Elbow Strike

I once accidentally hit a student with an elbow, and heard a sickening crack as they fell to the floor with a broken temple, eye socket, cheek bone, and a caved in face. It required a metal plate to fix. Hitting someone in the face with an elbow is nothing nice. It’s like hitting them with a hammer. Unlike a punch, palm, or many types of kicks, there’s no padding or joints to disperse the force of the blow. Yet, most people seem to emphasize punches and palm strikes far more than elbows.

It’s harder than most people think to take an opponent out with a punch, especially when you’re unable to nail them completely unprepared. And if you’re not the one attacking (which you generally won’t be in a self defense situation) your opponent probably won’t be unprepared.

In self defense you need to use the most powerful tools at your disposal, and if you’re unarmed, elbows are very high up on that list. Of course no one is going to stand still and wait for your elbow. You’ll need to get control of them first. The smack and hack (offensive) and the crash (defensive) are two great ways to do that. Using either of those “entries” you should end up with either an arm-control that you can use to pull your opponent into a vicious elbow (or knees and elbows) or a head-and-arm-control leading to knees and elbows. If you’re not already, consider putting a real emphasis on getting in close and nailing your opponent with an elbow.

Facing Violence

I came across an outstanding self defense blog today, Chiron, which led me to the author’s website and to purchase two of his books: Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & Real World Violence and Facing Violence: Preparing for the Unexpected. Rory’s blog and website have such great information on them that I wanted to share them here. (I don’t know the guy and have never communicated with him.) Anyway, check out his stuff. It looks great. I’ll post more on his books after I read them.

UPDATE: I’ve finished both books and they’re excellent.  Anyone who practices martial arts, especially if you’re at all interested in self defense, should read both books.  They cover the different types of attacks you might face, from an idiot in a bar to a real predator, rapist, etc., how to recognize which type you’re dealing with, how to avoid trouble or deescalate when you can’t, and what you should realistically expect.  They portray violence as it really is, and explain in detail why most martial arts and self defense training will fail in the face of a committed, brutal, and chaotic attack.  The books are also a fascinating study on human nature.  In terms of violence and social interactions, we’re not all that different from the animals we evolved from.  Fortunately, understanding these interactions that Rory breaks down so well, can seriously increase your odds of avoiding or coming out of a conflict in one piece.

I was very happy to see Rory explaining why matching specific defenses to specific attacks is generally a recipe for failure.  In a real violent assault you won’t know if your opponent is stepping forward with his left foot and throwing a straight right or stepping forward with his right foot and throwing a sloppy hook.  You’ll most likely be facing a barrage of chaos, and complex, fancy techniques will not work.  In “Facing Violence” he covers a few of his preferred default responses.  While I prefer those in our Fundamental Five, his responses, the techniques he demonstrates, and the principles that support them are solid.  I very highly recommend both of his books.

Street vs. Sport

I very rarely read or participate in martial arts discussion forums these days. But when I did back in the late 90′s, when forums were becoming popular, everyone was arguing about “street vs. sport”. (Matt Thornton and Burton Richardson were two of the biggest contributors arguing for sport style training.) With the first UFC in 1993, people saw how grapplers and mixed martial artists were wiping the floor with traditional martial artists. Most TMA practitioners either closed their eyes and pretended their traditional styles were more effective than they were, or adapted. Those who stuck with traditional styles often used a “street vs. sport” argument claiming their style was designed for the street where there are no rules, and was too deadly to be used effectively in the ring. These arguments went on for years, and the TMA crowd mostly lost.

Why MMA Wins

Since that time MMA has become hugely popular and most people regard traditional martial arts with a bit of skepticism to say the least, usually rightly so. There are two primary reasons most MMA fighters easily beat TMA practitioners. First, training methods. MMA training and the training in sports that typically make up MMA (boxing, Thai boxing, wrestling, BJJ, etc.) is the best there is. In these styles people train against fully resisting opponents. Most TMA training on the other hand involves doing solo drills and prearranged partner drills. This training does not prepare you for real fighting. If you want to learn how to fight you MUST train against uncooperative, fully resisting opponents. You have to spar in all ranges (stand up, clinch, ground, and the three together). The second reason TMA practitioners were easy for MMA fighters to beat was their poor technique. When training is unrealistic and practitioners are only training with members of their own style, very ineffective techniques evolve that don’t work under real, uncooperative pressure.

