And all of a sudden, THAT happened! 3 Keys of Effective Self-Defense

Published: Thu, 07/08/21


I was in the Army and stationed in, what was then, West Germany, in this little berg called Butzbach.

I had just spent the night before on Charge-of-Quarters duty (basically it's when a non-commissioned officer (aka a sergeant) is minding the store when the commander and senior leadership has gone home for the night) and, instead of going home at 8am that morning, I got the extra bonus of spending the whole of the day up til now playing soldier because there was an alert drill which put all hands on deck.

So, everything's back to normal, my relief has taken over (he's going to be just as tired in the morning), and I'm heading out looking forward to a good night's sleep and a couple of days with my wife and kids.

I noticed the two soldiers from my unit enter the door at the end of the hallway - the door I was heading for.  They were room mates and apparently getting ready for a relaxing night in after all the Army "festivities."

The tall one, Lance, one of only two people I've ever met from Wyoming, was carrying a case of beer.  In front of him was John, jabbering with his mouth moving at a hundred miles a minute as usual.

I nodded and kept walking toward the same door they just came in.  I was exhausted and in no mood for more than a cordial nod.

Not listening to what John was going on about, I was completely surprised when John's face was in mine, his hands grabbing for my chest, and I suddenly heard, "And as for you!"

Without thinking, my arms came up to intercept and deflect his own and, shifting away from one of his arms and putting distance from a possible punch, I caught his other arm with a musha-dori (uplifting elbow, shoulder dislocation), took him off balance (without blowing his shoulder), off his feet, and down onto his back.  Kneeling ever him and still holding his captured arm with my other fist jacked and ready to finish the job, I suddenly heard him scream, "Whoa, whoa, whoa... I was just joking!"

Seeing through the haze of what the Grandmaster has referred to as budo-nerves, I saw the terror and surprise in his eyes which broke my state and returned me to normal.

I finished by taking the cocked fist and, relaxing it open, patted him on his cheek and said, "Oh, me too."

Releasing the lock and control I had on his arm, I got up, leaving him to pick himself up, and continued out the door and headed home for that much needed rest.

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Let me ask you a question...

When you think about self-defense situations, I mean actual life-threatening, survival-type, make-or-break attacks...

...what are the top three considerations for being effective?

Is it having strength, stamina, power, or a ton of way-cool, tricky, martial arts techniques?

While all of those things help to one extent or another, none of them really touches on the priorities that will help you to prevail in a life or death, self-defense, struggle against someone set on beating, breaking, or even killing you.

Don't get me wrong. It certainly helps to be the bigger, faster, stronger, or the more skilled combatant. But these things are only helpful if you're in a situation where they will serve you.

Let me explain it a different way.

Strength only matters if you are in a position, or can grab your assailant in a way, that allows you the use of your strength. And as for power...

... power is derived from size and motion. If an assailant jumps you and pins you to a wall or the floor, you will find it difficult to generate any sort of power as we normally think of it.

Stamina only matters if you're in a fight that's going to last minutes instead of seconds. Typically, karate and boxing tournaments have two minute rounds or bouts - MMA has 5 minute rounds. That's an eternity  in a life-and-death, self-defense situation where the goal is to get things over and done with in...

...less than 10 SECONDS!

That's it.  In fact, data shows that the average self-defense encounter, not a high school or bar fight for tough-guy (or girl) "bragging rights," is over in 2 - 10 seconds! Hell, even full on active shooter scenarios - the actual shooting by the aggressor - is over in less than 10 minutes. (A lot less time than the news reports showing the police and EMS on scene after the carnage is over... yes?)

As for knowing a lot of techniques, what can I say? Information is power, right?

But, ask yourself, how many techniques can you not only memorize, but remember... under pressure... under the influence of the fight-flight or freeze adrenal response... when some Jack Wagon is trying to beat, break, or kill you?!

And, what if you're new to this whole idea of self-defense? What if you just started taking classes or learning how to get away from a dangerous attacker? Or...

...what if, no matter how many techniques you know...

...your attacker is a better, more skilled, more experienced fighter... a more determined killer...?

Then what?

 

A Simple Formula

I've written and teach extensively about what I call, "The 8 Phases of an Effective Self-Defense Strategy."  This is designed to lead my students through just that, the phases that a self-defense situation can go through, and how to make sure that we have sufficient training to be able to operate effectively in each phase, or stage, of an attack.

Admittedly though, the 8 phases are the ideal - the best case we can hope for. They all function as they should when you have warning from your assailant and you can see things coming.

Often though, attacks happen with little or no warning at all. So, how do we trim even more off the top and come up with the minimum elements necessary to be able to come out of a situation with as little wear-and-tear as possible?

The key here is to focus on the situation that we're talking about. In the "8 Phases" formula, we can see the attack, or potential for danger, coming. So, we attempt things like... This is just a quick outline for our discussion here. If you aren't familiar with the "8 Phases For Effective Self-Defense," you can learn about them in "The Karate-Myth." It's a great resource for understanding the "science of self-defense" and how to make protecting yourself as easy as possible. And, of course, it's loaded with some really great and easy-to-learn techniques for stopping an attacker and putting him where he belongs... on the GROUND! I'm actually including "The Karate-Myth" (aka "The Science of Self-Defense") as well as ton of bonus reports and other courses in a new program I'll be opening the doors to in a couple of days for those looking for more than playing fantasy Ninja or Samurai.

Until then...

 

Just the Basics

When the attack comes with little-to-no warning. When it comes at us quickly and ferociously and we don't have the time for escape, let alone trying to distract or talk our assailant down, we need just the basic-basics...

...just like what I did when John tried pulling his little prank and I had no idea it wasn't a real attack.

So, the 3 Keys - the unbreakable elements of an effective self-defense strategy are...
 
Sounds simple, I know. But that's what training and a good teacher is for - to help you to do the tough things like controlling your fear, focusing under pressure, and teaching you the most effective ways to hit certain targets so you can end things as quickly as possible.

Remember, you can have whatever theories you want in life. You can have your favorite style, teacher, techniques, or whatever. But, when the rubber-meets-the-road, so-to-speak, and you're face-to-face with your worst nightmare...

...you must pay attention, stay focused, and do what works!
 
This article is copyright (C)by Jeffrey M. Miller and Warrior Concepts International, Inc.