that protrudes from the thumb side of your clenched hand.
That simple? Why, yes it is. At least in theory. Then comes the hard part: PRACTICE.
Best targets for the yawara hand stick blows delivered in the thus far described modes are:
• Eyes
• Mouth/nose/philtrum/nose bridge area
• Temples
• Sides of neck
• Ribs
• Kidneys
• Testicles
• Base of neck
Another application of the yawara stick is by direct, straight-line thrusting. For this blow to be effective you simply master the straight punch — COMBAT style. This means a simple straight line untelegraphed blow in which (when the hand is used for the punch, per se) is never delivered to any but the soft STERNUM TARGET area. And the fist is ALWAYS palm-in (or in that position referred to in karate styles as the vertical fist position). For your information: Do not "corkscrew" a punch when delivering a fist blow barehanded. This causes the bones of the wrist to twist, and weakens the wrist support for the blow, on impact. With a yawara hand stick in your grip cant the fist forward so that the thumb side protrusion of the stick is foremost. That will be the impact point and you will drive the stick‘s end in a straight-line punching action to the desired target.
Targets for this blow may be:
• Any part of the face or throat or neck
• The solar plexus or sternum area
• The hypogastrium (lower abdomen, just above bladder)
Since the stick will be the contact point rather than any part of your bare hand, it is okay to target the bony facial area with this type of "punching" action.
One method of using the yawara stick that we personally developed involves a movement that depends upon a bit more practice than the more fundamental, basic blows thus far described. It is simple and employs gross body movement — but it‘s just a little more advanced and ought to be worked on after the simplest blows have been developed. We call it the "EYE CRUSH".
Our "eye crush" blow is delivered by directing a palm down thrust of the fist directly toward the attacker, at head level, and having the fist "go right past, and alongside" the adversary‘s temple area. This causes the protrusion of the yawara stick from the end of the fist to literally crush the eyeball into the opponent‘s head. Yes — it‘s a nasty technique, and we developed it and intended it to be so — purely and exclusively to enable a perhaps physically disadvantaged defender to stop a potentially lethal criminal assailant in a legitimate self-defense emergency. This action is not to be practiced on a human partner, and it should not be utilized save in the most extreme situation.
Another use of the yawara stick that we favor is RAKING or RIPPING ACROSS the enemy‘s face in a vicious downward/inward type hammering kenpo blow — tearing at his eyes/nose/mouth/lips with the little-finger side of the fist protrusion of the stick. This is done as though the stick were a sharp blade and the intention was to "cut right through" the entire facial structure of the opponent. Also, a very dangerous, nasty technique. To be employed exclusively in situations where on has no choice but to physically stop someone who might cripple or kill him, or do such a thing to a loved one, etc. (NOTE:— The reader will no doubt surmise that the utility knife — with the blade inserted — is perhaps the best configuration of yawara stick for this particular technique!) Warning: These actions are dangerous and potentially lethal. To be used only to save life and limb. Readers are responsible for their own actions and we disclaim all responsibility for any use or misuse by anyone of these skills. Our purpose here is to merely provide information academically. NEVER USE ANY DEGREE OF FORCE UNLESS IN UNAVOIDABLE SELF-DEFENSE, AND ONLY IN PROPORTION TO THE NEED AT THE TIME.
There are some simple ways to develop a high level of yawara stick ability. Let us suggest a few of them here to get readers started .................
• Holding the yawara stick in a secure grip practice pounding either end into a tree. This will strengthen your grip and insure that the stick will not "slide" in your hand when you strike a live adversary.
• Practice with a wrist or ankle weight around your striking hand. Do this once per workout for every five or six workouts you undertake with the stick.
• Use one of Bruce Tegnér‘s brilliant ideas for developing accuracy: Tape a ping pong ball to a string and suspend the ball to whatever height you require for delivery of whatever blow you wish to develop. Strike at (but do not actually hit) the ping pong ball. You can actually hang several ping pong balls at varying heights and practice rapid, multiple hits, as your proficiency improves.
• Try to establish a permanent carry place for your yawara stick. Make it convenient, and try not to change it. Now, practice speedily accessing the stick — and then going into immediate action with your strikes. For obvious reasons, if you carry a little stick, it is a good idea to have it already in hand when going to your vehicle in a lonely parking garage, or when leaving your house in the evening; or when returning home, if you anticipate the prospect of encountering any creatures who might mean you harm!
• Work the stick into both defensive (ie counterattacking) and offensive combinations and skills that you normally work on unarmed.
Good luck to all of you in mastering this handy, effective little ancient/modern weapon of self-defense!
Take The Enemy Off His Guard!
© COPYRIGHT 2009 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Sword and Pen – April 2009 Issue
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
"EXPERIENCE TEACHES US THAT IT IS MUCH EASIER TO PREVENT AN ENEMY FROM POSTING THEMSELVES THAN IT IS TO DISLODGE THEM AFTER THEY HAVE GOT POSSESSION."
• GEORGE WASHINGTON
"THE element of surprise". In eight years of taekwon-do this was never mentioned to us — not even once. Nor was it mentioned save perhaps three times in passing (with practically no real emphasis) in our ju-jutsu training. Ditto for varmannie and kenpo-karate training. In fact, while there were certainly indirect references to the use of the surprise element during instructional periods (ie "Don't telegraph your moves!", "Don't be predictable when you spar!", "Try to get your opponent when his mind is elsewhere", etc.) no one, during the course of the classical/traditional martial arts training that we had, ever said simply and plainly, and repeatedly:
"CULTIVATE THE ART OF TAKING YOUR ENEMY
COMPLETELY BY SURPRISE, WHETHER ON THE
ATTACK, OR WHEN OBLIGED TO COUNTERATTACK.
THEN CAPITALIZE ON THE ADVANTAGE THAT HAVING
GOTTEN THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE IN YOUR FAVOR
HAS GIVEN YOU — AND KEEP ON ATTACKING WITH
FURY AND DETERMINATION UNTIL YOUR ENEMY HAS
BEEN DESTROYED! NEVER LET YOUR ENEMY EVEN
KNOW THAT IT IS YOUR INTENTION TO FIGHT BACK,
IF POSSIBLE. AND WHEN HE LEAST ANTICIPATES IT,
GO AFTER HIM WHERE HE IS WEAKEST WITH YOUR
STRONGEST NATURAL WEAPONS — DEVASTATE HIM WITHOUT MERCY! — SEEING TO IT THAT HIS ABILITY AND WILLINGNESS TO FURTHER ENDANGER YOU HAS BEEN TOTALLY NEGATED BEFORE YOU DESIST IN YOUR OWN ONSLAUGHT AGAINST HIM!"
Only when we (thankfully!) got our hands on the works of Applegate and Fairbairn, at or around the age of twelve, and then when we luckily enrolled with Charles Nelson, did we finally receive admonishments to employ the element of surprise whenever possible since, as these realists made clear, we were not playing a game when we found ourself in a dangerous situation requiring that we defend ourself!
We mention the foregoing because if you haven't been POUNDED with the need to master the use of the critical element of surprise in your (presumed) "martial" studies, we understand. So permit us to fill the gap in your combatives education, and to do so most emphatically, right now.
There are a number of crucial differences between any form of combative sport and actual close combat. One of them, certainly, is the fact that the degree and extent of threat that any enemy poses in real combat cannot possibly be surmised no matter how skilled or knowledgeable the combatant may be. Unlike a contest in which both contestants agree to begin on a given signal (and consequently, the true element of surprise is removed entirely from the engagement) in close combat it must be assumed that one's adversary will either endeavor to take one by complete surprise (from behind, or at a moment of distracted involvement with something beside conflict) or he will attempt to do something (pull a weapon, throw dirt, have an accomplice move in from an unexpected quarter, etc.) so as to totally surprise his adversary in a manner that leaves him little hope of surviving.
One must either master the use of the element of surprise for his own use, and learn how to subvert the application of this element by a potential enemy, or one will fall victim to any thug or opponent who appreciates the value of surprising his opponent, and who uses it skillfully.
Surprise trumps size, strength, armament, numbers. Or at least, it certainly permits an individual who possesses the requisite skills with which to dispatch enemies in battle to trump those factors, should he encounter them. And realism and practicality demands that we all train with the assumption that our enemies will all be physically superior, armed, determined to maim or to kill us, and assisted by accomplices.
In order to defeat such an enemy the element of surprise should be utilized in the extreme. The defender, for example, who trains in combat skills for self-defense, will want to make the employment of the surprise element as much a part of his personal style as he does the cultivation of hand and foot blows.
Here are some suggestions for training that will enable you to cultivate the use of the element of surprise naturally, and with excellent tactical success:
• Abandon all sparring and competition approaches to training. By conditioning yourself to face off against an opponent, ready yourself while he readies himself, and anticipate that you will be confronting a solitary, unarmed adversary under controlled and agreed upon conditions, you are conditioning yourself to become an excellent competitor, but an inept combatant. It is simply impossible to duplicate hand-to-hand combat in a sporting context, and it is the height of reckless stupidity to try. By increasing the brutality of a sport (ie UFC/Cage fighting/MMA, etc.) you do not change the fact that it still is a sport. And all sports forbid (quite appropriately) that either entrant begin until the other is ready. The combatant always seeks to shock, surprise, and take his enemy off guard; he has no concern for "beginning on an equal footing".
• Train for reality. Reality dictates that an attack will come in one of two ways: a) With your awareness of its onset, or b) Unexpectedly (from behind, etc.). In "a" type situations you can always gain the preemptive surprise advantage by simply assuming what we have dubbed the "Relaxed-Ready Stance". Stand off-angled to any stranger who approaches you, establishing and maintaining proper distance (ie outside arm's reach) from that stranger. Make no judgments, assessments, or evaluations of anyone who you do not know personally and who approaches you. Have one, fixed, set response: preparedness and wariness: condition yellow, at least; condition orange, if there is the slightest sense, suspicion, feeling, or intuition that there may be trouble. Your hands should be raised to sternum level, relaxed and open. Your eyes remain on the stranger.
In a "b" type situation you can develop the kind of reaction skills, such as we teach in American Combato, that immediately throw you on the offensive and — within the briefest possible interval — enable you to turn into the attacker, actually going after the assailant who had initially caught you unexpectedly. All good combat techniques are predominantly if not exclusively OFFENSIVE. Thus, when caught off guard, the technique of self-defense (actually, as we prefer to call it, the technique of counterattacking) is so vicious, destructive, and catches the attacker himself off guard, that the offense shifts speedily, and it is your attacker who suddenly finds himself under assault.
• Become attack minded. While taking an unexpected assailant by surprise is possible with a quick, aggressive counterattack, the best way to surprise any enemy is to preempt him. That means what we have been urging since the late 1960's: When you are attacked, attack the attacker! This requires attack mindedness, and it demands a ferocious capacity with aggressive, damaging techniques. Nothing, absolutely nothing, will enable you to better implement the element of surprise than will exploding in the face of a would-be attacker at the very moment his physical onslaught begins, and disabling him before he can carry his onslaught to fruition.
• Emphasize BLOWS as your combative forte.
It takes less time and requires less potentially "telegraphing" physical action to lash out with a simple blow than it takes to employ any kind of hold or throw.
Discard all of the in vogue "groundgrappling/wrestling/competition" foolishness. Cultivate fast eye jabs, chopping attacks, kicks to knees and testicles, and other simple, very basic skills. These blows can be initiated when needed from any normal, natural, nonchalant position. Their impact on target (or even near target!) will surprise and momentarily stun any opponent.
• Follow up! Never, never, never allow yourself to believe in or to train for "one blow stops". A simple fact about the element of surprise is that it can be achieved ONLY ONCE. Therefore, having achieved it by your initial action, press the attack relentlessly! Do not let your enemy get set, and try to eliminate him before he realizes what is happening. Keep on attacking, attacking, attacking, and attacking! Your enemy will then be kept utterly off balance physically and psychologically, and he will be so effectively surprised that it is unlikely he will be able to offer even token resistance to your actions.
• Think dirty! Literally — instill in your mind the mandate to exploit without mercy any opening that you can, in an encounter. Throw sand, dirt, a glass of water, or anything that you can't use as a weapon to inflict injury on your attacker. Cultivate a distaste for anything resembling "fair", "ethical", or "sporting" actions. Violent offenders pick their victims. If, after "reading" you as a soft target you suddenly go at a troublemaker like a rabid dog — with not the slightest concern for the damage you inflict upon him — you can bet he'll be surprised. BJS
Sword and Pen – April 2009 Issue
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
"EXPERIENCE TEACHES US THAT IT IS MUCH EASIER TO PREVENT AN ENEMY FROM POSTING THEMSELVES THAN IT IS TO DISLODGE THEM AFTER THEY HAVE GOT POSSESSION."
• GEORGE WASHINGTON
"THE element of surprise". In eight years of taekwon-do this was never mentioned to us — not even once. Nor was it mentioned save perhaps three times in passing (with practically no real emphasis) in our ju-jutsu training. Ditto for varmannie and kenpo-karate training. In fact, while there were certainly indirect references to the use of the surprise element during instructional periods (ie "Don't telegraph your moves!", "Don't be predictable when you spar!", "Try to get your opponent when his mind is elsewhere", etc.) no one, during the course of the classical/traditional martial arts training that we had, ever said simply and plainly, and repeatedly:
"CULTIVATE THE ART OF TAKING YOUR ENEMY
COMPLETELY BY SURPRISE, WHETHER ON THE
ATTACK, OR WHEN OBLIGED TO COUNTERATTACK.
