© COPYRIGHT 2010 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
SHOT placement is the most important thing when determining the potential man-stopping probability of a hit from a handgun bullet. Interestingly, that is also one of the most important factors for determining the results of smashing into an enemy using an unarmed combat move. Surely a handaxe chop delivered with great force to the windpipe will kill. But the same blow across the side of a strong man‘s upper arm might only cause him to shrug.
One very popular training item is the full padded body suit that permits students to flail away wildly and hit the padded "attacker" full force — presumably gaining, as a result of this practice, some kind of "powerful striking capability" so that they have confidence that they will be able to stop a real adversary.
We disagree.
Padded men present completely unrealistic and misleading, oversized targets. Far better to practice, using the same control that has always been employed in combat karate and ju-jutsu training (ie stopping just short of contact) with a real, live, unpadded training partner. That way, there is no problem at all in locating and focusing on the truly vital target areas. This cannot be done in competition or in sparring, but competition and sparring have nothing to do with combat training.
"But what about experiencing contact?" one might ask. Get that by smashing into insentient targets. Striking posts, heavy bags, dummies, padded trees, etc. will all allow you to kick, jab, pound, strike, and chop with all of the power that you are capable of generating — safely. Combined with practicing skills realistically with a partner (ie not by substituting targets so as not to injure anyone; but by never bothering with any targets but the most vulnerable, and practicing in a controlled, well-regulated manner) this approach will result in a laser-like focus on the body‘s most dangerously vulnerable attack points, and the power and speed required to devastate those targets.
That is what real world combat and self-defense demand.
If you wish to have your training partner dress in anything besides a gi, have him wear a bala clava ("ski mask") or street clothes — just like the vermin against whom you are preparing to defend yourself wears. But do not have a partner wear artificial padding that alters his entire shape and appearance.
Hit inanimate objects for training the natural weapons‘ power, speed, and force delivery capability. Do not hit fully at all, in training. This way you‘ll memorize and never deviate from training against the enemy‘s most vital points and dangerously vulnerable target areas. Your training will not be such that you go after one set of targets in sparring or competition, but try (impossibly) to "remember" and to "remind yourself" not to go after those targets in an actual attack, but instead then focus on the "real" targets.
We shall shortly be posting some new material on www.seattlecombatives.com and hope that you‘ll visit that site regularly, too.
May 2010 be a prosperous, healthy, and happy New Year for you and yours.
We‘ll be back next month!
Stay Combat Ready,
Prof. Bradley J. Steiner
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Tips For Developing Followup And Viable Attack Combinations
© COPYRIGHT 2010 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
THERE is an actual documented case where a single round, randomly fired by a fleeing felon from his .25 caliber pocket automatic as he exited the tavern he had just robbed, struck and instantly killed an unfortunate victim. The victim was not even an intended target; the bullet simply found its mark accidentally.
As anyone familiar with firearms and their combat employment will tell you, the .25 automatic is a pip-squeak weapon, and its round has been known to go unnoticed by persons who had been struck by it — in some cases, multiple times.
The late karate Master Mas Oyama killed a man once — a known member of the Japanese Yakuza — with one punch. It happened during an altercation that was initiated by the criminal, and in which the criminal attempted to strike the first blow. (In Seattle, Washington not that long ago, some out-of-control, impulse-driven misfit also killed a man with a single punch. It was not an instance of self-defense, but rather just one of those times when an individual who had no business circulating in civilized human society, deemed a minor dispute worthy of initiating a violent, retaliatory physical action).
It happens. Sometimes — rarely — one blow does the trick. But the classical/traditional concept that is fundamental to most karate systems (i.e. that of training to dispatch an enemy with one, single, telling blow) is seriously flawed. Again, not that it “cannot be done”. All sorts of incredible and unusual things are possible; but that does not make such anomalies viable standards by which predictable outcomes may generally be anticipated. There have been cases of parachutists surviving and being relatively uninjured when they hit the ground, after their chutes failed to open. But this is no indication that people can or should consider training to jump from planes without parachutes. The chances are nearly 100% certain that the jumper will DIE.
It is foolish and it is unrealistic to train with the idea that the ability to drop a serious enemy with one, single blow, can be reliably developed. Those training in classical/traditional karate methods who wish to be able to actually defend themselves, are well-advised to take heed of this. Training to stop dangerous physical assailants with one blow is training for suicide. Always train to attack relentlessly . . . stop only when the assailant has been decisively neutralized and has lost both the ability and the willingness to be a further threat.
Around 1970 we began to drastically alter the classical/traditional type of ju-jutsu and karate that we had learned, and we began (heavily influenced of course by Charles Nelson and by our studies of the WWII-era classic texts by that period‘s now well-known notables) to teach all-combat, practical unarmed combat and defense. One conspicuous fact stood out in our mind then, as it continues to stand out in our mind today: THE DISCIPLINED, SPECIFIC, FORMALIZED PRACTICE OF A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM OF ATTACKING COMBINATIONS, DESIGNED NOT FOR CONTEST BUT FOR COMBAT, WAS A NECESSITY FOR LONG-TERM, REAL WORLD TRAINING, AND SUCH A SYSTEM DID NOT EXIST. So we began to work hard over the next two to three years to develop such a comprehensive system of these skills.
The task was not a simple one. In fact, combination training and follow-up sequences of actions had always existed in virtually every percussionary (karate-like) art that had ever been developed. But these were sequences of highly stylized, sparring type actions, in which clenched fist punching, high and/or complex kicks, blocking and so forth were practiced. Okay for classical training. Fine for sport. No good for hand-to-hand combat. Besides, with the exception of kenpo-karate, in which combinations and followup was always stressed, there remained that traditional goal of one shot stops, which always influenced the spirit and methodology of all classically-rooted training. (Note: Kenpo-karate‘s great weakness, in our opinion, is its emphasis on very specific self-defense — i.e. reactive — techniques, as opposed to proactive, preemptive, OFFENSIVE techniques, and its rather questionable objective of teaching a tremendous number of such techniques. This leaves the student with a body of skills that he all too often can barely remember, and that — even when properly recalled — are not actually the best upon which to reply for actual, real world hand-to-hand combat. Too acrobatic, "artsy", and elaborately complex and meticulous in their requirement for detailed, fine motor movement performance).
We cannot instruct our readers in how to execute the attack combinations that constitute one very critical aspect of American Combato, in this Newsletter. Personal instruction is needed. However, what we can and wish to do right now is — a) Convince our site‘s visitors, regardless of their present style or approach to self-defense, that combinations and followup is essential, because determined, dangerous, experienced, and quite often multiple and/or armed assailants are VERY DIFFICULT TO STOP, and b) There are some tips we can provide that should help anyone who is training seriously to enhance his followup capabilities enormously, and to do so in a manner that adheres to that which the military calls “combat logic”. In other words, if you follow that which we shall present, you can be confident that it will contribute not to your progress as a competition fighter or as a performer of classical/traditional doctrine (both worthy goals; but never our goals), but as a self-defense exponent and as a hand-to-hand combatant.
Use the following suggestions to begin now to develop the all-important followup and relentless attack capacity that s so crucially important in serious, real world close combat an self-defense emergencies:
#1: ANY TIME YOU DELIVER AN ELBOW SMASH YOU ARE PRIMED FOR A FOLLOWUP HANDAXE CHOP OR HAMMERFIST BLOW
This has application for both attack and defense. For example: A man whom you have become aware intends you harm stands in front of you and you are physically poised and mentally ready (in "orange"). Move fast as he begins to attack and smash him across the face or head area with a powerful forward elbow blow that sweeps in with your bodyweight behind it as you execute a falling step in towards him. Upon completing and following through with your elbow smash, immediately cut back and chop him viciously across the opposite side of his face, neck, or head with a handaxe blow. (The hammerfist to temple, jaw, or neck is also viable). This is an example of how to attack and use the elbow smash/chop in such a predicament.
