Budo Blog

Book review - Taiho Jutsu The Art Of Arrests

2012-02-29T07:06:00.000-08:00

This blog was supposed to be a review of the Taiho Jutsu Minnesota – Takedowns Seminar. With answers to the big questions I asked last blog and training advice on how to implement what we learned.

Man plans God laughs

I have been working on that class for over 6 weeks. My whole family was excited to have a long weekend in Mankato (Grandma Ronny’s birthday was that weekend too). I was going to Roll with Rudenick Sensei at his Judo Dojo in the morning, eat lunch then teach all afternoon at Gus’s Dojo. Then eat dinner and drink a couple of adult type beverages. Perfect weekend, a little bit a Valhalla right here on Earth.

But instead…..

Thursday night after class I had some water and my stomach felt funny. Lise drove home from the Dojo and I had to focus so as not to puke all over her car. The second I walked into my house that focus was broken and I got sick.

Violent spasaming, convulsing, like a guy changing into a werewolf in a movie type heaving sick. This continued from when I walked in the door at 11pm ever 30-45 minutes until 6am Friday morning.

Wow that sucked! As miserable as that was, what was worse was the realization that I wouldn’t feel better in time to salvage my kickass weekend. Even if I did it wouldn’t be fair to expose Cops and other Dojos to what ever demon virus that had beat the living shit out of me for the last 36 some odd hours.

So a Taiho Jutsu Minnesota – Takedowns Seminar review blog will be coming. Just not today, but it has been awhile since I blogged.

Instead of training I read, so this blog will be a book review.

http://www.amazon.com/TAIHO-JUTSU-Multilingual-Steven-Kaplan/dp/1456842420

Taiho Jutsu

The art of arrests

By Steven Kaplan and Jeffery Kaplan

Summary

Steven Kaplan studied martial arts under Larry Lent a graduate of the grueling Air Force Strategic Air Command Combative Measures Program at the Kodokan. This book explores the Taiho Jutsu that emerged from that program and compares and contrasts Taiho Jutsu to other Law Enforcement defensive tactics and Military combative measures programs

What I liked

The history of the US Air Force Strategic Air Command Combative Measures Program. Phil Porter Sensei was an American pioneer in Japanese martial arts and a graduate of the SAC program. Through Porter’s student (my teacher) Steve Jimerfield the SAC program directly influenced what I teach. So it was very interesting for me to learn more about this program, and fun for me to recognize major portions of it.

Including:

The emphasis placed on tai sabaki

How tai sabaki is the link between the different father arts of Taiho Jutsu (Judo, Aikido, Karate)

How that tai sabaki can be enhanced with traditional weapons training (Kenjutsu, Jojutsu, Tanto Jutsu)

You may notice that I have blogged on those topics in the past. It was cool for me to read my ideas supported by a different source. (Everybody love to be right…right?)

What I didn’t like

The book gets a little Ameri-do-te like. Best of all, worst of none. Why Taiho Jutsu is great and this art (insert art here) is ok but not as good as Taiho Jutsu over and over again.

I agreed with most of what he wrote, and I love Taiho Jutsu. I teach Taiho Jutsu full time. But even I was like Ok enough is enough already Taiho Jutsu is great we get it.

Also the nearly non stop defining the difference between the “short” program and Taiho Jutsu as taught in a Dojo setting with a Kyu / Dan system was tedious. Even then, flipping back and fourth between the two variations was confusing.

To compound this repetition there are at least 2 chapters “Improvisation in Taiho Jutsu” and “Advice against a Boxer” that are repeated verbatim twice in the book.

This book would have been much better if they had a professional editor with no martial arts experience proof read and check for understandability.

Conclusion

All and all I enjoyed this book

Recommendation

If you are interested in the history of the US Air Force Strategic Air Command Combative Measures Program or Japanese martial arts I would suggest reading this book.

You can get nearly the entire book here for free

http://ustjf.us/news/_news.html#other

Train hard, Train smart, Be safe

Edo Machi-kata Taiho Jutsu

2012-02-16T14:16:00.000-08:00

If you are reading this blog I have to assume that you are interested in / actively training in - the martial arts.

So let me start this blog by asking, why did you get into martial arts?

For me it started when I was a kid. I wanted to be like Snake Eyes from G.I. Joe.

Latter I wanted to kick ass like Steven Seagal. I’m sure many of you reading this have similar stories (if you are honest with yourselves).

Martial Arts are cool, and they are fun.

As I became a Police Officer, and then a SWAT Operator I become more interested in the practical elements than the cool and fun aspects of training. Martial Arts were designed for guys with a job to do just like mine. I became (am still) very interested in what worked then, why it worked, and how it is applicable today.

But even with that relatively small specialized focus, martial arts are still cool, and they are still fun.

