Self Defense Training - Do You Know How to Defend Yourself Or Are You a Victim Of False Confidence?

There's an old saying in the martial arts that, "Pride goes Before The Fall." In the realm of self defense training, regardless of whether you train in a martial art, or in a modern self defense system, there is a world of difference between "thinking" that you can defend yourself, and actually having the skills necessary to survive a real world attack.

The truth is that there are countless schools of martial arts out there professing to be teaching people how to protect themselves, lead by teachers who are sport athletes with no real-world self defense experience. There are even more so-called self defense experts popping up every day on the internet who are more than ready to sell you some magical, "silver bullet" system for mastering the art of self defense "in 30 minutes or less!"

What both of these are selling is not sound, solid, and proven self defense ability.

No. What both are selling amounts to nothing more than the abstract, "feel-good" qualities of:

Hope
Peace of mind
a Sense of security, and...
Confidence

But, in reality, none of these things are real. They are only states of mind and feelings - both based on what we "think" we can do, rather than on any actual results.

Now, don't get me wrong, or get your panties in a twist.

I never said that the techniques being taught are not effective. Well, most of them anyway.

After all, EVERYTHING is valuable - in context.

But, here are a couple of things I want you to think about as you go through your training - even if you are already a black belt or instructor (of course, even if you are - you ARE still training... right?!):

1) Does your instructor spend more time complimenting you, than he or she does correcting you?

While we all need to know that we are getting things right, and that we are progressing - we are training under a teacher to break old habits, learn better ways of doing things, and to get direct feedback so that we can progress - how we get feedback about that progress can make a huge factor in our success. And often - more often than not - that feedback takes the form of having our mistakes pointed out to us. I would highly suggest that if you are training for effective, real-world self defense ability, and you have a teacher who is always patting you on the back...

Find a different teacher! They're feeding your ego and breeding a sense of false-confidence!

You need a teacher who will not only teach you what you need to know. But also one who will not patronize you, or create a false sense of confidence.

2) Do you train solely on your own without the benefit of direct feedback?

While it is possible to get a lot of information from sources like books, magazines, self defense dvd's, and even online video directories like YouTube, you cannot limit yourself to them. Because... the one thing that you cannot get from these sources is...

Direct feedback from the teacher who wrote the article, or is demonstrating the technique in the video.

This feedback is the single greatest benefit of training face-to-face with a qualified teacher of self defense (see above). Without it, you would be surprised to find out that what you "think" is being conveyed, is not what's is being done at all.

It's amazing how our ego can convince us that we are really doing one thing, when in reality, we are doing something VERY different!

3) Are you trying to learn self defense with the same training partner?

Worse than this would be to try to learn with no training partners at all, but what most people fail to realize is that you are not training to learn a martial art system. I know that sounds confusing but what I mean is this...

Anyone can simply learn the skills and step-by-step kata within a martial arts system - even attain rank for their skill and progress - but this is not the same as learning how to defend yourself against a live human being who is trying to beat, break, or kill you!

To effectively learn self defense, it is important to train with as many different body types as possible - as well as with as many fighting styles as possible!

The reality within self defense is that you don't know who your attacker will be, any more than you will know...

Your attacker's size
What, if any, kind of training they possess
If they will be armed or unarmed
Whether or not they will have help
How far he or she is willing to go in their attempt to hurt you, and...
Many other unknowns!

So, you owe it to yourself to work with as many different partners as possible, and with as many different situations or attack scenarios as possible. If you don't have anyone to train with, start a training group in your area. If you are a member of a dojo or self defense class, avoid limiting yourself to training with only one or two "friends." Get around and work on different bodies and with different personality types - especially those that scare you the most!

Self defense is a very deep subject and one that requires attention to detail...

... and a commitment to getting the kind of training you'll need to survive - not just "think" you can survive!

Effective self defense requires more than just a few "karate moves." It involves the ability to think strategically, and understand how to defend yourself with as little wear-and-tear on you as possible.

If you really want to know what most people don't know about how to master self defense and how to survive a real street attack, read my newest self defense book: "Fight Smarter - Not Harder!" It's available free at: http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com/street-fighting-self-defense-book.html

Jeffrey M. Miller is an internationally-known self defense expert. Each month he teaches literally thousands of students through live seminars, corporate training events, and his online self defense courses, the lessons to be able to survive in Today's often dangerous world. Jeff says, If you really want to know how to survive a dangerous attack, then I can teach you how to defend yourself against any attacker - guaranteed!"

Women's Self Defense - 5 Easy & Effective Self Defense Moves Every Woman Must Know

On my journey to find the best self defense system I uncovered what I intuitively already thought was true. This truth is that the most simplest move or technique is usually the best and most effective. You can search high and low and learn the most intricate and deadliest martial art out there. But what good is it going to do you if cannot perform it under stress or if it takes ten years to become proficient at it?

The largest barrier to self defense is your mental state. Everyone reacts differently but most people will initially freeze up when faced with a life threatening situation. The only way to work past this mental state is through realistic practice with a partner and by knowing the most vulnerable areas to attack on another human being.

I absolutely do not recommend practicing the following self defense moves full force or full speed on your partner. Instead you want to practice them slowly and deliberately so that you will have them hard wired into your brain and your muscle memory will take over when the pressure is really on!

The following targets and descriptions of the basic self defense moves are violent and graphic. I have watered down my language describing them so as not to offend some people. Obviously great care should be taken not to injure your training partners. When training with a partner you should stop before the point of injury and visualize continuing all the way through the target.

The best way to practice them is to have your partner put you in a situation and your job is to go slowly and identify a vulnerable area and practice accessing that target from whatever situation you may find yourself in.

The following moves and targets are given in no particular order.

Self Defense Move #1 - The Eye Gouge

This one is pretty straight forward however it warrants some discussion.

Us "normal" people have a natural aversion to harming another human being. Attacking someone's eyes is absolutely no exception. Morgues are full of people who left scratch marks all over their attackers face but for some reason they never had the nerve to stick their finger or preferably their thumb directly into the eye socket of their attacker.

I am not talking about scratching at the eyes here either. I am talking about sinking your thumb all the way in up to your knuckle at the inside corner of the eye, rupturing the eyeball and then dragging your thumb knuckle deep all the way across and to the opposite corner of the eye.

This will definitely cause a reaction from your assailant that will buy you time to escape to safety. The police should have no problem identifying your attacker at the local hospital emergency room either!

What if they have glasses on? Simple you slide your thumb from the cheek bone up and under the glasses. I could elaborate on proper technique but that would make for a much longer article.

Self Defense Move #2 - The Ear Slap

A good and properly performed slap on the ears will at worst disorient your attacker and at best rupture their ear drums sending them crumpling to the ground in pain. Let's say for example that someone has grabbed you in a bear hug from the front underneath your arms and is carrying you off to their trademarked creepo van.

You know where his arms are! He has left himself wide open and defenseless!

For some reason or another you have decided not to gouge the eyes. Maybe you are saving the eye gouge as your last option if the ear slap does not work. Anyways the critical component of this technique is to cup your hands just like you would if you were clapping loudly at a sporting event. No opera claps here! With both hands cupped you "clap" or "slap" both ears at the same time. If you only have access to hitting just one ear that will do just fine too!

The important thing is that it should be a good hard clap with a cupped hand. This point is critical. Your fingers should also be pressed tightly together. The cupped hand creates a vacuum which ruptures the ear drum of your attacker.

Take care with your training partner here! Do not actually clap over your training partner's ears. This can cause permanent damage and a lifetime of pain for your partner! For practice just go slowly and keep your fingers spread open to avoid an accidental injury. In real life keep your fingers tight together and hand cupped.

Also in real life you are aiming to have the center of your palm seal your attackers ear canal.

One word of warning! How you practice usually dictates how you will actually strike when the real pressure is on. So you may want to improvise and practice an ear slap on an empty Javex bottle or something like a watermelon that your training partner is holding up. If you get to know the feeling of performing this technique properly you will be able to tell the police to look for the guy with a ruptured ear drum at the hospital emergency room. Injuries make it so much easier to identify your attacker!

