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The Most Fierce Improvised Weapon – The Scythe!

June 22, 2020 By Self Defense Tutorials

The Most Fierce Improvised Weapon – The Scythe!

I recently came across one of the cooler martial arts videos I've seen in a while. In this video a couple of Dutch Historical European Martial Arts practitioners demonstrate scythe techniques. The techniques they're showing come from German martial arts manual written in the 1500's. The large hooked blade, very pointy tip, and offset handles make the scythe a very … [Read more...]

How Hard Should You Go In Sparring?

June 7, 2020 By Stephan Kesting

How Hard Should You Go In Sparring?

How hard should you go in sparring? That's a good question! At one end of the spectrum you have light, relaxed and friendly sparring. And at the other end you have fights to the death that would make Roman gladiators proud. I once asked a Judo coaches whether I should go light or hard in the sparring part of class, and his answer has stuck with me ever … [Read more...]

MMA Fighter Fights for His Life in Home Invasion

April 9, 2020 By Stephan Kesting

MMA Fighter Fights for His Life in Home Invasion

On Sunday April 5th, 2020, at 4 am in the morning, MMA fighter Anthony Smith found himself in the fight of his life to protect his wife and kids. He went from being sound asleep to fighting an intruder a few seconds later who just wouldn't quit no matter what was thrown at him. What might sound strange is that he 6' 4", 230 lb, highly athletic, super conditioned fighter … [Read more...]

Martial Art Ranges for Fighting

November 23, 2018 By Stephan Kesting

Martial Art Ranges for Fighting

There are many different ways to classify martial arts ranges, but one relatively simple method way to divide all combat up into 5 distances... Projectile range (guns, javelins, arrows, thrown rocks, etc.) Handheld weapons range (sticks, swords, handheld spears, knives, clubs, etc.) Striking range (punches, kicks, elbows, knees, headbutts, etc.) Clinching range … [Read more...]

Which Martial Art is Best? Why Context Is Everything…

September 5, 2018 By Stephan Kesting

Which Martial Art is Best?  Why Context Is Everything…

"Which martial art is best?"  Ah, the old argument that never dies... I really like what Dan Inosanto told me once. Back when he was a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne there was a lot of rivalry between the soldiers who trained in the martial arts. Some thought that boxing was the best, others argued for the supremacy of karate, others for judo, others for … [Read more...]

A 5 Second Self Defense Exercise That Could Save Your Life

April 25, 2018 By Stephan Kesting

A 5 Second Self Defense Exercise That Could Save Your Life

STOP what you're doing and try this SUPER-QUICK mental exercise... Imagine you're exactly where you are now (lying in bed, sitting on the bus, working at your desk, whatever)... But now you know for sure that you're about to be attacked! The guy is bigger than you and possibly armed with a knife...   For whatever reason, you can't run... You have 5 seconds to get … [Read more...]

Critical Weapon Drills: Double Stick Sinawali

March 7, 2018 By Stephan Kesting

Critical Weapon Drills: Double Stick Sinawali

To be a complete martial artist you need to be semi-familiar with how to handle weapons, including sticks, knives, flexible weapons, firearms, etc. After all, if you end up in a serious confrontation and there's a tool handy then you'd be a fool to duke it out empty handed. To help you with becoming better rounded let's take a look at one of the most important drills from … [Read more...]

What Are the Most Powerful Strikes with a Stick?

February 6, 2018 By Stephan Kesting

What Are the Most Powerful Strikes with a Stick?

OK, you're walking down the street and three guys jump out at you... You have to fight; you can't run, but there is a stick close to your feet. Do you A) ignore the stick and defend yourself with the third technique from the second kata, or B) you pick up the stick and start swinging for the fences? In 99% of cases the right answer the answer is B - use the bloody … [Read more...]

Improvised Weapons Found in the Street

November 10, 2017 By Stephan Kesting

Improvised Weapons Found in the Street

Wherever you are right now as you're reading this, look up and try to spot three different improvised weapons you could grab if an attack was imminent. Seriously: if you're at home pretend that you've got 5 seconds to get your hands on something because someone's breaking in. What exactly are you going to grab?  And if you can't get your hands on that object, what's your … [Read more...]

