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A lot of martial arts people don’t like to hear this but, the real difference between those who win street fights and those who lose street fights…has less to do with knowing every self defense skill, technique and “style” in the world…and more to do with having a simple “game plan” in place before the fight even begins.

Here’s what I mean by that:

In sports — especially professional sports — games do not get won by “chance.” A point scored, a goal made, distance taken, or a finish line crossed, happens by means of a game plan by either a player or team.

And it’s no different when you’re out on the street fighting for your life.

Fact is, inexperienced fighters will “just fight” and throw caution to the wind…while experienced fighters — even if they haven’t learned a lot of specific self defense “skills” — will have a game plan mapped out before the fight starts.

A game plan to win in the quickest, most effective way possible. Every move and reaction has a specific purpose and nothing is left to chance.

And, thus, they will almost always win fights. Even against people with more martial arts skills, talent and ability.

So let me ask you, what’s your game plan if you get attacked?

Do you know what you’d do if you were jumped on the street tomorrow?

What if someone pulls a knife on you? What if some doped-up lunatic tries to grab your wife or girlfriend? What if an entire pack of gang-bangers, full of hate and rage, corners you in an ally?

These thing happen all the time to people all over the world.

But when you have a game plan for the most common scenarios (like the ones above) your chances of getting away in one piece go up dramatically.

On the other hand, if you don’t have a game plan in place then, no matter how “tough” you are, skilled you are or fast you are…you’re going to be in some serious trouble.

A new report by the Kaiser Family Foundation refers to the current younger generation as Generation M, which stands for media. They have found that the youth of today are spending increased time with new media such as the Internet, and video games.

The report also shows that Gen M also consumes multiple media simultaneously. The below 18 year olds may watch TV, read email, and chat simultaneously. The drawback to this multitasking may be a decrease in already shrinking attention spans. Kids may have a more difficult time focusing on tasks which require significant depth.

The benefits of martial arts training for children are numerous. Many psycho-social studies have shown martial arts training for kids may: lead to lower incidences of violence, create happier more easygoing demeanor, lessen anger and mood disturbances, increase self confidence. Studies also show that children who participate in martial arts have better behavior and higher test scores in school.

The martial arts offer children an opportunity to intensely focus on a single skill at a time. With instruction by a teacher who acts as a good role-model, students begin to emulate courteous, respectful, and mindful behavior.

Jujutsu is the ancient martial art of the samurai warriors of Japan. In antiquity it was only studied by the elite, educated members of Japanese society. Its study is therefore more intellectually intense, and involves less brute-force than many other martial arts. Jujutsu relies on principles of physics such as inertia, leverage, and momentum which present challenges that foster mental growth.

Students of jujutsu also develop a greater kinesthetic sense. The physical benefits of practice include those of regular exercise plus increased balance, reduced stress, and greater self-awareness.

Jujutsu, like other arts, always begins and ends with courtesy. Students exhibit proper etiquette at al times and respect that the techniques they are practicing can cause injury to others. For many students, the practice helps develop a sense of responsibility.

In stark contrast to the fast passed media-rich life of today’s 8-18 year-olds, jujutsu offers children an opportunity to spend time simply yet intensely focused. The benefits of practice are many, and it just may be a prescription for the technologically short attention spans.

Copyright 2006 Marketing Comet

John Moore is a 3rd degree blackbelt in Jujutu.
http://www.nesacademy.com/sports/ma_jujitsu.asp

“Fronting”: The dodge to get in close to you. The frontal assault, as opposed to the ambush.

Fronting can be either a direct confrontation (intimidation) or it can make use of “artifice”, i.e. “got a light?”, “got the time?”, “how do I get to such and such?” Anything “innocent” to throw you off your guard and allow the assailant to “get into your safety zone”. That is the area where action is ALWAYS faster than re-action.

The key here is NEVER TRUST anyone’s “intention”, NEVER!

