Tag: self-defense

Mastering the Concrete Jungle: 8 Essential Street Survival Tactics

by Sensei Carol, posted in Self-Defense
concrete ungle
      “It’s a jungle out there!”

After dedicating countless hours to training in the dojo, you’ve honed your skills and built confidence in your abilities. Rigorous practice equipped you with formidable self-defense techniques and sculpted your physique into its peak condition.

As you step out of the safety of the dojo and into the busy streets, the true test of your training awaits in the concrete jungle where threats can emerge from unexpected corners. Are you ready to adapt your skills to the unpredictable nature of street encounters?

Know enough survival to be dangerous.

Dangerous to yourself.  It is a common occurrence.  A new student, we’ll call him James, is unsure of himself and of this art he’s learning.  Through training, his confidence grows.  He begins to wonder if this stuff really works.  With increasing confidence James comes to believe in his ability to confront the bully who sent him to karate class in the first place. Fueled by this newfound self-assurance, he feels he is ready for his bully the next time they cross paths.

It is with great joy that a sensei hears the words, “This stuff really works!”  James beams as he tells the story of how he saw the punch coming and just reached out and deflected it.  Then he punched the bully back.   “Startled,” he said, “This time the bully ran away from me!”  James was schooled in Funakoshi’s rule that “there is no first attack in karate.”  James learned his lesson well and waited for the bully to attack him first.

Karate Ni Senti Nachi for Street Survival

 

Hello Gracie - I do not fight to win but rather I fight not to lose
Hello Gracie – Gracie Jujitsu

It is drilled into your head.  Karate is a defensive art.  You wait for the attack to come to you.  Not everything you learn in the dojo fits to real life, in case you haven’t figured it out.  Training in the dojo teaches you reaction skills, to think on your feet, to act first and think later.  This comes from the rigorous repetition of techniques.  Over and over again.  How many times has your sensei said, “Again.”

Again and again.  Training muscle memory.

You’re coached to stay vigilant of your environment, using peripheral vision and minimizing distractions, like not to use your cellphone in a busy public place. Through practice, you cultivate a confident demeanor that inadvertently deters potential threats.    Though you are not confrontational, your self-assurance often discourages would-be muggers from targeting you.

But it’s a jungle out there. There is always one person who trains harder than you.  One person who is stronger than you.  Even black belts get attacked and beat up.  The belt you wear around your waist is no guarantee of success.  What happens when you come upon a group of thugs who want to knock your attitude down a notch or two?   Will you be able to “fight not to lose?”

There are rules and then there are rules.  The idea behind no first attack is to develop character and teach you different ways to deescalate a threat besides fisticuffs.  But sometimes, rules are made to be broken, and if you feel your life is in danger, there is only one rule.  You fight to not lose.

Seven Essential Street Survival Tactics

  • Unconventional Tactics: Embracing “Dirty Fighting” for Survival

When fighting for your life, you do what it takes to dissuade your attacker and remove yourself from the threat.  Use whatever is at hand to accomplish this.  Lamps, chairs, rocks, sticks.  You have no time to think, this confrontation will be over in a few seconds.  Do what you can to overcome your attacker.

  • Seizing Control: Pressing the Offensive

To press the offensive means to attack first!  Attack the attacker.  This is where you distinguish between your dojo training and your will to survive.  When someone attacks you, your very first move may or may not be a defensive move, but the goal is to do whatever it takes to get the hell out of there!

Don’t let the guy get a bear hug on you before you decide he’s a threat.  You’ve developed your perceptions – eyes in the back of your head.  Use them.  When you sense danger, react.  If someone comes up behind you, you can feel him getting close.  If you turn and see him coming at you aggressively, he hasn’t touched you yet but he’s within your boundary of a perceived threat, use this chance for a heel palm to the nose, before he knows what’s coming.

  • Targeting Vulnerabilities: Prioritizing Vital Strikes

Which brings us to target points.  There are 108 vulnerable points on the body that are easily reached.  If you have been on the receiving end of any of these, you are aware of how instantly disabling they are. When you are in a street fight, however, it is not always easy to reach some of these points.  The assailant may be wearing a heavy coat, for instance.  The following charts show you 32 of these points.  With this arsenal at hand, you know where to aim for the most vulnerable areas.

