| Are your serious about learning the skills | | | | disadvantages of the weapons or attacker logic |
| necessary for defending and surviving a | | | | being used by your assailant. It also requires an |
| real-world, self defense situation - defending | | | | understand of your own techniques in order to |
| against an attack from a brutal assailant who will | | | | either employ the ones designed for the range |
| stop at nothing to beat, break, humiliate, or kill | | | | you're in, or to move to the range required by |
| you? Are you? | | | | the technique you wish to use. |
| Are you the kind of student-practitioner who has | | | | Strategy #2 - Control his perceptions. Before you |
| spent more time training this past week than | | | | can control the attacker's movement or body, |
| watching martial arts movies and surfing the | | | | you must first control his perceptions about... |
| internet "researching?" Or, are you like 90% of | | | | 1) what he has available to him |
| those who "say" they are studying martial arts or | | | | 2) what you're doing, and... |
| self-defense - doing so from the comfort of your | | | | 3) whether or not his own techniques are working |
| favorite chair and in front of a mind-numbing | | | | The ideal here is to be able to gain control of the |
| computer screen? | | | | attacker long before he realizes that he has lost |
| The reason that I asked is because, unlike most | | | | control. |
| martial arts and self defense instructors who are | | | | Strategy #3 - Control your positioning. You must |
| trying to convert the masses, I really only want | | | | understand that the position that you are in |
| to focus my time on those people who... | | | | relative to your attacker, either gives or takes |
| 1) Recognize that danger exists in the world "and | | | | away your vulnerable body targets. If you don't |
| can touch THEM!" | | | | understand this, you may be exposing targets |
| 2) Accept responsibility for their own safety and | | | | that your opponent can exploit without knowing it. |
| the safety of the ones they love, and... | | | | Controlling your positioning means to... |
| 3) Take the necessary action to insure that they | | | | 1) Only expose those targets that you hold out |
| learn what they need to and practice to perfect | | | | as bait and want him to attack - thereby |
| their skills! | | | | controlling his options |
| If this describes you, then here are 3 critical | | | | 2) Use effective cover and shielding - thereby |
| strategies that will help you to control any self | | | | forcing him to have to attack over or under at |
| defense situation. These are not step-by-step | | | | least one of your arms and making countering |
| techniques, but strategies - principles and concepts | | | | blocking easier, and... |
| - that will allow you to gain the necessary control | | | | 3) Staying at a distance where you feel |
| of a situation against an assailant who is bigger | | | | comfortable and in-control - thereby forcing him |
| and stronger than you. | | | | to have to "come and get you" instead of trying |
| Strategy #1 - Control the distance. Remember: he | | | | to defend against anything he throws at you |
| (or she) who controls the distance - controls the | | | | because you're fighting by his rules! |
| fight. But, you must understand that distancing is | | | | By learning to control the things that the attacker |
| a relative thing and not subject to some teacher | | | | can't see but must rely on to make his decisions - |
| telling you to stand so many inches or feet away | | | | how far he has to reach to get you; what he |
| from the opponent. | | | | thinks you're doing to and against his moves; and |
| Controlling the distance means controlling his ability | | | | what he has to do to hurt you... |
| to reach you. In my own programs, I teach my | | | | ...you make your job of defending as easy as |
| students 5 distances that they have at their | | | | possible while making your attacker's job more |
| disposal. Choosing the right distance relies on your | | | | difficult than he ever bargained for when he |
| being able to understand the advantages and | | | | chose you as a target! |