Maintaining the “reactionary gap” is the single most important “thing” in this situation. In order for ANY attack to be optimally effective three things must “work” in the attackers favor: Time - Distance - Opportunity.

NEVER “allow” anyone within arms distance. If they are close enough to simply reach out and touch you, you have a BIG PROBLEM.

How did you get there?

I wish I had a dime for every self-defense “expert” that starts with this line - OK, the bad guy throws a punch……………

WHAT? Did he just appear in a cloud of smoke? Simply materialize from nowhere? What preceded this “punch”?

How did he approach you and manage to get into your safety zone? Is it an “ambush”? How did you wind up dealing with the attack?
The equation for dealing with this is NOT the “defense”, it’s understanding our “triad”, TIME - DISTANCE - OPPORTUNITY.

Increase the TIME necessary for the assailant to be effective.

Decrease the TIME necessary for YOUR attack to be effective.

Increase the DISTANCE necessary for the assailant to be effective.

Decrease the DISTANCE necessary for YOUR attack to be effective.

Remove or minimize the OPPORTUNITY necessary for the assailant to be effective.

MAXIMIZE your OPPORTUNITY to make YOUR attack effective.

The assailant has to TARGET YOU, COVER THE DISTANCE TO GET TO YOU, and then have THE OPPORTUNITY to implement his assault, in other words you have to be there when he gets there.

Now! Time - Distance - Opportunity = SPEED - POWER - ACCURACY.

That’s the full “combat” equation. It works for the assailant AND it works for you.

So, I’m more concerned with “how” we disrupt the equation for the attacker and use it to our advantage, than I am about “defending against the punch”.

Here are two good ones:

“A miss is as good as a mile”
“Almost only works for horseshoes and hand-grenades”

That’s also what I mean when I say look at the “big picture”.

Combat shooting:

Speed and “man-killing” accuracy: “nail driving” accuracy is great as long as it doesn’t affect your SPEED!

Distance: measure off the longest “area” in your home. Hallway, bedroom, kitchen, or all the places that an attack may occur. What’s the distance? Don’t waste time at firing ranges over that!

I know people that have weapons strategically placed around their living environment. Never know where you’ll be when you need what you don’t have, right?

How about the one place where you really are naked as a jay-bird? How about the shower? Drawstring or a plastic bag (waterproof) with you, in the shower, containing 230 grains of “soap”. No, I’m NOT kidding. Better to have “it” and NOT ever need it, than to need “it” and NOT have it. ALWAYS, ALWAYS…..remember Uncle Murphy! The SOB will always show up when least expected, ALWAYS!

Copyright 2003 www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com ©

Carl Cestari began his study of the martial arts with judo at the age of 7 under the direction of Yoshisada Yonezuka. During the past forty plus years Carl has dedicated his life to studying the martial arts, hand to hand combat systems, history and religion. What makes Carl unique is his combination of martial arts, law enforcement, military and real world experience. Carl has been exposed to a multitude of people with a wide variety experience. The following is a list of some of Carl’s ranks and honors.

Shinan (Founder) Tekkenryu jujutsu
Ryokudan (6th degree) Koshinkai Karate under John Burrelle
Godan (5th degree) Jujutsu under Clarke of the World Jujutsu Fedaration (now defunct)
Sandan (3rd degree) Nippon Kempo under Narabu Sada
Nidan (2nd degree) Judo under Masafumi Suzuki
Shodan (1st degree) Judo under Yoshisada Yonezuka
Shodan (1st degree) Shukokai Karate under Kimura, Kadachi and Yonezuka
Shodan (1st degree) Daitoryu Aikijujutsu
Instructors Certificate- Charles Nelson System of Self Defense under Charlie Nelson

http://www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com

If you appreciate a strong, healthy self confidence that carries you through overwhelming times and drives you to achieving your most far reaching goals, martial arts is for you.