Countering Made Easy, with Examples from the Filipino Martial Arts and Kickboxing

October 10, 2017 By Stephan Kesting

Countering Made Easy, with Examples from the Filipino Martial Arts and Kickboxing

There's a Filipino martial arts demonstration I saw once which really impressed me. A teacher and his student stood facing each other, and the student, armed with stick in hand, was swinging the stick in fast, powerful figure 8's in the air ahead of him.  The teacher stood just out of range and waiting impassively.  Then slowly - almost leisurely - he walked towards his … [Read more...]

Self Defense Against a Stick Attack

September 26, 2017 By Stephan Kesting

Self Defense Against a Stick Attack

Let's talk about self defense against a stick attack. And keep in mind that this information also applies to bats, saps, batons, clubs, tactical flashlights, or pieces of 2x4 lumber.  We're just using the word 'stick' as shorthand, because the principles and techniques are the same for dealing with all blunt weapons. First I'll give you the information in video form (this … [Read more...]

The Best Steel for Self Defense Knives

August 31, 2017 By Stephan Kesting

The Best Steel for Self Defense Knives

As you may or may not know, I have a podcast called "The Strenuous Life Podcast." This podcast has a very strong martial arts focus, and in the latest episode (079) I have an in-depth conversation about the best kind of steel for knives with metalworker and knife expert Zoltan Schubert. I found this a really enlightening discussion it really helped me understand the … [Read more...]

How to Make Sure Your Martial Art Will Work in the Street

June 2, 2017 By Stephan Kesting

How to Make Sure Your Martial Art Will Work in the Street

You may train in a martial art, but will your techniques really work in the street, in real life, against a real attacker? This is a question a lot of martial artists wrestle with... No matter what martial art you are learning, there are countless techniques you will be trying to master and then combine to serve various purposes.  It can be overwhelming, and even once you … [Read more...]

Defanging the Snake – a Critical Concept in the Filipino Martial Arts

March 29, 2017 By Stephan Kesting

Defanging the Snake – a Critical Concept in the Filipino Martial Arts

I'm not saying that you need to be able to twirl double nunchucks or anything, but if you're interested in self defense then it's definitely a good idea to learn a little bit about weapons. (Most of the people you run into will have NO idea of what they're doing with weapons, so even a little knowledge will go a long way.) When it comes to handheld weapons like sticks, … [Read more...]

Face Your Fears

February 7, 2017 By Stephan Kesting

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...]

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Recent Articles

Back Pain from Martial Arts Training

Back Pain from Martial Arts Training

Almost every martial artist experiences back pain at some point in their training. It hurts like hell and brings your training to a screeching halt. And in the worst case some people are even permanently sidelined by it. Understanding what’s causing your pain, changing your movement patterns to prevent it, and implementing ‘spinal hygiene’ so […]

Kime in Martial Arts is Mostly a Bad Idea…

Kime in Martial Arts is Mostly a Bad Idea…

The idea of ‘Kime’ is very widespread in Japanese martial arts like Karate, and is also found in Okinawan and Chinese Martial Arts. While the term can be translated as ‘intent’ or ‘decision’ the truth is that, most of the time, it’s used to describe that robot-like freezing used all the time in kata and […]

The Trap of Placating Your Ego with Terrible Form

The Trap of Placating Your Ego with Terrible Form

Over 40 years of martial arts training I figure I’ve done something like 500,000 pushups. Practice makes perfect, so with that many reps under my belt you’d probably think I’d be good at them, right? Sadly the answer is a resounding “No!” Or, more precisely, the answer is “Not right now” You see, 9 months […]

The Most Fierce Improvised Weapon – The Scythe!

The Most Fierce Improvised Weapon – The Scythe!

I recently came across one of the cooler martial arts videos I’ve seen in a while. In this video a couple of Dutch Historical European Martial Arts practitioners demonstrate scythe techniques. The techniques they’re showing come from German martial arts manual written in the 1500’s. The large hooked blade, very pointy tip, and offset handles […]

Recent Articles

  • Back Pain from Martial Arts Training
  • Kime in Martial Arts is Mostly a Bad Idea…
  • The Trap of Placating Your Ego with Terrible Form
  • The Most Fierce Improvised Weapon – The Scythe!
  • How Hard Should You Go In Sparring?

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