It used to drive me crazy that more Law Enforcement and Military Operators didn’t train on a regular basis. Hell I’ve probably ranted about that on this blog 50 times. It used to drive me crazy until I realized I was an addict. Luckily for me I’m addicted to something that is beneficial, but I’m addicted all the same.

Looking at it that way I was mad that non addicts were not addicted to what I’m addicted to.

So where am I going with this?

Recently I received an email asking me about the Edo Machi-kata Taiho Jutsu organization. I am the Regional Representative for United States of America (Midwest Region) of this organization.

As I was answering the question I realized that I have never really wrote about it here.

Here is a link to the website:

http://www.e-budokai.com/

This is my approach to the Organization. This organization does not dictate which approach you choose to take. It encourages members to train in what ever aspects of Taiho Jutsu they are passionate about and share that training with the rest of the organization.

The aspect of Taiho Jutsu I’m most passionate about is modern practical application for Law Enforcement and Military. Others focus on ancient weapons techniques like the Jutte used in Kenjutsu to arrest sword wielding samurai with out killing them.

Edo Machi-kata Taiho Jutsu is dedicated to researching, preserving, and disseminating information about traditional Japanese arresting arts and implements.

Members include a diverse group of martial arts enthusiasts with interests ranging from traditional Japanese styles to modern law enforcement arresting techniques.

All martial arts practitioners, instructors, students, and scholars interested in studying taiho jutsu are welcome.

Some taiho jutsu techniques have been adopted and modified for more contemporary law enforcement applications. Based on martial art styles from the Japanese feudal era, modern forms of taiho jutsu are frequently an essential part of training programs for many police agencies today. Law enforcement officers in countries around the world often rely on modern taiho jutsu to safely arrest and detain suspects.

Some of the things I like best about this organization is that it has no strict curriculum. As I mentioned before this organization does not dictate which approach you choose to take. It encourages members to train in what ever aspects of Taiho Jutsu they are passionate about and share that training with the rest of the organization.

When we get together I can learn some Kenjutsu, the Goshin Jutsu Kata from Judo, or evasion techniques form Tomiki Aikido or Nihon Jujutsu. I can take what I feel is applicable to what I do and bring that back to my students. Likewise Kenjutsu, Judo, Aikido, and Jujutsu instructors can learn some of the combatives that I teach. They can see the roots in their arts and bring that Oyo waza or practical application back to their students.

I usually pick up something or get a new perspective on other things I’ve been doing for a long time. Bottom line even if I don’t it is a reminder that martial arts are still cool, and they are still fun.

Also because there is no strict no strict curriculum no rank is offered. That way the organization avoids the politics and bullshit power struggles that all too often destroy martial arts organizations. There is no rank, so there is no power. I don’t tell the Kenjutsu guys how to run their business. Nor do people who have never arrested anyone in their life tell me how to do mine. We remain a group of guys that have a common interest in Japanese martial arts and enjoying exchanging what we know with each other.

Addicts seeking out other addicts if you will. Instead of trying to understand why others don’t train or trying to force others to train.

Because there is no strict no strict curriculum and no rank is offered no fees are charged either. If you are interested in Japanese martial arts and you want exchange your expertise with other Budo parishioners look into joining.

Membership

Petitions for membership must include a detailed outline of martial arts experience as well as a brief statement explaining why you are interested in traditional Taiho jutsu.

Completed membership petition forms may be submitted via e-mail to the director or printed and mailed to the appropriate regional representative.

Please fill out the membership petition from this link

http://www.e-budokai.com/members/Membership%20Petition.pdf

If you live in the Midwest send it to me at

kasey.keckesien@ci.mounds-view.mn.us

If not find out who your Regional Director is and tell them Kasey sent ya

Train hard, Train smart, Be safe

Minnesota Nice

2012-02-08T07:35:00.000-08:00

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/d54927aeca1144d9bd83131e01686c7c/MN--Longville-Homicide/

WALKER, Minn. — A northern Minnesota man is charged with fatally stabbing another man after an argument at a party last weekend.

Cass County prosecutors charged 23-year-old Frank Jesse LaRose of Longville with second-degree murder.

According to the complaint, LaRose became agitated during a party and started arguing with 31-year-old James Elmberg of Walker.

A witness says LaRose approached Elmberg as if to hug him but actually stabbed him in the chest. Another witness saw LaRose carrying two knives across the room.

Officers recovered two knives from the kitchen sink. One blade appeared to have blood on it.

Elmberg died at Crosby Hospital. LaRose caught a ride and was later arrested at a nearby home.

Bail for LaRose is set at $500,000. He does not have an attorney yet and remains in jail.

Here is a real world example of using social skills for asocial violence

It can sound like:

Hey man you got a light?