This Won't Work

Both the punch and the block above are great examples of the horrible techniques that evolve as a result of unrealistic training, not to mention the complete lack of footwork. So MMA is the best, and the street vs. sport argument is BS, right? Not so fast! Just because many of the TMA people making the street vs. sport argument didn’t know how to fight doesn’t mean the argument isn’t at least partially valid. Like everything, it’s not black or white, but something in between.

Why Street Is Different

Street self defense requires several components that sport fighting does not, and these make all the difference in the world. The most important of these are awareness, deception, dirty tactics/techniques, and weapons. Awareness isn’t taught or trained in sport fighting or MMA, but it’s extremely important in self defense.

Deception is hugely important in self defense, and when combined with the use of more damaging techniques and weapons, it can give a smaller, weaker, less skilled person the ability to beat a larger, stronger, unsuspecting sport fighter. MMA fighters can of course learn to be deceptive and use more damaging techniques, but because their training doesn’t require it they generally don’t, and generally aren’t prepared for these to be used against them. You fight how you train.

There are rules in MMA, and in every specific combat sports competition, but not so in self defense. The quickest, most effective self defense techniques are illegal in sport fighting, and this changes the way people fight. The footwork that can accompany an eye strike or a groin slap for example isn’t very effective or useful in MMA. In MMA there are weight classes, and a 150 lbs woman has very little chance against a 200 lbs man largely due to the technical limitations of sport fighting. Typical sport style training completely neglects the most efficient and effective techniques, along with the set ups and footwork that makes them work best.

Possibly the most important distinction however is the use of weapons on the street. In MMA there is not only no weapons training, but the techniques and positions that are trained would often lead an MMA practitioner to be more vulnerable to weapon attacks. In self defense the use of and defense against weapons should represent at least half of all training. It’s highly unlikely a person will ever be attacked by a single opponent who is smaller, weaker, and unarmed. The use of weapons in self defense leads to a massive advantage, and the ability to defend against them is essential.

The Solution

MMA training is top notch, and all self defense practitioners should adopt the same approach to training. But MMA is severely lacking in the areas of awareness, deception, dirty tactics, and weapons. The solution is to combine the two, ending up with the most efficient and effective armed and unarmed techniques, realistic training, and a winning strategy involving awareness and deception. That’s reality based self defense, and the aim of Hertao.

A guy named Nassim Taleb wrote a book a few years back called The Black Swan, using the term to describe improbable events that greatly alter the course of history.  His argument is that these rare events are the primary drivers of history, and because they’re unpredictable, the future is also unpredictable.  Having lived in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit, I can relate to this.  Although hurricanes are somewhat predictable, the affects that Katrina had on the Gulf Coast, the city of New Orleans, and all of the residents in this region was not.  Many people lost everything and became far worse off, some people became much better off through unexpected changes in their lives, others moved to cities they never thought they’d be living in today, etc.

One thing we do know is that we all will be affected by more Black Swans.  We’ll have more economic booms and busts, there may be terrorist attacks that alter the course of your life, wars, etc.  So what are you doing to make sure your savings and income is protected?  How are you practicing self defense related to that aspect of your life?

In searching for info about Black Swans I came across this article on what turned out to be a great finance site, FinancialCalculator.org.  The entire site has great information, but I particularly like the points to follow to be best prepared for catastrophic events…having no debt, maintaining good insurance coverage, creating multiple sources of income, diversifying your savings, and having a flexible mindset.  These should be part of every self defense course, as they’re going to be more important to most people for “self defense” than physical defense against physical attacks.  Expanding your concept of self defense to include other aspects of your life is an excellent idea.

Iban Parang

Humans have been using weapons since the beginning of their existence, and for good reason. Weapons provide a massive advantage in both attack and defense.  Every martial arts practitioner interested in self defense should learn how to use weapons both to better defend against their use, and to gain an advantage in a serious self defense situation. You can see how I categorize weapons and their use on my self defense weapons page.

Although people in most 1st world countries no longer carry swords, practicing with them (or a stick of a similar length) can provide very valuable lessons in self defense. The methods of attack and defense that work with a sword also work with a stick, cane, hammer, wrench, knife, machete…even a household iron. You can learn to use a “stick” or any other long blunt or sharp object through the curriculum and videos on my single stick page, which I plan to add to in the very near future.

Parang Handle

Aside from the usefulness of sword and stick training for self defense, swords from different cultures can be fascinating. I recently posted a review of the Filipino ginunting, one of my favorite swords for functionality, and thought I’d add a few pictures of another favorite, an Iban parang from the island of Borneo. I purchased this parang in the state of Sarawak on the Malaysian side of Borneo. It’s about 100 years old, and decorated with human hair. The handle and scabbard are the most beautiful of all the swords I own.