Self Defense Move #3 - The Ball Buster

Nothing new here! If you can reach the testicles with your knee, foot or hand you have found one heck of a sensitive area!

The real issue here is launching your attack without setting off any radar. Guys are conditioned from a very young age to instinctively respond to any incoming threats to this vulnerable area. An attacker can usually respond in time to avoid most kicks because they see it coming and subconciously respond or flinch! Ideally you want to get close and use your knee because it flies under the peripheral view.

The goal is to kick or knee the testicles and follow through. In a self defense situation you are aiming to try and kick or knee them up through the groin area and try to follow through all the way up to their neck!

What if someone has grabbed you from behind in a bear hug over your arms? Stomp on their foot and get an handful of their family jewels and squeeze as hard as you can for as long as you can till the guy either drops to the ground or lets go. You want to squeeze until you feel something burst. Then you run to safety.

Self Defense Move #4 - The Throat

This self defense move can be lethal so do not mess around and take it easy on your training partner.

A strong forearm strike to the windpipe can cause enough damage to collapse the wind pipe and your attacker will suffocate. Surfaces that you can attack this area with are endless it can be a punch, edge of hand blow, forearm strike, elbow, hammer fist or even the webbing of you hand that is made when you make an "L" shape with your pointer finger and your thumb.

You can even place a cell phone inside your fist so that the bottom of the phone is just slightly protruding out the bottom of your fist and then you hammer fist the throat. The unforgiving structure of the cell phone is sure to cause serious damage.

The one thing to always remember is that a strike with to the throat area can potentially kill the other person. A strike to any area can potentially kill another person if they have the right pre existing medical conditions!

You can even take this target further and include what I call the "Ring Around The Collar". The sides of the neck are vulnerable due to the nerves that run through this area. The back of the neck is where the brain stem is and is the one common connection between your brain and the rest of your body. Impacts to the entire "Ring Around The Collar" can cause serious life threatening injuries. Take special care of your training partner and never go full speed or full force on any of these areas. Use a light touch and slow controlled movement in practice. Practicing in this manner will build muscle memory.

Self Defense Move #5 - The Lower Leg

The vulnerable spots here while not immediately life threatening can lead to injuring your attacker either directly or indirectly. When I say indirectly I mean if you manage to break your attackers ankle and they go crashing down onto the side walk and split their head open.

If someone has grabbed you from behind tying up your arms the areas of the lower leg to aim for can look something like the following. You can use the edge of your foot, assuming that you are wearing shoes, and scrape as hard as you can down the attackers shin. This is should get them to loosen their grip! Whether you are wearing shoes or not you can stomp your heel as hard as you can directly onto the top of the attackers foot as high up and close as you can to where the foot meets the ankle.

How about if someone has knocked you to the ground and is standing over you? What you can do in this situation is bring your knee up and in line with the ankle and then lift up and place the front of your shin directly on their lower shin just slightly above the ankle joint. Then you press down and slam all your body weight across and down into the pavement.

The ankle joint attack takes practice. It can be done standing and stomping across and down. It can be done from the inside of their legs by rolling all of your body weight outwards.

You are looking to strike just above the to knobs that you can feel on each side of your ankle joint. This tears the ankle joint and sends your assailant either limping away or crashing down into the pavement.

Be careful with your partner. Go easy and go lightly. On the ankle attack you want to go slow and give your partner time to roll ahead of your pressure and simulate falling to the ground. Be careful. When in doubt go slow! Even if you are confident, go slow and do not injure your training partner!

Those are the five easiest and most effective self defense moves that just about anyone should be able to perform to stop just about any assailant. Seriously injuring your attacker will free you up and buy time to get to safety.

When your own life and safety is on the line a pain/compliance, pressure point kind of defense will usually do you no good because the second you release your attacker and try to make an escape they will have an opportunity to attack you one more time.

These moves can be deadly so the utmost respect should be taken when practicing them with a partner.

The five self defense moves discussed should only be used in situations that warrant extreme self defense and all other options have been exhausted.

Stay safe and respect your training partners!

Scott Smith is a researcher and reviewer of various self defense systems and products. His reviews and opinions can be viewed at http://www.my-self-defense-journey.com

A free seven week mini self defense e-course is available on his website which includes video instruction on some of the self defense techniques discussed in this article.

Visit http://www.my-self-defense-journey.com for more information and for self defense product reviews.

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3 Annoying Myths in Self Defense

There are a lot of self defense myths and falsehoods out there. Unfortunately, every martial artist has heard are fallen victim to one or more of them. I am no different in this case.

Yet there are three big ones that seem to trick people time and time again. So in hopes of exposing these myths, I am showing you these today.

Annoying Myth #1: There is an Ultimate Self Defense Style/ Course

The forums ring with people claiming this self defense course is the ultimate self defense course or this style is the ultimate self defense style. These people are often cleverly coined forum warriors.

These people are often affiliate marketers of a specific course or just wannabe martial artist, many of which have never been in a serious fight in their lives. No wonder so many of their comments leave people confuse.

In truth, when you want to determine a self defense style, a lot of things come into play. What is you size? How strong are you? What is your style of learning? All these things come into play when you are determining the best method for you.

You also have to look at the school. How well do the students.

Remember, when you are looking for a good self defense school, you do not need to find the very best. That is a life long journey. You just need to find a good school that will show you how to effectively get the job done of defending yourself. Thats all.

Once you get that down, then, only if you choose to, you can begin searching for schools that can advance your techniques because you will know what to look for.

So in a nutshell, instead of searching for the ultimate style, just focus on finding a style that you think works well for you, and a school where the teacher is a good communicator who answers your questions and the students are good fighters.

Annoying Myth #2: You Can Become A Deadly Commando In Just a Few Days With this Take-Home Self Defense Course!

You have probably seen ads for these on the internet or in self defense magazines. Some top secret law enforcement or army guy tells you that they have the ultimate top secret self defense technique that will turn you into an army super soldier in days. Yet when you get them, what you learn does not live up to the hype.

Again, we are not attacking take home self defense courses. There are some very goods ones out there that, when used along with live martial arts training can really help you to improve your overall technique.

However, when a scam artist states that their course can deliver impossible results with very little training, you have to wonder. Our opinion is, when you see these offers, dont get over excited. They may have some very valid tips, but nothing that will make you a one man or woman army.

So, again, martial arts training from a school mixed with take home self defense courses can be very good if you get the right one. But take home self defense courses without proper training from a school can often be incomplete and leave you unprepared for a real life-death situation.

Annoying Myth #3: Your Own Two Hands Are Your Best Self Defense Weapon

This myth is absolutely ridiculous, and makes me angry more than anything. This myth states that there is no better self defense weapon than your own two hands and feet. And to me, there is no sillier of a myth than this.

For those of who self defense dreamers with Champaign wishes and caviar dreams, who think that this empty hand combat is the only way to go, allow me to elaborate...

You are walking down the street when an attacker tells you to get in the car. You tell them, I dont think so, and put up your dukes. The attacker then pulls out a gun. Who will be the victor?

I can almost guarantee you it will not be you.

Now, if you have been specially trained in the art of unarmed combat through the military, law enforcement, and martial arts you're chances are much better than that. However, those people know and understand the importance of using more than just your hands and feet.

Now don't be mistaken, training in any empty hand combat is an excellent idea. It conditions you, and shows you how to effectively defend yourself. However, empty hand combat should only be used as an absolute last defense.

The truth is the most effective self defense weapon you could use is not your hands or feet, or anything else for that matter. The most effective self defense weapon is your brain. In other words, good old fashioned common since.

Think about it for a second. If you had a choice of a way to stop a criminal dead in their tracks, I am sure you could think of about 3 or 4 that might be more effective then just using your bare hands.

For example, you might think of using a taser gun, to stop them dead in their tracks. Or you may want to use a pepper spray to shoot at them for 6 feet away. You could hit them with a stun gun and run like heck or you could pick up a stone or brick and throw it at them.

You see what we mean?

