Self Defense And Psychological Preparedness (martial art weapons)
January 3rd, 2008
Being psychologically prepared is critical for self defense during an assault in the street. It is very important to be ready to repel the assailant (assailants) using all the means you have. Note that even being in not very good physical shape these means could be quite sufficient to disable your enemy (enemies).
For example, if you wear hard sharp-toe shoes, then kicking your enemy in groin or shank with the toe of such shoe (even if there are no years of practice behind this kick) immediately makes him writhe with pain for several moments. And this gives you enough time to either disable the enemy or simply run away.
Scratching facer using fingernails also causes pain shock to your enemy and makes him unable to resist for some time. Remembering how dangerous a furious cat can be for people is enough to understand this.
In several cases, a furious cat is known to make its owners hide in one of the rooms and wait for the police to come and help them. Police officers in this situation often have to use guns to protect themselves and rescue the owners of the animal.
Now let’s take a look at a cat, its weight is about 30 times less than that of a man. And this tiny thing can resist police officers armed with firearms. That’s one thing. The other thing is that a common schoolboy, who tortures a cat giving it a hard time, can cope with it, the cat doing nothing to protect itself.
Now you can see the difference between a man employing everything he has at hand to give furious resistance to an assault, and a man who does not resist at all or makes poor attempts to resist.
So we see, at one hand, the enraged and furiously attacking cat that a couple of armed policemen cannot restrain, and, on the other hand, a meek unresisting cat that a little boy can easily handle. The difference is very substantial. This example clearly shows that the more furious and fast you resistance, the more chances you have to win the fight.
I remember a story told me by my disciple about one weak man small in stature, who succeeded in protecting himself against a husky trained fellow with the black belt in taekwondo, who assaulted him.
This small man was so furious and fearless giving his much stronger offender a hail of blows (weak and unskilled as they were) as to shock the guy and made him only try to cover himself from the blows.
One would think what chances had this tiny, middle-aged man, who has never gone in for any sport in a fight against a young and well-trained in taekwondo school guy with the black belt. Any one would say he had no chance. However, it all turned out badly for no one, but the young insolent beggar.
Why, after all, the winner was that small man, who had no chance to win. It is very simple. The moment the fight began, he had his consciousness fully blocked; he acted automatically guided by his subconsciousness.
At the moment, he had nothing in his mind, but the enemy and the thought of disabling that enemy by any means possibly. At that moment, his consciousness was, as it were, at one with the Universe. He feared nothing since the sense of fear was gone from him.
He had neither diffidence nor other impeding factors, that’s why all his actions became TRUE ones. Even though he had not much power and skill, but all he had he putted in each blow. So that’s why, seemingly, with no chance to succeed he won the unequal fight.
Quite contrarily, his enemy was stiffened with fear and uncertainty as a result of this sudden and furious repel. Who could ever dare to attack him, as he was so strong and practiced fighter, he thought. Certainly not this small man, who, as it seemed, was supposed to be trembling with fear.
But it turned out so that it was that strong and trained beef, who had a weak spirit. At the critical moment, his will, composure and fighting skills failed him. He simply got scared and confused, and, as a result, was defeated by a weaker and less skilled opponent.
Alexander Popov is the leading expert in knife and hand-to-hand combat in the version of Spetsnaz GRU. Spetsnaz martial arts videos and ebooks: <a href="http://www.spetsnaz-gru-smersh.com" title="http://www.spetsnaz-gru-smersh.com" target="_blank">http://www.spetsnaz-gru-smersh.com</a>
Self Defense And Street Fight Psychology
Let?s speak about the psychological aspect of a street collision. You should differentiate two items. You must realize, whether your fight is a result of a usual domestic conflict, or you are attacked by a robber, killer or bandit. Your actions will flow depending on these circumstances.
If it is an everyday domestic conflict that happens in the street (someone pushed you or your leg, disturbed the queue order etc.), you should not use your fighting knowledge and skills to put your opponent out of action.
As a rule, all these conflicts occur because of trifles, and you need to behave normally in this case, let?s say naturally. When this conflict happens, no one wants to fight actually, but just gets rid of the negative energy that was accumulated.