What time is it?

How do I get to here on this map?

This both splits the victim’s attention and gives the predator a socially acceptable pretense to close distance.

LaRose is arguing with Elmberg. They are pissed at each other. Awe, I’m sorry man come here and give me a hug.

Do you train against this type of attack - grab and stab / hand shake shank?

Or do you train from distances and attacks that work best for the defenses you already know?

"Like most beginners you stabbed me wrong..."

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/02/07/charges-man-shot-bouncer-after-being-kicked-out-of-bar/

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 27-year-old man has been accused of shooting the bouncer of a Minneapolis club after he was kicked out for disruptive behavior.

James David Wren of Minneapolis was charged with second-degree attempted murder and prohibited person in possession of a firearm, which are both felonies.

According to the criminal complaint, on Jan. 1, 2012, Wren was kicked out of the Sound Bar by a bouncer. Wren then allegedly made threatening gestures to the security.

Later, at 3:30 a.m., the bouncer left work in his vehicle. While driving, a large SUV pulled up alongside him. Inside, the bouncer told police there were at least four people looking at him.

Then, the SUV backed up and the bouncer realized he was shot. He then fled the scene and was able to stop police officers.

It was later determined that a bullet entered his body through his right shoulder and travelled through his chest cavity, where it lodged itself in his lower left chest cavity. The bullet was removed in surgery.

A police investigation was able to identify the owner of the SUV. In an interview, the owner said Wren told him to follow the bouncer’s vehicle and that Wren fired one shot at the vehicle, the complaint said.

If convicted, Wren could face up to 20 years in prison.

What can we take from this?

I don’t have any Borne Identity commando bullet proof driving tips to offer.

We can take from this:

Leave a face saving way out for everybody

“Hey, thank you for not putting up a fight. I know you could have given me a rough time if you chose to”

It doesn’t cost you any thing. It saves face for the person you arrested / escorted out. And has a secondary effect of making him think - Holy shit I was fighting as hard as I could and this guy thinks I wasn’t doing anything! I’d hate to see what this guy does when he thinks he is in a real fight.

It isn’t over until it is over. If face is lost it has to be regained somehow. Maybe that means finding an easier target – girlfriend or kids when he gets home. Maybe that means using asocial skills (drive by) for social reasons (status in his group)

The monkey brain can’t distinguish between humiliation and death. If you have taken away someone’s pride away be extra vigilant because they me be coming back for it.

Train hard, train smart, be safe

The bigger they are the harder they fall…really???

2012-02-07T08:39:00.000-08:00

The next meeting / training clinic of Taiho Jutsu Minnesota is 2/25/12 at Mankato Martial Arts in Mankato MN

http://katomma.com/

The training topic of the month is Takedowns. As I’ve mentioned before besides training these clinics are designed to allow trainers and operators to brain storm ideas and solutions to problems encountered in the field.

Skull sweat, thinking, problem solving, pressure testing – banging out solutions.

I can never guarantee that other trainers will bring up issues they are having at the class. So I take an issue I am facing and incorporate into the lesson plan.

Last month the discussion topic was developing ways to actively train watching for and reacting to pre-attack indicators. The results of that generated my last two blogs.

This time, to further foster brainstorming and garner more input from other Instructors I’m going to e-mail the Taiho Jutsu Minnesota network the discussion topic / question ahead of time. And post it here as well. That way they will have a couple of weeks to think about it before the training and I’m not just springing it on them.

Those of you reading this that will not be at the training in Mankato feel free to include your ideas on the comment section. I’d like to your feedback on this too.

"Turn around and put your hands behind your back - bub"

Discussion Topic: Fighting outside your weight class

The bigger they are the harder they fall

Most Law Enforcement DT Instructors and Military Combatives instructors are large males in good physical condition. Traditionally these men are set in front of a recruit class as an exemplar. This is what you should strive to be. These men generally have been successful in the field and have returned to teach what has worked for them.

Returned to teach what has worked for large men in good physical condition.

That is who trained most of us, and that is what they have trained us in.

Today’s topic of discussion -

What do you teach:

Small stature operators
Out of shape operators
Older operators

That works to control aggressive, large men, in good physical condition who want to harm them?

Ideally everyone in Law Enforcement and the Military would be lean and mean. Unfortunately anyone who has taught these groups knows that is not the case.

Operators outside the large fit male demographic will have difficulty with techniques and strategies that only work for large fit males – duh

Many things can be overcome through hard work and training. However, Operators who put themselves outside that demographic due to poor lifestyle choices have proven they will not do the hard work necessary on their own.

As Instructors we take on a large responsibility. We take on the responsibility to keep our guys safe. Even those guys that won’t take that responsibility for themselves. If they get hurt or killed we will have to live with the question – what else could I have done to help them?