Too many people think that the world is a kung fu movie, when really its not. The real world thugs will not only hurt you, they will kill you and they don't care about your empty hand abilities or not. So you need to do as much as you can to legal stack the odds of survival in your favor.

But what happens if someone takes away my self defense weapon?

Well, there is a possibility that this could happen, but again, by educating yourself on self defense products you can greatly reduce the chance of you being harmed if this happens. For example, did you know that most stun guns have a disable pin that, once removed renders the device inoperable? That means they could never use your stun gun against you.

You may also want to think of the fact that having the advantages of having a self defense weapon on you far, far outweighs the disadvantages of not having anything to defend yourself with.

Think of a self defense weapon as the ultimate diversion. It is a doorway out of a difficult situation, so if you find yourself in a situation where someone is taking you self defense weapon away, don't tussle with them. Throw it at their face. Use it to your leverage and always, always, run as if your life depended on it, because in truth it does.

Nerode Abraham is a martial arts enthusiast, and has done extensive research on the area of self defense weaponry. You can find out more and purchase self defense products including Stun Guns, Taser Guns, and Pepper Spray [http://www.projectsecuritycorp.com] at Nerodes Website.

Self Defense Weapon Pros and Cons

Choosing A Self Defense Weapon

If you don't have military or police background, and aren't a big fan of that movie where people purposely hurt themselves, you probably have never seen a stun gun, taser, or pepper spray.

While I believe it's always best for a citizen to learn practical and effective empty-hand self-defense methods first, in some cases you may not have access to an instructor. And in other cases, it may not be practical for you to take a self defense class, due to physical limitations.

If this describes you, then you probably want some sort of self defense weapon that you can use right now to protect yourself. I understand, so I'm not going to sit here and tell you that you shouldn't buy something to use for that purpose - because it's your RIGHT to defend yourself!

But, if you don't really know what each device does, you may have a hard time deciding which product best fits your needs. So, here's a brief run down of each product category and what their capabilities are...

Self Defense Weapons And Their Pros And Cons

Defense Sprays - (a.k.a., "Mace", pepper spray, tear gas)

This is my number one recommendation for a simple self-defense tool that almost anyone can use effectively. If you've used an aerosol can, you can use a defense spray.

Defense sprays are chemical sprays that incapacitate an assailant by their irritant or inflammatory effect. The defense sprays that most sites offer mainly rely on an extract of hot pepper plants for their effectiveness. This extract is called Oleoresin Capsicum (OC). OC is an inflammatory agent that has an instantaneous effect when sprayed into the eyes and face of an assailant.

The heat from pepper extracts is measured in Scoville Heat Units. The typical jalapeno pepper rates at about 2,500 Scoville Heat Units, while the some of the sprays on this website rate at up to 2 million Scoville Heat Units. So, to get an idea of the effect of getting sprayed, just think about the last time you rubbed your eyes after handling a jalapeno pepper, and multiply that feeling by about eight hundred times!

Probably the best thing about Pepper Sprays is the fact that you can hit someone with a good spray from several feet away, and although it usually takes 20 to 30 minutes for the effect to wear off, there are no long-term ill effects from being sprayed.

If you do decide to purchase a defense spray, make sure you get a good, quality brand like Mace, and that you replace it every six months to ensure your spray will work when you need it.

Stun Guns -

A stun gun is a device that relies on a pulsed electrical current to incapacitate an assailant. They are highly effective at stopping an assailant in their tracks, and the loud crackling noise that they make when you hit the "on" switch can be very intimidating to a would be attacker.

As effective as they are, stun guns do require you to make actual physical contact with the assailant. The stun gun must be brought into contact with the assailant's body to exert its effect.

Also, a stun gun (like any weapon) can be turned against you. In addition, thick clothing can sometimes lessen the effect of the stun gun on an assailant.

For these reasons, I recommend you choose a good defense spray over a stun gun as a first line of defense. But, at close range where there is no room to spray the assailant without risking spraying yourself, a stun gun could possibly allow you the chance to escape.

Tasers -

Tasers are basically stun guns that work at a distance. Tasers fire a barbed dart (ouch!) that penetrates the assailant's skin. The dart is attached to the handheld unit by two wires that deliver the electrical impulse that disables the assailant.

Most have a fifteen-foot range and come in two designs. The first design looks a lot like the "phasers" that you have seen on Star Trek. This design costs less and is probably easier to aim if you have never fired a pistol. If you have ever used a remote control to change the channels on your TV, you can probably aim this type of taser.

The second taser design resembles a pistol, and operates in much the same manner, but is equivalent to the standard taser in all other respects.

There are two main drawbacks with tasers:

1. You have to hit your target.

2. You may only have one shot and one chance to do so.

Also, tasers tend to be expensive. The fact is, pepper sprays are easier to use, so when in doubt, just buy a can of pepper spray.

Other Self Defense Weapons -

Kubotans - A kubotan (also known as a "pocket stick") is a handheld device that attaches to your keychain. The effectiveness of the kubotan in delivering short, powerful strikes to an assailant's vital target areas is unquestionable... if you know what you're doing with it. Get training in empty-handed self defense first if you plan to buy a kubotan for self defense.

Personal Alarms - Personal alarms are devices that emit an extremely loud and high-pitched "whistle" when activated. Some include hidden switches that can ensure only the owner can deactivate the unit.

They are mainly useful for drawing attention to you if you are attacked, because the loud noise they make can bring unwanted attention to an attacker. No criminal wants to get caught, so the last thing they want is attention. At 120 to 150 decibels, personal alarms definitely draw a lot of attention.

Having said that, my take on them is that they are close to useless for self defense. My advice is to just buy a good alarm system for your home, and carry pepper spray with you in an easily deployed place on your body (preferably, on a key ring that you carry with the Mace can in your hand, ready to go).

Knives and Firearms - Are they effective? Of course. But, if you decide to carry a knife or firearm for personal protection I strongly encourage you to research and become familiar with the laws of your state first.

If your research leads you to believe it is a legal option in your area, the next logical step would be to seek expert instruction in their usage before you start to carry one for self-defense.

In future, we'll be offering advanced courses in knife defense and hand-gunning for home defense at select Self Defense Black Belt Program locations, so be sure to sign up for our newsletter on our site to stay informed on when those courses become available.

Mike Massie is the national director of operations for the Self Defense Black Belt Program(tm). The SDBBP is a comprehensive reality-based self defense program that offers realistic self-defense skills you can learn in as little as three to four months. You can find out more about the SDBBP and find a licensed facility offering the training at http://selfdefenseblackbelt.com/.

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Choosing The Right Self Defense Class

You just had a close call - you were waiting for the bus after staying at work late. The neighborhood gets a little rough after hours and a suspicious character approached you. Before things could escalate, a handful of people joined you at the stop. Still, the situation was enough for you to seriously consider how you would react to being attacked. Is it time for self-defense classes? It could be.

Self-defense classes are a common way for people to learn how to handle a situation where they become a victim to violence of one sort or another. There are several different types of self-defense classes available - from martial arts to simple self-defense classes, and it can be confusing trying to choose the one that is right for you.

Here are a few tips for you, to help choose a self-defense class that will deliver the knowledge you need to protect yourself:

o Investigate the different programs - If you don't have the time to spend learning a martial arts discipline, then maybe a weekend course that offers you techniques and other escape strategies will work for you. You don't necessarily need to physically defeat an opponent - you merely need to provide yourself an opportunity to escape safely.

o Good courses don't tell you what to do - Instead, good self defense courses provide you with simple techniques, information on the options you have when a situation arises, and also teach you how to analyze the type of danger you are in. Every situation is different, and you should not be fooled by those classes that give you the absolute answer for every situation.

o Find out the background of the instructor - Your instructor should have extensive experience in their field of self-defense. Discover if they have a self-defense philosophy that matches what you are trying to achieve. Ask if they mind if you sit in on a class or two to get a feel for the program. Then ask whatever questions you want of the program and the instructor. Find out as much information as you can before you make a decision on your self-defense class.

o It's not always about physical defense - You should find a course that offers you information on awareness of your surroundings, verbal confrontations, de-escalating a confrontation as well as physical techniques. The most successful self-defense classes for the average person encompass several different areas, and do not focus solely on physical defense.

o Get referrals - As with anything you are about to commit a significant amount of time and money into, you want to do as much research as you can. Talk to others who have taken self-defense classes and find out what they liked and what they didn't like. You can also talk to your local YMCA or YWCA, local colleges, and the area rape crisis center. They will often run classes or be able to offer you the names of people who can provide solid self-defense skills.

