Burton commented, “A well placed choke is the only thing that would stop him”, referring to the attacker who took the pepper spray and gun shot like it was nothing.  This is a great point that should be highlighted.  Often times when facing a high or crazy opponent, pain will not stop him, but a “well placed choke” will.

I mentioned on the thread that a police officer and fellow martial arts instructor I trained with in New Olreans had a drill in which the “defender” always ended his defense with a choke.  For real world self defense, knowing how to choke is a necessity.

The “theory” behind R.A.T is solid, and has three phases:

1. Entry/Inflict Pain
2. Pressure/Blast - to keep the pressure on
3. Terminate/Headbutts, Knees, and Elbows

The problem with the above video is that Vunak ignored the first phase.  Attacking any decent boxer after he throws a couple of jabs with a wing chun style straight blast is a great way to get knocked out.  A decent boxer with slip and hit, drop and hit, etc., etc.  If Vunak would have followed his own past advice, and kicked the opponent in the balls or finger jabed him in the eye before beginning his blast, fine.  But to go straight to the “pressure” phase without an entry that puts your opponent a step behind the curve is not a good idea…if you’re idea of pressure is a wing chun style straight blast.

A proper martial arts or self defense curriculum should be ordered such that it presents material in a way that helps the practitioner to understand how to use it. Let’s take traditional Japanese jiu jitsu for example. In traditional jiu jitsu you’ve got kicks, hand strikes, standing joint manipulations, clinch, throwing, and ground work. Standing joint manipulations should be shown in the context of what can precede them, what can happen during their attempted application, and what can proceed them. The problem is that many instructors will train ground techniques one day, striking techniques another day, and small joint manipulations on another. The student may KNOW the techniques in each area, but will very likely be unable to APPLY them. Without being able to go from striking to clinching to locking and back to striking…being able to flow from one area to the next, it will be nearly impossible to effectively us the techniques in self defense.

In Hertao, we begin self defense training with basic stand up kickboxing. This gives the practitioner a realistic understanding of the dynamics of a stand up fight…movement, timing, and speed. Then we add self defense techniques to the mix, the Fundamental Five. If all you’ve got is a finger jab to the eye, but no context in which to apply it, or no understanding of what to watch out for, you don’t have much. Right as we begin with the Fundamental Five, we introduce clinch fighting, techniques to prevent the clinch, and move onto ground fighting. This gives students what Marc Denny of the Dog Brother’s calls the “fighter’s understanding”.

If your self defense or martial arts training doesn’t follow a similar logical progression, you need to at least arrange it properly in your own mind. No matter what, you need to question all the techniques, training methods, and strategies you learn. You need to ask: When should I use this technique? How does it fit in to the “fight”? What will set this technique up? What might happen when I’m trying to apply the technique? Will it actually work? Where does this technique fit into MY strategy?

If you’re taking a self defense class and you want to be able to use what you’re learning, you’ve got to be able to answer the above questions. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below. What’s your curriculum like? Does your instructor do a good job with presentation? What’s your strategy?

-Justifiable Use: There are a very limited number of situations when knife use is legally and morally justifiable. In these cases there are better suited weapons.

-Inability to Adjust Severity: You can’t really decide how much damage you do with a knife. It’s always potentially deadly.

-Lack of Impact: When people get stabbed or slashed they don’t feel it. Wouldn’t an impact weapon be a better deterrent?

-Required Range: You need to get close with a knife. An expandable baton, pepper spray, or even a gun gives you more options.

-Nastiness: Attacking someone with a knife is nasty! There’s going to be blood all over the place.

If you’re going to carry a weapon for self defense, choose a better one. The knife has too many disadvantages…unless you’re going to carry a machete that is.

My wife and I just returned from a trip to Croatia, where among other things we kayaked along the coast around Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik is an incredible city, and if you ever get the chance to go in May or June, do so. We brought our folding kayaks, which I would also highly recommend to anyone who likes to get off the beaten path.

While we were in the south of Croatia, we decided to make a short trip to Medjugorje, the former Yugoslavian town now in Bosnia and Herzegovina known around the world for the supposed siting of the “blessed mother” by 6 people in 1981. It’s incredible that so many people fell for this hoax and continue to do so. At least one of the 6 people who “saw” Mary in 1981 still sees her monthly, in front of hordes of religious tourists mostly from the United States. She makes goofy faces as if she’s having a conversation with the virgin mother, acting as if she’s having a hard time understanding, etc.

To get to Medjugorje you have to drive through small towns along horrible roads, full of shot up and bombed out houses and buildings from the last of the Balkan Wars in the 90’s. Medjugorje is an oasis of B.S. in this sad country. The contrast between what surrounds Medjugorje and the town itself couldn’t be more striking.

How many of these “believers” who visit Medjugorje even pay attention to Bosnia and Herzegovina or think about what happened there just a decade or so ago? Do they really think buying a statue of Mary most likely made in China, with dirt supposedly from Medjugorje is going to do them any good? Apparently so! You can get holographic pictures of Mary, “holy water” bottles, etc. It’s amazing…how so many people can believe such lunacy! With such a lack of thought and questioning, it’s no wonder people can be led to war so easily.

So how different are martial arts? Not much. Ever heard of a no touch knockout?

I’ve added a new major category on the clinch to the website. Originally I couldn’t decide whether this should be divided up in sections on Greco-Roman wrestling, wrestling, Thai boxing, and Brazilian jiu jitsu, or have a its own category, but I figured it would be best all together.

I’ve also added a few paragraphs to the home page to help visitors figure out how to use the site. You can browse the site at random, but following the new text on the home page will provide a good path to learning self defense with a partner. More soon…

World Food Program
Direct Relief International
UNICEF
International Committee of the Red Cross
AmeriCares

Although the military dictatorship is currently slowing the distribution of aid, the above organizations will likely get access in the days to come, and many have connections to groups on the Thai-Burmese border. Give money today!

Why people fail to question what they believe, very often to their own detriment, surprises me again and again. The lack of thinking in martial arts is only a microcosm of the world in general. Fairy tails are everywhere!