Or: An adversary who is grabbing at your collar or shoulder from behind pulls you toward him, and you smartly go with his pull and slam an elbow into his solar plexus, liver, or spleen. Immediately upon landing the elbow smash, whip the hand down and chop your attacker in the groin.
#2: A “HAND YOKE” THRUST IS PERFECT FOR INDEXING YOUR HAND AND FINGERS FOR THE DEADLY “THROAT LOCK”
Warning and Caution!: The throat lock is potentially deadly and should be utilized, as all of the serious actions of unarmed combat should be utilized, ONLY to defend against truly dangerous and unavoidable physical attacks!
Locking the fingers high under the jaw and around the thyroid cartilage ("windpipe") is one of the key basic blows of unarmed close combat. The hand yoke is a non-lethal but extremely disorienting blow that is somewhat easier to apply instantly, than is the throat lock. It so happens that once a hand yoke thrust lands, the control/contact with the enemy‘s throat is such that snapping one’s fingers slightly upward and transitioning into a throat lock (assuming the situation warrants such an action) is easy! With that throat lock in place, a would-be murderer (rapist, home invader, abductor, etc.) can now be permanently stopped — either by using the throat lock to completion or by maintaining the throat lock tightly and smashing the assailant’s jaw or head with a powerful heelpalm blow from one's opposite hand. This could end lethally. Do not practice with any amount of force on any live person!
#3: WHEN THE BASIC CHINJAB SMASH CONNECTS AND THE OPPONENT’S HEAD IS NOT SLAMMED BACKWARD, THE HAND-IN-PLACE OFFERS A COUPLE OF FABULOUS FOLLOWUP OPTIONS
Raise the elbow of the chinjabbing hand and the clawed fingers transition immediately to a kind of "tiger‘s claw" grip on the enemy‘s face, fingers well able now to gouge into the enemy‘s eyes, drive his head backward and down — and if you step in smartly while doing this, you‘ll smash your man head first to the deck!
Or — once the hand connects, use your opposite hand to seize your opponent‘s head from behind, and then — using both hands — apply the dangerous head-twist takedown throw (one of the few throws we use in American Combato) while holding your enemy‘s head securely and wrenching it viciously as you step and get your hip into the throw. Do not practice this with any degree of force on a live partner; it can break a man’s neck! Train the movement GENTLY with a partner, or use full force against an imaginary adversary.
Also — when and if the chinjab smash snaps the adversary‘s head backward and continues upward past his head (probably because you miscalculated and struck too close to the end of the chin, rather than deeply under the jaw) bring the heel of that same hand sharply downward, cracking your enemy on the bridge of his nose, jaw (it will break the jaw), skull, or collar bone. Retracting that hand with the downward striking stroke naturally positions it for a followup chinjab smash!
#4: WHEN EAR-BOXING SEIZE THE EARS AFTER THE CUPPED PALMS BLOWS CONNECT. THIS IS A PERFECT POSITION FROM WHICH TO . . .
Knee the testicles (he‘ll never even know what the hell you‘re doing!).
Rip his ears off his head — simply by utilizing a motion similar to that which is employed when shooting a bow and arrow.
Release one hand and, still retaining a grip on one of his ears with the other, smash an elbow to the side of his head.
Slam a head butt powerfully into the enemy‘s face while retaining the grip on his ears.
Obviously, once you‘ve landed a good ear box attack and seized your enemy‘s ears, he is yours!
#5: WHEN YOU DRIVE BOTH THUMBS INTO YOUR ENEMY’S EYES. SEIZE HIS HEAD AND INSERT THE MIDDLE FINGERS OF BOTH HANDS INTO HIS EARS
You now have multiple followup options that fit the position you have secured, perfectly :
Shake your enemy‘s head violently, while digging both thumbs deeper into his eyes and gouging outward toward his temples.
After either simply gouging the adversary‘s once after grabbing him or after shaking his head violently, viciously thrust both thumbs forward with the weight and strength of your body behind the action. (This will send your man flying — down stairs, into traffic, out a window, onto his back on the pavement, etc. — and leave him completely helpless to prevent your escape from the area).
#6: AFTER THE THUMB ATTACK AND HEAD GRIP JUST DESCRIBED ABOVE (WHICH WE CALL THE “CAT’S GRAB ATTACK”) DRIVE A KNEE TO YOUR ENEMY’S TESTICLES
The knee blow will cause your opponent to lurch forward, deepening the thumb gouge instantly.
#7: ANY ATTACK TO AN ENEMY’S EYES WILL SET HIM UP INSTANTLY FOR A KICK TO HIS TESTICLES OR TO A KNEE — AND THAT IN TURN WILL BRING HIS HEAD FORWARD AND LEAVE HIM OPEN TO ANYTHING YOU CHOOSE TO DO
Remember our rule: “Whenever you attack high, you create an opening low; whenever you attack low, you create an opening high.”
#8: ELBOW, KNEE, FIST, HEEL OF THE HAND, AND SOMETIMES EVEN FINGERTIPS JABS TO THE SOLAR PLEXUS BRINGS THE RECIPIENT’S HEAD FORWARD
Knee his face.
Box his ears (something like playing the cymbals, whenever your opponent is in a bent over position, thusly!).
Chop his brainstem with a vertical handaxe blow.
Use any combination of the above.
If your man has not collapsed completely by the time you‘ve pummeled him, you need only seize his shoulders and push them downward toward his feet, to send him flying to the deck. Then stomp him.
#9: WHENEVER A KNEE TO THE TESTICLES HAS DOUBLED YOUR ADVERSARY OVER, A SECOND FAST KNEE BLOW TO HIS FACE IS AN EXCELLENT FOLLOWUP
Remember also that, while kicking a man in the head is most normally reserved for times when he is on the ground, if a powerful front kick to his testicles doubles him over in agony, a second front kick (using the same leg) can provide a kick to his face forthwith, almost certainly concluding the encounter.
#10: WHEN CLOSE IN AND SLIGHTLY TO AN ENEMY’S SIDE, A LATERAL HANDAXE CHOP TO HIS CAROTID ARTERY WILL PLACE THE CHOPPING HAND AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE STRIKE IN A PERFECT POSITION TO APPLY A THROAT LOCK (IF THE ENEMY HAS NOT BEEN LITERALLY KNOCKED DOWN AND OUT BY THE CHOP)
#11: A FORWARD HEAD BUTT “WINDS YOU UP” FOR A BACKWARD HEAD BUTT — USEFUL WHEN TWO MEN APPROACH FROM BEHIND AND IN FRONT, APPLY A GRAB, AND PERHAPS ATTEMPT TO ROB YOU
This is really a variation of the basic action we teach against an unarmed controlling hold from behind from one man, as a second attacker approaches from the front. Here — when there is distance — a front kick converts instantly after delivery to a back kick, utilizing the momentum of the retracting leg to apply maximum force to the kick delivered to the attacker holding you.
Simply ask yourself when analyzing all situations, "What has this particular blow 'wound me up for‘ and 'how can I deliver a followup blow naturally and with no added movement, immediately following impact?‘"
Those examples and suggestions are easy to understand and, with a little thought and practice, very easy to apply. They will also lead you to grasp the principle of perpetual followup, and that is the point.
Be realistic when you train for self-defense. Be ready to go "full steam ahead" and not stop until anyone who has chosen to attack you or to attack a member of your family, etc. is absolutely, positively, completely, and reliably neutralized.
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
THERE is an actual documented case where a single round, randomly fired by a fleeing felon from his .25 caliber pocket automatic as he exited the tavern he had just robbed, struck and instantly killed an unfortunate victim. The victim was not even an intended target; the bullet simply found its mark accidentally.