  • Tactical Advantage: Employ Surprise Attacks

You practice feinting in the dojo – fake low, go high.  Don’t forget to use this when you are in an attack situation.  Look away as though someone’s behind your assailant; double over in pain; act like a fool.  Whatever it takes.

Surprise them!  Keep them on their toes.  Musashi calls it “mountains and valleys.”  When they come in high, you go in low.  If you try a technique that doesn’t work, change it up.  Stay on top of the game and watch for openings.

  • Constant Vigilance: Never Expose Your Back

So many self-defense videos show the girl thwarting her attacker and then running away.  This is crazy.

Make sure your exit is clear so when you do run away, you encounter no other danger.  However, do not turn your back and run away.  Step back.  Keep your hands open in a defensive position and back, back away.  If you practice distancing in the dojo, closing the gap in one step, or backing away without your opponent realizing it; this is the same principle.  Try to cover ground without them noticing.  If they are down, good job on your part, but assume they could suddenly recover and come after you.  When you do run away, run backwards until you are a safe distance from the threat.

  • Knife Awareness: Understand the Dangers

Many assailants like to carry knives.  Much more efficient than a gun and easier to conceal.  Muggers like to work up close and personal, and a gun is not suited for close-in quarters.  What do you do if someone comes at you with a knife?

First of all, don’t let him get close enough to grab you and put it against your throat.  It is a little bit too late then to do anything but relent to his wishes – and hope he isn’t serious about cutting you.  You are using the skills you learned in the dojo so hopefully that won’t happen.  You are aware of your surroundings and when you see someone suspicious, you keep your eye on them.

If someone has a knife in their hand, expect to get cut.  Keep the inside of your forearms toward your body at all times.    The outside of your arm has fewer major blood vessels, and you can cover most of your chest and abdomen with a forearm.  Practice blocking a knife in the dojo.  Adapt knives as one of your weapons.  My favorite weapon is a knife.  I’ve practiced with live blades, and yes, I’ve been cut.  Guess what?  Getting cut isn’t the end of the world.  Disarm the knife from your attacker as quickly as you can.  Don’t be a hero.

  • Strategic Engagement: Managing Group Attacks with Singular Focus

Managing a group of thugs can get interesting.  But if you watch a group fight, generally the entire bunch doesn’t gang up in a dog pile.  There are only one or two brave enough to come after you, and the rest hang back.  Look for the leader.  Make eye contact.  Give him the nonverbal message that you have no desire to deal with him.  Watch his body language.  Show no fear.  Chances are he will let you pass on by.

But if not, you can only deal with one person at a time.  Use the first one to distance yourself from the others.  Put him between you and as many of his buddies as possible.  Quickly disable the first attacker and use that moment of opening to back away.  Try not to let the group surround you.

  • Emergency Response: Actions to Take in Critical Situations

The trick in getting away from any self-defense situation is to make sure you know your escape exit is clear.  There’s a big wave now of “you are what you think, and if you think bad thoughts, you will go there.”  In some cases that is true.

In the case of self-defense though, it is never “bad thoughts” to visualize situations and how you would handle them.  Defending yourself on the street is no different than learning a kata.  When doing kata, you use your imagination and see different scenes of attack and defense as they apply to the moves in that kata.

Mentally rehearsing what you would do in a situation if you were attacked is no different.  They say the martial arts is 90% mental and 10% physical.  This is what that means.  You spend 90% of your time thinking of your training, 10% in actual physical training, and >0.10 of this time defending yourself.

This is the time to believe in your training.  Now is not the time to panic.  Stay focused on the moment and rely on your instincts.

Save the nerves, the shakes, the self-doubts, the “I should haves” for after you are away from your threat.  Then as you are shaking in your shoes, trying to calm down, then is the time to review what you did and should have done, and be grateful for your excellent training.

There you have it.  Eight survival tactics you can rely on if you are caught in the concrete jungle – urban living.    But even though your chances of getting attacked are less if you live in a rural area, you never know who’s lurking behind those bushes!

Take care and be aware.

Sensei Carol

Out of Chaos a star is born

 

Three Types of Attackers and How to Overcome their Advances

by Sensei Carol, posted in Self-Defense

a masked punk stealing a man's money

A punk on the street approaches you, weapon in hand, demanding everything you’ve got. What do you do?

Although all attackers are different, and all have a different mindset, most attackers fall into one of three categories: Mugger, Attacker, and Avenger.