THEN CAPITALIZE ON THE ADVANTAGE THAT HAVING
GOTTEN THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE IN YOUR FAVOR
HAS GIVEN YOU — AND KEEP ON ATTACKING WITH
FURY AND DETERMINATION UNTIL YOUR ENEMY HAS
BEEN DESTROYED! NEVER LET YOUR ENEMY EVEN
KNOW THAT IT IS YOUR INTENTION TO FIGHT BACK,
IF POSSIBLE. AND WHEN HE LEAST ANTICIPATES IT,
GO AFTER HIM WHERE HE IS WEAKEST WITH YOUR
STRONGEST NATURAL WEAPONS — DEVASTATE HIM WITHOUT MERCY! — SEEING TO IT THAT HIS ABILITY AND WILLINGNESS TO FURTHER ENDANGER YOU HAS BEEN TOTALLY NEGATED BEFORE YOU DESIST IN YOUR OWN ONSLAUGHT AGAINST HIM!"
Only when we (thankfully!) got our hands on the works of Applegate and Fairbairn, at or around the age of twelve, and then when we luckily enrolled with Charles Nelson, did we finally receive admonishments to employ the element of surprise whenever possible since, as these realists made clear, we were not playing a game when we found ourself in a dangerous situation requiring that we defend ourself!
We mention the foregoing because if you haven't been POUNDED with the need to master the use of the critical element of surprise in your (presumed) "martial" studies, we understand. So permit us to fill the gap in your combatives education, and to do so most emphatically, right now.
There are a number of crucial differences between any form of combative sport and actual close combat. One of them, certainly, is the fact that the degree and extent of threat that any enemy poses in real combat cannot possibly be surmised no matter how skilled or knowledgeable the combatant may be. Unlike a contest in which both contestants agree to begin on a given signal (and consequently, the true element of surprise is removed entirely from the engagement) in close combat it must be assumed that one's adversary will either endeavor to take one by complete surprise (from behind, or at a moment of distracted involvement with something beside conflict) or he will attempt to do something (pull a weapon, throw dirt, have an accomplice move in from an unexpected quarter, etc.) so as to totally surprise his adversary in a manner that leaves him little hope of surviving.
One must either master the use of the element of surprise for his own use, and learn how to subvert the application of this element by a potential enemy, or one will fall victim to any thug or opponent who appreciates the value of surprising his opponent, and who uses it skillfully.
Surprise trumps size, strength, armament, numbers. Or at least, it certainly permits an individual who possesses the requisite skills with which to dispatch enemies in battle to trump those factors, should he encounter them. And realism and practicality demands that we all train with the assumption that our enemies will all be physically superior, armed, determined to maim or to kill us, and assisted by accomplices.
In order to defeat such an enemy the element of surprise should be utilized in the extreme. The defender, for example, who trains in combat skills for self-defense, will want to make the employment of the surprise element as much a part of his personal style as he does the cultivation of hand and foot blows.
Here are some suggestions for training that will enable you to cultivate the use of the element of surprise naturally, and with excellent tactical success:
• Abandon all sparring and competition approaches to training. By conditioning yourself to face off against an opponent, ready yourself while he readies himself, and anticipate that you will be confronting a solitary, unarmed adversary under controlled and agreed upon conditions, you are conditioning yourself to become an excellent competitor, but an inept combatant. It is simply impossible to duplicate hand-to-hand combat in a sporting context, and it is the height of reckless stupidity to try. By increasing the brutality of a sport (ie UFC/Cage fighting/MMA, etc.) you do not change the fact that it still is a sport. And all sports forbid (quite appropriately) that either entrant begin until the other is ready. The combatant always seeks to shock, surprise, and take his enemy off guard; he has no concern for "beginning on an equal footing".
• Train for reality. Reality dictates that an attack will come in one of two ways: a) With your awareness of its onset, or b) Unexpectedly (from behind, etc.). In "a" type situations you can always gain the preemptive surprise advantage by simply assuming what we have dubbed the "Relaxed-Ready Stance". Stand off-angled to any stranger who approaches you, establishing and maintaining proper distance (ie outside arm's reach) from that stranger. Make no judgments, assessments, or evaluations of anyone who you do not know personally and who approaches you. Have one, fixed, set response: preparedness and wariness: condition yellow, at least; condition orange, if there is the slightest sense, suspicion, feeling, or intuition that there may be trouble. Your hands should be raised to sternum level, relaxed and open. Your eyes remain on the stranger.
In a "b" type situation you can develop the kind of reaction skills, such as we teach in American Combato, that immediately throw you on the offensive and — within the briefest possible interval — enable you to turn into the attacker, actually going after the assailant who had initially caught you unexpectedly. All good combat techniques are predominantly if not exclusively OFFENSIVE. Thus, when caught off guard, the technique of self-defense (actually, as we prefer to call it, the technique of counterattacking) is so vicious, destructive, and catches the attacker himself off guard, that the offense shifts speedily, and it is your attacker who suddenly finds himself under assault.
• Become attack minded. While taking an unexpected assailant by surprise is possible with a quick, aggressive counterattack, the best way to surprise any enemy is to preempt him. That means what we have been urging since the late 1960's: When you are attacked, attack the attacker! This requires attack mindedness, and it demands a ferocious capacity with aggressive, damaging techniques. Nothing, absolutely nothing, will enable you to better implement the element of surprise than will exploding in the face of a would-be attacker at the very moment his physical onslaught begins, and disabling him before he can carry his onslaught to fruition.
• Emphasize BLOWS as your combative forte.
It takes less time and requires less potentially "telegraphing" physical action to lash out with a simple blow than it takes to employ any kind of hold or throw.
Discard all of the in vogue "groundgrappling/wrestling/competition" foolishness. Cultivate fast eye jabs, chopping attacks, kicks to knees and testicles, and other simple, very basic skills. These blows can be initiated when needed from any normal, natural, nonchalant position. Their impact on target (or even near target!) will surprise and momentarily stun any opponent.
• Follow up! Never, never, never allow yourself to believe in or to train for "one blow stops". A simple fact about the element of surprise is that it can be achieved ONLY ONCE. Therefore, having achieved it by your initial action, press the attack relentlessly! Do not let your enemy get set, and try to eliminate him before he realizes what is happening. Keep on attacking, attacking, attacking, and attacking! Your enemy will then be kept utterly off balance physically and psychologically, and he will be so effectively surprised that it is unlikely he will be able to offer even token resistance to your actions.
• Think dirty! Literally — instill in your mind the mandate to exploit without mercy any opening that you can, in an encounter. Throw sand, dirt, a glass of water, or anything that you can't use as a weapon to inflict injury on your attacker. Cultivate a distaste for anything resembling "fair", "ethical", or "sporting" actions. Violent offenders pick their victims. If, after "reading" you as a soft target you suddenly go at a troublemaker like a rabid dog — with not the slightest concern for the damage you inflict upon him — you can bet he'll be surprised. BJS
Monday, August 24, 2009
Graduation Day!
Wow... busy, busy... busy weekend! I haven't had time to post regarding the final run of my Couch-to-5k debut.
I ran Saturday. All went well. It was 69 degrees when I started out... and around 74 when I finished. The legs held up well... & I managed to get the distance down again. The stride and gait are beginning to even out and I appear to be getting stronger.
I still haven't decided how long I want to wait until I graduate to the 8k primer. I may check it out this evening to see how it's laid out.
The wedding was nice. Not to fancy. In fact I was overderessed even after taking off the tie. Apparently their version of "Black & white" was the color scheme (or lack thereof) so I standing next to people with black Levi's & white button downs... (or T-shirts). Yeah... I really felt justified in dropping $1k at Mens Warehouse over the last week.
Sheesh. That expenditure, combined with the auto repairs from Monday put a HUGE dent in the savings. It's going to take over a month to get the account back to the accoutn back where it needs to be. August was a cruel month financially.
I ran Saturday. All went well. It was 69 degrees when I started out... and around 74 when I finished. The legs held up well... & I managed to get the distance down again. The stride and gait are beginning to even out and I appear to be getting stronger.
I still haven't decided how long I want to wait until I graduate to the 8k primer. I may check it out this evening to see how it's laid out.
The wedding was nice. Not to fancy. In fact I was overderessed even after taking off the tie. Apparently their version of "Black & white" was the color scheme (or lack thereof) so I standing next to people with black Levi's & white button downs... (or T-shirts). Yeah... I really felt justified in dropping $1k at Mens Warehouse over the last week.
Sheesh. That expenditure, combined with the auto repairs from Monday put a HUGE dent in the savings. It's going to take over a month to get the account back to the accoutn back where it needs to be. August was a cruel month financially.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Welcome Fear!
© COPYRIGHT 2009 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Sword and Pen – April 2009 Issue
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
SO often people take up the study of self-defense because they do not want to be afraid. "Be silent and fearless" one well-known taekwondo school in this country advertises. The appeal is understandable. Fear is unpleasant, and many males feel humiliated and ashamed of being afraid and of experiencing the manifestations of fear when they confront a troublemaker. So, when the claim is made that by training in such-and-such one will no longer feel fear, the sale has been made!
The truth is, however, that not only will you not "become fearless" (unless of course you become deluded, go insane, or die), but you REALLY DO NOT WANT TO BECOME FEARLESS; not, in any case, once you understand what fear really is, what it does for you, and how lifesaving it can be in a dangerous or difficult situation.
All you need to do first of all is recall any time when you felt real fear — of anything, not necessarily physical assault — and observe that the fear came on you instantly, in a flash. It also produced a definite physical reaction. Your body changed. You were "charged up" suddenly; your entire organism in a tiny fraction of a second became "ready" for something.
Recall also that the fear was involuntary. It charged you up and "readied you" (albeit very uncomfortably) with no need on your part to take conscious steps of any kind.
Then recall that fear quite possibly left you feeling a bit confused. You didn't know whether to plunge ahead or to withdraw. (Had you had some kind of previously set plan or decision in place regarding what you would do if "such a situation" came up, then you perhaps remember going ahead with that plan with vigor and speed.
Fear eliminates any need for deliberately preparing to face a crisis — for "warming up", if you will.
Fear powerizes your entire system — inside and out — because the fear energy (a term we coined years ago, when writing for a popular gun magazine) provides you with three or four times your normal strength, resilience, agility, and speed. And this happens involuntarily.
Fear allows you to carry out whatever planned and practiced response you possess (ie which you have acquired through decision, or through training and practice) without a second's hesitation. Thus you are able, thanks to fear, to undertake the most effective course of action when you are hit by the "FIGHT OR FLIGHT" response. (This is the response that causes you to experience the capacity to plunge ahead or to withdraw from the situation, and — without training and preparation that has produced a specific decision about what you'll do — you might possibly feel confusion and a kind of "stymied" or "stuck" sensation.)
Fear is only harmful to you if and when this phenomenon of "being stuck", or of being frozen and unable to decide right away whether to plunge ahead or to withdraw takes hold of you. THIS STATE IS CALLED "P A N I C". Panic is what blocks you from effective or decisive action, not any fear that you feel! It is your reaction to fear and not fear, that might potentially be a problem for you in any emergency or difficult situation.
Please reread that last paragraph.
Observe that what fear does (ie warm you up, charge you up, increase your strength, resilience, agility, and speed — and in every way greatly facilitate your ability to make the involuntary "fight or flight response" work for you, is ALL BENEFICIAL AND HIGHLY DESIRABLE!
You want to be afraid. It feels unpleasant, but like any necessary, powerful, foul-tasting medicine, it is good for you!
What proper combat training must do is:
• Train you in what you need to do when you find yourself immersed in a dangerous situation of physical violence so that you have a predetermined, effective decision already in place regarding what you will do and how you will react when the "fight or flight" reaction to sudden danger manifests, and avoidance is not a possible option. This will eliminate panic. You will not only know what to do . . . you will have decided that you are going to do it, well ahead of time.
• Acquaint you personally and deeply with the nature of the fear reaction, and condition you thoroughly to embrace, welcome, and be grateful instantly for the onset of fear — realizing what it is doing for you, and understanding how it will serve you in your carrying out of the decision you have made concerning how you will handle a violent emergency.
We do all of this during the course of training people in American Combato, and we urge anyone needing self-defense instruction and pursuing it on his own or through a program that may not be sufficiently attuned to this need, to compensate by addressing the subject himself!
Physiologically, fear eliminates the body's ability to render fine motor moves. Gross (ie "big", major muscle-group type) body movements are enhanced enormously, however. Thus, effective combat/self-defense movements are gross, major muscle group type actions. Low stomping kicks, elbow smashes, head butts, biting, chopping with handaxe blows, heel of the hand smashes, clawing and gouging, kneeing, hammerfist strikes, and front kicks, etc. done with fierce, aggressive followup and determination — particularly in combination sequences — are the ticket. Occasionally a simple, basic throw or a stranglehold might be useful . . . but the heart, soul, and essence of real world unarmed combat is BLOWS. Applegate, Fairbairn, O'Neill, Brown, Begala, Leather, Hipkiss, and virtually every notable real world instructor of the justifiably respected "world war two methods" knew this, taught it, and saw the validity of it demonstrated time and time again in real combat, during wartime. To dispute these facts today merely marks one as being uninformed about what works in real hand-to-hand combat.