As anyone familiar with firearms and their combat employment will tell you, the .25 automatic is a pip-squeak weapon, and its round has been known to go unnoticed by persons who had been struck by it — in some cases, multiple times.
The late karate Master Mas Oyama killed a man once — a known member of the Japanese Yakuza — with one punch. It happened during an altercation that was initiated by the criminal, and in which the criminal attempted to strike the first blow. (In Seattle, Washington not that long ago, some out-of-control, impulse-driven misfit also killed a man with a single punch. It was not an instance of self-defense, but rather just one of those times when an individual who had no business circulating in civilized human society, deemed a minor dispute worthy of initiating a violent, retaliatory physical action).
It happens. Sometimes — rarely — one blow does the trick. But the classical/traditional concept that is fundamental to most karate systems (i.e. that of training to dispatch an enemy with one, single, telling blow) is seriously flawed. Again, not that it “cannot be done”. All sorts of incredible and unusual things are possible; but that does not make such anomalies viable standards by which predictable outcomes may generally be anticipated. There have been cases of parachutists surviving and being relatively uninjured when they hit the ground, after their chutes failed to open. But this is no indication that people can or should consider training to jump from planes without parachutes. The chances are nearly 100% certain that the jumper will DIE.
It is foolish and it is unrealistic to train with the idea that the ability to drop a serious enemy with one, single blow, can be reliably developed. Those training in classical/traditional karate methods who wish to be able to actually defend themselves, are well-advised to take heed of this. Training to stop dangerous physical assailants with one blow is training for suicide. Always train to attack relentlessly . . . stop only when the assailant has been decisively neutralized and has lost both the ability and the willingness to be a further threat.
Around 1970 we began to drastically alter the classical/traditional type of ju-jutsu and karate that we had learned, and we began (heavily influenced of course by Charles Nelson and by our studies of the WWII-era classic texts by that period‘s now well-known notables) to teach all-combat, practical unarmed combat and defense. One conspicuous fact stood out in our mind then, as it continues to stand out in our mind today: THE DISCIPLINED, SPECIFIC, FORMALIZED PRACTICE OF A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM OF ATTACKING COMBINATIONS, DESIGNED NOT FOR CONTEST BUT FOR COMBAT, WAS A NECESSITY FOR LONG-TERM, REAL WORLD TRAINING, AND SUCH A SYSTEM DID NOT EXIST. So we began to work hard over the next two to three years to develop such a comprehensive system of these skills.
The task was not a simple one. In fact, combination training and follow-up sequences of actions had always existed in virtually every percussionary (karate-like) art that had ever been developed. But these were sequences of highly stylized, sparring type actions, in which clenched fist punching, high and/or complex kicks, blocking and so forth were practiced. Okay for classical training. Fine for sport. No good for hand-to-hand combat. Besides, with the exception of kenpo-karate, in which combinations and followup was always stressed, there remained that traditional goal of one shot stops, which always influenced the spirit and methodology of all classically-rooted training. (Note: Kenpo-karate‘s great weakness, in our opinion, is its emphasis on very specific self-defense — i.e. reactive — techniques, as opposed to proactive, preemptive, OFFENSIVE techniques, and its rather questionable objective of teaching a tremendous number of such techniques. This leaves the student with a body of skills that he all too often can barely remember, and that — even when properly recalled — are not actually the best upon which to reply for actual, real world hand-to-hand combat. Too acrobatic, "artsy", and elaborately complex and meticulous in their requirement for detailed, fine motor movement performance).
We cannot instruct our readers in how to execute the attack combinations that constitute one very critical aspect of American Combato, in this Newsletter. Personal instruction is needed. However, what we can and wish to do right now is — a) Convince our site‘s visitors, regardless of their present style or approach to self-defense, that combinations and followup is essential, because determined, dangerous, experienced, and quite often multiple and/or armed assailants are VERY DIFFICULT TO STOP, and b) There are some tips we can provide that should help anyone who is training seriously to enhance his followup capabilities enormously, and to do so in a manner that adheres to that which the military calls “combat logic”. In other words, if you follow that which we shall present, you can be confident that it will contribute not to your progress as a competition fighter or as a performer of classical/traditional doctrine (both worthy goals; but never our goals), but as a self-defense exponent and as a hand-to-hand combatant.
Use the following suggestions to begin now to develop the all-important followup and relentless attack capacity that s so crucially important in serious, real world close combat an self-defense emergencies:
#1: ANY TIME YOU DELIVER AN ELBOW SMASH YOU ARE PRIMED FOR A FOLLOWUP HANDAXE CHOP OR HAMMERFIST BLOW
This has application for both attack and defense. For example: A man whom you have become aware intends you harm stands in front of you and you are physically poised and mentally ready (in "orange"). Move fast as he begins to attack and smash him across the face or head area with a powerful forward elbow blow that sweeps in with your bodyweight behind it as you execute a falling step in towards him. Upon completing and following through with your elbow smash, immediately cut back and chop him viciously across the opposite side of his face, neck, or head with a handaxe blow. (The hammerfist to temple, jaw, or neck is also viable). This is an example of how to attack and use the elbow smash/chop in such a predicament.
Or: An adversary who is grabbing at your collar or shoulder from behind pulls you toward him, and you smartly go with his pull and slam an elbow into his solar plexus, liver, or spleen. Immediately upon landing the elbow smash, whip the hand down and chop your attacker in the groin.
#2: A “HAND YOKE” THRUST IS PERFECT FOR INDEXING YOUR HAND AND FINGERS FOR THE DEADLY “THROAT LOCK”
Warning and Caution!: The throat lock is potentially deadly and should be utilized, as all of the serious actions of unarmed combat should be utilized, ONLY to defend against truly dangerous and unavoidable physical attacks!
Locking the fingers high under the jaw and around the thyroid cartilage ("windpipe") is one of the key basic blows of unarmed close combat. The hand yoke is a non-lethal but extremely disorienting blow that is somewhat easier to apply instantly, than is the throat lock. It so happens that once a hand yoke thrust lands, the control/contact with the enemy‘s throat is such that snapping one’s fingers slightly upward and transitioning into a throat lock (assuming the situation warrants such an action) is easy! With that throat lock in place, a would-be murderer (rapist, home invader, abductor, etc.) can now be permanently stopped — either by using the throat lock to completion or by maintaining the throat lock tightly and smashing the assailant’s jaw or head with a powerful heelpalm blow from one's opposite hand. This could end lethally. Do not practice with any amount of force on any live person!
#3: WHEN THE BASIC CHINJAB SMASH CONNECTS AND THE OPPONENT’S HEAD IS NOT SLAMMED BACKWARD, THE HAND-IN-PLACE OFFERS A COUPLE OF FABULOUS FOLLOWUP OPTIONS
Raise the elbow of the chinjabbing hand and the clawed fingers transition immediately to a kind of "tiger‘s claw" grip on the enemy‘s face, fingers well able now to gouge into the enemy‘s eyes, drive his head backward and down — and if you step in smartly while doing this, you‘ll smash your man head first to the deck!
Or — once the hand connects, use your opposite hand to seize your opponent‘s head from behind, and then — using both hands — apply the dangerous head-twist takedown throw (one of the few throws we use in American Combato) while holding your enemy‘s head securely and wrenching it viciously as you step and get your hip into the throw. Do not practice this with any degree of force on a live partner; it can break a man’s neck! Train the movement GENTLY with a partner, or use full force against an imaginary adversary.
Also — when and if the chinjab smash snaps the adversary‘s head backward and continues upward past his head (probably because you miscalculated and struck too close to the end of the chin, rather than deeply under the jaw) bring the heel of that same hand sharply downward, cracking your enemy on the bridge of his nose, jaw (it will break the jaw), skull, or collar bone. Retracting that hand with the downward striking stroke naturally positions it for a followup chinjab smash!