Take your time to find the right self-defense class. Determine what your needs are, and then begin your search from there. Martial arts may be the right way for you to go, or you might just want an evening course over a couple night to help you lean to defend yourself.

Any course you take should provide you with more than just a physical way out of a situation. Most courses will teach you how to recognize a situation and react as quickly as possible to avoid any danger altogether. In doing this, it gives you a feeling of power and confidence when you have to wait at the bus stop - next time it might be alone.

Visit us for your FREE subscription to the about-self-defense newsletter where you will get great information on various styles, weapons, classes, and self defense books and videos. Self Defense [http://www.about-self-defense.com]

Are You Trying To Learn Self Defense? Here Are 5 Tips To Make Sure You're Training Is Street-Ready!

Are you serious about wanting to learn self defense - the kind of skills that will allow you to escape from an attacker who really wants to beat, break, or kill you? Effective street self-defense training is very different from what is typically being offered by the average martial arts, karate, or self defense class at the YMCA though.

Unfortunately, many students who get involved in martial arts or self protection classes with the intention to learn self defense, only end up being disappointed. They find out very quickly that what they are learning is either lessons for winning a trophy in a sporting contest loaded with rules, or...

...half-baked ideas from someone with absolutely no real-world self-defense experience whatsoever!

The problem with most self defense programs is that they focus almost entirely on technique, and not enough on teaching the student how to assess, control, and choose best options for specific encounters. If you are serious about developing skills that will allow you to survive a street attack, then you must learn self defense skills that go about step-by-step mechanics.

Here is a list of 5 considerations that your training must address for your self defense training system to be "street-ready," and worth the time, effort, and money that your pouring into it:

1) The techniques are based on defending against modern attacks and attackers - not 16th century Chinese, Japanese, or Korean warriors! You must make sure that you're self defense system is teaching you how to handle and survive against the most probable attacks that would be thrown at you TODAY - not hundreds of years ago!

2) Training is not limited to "classroom" or dojo ('martial arts training hall') study. Chances are that you're not going to be in a wide open space, in loose-fitting clothes and bare-feet when an angry, aggressive, or criminal attacker decides to jump on you!

3) Training assumes that you will be the under-dog, and not the superior fighter. No matter how much skill and ability you have, you must assume that when an attacker chooses you, that he or she already has the advantage - whether it be in size, strength, speed, ability, weapons, or allies that you don't know about!

4) Everything you do must at least consider the laws governing self-defense. If not, you may find yourself locked up instead of your attacker - charged with assault or murder - because you went too far!

5) Training must be "situational." You should be learning "options." You do not know who your attacker(s) will be, what the attack will look like, or where you will be, so you must train to handle as many situational contexts as possible!

Contrary to popular belief, or the sales messages being hyped up by so-called gurus online who are offering to teach you the ONE single move that will devastate any attacker - any time, the reality is that...

Effective self defense requires more than just a few "karate moves." It involves the ability to think strategically, and understand how to defend yourself with as little wear-and-tear on you as possible.

If you really want to know what most people don't know about how to master self defense and how to survive a real street attack, read my newest self defense book: "Fight Smarter - Not Harder!" It's available free at: http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com/street-fighting-self-defense-book.html

Jeffrey M. Miller SPS, DTI, is an internationally-known self defense expert. Each month he teaches literally thousands of students through live seminars, corporate training events, and his online self defense courses, the lessons to be able to survive in Today's often dangerous world.

Self Defense Moves - Seven Topics Across Seven Levels in Silat Training System

The self defense moves in silat syllabus are divided into seven levels. Each level concentrates on specific self defense skills. The levels are marked with belt just like any other self defense or martial art. Those seven levels are white belt, blue belt, brown belt, yellow belt, green belt, red belt and black belt. For every level, each silat exponent needs to master seven topics which emphasize in specific required skills in that level. The seven topics are; Bunga (which teach the exponent how to master the defensive and striking position), Jurus (which includes the art of attack and defense), the Belebat (which teach the students to art of the defensive and counter attack movements), Tapak (the routine on how to destroy your enemy through step pattern movements), Buah (the art of self defense), Tempur Seni (the art of self defense combat) and the Tempur Beladiri (the fast action of combat sparring).

Every silat exponents will starts to learn from the easy skills until advance skills across the seven levels. On the first level (white belt), the exponent will be given Anak Gelanggang or Beginner Silat Exponent title. In this level the students will learn on how to master the basic skills of silat, to balance between fitness and brightness of psychology, psychomotor control and also cognitive development. This consists of physical and mental approach that will combine with all positive aspects in silat activities.

At the second level (blue belt), the exponent will be given Pesilat Remaja or First Rank Junior Silat Exponent title. This level brings elements of self defense and more clearly how to apply their knowledge and unarmed self defense skills either in martial arts performances or competitions. Silat exponent will be able to receive self defence moves skills to develop practical and cultivation of moral values in more effective methods. The aim is to produce a harmony community and well mannered exponent in order to develop strong self-esteem to succeed.

While, the third level (brown belt), the exponent will be given Pesilat Perkasa or Second Rank Junior Silat Exponent title. This level focused on the basic motion, method, manner and Silat as Malaysian self defense. This level also emphasize on strengthening the nation in terms of arts, self defense and traditional martial arts sport.

At the fourth level (yellow belt), the exponent will be given Pesilat Muda or Young Silat Exponent title. This level objective is to strengthen the Malaysian Silat methods in terms of motion, method, manner and form of self defense. At the same time the silat exponent will inheritance the knowledge of silat essences, practices and skills of martial arts that developed from Bunga; which form the Silat self defense skills, martial arts and martial sports. Silat establish movements that embedded positive values, which can form a healthy lifestyle.

At the fifth level (green belt), the exponent will be given Pesilat or Silat Exponent title. This level will teach the exponent to unite the martial arts and self defense moves particularly catching methods followed by striking, topple down, locking and counter attack techniques. This counter attack skill also known as 'pelepas' or self release technique. Silat exponent also will learn how to use the step pattern known as 'melilit' or circling around the enemy in order to expand the self defense technique. The silat exponent will be introduced to 'Sikap Pendekar' or Warrior's Attitude as the way of life either throughout physical or spiritual aspects; A warrior is a being who has knowledge, practices and is skilful in silat internally (spiritually) and externally (physically), based on the Malay custom, arts and culture in parallel with syarak, one that uses his knowledge and crafts at the right place for justice and peace with a calm soul with physical properties based on the spirit of a chivalrous majestic warrior. This Warrior's Attitude was written by Pendita Anuar Abdul Wahab, the founder of Silat Malaysia.

At the sixth level (red belt), the exponent will be given Pendekar Muda or Junior Warrior title. At this level the silat exponent will learn the weaponry system which emphasis on 'penyerang aktif' or active silat exponent methods. This method is a powerful method particularly to defense you against 3 or more enemies. As silat also known as the art of war, this concept is derived from weaponry methods. Normally, the exponents will train to use multi-weapon at this stage of training. The weaponry training starts during Tempur Seni session. The 'kaedah pemotong' or 'penyerang aktif' then will be developed unto Tempur Beladiri (combat training). As silat derived from human anatomy movements, it will perfect every silat training activities in purposed of self defense.

At the seventh level (black belt), the exponent will be given Pendekar or Warrior title. At this stage the warrior will be given the Silat knowledge that origins from the art of war from multiple aspects of knowledge, practice and traditional weapon skills system. The Malay warrior attitude is the same in Warrior's Attitude. The warrior also will be train to become silat guru to implement the self defense moves education to others. They are also exposed to science teaching, management, spiritual, technical and co-curriculum in purpose to strengthen community, religion, race and nation.

