Martial_Artist

You're either a sheep, a wolf, or a sheepdog. Make up your mind and live your choice.

I don't think it matters what "style" your opponent is or whether he is "skilled" or "trained". You can only bring to each fight all that you are. The other guy doesn't matter. Whatever he is can't change what you already are. You have to fight as you. It doesn't matter who you fight, you are still you. To the original question: Kicks in a self-defense situation. I believe you use whatever works at the moment it works best. If that happens to be a kick to the head, then so be it. If not, then so be it. Every single fight is a dynamic exchange between two human beings each bringing the sum of their training, experience, and spirit to the table. You can only do your best to prepare yourself. There are no magical "cure-all" techniques. Train hard. Train often. Train to be free. The more mental barriers you create, the harder it will be for you to relax your mind and fight naturally. You confuse your mind enough, and you will simply resort to your mammillian brain. You either fight or flight. Train to be free. That's about the best advice for whether or not kicks in self-defense are an option. Any tool in your toolbox is still a tool. You just have to find the right job for it.

This post was originally published as an article in a dedicated KarateForums.com Articles section, which is no longer online. After the section was closed, this article was most to the most appropriate forum in our community. We live in a new world. We live in a world of chaos and danger. Not that this chaos or danger has changed much, but that these dangers have become more visible in our daily lives. What is a combative? We have heard throughout the self defense community words like combative, combat art, urban techniques, urban combat tools. But, what exactly is a combative? A combative, in our discussion of self defense, is an element of combat utilized by a combatant, or in our case: a martial artist. In ancient times, combatives were the use of a sword, knife, stick, horsemanship, empty handed technique, archery, among many other archaic tools and arts that armed a combatant for combat. These skills were necessary for the field soldier to survive. Many lay citizens did not possess these skills. Today, however, many of those archaic tools are impractical. However, the opportunity for the lay citizen to possess such skills has not only appeared, but has almost become requisite. I do not intend with this article to delve completely into the complexities of combatives for the modern martial artist, but lay forth a list of combatives that modern martial artists should understand and be proficient in. We must first understand that the world has changed from its ancient state. We no longer worry about horse riding assailants. Nor about the sword wielding gang of bandits. But dangers do exist. And even though the pieces and in many instances the fields, have changed the fight is still real. Too often we hear that fighting is futile. I refuse to acknowledge that notion. In fact, I find it defeating mentally, morally and physically. Simply to state that fighting is useless because everyone carries a gun is also an incorrect statement. For it is in opposition the logic of survival. The defense of life will never become obsolete or irrelevant so long as there are those willing to make the decision. And the martial artist makes that decision. Whether they study for art or for defense each and every martial artist must ask themselves whether consciously or subconsciously, "Will I make that decision?" Now, I'm not going to go into that subject, because the medium will not allow it. I am simply setting up the environment from which to better understand the place of combatives in the modern martial artist. I do not wish to argue politics but it is of equal importance to recognize the modern threat of terrorist attacks upon civilians. Upon you and I. We will not focus on combating these elements, primarily because it is not our environment, but the existence of terrorism most certainly affects the combatives of the modern martial artist. And I would like that to linger in the mind of the reader. Because of the environment we live in and because of the choices we may or may not make concerning how we will deal with a defense situation or event we must understand how these things affect us as martial artists... martial artists in a modern world. Here is a list of basic combatives I feel that every modern martial artist should have more than a basic comprehension of (in no particular order): First Aid/CPR – First Responder Level Certification The majority of events that we may play a part in are reactionary. Just as with fighting. Many of our actions are in response to someone else acting upon us. In an emergency situation the martial artist should know well how to help with the damage. A more than basic understanding of first aid and CPR could save a life and would be more than useful in dealing with the after effects of a violent encounter. Also, from a legal stand point, administering first aid to someone you just defeated in a self defense encounter demonstrates a lack of criminal intent on your part. This area also extends into knowing all the emergency numbers for your area. You may also have to administer first aid to someone you are helping (particularly a loved one) in a self defense situation. First aid and CPR are important combatives for the modern martial artist. Defensive Pistol and Carbine/Shotgun Use These skills are perhaps among the most important for the modern martial artist. Every modern martial artist should be proficient in at least handgun usage. Every year within the U.S. between 1.3 and 2.5 million lives are saved by effective self defense usage of a handgun. The modern martial artist should be proficient in safety, accuracy, legal use, retention, reclaiming and home/car defense. I cannot state how many times I am saddened by the report of the home invasion or the car jacking gone wrong with the victim dying or being seriously injured. Resistance is never futile. It is not my intent to prove such, for the numbers and facts are on the side of armed, aggressive resistance. And anyone prone to research can discover so for themselves. But, then again, I shouldn't have to do so when addressing an audience of modern martial artists. An old adage states: "If you