In other articles and videos I've talked about the best ways to knock somebody out. And there’s an old tough guy saying that goes something like this… “If we fight there are only going to be three hits: I hit you, you hit the ground, and the ambulance hits 60.” While that’s a funny thing to growl out in a droll John Wayne accent it also brings up a deadly serious … [Read more...]
Best Takedowns for Self Defense
I've never advocated that every fight go to the ground; sometimes it's the right decision and sometimes it's not. The fact is that street situations are far too variable to have a one-size-fits-all approach. That being said, taking a fight to the ground is an important tool to have in your toolbox. For example that option could prevent someone from running away, or if your … [Read more...]
Face Your Fears
My mom grew up in the German speaking part of Switzerland in the 1950s, and occasionally she would reminisce about her high school and college teachers. I was always intrigued by her stories about the old teachers - the regal "Herr Professor Doktors" - who proudly sported big scars on their faces, tokens of a time when they themselves had engaged in a strange custom known as … [Read more...]
Can You Grapple Against Multiple Opponents?
It’s the stuff of countless action films…and your worst nightmare. You find yourself facing more than one attacker, trying to surround you... But now things get even worse. They rush you and you find yourself on the ground grappling multiple opponents. Is it really possible to grapple against multiple opponents in this sort … [Read more...]
A Killer Car and a Horrifying Lack of Awareness
Here's a real-life situation that I came across in my newsfeed recently. A Porshe and a BMW collide on the street, and the male driver of the Porshe storms out of his car. He circles the BMW while yelling at the female driver... He bangs on her hood with his hands... Then he tries to force open her doors open... Threatening behaviours all round. Next he goes to check … [Read more...]
Self Defense Against a Lapel Grab
Today we're going to talk about self defense vs a lapel grab, a classic problem that every martial arts student needs several solutions to. Notice I said 'several solutions', and that's because any one technique can never be equally applicable to all situations. If a crazed serial killer is coming after you with a hatchet then morally (and, in most places, … [Read more...]
Awareness – the Single Most Important Factor in Self Defense
There are many different aspects of self defense, including everything from weapons, to striking, to clinching, to wrestling on the ground. But there's one particular aspect to protecting yourself that's hands down more important than all the rest combined... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yR2iVwkCfM It's not your striking. You might have a killer … [Read more...]
The Many Areas of Self Defense
Imagine you're in the stereotypical self defense situation: you're walking down a dark street, someone lunges out from a dark alley and grabs you. Responding quickly you break his grips, kick his legs out from under him, and knock him out with a punch from knee mount. This is a situation where your striking and grappling abilities made the difference. Had you not known … [Read more...]
How to Survive a Flurry of Punches
There are lots of techniques out there to defend against a single punch or kick. Personally that reminds me of the old-fashioned one-step sparring in Karate; stilted, mechanical, and completely unrealistic. The sad reality is that if someone is sufficiently motivated to attack you then they're probably NOT just going to throw a single punch. And if they've done … [Read more...]
Review of “The Gift of Fear” by Gavin De Becker
This book has remained one of the most widely read books on violence since it was published more than two decades ago. So why should you read it? Gavin De Becker is one of the leading experts in security and violence prevention in America. No, not just because he has a website that says so. He designed the threat identification system that is currently used in America to … [Read more...]
The Constant Vigilance Mindset
The most dangerous attack is the one you don’t see coming. If you can’t see it coming, you are caught unprepared and your odds of injury increase dramatically. When people think of self defense situations, they think about bar brawls, or possibly muggings. Fair enough. All the focus is then on physical maneuvers to protect yourself and inflict damage on your attacker. In … [Read more...]
5 Most Important Self Defense Lessons from Jiu-Jitsu
Why You Need a Basic Knowledge of Grappling Of course there's more to self defense than grappling, but at the same time if you're interested in self defense in the modern age then you absolutely must have a basic understanding of the ground game. In addition to grappling you also need to understand striking ranges, the basics of weaponry and weapons defense, situational … [Read more...]
Lt Colonel Dave Grossman on Killing
Lt Colonel Dave Grossman talks with Alan Gregg about the act of killing another human being. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_r5UB55Ch0&t=23s “On Killing”- the real deal from Lt. Col Dave Grossman In this fascinating interview Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman talks about the reality of killing another human being. Through years of research in the armed … [Read more...]
Navy SEAL and BJJ Black Belt Jocko Willink on Which Martial Art to Learn First
Jocko Willink is a former Navy Seal with his own podcast (The Jocko Podcast), but he's also a high level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. In the following segment he talks with Echo Charles about why Jiu-jitsu is the most important martial art to learn first. Just click play on the video below to start the conversation at the correct point, but for your convenience we've … [Read more...]