This article was submitted by Cikgu Nizam, an expert and world leading self defense coach online. Did you find these tips on self defense moves article useful? Find out more about self defense by going to http://www.SelfDefenseKnife.org

7 Most Effective Self Defense Techniques

Self Defense Techniques That Actually Work - For Everyone!

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Most Martial Arts & Self Defense Programs Are Totally Wrong for Women and Middle-Aged Men!

Regardless of whether or not you've trained in a formal self defense class or martial arts program, I'm sure that you have the same perception of the trained martial artist as young, male, fit, and very athletic. And yet, these guys are actually the least likely to be attacked in a self defense situation.

While they are the "most" likely to get into a fight, or to be attracted to the allure and fame of sport karate or mixed martial arts - they are not the typically victim of a street self defense attack.

This article discusses this, and several other reasons why most self defense and martial arts programs are wrong when it comes to arming women and older men with the skills necessary for effective self defense against a real attack from a real world attacker.

As pointed out in the self defense book called, "The Karate-Myth," there are certain myths and misconceptions that our society has, as a whole, that get in the way of your learning effective, real-world self defense. One of these is the idea that just because someone has a black belt in this or that martial art, automatically means that he or she can defend themselves against an enraged attacker or street criminal.

Sorry. Just not so.

In fact, many martial arts systems are not focused on modern, real-world self defense.

The execution of some really cool skills... yes.

Self protection... no.

The reality is that, for women, the concept of self defense is a very difficult subject. Not because there is no defending themselves in a women's self defense situation, but because even the best scenario includes the male attacker being about two and half times stronger than the female victim!

It's true. If you were to stand a man and a woman, side-by-side, and all things were equal...

Same height, weight, size

Same fitness level

Same state of health, in fact...

All things considered...

She would still be outgunned by a ratio of 2 to 1!

And, when we think about the average man or woman of middle age, we get the idea that they probably...

Aren't very fit, athletic, or quick

Haven't exercised since high-school (if they were active then), or...

Are very conservative when it comes to dealing with aggression or wanting to fight

That means that, regardless of how committed they are to learning to defend themselves, the least likely they are to remain in a program that tries to turn them into the equivalent of a 20 year old male.

Probably explains why the typical, middle aged man or woman drops out of martial arts training within the first 100 days. In fact, studies where these folks were interviewed show that it was because there was not real world self defense training being offered that matched what these students knew they would be facing if they were really ever attacked.

The point here is that, if you're serious about self defense, and you can relate to what I've been talking about here - if you are, yourself, a woman or a middle-aged man... then you need to make sure that you find a program, or at least a good home study program - books and videos - that will give you what you need...

For YOU...

Not for the young, macho, testosterone-driven man who thinks that defending yourself is more about tricky moves and 6-pack abs, than not getting beaten, broken, or killed by some crazy lunatic who won't be following any rules, or being impressed by that cool Black Belt around your waist!

Effective self defense requires more than just a few "karate moves." It involves the ability to think strategically, and understand how to defend yourself with as little wear-and-tear on you as possible.

If you really want to know what most people don't know about how to master self defense and how to survive a real street attack, read my newest self defense book: "Fight Smarter - Not Harder!" It's available free at: http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com/street-fighting-self-defense-book.html

Jeffrey M. Miller is an internationally-known self defense expert. Each month he teaches literally thousands of students through live seminars, corporate training events, and his online self defense courses, the lessons to be able to survive in Today's often dangerous world.

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Do You Know What Kind of Self Defense Techniques and Training You Need to Defend Yourself?

One of the biggest mistakes that you can make in learning to defend yourself is to just take someone's word. Regardless of whether the person you're talking to is wearing a black belt around his or her waist, is a 600th degree poo-bah in Tic Tac Toe, or is the creator of the latest, greatest, "kill-'em with one finger" self defense course, you must take responsibility for insuring that you get the kind of self defense techniques that will actually save your you-know-what, when the time comes!

This article sheds some light on one piece of knowledge that you should have so that you can make sure that you're not trying to learn self defense from some guy who just has a few "ideas," but has never really "been there" to prove that his stuff works! I can't guarantee that, after you read this, that you'll be able to spot a "wanna-be" from the real thing, when it comes to self defense experts. But, you will at least know where to begin to insure that your are learning the kind of self defense techniques that will match the types of attacks you are most likely to encounter!

And, before I go into this lesson any further, let's set the record straight that...

Self defense is NOT the same thing as "fighting!"

It's funny but, when I was a cop and I was pulling two guys off each other, every single time both of them would tell me that they were just "defending themselves!" Funny. You both looked like you were fighting. That means that neither of you looked like you were trying to get away from the other!

And, that same mentality is prevalent in the self defense world. Every guru seems to have a "self defense" book, video, or program. And yet, when you look closely at the lessons being taught, what you see are lessons for fighting - for beating someone down - not escaping.

But, if we're talking about self defense, we must include the context in which we are defending ourselves. We must also look at things like why we're being attacked, by whom, and with what kind of attack or weapon.

What I mean is that, to understand and therefor be able to look for the right self defense techniques for you, you need to ask the question, "under what condition or circumstances am I likely to be attacked?"

Here are several types of self defense paradigms. Each one comes with it's own set of needs, strategies, tactics, and purpose. And, these things in and of themselves, determine what "kind" of self defense techniques you need.

1) Self Defense for police officers and armed security personnel.

2) Self Defense for body guards and executive protection specialists.

** The above two types require almost the exact opposite when it comes to training, by the way!

3) Self Defense for the average citizen. (This is subdivided and can be further broken down to include self defense for women, rape defense, and self defense for children)

While there are general principles and concepts that are universal, regardless of which group you are in, the fact remains that if you are really going to learn the types of self defense techniques that you need to be able to defend yourself against "your" most likely attacker, who's throwing his most likely attack...

...you MUST begin by knowing who and what that is BEFORE you even get started!

Effective self defense requires more than just a few "karate moves." It involves the ability to think strategically, and understand how to defend yourself with as little wear-and-tear on you as possible.

If you really want to know what most people don't know about how to master self defense and how to survive a real street attack, read my newest self defense book: "Fight Smarter - Not Harder!" It's available free at: http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com/street-fighting-self-defense-book.html

Jeffrey M. Miller is an internationally-known self defense expert. Each month he teaches literally thousands of students through live seminars, corporate training events, and his online self defense courses, the lessons to be able to survive in Today's often dangerous world.

Learn Self Defense - It May Save Your Life!

Self Defense can come in a variety of ways. Many folks take up a martial art in hopes of learning to defend themselves while others opt for a "self defense class". But are martial arts self-defense oriented and are self-defense classes worth your time and effort.

Many dojos across the world are oriented toward the sporting aspects: tournaments, kata demonstrations, board breaking and extreme performances that are primarily focused on looking good and doing some pretty neat gymnastic feats. Tournament matches do not reflect good self-defense or even good fighting. Some authorities state that "free sparring" is the worst thing you can do for preparing for self defense or fighting. I tend to agree.

A fight is generally over with in seconds and the winner is the one who has the most body parts in tact. Self-defense techniques generally mirror those found in a fight. People get bloodied and have a tendency to lose body parts, particularly teeth. A fight may ensue from a confrontation that could be deemed self-defense. It could be from a mugging or an assault. You could be the victim of an ambush type assault because you look like an easy target. You may be sucked into a confrontation because you looked at someone wrong or are wearing the wrong color clothes in the wrong neighborhood.

Many confrontations begin with the "monkey dance". This is where one or both parties display aggression without really doing more than posturing. They attempt to intimidate the other party either by words or actions. Some confrontations start out with a sucker punch and go from there. Usually the person that lands the first blow wins.

Self-defense training can save your life, if done properly. If you have had improper training it could get you into real trouble. Taking a six-week self-defense class, in my opinion is quite worthless. In order to be able to perform the techniques you need to do them many, many times. You must understand how you will react when attacked and get a sudden adrenalin dump into your system. That technique learned in the self-defense class that was so easy to perform on a cooperative training partner suddenly just does not appear because your motor responses conflict with your mental processes at just the wrong time. Skills must be learned to the extent that your "reptilian brain", that part of your brain reserved for survival instincts, kicks in and you can perform without thinking. You must be able to hit any and all openings presented and do it with sufficient intent and force to be effective. You must be willing to do what it takes to survive the confrontation.