By mastering and incessantly training in the types of techniques decribed above, proper use of the involuntary fear response will be boosted and greatly enhanced.
FOCUS — visual and mental — describes what fear does to the individual's psyche. Exactly what is needed to win in serious combat. Something known as the "peripheral optic disfunction phenomenon" occurs (ie tunnel vision, or the tachy-psyche effect). You visually lock on to your enemy. This assists in the proper zeroing in on the enemy's most vital target areas!
Desperation grips one in serious combat, and produces a mindset that excludes one's own awareness of pain or injury (providing one has predetermined to ATTACK and to utilize one's fear energy properly when combat cannot be avoided and when one must stop one's adversary).
All to the good!
The great heavyweight boxing champion Floyd Paterson once wrote that if he didn't feel fear as he entered the ring, he knew he was in trouble. However, when he did feel fear as he entered the ring, he had no doubt that the outcome would be favorable to himself. That's because Paterson, like every great boxer, came to understand and to embrace fear as his ally.
Do the same. It will serve you, too.
When you learn how to utilize fear another great thing happens to you, psychologically. You develop confidence in and you perfect reliance upon that part of your mind that takes over in any emergency: ie your subconscious. Here's an example:
If you drive a car then you doubtless have had the unfortunate experience of having someone suddenly run out or walk in front of your vehicle while you were driving. Perhaps they entered a crosswalk without looking, or possibly they simply ran out into the street. In any case, remember how your foot slammed instantly on the brake pedal as a sudden fear gripped you? You did not make a conscious decision to step on the brake. A long time ago you learned that when a sudden stop was needed you had to quickly step on the brake. After years of driving (and of course, using the brake pedal thousands of times) the process became motor-memorized and reflexive. In the emergency, your SUBCONSCIOUS mind took over, and without the delay of conscious intervention, undertook to carry out the action required to avoid hitting whoever was in the path of your vehicle.
It is exactly the same in quality self-defense training. Simple moves are motor-memorized and committed to reflex by endlessly repetitive practice. Mental conditioning to attack immediately establishes in your psyche the decision to use those skills if you ever must use them. Then, in a sudden emergency, your subconscious mind takes over, and without any delays caused by the interference of conscious deliberation, you GO!
The subconscious mind works in a manner similar to a computer. Stored in the computer's memory is, say, a certain item of information. Tap the right key and the computer kicks out the item of information instantly. When you master skills of combat and drill sufficiently with the proper mindset, those skills become buried permanently in your subconscious mind. Although you may not have been consciously thinking about it a moment prior, if and when you are attacked, your subconscious ("computer memory") kicks out the necessary actions that you require, and you simply do them.
When once you begin to get fear under control (not eliminate it, or try to eliminate it, but get it, and the energy that it provides, under control through the correct process of mental conditioning) you will then be ten times more formidable in any violent encounter than you believed possible.
None of this is magic. None of it is mysterious. None of it is outside your reach or beyond your ability to acquire. Believe us, please!
We learned much of that which we now teach through our studies during the late 1960's, and throughout the 1970's of psychology, psychiatry, mind control, and hypnosis. We have been a licensed hypnotherapist for 20 years now, and we are convinced that hypnosis is one of the most valuable tools for conditioning the mind of the combat arts trainee. The entire method of Class instruction that we developed and utilize is based upon the incorporation of mental conditioning via principles employed in hypnosis to the group training environment.
We caution readers at this juncture that they should use a great deal of discretion before accepting any "combat instructor" as a qualified hypnotherapist (something that we fear many might begin to resent themselves as, after reading this article!). We would add, regrettably, that they might be wise to use a great deal of discretion before accepting anyone purporting to be a "combat instructor", period!
But that is an aside.
We wish simply to point out that hypnosis is an extraordinarily valuable tool (we call it weight training for the mind) and readers might wish to explore the subject further. Books by LeCron, Caprio, and Arons are a good place to start. Certainly make the effort to learn about hypnosis before entrusting yourself to anyone presenting himself as qualified to work with you as a hypnotist!
Back to our thesis:
Fear is your ally. If you are serious about developing real ability in self-defense and a reliable, practical knowledge of close combat with and without weapons, then this is a subject of enormous importance to you.
Everyone who is sane feels fear. But there are few people who have learned to appreciate fear's great benefit, and the fact that anyone aspiring to practical proficiency in combatives should welcome and embrace fear, while training hard on the proper skills through which fear's energy may be put to its finest and most reliable use.
We sincerely hope that we have helped you through this presentation.
Sword and Pen – April 2009 Issue
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
SO often people take up the study of self-defense because they do not want to be afraid. "Be silent and fearless" one well-known taekwondo school in this country advertises. The appeal is understandable. Fear is unpleasant, and many males feel humiliated and ashamed of being afraid and of experiencing the manifestations of fear when they confront a troublemaker. So, when the claim is made that by training in such-and-such one will no longer feel fear, the sale has been made!
The truth is, however, that not only will you not "become fearless" (unless of course you become deluded, go insane, or die), but you REALLY DO NOT WANT TO BECOME FEARLESS; not, in any case, once you understand what fear really is, what it does for you, and how lifesaving it can be in a dangerous or difficult situation.
All you need to do first of all is recall any time when you felt real fear — of anything, not necessarily physical assault — and observe that the fear came on you instantly, in a flash. It also produced a definite physical reaction. Your body changed. You were "charged up" suddenly; your entire organism in a tiny fraction of a second became "ready" for something.
Recall also that the fear was involuntary. It charged you up and "readied you" (albeit very uncomfortably) with no need on your part to take conscious steps of any kind.
Then recall that fear quite possibly left you feeling a bit confused. You didn't know whether to plunge ahead or to withdraw. (Had you had some kind of previously set plan or decision in place regarding what you would do if "such a situation" came up, then you perhaps remember going ahead with that plan with vigor and speed.
Fear eliminates any need for deliberately preparing to face a crisis — for "warming up", if you will.
Fear powerizes your entire system — inside and out — because the fear energy (a term we coined years ago, when writing for a popular gun magazine) provides you with three or four times your normal strength, resilience, agility, and speed. And this happens involuntarily.
Fear allows you to carry out whatever planned and practiced response you possess (ie which you have acquired through decision, or through training and practice) without a second's hesitation. Thus you are able, thanks to fear, to undertake the most effective course of action when you are hit by the "FIGHT OR FLIGHT" response. (This is the response that causes you to experience the capacity to plunge ahead or to withdraw from the situation, and — without training and preparation that has produced a specific decision about what you'll do — you might possibly feel confusion and a kind of "stymied" or "stuck" sensation.)
Fear is only harmful to you if and when this phenomenon of "being stuck", or of being frozen and unable to decide right away whether to plunge ahead or to withdraw takes hold of you. THIS STATE IS CALLED "P A N I C". Panic is what blocks you from effective or decisive action, not any fear that you feel! It is your reaction to fear and not fear, that might potentially be a problem for you in any emergency or difficult situation.
Please reread that last paragraph.
Observe that what fear does (ie warm you up, charge you up, increase your strength, resilience, agility, and speed — and in every way greatly facilitate your ability to make the involuntary "fight or flight response" work for you, is ALL BENEFICIAL AND HIGHLY DESIRABLE!
You want to be afraid. It feels unpleasant, but like any necessary, powerful, foul-tasting medicine, it is good for you!
What proper combat training must do is:
• Train you in what you need to do when you find yourself immersed in a dangerous situation of physical violence so that you have a predetermined, effective decision already in place regarding what you will do and how you will react when the "fight or flight" reaction to sudden danger manifests, and avoidance is not a possible option. This will eliminate panic. You will not only know what to do . . . you will have decided that you are going to do it, well ahead of time.
• Acquaint you personally and deeply with the nature of the fear reaction, and condition you thoroughly to embrace, welcome, and be grateful instantly for the onset of fear — realizing what it is doing for you, and understanding how it will serve you in your carrying out of the decision you have made concerning how you will handle a violent emergency.
We do all of this during the course of training people in American Combato, and we urge anyone needing self-defense instruction and pursuing it on his own or through a program that may not be sufficiently attuned to this need, to compensate by addressing the subject himself!
Physiologically, fear eliminates the body's ability to render fine motor moves. Gross (ie "big", major muscle-group type) body movements are enhanced enormously, however. Thus, effective combat/self-defense movements are gross, major muscle group type actions. Low stomping kicks, elbow smashes, head butts, biting, chopping with handaxe blows, heel of the hand smashes, clawing and gouging, kneeing, hammerfist strikes, and front kicks, etc. done with fierce, aggressive followup and determination — particularly in combination sequences — are the ticket. Occasionally a simple, basic throw or a stranglehold might be useful . . . but the heart, soul, and essence of real world unarmed combat is BLOWS. Applegate, Fairbairn, O'Neill, Brown, Begala, Leather, Hipkiss, and virtually every notable real world instructor of the justifiably respected "world war two methods" knew this, taught it, and saw the validity of it demonstrated time and time again in real combat, during wartime. To dispute these facts today merely marks one as being uninformed about what works in real hand-to-hand combat.
By mastering and incessantly training in the types of techniques decribed above, proper use of the involuntary fear response will be boosted and greatly enhanced.
FOCUS — visual and mental — describes what fear does to the individual's psyche. Exactly what is needed to win in serious combat. Something known as the "peripheral optic disfunction phenomenon" occurs (ie tunnel vision, or the tachy-psyche effect). You visually lock on to your enemy. This assists in the proper zeroing in on the enemy's most vital target areas!
Desperation grips one in serious combat, and produces a mindset that excludes one's own awareness of pain or injury (providing one has predetermined to ATTACK and to utilize one's fear energy properly when combat cannot be avoided and when one must stop one's adversary).
All to the good!
The great heavyweight boxing champion Floyd Paterson once wrote that if he didn't feel fear as he entered the ring, he knew he was in trouble. However, when he did feel fear as he entered the ring, he had no doubt that the outcome would be favorable to himself. That's because Paterson, like every great boxer, came to understand and to embrace fear as his ally.
Do the same. It will serve you, too.
When you learn how to utilize fear another great thing happens to you, psychologically. You develop confidence in and you perfect reliance upon that part of your mind that takes over in any emergency: ie your subconscious. Here's an example:
If you drive a car then you doubtless have had the unfortunate experience of having someone suddenly run out or walk in front of your vehicle while you were driving. Perhaps they entered a crosswalk without looking, or possibly they simply ran out into the street. In any case, remember how your foot slammed instantly on the brake pedal as a sudden fear gripped you? You did not make a conscious decision to step on the brake. A long time ago you learned that when a sudden stop was needed you had to quickly step on the brake. After years of driving (and of course, using the brake pedal thousands of times) the process became motor-memorized and reflexive. In the emergency, your SUBCONSCIOUS mind took over, and without the delay of conscious intervention, undertook to carry out the action required to avoid hitting whoever was in the path of your vehicle.
It is exactly the same in quality self-defense training. Simple moves are motor-memorized and committed to reflex by endlessly repetitive practice. Mental conditioning to attack immediately establishes in your psyche the decision to use those skills if you ever must use them. Then, in a sudden emergency, your subconscious mind takes over, and without any delays caused by the interference of conscious deliberation, you GO!
The subconscious mind works in a manner similar to a computer. Stored in the computer's memory is, say, a certain item of information. Tap the right key and the computer kicks out the item of information instantly. When you master skills of combat and drill sufficiently with the proper mindset, those skills become buried permanently in your subconscious mind. Although you may not have been consciously thinking about it a moment prior, if and when you are attacked, your subconscious ("computer memory") kicks out the necessary actions that you require, and you simply do them.
When once you begin to get fear under control (not eliminate it, or try to eliminate it, but get it, and the energy that it provides, under control through the correct process of mental conditioning) you will then be ten times more formidable in any violent encounter than you believed possible.
None of this is magic. None of it is mysterious. None of it is outside your reach or beyond your ability to acquire. Believe us, please!
We learned much of that which we now teach through our studies during the late 1960's, and throughout the 1970's of psychology, psychiatry, mind control, and hypnosis. We have been a licensed hypnotherapist for 20 years now, and we are convinced that hypnosis is one of the most valuable tools for conditioning the mind of the combat arts trainee. The entire method of Class instruction that we developed and utilize is based upon the incorporation of mental conditioning via principles employed in hypnosis to the group training environment.
We caution readers at this juncture that they should use a great deal of discretion before accepting any "combat instructor" as a qualified hypnotherapist (something that we fear many might begin to resent themselves as, after reading this article!). We would add, regrettably, that they might be wise to use a great deal of discretion before accepting anyone purporting to be a "combat instructor", period!
But that is an aside.
We wish simply to point out that hypnosis is an extraordinarily valuable tool (we call it weight training for the mind) and readers might wish to explore the subject further. Books by LeCron, Caprio, and Arons are a good place to start. Certainly make the effort to learn about hypnosis before entrusting yourself to anyone presenting himself as qualified to work with you as a hypnotist!
Back to our thesis:
Fear is your ally. If you are serious about developing real ability in self-defense and a reliable, practical knowledge of close combat with and without weapons, then this is a subject of enormous importance to you.