You can push for higher standards and testing. You can push for more training. But what can you do right now with the resources you have?

For civilian instructors that train Law Enforcement / Military, who is your nightmare opponent?

- Bigger

OK, how much bigger?

– 3 weight classes up

UFC weight classes:

Heavyweight - Over 205 lbs. to 265 lbs.
Light Heavyweight - Over 185 lbs. to 205 lbs.
Middleweight - Over 170 lbs. to 185 lbs.
Welterweight - Over 155 lbs. to 170 lbs.
Lightweight - Over 145 lbs. to 155 lbs.

So 60 to 100 pounds heavier

- Stronger

OK, How much stronger?

50%

- Meaner – disregards the rules, wants to hurt you

Fighting this guy would suck!

Now let’s give him the 1^st attack by surprise from behind.

Do you have anything that can handle this nightmare?

This nightmare is what women face every minute of every day.

If you don’t have anything that can beat that nightmare opponent, what are you teaching as women’s self defense? What are you teaching cops?

The terms “fighting” and “weight class” have sport connotations. The purpose of the question is to get Instructors out of a sports mind set.

Originally Judo had no weight classes. You learned what worked for you against opponents of all different sizes.

I am not advocating complex Judo throws for Law Enforcement.

However, I hope asking these question and the training that results from striving to answer them will help operators:

Discover the principles of what makes those throws possible.
Be able to teach those principles to others.
And that the people they teach are able to use those principles to improvise / spontaneously create throws under pressure against a resisting subject that is larger than them.

I look foreward to your input on this.

Train hard, train smart, be safe

How to become a Werewolf – and other lies we tell children

2012-01-22T15:34:00.000-08:00

This is a direct follow up / clarification of the last blog.

Specifically Operators adapting a predator mindset.

I had a long discussion with Marc MacYoung on the topic. After the chat I wanted to make sure that any Operator reading the last blog wouldn’t take only part of the information and get himself in trouble with it.

I am grateful I have friends that push me to higher levels. Surround yourself by the best people that will tolerate you.

Interpersonal violence is a vastly deep subject and there are no easy answers.

But there are knowable factors that you can use and control to your advantage. This, however, requires skull sweat and you not buying into simplistic answers like “always stay five feet away”

So, let’s look a little deeper into the use of predator tactics.

Last blog I used the example of a Lion (Leo, L.E.O. - Law Enforcement Officer – get it?).

For ease of reference this blog I’ll use the example of the wolf.

But first there some other “Animals” we need to understand.

The Lizard [Hind Brain]

Survival instinct (rhythm, and ritual)

Oldest part of the physical brain

In emergencies it has the power to hijack the brain

Fight flight freeze

Whatever you are doing hasn’t gotten you killed yet

Keep doing it

Any change may kill you

The Monkey [Limbic System]

Emotion

Social behavior

Does not distinguish between humiliation and death

Extremely emotional

Functions below (faster than) conscience thought

Seems rational

Most conflict is at this level

When death is abstract monkey can override the lizard

The “Human” [Neo Cortex]

Rational thinking

Judgment

Where we think we always are

Deals with concrete problems strategically

Instinct and wisdom

It is the new kid on the block and subordinate to the other brains

Must be trained to trust human brain under stress

The thing about adopting Predator tactics is the Monkey recognizes a predator, or at least that it’s not dealing with another Monkey.

This results in different consequences

· Monkey

· Spooked Monkey

· Super Monkey

Monkey

When you approach a Monkey as a predator, the Monkey recognizes the Predator. Or at least that it’s not dealing with another monkey. The Monkey doesn’t want to get eaten so it doesn’t bother with the social dominance games and plays ball.

The Monkey is smart enough when it recognizes a predator to STFU as the lizard or human takes over.

Like the old yes maybe no person model. There are no yes people only maybes and nos. This interaction turns maybes in to yes’s. Ideal for minimizing the need for force.

Spooked Monkey

Safely closing distance and placing yourself in a position where you are relatively safe but the subject is vulnerable to you sends a definite but subconscious “not to be fucked with vibe” which may prevent the need for force.

However, this subconscious vibe you are sending may also spook the shit out of some people. They might not know why but they may feel the need to fight. Turning a maybe person into a no person

A Spooked Monkey sees a predator and physically attacks – even if the predator isn’t intending to.

Super Monkey

There was a time that every adult male in the process of growing up faced a situation where you had to either swallow your pride or swallow your blood. Or in other words if you didn’t shut the fuck up you were going to get your ass kicked. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but a valuable one. One that prevents future ass kickings in adulthood.