In the martial arts we are taught that our entire body is a weapon. The best weapon in our possession is our brain. We must have a plan for our defense. Understand that the plan is excellent until the stinky material hits the high-speed rotary device. What you must plan for is 1) how to escape the locale you are in, 2) how to keep from getting your head busted. Maybe planning where you are going is a better first step then you may not need steps one and two. Always consider the "What If" in making your plans. Always plan for a way out.

Skills for defending yourself must be "gross motor skills". When you get under a stress situation and the adrenalin begins pumping you will lose most of your fine motor skills and you may develop tunnel vision and tunnel hearing. Your arms and legs may not work as you think they should. Your thought processes are also diminished.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to teach a self-defense class for my daughter and some of her associates. I told them what I thought of short-term classes and what they had to do to make the techniques viable (constant practice after class). Basic punching, front kicks, knee strikes and palm heels were the only things taught. Then we practiced them for three days doing hundreds of repetitions. Do you think any of those women will remember the techniques presented? Probably they will not. But at least they were exposed to the concepts of defending their person. Hopefully they will never have to find out the hard way.

In our society today we have the unfortunate situation where there are gangs. It does not matter who or where they are or what they call themselves. They are dangerous, violent and brutal. They carry guns, knives, screwdrivers and a variety of other weapons. They have a propensity for doing drugs such as cocaine, crack and meth. An encounter with several of these mindless creeps could be deadly. If you hit them they may not feel pain as a sober person would. Their strength may be increased exponentially because of the drugs. How would you defend yourself against someone or a group under those conditions?

A friend of mine used to work for the California Highway Patrol. He has related to me a story of a meth addict that was brought into the booking room under arrest. When the cuffs were removed he attacked the booking officer. The creep dug his thumbs into the eyes of the booking officer permanently blinding him. It took four or five officers to pull this cretin off the booking officer and then only after they had rendered him unconscious. Imagine encountering someone like that in a self-defense situation. Better have your self-defense techniques down pat and know what you are doing. A knee to the groin and a palm heel strike to the chin probably would not have the desired effect. Point scoring techniques are completely out of the question.

One of the best self-defense techniques I ever learned was running. In days of old if you could run twenty miles you might be able to catch me. Now I am lucky to be able to run across the street. Better to run away and live to run another day than to play macho-man and get the second place trophy. That's the one with the zipper up the middle and is constructed so as to not let body fluids leak out.

Constrictions (chokes and strangulations) are a viable option against an alcohol or drug impaired opponent but if you do it wrong you better be ready to face the court system. Maybe in your self-defense classes they should teach revival techniques, eh?

Some folks advocate carrying a weapon. I am one of those folks. However just because you have a Glock tucked in your waistband does not mean you can effectively and prudently (or legally) use it. You must take the effort to get the training and practice, practice, practice. If legal, you may want to carry a knife. It does not need to be a large "Rambo" knife. Just think what a surgeon can do with a one-inch blade! I personally would rather face a gun than a knife. Knives can produce some very horrendous damage in a very short amount of time and they are always up close and personal. They never run out of ammo, there is no safety to miss and they are always ready to employ. Your choice of weapons is up to you. You may wish to not carry a weapon. That is up to you but remember a person with a weapon has a distinct advantage over any one of any size and skill that does not have a weapon.

Be wary of any self-defense courses that claim their techniques as undefeatable or that you can take on anyone of any size, strength, or skill and win every time. Every technique has a counter technique; every counter technique has a counter, ad nauseum, ad infinitum. These claims can get you into real trouble if you try to use the techniques taught and you run up against someone that knows the counters. Street fighters know the counters to a lot of martial arts techniques and they practice them.

Pre-emptive strikes may provide a sound self-defense. If you know you are about to be attacked because of verbal threats and body language and you can articulate why you feared for your life or safety a first strike is allowable. It is also recommended. What did that Civil War General say? Get there the firstus with the mostus.

In a self-defense situation that starts with the monkey dance, always watch the other guy's hands. If you can't see them then it is likely that he or she is about to deploy a weapon. That changes things significantly. When a weapon is presented you now have justification for lethal force. Nobody pulls a knife just to scare you. Their intent is to harm you, permanently. A firearm is very intimidating and if they are more than arm's distance from you forget any nifty self-defense disarms. As good as you may be you cannot cover the distance faster than Smith & Wesson. Someone placing effective rounds on target is another subject. [Author's note: when I attended the police academy we were told of a situation where a cop and a bad guy got into a gunfight at a range of six feet. Both fired all six rounds from their revolvers. When the smoke cleared both were standing there unscratched. Both reloaded and fired another six rounds each. Same result. Amazing what adrenalin can do for you!]

A good book to have and to study is: The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker. It talks about listening to your gut feelings, as your gut is usually right. If you find yourself in a situation that just does not feel right listen to that feeling and get the heck out of there. And it is OK to be rude. Better to wonder what might have happened than to experience it first hand.

I tell my students that all training is good even if it teaches you what not to do. So if you are planning to take self-defense with the idea that it may save your life please look at the training with a critical eye. Adrenalin based response training is probably your first best choice. I also understand that Gunsite Training Center has some openings.

Larry G. Bethers
6th Dan Chow-Hoon Goshin Jitsu
Introducing principle based training and teaching.
http://www.oneartmartialconcepts.com

42+ years experience in the martial arts
former Green Beret Officer (Major)

Self Defense - 8 Phases of an Effective Self-Defense Strategy and Training Program

By far, the greatest thing missing from most martial arts and safety programs focusing on self-defense is a structured and systemized outline that helps to keep the student on track with what he or she needs. Not to be confused with the step-by-step self-defense moves taught in the preset techniques or kata of different styles, or a curriculum that spells out what skills and techniques the student will be learning at what level, what I'm talking about is a formula or outline of the areas of action that make up a complete system for real-world self protection.

There are 8 phases, or elements, to a complete self defense strategy. Each element is important in making sure that you have as many options as possible for handling as many different threats and dangers as possible. But, each can be seen as a piece of an overall strategy that allows you the freedom, skill, and ability to control and predict the flow of a dangerous situation and, not only be able to handle it effectively if things get physical, but you'll also be able to:

1) Have many more options for attempting to de-escalate the situation through the use of non-physical self defense

2) Use effective cover, concealment, and escape techniques to avoid being targeted by an attacker, and...

3) Survive the post trauma and possible legal issues that may come up in the aftermath of a self defense situation

As I teach my serious students looking for self defense mastery, regardless of whether they are focused on traditional ninjutsu - the art of Ninja - or on modern, street fighting self-defense, the 8 Phases of an Effective Self-Defense Strategy and Training Program are:

1) General Awareness - awareness of and education about:

a. Danger exist in the world and CAN touch you

b. The types of dangers that you are likely to encounter

c. The environments where you are most at-risk

2) Situational Awareness - paying attention to and observing the elements and changes in:

a. Your surroundings (what weapons, obstacles, and dangers exist or are available to you?)

b. The actions of others (who is acting suspiciously, out of character, or is being overtly threatening?)

c. Your state and well-being (are you alert, healthy, and well or nervous, ill, distracted, or otherwise emotional unbalanced?)

3) Escaping to safety - awareness of and pre-planning to be able to:

a. Physically escape from a dangerous environment

b. Hide or conceal yourself from a potential attacker

c. Use barriers and other shields that will protect you from incoming gunfire, thrown objects or other weapon attacks

4) Psychological Distraction Tactics - confusing or otherwise distracting the attacker's attention from you as a target. You can do this through the use of:

a. Acting (like faking a heart-attack, etc.)

b. Feigning Ignorance (like pretending that you didn't hear or understand his threats or orders)

c. Using Humor (tell a joke or otherwise act as if the assailant is only playing around or that you're too easy of a target for him and not worth his effort)

5) Dissuasion Tactics - confronting the attacker with direct, committed, verbal and body language cues that both give him a last chance to change his mind, AND communicates very clearly that you will not be an easy target and will not allow him to continue with his attack without resistance.