#4: WHEN EAR-BOXING SEIZE THE EARS AFTER THE CUPPED PALMS BLOWS CONNECT. THIS IS A PERFECT POSITION FROM WHICH TO . . .
Knee the testicles (he‘ll never even know what the hell you‘re doing!).
Rip his ears off his head — simply by utilizing a motion similar to that which is employed when shooting a bow and arrow.
Release one hand and, still retaining a grip on one of his ears with the other, smash an elbow to the side of his head.
Slam a head butt powerfully into the enemy‘s face while retaining the grip on his ears.
Obviously, once you‘ve landed a good ear box attack and seized your enemy‘s ears, he is yours!
#5: WHEN YOU DRIVE BOTH THUMBS INTO YOUR ENEMY’S EYES. SEIZE HIS HEAD AND INSERT THE MIDDLE FINGERS OF BOTH HANDS INTO HIS EARS
You now have multiple followup options that fit the position you have secured, perfectly :
Shake your enemy‘s head violently, while digging both thumbs deeper into his eyes and gouging outward toward his temples.
After either simply gouging the adversary‘s once after grabbing him or after shaking his head violently, viciously thrust both thumbs forward with the weight and strength of your body behind the action. (This will send your man flying — down stairs, into traffic, out a window, onto his back on the pavement, etc. — and leave him completely helpless to prevent your escape from the area).
#6: AFTER THE THUMB ATTACK AND HEAD GRIP JUST DESCRIBED ABOVE (WHICH WE CALL THE “CAT’S GRAB ATTACK”) DRIVE A KNEE TO YOUR ENEMY’S TESTICLES
The knee blow will cause your opponent to lurch forward, deepening the thumb gouge instantly.
#7: ANY ATTACK TO AN ENEMY’S EYES WILL SET HIM UP INSTANTLY FOR A KICK TO HIS TESTICLES OR TO A KNEE — AND THAT IN TURN WILL BRING HIS HEAD FORWARD AND LEAVE HIM OPEN TO ANYTHING YOU CHOOSE TO DO
Remember our rule: “Whenever you attack high, you create an opening low; whenever you attack low, you create an opening high.”
#8: ELBOW, KNEE, FIST, HEEL OF THE HAND, AND SOMETIMES EVEN FINGERTIPS JABS TO THE SOLAR PLEXUS BRINGS THE RECIPIENT’S HEAD FORWARD
Knee his face.
Box his ears (something like playing the cymbals, whenever your opponent is in a bent over position, thusly!).
Chop his brainstem with a vertical handaxe blow.
Use any combination of the above.
If your man has not collapsed completely by the time you‘ve pummeled him, you need only seize his shoulders and push them downward toward his feet, to send him flying to the deck. Then stomp him.
#9: WHENEVER A KNEE TO THE TESTICLES HAS DOUBLED YOUR ADVERSARY OVER, A SECOND FAST KNEE BLOW TO HIS FACE IS AN EXCELLENT FOLLOWUP
Remember also that, while kicking a man in the head is most normally reserved for times when he is on the ground, if a powerful front kick to his testicles doubles him over in agony, a second front kick (using the same leg) can provide a kick to his face forthwith, almost certainly concluding the encounter.
#10: WHEN CLOSE IN AND SLIGHTLY TO AN ENEMY’S SIDE, A LATERAL HANDAXE CHOP TO HIS CAROTID ARTERY WILL PLACE THE CHOPPING HAND AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE STRIKE IN A PERFECT POSITION TO APPLY A THROAT LOCK (IF THE ENEMY HAS NOT BEEN LITERALLY KNOCKED DOWN AND OUT BY THE CHOP)
#11: A FORWARD HEAD BUTT “WINDS YOU UP” FOR A BACKWARD HEAD BUTT — USEFUL WHEN TWO MEN APPROACH FROM BEHIND AND IN FRONT, APPLY A GRAB, AND PERHAPS ATTEMPT TO ROB YOU
This is really a variation of the basic action we teach against an unarmed controlling hold from behind from one man, as a second attacker approaches from the front. Here — when there is distance — a front kick converts instantly after delivery to a back kick, utilizing the momentum of the retracting leg to apply maximum force to the kick delivered to the attacker holding you.
Simply ask yourself when analyzing all situations, "What has this particular blow 'wound me up for‘ and 'how can I deliver a followup blow naturally and with no added movement, immediately following impact?‘"
Those examples and suggestions are easy to understand and, with a little thought and practice, very easy to apply. They will also lead you to grasp the principle of perpetual followup, and that is the point.
Be realistic when you train for self-defense. Be ready to go "full steam ahead" and not stop until anyone who has chosen to attack you or to attack a member of your family, etc. is absolutely, positively, completely, and reliably neutralized.
The tide of Tyranny...
Yes. I edited the title. Upon further thought, it occurred to me that oen of the first sings that a society has resigned itself from reason and liberty and begun to accept the absurd and dangerous dogma of the radicalized statist elite is the loss of the right to self-defense. This is... tyranny.
This would almost... almost be comical if it were not so painfully TRAGIC and OFFENSIVE! When I read this type of article, I must admit to be completely baffled as to what in the holy hell the lawmakers must be "thinking". It would appear that the state prefers deceased victims to independent citizens willing to and capable of defend themselves. I cannot see any other explanation. And there is NO rational explanation as to why an entire society would endure this nonsense at their own risk.
Honestly. What in the HELL would possess people to tolerate the regimentation of political correctness to the point where they are not even allowed to deter a robbery, assault or home invasion due to concerns over the well being of the sub-human scum that perpetrates such crimes? In my world... she'd have been given an award (and a free firearm) for her actions. Additional points if she had actually USED the knife on one of these feckless, walking accidents. The key to the city if she castrates one or both of them!
Get it through your heads NOW! The "state" is not going to protect you! YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN!
This would almost... almost be comical if it were not so painfully TRAGIC and OFFENSIVE! When I read this type of article, I must admit to be completely baffled as to what in the holy hell the lawmakers must be "thinking". It would appear that the state prefers deceased victims to independent citizens willing to and capable of defend themselves. I cannot see any other explanation. And there is NO rational explanation as to why an entire society would endure this nonsense at their own risk.
Honestly. What in the HELL would possess people to tolerate the regimentation of political correctness to the point where they are not even allowed to deter a robbery, assault or home invasion due to concerns over the well being of the sub-human scum that perpetrates such crimes? In my world... she'd have been given an award (and a free firearm) for her actions. Additional points if she had actually USED the knife on one of these feckless, walking accidents. The key to the city if she castrates one or both of them!
Get it through your heads NOW! The "state" is not going to protect you! YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/6957682/Myleene-Klass-warned-by-police-after-scaring-off-intruders-with-knife.html
Myleene Klass warned by police after scaring off intruders with knife
Myleene Klass, the broadcaster and model, brandished a knife at youths who broke into her garden – but has been warned by police that she may have acted illegally.
Miss Klass, a model for Marks & Spencer and a former singer with the pop group Hear'Say, was in her kitchen in the early hours of Friday when she saw two teenagers behaving suspiciously in her garden.
The youths approached the kitchen window, before attempting to break into her garden shed, prompting Miss Klass to wave a kitchen knife to scare them away.
Miss Klass, 31, who was alone in her house in Potters Bar, Herts, with her two-year-old daughter, Ava, called the police. When they arrived at her house they informed her that she should not have used a knife to scare off the youths because carrying an "offensive weapon" – even in her own home – was illegal.
Jonathan Shalit, Miss Klass's agent, said that had been "shaken and utterly terrified" by the incident and was stepping up security at the house she shares with her fiancé, Graham Quinn, who was away on business at the time.