However, in our softer Oprah-fied America there are more and more young men who have never faced that situation or learned its lessons. These young men are spoiled, entitled, and self-righteous. They are the super Monkeys

When a super Monkey sees predator it feels threatened, but it doesn’t actually see the danger. The 'danger' it senses is that the tactics it relies on aren't working. That it is powerless in this situation using those tactics. So it tries the same old tactics only louder and more in your face. The closer to violence you get, the worse their behavior becomes

No one likes to feel threatened. The super monkey is offended that it is being hunted and because it’s never had to swallow its pride it ”ups” its monkey behavior or freaks out. Super Monkeys feel justified in being an asshole and are going to be an even bigger asshole to any predator that threatens their social status. To the Super Monkey it is all about the “emotional win”.

Being a predator to prevent violence will increase the need for violence when dealing with a super monkey

So you can see the need for clarification from last blog. The strategy I suggested only works in 1 of 3 scenarios and may make 2 of 3 scenarios worse

So, why do I recommend it?

Super Monkeys aren’t just civilians and criminals. I have to train an entire generation of Super Monkeys to be professionals

More and more cops are being killed because these Super Monkeys have never gotten their ass kicked, nor have they avoided getting their ass kicked by swallowing their pride. So they don’t recognize the signs that an as kicking is coming their way.

The 1^st step in changing this is adapting a predator mindset. As stated before that may only work in 1 of 3 scenarios, but it works better than approaching it as a Super Monkey, or even worse a lamb.

So the 1^st step is a lie we tell children

When your four year old asks you where babies come from, you don’t go into scientific detailed information. You don’t lie to them, you give them only the information they can handle at the time. But information they need to know now in order to progress to higher levels later

Being a wolf is the information a monkey or a lamb that wants to be an Operator can handle while they are still monkeys or sheep. It will allow them to become Werewolves later

A wolf stacks everything possible in their favor before they engage.

They assume force will be necessary and set the stage accordingly.

The “prey” shouldn’t even know they were in a “fight” until it’s over and they are controlled / physically restrained.

Wolves have a job to do. They don’t get caught up in social dominance games. If they have to hunt in a pack (call for / wait for back up) they will. Not because they are weak, but because they are smart. They are concerned with the most efficient way to get the job done. Not who gets the credit or how cool they look doing it.

These are all things Operators need to learn. Once these things are learned the deeper information can be explored.

For example the trick to making this tactic work in all 3 scenarios is being a predator without letting the prey know that you are one, or that they are being hunted

The term a wolf in sheep’s clothing may spring to mind but it’s more a case of being a fully competent human.

Your Monkey, Lizard, and Human (the ultimate predator) brains all working together, all doing what they do best.

An example of this is the “charm predator”

A charm predator will isolate the victim from the rest of the heard

Use other predators to cut off all escape routes

Now it needs to close distance without spooking the prey or dancing with a super monkey

This is usually done with social skills (this is where the monkey is helping the human/predator)

It sounds like:

Hey man you got a light?

What time is it?

How do I get to here on this map?

You want some candy?

Have you seen my puppy?

This both splits the prey’s attention and gives the predator a socially acceptable pretense to close distance

The charm predator went into this fully prepared to use violence, but his job is easier if he doesn ‘t have to. At this point he will show a weapon and threaten. “Get in the car or I’ll fucking kill you” If this works great. If not charm turns to blitz and the predator will use overwhelming force to accomplish his goals

Operators have to be skilled at using Asocial violence for social reasons

Only show enough of the predator as necessary , then pull it back. Being a Predator is a tool. Every tool is good for the job it’s designed for, and not so much for others. Use it when appropriate. Hide it when it’s not but have the tool box there.

So a competent human hiding a predator inside sounds like the description of a Werewolf

It also sounds like an Operator adept at using Asocial violence for the betterment of Society.

So let’s end this blog with my twist on a drill Marc developed.

Becoming a Werewolf

Round 1 – The Monkey:

You are going to approach the subject (your partner)

Walk right in front of him and stand in his range

Subject will slowly throw a strike

When you perceive it say stop – and say which quadrant the attack came from

This will be hard, you will probably get hit so sue open hands.

This is a great way to show that being a monkey will get your ass kicked. Your authority will not protect you.

Round 2 - The Wolf:

You are going to approach the subject (your partner)

You will put up your guard when you are in his range

Inside his range you are going to Orient yourself so you are relatively safe from him but he is vulnerable to you

Throughout this entire process you are going to mentally focus on your meanest take down and how much you want to use it on this guy

Ask the subject how that made him feel

Why did he feel this way?