Everyone who is sane feels fear. But there are few people who have learned to appreciate fear's great benefit, and the fact that anyone aspiring to practical proficiency in combatives should welcome and embrace fear, while training hard on the proper skills through which fear's energy may be put to its finest and most reliable use.
We sincerely hope that we have helped you through this presentation.
Interval Session Twenty-Six
I'm almost done with the "training phase" of the Couch-to-5k. Podrunner calls this their "First Day to 5k"... but it's the same thing. They're all variartions of the same interval (Fartlek) systemization.
It was nearly 90-degrees today but it didn't really feel that hot. My only comments on this are that:
1) I didn't feel as "challenged" on the return leg as I did on Sunday
2)I had to stop twice to tie my re-tie my shoes
3) The running segment ended earlier than I thought it would... right around where the 28-minute segments were.
So... what I'm discering from number three is that I was likely taking shorter strides... but my cadence seemed faster yesterday. Odd... but I run again Friday & I'll take a more serious look at it.
I know that I felt much stronger last night than last weekend. Usually if I skip an extra day in the middle of one of these segments, I feel weaker... like I lost conditioning. I think I may have still been recovering from the Thursday rain run on Sunday. This time the extra rest did me good. Add the fact that I waited until Sunday afternoon to run... when I should have gotten up & done it in the AM... maybe thre was a motivation issue as well.
It was nearly 90-degrees today but it didn't really feel that hot. My only comments on this are that:
1) I didn't feel as "challenged" on the return leg as I did on Sunday
2)I had to stop twice to tie my re-tie my shoes
3) The running segment ended earlier than I thought it would... right around where the 28-minute segments were.
So... what I'm discering from number three is that I was likely taking shorter strides... but my cadence seemed faster yesterday. Odd... but I run again Friday & I'll take a more serious look at it.
I know that I felt much stronger last night than last weekend. Usually if I skip an extra day in the middle of one of these segments, I feel weaker... like I lost conditioning. I think I may have still been recovering from the Thursday rain run on Sunday. This time the extra rest did me good. Add the fact that I waited until Sunday afternoon to run... when I should have gotten up & done it in the AM... maybe thre was a motivation issue as well.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Prove Me Wrong! Why BMI Could Actually Discourage Training!
By Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems
http://www.staleytraining.com
Author’s note: I wrote this when the BMI index began making the news. It struck me that the BMI actually discourages training— see if you agree.
Warning! Exercise Increases Your Risk of Weight-Related Health Problems
The BMI is designed to replace the old height/weight charts created by health insurance companies. But the question remains, what is the accuracy, not to mention, the utility, of the BMI?
First, let's start with a definition. You can calculate your BMI by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. (If you'd prefer to spare yourself the mathematical trauma, just head over to The Department of Health and Human Services at http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ (they have a BMI calculator which you can use to instantly calculate your supposed level of risk of overweight.)
An Interesting Test Case: Me
I recently did just that, and at 205 pounds and a height of 6'1", I landed a whopping BMI of 28— nearly obese by BMI standards.
According to the NIH, you'll need a BMI of 24 or less in order to qualify as having a "normal" weight. So I kept plugging in lower and lower bodyweights, finally going all the way down to 180 pounds to obtain a BMI of 24.
I wonder, what would the consequences of losing 25 pounds be for me? Of course, a fairly large portion of this weight would be muscle— If I make the assumption that I'm currently 15% bodyfat, that means I only have 30.75 pound of fat on my entire body. So, to lose 25 pounds without losing any muscle, I'd end up with less than 2% bodyfat, which is probably not enough to sustain life.
So, that means that the 25 pounds would be mostly muscle. Since a pound of muscle burns approximately 18 calories a day, my metabolic rate would be lowered by 450 calories a day.
Also, this dramatic loss of muscle would certainly profoundly reduce my strength levels. While I have more than enough strength to get through my daily activities, muscle mass and strength both gradually decline as we age.
So I always look at muscle like "money in the bank:" the more I have now,
the more I'll still have when I'm 60, 70, or 80 years of age. So the bottom line seems to be, if I choose to adhere to NIH's guidelines, my health and functional status will surely decline!
Conversely...
Another very important point to consider are the legions of people who will score very acceptable numbers using the BMI, but who in fact are overfat. Despite what many people think, it’s common to find people who appear to be of normal or even low bodyweight, who in fact are overfat, because they have such low levels of muscle mass.
Consider the research conducted by Dr. William Evans at Tufts University: Evans discovered that the as women age, in many cases their leg girth tended to remain constant, however, upon CAT scan analysis, it was found that the fat mass was increased, while the lean mass had decreased. In other words, their external appearance had not significantly changed, yet their bodyfat percentage had increased.
And Even Further...
Because muscle weighs more than fat, embarking on a rapid, unhealthy weight-loss scheme will reduce your BMI much more effectively than losing weight in a healthy and rational manner (the faster you lose weight, the more muscle you lose). So I would like to venture the proposition that the new BMI will encourage fad weight loss programs and starvation diets.
Is There a Better Alternative?
Yes. Have a reputable fitness professional measure your bodyfat percentage (call the International Sports Sciences Association at (800) 892-ISSA to find such a professional in your area). Over the past several years, there have been important new developments in bodyfat measurement techniques, and today, there are several options available. Various methods have varying degrees of accuracy, but if you always use the same method, you’ll have an accurate standard of reference.
In other words, you may not know your exact percentage of bodyfat, but you’ll know if your percentage is increasing or decreasing.
I don’t know why this is such a hard pill to swallow— it’s bodyfat, NOT bodyweight that determines your health and functional capacity. There will never be a height/weight chart, regardless of what anyone chooses to call it, which can predict optimal bodyweight, because such charts never take a person’s muscle mass into account.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About The Author
Charles Staley...world-class strength/performance coach...his colleagues call him an iconoclast, a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients call him “The Secret Weapon” for his ability to see what other coaches miss. Charles calls himself a “geek” who struggled in Phys Ed throughout school. Whatever you call him, Charles’ methods are ahead of their time and quickly produce serious results.
Click here to visit Charles' site and grab your 5 FREE videos that will show you how to literally FORCE your body to build muscle, lose fat and gain strength with "Escalating Density Training," Charles' revolutionary, time-saving approach to lifting that focuses on performance NOT pain.
http://www.staleytrainingprograms.com
Director, Staley Training Systems
http://www.staleytraining.com
Author’s note: I wrote this when the BMI index began making the news. It struck me that the BMI actually discourages training— see if you agree.
Warning! Exercise Increases Your Risk of Weight-Related Health Problems
The BMI is designed to replace the old height/weight charts created by health insurance companies. But the question remains, what is the accuracy, not to mention, the utility, of the BMI?
First, let's start with a definition. You can calculate your BMI by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. (If you'd prefer to spare yourself the mathematical trauma, just head over to The Department of Health and Human Services at http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ (they have a BMI calculator which you can use to instantly calculate your supposed level of risk of overweight.)
An Interesting Test Case: Me
I recently did just that, and at 205 pounds and a height of 6'1", I landed a whopping BMI of 28— nearly obese by BMI standards.
According to the NIH, you'll need a BMI of 24 or less in order to qualify as having a "normal" weight. So I kept plugging in lower and lower bodyweights, finally going all the way down to 180 pounds to obtain a BMI of 24.
I wonder, what would the consequences of losing 25 pounds be for me? Of course, a fairly large portion of this weight would be muscle— If I make the assumption that I'm currently 15% bodyfat, that means I only have 30.75 pound of fat on my entire body. So, to lose 25 pounds without losing any muscle, I'd end up with less than 2% bodyfat, which is probably not enough to sustain life.
So, that means that the 25 pounds would be mostly muscle. Since a pound of muscle burns approximately 18 calories a day, my metabolic rate would be lowered by 450 calories a day.
Also, this dramatic loss of muscle would certainly profoundly reduce my strength levels. While I have more than enough strength to get through my daily activities, muscle mass and strength both gradually decline as we age.
So I always look at muscle like "money in the bank:" the more I have now,
the more I'll still have when I'm 60, 70, or 80 years of age. So the bottom line seems to be, if I choose to adhere to NIH's guidelines, my health and functional status will surely decline!
Conversely...
Another very important point to consider are the legions of people who will score very acceptable numbers using the BMI, but who in fact are overfat. Despite what many people think, it’s common to find people who appear to be of normal or even low bodyweight, who in fact are overfat, because they have such low levels of muscle mass.
Consider the research conducted by Dr. William Evans at Tufts University: Evans discovered that the as women age, in many cases their leg girth tended to remain constant, however, upon CAT scan analysis, it was found that the fat mass was increased, while the lean mass had decreased. In other words, their external appearance had not significantly changed, yet their bodyfat percentage had increased.
And Even Further...
Because muscle weighs more than fat, embarking on a rapid, unhealthy weight-loss scheme will reduce your BMI much more effectively than losing weight in a healthy and rational manner (the faster you lose weight, the more muscle you lose). So I would like to venture the proposition that the new BMI will encourage fad weight loss programs and starvation diets.
Is There a Better Alternative?
Yes. Have a reputable fitness professional measure your bodyfat percentage (call the International Sports Sciences Association at (800) 892-ISSA to find such a professional in your area). Over the past several years, there have been important new developments in bodyfat measurement techniques, and today, there are several options available. Various methods have varying degrees of accuracy, but if you always use the same method, you’ll have an accurate standard of reference.
In other words, you may not know your exact percentage of bodyfat, but you’ll know if your percentage is increasing or decreasing.
I don’t know why this is such a hard pill to swallow— it’s bodyfat, NOT bodyweight that determines your health and functional capacity. There will never be a height/weight chart, regardless of what anyone chooses to call it, which can predict optimal bodyweight, because such charts never take a person’s muscle mass into account.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About The Author
Charles Staley...world-class strength/performance coach...his colleagues call him an iconoclast, a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients call him “The Secret Weapon” for his ability to see what other coaches miss. Charles calls himself a “geek” who struggled in Phys Ed throughout school. Whatever you call him, Charles’ methods are ahead of their time and quickly produce serious results.
Click here to visit Charles' site and grab your 5 FREE videos that will show you how to literally FORCE your body to build muscle, lose fat and gain strength with "Escalating Density Training," Charles' revolutionary, time-saving approach to lifting that focuses on performance NOT pain.
http://www.staleytrainingprograms.com
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Interval Session Twenty-Five...
Whew! I just completed the first, FULL, 30-minute session! I had previously though that this wasn't going to be a big deal because I'd just finished a three-session week running 28-minute segments. What's two minutes, right? The last episode was more of a swim that a run... but I'd finished & it was the worst of the three. I attributed the fatigued to the downpour... & rightly so. I did not stretch at the end of Thursdays’ session because I was already soaked to the bone. All I wanted to do was get dried off, get in the car & get warm. I don’t know if that had anything to do with how I did today.
It was warm. It was actually warmer than it had been all week. So I’m now wondering if I lost my acclimation to the heat. I know it was over 75 degrees. It didn’t really feel that warm… having been running on 80 to 100 degree days. As usual my cardio and respiratory were fine. My legs took another pounding. In fact my quads and hamstrings were aching so badly that I wanted to quit about 2/3 of the way through. The last ¾ of a mile were done on sheer stubbornness. I hadn’t quit during the deluge and I was NOT going to quit now.
At this point I’m unsure how my legs are going to respond once I’m doing squats and high pulls throughout the week along with the running. It’s either going to assist in conditioning them and improve my performance… or it’s going to kill me. Add to that that I’m considering eventually switching to the Celebration route… because I’m getting sick of the drive to Orting. Then I’ll be dealing with the hills as well. If I manage to survive that regimen it should get me in fairly good shape over the fall and winter months.
I’m anticipating the commute worsening once the rains starts in earnest. So my commute home is going to get longer. This is going to cut my running time if I’m driving all the way south to get to a trail. The trail in Federal Way makes more sense from that perspective. Hopefully I’ll be in good enough shape by that time that I can handle it.
I don't see myself trial running then... unless I discover some other area that's adequate. I think that the area around the river may be too muddy. I'm also not sure where the river crests along there. So a lot of the time that trail may end up under water in areas. I also need to take another satellite look at Celebration & map out the path south. I don't think it crosses more than a few streets before it gets to Tacoma.
It was warm. It was actually warmer than it had been all week. So I’m now wondering if I lost my acclimation to the heat. I know it was over 75 degrees. It didn’t really feel that warm… having been running on 80 to 100 degree days. As usual my cardio and respiratory were fine. My legs took another pounding. In fact my quads and hamstrings were aching so badly that I wanted to quit about 2/3 of the way through. The last ¾ of a mile were done on sheer stubbornness. I hadn’t quit during the deluge and I was NOT going to quit now.
At this point I’m unsure how my legs are going to respond once I’m doing squats and high pulls throughout the week along with the running. It’s either going to assist in conditioning them and improve my performance… or it’s going to kill me. Add to that that I’m considering eventually switching to the Celebration route… because I’m getting sick of the drive to Orting. Then I’ll be dealing with the hills as well. If I manage to survive that regimen it should get me in fairly good shape over the fall and winter months.