He said: "Myleene was aghast when she was told that the law did not allow her to defend herself in her own home. All she did was scream loudly and wave the knife to try and frighten them off.
"She is not looking to be a vigilante, and has the utmost respect for the law, but when the police explained to her that even if you're at home alone and you have an intruder, you are not allowed to protect yourself, she was bemused.
"Her questions going forward are: what are my rights, and what are you actually allowed to do to defend yourself in your own house?"
The Sunday Telegraph's Right to Defend Yourself campaign is seeking a change in the law to provide greater rights and immunity from prosecution for householders in dealing with intruders.
Chris Grayling, the shadow home secretary, said: "This incident just shows why things are still very confused on this issue and why we need a change in the law."
A spokesman for Hertfordshire Police said: "We got a call at 12.45am on Saturday to reports of the owner of the property hearing noises outside their address.
"Officers were in attendance and checked the property.
"There was no one around although they could see footprints in the snow. No property had been taken and there were no intruders. It was treated as a trespass incident.
"Words of advice were given in relation to ensuring suspicious behaviour is reported immediately."
Friday, January 8, 2010
Moving the Force-Time Curve to the Left
By Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems
http://www.staleytraining.com
Twenty years ago, strength training was considered taboo for martial artists.
Today, it is gaining in popularity, despite the fact that it is rarely carried out in a rational manner. Due to strong influences from the world of bodybuilding, most martial artists are only getting half the potential benefit that strength training has to offer.
Specificity and Strength Training
Virtually all martial arts depend upon the ability to develop force very rapidly. Technically, the rapid execution of a technique results in more damage to the target. Tactically, rapidly executed techniques have a greater chance of landing, since they are more difficult to defend against than slower movements. From a defensive point of view, rapidly performed blocks and parries, as well as defensive footwork, are made more effective if executed rapidly.
Strength training for sports normally progresses through three phases: hypertrophy (muscle mass), absolute strength (the most force that can be produced irregardless of time required), and finally, speed strength (the ability to develop force rapidly). In the case of the martial arts, most athletes spend most or all of their time developing hypertrophy. A few progress to methods designed to develop absolute strength. Fewer still venture into speed-strength territory.
Critical to this article is the concept that the ability to develop high levels of force (such as displayed during a 400 pound bench press) is not as important as the ability to develop a high level of force within a very short (less than a second) period of time. The development of muscle mass and absolute strength are important because they form the foundation for speed-strength, but by themselves, they are next to worthless.
Hypertrophy Training
Sometimes called "the bodybuilding method," hypertrophy training involves the use of moderate (between 70 and 85 percent of maximum) loads for sets of between 5 and 10 repetitions. Such loads provoke an increase in protein synthesis within the muscle cells, leading to an enlargement of the existing muscle tissue.
This enlargement is the first step in developing speedstrength, since increases in muscle cross-section are highly correlated to increases in absolute strength. An athlete stays in the hypertrophy phase for as long as is necessary and/or appropriate— while hypertrophy is a necessary first step, too much of it can be counter-productive (i.e., growing out of your weight class, or developing flexibility deficits, etc.). When the desired level of hypertrophy is developed, the athlete moves on to absolute strength training methods. Note: Athletes should increase protein intake while in this phase to help the body resynthesize muscle tissue.
Training for Absolute Strength
Absolute strength is developed through the use of high (85+ percent of maximum) loads. Repetitions range from 1 to 4. Such training improves neurological efficiency, or the ability to recruit higher percentages of existing muscle fibers. Fast twitch muscle is preferentially recruited over slow twitch fibers at this intensity range. The development of absolute strength is considered to be a prerequisite to speed-strength, but this training method should only be attempted by mature, experienced athletes, due to the high loads involved.
Developing Speed-strength: Moving the Time-force Curve to the Left
Once absolute strength is brought to a high level, the next task is to move the force time curve over to the left. Several methods can be used for this purpose: plyometrics, the use of modified Olympic lifts, and the lifting of submaximal (70 to 80 percent of maximum) weights at a high rate of speed. The emphasis is on improving the rate of force development (R.O.F.D.).
During the period of time devoted to speed-strength work, one can expect gains in hypertrophy and absolute strength to degrade to a certain degree. For this reason, a rationally designed training program will constantly alternate between phases devoted to hypertrophy, absolute strength, and speedstrength, in that order.
For mature athletes who already have sufficient muscle mass, the hypertrophy phase will be greatly abbreviated, however. For competitive martial artists, training cycles are planned so that the speedstrength phase coincides with the competitive season. In this way, sport-specific strength is brought to a peak when it is needed most.
Strength as a Means to an End
I caution the reader to remember that strength, as a component of physical preparation, is not an end but a means to an end. It simply allows the martial artist to achieve high results on the technical and tactical levels of preparation, and thus, to a high level of psychological preparedness.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
Twenty years ago, strength training was considered taboo for martial artists.
Today, it is gaining in popularity, despite the fact that it is rarely carried out in a rational manner. Due to strong influences from the world of bodybuilding, most martial artists are only getting half the potential benefit that strength training has to offer.
Specificity and Strength Training
Virtually all martial arts depend upon the ability to develop force very rapidly. Technically, the rapid execution of a technique results in more damage to the target. Tactically, rapidly executed techniques have a greater chance of landing, since they are more difficult to defend against than slower movements. From a defensive point of view, rapidly performed blocks and parries, as well as defensive footwork, are made more effective if executed rapidly.
Strength training for sports normally progresses through three phases: hypertrophy (muscle mass), absolute strength (the most force that can be produced irregardless of time required), and finally, speed strength (the ability to develop force rapidly). In the case of the martial arts, most athletes spend most or all of their time developing hypertrophy. A few progress to methods designed to develop absolute strength. Fewer still venture into speed-strength territory.
Critical to this article is the concept that the ability to develop high levels of force (such as displayed during a 400 pound bench press) is not as important as the ability to develop a high level of force within a very short (less than a second) period of time. The development of muscle mass and absolute strength are important because they form the foundation for speed-strength, but by themselves, they are next to worthless.
Hypertrophy Training
Sometimes called "the bodybuilding method," hypertrophy training involves the use of moderate (between 70 and 85 percent of maximum) loads for sets of between 5 and 10 repetitions. Such loads provoke an increase in protein synthesis within the muscle cells, leading to an enlargement of the existing muscle tissue.
This enlargement is the first step in developing speedstrength, since increases in muscle cross-section are highly correlated to increases in absolute strength. An athlete stays in the hypertrophy phase for as long as is necessary and/or appropriate— while hypertrophy is a necessary first step, too much of it can be counter-productive (i.e., growing out of your weight class, or developing flexibility deficits, etc.). When the desired level of hypertrophy is developed, the athlete moves on to absolute strength training methods. Note: Athletes should increase protein intake while in this phase to help the body resynthesize muscle tissue.
Training for Absolute Strength
Absolute strength is developed through the use of high (85+ percent of maximum) loads. Repetitions range from 1 to 4. Such training improves neurological efficiency, or the ability to recruit higher percentages of existing muscle fibers. Fast twitch muscle is preferentially recruited over slow twitch fibers at this intensity range. The development of absolute strength is considered to be a prerequisite to speed-strength, but this training method should only be attempted by mature, experienced athletes, due to the high loads involved.
Developing Speed-strength: Moving the Time-force Curve to the Left
Once absolute strength is brought to a high level, the next task is to move the force time curve over to the left. Several methods can be used for this purpose: plyometrics, the use of modified Olympic lifts, and the lifting of submaximal (70 to 80 percent of maximum) weights at a high rate of speed. The emphasis is on improving the rate of force development (R.O.F.D.).
During the period of time devoted to speed-strength work, one can expect gains in hypertrophy and absolute strength to degrade to a certain degree. For this reason, a rationally designed training program will constantly alternate between phases devoted to hypertrophy, absolute strength, and speedstrength, in that order.