A person’s self-confidence is like a muscle, it needs to be exercised in order to grow and develop. In the 20 plus years that I’ve been teaching Martial Arts in our community we have developed a 5 step approach to building self-confidence. These 5 steps can be learned by anyone - with the right guidance:

1. Correct Body Posture. The importance of the correct body posture is paramount. We all send hidden, sub-conscious messages with our body language and the way we carry ourselves. Carry yourself with pride, confidence and security. Carry yourself like a successful person and your confidence will show.

2. Proper Eye Contact. Making proper eye contact when speaking to others has a huge effect on the conversation. Have you ever been talking to somebody and instantly felt connected? Like you’ve known this person forever? Chances are, they understand the importance of body language, and proper eye-contact.

3. Goal Setting. Goal setting is talked about by everybody, and most people understand the importance of this process. Then why do most people miss their mark? Because they don’t have the discipline and confidence to see the goal through. Our process teaches you the right way to set goals and actually achieve them!

4. Communication. Inspiring those around you is critical to getting what you want. Whether they are your children, co-workers, employees or boss, good leaders are inspirational. We teach this inspirational formula.

5. Mentors. All of the skills above, a healthy body and mind combined with a good mentor or two will make all the difference in the world for your happiness and success.

Mr. Robert Jones runs three successful martial arts schools located in Bellevue, Lynnwood, and Kent Washington. He has been helping families make positive changes in their lives through martial arts for over 20 years. He has also written two guides on how to pick a martial arts school. One for adults and one for parents wanting to pick the right school for their children. He can be reached at martialadvice@hotmail.com or at the Academy of Kempo Martial Arts. 800-508-6141.

When most people think of self-defense, what usually comes to mind is protecting oneself from the physical onslaught from a criminal attacker. And, while this is not, in itself, a problem, it is however, only a small part of being able to be safe and free from harm in Today’s often dangerous world.

The following is a list of the major key skill areas that should be developed if you are truly seeking to be able to avoid or escape from an attacker bent on seeing you as his victim.

Key #1 - General Awareness

It goes without saying that, if you don’t believe that danger exists in the world, or more to the point, that danger will never find you, then you will do little or nothing to insure your safety. In addition, even if you do understand the dangers inherent in your world, which can be assumed as you’re reading this, it’s important to not fall into the trap of believing that the police, military, or government can and should be the ones to protect you. When push-comes-to-shove, and you’re the one facing an enraged attacker directing his wrath at you, you will be responsible for your own safety in those first few, precious, seconds.

Key #2 - Awareness of Surroundings

While most so-called self-defense experts tend to lump “awareness” into one category, the truth is that there are many levels to this “skill of directing the mind where it is most needed.” While Key #1 focuses our attention on the larger world-view of the presence of danger and our personal responsibility for our own welfare, this key is directed at the details of the moment. Here we’re paying attention to “what’s going on around us.” The fact is that, the better our ability to pay attention and recognize danger as it begins to take shape, the greater our ability to avoid, escape, or neutralize its effect on us BEFORE it has a chance to touch us at all.

That’s what Danger Prevention Tactics are all about. And, especially for those of us who want to avoid fighting at all costs, it is the key to defending against most of the dangers that others fall victim to every day. You can read more about this powerful video and mastering the skills of danger avoidance at http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com/self-defense-video-dpt1.html

Key #3 - Escaping to Safety

While awareness will not prevent danger from appearing in your world, what it will do is to allow you to respond to it sooner. And this is the powerful secret used by the professionals and experts who regularly face danger literally every day of their lives. No, awareness alone will not save you, but it will allow you to escape from the danger before it gets close enough to cause damage. The trick here is to develop multiple routes to places that you visit regularly. Also, developing the ability to recognize and plan for escape routes out of places like traffic, restaurants, your own home, aircraft if you travel, and the like are all important to your overall safety plan. Remember too to validate all safety information that comes your way as most of what is out there has been written, not by actual survivors, but by people who have the job of writing safety procedures. And, as any expert or survivor will tell you, what sounds perfectly logical in theory, may be completely and totally useless in the heat of the moment!