I’m anticipating the commute worsening once the rains starts in earnest. So my commute home is going to get longer. This is going to cut my running time if I’m driving all the way south to get to a trail. The trail in Federal Way makes more sense from that perspective. Hopefully I’ll be in good enough shape by that time that I can handle it.
I don't see myself trial running then... unless I discover some other area that's adequate. I think that the area around the river may be too muddy. I'm also not sure where the river crests along there. So a lot of the time that trail may end up under water in areas. I also need to take another satellite look at Celebration & map out the path south. I don't think it crosses more than a few streets before it gets to Tacoma.
Below The Belt
The attached article could provide some intersting insight for those who have an eye for such things. The (intended) victim had previously read a book entitled Below The Belt: Unarmed Combat For Women.
[Special thanks to Bradley J. Steiner for providing the content.]
[Click on image for full-sized version]
The Great Error Of ―Humane And
―Non-Injurious Self-Defense
Programs
© COPYRIGHT 2009 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Sword and Pen – January 2009 Issue
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
WITHOUT going into details, we will say that we have had a not inconsiderable amount of association with individuals in the intelligence field. And while motion pictures and television in general offer an overly romanticized and glamorized view of what secret intelligence work is actually like, there is one aspect of clandestine services work (which is a facet of intelligence) that really is pretty accurately described: the dangerous aspect of it which, when it is present, is very dangerous, indeed.
The game of espionage and counterespionage is played for keeps; and anyone who has been involved with it to any degree knows this very well. It‘s a life or death thing for those who operate as spies or agents-in-place for any intelligence organization — and there‘s simply no way around this fact. All attempts to whitewash the dangers and the risks do no service to those involved. Such foolishness only makes their already extremely dangerous work even more dangerous, by failing to acknowledge their absolute need for meticulous attention to good tradecraft.
It‘s exactly the same thing in self-defense and close combat. These are simply not activities unfraught with real peril. When an individual must physically defend himself or others, and/or when — in whatever context it may occur — one must engage a deadly enemy in hand-to-hand combat, the predicament is very dangerous, the risk of injury and death is great, and there is no good purpose served by whitewashing these facts, and by pretending that some ―lesser means than utterly decisive and destructive ones, will enable one to prevail.
As a professional we receive the industry journals in the martial arts field. We do not subscribe to them. They are simply sent to us. And while we find little in these publications that is relevant to that which we do, we have noted for years now that another ―fad has emerged in the martial arts. It goes under the name of ―Non Injurious Self-Defense or ―Humane Self-Defense. It has two major selling points — both of which are, as we shall shortly demonstrate, indirect arguments for all sensible people who are concerned about personal defense, to avoid anything resembling their doctrine.
The selling points are:
1. This form of self-defense avoids needless cruelty and violence. It enables a decent human being to protect himself, when necessary, without stooping to the barbaric level of the violent offender.
—and—
2. This method of personal defense provides the optimum degree of legal protection for the defender who employs it, since he never resorts to excessive force, and is therefore always safe from prosecution by the law, after the fact.
However well-intentioned the ―humane approach and rhetoric may be, it amounts to the worst possible disservice that martial arts training can provide to those who come to training seeking a means of realistic self-protection. The fact that the sales pitch has enormous appeal to a lot of people means nothing. Those who need to learn self-defense and hand-to-hand combat for personal or professional reasons are not necessarily in a position — prior to receiving both good training and real world experience — to know what they require in order to be prepared for the real thing. The teachers ought to know, however. And in our opinion it is prima facie evidence that they do not know, if and to the extent they advocate the ―non injurious stuff.
Here are the unpleasant facts:
First: It really isn‘t possible to be fully prepared to defend yourself if you lack the preparedness, willingness, and ability to stoop to the lowest level imaginable, to ferociously engage your attacker(s) with merciless, destructive intent and skills. Who do you think attacks people, anyway? We are not concerned here with misguided thinkers who have made a slight error in judgment and who have unintentionally encroached upon your ―space! We are speaking, when we speak of self-defense, of dangerous, cruel, violent, predatory individuals who are deliberately acting in an aggressively harmful manner (almost always, for reasons that are entirely unknown to you) and whose capacity and intentions remain a mystery. These creatures cannot be accurately assessed and evaluated as to their motives and their ultimate ability to injure, maim, and kill. All that you know — or that anyone can possibly know — at the time of a violent criminal attack, is that you are being violently set upon, and that YOU JUST MIGHT BE MAIMED OR KILLED AS A RESULT OF WHAT IS HAPPENING TO YOU.
The notion that, for whatever reason, one has some kind of ―moral obligation‖ not to fight ferociously and foul — not to savage and devastate a violent felon or other attacking beast — is stupid. One is hardly morally superior to an attacker if one refuses to resort to whatever foul measures may be employed at the time of the attack to stop the bastard who is doing the attacking. One is a stupid fool.
It is the very fact that an individual is decent and innocent that virtually mandates that he utilize any and every vicious and unfair measure at his disposal in order to stop some malicious offender who attacks him. Decent people belong in human society. Predatory, violent felons do not. Whatever injury they suffer at the hands of their intended victims is more than well deserved. To hell with them.
Whether we are speaking of a bully in grade school or a home invader; the choice to prey is made by the offender. Whatever — WHATEVER — the victim does to stop the filthy monster is a reflection on the initiator of violence, never on the defender.
Those who stand outside the situation that is faced by a violent predator and who proceed to pontificate about what ―ought to be done or not done, according to some specious set of imbecilic ―rules, in order for the victim(!) to remain morally unsullied when he undertakes the desperate act of self-defense, deserve to be thrown into a similar predicament as the victim whom they so arrogantly admonish. The victim is RIGHT and the predator is WRONG.
Whatever the victim does to defend himself is morally justifiable.
The simple, unvarnished truth is that there is not and there cannot be any kind of ―unnecessary cruelty or ―excessive violence in self-defense. Anyone who raises a hand unjustifiably against someone whom he intends to victimize has by definition of his action undertaken cruel, excessive, and extraordinarily violent conduct. HE HAS TO BE STOPPED.
Second, there is no guarantee of ― legal protection whenever force is applied — no matter how righteous or justifiable the context, and regardless of how ―humane the applicant of the self-defense skills endeavors to be. The law has persecuted innocent people before, and it will doubtless do so again. Atrocious felonies often go unpunished (and are, like to hear it or not, all too often committed by law enforcers), while minor misdemeanants are hobbled by the system. Clarence Darrow was quite correct when he observed that ―There is no justice, inside or out of court.
[Special thanks to Bradley J. Steiner for providing the content.]
[Click on image for full-sized version]
The Great Error Of ―Humane And
―Non-Injurious Self-Defense
Programs
© COPYRIGHT 2009 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Sword and Pen – January 2009 Issue
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
WITHOUT going into details, we will say that we have had a not inconsiderable amount of association with individuals in the intelligence field. And while motion pictures and television in general offer an overly romanticized and glamorized view of what secret intelligence work is actually like, there is one aspect of clandestine services work (which is a facet of intelligence) that really is pretty accurately described: the dangerous aspect of it which, when it is present, is very dangerous, indeed.
The game of espionage and counterespionage is played for keeps; and anyone who has been involved with it to any degree knows this very well. It‘s a life or death thing for those who operate as spies or agents-in-place for any intelligence organization — and there‘s simply no way around this fact. All attempts to whitewash the dangers and the risks do no service to those involved. Such foolishness only makes their already extremely dangerous work even more dangerous, by failing to acknowledge their absolute need for meticulous attention to good tradecraft.
It‘s exactly the same thing in self-defense and close combat. These are simply not activities unfraught with real peril. When an individual must physically defend himself or others, and/or when — in whatever context it may occur — one must engage a deadly enemy in hand-to-hand combat, the predicament is very dangerous, the risk of injury and death is great, and there is no good purpose served by whitewashing these facts, and by pretending that some ―lesser means than utterly decisive and destructive ones, will enable one to prevail.
As a professional we receive the industry journals in the martial arts field. We do not subscribe to them. They are simply sent to us. And while we find little in these publications that is relevant to that which we do, we have noted for years now that another ―fad has emerged in the martial arts. It goes under the name of ―Non Injurious Self-Defense or ―Humane Self-Defense. It has two major selling points — both of which are, as we shall shortly demonstrate, indirect arguments for all sensible people who are concerned about personal defense, to avoid anything resembling their doctrine.
The selling points are:
1. This form of self-defense avoids needless cruelty and violence. It enables a decent human being to protect himself, when necessary, without stooping to the barbaric level of the violent offender.
—and—
2. This method of personal defense provides the optimum degree of legal protection for the defender who employs it, since he never resorts to excessive force, and is therefore always safe from prosecution by the law, after the fact.
However well-intentioned the ―humane approach and rhetoric may be, it amounts to the worst possible disservice that martial arts training can provide to those who come to training seeking a means of realistic self-protection. The fact that the sales pitch has enormous appeal to a lot of people means nothing. Those who need to learn self-defense and hand-to-hand combat for personal or professional reasons are not necessarily in a position — prior to receiving both good training and real world experience — to know what they require in order to be prepared for the real thing. The teachers ought to know, however. And in our opinion it is prima facie evidence that they do not know, if and to the extent they advocate the ―non injurious stuff.
Here are the unpleasant facts:
First: It really isn‘t possible to be fully prepared to defend yourself if you lack the preparedness, willingness, and ability to stoop to the lowest level imaginable, to ferociously engage your attacker(s) with merciless, destructive intent and skills. Who do you think attacks people, anyway? We are not concerned here with misguided thinkers who have made a slight error in judgment and who have unintentionally encroached upon your ―space! We are speaking, when we speak of self-defense, of dangerous, cruel, violent, predatory individuals who are deliberately acting in an aggressively harmful manner (almost always, for reasons that are entirely unknown to you) and whose capacity and intentions remain a mystery. These creatures cannot be accurately assessed and evaluated as to their motives and their ultimate ability to injure, maim, and kill. All that you know — or that anyone can possibly know — at the time of a violent criminal attack, is that you are being violently set upon, and that YOU JUST MIGHT BE MAIMED OR KILLED AS A RESULT OF WHAT IS HAPPENING TO YOU.
The notion that, for whatever reason, one has some kind of ―moral obligation‖ not to fight ferociously and foul — not to savage and devastate a violent felon or other attacking beast — is stupid. One is hardly morally superior to an attacker if one refuses to resort to whatever foul measures may be employed at the time of the attack to stop the bastard who is doing the attacking. One is a stupid fool.
It is the very fact that an individual is decent and innocent that virtually mandates that he utilize any and every vicious and unfair measure at his disposal in order to stop some malicious offender who attacks him. Decent people belong in human society. Predatory, violent felons do not. Whatever injury they suffer at the hands of their intended victims is more than well deserved. To hell with them.
Whether we are speaking of a bully in grade school or a home invader; the choice to prey is made by the offender. Whatever — WHATEVER — the victim does to stop the filthy monster is a reflection on the initiator of violence, never on the defender.
Those who stand outside the situation that is faced by a violent predator and who proceed to pontificate about what ―ought to be done or not done, according to some specious set of imbecilic ―rules, in order for the victim(!) to remain morally unsullied when he undertakes the desperate act of self-defense, deserve to be thrown into a similar predicament as the victim whom they so arrogantly admonish. The victim is RIGHT and the predator is WRONG.
Whatever the victim does to defend himself is morally justifiable.
The simple, unvarnished truth is that there is not and there cannot be any kind of ―unnecessary cruelty or ―excessive violence in self-defense. Anyone who raises a hand unjustifiably against someone whom he intends to victimize has by definition of his action undertaken cruel, excessive, and extraordinarily violent conduct. HE HAS TO BE STOPPED.
Second, there is no guarantee of ― legal protection whenever force is applied — no matter how righteous or justifiable the context, and regardless of how ―humane the applicant of the self-defense skills endeavors to be. The law has persecuted innocent people before, and it will doubtless do so again. Atrocious felonies often go unpunished (and are, like to hear it or not, all too often committed by law enforcers), while minor misdemeanants are hobbled by the system. Clarence Darrow was quite correct when he observed that ―There is no justice, inside or out of court.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Structural Versus Randomized Training Concepts
[Bloggers Note: As one who has recently been considering the CrossFit option for training, this article hits home. Specifically, there are some issues that I have identified on my own that are critical to training. Namely, the learning curve aspect: The form and focus in Olympic lifts MUST BE MAINTAINED and one cannot do this only performing these complicated lifts in a random fashion. (This also invites injury!) The ongoing soreness is also a factor as in certain vocations it could be a serious detriment in addition to simply being an annoyance.
On the otherhand, the effectiveness of this type of training does have an allure when applied to my particular vocational interests. So... it's a trade off. I think I'm reaching a point where I'm ready to develop my own version of a cross-training regimin and while it may not be anywhere near as varied as the CrossFit menu, I believe that it will likely be effective in developing power and "general fitness".]
Staley Training
By Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems
Recently, through the work of popular fitness movements such as CrossFit and its many imitators, the previously unexplored concept of randomized training has received a significant amount of popularity throughout the fitness community. This popularity is not without reason- randomized workouts have significant benefits, but like all approaches, random training also has its drawbacks.
In this article, I'll compare and contrast random versus structured approaches to training, and then I'll summarize by offering a few approaches that (I think) provide the benefits of both while simultaneously minimizing the drawbacks.