For mature athletes who already have sufficient muscle mass, the hypertrophy phase will be greatly abbreviated, however. For competitive martial artists, training cycles are planned so that the speedstrength phase coincides with the competitive season. In this way, sport-specific strength is brought to a peak when it is needed most.
Strength as a Means to an End
I caution the reader to remember that strength, as a component of physical preparation, is not an end but a means to an end. It simply allows the martial artist to achieve high results on the technical and tactical levels of preparation, and thus, to a high level of psychological preparedness.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
Thank GOD!
It's Friday!!! One more week of this fippen' nonsense & I'm a free man! After hearing about yesterdays meeting I'm almost regretting missing it. Almost. The Project Manager had no idea about the empty tester positions not being filled. Hmmm... "I've been trying to keep a "hands off" policy going." Well... you're now going to see how well that worked out. Good grief!
The work load is going to bury whomever remains there. I would actually advise people to begin looking elsewhere. I 'm not sure how much others are earning (I'm probably one of th e lowest paid testers in the group now) but they cannot be paying enough to endure this type of idiocy.
I honestly do not know what these people are thinking. Eventually the test load will be aroud 700... all expected to be completed within the same three-day period. It's physically IMPOSSIBLE to do!
The work load is going to bury whomever remains there. I would actually advise people to begin looking elsewhere. I 'm not sure how much others are earning (I'm probably one of th e lowest paid testers in the group now) but they cannot be paying enough to endure this type of idiocy.
I honestly do not know what these people are thinking. Eventually the test load will be aroud 700... all expected to be completed within the same three-day period. It's physically IMPOSSIBLE to do!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
A Note About Work...
The end of my current contract comes up on January 18th. I can taste it! It's not that I'm anxious to be unemployed; although I keep hearing all about how the economy is "turning around" (360 degrees?)I still suspect that while job losses may be slowing, hiring has not yet picked up. The fact is that the management of this team seems ot have degraded to a point where it's practically nonexistant.
Over a month ago, we lost one tester. They do not intend on replacing him. I shall be departing in less than two weeks. They also do not plan on replacing me. Nor do they plan on replacing the young woman who will be following me out six weeks later. This effectively eliminates 30% of their testing team... and 60% of those who do the device-based testing.
Yet they are adding tests; both manual and semi-automated. Today they added over 40 and the official count will be in excess of 140. These will have been added and approved by the end of January. It makes no sense whatsoever to me to decrease manpower and increase the workload. It is NOT astable business model.
Things are already to a point where we are unable to meet the current deadlines for weekly test pass completion. They should be well aware of this fact, given that they have adequate records of the hours we're spending each day on the seperate tasks. Yet the more closely they monitor performance and throughput, the less realistic the demands becomes.
Since we have not been allowed to work overtime, except in extremely rare instances, I have been stacking my hours at the beginning of the week to facilitate completion of the manual test pass.
The test passes normally begin on Fridays... but by that time I'm already at the end of a full 40-hour work week and cannot add additional time. This actually puts me nearly a full day behind in completing my portion of the test pass.
This week I elected to put an end to this practice. It became obvious that doing this made it difficult to apply enough hours to investigate issues with other tests I am responsible for running. In addition to this... the practice was FUTILE! With the additional tests being added both to the manual test pass as well as the End-to-End tests that I run daily, there simply are not enough hours within the week to do proper follow up, bug investigation and reproduction steps.
At this point I realized it was rather pointless to rob myself of work hours from one day in a forlorn endeavor to accomplish the impossible. This... not so much because I have such a short time remaining... but because as my time winds down, the stress of this battle has made me reassess the relationship between we testers and our employer.
The uninspired, doing the unappreciated for the ungrateful.
I think I've ranted a few times about the attitudes of some of the more obtuse individuals that we're forced to deal with. It's getting worse. As the pressure mounts to solve critical bug and break issues, certain personnel on the development side are becomming more difficult to tolerate. Their abusive and disrespectful behavior is childish and shows me just how pathetic the average clown in this industry truly is.
I hate it more every day I'm here. True, I'll be gone soon and I have no interest in coming back. Still, though I have such a low level of esteem for the majority of these people and their pointless creations, I'm still committed to doing what is expected of me... to a point. That point... is 40-hours per week, at 8-hours per day. Not a minute more or less.
I can hardly be expected to singlehandedly churn out 500+ tests (though it's becomming obvious that I was getting the largest share of tests assigned as well as completed) and if by my not being present, the entire prospect becomes hopeless... then they aren't paying me enough.
No... I'm not going to rob my own, proivate schedule any longer ot meet their ridiculous demands. I'm not responsible for thier lack of capacity to manage their personnel. People earning three to four times what I do are... screwing the pooch and I do not intend on paying the consequences.
Over a month ago, we lost one tester. They do not intend on replacing him. I shall be departing in less than two weeks. They also do not plan on replacing me. Nor do they plan on replacing the young woman who will be following me out six weeks later. This effectively eliminates 30% of their testing team... and 60% of those who do the device-based testing.
Yet they are adding tests; both manual and semi-automated. Today they added over 40 and the official count will be in excess of 140. These will have been added and approved by the end of January. It makes no sense whatsoever to me to decrease manpower and increase the workload. It is NOT astable business model.
Things are already to a point where we are unable to meet the current deadlines for weekly test pass completion. They should be well aware of this fact, given that they have adequate records of the hours we're spending each day on the seperate tasks. Yet the more closely they monitor performance and throughput, the less realistic the demands becomes.
Since we have not been allowed to work overtime, except in extremely rare instances, I have been stacking my hours at the beginning of the week to facilitate completion of the manual test pass.
By "stacking" I'm working longer shifts: 10 to 12 hours per day on Mondays and Tuesdays in order to provide sufficient time to complete the tests by EOD Tuesday.
The test passes normally begin on Fridays... but by that time I'm already at the end of a full 40-hour work week and cannot add additional time. This actually puts me nearly a full day behind in completing my portion of the test pass.
This week I elected to put an end to this practice. It became obvious that doing this made it difficult to apply enough hours to investigate issues with other tests I am responsible for running. In addition to this... the practice was FUTILE! With the additional tests being added both to the manual test pass as well as the End-to-End tests that I run daily, there simply are not enough hours within the week to do proper follow up, bug investigation and reproduction steps.
At this point I realized it was rather pointless to rob myself of work hours from one day in a forlorn endeavor to accomplish the impossible. This... not so much because I have such a short time remaining... but because as my time winds down, the stress of this battle has made me reassess the relationship between we testers and our employer.
The uninspired, doing the unappreciated for the ungrateful.
I think I've ranted a few times about the attitudes of some of the more obtuse individuals that we're forced to deal with. It's getting worse. As the pressure mounts to solve critical bug and break issues, certain personnel on the development side are becomming more difficult to tolerate. Their abusive and disrespectful behavior is childish and shows me just how pathetic the average clown in this industry truly is.
I hate it more every day I'm here. True, I'll be gone soon and I have no interest in coming back. Still, though I have such a low level of esteem for the majority of these people and their pointless creations, I'm still committed to doing what is expected of me... to a point. That point... is 40-hours per week, at 8-hours per day. Not a minute more or less.
I can hardly be expected to singlehandedly churn out 500+ tests (though it's becomming obvious that I was getting the largest share of tests assigned as well as completed) and if by my not being present, the entire prospect becomes hopeless... then they aren't paying me enough.
No... I'm not going to rob my own, proivate schedule any longer ot meet their ridiculous demands. I'm not responsible for thier lack of capacity to manage their personnel. People earning three to four times what I do are... screwing the pooch and I do not intend on paying the consequences.