Key #4 - Distracting the Attacker

The fact that your day is filled with demands for your attention, distractions, confusion, and input coming from a hundred different directions at once, can make even the most disciplined meditation master open to attack by a determined assailant. Add to this, all the trickery and manipulative deception used by various types of attackers, and you can see that it’s virtually impossible to be aware of everything. And that sets you up for the potential of an attack that comes seemingly “out of the blue.” Where distance is required to effectively escape from an impending attack, you may not have this luxury when you suddenly realize that you’re the target of an attacker already standing right in front of you.

But, this still doesn’t mean that you have to jump right to the physical aspects of self-defense. It’s important to remember that, regardless of your martial arts rank, how many tricks you know, or even whether or not you’re carrying a weapon, moving directly to physically fighting with your assailant provides the greatest chance for something going wrong.

Instead, you can use tactics and strategies that involve humor, feigning ignorance, or even faking a heart attack, to diffuse the situation and change a would-be attack situation into one where the assailant becomes an ally. Here, it’s important to remember that we want to avoid mentioning the possibility of an attack but instead, to distract the assailant by redirecting his or her attention away from you as a target.

Key #5 - Dissuading

When you can’t avoid, escape, or even distract the attacker and it appears that they are determined to unleash their punishment on you, you still have one more card to play before having to resort to fighting. At this point, you must become very focused yourself and understand that this is your last chance to stop things from going “too-far.” Here, you must be able to look squarely at your antagonist and, with your words, body language and raw determination, communicate that you will not allow them to carry our their plan - that you will not comply or become their victim.

It’s important to understand that, even though there it’s estimated that there is an assault every 17 seconds in the US, that a full 70% or better of these can be handled by Keys 1 through 5. It only stands to reason that you should know as much as possible about these important areas and make sure that you have several skills in each area that will work to serve you if and when you should ever need them. If you’re looking for a good source to learn more about these important key elements in a sound self-defense strategy, as well as what you’ll have to deal with from your own body and mind’s physio-emotional responses to stress and danger, make sure you read the book, “The Karate Myth: Why Most Martial Arts and Self-Defense Programs Don’t Work and How to Be Safe in Today’s World”

Key #6 - Physically Handle the Attack

When all else has failed, no matter what you believe, think, or wish would have or should have happened, when the fists start flying - the blade comes in to bite into and open your flesh - or the bullets start coming in your direction, it’s time for effective, efficient, and proper physical action. There’s a saying that goes, “Survivors Live Where Others Die.” It’s ultimately up to you, and the actions you take, long before the attack happens as to whether you will be a “survivor” or an “other.” The choice is yours.

Jeffrey Miller is a 10th degree black belt and founder of Warrior Concepts International, a self-protection and personal development consulting company specializing in teaching you how to be a survivor. He is the author of “The Karate Myth” and the “Danger Prevention Tactics” video, among others. For information about sponsoring a seminar, attending a live event, subscribing to any of his newlsetters, or any of his other products or services, visit his website at http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com

Almost nobody teaches this but, winning a fight on the street has almost nothing to do with how many “moves” you know, how much brute strength you possess or how fast and coordinated you are.

No, the real secret of winning street-fights is simply how good you are at “intercepting” an attack that is already coming at you.

What do I mean by intercepting an attack?

Let me put it to you this way:

Imagine you are in a shouting and shoving match with some drunk in a bar and he begins winding up to punch you.

When you understand how to “intercept” an attack, taking this guy out is as simple as jabbing his eye with your finger as he cocks back.

Or, if he was to “shoot in” at your legs, it would be a simple matter of bringing your knee up into his face — and therefore intercepting his charge and putting him down on the ground.

You see, the beauty of this is you don’t have to be a blackbelt or even be very “tough” to win fights.