know you're going to a gunfight, bring a longarm." The complement to handgun usage is carbine/shotgun proficiency. There is no better home defense. Defensive pistol, at the very least, is vital to the martial artist. Knife or Stick Proficiency It is prudent to possess every tool and the need never arise to use one, than to have the need arise for a certain tool and not possess it. Such is the logic behind knife/stick proficiency. More often than not the majority of skills possessed by martial artists reflect their ancient heritage and many martial artists are trained in the use of the knife or stick. And this is a good thing. Times may arise where a gun is not readily accessible and the quickest option is to use a knife or a stick taken from the ground. Any advantage that can be gained should be gained and exploited. Fighting is not a game. The winner is he who walks away. Remember: there is no such thing as cheating. Life is not a match in a ring. If your opponent pulls a gun on you in a fight or a knife or attacks you with more than one person there is nothing unfair about that. There is no cheating there. You do what you must to survive and live on. There is nothing more to it. If you do not then you are the one left in the street dying or injured. Then you have lost and if luck is not on your side then you might die as well. Life is not a game to be gambled on such lofty and often life threatening concepts as honor in a fight. Honor in a fight is doing what you must to survive and having the opportunity to take another breath. There is not much more honorable than continuing to live to enjoy life with your loved ones. This does not mean that you have to kill everyone you fight, but it certainly means doing exactly what is necessary to ensure you are not killed. Honor is in living an honest life daily. Knowing how to use a knife or a stick is a practical addition to the combatives of the martial artist in the modern world. Empty Handed Proficiency I perhaps do not need to speak much on this topic, as I am addressing martial artists. The vast majority of which began their study in the empty hand concept. And, who also, the vast majority of are currently building strong proficiency in such functions. I will therefore simply emphasize that the foundation of proficient weapons fighting is strong empty hand fighting. There are principles built within the mind and the reflexes that only strengthen the armed fighter from the base of empty handed fighting. If all else fails you have your mind, your hands and your feet. Even without the tools of the modern and archaic day you are never unarmed. I'm not going to try and tell you what art is best or what system works best or what style you should take. That isn't the intent of this article. For now, I'll leave that to the individual martial artists to argue amongst themselves. No martial artist should be without the knowledge of fighting with just his hands. Community Awareness Programs/Neighborhood Watch Programs You want to fight crime in your area? Do you want to live in a safer environment and eventually eliminate the need for the combative martial artist? Though as a world this may never happen, you can affect a change in your neighborhood or your community. Crime fosters where it is least resisted. Crime is not about changing the community. It is about finding the easiest places to ferment. The same for criminals. They hunt for the easy prey. If they wanted the difficult livelihood they would go to school and join the rat race — the legal life is not easy. This is why criminals in prison state that it's not the police they fear, it's not even long prison sentences. It is the armed and strong civilian. More importantly it is the involved and intolerant (of crime) community. The law abiding citizenry far outnumbers the indolent criminal community. Though the criminal may not recognize this fact verbatim, they certainly feel it. Which is why crime thrives in slums in places where it is tolerated and why crime suffocates in neighborhoods where it is not tolerated. Crime is almost never effected by the number of police officers in a police force. There have been numerous studies. Response based versus incident based patrol patterns have very little impact on crime in any particular area. This is why police departments have been trying to implement policies of community based policing. Without going into detail of the various studies the only thing that truly affects crime is the involvement of the community. That is you and I. Do you know your neighbors? Can you recognize what cars they drive? Would you be able to identify an unusual vehicle on your street? Something as simple as that and the use of a telephone can have drastically effective results. It harms nothing to call in an unusual vehicle in your neighborhood to the police. If there is nothing amiss then it is a mere inconvenience to the driver, but the message sent to the neighborhood and to anyone who might be paying attention is that this neighborhood watches the backs of its neighbors. An anecdote: Two years ago when I moved into this house there was constant strange activity across the street. I got to know my neighbors and their habits. There was a series of burglaries. I began calling in strange vehicles out of the norm. Some people were caught. Some people involved moved out. Since then there has been no crime on my street. We fight crime not through vigilantism, but through active participation in our neighborhoods. And if our neighborhoods are too bad. Then we move. The most important asset you have to protect is your life and safety and the lives and safety of your loved ones. Do all that you can to protect them. The Warrior Spirit I have not attempted to go into vast detail concerning the combatives listed, nor have I given a comprehensive and exhaustive list of every combative a martial artist in the modern world should possess and be proficient in. It is enough that each martial artist understand that we live in a volatile world. We should not remain static in our progression as martial artists. There is much the world has to offer us in our development as martial artists. The warrior spirit is a rare thing to find among martial artists. But it is not the spirit that seeks war, but to prepare the soul. And this preparation does more than make us better fighters, it ultimately makes us better people seeking better communities.