Benefits of Randomized Approaches
"Crossfitters" enjoy random workouts, and I think you will too- here's why:
1) That new car smell:
To borrow a great phrase from my client Dr. Jeffrey Bernstein, there's a palpable sense of renewal at the prospect of a new workout program that you plan to start on Monday (by the way, no one ever starts a new program or diet on any other day of the week, unless it happens to be New Year's Day.) In a sense, randomized training gives you that "new car smell" every single workout. If you're suffering from ADD or are otherwise under-motivated, this can be a great boost to your morale and can make you more consistent than you'd otherwise be. And needless to say, if you're consistent, you'll make more progress than your inconsistent peers, even if what they're doing is "better" or "smarter" or "more scientific" than what you're doing.
2) Specificity to random and/or varied professional or athletic needs:
Some professions, avocations, and sport disciplines (and perhaps people seeking "general" fitness, whatever than means) require or desire a generalized, highly varied, almost random set of physical attributes and motor qualities. Firefighters, police, military and para-military job descriptions come to mind, as do many fighting sports, most notably mixed martial arts (MMA).
Drawbacks of Randomized Approaches
Despite the significant benefits I've just described, random training (like any approach) also has its drawbacks. The most significant of these shortcomings are as follows:
1) Constant soreness:
If you squat anywhere between one and thrice a week, the soreness that you initially experience during your first handful of workouts soon becomes all but a distant memory as your body's adaptive systems and resources solve this particular Rubik's Cube. In fact, once the puzzle's been solved, it'll be nearly impossible to invoke soreness, no matter how hard you push yourself. On the other hand, the more random your training is, the more often you'll be sore- the random nature of the physical challenges you experience makes it far more difficult for you to habituate.
If you're an in-season athlete, or belong to a highly physical profession that presents randomized challenges, you don't really want to be sore all the time. This means that although you need enough variety to keep your nervous system somewhat off-guard, you don't want the variety to be so significant that you're basically starting from scratch each and every workout.
2) Poor learning curve:
In order to learn challenging and complex motor tasks (such as the Olympic lifts for example), it'd be to your advantage to do them often. Learning requires frequent repetition, and motor learning is no exception to this rule. If your training is completely random, you'll never have enough repetition to sustain the learning curve.
3) Limited specificity:
This third point somewhat overlaps with the previous two points, but to put a sharper edge on it, powerlifters need to do their 3 competitive lifts, swimmers need to swim, and climbers need to climb. If you want to be great at pull-ups, you need to work them hard- a lot. And obviously, a completely randomized approach doesn't accommodate this need.
Reconciling Structure And Non-Structure
I've often said that there's no such thing as a perfect program, because even if you could find it, you'll quickly habituate to it and progress will slow to a halt. That being said, there are principles that help us to identify "better" approaches, and one of these principles is that specificity ("structure" in the scope of this conversation) and variety ("randomness" for our purposes here) must be balanced and integrated within the overall scope of training. Here then, are a few suggestions for doing just that:
Use A Structured Exercise List With Random Loading Parameters
If you've determined that a particular exercise tends to move you closer toward your goals, you should probably do that exercise on a regular and relatively frequent basis. One possible drawback (as discussed earlier) of regular frequency is neural habituation and slowed progress as your nervous system "figures out" how to deal with that particular form of stress. The solution to this, which was discovered eons ago by athletes in a wide number of sports, is to randomize the character and/or specific attributes of that exercise stress. In our case, that means providing variety through constantly changing loading parameters (E.g., set/rep brackets, intensity, tempo, and rest intervals.
Simply create 6 different loading protocols, such as:
-5x5/80%/3 minutes rest between sets
-6x2/90%/5 minutes rest between sets
-3x10/70%/2 minutes rest between sets
-10x3/85%/4 minutes rest between sets
-2x20/60%/2.5 minutes rest between sets
-1x5/85%
Next, assign a number to each option, and roll a dye. Whatever comes up determines your loading parameters for that exercise.
Use A Semi-Structured Exercise List With Structured Loading Parameters
If Monday is defined as "squat day," you can randomize what type of squat you'll do by selecting from 6 options: back squats, front squats, overhead squats, box squats, Zercher squats, and dumbbell squats. If you'd like to substitute your own favorites for some of mine, go ahead. Once your list of 6 choices is completed, number each choice from 1 to 6. Prior to squat day, roll a dye and whatever number comes up determines what type of squat you'll do that day. From there, you apply whatever loading parameters you've appropriated for the current cycle you're on, and you're ready to go.
Worth noting here is that only the most useful exercises can be plugged into this option, which is one of it's greatest attributes. You're not likely to come up with 6 variations of tricep kickbacks, leg extensions, or pec deck, but you can easily devise a half-dozen options for vertical pressing, horizontal pressing, unilateral leg drills, snatches, cleans, and deadlifts. This is simply an extrapolation of the "same but different" approach that I've written about in previous articles.
Use A Semi-Structured Exercise List With Random Loading Parameters
This is an amalgam of the previous two suggestions. Both exercises and loading parameters are "semi-structured." On Monday, you know you're doing some type of squat, but you don't know which one until you roll the dye. Then, a second roll gives you your loading parameters. Obviously, this is the most random of the three approaches, but it still provides structure.
What About Periodization?
To further maximize the benefit/drawback profile when attempting to reconcile structure with non-structure, you can employ a cycling concept where you (for example) employ the first option for 4 weeks, followed by the second option for a month, and finally, the last option for the remainder of a 12-week cycle. If your needs require a variation on this theme, go ahead and apply your creative elbow grease to the situation.
Now Go And Make It Yours!
The suggestions I've presented here are for the purposes of illustration and to inspire your own creative thinking. If, during this article, you're struck by alternative applications of my ideas, then I've been successful.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About The Author
Charles Staley...world-class strength/performance coach...his colleagues call him an iconoclast, a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients call him “The Secret Weapon” for his ability to see what other coaches miss. Charles calls himself a “geek” who struggled in Phys Ed throughout school. Whatever you call him, Charles’ methods are ahead of their time and quickly produce serious results.
Click here to visit Charles' site and grab your 5 FREE videos that will show you how to literally FORCE your body to build muscle, lose fat and gain strength with "Escalating Density Training," Charles' revolutionary, time-saving approach to lifting that focuses on performance NOT pain.
Staley Training Programs
On the otherhand, the effectiveness of this type of training does have an allure when applied to my particular vocational interests. So... it's a trade off. I think I'm reaching a point where I'm ready to develop my own version of a cross-training regimin and while it may not be anywhere near as varied as the CrossFit menu, I believe that it will likely be effective in developing power and "general fitness".]
Staley Training
By Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems
Recently, through the work of popular fitness movements such as CrossFit and its many imitators, the previously unexplored concept of randomized training has received a significant amount of popularity throughout the fitness community. This popularity is not without reason- randomized workouts have significant benefits, but like all approaches, random training also has its drawbacks.
In this article, I'll compare and contrast random versus structured approaches to training, and then I'll summarize by offering a few approaches that (I think) provide the benefits of both while simultaneously minimizing the drawbacks.
Benefits of Randomized Approaches
"Crossfitters" enjoy random workouts, and I think you will too- here's why:
1) That new car smell:
To borrow a great phrase from my client Dr. Jeffrey Bernstein, there's a palpable sense of renewal at the prospect of a new workout program that you plan to start on Monday (by the way, no one ever starts a new program or diet on any other day of the week, unless it happens to be New Year's Day.) In a sense, randomized training gives you that "new car smell" every single workout. If you're suffering from ADD or are otherwise under-motivated, this can be a great boost to your morale and can make you more consistent than you'd otherwise be. And needless to say, if you're consistent, you'll make more progress than your inconsistent peers, even if what they're doing is "better" or "smarter" or "more scientific" than what you're doing.
2) Specificity to random and/or varied professional or athletic needs:
Some professions, avocations, and sport disciplines (and perhaps people seeking "general" fitness, whatever than means) require or desire a generalized, highly varied, almost random set of physical attributes and motor qualities. Firefighters, police, military and para-military job descriptions come to mind, as do many fighting sports, most notably mixed martial arts (MMA).
Drawbacks of Randomized Approaches
Despite the significant benefits I've just described, random training (like any approach) also has its drawbacks. The most significant of these shortcomings are as follows:
1) Constant soreness:
If you squat anywhere between one and thrice a week, the soreness that you initially experience during your first handful of workouts soon becomes all but a distant memory as your body's adaptive systems and resources solve this particular Rubik's Cube. In fact, once the puzzle's been solved, it'll be nearly impossible to invoke soreness, no matter how hard you push yourself. On the other hand, the more random your training is, the more often you'll be sore- the random nature of the physical challenges you experience makes it far more difficult for you to habituate.
If you're an in-season athlete, or belong to a highly physical profession that presents randomized challenges, you don't really want to be sore all the time. This means that although you need enough variety to keep your nervous system somewhat off-guard, you don't want the variety to be so significant that you're basically starting from scratch each and every workout.
2) Poor learning curve:
In order to learn challenging and complex motor tasks (such as the Olympic lifts for example), it'd be to your advantage to do them often. Learning requires frequent repetition, and motor learning is no exception to this rule. If your training is completely random, you'll never have enough repetition to sustain the learning curve.
3) Limited specificity:
This third point somewhat overlaps with the previous two points, but to put a sharper edge on it, powerlifters need to do their 3 competitive lifts, swimmers need to swim, and climbers need to climb. If you want to be great at pull-ups, you need to work them hard- a lot. And obviously, a completely randomized approach doesn't accommodate this need.
Reconciling Structure And Non-Structure
I've often said that there's no such thing as a perfect program, because even if you could find it, you'll quickly habituate to it and progress will slow to a halt. That being said, there are principles that help us to identify "better" approaches, and one of these principles is that specificity ("structure" in the scope of this conversation) and variety ("randomness" for our purposes here) must be balanced and integrated within the overall scope of training. Here then, are a few suggestions for doing just that:
Use A Structured Exercise List With Random Loading Parameters
If you've determined that a particular exercise tends to move you closer toward your goals, you should probably do that exercise on a regular and relatively frequent basis. One possible drawback (as discussed earlier) of regular frequency is neural habituation and slowed progress as your nervous system "figures out" how to deal with that particular form of stress. The solution to this, which was discovered eons ago by athletes in a wide number of sports, is to randomize the character and/or specific attributes of that exercise stress. In our case, that means providing variety through constantly changing loading parameters (E.g., set/rep brackets, intensity, tempo, and rest intervals.
Simply create 6 different loading protocols, such as:
-5x5/80%/3 minutes rest between sets
-6x2/90%/5 minutes rest between sets
-3x10/70%/2 minutes rest between sets
-10x3/85%/4 minutes rest between sets
-2x20/60%/2.5 minutes rest between sets
-1x5/85%
Next, assign a number to each option, and roll a dye. Whatever comes up determines your loading parameters for that exercise.
Use A Semi-Structured Exercise List With Structured Loading Parameters
If Monday is defined as "squat day," you can randomize what type of squat you'll do by selecting from 6 options: back squats, front squats, overhead squats, box squats, Zercher squats, and dumbbell squats. If you'd like to substitute your own favorites for some of mine, go ahead. Once your list of 6 choices is completed, number each choice from 1 to 6. Prior to squat day, roll a dye and whatever number comes up determines what type of squat you'll do that day. From there, you apply whatever loading parameters you've appropriated for the current cycle you're on, and you're ready to go.
Worth noting here is that only the most useful exercises can be plugged into this option, which is one of it's greatest attributes. You're not likely to come up with 6 variations of tricep kickbacks, leg extensions, or pec deck, but you can easily devise a half-dozen options for vertical pressing, horizontal pressing, unilateral leg drills, snatches, cleans, and deadlifts. This is simply an extrapolation of the "same but different" approach that I've written about in previous articles.
Use A Semi-Structured Exercise List With Random Loading Parameters
This is an amalgam of the previous two suggestions. Both exercises and loading parameters are "semi-structured." On Monday, you know you're doing some type of squat, but you don't know which one until you roll the dye. Then, a second roll gives you your loading parameters. Obviously, this is the most random of the three approaches, but it still provides structure.
What About Periodization?
To further maximize the benefit/drawback profile when attempting to reconcile structure with non-structure, you can employ a cycling concept where you (for example) employ the first option for 4 weeks, followed by the second option for a month, and finally, the last option for the remainder of a 12-week cycle. If your needs require a variation on this theme, go ahead and apply your creative elbow grease to the situation.
Now Go And Make It Yours!
The suggestions I've presented here are for the purposes of illustration and to inspire your own creative thinking. If, during this article, you're struck by alternative applications of my ideas, then I've been successful.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About The Author
Charles Staley...world-class strength/performance coach...his colleagues call him an iconoclast, a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients call him “The Secret Weapon” for his ability to see what other coaches miss. Charles calls himself a “geek” who struggled in Phys Ed throughout school. Whatever you call him, Charles’ methods are ahead of their time and quickly produce serious results.
Click here to visit Charles' site and grab your 5 FREE videos that will show you how to literally FORCE your body to build muscle, lose fat and gain strength with "Escalating Density Training," Charles' revolutionary, time-saving approach to lifting that focuses on performance NOT pain.