AS TIMES GET TOUGH, YOU HAD BETTER GET TOUGH, TOO!
© COPYRIGHT 2010 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
WE have said this before, and it bears repeating. As times become more and more difficult, trying, and — yes — dangerous, it is crucial that decent, civilized people become more aware of the absolute need to acquire and develop the knowledge, skills, and practical capability of taking care of themselves. Nothing will pay you back more lavishly for your time, energy, thought, and money spent than will taking quality training in the art of close combat and self-defense. Anyone looking objectively at the deterioration of our inner cities, at the proliferation of mindless gang and random thug violence and violation, even (and this is, perhaps, more of a direct threat to some than it is to others) terrorism, will appreciate that being able to handle dangerous violence — and possessing the great blessing of that self-confidence that enables you to feel inside that you CAN defend and protect yourself and your loved ones if ever you find that you must — has become a “necessity” for modern living.
There was a time of course in the history of the United States of America when self-reliance and self-confidence, which were born in the rugged frontier and so-called "wild West" experience of our people, were attributes that were taken for granted. Dodge City and Tombstone had no strip mall karate studios, and the terms "judo", "ju-jutsu", and "kung fu" were — literally — foreign words that practically no one on this continent had ever heard before, let alone knew the meaning of. Yet, the typical American male of the era was probably twice as tough and ten times better able to handle himself in a fight (with or without weapons!) than today‘s statistically average "martial arts black belt holder".
Not only our Country, but all of civilized Western society has lost a great deal insofar as the basic, manly virtues are concerned. We speak directly about America only because we are an American, we live here, and we know more about our Country than we do about any other.
One of our beloved teachers, the late Charlie Nelson, was fond of saying that "When they cleaned up the Indians, men didn‘t think they needed to be men anymore!" Well, obviously Charlie did not mean that as a slam on Native Americans, per se . . . he was speaking only in terms that many post-WWII citizens of New York City could relate to at the time (1950‘s). Urbanized kids such as ourself had grown up as little children watching cowboy and indian battles on TV, and watching westerns in which strong, tough MEN actually fought with and beat "bad guys". The old cliché about "white hats vs. black hats" — symbolizing good in the former, and evil in the latter — however trite, at least kept matters clear. To a boy growing up when we did, it was self-evident that thrashing — or even killing — the bad guy was not only "allowable", but actually necessary. or bad guys would get away with their deeds. And, at least in the America of the 1950‘s, that was unthinkable.
As America matured, so did her concept of the "good guy". Eventually, the good guy wore black. Paladin (“Have Gun - Will Travel) epitomized the more sophisticated, educated, yet tough-as-nails hero in the TV western of the late 1950‘s/early 60‘s. Paladin spoke articulately, behaved with impeccable manners, and was as comfortable in a San Francisco drawing room as he was in a tough border town, drawing on hardened gunslingers. One might say that Paladin was a kind of "cowboy version of James Bond".
Today — in the first decade of the 21st century — the entire culture of America, and of Western civilization, has been turned on its head. Whereas, in the America of the 1950‘s kids in the Bronx could bring their .22 rimfire target rifles to school to participate in the school‘s shooting club, in 2009 schools lock down and call for a SWAT team if a child brings so much as a toy GI Joe handgun to class, or — Heaven forbid! — if he draws a picture of a firearm, or points a finger in playful emulation of a handgun, at another child.
School bullies often got their comeuppance from their intended victims, because sooner or later each of those little bastards ran into the wrong kid to victimize; and after getting the you-know-what rightfully beaten the hell out of him, the teacher, school official, or other authority figure who appeared on the scene asked only, "Who started it?". When the facts were presented and it became evident that some lousy little trouble-making son-of-a-bitch had merely suffered the retaliatory violence of the child whom it was his intention to torment, the defender got an “ATTA BOY!” rather than that which the miserable cowards and negligent school officials impose upon a child who defends himself today: i.e. suspension. "It‘s just as wrong to fight in self-defense as it is to start a fight," is a philosophical concept that would — during the first half of America‘s 20th century — have elicited the response it deserves: absolute, utter, unforgiving CONTEMPT!
The "hero" of today‘s unfortunate child (and children ARE unfortunate to be saddled with the prospect of endeavoring to grow up healthfully in today’s climate) is a gender-challenged wimpoid who snickers and scowls, and has "conflicts" with his neighbors over the type of flower he keeps in the pot on his windowsill.
Disgusting.
With precious few exceptions we have come to the point where the American male — once a right-thinking, tough, standup guy who used common sense, knew right from wrong, and was ready, willing, and able to fight and win when the need arose, and it became imperative to do battle against evil (instead of merely to talk about it, or to listen to political scum make speeches about it) — is rarely able to do more than simply shrink in the face of a threat, today. The Dalton gang was blasted out of their saddles by THE CITIZENS OF THE LAST TOWN THAT THEY ATTEMPTED TO RAID. What the hell is done when street gangs and ten-for-a-penny punk-scum undertake to extort, mug, invade the homes of, and otherwise terrorize American citizens today? Hell, even the police do little more than establish "gang units" where cops are expected to reason with, develop a rapport with, and (we‘d suppose) get in touch with the softer, gentler side of these predatory subhumans, instead of joining together with the citizens whom it is their sworn duty to protect and serve, and shooting these vicious monsters down! Make no mistake about this, either: There are still a lot of good cops in our Nation‘s departments who‘d love nothing better than to do exactly that which needs doing, but the “official policy” that guides them forbids it.
While it is not necessarily true that "violence begets violence", it certainly OUGHT to be true! It should be the case that anyone who unjustifiably offers violence to an innocent human being begets a whole hell of a lot more violence right back in his damn face and down his damn throat than he is able to cope with!!
Contrast the attitude and response of America when Pearl Harbor was attacked with the response of the citizenry when this Nation suffered an attack on 11 September 2001. We did not expect our soldiers, sailors, and marines to read zen classics and begin eating with chopsticks in the mess halls. We were aroused to a fighting pitch (as we should have been), and we were, AS A UNIFIED PEOPLE PROMPTED BY COMMON SENSE OUTRAGE , out for blood!
When we say that these tough times demand that you get tough in order to survive them, we do not mean that you should become belligerent, rude, aggressive, or antisocial. What we mean is that you need to become self-reliant, rugged, strong, competent, confident, and capable in regard to matters pertaining to the defense of yourself and those whom you love. You need to acquire physical and mental strength, to cultivate courage, and to acquire those skills that will insure that you will not be hopelessly terrified, paralyzed by panic, and unable to take necessary, decisive action if and when some dangerous emergency makes it necessary for YOU to take immediate action. Even insofar as mere psychological conflicts are concerned, there is nothing that will propel you further ahead toward the self-confidence, poise, and inner strength that you need in order to cope, than realistic training in close combat and self-defense, coupled with progressive, serious physical training.
In over 45 years of teaching self-defense and physical training we have had the great pleasure of seeing people we trained grow stronger, straighter, more confident, braver, and become infinitely better equipped to deal with all of life‘s trials and tribulations —not only emergency self-defense situations — as a result of their training with us. They became TOUGHER.
Today, it does not take a genius to see and feel that our entire social order and culture has changed, and changed for the worst. One person cannot alter the course that America or the world is on, but every individual has at least a fighting chance to improve his ability to deal with what is coming upon us, and to prepare himself to defend his person, his private interests, and those he loves.
A "fighting chance" is of course greatly enhanced when one acquires the mental, physical, tactical, and technical means of fighting. It should be a priority on your list of things to get started in, right away.
Make this New Year the year that you do something about becoming able to defend yourself. If you‘ve "always wanted to", then why haven't you? And what are you still waiting for?
No one can foretell what sudden emergency you may need to face in the months and years ahead. Get tough now, make sure that — whatever it may be — if it does come to you, you‘re ready.