Bienvenido

Congrats, menjo

There seems to be a promulgation of the thought that those with reach are * once you get within that range. Who here believes this? Let's not assume that someone with reach only is proficient at fighting with that advantage and that once you close in you will naturally be superior because of your lack of reach. Who's to say your inside game is better only because you have shorter arms? I'm 6'3" and have really good reach over just about everyone I fight/spar/train with. But, that doesn't mean that once they get close to me that my mind and body suddenly shut-off and I can't function properly. I assure you that my inside game is very, very good. My point is, there seems to be a lot of advice about simply getting beyond the reach, but little suggestion about what to do once you get there. It seems to be assumed that once you break the barrier you've magically won. I would work more on controlling your opponent better AND moving the distance into a range where YOU can attack effective, but definitely don't assume that simply getting close (i.e. beyond that long arm or leg) that you'll win easily.

And I carry a gun. Man is not bullet-proof last time I checked. That statement is, to me, nothing more than ego rather than an honest approach to self-defense. Remember, there are no rules on the street. The winner is the one who goes home alive. There is no cheating, no ref to call 'foul', and certainly no reason to walk around with an air of superiority simply because you have spent a few years learning how to use your hands and feet for more than walking and eating. If the thug uses a knife or a stick or even gun, is that not fair? It seems fair to me. Maybe he was just better prepared for the situation. The logic, "My empty-handed martial art is all the weapon I need" will get you hurt. Grow up. Ninjas don't dodge bullets. Every man can get hurt. When you approach a self-defense scenario the logic should be, "How am I going to go home?" Not, "what technique am I going to use against X attack?" I love it when people say that all they need are their hands and feet (and occasionally a brain-cell) and that they would never need a weapon. Usually, they are the same ones who claim weapon use is cheating or unfair or dishonorable in combat. I say losers usually whine the loudest. If you can't carry a weapon because of local laws, that's one thing; but, to choose to do so because of some delusion of martial arts 'power' or a twisted understanding of honor in combat is simply the product of an immature approach to real self-defense. So, whatever you choose to do do it with intent and honesty. It does no martial artist any good to delude himself. I will continue to carry a gun where I feel it appropriate and another weapon elsewhere. I honestly hope I never have to use them. And about feeling confident with one's empty-handed technique. Weapon study should never be about replacing your core fighting, but about supplementing them. But that has nothing to do with a real approach to self-defense. Which seems to be the major fault in the above quoted statement. If that is something your teacher taught you then I suggest finding a better teacher. Someone with a better understanding of real combat and not someone seeking to be 'better than a weapon'. Man has, for thousands of years, understood the basic concept that a weapon in your hand exponentially increases your ability to both defend and attack. Why would that logic change in a dojo?

As far as I am concerned, capoeira is not a martial art, but simply an artform. I believe that, for the sake of the popularity of the martial arts, some of its practicioners have attempted to market it as a martial art. But, for me, it is not. I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but I really do not consider it a martial art. I view it in the same light as I do ballet or contempory dance.

Everyday except Sunday. Or unless I am swamped with work, appointments, &c.