Some are seasoned in intimidation, while others might be as scared as you are. The key here is staying calm so you can spot the difference.

The ability to recognize an amateur from a pro makes a difference on how you respond. Seasoned offenders tend to be cool and direct. They want your valuables without a fuss. Amateurs? They’re often jumpy and unpredictable. Notice their body language and their intent.

The type of weapon in an attacker’s hand determines the techniques you will use. An attacker with a gun requires a different approach than someone with a knife or a club. The level of threat escalates with the lethality of the weapon, and so should your response.

There are the psychological aspects of self-defense, as well. Warding off an attacker requires physical readiness and mental preparation. Be decisive. Hesitation can get you killed.

Always, always, be aware of your surroundings. Leave your phone in your pocket or purse and put away your ear buds. Carry yourself like you mean business and you won’t take anything from anyone.

Avoid risky areas when you can.  Take a self-defense class. Choose something that resonates with you, keeps you safe, and builds your confidence. Whether you have self-defense training, or not, the priority is your safety. #1 priority. Escape and seek help.

The Mugger: Give Him Your Money

The Mugger is the guy who will threaten you with a weapon to get any valuable from you – car, wallet, watch or shoes. He has no real intention of using the weapon other than for intimidation. Accidents happen so the possibility of you being involved with an amateur is a little high here – you should be able to recognize a well experienced Mugger from one that is not. Remember the Mugger will be jumpy. If it is just valuables, let him have them and find him when he doesn’t have the weapon. If it looks like the Mugger is going to use the weapon anyway, he goes from being the Mugger to an Attacker.

Should you hand over your belongings? That is not even a consideration. The answer is YES, hand over whatever they want. Items can be replaced, your life can’t.

A mugging can escalate to a more significant threat – an attacker. This isn’t a simple distinction. It’s about gauging intentions quickly.

The Attacker: The Threat Escalates

woman knees man in groin
Check out those heels. A perfect weapon.

The attacker is the guy who intends to damage you regardless of how much you cooperate. Chances are he picked you out at random. He has no intention of robbing you initially, his main concern is hurting or damaging someone and being in control or power. It will take brutal techniques to stop, disarm, and control the Attacker – the fact that someone at this level is mentally unstable.

Obviously, someone with a gun would be treated differently than someone with a knife, and a club is considered below the knife, which is a greater threat. This person is dangerous and has full intent on hurting you or someone in your party.

Legal battles sometimes come up, such as the assailant suing the defendant for damages or people being imprisoned for breaking an attacker’s arm after the attacker was disarmed.

It is the Mushin Karate’s philosophy that our members have the ability to eliminate a defense situation that comes under the Attacker description quickly and permanently. The defense of “it” as described in Hyams book “Zen in the Martial Arts” opens a new view to this.

The avenger chooses you specifically. Is it your demeanor, your lack of attention to your surroundings? These are things the attacker looks for.

The Avenger: Calculated Vengeance

The third threat would be someone who is seeking revenge for a wrong or a preconceived wrong. This person could fall under category one or two except what makes this Avenger the most dangerous is he has planned and tracked you to get acquainted with you.

This guy will stalk you and get to know your routine to familiarize himself with your territory so he will have the advantage of you going to him. This person should be taken absolutely seriously. You may be able to reason with him, but this is a slim chance.

Your chances of damaging and escaping is good at this point. The Avenger will normally confront you face to face at first. DO NOT EVER let yourself be removed from the initial site – there would be almost no chance of surviving if you moved – someone trying to attack, control you, and then move you should be eliminated quickly and permanently. The attacker with a weapon should be first dealt with a deflection of the weapon and the control of the attacking arm. stalker looking around the corner at a little girl

You must be attuned to your environment, watching for signs that you’re being tracked or if there’s a consistent pattern of ‘chance’ meetings. You want to disrupt the avenger’s plans by altering your routine and staying unpredictable.

If a face-to-face encounter with an Avenger becomes inevitable, defuse the situation as quickly as possible. As in the other two scenarios, your priority is to ensure your own safety and seek an escape at the first opportunity.

Real-life threats and attacks are not a common occurrence, despite what you see on the news. If you are aware of your surroundings, you can avoid most ugly confrontations. But if you find yourself targeted, understanding the dynamics of the attacker beforehand, and having a strategy may save you. Always have a plan.

Stay safe.

karate fist