Round 3 – The Werewolf

You are going to approach the subject (your partner)

This time as you cross his range you will put your hands up in a placating gesture

Palms up, elbows in

Engage Suspect in conversation as you orient yourself

Excuse me sir, I’m sorry to bother you but… (Predators never apologize this guy must be legit)

I’ve been called here for

May I see your driver’s license please

Do you know anything about…

As they answer, be prepared to move on any pre attack indicator (it’s hard to talk and fight at the same time so if they are not responding that is a clue)

Ask the subject how that made him feel

Why did he feel this way

How was it different than last time

In effect the Wolf and the Werewolf are exactly the same. They are both better than the Monkey, the only difference between them is how the subject feels about them. But it is that feeling that can be the difference between talking the subject into cuffs or having to protect yourself from an attack.

Train hard, train smart, be safe

Contact control

2012-01-19T12:29:00.000-08:00

Saturday was the first meeting of Taiho Jutsu Minnesota. (See previous blog of the same title for more details)

Check out the O3CT logo

The topic of training was Contact Control

On a typical use of force continuum Contact Control ranges from a touch to guide someone in a particular direction up through escorts, and standing controls (joint locks)

Last blog I wrote “Lots of Officers are being killed because they are missing the signs (pre-attack indicators)”

In preparation for this class I asked myself why that is.

Some of the answers I cam up with were:

This topic is fairly dry / boring.

Because it is boring it is not trained nearly as much as it should be

Cops and instructors want to get into the “good stuff” so critical skills are given a hand wave or lip service then the class proceeds onto the high speed commando stuff

So how can you train these critical skills in a way that is worthwhile / interesting so that Operators actually spend time training them?

The Contact Control class was an experiment to find ways to answer that question.

So 1^st step – stress the importance of these skills, make them “cool”

You can define an Operator as someone employed to protect others, if need be with force (violence), at the risk of his/her own safety.

If you do you are saying that an Operator uses violence to make money

Just like a resource predator

Fair enough, so using that predator model. Officers need to approach contact controls like a predator

Officers need to hunt, not fight.

Predators / Hunters stack everything possible in their favor before they engage.

Assume force will be necessary and set the stage accordingly

The “prey” shouldn’t even know they were in a “fight” until it’s over and they are controlled / physically restrained.

Therefore those skilled in war bring the enemy to the field of battle and are not brought there by him.

- Sun Tzu

Some reading this may think bullshit; I can’t choose which calls I go to or where those calls are.

Let’s use a domestic assault call as an example. Of course you will take the calls you get and of course you will go to the location to stop any ongoing violence. So you have to go into the house / apartment / trailer. But you don’t have to stand right in front of the suspect with your hands in your pockets and your head up your ass. Nor do you have to speak to the victim in the kitchen, where she has easy access to the cutlery. How many Officers reading this have been attacked by the victim when you or your partner made a move to arrest the suspect? “Just make him stop hitting me, don’t take him to jail! Get your fucking hands off of him pig! You’re hurting him!”

Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

The academic portion of Contact Control addresses a lot of these concerns. The challenge is finding ways to physically train them.

Fundamental aspects of Contact Control that must be covered before control techniques are practiced:

Structure

How you align your body to protect from damage and to deliver force into the subject

Range

Every technique has its own range

Reach – how long is your arm
Target – hitting through, or hitting into
Distance – How much do I have to move to use my reach to get to the target.

Relative Positioning

Location – Where you are (GPS)
Position – Where you are in relation to the Subject (orientation)

“Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Safely closing distance and placing yourself in a position where you are relatively safe but the subject is vulnerable to you is an essential skill and needs to be trained

It sends a definite but subconscious “not to be fucked with vibe” which may prevent the need for force.

This also greatly increases your confidence and verbal skills

Moving safely into range, positioning your self for future action, all without giving away your intent to the subject – these are predatory skills

They are also a practical application of Zanshin

Zanshin is a term used in the Japanese martial arts. It refers to a state of awareness – of relaxed alertness. The literal translation of zanshin is "remaining mind".

Zanshin as it was related to me should have the feeling of a cat about to pounce on a mouse

There is no question of who is going to win. There is no fight. The cat is positioned to move. It is relaxed and simply waiting for stimulus to pounce.

Ok Hunter / Predator Operator, what stimulus are you looking for?

When you safely close distance and a obtain a relatively safe position you have actively limited the possible attacks the subject has available to him.

I use the term relatively safe because no position is invulnerable. However, knowing what you are vulnerable to and where it is likely to come from gives you the stimulus to look for

One drill we worked Saturday that I stole from Marc MacYoung goes like this:

“Show and Tell”

Round 1:

Officer stands right in front “zero” of the subject

The subject slowly attacks

Officer must tell the subject which quadrant the attack is coming from and if possible what specific attack

This is pretty hard to do and should help teach don’t stand right in front of the guy if possible.