Staley Training Programs
Friday, August 14, 2009
How to Handle Provocations
© COPYRIGHT 2008 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Sword and Pen – November 2008 Issue
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT A LAWYER, AND NEITHER THE FOLLOWING EDITORIAL NOR ANY OTHER ADVICE GIVEN IN THIS PUBLICATION SHOULD BE CONSTRUED AS "LEGAL ADVICE". THIS IS STRICTLY PERSONAL OPINION AND PERSONAL ADVICE — NO MORE!
TROUBLEMAKERS come in all ages, sizes, and shapes. And they come in both genders. Decent, responsible, reasonable, non troublesome human beings are often inconvenienced, annoyed, harassed, threatened, insulted, taunted, bothered, and even attacked physically by these subhuman creatures.
It generally begins in childhood with bullies (who more often than not include one or more of those miserable excuses for "teachers" whom the public school system indifferently foists upon him, in addition to those inevitable scummy contemporaries, amongst whom — in the PRISON that is the public school system — the child finds himself obliged to remain until late adolescence). The burden of dealing with troublesome human garbage never really ends — although usually the problem of physical bullying gives way to socioeconomic predation, which — in the guise of "adults" — a wide variety of "human" debris continue to indulge gleefully, until or unless stopped cold, which, sadly, they rarely if ever are. Many forms of living filth actually gravitate to occupations (ie "super salespeople", lawyers, schoolteachers, office managers, politicians, rogue cops, bureaucrats, etc.) that encourage and reward the scummiest, most evil and despicably vile characteristics of which homo sapiens are capable.
Whoever you are, wherever you live, whatever you do for a living, and however reasonable, fair-minded, and peacefully directed in your daily behavior you may endeavor to be, it is almost a 100% certainty that, from time to time — if not frequently — you will be subject to the provocative belligerence and encroachments of others into your life; or at least you will be subjected to others' attempts to provoke you in countless ways. That's part of the human condition.
"Self-defense" is much more than being able to squash a mugger like a paper cup. It is that, to be sure; but it is much, much more, besides. And in our teaching we have always tried to arm and to equip our students with the necessary know-how to cope with the myriad pre-violent situations that arise daily. These are situations in which it is often (not always, but often) possible to diffuse the onset of hostilities by recognizing what is happening, and by saying or doing just the thing that is necessary to avoid physical trouble.
Today's society consists of a large number of individuals who have been raised with all sorts of disgusting and irrational beliefs — from "if it feels good, do it", to "situational ethics". These organisms (one really cannot regard them as genuinely "human") FEEL. Having abandoned their minds long ago, they drift on each impulse and flicker of emotion that manifests at the moment — and if they feel like lashing out — verbally or physically — they simply do it. If they "want" to make a snide or derogatory or intrusive or sarcastic, or disrespectful or offensive comment, they make it. Responsibility? Well . . . for organisms that drift as these do, responsibility is simply refused. YOU are to blame. They never are. YOU did the wrong thing. They never do the wrong thing. And besides — "What difference does it make? Why are YOU making such a fuss?" Ad nauseum. "I can do what I feel like doing, dude!" sums up the creature's philosophy.
We suspect that you understand. And we are certain that you can relate.
Here's the thing: It is necessary and desirable to learn beforehand how to handle these obnoxiously repulsive swine, for your own sake. You do not want trouble — certainly not with today's legal system — and if you consider the matter of how to handle provocations and provocative members of our species before you find yourself suddenly in the sights of one of these worms, you may be able to make your own life a lot more trouble free, and a lot less exasperating, by managing your encounter with this scum in a manner that enables you to disengage. Then again, should your predicament ever prove to be one in which the provocation cannot be diffused and avoided, but where the troublemaker insists upon physically violating you . . . well, you'll be fully prepared to do whatever you must.
Verbal provocations:
The law nowhere in the United States of America, as far as we are aware, allows a person to react with physical violence to mere words. Thus, while you very well might in your view (and perhaps in ours, too) be completely justified morally in beating some piece of foul-mouthed street dung into a coma for hurling obscenities at your wife or daughter, you will not (as far as we know) be legally justified in doing so. We therefore counsel that you NEVER permit yourself to become physical in such a situation, no matter how provocative the gutter monkey who taunts you may be. Personally, we would never, ever raise a hand against anyone over mere words, and we hope that we can persuade you to emulate our example.
Because almost anyone would feel at least some urge to physically thrash a mouthy bastard who permitted himself free verbal reign, and who belched out profane or obscene or otherwise offensive epithets or insulting garbage — especially toward someone for whom one cared — one must exercise the effort to establish, ahead of any such incident, a clear and inviolate mandate NOT TO PERMIT ONESELF ANY PHYSICAL LATITUDE, should such an unpleasant event occur.
Ahead of time, understand?
Believe us: It will be too late to decide on the spot if and when you have never given the matter any prior thought. The sudden expression of an unprovoked insult can easily — in some cases — produce an almost reflexive response from a person, directed toward the initiator of the remark. A hard and long day, hot weather, bills piling up, a recent fight at home or in the office, etc., could easily make the remark a "last straw" — and that last straw can prove very, very costly if it triggers what is later determined to be an illegal act of violence on your part.
Here is the rule for ANY AND ALL situations in which another individual directly or indirectly expresses anything verbally offensive, quite possibly to provoke you: Stay your hand! Never become physical. Never threaten to become physical. Go to mental condition "orange" (ie the alerted state, ready to take action immediately if the verbally offensive creature initiates actual violence). But, unless an attack becomes imminent, remain physically NON AGGRESSIVE!
We would also recommend, if you can do so under the circumstances prevailing at the time, leaving the area where the offensive creature is. Disengage! Even if you have a "right" to remain where you are, it is in our personal opinion wisest to leave. Sometimes this may not be possible (ie in your home, in your own office, etc.); but please — for your own and for your loved ones' sake, not for the sake of the swinish creature! — remove yourself physically from the vicinity if you can.
On no account get caught up in a verbal argument or in an insult-hurling match with some piece of garbage, since this could precipitate violence, and that's what you should be striving to avoid.
NOTE: We offer the following commentary regarding our own long-standing personal philosophy, with hopes that it will help our readers: We have never regarded others as being in any sense truly "significant" to us, insofar as our opinion of ourself is concerned — ie our self-respect, or — if you prefer the modern buzzword — our "self-esteem". We are rooted and anchored in our self. We are genuinely, permanently, and completely indifferent to how any individuals, save our few good friends and our intimates, might feel or think about us. And no one who thinks poorly of us would, or ever could, become or remain a "friend" or an "intimate".
In those few instances when others might try to attack us verbally or (since we are a fairly well-known writer) in print, the ONLY thing that angers us or arouses our serious contempt toward the speaker/writer is our understanding of that creature's MOTIVE. His words are as bland as a dial tone, and have no force or meaning whatever. What we do note, and the thing for which we forever write off such an organism as being unforgivable, contaminated filth, is the fact that we appreciate and understand the malice behind the words. Thus we celebrate and take great satisfaction in coming to understand, in such instances, that here is one creature who has, as far as we are concerned, made his potential for toxicity known to us, and now we (figuratively speaking, of course!) flush him down the toilet.
Perhaps our view will help someone out there, and alleviate any unfortunate error that some reader may tend to make in personalizing any slime's verbal "slings and arrows".
It was one of our great teachers and friends, Dr. Albert Ellis, who would routinely tell people at his talks on psychology and personal development: "You have to learn how to take a lot of shit." Thanks to the good Dr. Ellis we did learn how — in our late teens — and it has made us a happier, more relaxed, self-satisfied, and UNAFFECTABLE individual. So long as the s— is verbal, we couldn't care less. Our psychological state is such that we are simply non receptive to that which is said.
Minor physical annoyances:
This can get a little dicey.
Sometimes a serious attack can be initiated by the attacker's doing something that is, initially, hardly any danger or real physical threat, at all. (An example is an incident years ago, in Florida. A young girl was approached by a murderer/rapist at a carwash. (The surveillance camera picked up the incident, and readers may recall having seen this on the evening news at the time). The voices cannot be heard, but we see the killer merely walk calmly up to the girl, say something, and then gently take her arm. He then leads the poor girl away. The two walk in a relaxed manner, with only the most superficial "hold" on the child's arm in place. She was later raped and murdered. The scum who did it was caught and, if we remember correctly, sentenced to death. So it is NOT our intention here to say that you ought only react with great violence to that which is obviously and clearly at the moment of its occurrence a lethal threat, per se. We know quite enough about violence and about violent crime and troublemakers' modus operandi to understand that ANY physical act initiated against someone might be life-threatening, or at the very least, dangerous.
What we wish to convey here is a strong recommendation not to take any physical action at all IF you know and understand that you are dealing merely with some minor physical pest. We know all about "control holds", "pressure points", and all of the other methods of "putting a pest in his place". But in today's climate of flagrant irrationality and litigious insanity we urge that, if confronted by such a nuisance (at the office, at a social gathering, etc.) you simply shrug it off. Take every step to avoid the moron, of course. But do not take physical action unless you truly have a sense that you might be hurt by him.
Once, in junior high school, we applied a simple response ( a ju-jutsu throw) to a fool whom we knew, who tried squeezing our hand powerfully when he shook it. The technique worked beautifully! It "cured" this acquaintance's nasty little urge to show off at our expense, but things were a lot different in the late 1950's. Also, things were and still are a lot different between young boys in middle school who horse around, and adults (who, today, routinely sue each other, and in general behave like out of control horse's asses). If someone squeezes your hand at a party or at the office, just tell him to stop. (If he doesn't, sue him! HAH!)
Seriously . . . especially in the case of a trained combative arts student, it is ridiculous and unnecessary to get physical with a pest. Remember, however, this does not mean that you restrain yourself if you are set upon by someone whose motives and character you do not know, and whose initial attack is — in and of itself — relatively mild (ie a clothing grab, wrist or arm grab, shove, etc.). Neither an expert in close combat nor anyone else in the world has any obligation to suffer anyone's hands on him (or her), and the proper response to the threat of serious bodily injury is — OVERWHELMING VIOLENCE, we hope applied skillfully, decisively, and well, the second it is needed!
Threats:
There is a big difference between someone simply calling you a "lousy mother—!" and someone actually threatening you by saying that he's going to beat you or kill you, etc., or possibly harm a member of your family, or damage your property, etc.
Any time anyone threatens you or someone you love with physical harm, CALL THE POLICE AND MAKE A FORMAL COMPLAINT. Often, due to sheer laziness or indifference, the police will try to persuade you simply to "call them if the person ever does anything" so that "they will then be able to take action". They may not encourage you to file a formal complaint (after all, they have to go to the trouble of writing it out). FILE IT ANYWAY! INSIST! Get the officer's name, number, and complaint file number, who fills out the complaint for you. This is important! (Also, make a record of the date and the time of the call. ALL 911 calls are recorded and may be used later in court, as evidence!).
If the scum that threatened you or yours ever actually undertakes to make good his threat and you — properly — crunch him out of fear for what he intends to do, you want that official police report on record, and a sworn officer's testimony that PROVES you had prior reason to FEAR the individual whom you defended yourself against!
Showing up at the scene where you have dropped some creature justifiably, the police who respond have no way of knowing who is and who is not the "victim" and/or the "attacker". REFERRING TO YOUR PRIOR FORMAL COMPLAINT AND REPORT WILL GO A LONG WAY TOWARD ESTABLISHING YOUR "MANTLE OF INNOCENCE" IN THE EYES OF THE LAW. And this is important!
While it may be true that most threats amount, in the final analysis, to "mere noise", not all threats are empty and meaningless. The one directed against you or against someone you love may well be one of the exceptions. REPORT IT TO THE POLICE! Take no chances.
NOTE: For the record, we must say that there are many fine police officers who will gladly assist any decent citizen in taking whatever steps he lawfully is able to take to have the system on that decent citizen's side. Our perhaps "angry tone" earlier in speaking of the reluctance that is sometimes encountered when asking for help from the authorities is intended merely to assist readers in coping with such an eventuality IF such should ever occur, in any particular reader's case.
Physical assault:
We are not going to discuss the matter of "battery" (ie of direct force being applied by an offender) since, obviously, the only sensible way to deal with that form of "provocation" is to drop the batterer where he stands, using every ounce of decisive and merciless force you can generate! When someone initiates controlling or injurious violence it is time to ACT. Neither restraint nor avoidance is any longer appropriate to the circumstance. Now it is WAR!
The onset of apparent violence ("assault") must also, in our opinion, be met with decisive force, in all but the most obvious exceptional instances. Violence in any form should not be taken lightly. When it appears clear to you that someone intends to hurt you and is capable of injuring you, and when he has the obvious opportunity to hurt you, DROP HIM!
Use no more force than is necessary to decisively render your assailant harmless, and by all means stop once you are in no more danger; but do not hesitate for a fraction of a second if or when someone makes it clear that he intends to injure you. You have the opportunity for a moment to pre-empt him, and to do so with the element of surprise in your favor. You will never get that opportunity again if you fail to act, or if your action is less than decisive.
Often, the matter of when the techniques of personal combat ought properly to be brought into play is not dealt with adequately (if at all) in a martial arts program. Beyond the legalities (which ONLY a lawyer can address with authority and reliability) we feel that there is the matter of common sense and plain good judgment.
We hope that we have encouraged our readers to exercise both.