6) Physical self defense - using the properly applied and appropriate skills to avoid, evade, and counter your assailant's attacks as outlined with the:

a. "5 D's" of Effective Self Defense Strategy

b. 3 Keys to Effective Self Defense Action

c. 3 Core Strategies for Effective Defensive Action

7) Regaining Composure and Control - effectively handling and neutralizing the effects of post-trauma stress so that you can acknowledge that your attacker gave you no choice but to take the actions that you did in Stage 5. Contrary to popular belief, as it is generally applied in the psychiatric and counseling worlds, this stage is actually practiced and prepared for long before self defense action is ever needed.

8) Defend Against Any Legal Issues - this is the stage that gives a logical, rational, strategic reason to have stages 2, 3, 4, & 5, and to use them if possible before being forced to resort to physical action at stage 6. While self defense is legal, you will have to show that you did everything in your power to avoid physical aggression if you are to really convince many members of the legal system, or even administrators at your place of work, that you are not a martial artist or student of self-defense because you "like" fighting.

I have found over the years that most schools and programs focus primarily on physical techniques. While they are necessary, the true warrior or professional expert understands that strategic thinking and having a goal other than the conventional idea of "winning" as seen in the competitive fighting styles, allows for a sense of control over situations that physical techniques alone cannot provide.

That's why I teach these 8 Phases of self-defense listed here. Each provides different options, but each level also adds techniques, tactics, and "intensity" to the defensive response not present in the previous levels. Having a complete understanding and control of this structured, 8-stage outline gives you a real sense of "mastery" and the ability to control and stop any assailant who would attack you.

Do you want to learn more about the way I do it? I have just completed my brand new online ecourse to self-defense success, "Foundations of Self-Defense Mastery"

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What if you could learn in hours, rather than months or years, more than the average karate or self-defense student without all of the filler, formalized kata, or military-like atmosphere? How? By following this simple, proven system for self defense success: http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com

Jeffrey Miller teaches individuals, organizations, and martial arts teachers how to not die or fall victim in a violent situation. Jeff says "If you have a a serious desire to learn what you must know to be a survivor, I can teach you how to master the skills necessary to successfully defend yourself against any attacker, guaranteed.

Women's Self-Defense Classes - The Fallacy of Women's Self Defense

There are many who say women learn self-defense better in an exclusively women-only environment. The so-called "experts" say it is less intimidating if women don't have to compete with the men, or, it is easier (more comfortable) to discuss subjects like rape without men present. So, the new trend in self-defense programs is "Women's Self Defense" classes.

I don't agree with this line of reasoning, because the overwhelming evidence suggests that this is the wrong approach. I can't tell you how many times I have heard, "I took a women's self-defense course once. But, I went home and tried some of the stuff on my husband (or boyfriend), and it didn't work!"

There is nothing more confidence-shattering than to spend the time learning all the techniques and starting to feel good about yourself, only to have the bubble burst the first time you try out your new-found skills. Women then begin to feel there is nothing they can do to protect themselves when they can't even make it work against someone who isn't really trying to hurt them.

The real shame is when someone is really attacked, and after repeated attempts, can't make their self-defense techniques work. At that point, they simply give up, and won't fight back no matter what. I can only imagine that someone in that situation would look back on the time or money spent for self-defense classes and feel that they had been victimized twice!

Why "Women's Self Defense" Programs Don't Work!

Most of the people who take my self-defense classes are women. Sometimes, I even have a class that is all women. However, that is by coincidence, not design. Women who sign up for my classes know that there may be both men and women in the class. Whether there are actually men in the class is not important, after all, I am instructing the class, so there is always at least one man in the class.

The point is, if a woman is so intimidated by men, that she will not even take a self-defense class with men, she will never survive an attack by a man. Why? Because "intimidation" is just another word for fear. Until she can prove to herself the techniques work on a man, she has done nothing to help her get over her fear of men.

If she is ever attacked, it will probably be by a man! If she hasn't gotten over her fear of men, she will immediately panic, no matter what she has learned. If she hasn't learned how to deal with the bigger, stronger, more aggressive male, she will not understand how the dynamics of the situation will change in the real world!

Women MUST practice self-defense techniques against a man! Otherwise, how will she know they work against a man? This is what we call "realistic scenario training" (more about this later). If she has only practiced self-defense techniques with other women, she gets a false sense of security that her techniques will work in the real world. But, an even bigger problem is that most of what is taught in these so-called "women's self-defense" classes wouldn't work anyway!

Poor Teaching Methods

Much of what is taught as "women's self-defense" is not only ineffectual, but insulting as well. Courses intended only for women assume they are weak, less capable of defending themselves, and therefore need different methods from men to counteract violence. Women have been told to "yell 'FIRE', carry a hat pin or umbrella to jab at him, do something vulgar to gross him out, like tell him you have VD." If any of that junk worked, we'd be teaching men to do the same thing.

The following sample of bad advice still shows up in high schools and women's self-defense courses:

"Confrontation always makes everything worse. Don't react-it might be an overreaction. Don't add to the violence by becoming violent yourself. Don't make him mad. Trying to escape risks escalating the problem."

These ideas are wishful thinking or blind optimism. Experience at real crime scenes teaches you something very different.

Imagine if the percentages of women and men raped were 50-50 instead of 98 percent women and 2 percent men. [Outside of prison, those are the true percentages.] Now imagine someone telling men, "Don't overreact to rape, guys. Go along with his demands so you won't be hurt." I think you can see there might be a double standard that is completely unfair to women.

Doing Nothing

Doing nothing against a violent attack is the biggest risk of all because it makes resistance and escape later far more difficult. Worse, statistics show it actually increases the likelihood that violence will escalate, especially when the crime is rape. The most profound example involving resisting (doing something) versus submitting (doing nothing) was a Department of Justice study of rape published in 1985:

Rapists do not normally pre-arm themselves with weapons. Only 23 percent of 1.6 million cases studied involved knives or guns. [The major exception to this are rapists who break into a residence; 96 percent grab a knife from the kitchen.]
Approximately 51 percent of women resisted in some form, ranging from screaming to fleeing, to fighting back; the remaining 49 percent did nothing.
When broken down between resistance or submission, there was only an increase of two percent in the injury level to the women who resisted.

Yes, there is always a risk involved in fighting back, but there is just as much risk in doing nothing. If you face a rapist and do nothing, he'll rape you. If you face an armed criminal forcing you into his car and do nothing, he'll kidnap you. The "do-nothing" group believes that in doing nothing, they risk nothing.

Doers, in contrast, have simple and direct reasons for taking action: "If I don't do something fast, it's going to get worse."

False Claims

Another problem is the false sense of security given by unsubstantiated claims. One direct-mail women's safety device provides an "instant and easy self-defense" video for women.... "Can you point your finger?... Can you raise your hand?... If your answer is yes, you can instantly escape anything from rape to severe attacks.... It's quick and easy." The product being mentioned here, pepper spray, almost never works this way in the real world.

One television commercial for a women's self-defense program promises "two-minute, guaranteed knockout using your feet. When your assailant tries to grab you, use the heel of your shoe to strike into his head over and over." Could you really learn to do this in two minutes? It takes years of training in karate or taekwondo to learn to effectively kick someone in the head, and even then, it's a risky move. It's just a marketing ploy to get your money.

If you buy a police radar detector that is guaranteed to work, but doesn't, the result is a speeding ticket. If you pay for "self-defense classes" or videos that don't deliver as promised, the result can be severe injury or even death. Relying on someone else's guarantee is only a false sense of security that will only have bad results!

Anti-crime gadgets, and martial arts self-defense programs marketed to women, are often too simplistic and come with unrealistic guarantees. The fact is, surviving crime requires far more mental toughness than physical abilities. Size, weight, conditioning, and upper-body strength don't make the difference. If they did, a lot of men would be in deep trouble. Crime survival takes tough-minded mental conditioning, the same for both men and women.