----
Bradley J. Steiner
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
WE have said this before, and it bears repeating. As times become more and more difficult, trying, and — yes — dangerous, it is crucial that decent, civilized people become more aware of the absolute need to acquire and develop the knowledge, skills, and practical capability of taking care of themselves. Nothing will pay you back more lavishly for your time, energy, thought, and money spent than will taking quality training in the art of close combat and self-defense. Anyone looking objectively at the deterioration of our inner cities, at the proliferation of mindless gang and random thug violence and violation, even (and this is, perhaps, more of a direct threat to some than it is to others) terrorism, will appreciate that being able to handle dangerous violence — and possessing the great blessing of that self-confidence that enables you to feel inside that you CAN defend and protect yourself and your loved ones if ever you find that you must — has become a “necessity” for modern living.
There was a time of course in the history of the United States of America when self-reliance and self-confidence, which were born in the rugged frontier and so-called "wild West" experience of our people, were attributes that were taken for granted. Dodge City and Tombstone had no strip mall karate studios, and the terms "judo", "ju-jutsu", and "kung fu" were — literally — foreign words that practically no one on this continent had ever heard before, let alone knew the meaning of. Yet, the typical American male of the era was probably twice as tough and ten times better able to handle himself in a fight (with or without weapons!) than today‘s statistically average "martial arts black belt holder".
Not only our Country, but all of civilized Western society has lost a great deal insofar as the basic, manly virtues are concerned. We speak directly about America only because we are an American, we live here, and we know more about our Country than we do about any other.
One of our beloved teachers, the late Charlie Nelson, was fond of saying that "When they cleaned up the Indians, men didn‘t think they needed to be men anymore!" Well, obviously Charlie did not mean that as a slam on Native Americans, per se . . . he was speaking only in terms that many post-WWII citizens of New York City could relate to at the time (1950‘s). Urbanized kids such as ourself had grown up as little children watching cowboy and indian battles on TV, and watching westerns in which strong, tough MEN actually fought with and beat "bad guys". The old cliché about "white hats vs. black hats" — symbolizing good in the former, and evil in the latter — however trite, at least kept matters clear. To a boy growing up when we did, it was self-evident that thrashing — or even killing — the bad guy was not only "allowable", but actually necessary. or bad guys would get away with their deeds. And, at least in the America of the 1950‘s, that was unthinkable.
As America matured, so did her concept of the "good guy". Eventually, the good guy wore black. Paladin (“Have Gun - Will Travel) epitomized the more sophisticated, educated, yet tough-as-nails hero in the TV western of the late 1950‘s/early 60‘s. Paladin spoke articulately, behaved with impeccable manners, and was as comfortable in a San Francisco drawing room as he was in a tough border town, drawing on hardened gunslingers. One might say that Paladin was a kind of "cowboy version of James Bond".
Today — in the first decade of the 21st century — the entire culture of America, and of Western civilization, has been turned on its head. Whereas, in the America of the 1950‘s kids in the Bronx could bring their .22 rimfire target rifles to school to participate in the school‘s shooting club, in 2009 schools lock down and call for a SWAT team if a child brings so much as a toy GI Joe handgun to class, or — Heaven forbid! — if he draws a picture of a firearm, or points a finger in playful emulation of a handgun, at another child.
School bullies often got their comeuppance from their intended victims, because sooner or later each of those little bastards ran into the wrong kid to victimize; and after getting the you-know-what rightfully beaten the hell out of him, the teacher, school official, or other authority figure who appeared on the scene asked only, "Who started it?". When the facts were presented and it became evident that some lousy little trouble-making son-of-a-bitch had merely suffered the retaliatory violence of the child whom it was his intention to torment, the defender got an “ATTA BOY!” rather than that which the miserable cowards and negligent school officials impose upon a child who defends himself today: i.e. suspension. "It‘s just as wrong to fight in self-defense as it is to start a fight," is a philosophical concept that would — during the first half of America‘s 20th century — have elicited the response it deserves: absolute, utter, unforgiving CONTEMPT!
The "hero" of today‘s unfortunate child (and children ARE unfortunate to be saddled with the prospect of endeavoring to grow up healthfully in today’s climate) is a gender-challenged wimpoid who snickers and scowls, and has "conflicts" with his neighbors over the type of flower he keeps in the pot on his windowsill.
Disgusting.
With precious few exceptions we have come to the point where the American male — once a right-thinking, tough, standup guy who used common sense, knew right from wrong, and was ready, willing, and able to fight and win when the need arose, and it became imperative to do battle against evil (instead of merely to talk about it, or to listen to political scum make speeches about it) — is rarely able to do more than simply shrink in the face of a threat, today. The Dalton gang was blasted out of their saddles by THE CITIZENS OF THE LAST TOWN THAT THEY ATTEMPTED TO RAID. What the hell is done when street gangs and ten-for-a-penny punk-scum undertake to extort, mug, invade the homes of, and otherwise terrorize American citizens today? Hell, even the police do little more than establish "gang units" where cops are expected to reason with, develop a rapport with, and (we‘d suppose) get in touch with the softer, gentler side of these predatory subhumans, instead of joining together with the citizens whom it is their sworn duty to protect and serve, and shooting these vicious monsters down! Make no mistake about this, either: There are still a lot of good cops in our Nation‘s departments who‘d love nothing better than to do exactly that which needs doing, but the “official policy” that guides them forbids it.
While it is not necessarily true that "violence begets violence", it certainly OUGHT to be true! It should be the case that anyone who unjustifiably offers violence to an innocent human being begets a whole hell of a lot more violence right back in his damn face and down his damn throat than he is able to cope with!!
Contrast the attitude and response of America when Pearl Harbor was attacked with the response of the citizenry when this Nation suffered an attack on 11 September 2001. We did not expect our soldiers, sailors, and marines to read zen classics and begin eating with chopsticks in the mess halls. We were aroused to a fighting pitch (as we should have been), and we were, AS A UNIFIED PEOPLE PROMPTED BY COMMON SENSE OUTRAGE , out for blood!
When we say that these tough times demand that you get tough in order to survive them, we do not mean that you should become belligerent, rude, aggressive, or antisocial. What we mean is that you need to become self-reliant, rugged, strong, competent, confident, and capable in regard to matters pertaining to the defense of yourself and those whom you love. You need to acquire physical and mental strength, to cultivate courage, and to acquire those skills that will insure that you will not be hopelessly terrified, paralyzed by panic, and unable to take necessary, decisive action if and when some dangerous emergency makes it necessary for YOU to take immediate action. Even insofar as mere psychological conflicts are concerned, there is nothing that will propel you further ahead toward the self-confidence, poise, and inner strength that you need in order to cope, than realistic training in close combat and self-defense, coupled with progressive, serious physical training.
In over 45 years of teaching self-defense and physical training we have had the great pleasure of seeing people we trained grow stronger, straighter, more confident, braver, and become infinitely better equipped to deal with all of life‘s trials and tribulations —not only emergency self-defense situations — as a result of their training with us. They became TOUGHER.
Today, it does not take a genius to see and feel that our entire social order and culture has changed, and changed for the worst. One person cannot alter the course that America or the world is on, but every individual has at least a fighting chance to improve his ability to deal with what is coming upon us, and to prepare himself to defend his person, his private interests, and those he loves.
A "fighting chance" is of course greatly enhanced when one acquires the mental, physical, tactical, and technical means of fighting. It should be a priority on your list of things to get started in, right away.
Make this New Year the year that you do something about becoming able to defend yourself. If you‘ve "always wanted to", then why haven't you? And what are you still waiting for?
No one can foretell what sudden emergency you may need to face in the months and years ahead. Get tough now, make sure that — whatever it may be — if it does come to you, you‘re ready.
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Bradley J. Steiner
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