Those who express harshly their negative reaction are not dangerous at all in most cases. He will threaten you, make expressive gestures, grab you with iron fingers but nothing more will happen. This is nothing but the pose which does not contain real threat at all. However, there are exceptions in this case too. You must define at once who is dangerous and who is not.
I would like to precise one thing. Though laws and principles of a hand-to-hand fighting are the same, a sports battle in a gym differs greatly from that one happened in the street. If you are calm when fight in a sports gym and don?t worry about fatal injury, you will be extremely nervous when come across your real enemy in the street. You won?t fight according to rule (as you do in the sports gym), you need to act most quickly and cruelly sometimes for your effective self defense.
The psychological aspect plays a very important role in the street scuffle. You must prevent your enemy?s attack or take the lead over him. Therefore, I advise you on no account not to start fighting if you see you can avoid it.
If you cannot do that and you know you will be attacked inevitably, you should act quickly, harshly and be the first with attack actions. Lots of things depend on who starts the battle first. This is the main distinction of a street fight. When you train in the sports gym, it is not important at all who will attack first. Both fighters are ready to attack and defense.
It is not the same thing in the street fight. Opponents rarely stand at the certain stances (as in the sport gym) and are situated in close distance quite often. In other words, they are in the hitting zone of each other. Hence, a person who starts his attack first has a huge advantage. Attack here means just the most harsh and strong action and not the expressive gestures at usual domestic conflict.
I always feel awkward when I am forced to come into such conflict. When I see a person standing in front of myself and offending me, I feel ashamed for this conflict that occurred. This person cannot be dangerous for me, he is completely defenseless.
I know that I can put him out of action in a moment, but my consciousness does not let me do that. As we see, such clashes that happen in shops, public transport, streets etc are not the fight itself, but just an everyday conflict.
Real fight happens when your enemy or enemies are certain in their superiority over you. For example, it may be numerical advantage, force advantage or armament advantage.
So, I strongly recommend to you: try to avoid street fight at any cost. If you see you are about to be attacked, you need to act most quickly and harshly. You must always remember that if your enemy is eager to fight with you, he is sure in his superiority. If he is alone and is not too strong or high, but still wants to fight, it means most likely that he is either armed with the weapon or instructed of some martial art.
Alexander Popov is the leading expert in knife and hand-to-hand combat in the version of Spetsnaz GRU. Spetsnaz martial arts videos and ebooks: <a href="http://www.spetsnaz-gru-smersh.com" title="http://www.spetsnaz-gru-smersh.com" target="_blank">http://www.spetsnaz-gru-smersh.com</a>
Benefits of Martial Arts Training For Kids
Admit it. When the going gets tough at home, weve all plopped the kids in front of the television and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, we can get started on dinner, maybe check email or sort that massive pile of laundry.
But when your five-year old yells at you Mom, Kids Rule! or your ten-year old horrifies you with language that would make a sailor blush, you realize there must be something amiss with what these family programs really teach our kids. And sadly, its happening all over the media today, from sports to cartoons, and our children are learning things that we, as parents, vowed we would never teach them. Old fashioned values like respect and self-discipline, seems to have been forgotten, replaced by the dreaded bling bling pop culture of today.
Just the thought of your angelic three-year old morphing into a designer-clad, smart-mouthed, money-worshipping, me-obsessed, lay-about is enough to make any parent consider that threatening military school brochure, but there is a solution out there to consider.
Martial Arts training.
From Ninja Turtles to The Karate Kid
You and your kids have all seen the flying kicks, battle cries and mighty chops of their favorite TV characters, as they beat the bad guys to submission but, you may ask, how on earth can these acts of violence teach my child anything worthwhile?
First, know that what you see on television (save perhaps the Karate Kid) is a far cry from what real martial arts are all about. The fact is, martial arts training is based on non-violence.
Originating in Asia (mainly Japan, China and Korea, although Thailand and Vietnam have their own practices as well), martial arts range from a variety of types and styles, all of which are based on well-rounded, moral teachings. The beauty of learning martial arts is that it encompasses not just the physical aspect of the sport, but mental and emotional lessons as well.
Comparing that to other kids activities and sports, where fierce competitiveness and winning at all costs seems to be the order of the day, its not surprising that many children grapple with issues of self-esteem and misplaced aggression.