Round 2 (relative positioning):

Officer positions himself so that he / she is relatively safe from the subject, but the subject is vulnerable to the Officer

The subject slowly attacks

Officer must tell the subject which quadrant the attack is coming from and if possible what specific attack

This should be much easier

Round 3 (Orientation)

Officer will be “in position” with shields up

The subject slowly attacks

Officer must intercept / deflect the attack - This will form the basis of tap drill

Other stimulus to look for - Know when he is eager to hit you

Pre-attack indicators

· Glaring, staring – sizing you up

· Making unprovoked accusations, threats, demands. Swearing for no apparent reason

· Baiting or attempting to provoke an aggressive response from you

· Moving into range

o We just practiced doing that to them, don’t think they don’t practice doing that to us

· Unusual or out-of-place body movements

o Aggressive gestures

o Agitated pacing

o Clenched fists / clenching and unclenching hands

o Foreward weight shift

o Straightening of the spine / puffing of the chest

o Adopting a fighting stance

· Clearing space to move or draw a weapon *

· Teeth clenched, or other stiff or shaking body movements

Other subconscious “tells”

· Sudden face flush (turning red) – adrenaline induced vasoconstriction – fight or flight THREAT DISPLAY

o When that “Red Face” turns white (ANAEROBIC RESPONSE) is an indication that subject will attack

· A person looking at you suddenly looks away, or looking away suddenly looks at you

o Target glance (at gun)

o Witness check

· Change in rate, tone, pitch, or volume of a person’s voice

o Shouter becomes quiet

· Sudden change in a person’s breathing

[Paraphrased from “How to win a fight” –Lawrence Kane and Kris Wilder]

Lots of money has been made selling cops a magic pill that will protect them if they miss all these signs and step on their dick. Some training even goes so far as to put a bag / blanket over the Officer’s head then remove it and have them deal with a surprise threat. All I am saying is let’s spend more time making sure cops aren’t getting surprised because there is no magic pill that will save them.

So how do you train looking for pre attack indicators.

I’ll get there but 1^st let me mention the number 1 pre-attack indicator to look for – Being an asshole!

If you let yourself get pulled into an monkey dance with the subject, if you treat him in such a way that would piss you off if an Operator treated you or a family member that way, your probably gonna get hit.

Don’t be a dick. Big dogs don’t bark. The more dangerous you are the least you should need to show / tell it to others. Lions don’t argue with gazelles. They just eat them or they don’t

Ok so if you can follow the 1^st rule don’t be a dick, you should be cool and calm enough to look for those other pre-attack indicators.

Here is a way to actively practice that skill:

The scenario is an unwanted person needs to be removed from the premises

Role player will pick a pre-attack indicator out of a hat.

Operator will:

Safely close distance
Have an appropriate verbal exchange (officer presence / communication skills) – practice not being a dick
Take physical control of the subject.

Or:

Recognize pre-attack indicators during any point - immediately take physical control of the subject

Immediately take physical control of the subject. The pre-attack indicators are the stimulus. Have a few techniques that control (prevent the subject from being able to damage you) / immobilize the subject. Train (operant condition) the responses to the stimulus.

Also, practice articulating this. “His face was bright red, he was clenching his fists and screaming at me. Suddenly his face went pale white and he was quiet. From past training and experience I recognized that as an indicator he was about to attack so I moved him into a position where he could not hurt me.”

Why control?, why not just bonk ‘em on da head? Control allows you to asses and display judgment. Last blog I wrote about starting at a high level of force and easing back as success is gained. Quickly moving into a control form the moment pre-attack indicators are shown is a way to do that. If the control works you can ease back. If they resist at least you are in a superior position, will not be “sneak attacked” and can clearly articulate why greater force is needed.

Those are a couple of the things we worked on at Saturday’s class. Its was very successful - great class, great participation, much progress was made.

Some of the feed back received was that officers had never received training on range, or positioning. Nor had the ever worked on pre-attack indicators. The DT trainers there enjoyed the training and were excited to bring it back to their departments.

Mission accomplished!

I didn’t want to get into too much nuts and bolts here on the blog because I don’t want to make tactics and strategy open to any and all readers. But readers can take these principles and drills and work on their own “hunting methods”

Train hard, Train smart, Be Safe

Lethal Force

2012-01-06T07:42:00.000-08:00

Today is my first back at the Department since Christmas vacation. It started with putting a memorial band around my badge. Something I have done all too often lately.

This time it was for Officer Shawn Schneider

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/minnesota/lake-city-officer-dies

Wounded Lake City Police Officer Dies - Schneider shot 11 days ago in domestic dispute

Updated: Saturday, 31 Dec 2011, 4:16 PM CST
Published : Friday, 30 Dec 2011, 10:52 PM CST

by ASSOCIATED PRESS

ROCHESTER, Minn. - Mayo Clinic says a Lake City police officer has died, 11 days after he was shot while answering a domestic disturbance call.