As beautiful as the parang is, it’s hard for a modern westerner to imagine they were used on head hunting raids.  Up until the late 1800′s or so, several tribes of Borneo required heads for all sorts of ceremonies, from those related to the rice harvest to weddings. Imagine having to cut a person’s head off before you could be married…or walking through the jungle where people were looking for heads! In any case, the parang is an amazing sword, very similar to others used in Indonesia and the Philippines.  It’s designed for one handed use, fast, well balanced, and the design of the handle prevents the parang from slipping out of your hand.

Parang Scabbard

I’ve asked a few older Iban about their sword training, but never really gotten any detailed answers. They do have dances that involve the use of the sword and shield, but it seems that their “martial art” was lost when the practice of head hunting was abandoned.  If anyone reading this has information on the martial arts of the tribes of Borneo, I’d love to hear from you! I can’t imagine people like the Iban wouldn’t have had their own martial art. If you were living in a jungle at a time when nearby tribes wanted your head, wouldn’t you?

Stop Kick

After yesterday’s post on the default/flinch response, I’d like to make a couple points of clarification.  The crash (our primary default response against a surprise punching attack) and the spear (Tony Blauer’s default response against a surprise attack) are both excellent responses that really work.  They’re far better than the vast majority of defenses that require a person to match a specific defense to a specific punch.  When you’re attacked by surprise you need a single, gross-motor-skill-based-response that works no matter what punch the attacker threw.  In such a situation your mind and body will not be fast enough to determine exactly what’s coming and pick a particular matching response before you get hit.

However, ideally you should not be in a position in which you are attacked by surprise.  Ideally you should be aware of your surroundings and maintain a safe distance from any potential threat, so you have the time to see the attack coming without being surprised…without having a “jack in the box moment”.  If you are aware of your surroundings and maintain a safe distance (distance = time), you can intercept an attack using a variety of methods from the stop kick shown in the image above, to a preemptive attack if justified, or even better, escaping before the attack occurs.  You can also use a technique such as the crash or spear if you prefer.  But it is better to be aware and have a greater variety of options.  So while techniques like the spear are brilliant and very effective, you should aim not to be in such a position where you have so little choice.  This is why we emphasize awareness first, and then the Fundamental Five in Hertao…five default responses/strategies for a greater variety of situations…one of which is the crash.  Of course you never know what situation you may end up in, so having such a flinch response in your arsenal is a must for self defense!

Although we use our own default response, the crash, rather than “the spear”, the concept is the same. Both techniques are a bridge that utilize natural physiological reactions instead of an attempt to unnaturally react to an attack with a complex response.

His points on the “jack in the box” effect, not knowing which particular attack is coming, etc., are all excellent. They explain why so many self defense and martial arts techniques will fail in a real assault. The majority of attacks on the street are going to be surprising, violent forward pressure assaults. You need a simple default response to deal with such an attack, and the spear is another great option.

See the follow up post: Default Response Clarification.

I’ve just finished a new self defense e-book on empty hand stand up fundamentals. The book is over 100 pages, with over 300 images, and has 3 main sections:

Fundamental Concepts – The most important concepts for self defense including timing, distance, position, effective training, and zone theory.

The MMA Base – Detailed instruction on the fundamental techniques of boxing, Thai boxing, and stand up wrestling along with training methods and sparring tips.

The Fundamental Five – Going far beyond the MMA base into the most efficient and effective techniques for self defense, including default responses and combinations, follow ups, and more.

This book is the result of nearly 20 years of teaching and training, and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!

After yesterday’s post on good boundaries I decided to add a long overdue section to the site on awareness and prevention, along with what constitutes legal self defense.  When self defense is legally justifiable, it’s going to be extremely dangerous.  You’ll be dealing with an attacker who wants to injure or kill you.  While this site IS about physical self defense, you should do everything you possibly can to avoid having to resort to that.  The two sections above explain why.

If you’re aware of your surroundings, take simple precautionary measures (lighted areas, locked doors, alarm, etc.), and keep your distance from potential threats, you’re highly unlikely to be attacked.  By adding “good boundaries”…not being afraid to say no, exiting situations you feel have the potential to turn nasty, and fighting when necessary…the chances of you being successfully assaulted are so low it’s ridiculous.  And if you do happen to know a few solid self defense techniques and training methods, well, you’re covered.