Now imagine your child actually learning valuable life lessons, skills that he will take throughout life, laying the foundation for a happy, well-adjusted and fulfilled adult life. If only karate for kids was popular in the 70s, when I was growing up!
The Advantages
Karate, and other martial arts for kids, builds confidence and self-esteem as well as self-discipline, respect, concentration and courtesy.
Many martial arts schools also offer leadership courses for kids, in conjunction with their karate for kids programs, or similar lessons.
Martial Arts is ideal for children who do not do well in team sports, giving them the ability to flourish this activity, while combining physical and mental practices.
Many do not realize this, but it is a fact that martial arts training are safer than most school sports.
Children with special needs, such as ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), learning difficulties and hyperactivity are often recommended to participate in martial arts for kids because of the clear benefits in its structured training techniques.
Kung-Fu Master or Ninja Warrior?
Before you sign up Junior for the first martial arts class you see, take some time to check out the different methods available, and match it with what you know would suit your child best. This is a good way to avoid any problems that may sprout from a conflict of your childs personality and the training techniques.
Is your little Zach a sensitive soul? Then maybe a class that doesnt center on sparring (full-on kicks and punches training) but rather, slower, defensive maneuvers would fare better for him. Kids with an aggressive streak, however, may prefer the more forceful moves and thrive in competitive sparring.
Heres a quick primer on the kid-friendly martial arts training youre likely to find:
Martial Arts From Japan
Karate
Uses defensive and aggressive moves
Centers on building strength and endurance
Involves chops, punches, kicks, strikes, blocking and sparring
May use weapons
Jujitsu
Uses defensive and aggressive moves
Involves lots of sparring
Teaches a fair amount of weapons training
Aikido
Uses a more spiritual and harmonious style in redirecting the aggression of the attacker as the form of defense, using throws, pins, rolls etc.
Taught on the premise of disabling an aggressor without attacking, through your individual inner energy
Does not involve sparring or competitions
Judo
Uses gentle, wrestling-like movements
Considered one of the safest methods of martial arts
Emphasizes physical control as well as mental development
Engages in competitions
Martial Arts From China
Kung-Fu
The generic term referring to Chinese martial arts with a variety of styles
Involves attack movements as well as defensive techniques
Teaches kicks, punches, chops, throws, falls, grappling, katas, leg sweeps and blows among others.
Engages in sparring competitions
Martial Arts From Korea
Taekwondo
Competitive in nature, involves techniques using elaborate footwork and unique high kicks.
Emphasizes strength, force and attack methods.
Engages in lots of sparring and competitions.
Choosing The Right Instruction
If you have an idea of the type of martial arts class youd like your child to participate in, the next step would be to find the right school. Finding the right class that not only matches your childs and your needs, in terms of teachers you feel comfortable with, the price, facilities and so on, are all important factors.
Say youve found a local place that specializes in Karate for Kids. What are the things you should look for?
1. Good Instructors: Check out their qualifications, teaching methods and watch carefully how they interact with the other children. It should be a fun learning experience!
2. Space and Safety: Obviously you would want to entrust your child in as establishment that is safe, well-maintained, and clean with ample space as well as decent facilities and equipment.
3. School Values: Different martial arts schools inevitably go by different values, for instance, one kids karate class may handle aggression in one way, while a judo class would have a different approach. Take some time to observe which schools ideals match your familys principles.
4. Prices and Schedules: Prices for martial arts training can vary according to school and location, so make sure you the instruction you choose represents fair value. Finding the most effective way to fit martial arts training into your familys lifestyle is also essential, knowing what works best with your schedule and other activities.
Baby Blackbelts
Starting your child young in karate training is ideal (children as young as the age of four are usually accepted, as it is also a good way to hone fine motor skills), and lots of parents have found that in as little as a year, their children who were involved in martial arts had noticeably gained positive traits such as increased self-esteem, respect and overall physical fitness.
Many parents also opt to join a martial arts training program themselves, making it a great bonding experience for the entire family.
About the author:
Laura Saunders is a successful freelance writer, mother of two and a martial arts practitioner who has written articles for http://www.best-karate-equipment.com, your online guide to karate uniforms, martial arts sparring equipment, and karate training equipment.
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