One well-placed eye jab or knee to the face can do more for your survival on the street than the fanciest martial arts moves in the world.

In recent years there has been an influx of information in
the martial arts media concerning pre-emptive striking and
whether you should use it as a part of your self-defence
training or not.

This media frenzy generated a lot of interest in the subject
(for and against) so this article is going to provide a slightly
different approach to the issue and bring into the equation how
this affects martial art teachers from the perspective of adults
AND children.

==========
ADULTS
==========

O.K., first of all, should we teach hitting first at all?
I think, yes, we should. However it is obviously not as
simple as that, even when only taking into account adults.

Where adults are concerned, if you choose to teach them
pre-emption, you need to make it clear that it is a last
resort! Also you need to make it clear that they MUST be
in fear for their safety for it to be acceptable.

They need to be sure an attack on them is imminent
essentially.

Of course, you must have faith in your students to suggest
such a direct course of action - you must trust they won’t
abuse such knowledge!

If in ANY doubt DO NOT teach it at all!

============
CHILDREN
============

Where children are concerned hitting first, and teaching such
strategies, is in my humble opinion a big NO NO! You cannot
really compare situations a child and an adult might find
themselves in (perhaps many of you will disagree?).

Indeed I actually think to teach hitting first to children as
part of a martial arts class is irresponsible and dangerous.

It would be highly likely to create situations at school and
home where the child could justify his hitting people first
by saying his or her martial arts instructor said it was
acceptable!

Obviously there may be the rare occasion where it would be
in their best interest to do so, BUT I feel this is
outweighed by the potential problems it could cause.

While teaching children I think the best course of action
is to focus on building strong character traits through
structured physical training and avoid the ‘nastier’ side
of the arts until they are older with a little more life
experience.

==============
CONCLUSION
==============

It is (obviously) hard to make a concrete conclusion about
such a subject.

I feel for those (adult) students you trust totally,
highlighting pre-emptive strikes as a viable option when they
have no other option is acceptable.

For children I think, as stated above, it is not necessary and
the time is better spent developing their characters and physical skills.

After all, they grow up fast enough, and showing the grittier
aspects of the arts only serves to unnecessarily speed up
this process.

(c) Tim Webb 2005

Tim Webb is a fitness instructor, Ju Jutsu instructor, and competitor. His site http://www.JuJutsu-Training.com offers inspiration through articles and product recommendations that can boost your mental focus and physical fitness for martial arts!

When it comes to your personal protection, the program you choose to study, the way you train, and the person who teaches you, all determine how well, and even IF, you will be successful in a real-world self-defense encounter. When seeking out a defensive tactics program, you must remember that you’re not shopping for a piece of furniture where, if it doesn’t work out for you, you can take it back.

A self-defense situation is also very different from the safety of a karate tournament. There is no “fair-play” and no referee to insure that each participant adheres to the rules.

The following is a list of principles that will be crucially important during your training if you are to be ready to face a violent attacker bent on crushing you in the real-world. Missing, or not knowing the importance of even one of these could, literally, be fatal.

1. Somewhere, someone is training to hurt another human being. If you’re not training to protect yourself and you meet him - HE will win.

2. Self-Defense is not a choice - it’s a responsibility

3. There’s more than one type of attacker - make sure you’re prepared for ANY type

4. Most so-called experts are not even close - don’t just check the instructor’s credentials, check his background and experience

5. If you must fight, learn to fight “smarter” not harder

6. Your body knows how to defend itself instinctively - learn what that is and learn to use it to your advantage

7. There’s more to defending than physical self-defense - train to also develop non-physical, distraction, and non-confrontational options

8. You can’t have a favorite technique - so don’t

9. You can’t have a weak side - avoid only learning things on your strong side

10. Most martial arts and self-defense programs don’t work - know what you need BEFORE you choose a program

11. Your assailant won’t care what color belt you have

12. Emotions, not logic, will rule the day - make sure they’re a part of your training too

13. You will defend yourself as you have trained - right or wrong - so make sure that what you’re learning is “right”

14. Step-by-step, memorized, Karate-moves won’t work - if your skills are not automatic, forget it

15. A street attack is not a contest with rules. It is a life-changing event, and the trophy is your life - train that way