This may sound horribly simple, but if you want to be a longer reach you will have to control your opponent better. Try utilizing feigns. Get them to commit to a direction you won't be in and attack from another. You will also have to be faster. Work on building fast twitch muscles. If you are smaller try wearing them out. Don't let them hit you and move around until they tire out enough to become sloppy in teh execution of their technique and then take advantage of the opening. You should ask your teacher, too. They can see what you're doing (I cannot and can only surmise and offer general advise) and help you improve closing the distance into your domain.

This question is directed towards owners/instructors of schools. If you received a sales package(literature, DVD, photos) in the mail selling an 8 week seminar to your students on a topic not usually covered in your school's curriculum, would you be interested in purchasing such a program and then offering it to your students as an add-on to their training? For example, an 8 week Advanced Close Quarters Combat seminar taught saturday mornings by another instructor in your dojo covering advanced knife-fighting, stick-fighting, first-aid, and other topics pertinent to CQC. The guest-instructor would provide all materials, you are simply providing space and the opportunity to your students. The program charges you, the school, a program fee. You, then, determine how to disseminate that cost to your students. All students who successfully complete the 8 week seminar get a certificate, but all allegience remains with your school. The guest instructor is not looking to change the martial art of your students, but offer you a chance to offer your students some value-added training within your school. What do you think? Why would you say 'yes'? Why would you say 'no'? I see the advantage being to more traditional schools. This would give them the chance to offer something with a more modern feel to their students without the risk of losing their students to another school. They get to keep their students but give them something that feels different and something they can add into their arsenal. Th disadvantage I see in this would be the pride of the owner/instructor not wanting to admit that there is something their students can learn from someone else. Or perhaps a cost of around $2,000, but the cost would be recovered by selling the seminar to students as a program outside normal curriculum. As an owner/instructor I get to keep my students, but offer them some outside-the-box training that I get to turn around and use to motivate my students and keep their interest level-high in the school. What do you think? Any input would be appreciated.

Losing an eye during training is foolish and a waste of an eye, not a good trade. Losing an eye during a fight for your life and you still walk away alive is a good trade. I think you got the bad end of the deal. You lost an eye due to your realistic training, but now you're at a disadvantage for the real deal. Real weapons serve their training purpose, but that purpose is not to damage the student. Otherwise, what's the point? Getting i permanently njured during practice is simply stupid and a waste. Getting injured during a fight is just part of the fight and worth the exchange if you are the one who walks away alive.

Congratulations! Welcome to the world of firearms. Quite a unique experience. Especially if you've never fired a firearm before. Nothing like what's portrayed in movies, is it? The Sig is an excellent family of firearms as is the Bushmaster AR. Not too many people get to fire such quality weapons their first time. Personally, I have no taste for Ruger firearms or the Walther. Hope you continue to increase your firearms knowledge, experience, and safe-handling.

Get your friends to witness what he does then go file a restraining order against him. The Police will deliver the summons. The next time he comes close to you, remember every detail, make sure you have witnesses, and call the cops. If he hits you--he's toast. Let me explain what the results are for this guy if he is over 18 years old. He will get a permanent criminal record. You should press charges. Get a good lawyer and sue the guy for intimidation and emotional damage caused. The court and law are on your side. Depending on the local laws he could face misdemeanor or even felony charges. The city prosecutor will make that decision. More often than not they will plea bargain and he will serve less time, but in exchange for a guilty plea. This will hurt the guy the most. He will forever have to deal with the criminal record. This is worst than punching his lights out. Besides fighting isn't recommended. You said you don't have the training. It's not worth having this guy possibly open up on you and escalating a simple punch into a full on fight. You can ask the guy not to hit you any more. Maybe ask him why. He could just be getting off, an ego rush from it. Let the law screw with him. Finally, I would invest in some martial arts training. If you had been properly trained, you could possibly have nipped this thing in the bud from the beginning. But, only you have the full details. Seek legal advice. Go to the police station and let them know what's happening. They will give you some options.

I played the violin, but have not for over 12 years. I've played the guitar for about 20 years. I'm still not as good as my little brother. He can hear any song and sit down and play it. It's an amazing talent.