Bradley J. Steiner
Sword and Pen – November 2008 Issue
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT A LAWYER, AND NEITHER THE FOLLOWING EDITORIAL NOR ANY OTHER ADVICE GIVEN IN THIS PUBLICATION SHOULD BE CONSTRUED AS "LEGAL ADVICE". THIS IS STRICTLY PERSONAL OPINION AND PERSONAL ADVICE — NO MORE!
TROUBLEMAKERS come in all ages, sizes, and shapes. And they come in both genders. Decent, responsible, reasonable, non troublesome human beings are often inconvenienced, annoyed, harassed, threatened, insulted, taunted, bothered, and even attacked physically by these subhuman creatures.
It generally begins in childhood with bullies (who more often than not include one or more of those miserable excuses for "teachers" whom the public school system indifferently foists upon him, in addition to those inevitable scummy contemporaries, amongst whom — in the PRISON that is the public school system — the child finds himself obliged to remain until late adolescence). The burden of dealing with troublesome human garbage never really ends — although usually the problem of physical bullying gives way to socioeconomic predation, which — in the guise of "adults" — a wide variety of "human" debris continue to indulge gleefully, until or unless stopped cold, which, sadly, they rarely if ever are. Many forms of living filth actually gravitate to occupations (ie "super salespeople", lawyers, schoolteachers, office managers, politicians, rogue cops, bureaucrats, etc.) that encourage and reward the scummiest, most evil and despicably vile characteristics of which homo sapiens are capable.
Whoever you are, wherever you live, whatever you do for a living, and however reasonable, fair-minded, and peacefully directed in your daily behavior you may endeavor to be, it is almost a 100% certainty that, from time to time — if not frequently — you will be subject to the provocative belligerence and encroachments of others into your life; or at least you will be subjected to others' attempts to provoke you in countless ways. That's part of the human condition.
"Self-defense" is much more than being able to squash a mugger like a paper cup. It is that, to be sure; but it is much, much more, besides. And in our teaching we have always tried to arm and to equip our students with the necessary know-how to cope with the myriad pre-violent situations that arise daily. These are situations in which it is often (not always, but often) possible to diffuse the onset of hostilities by recognizing what is happening, and by saying or doing just the thing that is necessary to avoid physical trouble.
Today's society consists of a large number of individuals who have been raised with all sorts of disgusting and irrational beliefs — from "if it feels good, do it", to "situational ethics". These organisms (one really cannot regard them as genuinely "human") FEEL. Having abandoned their minds long ago, they drift on each impulse and flicker of emotion that manifests at the moment — and if they feel like lashing out — verbally or physically — they simply do it. If they "want" to make a snide or derogatory or intrusive or sarcastic, or disrespectful or offensive comment, they make it. Responsibility? Well . . . for organisms that drift as these do, responsibility is simply refused. YOU are to blame. They never are. YOU did the wrong thing. They never do the wrong thing. And besides — "What difference does it make? Why are YOU making such a fuss?" Ad nauseum. "I can do what I feel like doing, dude!" sums up the creature's philosophy.
We suspect that you understand. And we are certain that you can relate.
Here's the thing: It is necessary and desirable to learn beforehand how to handle these obnoxiously repulsive swine, for your own sake. You do not want trouble — certainly not with today's legal system — and if you consider the matter of how to handle provocations and provocative members of our species before you find yourself suddenly in the sights of one of these worms, you may be able to make your own life a lot more trouble free, and a lot less exasperating, by managing your encounter with this scum in a manner that enables you to disengage. Then again, should your predicament ever prove to be one in which the provocation cannot be diffused and avoided, but where the troublemaker insists upon physically violating you . . . well, you'll be fully prepared to do whatever you must.
Verbal provocations:
The law nowhere in the United States of America, as far as we are aware, allows a person to react with physical violence to mere words. Thus, while you very well might in your view (and perhaps in ours, too) be completely justified morally in beating some piece of foul-mouthed street dung into a coma for hurling obscenities at your wife or daughter, you will not (as far as we know) be legally justified in doing so. We therefore counsel that you NEVER permit yourself to become physical in such a situation, no matter how provocative the gutter monkey who taunts you may be. Personally, we would never, ever raise a hand against anyone over mere words, and we hope that we can persuade you to emulate our example.
Because almost anyone would feel at least some urge to physically thrash a mouthy bastard who permitted himself free verbal reign, and who belched out profane or obscene or otherwise offensive epithets or insulting garbage — especially toward someone for whom one cared — one must exercise the effort to establish, ahead of any such incident, a clear and inviolate mandate NOT TO PERMIT ONESELF ANY PHYSICAL LATITUDE, should such an unpleasant event occur.
Ahead of time, understand?
Believe us: It will be too late to decide on the spot if and when you have never given the matter any prior thought. The sudden expression of an unprovoked insult can easily — in some cases — produce an almost reflexive response from a person, directed toward the initiator of the remark. A hard and long day, hot weather, bills piling up, a recent fight at home or in the office, etc., could easily make the remark a "last straw" — and that last straw can prove very, very costly if it triggers what is later determined to be an illegal act of violence on your part.
Here is the rule for ANY AND ALL situations in which another individual directly or indirectly expresses anything verbally offensive, quite possibly to provoke you: Stay your hand! Never become physical. Never threaten to become physical. Go to mental condition "orange" (ie the alerted state, ready to take action immediately if the verbally offensive creature initiates actual violence). But, unless an attack becomes imminent, remain physically NON AGGRESSIVE!
We would also recommend, if you can do so under the circumstances prevailing at the time, leaving the area where the offensive creature is. Disengage! Even if you have a "right" to remain where you are, it is in our personal opinion wisest to leave. Sometimes this may not be possible (ie in your home, in your own office, etc.); but please — for your own and for your loved ones' sake, not for the sake of the swinish creature! — remove yourself physically from the vicinity if you can.
On no account get caught up in a verbal argument or in an insult-hurling match with some piece of garbage, since this could precipitate violence, and that's what you should be striving to avoid.
NOTE: We offer the following commentary regarding our own long-standing personal philosophy, with hopes that it will help our readers: We have never regarded others as being in any sense truly "significant" to us, insofar as our opinion of ourself is concerned — ie our self-respect, or — if you prefer the modern buzzword — our "self-esteem". We are rooted and anchored in our self. We are genuinely, permanently, and completely indifferent to how any individuals, save our few good friends and our intimates, might feel or think about us. And no one who thinks poorly of us would, or ever could, become or remain a "friend" or an "intimate".
In those few instances when others might try to attack us verbally or (since we are a fairly well-known writer) in print, the ONLY thing that angers us or arouses our serious contempt toward the speaker/writer is our understanding of that creature's MOTIVE. His words are as bland as a dial tone, and have no force or meaning whatever. What we do note, and the thing for which we forever write off such an organism as being unforgivable, contaminated filth, is the fact that we appreciate and understand the malice behind the words. Thus we celebrate and take great satisfaction in coming to understand, in such instances, that here is one creature who has, as far as we are concerned, made his potential for toxicity known to us, and now we (figuratively speaking, of course!) flush him down the toilet.
Perhaps our view will help someone out there, and alleviate any unfortunate error that some reader may tend to make in personalizing any slime's verbal "slings and arrows".
It was one of our great teachers and friends, Dr. Albert Ellis, who would routinely tell people at his talks on psychology and personal development: "You have to learn how to take a lot of shit." Thanks to the good Dr. Ellis we did learn how — in our late teens — and it has made us a happier, more relaxed, self-satisfied, and UNAFFECTABLE individual. So long as the s— is verbal, we couldn't care less. Our psychological state is such that we are simply non receptive to that which is said.
Minor physical annoyances:
This can get a little dicey.
Sometimes a serious attack can be initiated by the attacker's doing something that is, initially, hardly any danger or real physical threat, at all. (An example is an incident years ago, in Florida. A young girl was approached by a murderer/rapist at a carwash. (The surveillance camera picked up the incident, and readers may recall having seen this on the evening news at the time). The voices cannot be heard, but we see the killer merely walk calmly up to the girl, say something, and then gently take her arm. He then leads the poor girl away. The two walk in a relaxed manner, with only the most superficial "hold" on the child's arm in place. She was later raped and murdered. The scum who did it was caught and, if we remember correctly, sentenced to death. So it is NOT our intention here to say that you ought only react with great violence to that which is obviously and clearly at the moment of its occurrence a lethal threat, per se. We know quite enough about violence and about violent crime and troublemakers' modus operandi to understand that ANY physical act initiated against someone might be life-threatening, or at the very least, dangerous.
What we wish to convey here is a strong recommendation not to take any physical action at all IF you know and understand that you are dealing merely with some minor physical pest. We know all about "control holds", "pressure points", and all of the other methods of "putting a pest in his place". But in today's climate of flagrant irrationality and litigious insanity we urge that, if confronted by such a nuisance (at the office, at a social gathering, etc.) you simply shrug it off. Take every step to avoid the moron, of course. But do not take physical action unless you truly have a sense that you might be hurt by him.
Once, in junior high school, we applied a simple response ( a ju-jutsu throw) to a fool whom we knew, who tried squeezing our hand powerfully when he shook it. The technique worked beautifully! It "cured" this acquaintance's nasty little urge to show off at our expense, but things were a lot different in the late 1950's. Also, things were and still are a lot different between young boys in middle school who horse around, and adults (who, today, routinely sue each other, and in general behave like out of control horse's asses). If someone squeezes your hand at a party or at the office, just tell him to stop. (If he doesn't, sue him! HAH!)
Seriously . . . especially in the case of a trained combative arts student, it is ridiculous and unnecessary to get physical with a pest. Remember, however, this does not mean that you restrain yourself if you are set upon by someone whose motives and character you do not know, and whose initial attack is — in and of itself — relatively mild (ie a clothing grab, wrist or arm grab, shove, etc.). Neither an expert in close combat nor anyone else in the world has any obligation to suffer anyone's hands on him (or her), and the proper response to the threat of serious bodily injury is — OVERWHELMING VIOLENCE, we hope applied skillfully, decisively, and well, the second it is needed!
Threats:
There is a big difference between someone simply calling you a "lousy mother—!" and someone actually threatening you by saying that he's going to beat you or kill you, etc., or possibly harm a member of your family, or damage your property, etc.
Any time anyone threatens you or someone you love with physical harm, CALL THE POLICE AND MAKE A FORMAL COMPLAINT. Often, due to sheer laziness or indifference, the police will try to persuade you simply to "call them if the person ever does anything" so that "they will then be able to take action". They may not encourage you to file a formal complaint (after all, they have to go to the trouble of writing it out). FILE IT ANYWAY! INSIST! Get the officer's name, number, and complaint file number, who fills out the complaint for you. This is important! (Also, make a record of the date and the time of the call. ALL 911 calls are recorded and may be used later in court, as evidence!).
If the scum that threatened you or yours ever actually undertakes to make good his threat and you — properly — crunch him out of fear for what he intends to do, you want that official police report on record, and a sworn officer's testimony that PROVES you had prior reason to FEAR the individual whom you defended yourself against!
Showing up at the scene where you have dropped some creature justifiably, the police who respond have no way of knowing who is and who is not the "victim" and/or the "attacker". REFERRING TO YOUR PRIOR FORMAL COMPLAINT AND REPORT WILL GO A LONG WAY TOWARD ESTABLISHING YOUR "MANTLE OF INNOCENCE" IN THE EYES OF THE LAW. And this is important!
While it may be true that most threats amount, in the final analysis, to "mere noise", not all threats are empty and meaningless. The one directed against you or against someone you love may well be one of the exceptions. REPORT IT TO THE POLICE! Take no chances.
NOTE: For the record, we must say that there are many fine police officers who will gladly assist any decent citizen in taking whatever steps he lawfully is able to take to have the system on that decent citizen's side. Our perhaps "angry tone" earlier in speaking of the reluctance that is sometimes encountered when asking for help from the authorities is intended merely to assist readers in coping with such an eventuality IF such should ever occur, in any particular reader's case.
Physical assault:
We are not going to discuss the matter of "battery" (ie of direct force being applied by an offender) since, obviously, the only sensible way to deal with that form of "provocation" is to drop the batterer where he stands, using every ounce of decisive and merciless force you can generate! When someone initiates controlling or injurious violence it is time to ACT. Neither restraint nor avoidance is any longer appropriate to the circumstance. Now it is WAR!
The onset of apparent violence ("assault") must also, in our opinion, be met with decisive force, in all but the most obvious exceptional instances. Violence in any form should not be taken lightly. When it appears clear to you that someone intends to hurt you and is capable of injuring you, and when he has the obvious opportunity to hurt you, DROP HIM!
Use no more force than is necessary to decisively render your assailant harmless, and by all means stop once you are in no more danger; but do not hesitate for a fraction of a second if or when someone makes it clear that he intends to injure you. You have the opportunity for a moment to pre-empt him, and to do so with the element of surprise in your favor. You will never get that opportunity again if you fail to act, or if your action is less than decisive.
Often, the matter of when the techniques of personal combat ought properly to be brought into play is not dealt with adequately (if at all) in a martial arts program. Beyond the legalities (which ONLY a lawyer can address with authority and reliability) we feel that there is the matter of common sense and plain good judgment.
We hope that we have encouraged our readers to exercise both.
Bradley J. Steiner
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