16. A one-day seminar, video, or book will not suddenly make you an expert

18. If you want to survive, you must be ABLE to hurt another human being (yes, I know… I’ve said this before…)

19. You can’t “pretend” to hit, kick, or grab - your assailant won’t be pretending

When it comes to self-defense, you have to know that what you’re learning is right. Not after the fact, but before you ever find yourself face-to-face with your worst nightmare.

Real-world training can still be very safe and enjoyable but, there are certain elements of the training that simply cannot be ignored. You may not like the idea of having to roll or the fact that you might get a bruise or two along the way but, as one of my female staff members points out to students…

… “which would you rather have - a bruise or two now from the training, or what’s left over when your attacker is finished with you?”

The choice is yours. After all…

…it’s YOUR life!

Jeffrey M. Miller is the founder of Warrior Concepts International, a Pennsylvania-based company specializing in helping private, law enforcement, and corporate clients to develop time-tested and proven self-protection and personal development skills that work in the real-world. He is the author of the highly acclaimed, educational video, Danger Prevention Tactics. His latest book, The Karate-Myth shows the reader why most martial arts and self-defense programs don’t work and how to insure your safety in today’s violent world. For additonal information about having this internationally-recognized expert as a guest or keynote speaker for your organization’s next meeting, or to sponsor a seminar with Mr. Miller, you may contact him through his web site or by calling WCI in the U.S. and Canada, at (570) 988-2228 Subscribe to his free newsletter at http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com

I will here attempt to be non style specific in discussing fight strategy. Simply remember to train your reflexes for the proper use of body mechanics. Prepare your mind for a self defense mindset, rather than hostility. Remember “zanshin” - remaining mind. This is your most powerful weapon. Prevention is better than cure!

When faced with a heavy handed puncher, his or her hand speed and upper body defenses may be hard to match or get past. In this case, timing and creativity are of high priority. In a street situation, you do not have time to memorize his or her habits. Neither do you get the benefit of watching fight tapes beforehand. Watch for openings in the attacks, and draw out your opponent for a timed hit. Don’t forget use of body shifting; especially to the outside of the opponent, which will present you with a strategic advantage. This reduces his / her options by 50%. This will be easier or harder to do depending on the
attacker’s training; such is hard to judge immediately, so it is instead better to take the initiative and/or counter-hit as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Untrained punchers, however, tend to have a large amount of telegraphing (movements that signal a certain attack, not unlike “tells” in poker). Against a kicker, remember that people are already on the brink of disaster on two feet, and taking another foot off the ground ruins balance even more. Also, a kick generally takes longer than a punch to reach its destination. Use this in conjunction with “stop hits” when you are at or just outside of the attacker’s kicking range. Essentially, you will want to react to the opponent’s starting movement as quickly as possible with a jamming technique or combination. Be extra careful when the attacker does manage to raise a kick. A well trained kicker can often change a kick’s height or target before putting his or her foot down.

You must maintain a strong cover from which you can counter swiftly, and off-balance your opponent while their kicking foot is still traveling. Make an opportunity to close with the kicker, and reduce his or her options. Elbows and knees are particularly effective for striking away kicks, and use in close-up fighting. Use caution, however, if your attacker appears trained in a heavily body-conditioning oriented flavor of Muay Thai/Thaiboxing, Kyokushin karate, or the like. Counter striking to vital areas that cannot be conditioned (solar plexus and so forth) will be even more important in these cases.

The author lives in Lake City, South Carolina, where he teaches at his Wado ryu Karate school. He enjoys reading, writing, training, and spending time with his fiance. For more information, and free downloads, please visit the Johnston Wado ryu Karate Online Community.