I'm fluent in Spanish, English, Tagalog, and Ilocano. Spanish is my first language. I went to school in the US, so that's why I'm fluent in English. I spent several years in the Philippines where I learned Tagalog and Ilocano. I speak Spanish, English, Tagalog, and Ilocano daily. Sometimes it can get very crazy. I'll be speaking tagalog to a tagalog speaker, then I'll turn to speak to a spanish speaker and say something in tagalog, but be thinking in spanish. Or I'll be speaking to an english speaker and say something in spanish, not knowing I said anything in spanish, or tagalog, or ilocano. I'm fine if I can speak one language at a time. It's when I'm translating all four of them at once. Not speaking all four, but translating all four. Crazy stuff.

You should craft the opening to grab the attention of the reader. The first chapter of a book is designed to hook a reader into wanting to read the rest of a book. If you waste time with detail, development, or long monologues you will lose your reader's interest. Open with a dilema or a statement or a situation in which the reader must turn the pages to discover what is going on. Curiosity killed the cat and it hooks reader's all the time. If you ever plan of getting published you will have to know that if you don't hook the submissions editor in the first pages your book will go to the slush pile and you will receive a nice little rejection letter in the mail. I would check out books on the craft of writing from Writer's Digest publishing. You must remember writing is a skill. There is technique involved. It is a craft that must be learned. Talent is only a portion of writing success. Talent provides the substance, technique provides the product.

makes no difference to me. I didn't run around looking for a MA woman when I did the dating thing. I just found my way to my wife. These things work out. You don't have to put a litmus test on the woman you're looking for. Your MA does not define who you are, it is an addition to who you are. It helps you become a better person, it doesn't define your person. Anybody can have a healthy attitude towards being fit without training in the martial arts. That's a choice made for lifestyle. Even many martial artists are in poor health because of the life they live outside the dojo. It didn't matter to me. I looked for someone I felt happy with. Someone that brightened my days. Someone I could talk about anything and be myself. And she found me. I couldn't honestly ask for anything more.

How to take down? Do you mean beat? Answer: Quickly. If you mean to the ground... Answer: Quickly.

In the state of Arizona: 99% justified. I cannot speak for other states. Also, I say 99% simply because you may think you know the judicial system and foresee the outcome of a case, but sursprises are always prevelant. Just to be safe, 99% justified. I would have most likely done something similar. Except, I carry a gun so I most likely would have simply shot the BG.

My left hand would be wielding the bottom half of my katana. which, for note, is 28 1/2" blade 14" tsuka.

Go for it. You only limit yourself when you think that way. True, there are advantages to starting in infancy, but none that you seemed to be concerned with. Your personal greatness is your personal challenge. What age you start at is almost irrelevant.

I lived in the Philippines for around 4 years. At first mosquito bites would wake me up. Of course, mosquitos in the Philippines are about the size of small rodents. Get too many bites and your body goes into blood-loss shock. After around two years mosquito bites stopped waking me up. The really bad ones used to the be the bites on my toes and the bites on my eyelids. I'm not sure if an immunity was developed or what, but I just adjusted to the bites and they didn't bother me after a couple years. It took two years before I could get a good night's rest. Mabuhay! MA

How can you tell they have experience in fighting, trained experience? What does that mean anyways? "Trained experience"? Every punk thug looks the same to me. How do you know if they have trained experience? Trained or not, I'd still shoot until threat removed.

How can you tell someone is trained simply by looking at them? Trained in the arts? What arts? Tai chi? Yoga? Krav Maga? BJJ? How can you tell they're semi-trained in the "arts"? You must be in the worst part of the worst town to simultaneously be witnessing a mugging and experiencing an attack. What on earth are you doing in that part of town anyways? I'm still flabbergasted at how you can tell someone is "trained in the arts" by simply looking at them as they prepare to mug you. As far as the other guy, the one getting mug, what do I care? I have three problems to deal with myself. Next time, the guy should stay out of that part of town. As for what I'm doing there, good question. I'd answer it, but I'm still trying to figure out how I can tell someone is "trained in the arts" by looking at them. The arts? As in theater? Orchestra? Painting? Sheesh! As for how I'd handle such a dismal situation? Shoot as many of the three as it would take to end the conflict and then call the police as soon as was safe. The other is simply SOL.