What Does Work

What works, as proved by the results of both police and military testing, is "realistic scenario training". Scenario training consists of learning techniques, rehearsing them in realistic scenarios, and then visualizing these actions in your mind. It is a method used in many fields, from sports to law enforcement, military to medicine.

Scenario training is a way of planning our responses. We do something similar every day in our regular lives. We plan what to say if the boss criticizes a report we've submitted, or how to appease our spouse if we've done something irritating. Often we actually rehearse the words we'll use, we do it constantly. It doesn't always get us what we want, but it gives us a better chance.

Face-to-face with violence, your first split-second problem is not what is he going to do, but, "what are you going to do?" Scenario training against violence answers that question at the right time... before it happens. You can make mistakes and learn from them before it becomes a life or death situation! Scenario training to survive violent crime draws on real-life crime cases, which allows us to analyze our own mistakes, as well as the mistakes of others, learn from them, and decide how we will respond differently.

Without realistic scenario training, people panic and freeze up; they have no way to cut through the overwhelming fear that boxes them in during a crisis. Everyone needs to train for the same scenarios, and everyone, men and women alike, need to train the same way: to develop the mental toughness needed to survive a real attack!

Summary

This is the bottom line that must be adopted by every woman, every women's self-defense teacher, and every parent of a daughter: If the how-to-survive-violence technique and advice is not acceptable to men, it's not acceptable to women.

Knowing how to handle yourself when confronted with violence is your only insurance against becoming a victim, or just another statistic in a police report. You have car insurance, home-owner's insurance, life insurance, health insurance...

What insurance do you have against being the victim of a violent crime? A long-term self-defense program offers the most comprehensive training, and therefore, the best opportunity to learn to handle almost any situation that may occur. However, if you don't have the time to commit to a long-term program, at least some form of weaponless self-defense training is better than none.

But women MUST practice techniques with MEN! The idea that women can learn to defend themselves against men, without training with men, is simply false.

Resources:

Strong, Sanford - Strong on Defense; Simon & Shuster, Inc.; 1996

Federal Bureau of Investigation - Uniform Crime Report; 2000

Mark Jordan is a 6th Degree Black Belt in Budoshin Jujitsu, Vice-president of the American Ju-Jitsu Association, and a Certified Self-Defense Instructor with the International Association of Close Combat Professionals. You may find out how to contact him for training, or read more of his articles by visiting his website:
AllJujitsu.com.

What You Need To Know When Learning Self Defense

Looking for more information on self defense? You have come to the right place. Self defense is the best way to prepare yourself to fend off an attacker. Regardless of where you live and how safe your neighbourhood, a good self defense class is always great idea for you and your whole family. Throughout this article we will speak about what self defense is, different types of self defense, and how a self defense class can help you.

As said previously, the best way to prepare yourself in the case of an attacker is through self defense. Self defense is a countermeasure that prepares one to protect themselves or their property from physical harm. In court, self defense is legally justified if the defendant rightfully saw themselves in a dangerous situation. In order to use the self defense justification in court, one must prove that they were in a position, against another person, that could have potentially led to serious injuries or death. Learning self defense typically involves 3 components: techniques, training methods, and strategies. Techniques focus on avoiding the use of self defense if possible, learning movements, blocks, and counter attacks. Training methods are the drills that are used to learn the techniques, and strategies show people when to use them.

There are many styles of martial arts that teach self defense. These usually teach unarmed self defense in which you learn to defend yourself without any weapons. They typically teach you a variety of motor skills and ways to increase confidence and awareness. Some countries, in which it is legal to carry weapons, also allow for armed self defense methods. Included in armed self defense is the use of pepper spray, stun guns, and everyday objects such as baseball bats. When considering armed self defense keep in mind that it is not legal in many countries and could result in severe punishment. Another, less physical, form of self defense is called de-escalation. This teaches individuals to use their words in order to prevent, deescalate, or end an assault. It is more of a conflict management style and uses voice, tone, and body language to prevent a situation from escalating from bad to worse. Avoidance is also considered a form of self defense. Avoidance allows you to become more aware of your surroundings and prevent yourself from being put into dangerous situations.

Although there are many online articles and videos about self defense, the best way to learn self defense methods are through actual self defense classes. Self defense classes usually focus on unarmed self defense but may also teach people avoidance and conflict management techniques. A good self defense class will teach you how to become more aware of your surroundings and how to handle a situation should you ever be put in a dangerous position. On top of actual self defense moves, most people also take away an increased level of self confidence that may have been missing before.

Self defense is a great activity for you and your family to engage in together. Not only is it fun, it also teaches you defense skills that would help if you or your family was ever put into a dangerous situation. Whether you are just looking for something to keep you busy or are seriously interested in learning self defense methods, taking a self defense class is never a waste of time. Begin searching for a self defense class in your area and gain the confidence you need to defend yourself in a dangerous situation!

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Women's Self Defense Training - Be Equipped

 Be Equipped: (necessities such as tools or provisions.) Being equipped with the proper personal security and self defense tools whether it is a lethal, or non-lethal, or an alternative self defense tool, can greatly impact your personal security in a positive way. They are an important part of an overall self defense strategy.

Lethal: (Capable of causing death.) Just the definition of a lethal Personal Secuirty and Self Defense tools causes some people to fear, with good reason. When you carry a lethal one there is a great responsibility that inherently comes with it. A lethal tool can be a very effective choice with proper training and practice.

·         Guns, particularly pistols are the most common lethal self defense device.

·         They come in a variety of different calibers and sizes to fit each individuals needs.

·         If you carry it for self defense; that would imply that you would be willing to use it, possible taking another humans life to save your own.

·         You must insure that you get proper training, required permits, store it properly to avoid any accidents,and practice with it regularly.

Non-lethal: Many people choose non-lethal self defense tools for obvious reasons.A non-lethal self defense tools can give you the opportunity to flee from a dangerous situation.

·         Pepper spray is a non-lethal non-toxic aerosol spray used for self defense. The active ingredient in pepper spray is a naturally occurring substance called Oleoresin Capsicum or "OC". Pepper spray comes in dispersal types: Fogger, Stream, and Foam. Pepper spray offers the most bang for the buck of all non-lethal security products.

·         TASERS are non-lethal electroshock devices for self defense purposes only that disrupt the body's neuromuscular systems using electrical currents. They come in three different models; the C2 which is fashionable compact, the ML18 advanced TASER resembles a gun in shape and size, and the X26C that is gun shaped and offers many features.

Alternative: An alternative personal security tool is anything you can find wherever you are. They can be both lethal and non-lethal depending on the self defense tool used, placement and power of the strike on the offender. When it comes down to it you do what you have to in order to flee. Let me give you some examples of possible self defense tools in your car, home, or on your person. Because of liabilities I won't be explaining how to use these items; however the element of surprise is usually on your side with one of these self defense tools.

·         In the Car; ice scrapers, snow brushes, keys, sunglasses, a hard sun glass case, CD or CD case etc.

·         At Home; any aerosol can, a tooth brush, T.V remotes, drinking glasses, kitchen utensils, books, trash cans etc.

·         On your person; would be your wallet, loose change, pen or pencil, cell phone, comb, umbrella etc.

·         This is by no means an exhaustive list when you consider almost anything can be used as an alternative self defense tools. The key to any alternative self defense tools is that they don't appear as self defense tools and give you the element of surprise. By holding correctly, striking with force in the right area they are effective.

In Summary, with any self defense personal security products you should follow the laws and regulations in your area, practice with it and realize the moral and legal responsibilities that you take upon yourself when you carry them. Though it is never guaranteed, these items can give you the upper hand and a chance to flee. In future articles, additional rules will help you maximize your personal security and safety. Remember the best time to learn your lesson about personal security and self defense is before something happens.

Adam Sisterhen is the president of Your Personal Security Store (s90x.com), self defense instructor, author of personal security and self defense articles and a Rotarian. He is a proud advocate and a firm believer in personal security and self defense training and products that help protect you, your family and your loved ones.

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For insights into products and personal security and self defense visit http://www.yourpersonalsecuritystore.blogspot.com