A statement from Mayo says Officer Shawn Schneider died Friday evening in St. Marys Hospital.

Schneider's family thanked everyone "for their overwhelming support and well wishes during this difficult time."

A procession of law enforcement vehicles has escorted the body of slain police Officer Shawn Schneider back to Lake City Saturday.

The Post-Bulletin reports about 15 police vehicles -- their emergency lights flashing -- escorted Schneider's body along U.S. Highway 63 to Lake City on Saturday morning.

A friend of Schneider's, Doug Wallerich, tells the newspaper that the officer's death is "hitting a lot of hearts."

Schneider had been in critical condition since he was shot Dec. 19. Authorities say 25-year-old Alan Sylte Jr. of Hager City, Wis., shot Schneider in the head, then took his own life.

A 17-year-old girl who escaped from the house told police she had broken up with Sylte the previous week.

A Wisconsin National Guard spokeswoman says Sylte was an Iraq war veteran who was in the process of being discharged for failing to report to duty.

Schneider leaves a wife and three young children. Funeral arrangements are pending.

The number of Officers murdered in the line of duty has been increasing steadily over the last 3 years.

Officers killed in 2011

http://www.odmp.org/search/year?year=2011

Before I go any further with this blog let me make clear. I am not second guessing, judging or Monday morning quarterbacking Officer Schneider or any other fallen Officer.

Cops getting killed pisses me off, when I’m pissed I tend to rant on my blog. That’s what this is.

So why are more cops getting killed?

I believe there are several reasons for this increase.

Some reasons include:
Officers missing pre-attack indicators
Officers putting themselves on subject’s victim profile

Fat
Weak
Sloppy
Un-aware

Fear of litigation
Officers starting too low on the force continuum
Officers using ineffective strategies / techniques
Never been in a fight
Never played a contact sport
Over reliance on taser
Over reliance on “Officer Presence” – The badge will protect me
Increased societal acceptance of violence against Law Enforcement

I’m sure there are several others. All worthy of a blog of their own

Today let’s focus on

Officers starting too low on the force continuum

Officers using ineffective strategies / techniques

And let me hit the disclaimer again. I am not second guessing the Officer in the following article. I just want use the situation she was in to make some points.

http://www.twincities.com/north/ci_19647405

Man accused of choking Coon Rapids police officer

By Sarah Horner
shorner@pioneerpress.com

Updated: 12/30/2011 11:11:11 PM CST

An Anoka man was charged Friday with choking a police officer outside a Wal-Mart in Coon Rapids the night before.

Coon Rapids officer Briana Johnson was in the store's parking lot at

13020 Riverdale Drive N.W.

on Thursday when she came across Joseph Allan Ilstrup, 33, loading groceries into a car suspected of being illegally parked in a handicap space, said police spokesman Capt. John Hattstrom.

When Johnson asked the man to identify himself, he allegedly refused and swore at her.

[PRE-ATTACK INDICATORS]

He then put his hands around her neck and shoved her against her squad car, Hattstrom said.

"He was squeezing pretty hard," Hattstrom said. "She was having difficulty breathing."

[JUSTIFIABLE USE OF LETHAL FORCE]

Two witnesses intervened, and Ilstrup was shocked with a Taser, according to a criminal complaint filed against him in Anoka County District Court.

He then was put in the back of a squad car, where he reportedly continued swearing and started kicking at the car windows.

Johnson was treated for bruising at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids but suffered no other injuries, Hattstrom said. She was not available for comment Friday.

Ilstrup, who was convicted of disorderly conduct earlier this year, faces a fourth-degree assault charge in the Coon Rapids incident.

What can we learn from this incident?

“Be nice until it’s time to not be nice”

ASK – TELL – MAKE

When someone refuses a lawful order they need to be placed into control.

It’s hard to choke someone when you are cuffed behind your back.

When someone who has refused a lawful order, and is exhibiting extreme / emotional behaviors - yelling, swearing puts his hands around your throat that is a lethal force situation.

Don’t try some half assed PPCT soft hands control. You don’t have the time and it’s not going to work. END THE THREAT!

Why are choke holds at lethal force level on most law enforcement use of force continuums?

Because of potential to cause death!

If cops can only use “lateral vascular neck restraints” (P.C. for choke hold) when lethal force is justified, a criminal trying to choke you justifies USE OF LETHAL FORCE.

Watch this video of my man Judo Gene Lebell

When he decides to put it on, watch how fast the kid goes out.

Notice how long the kid stays out.

You can’t let subjects touch your neck.

Mentally / psychologically it is hard to jump from talking to high levels of force. Most people need to work them selves up to violence.

1) That work up has definite recognizable “tells”. Learn to recognize them and actively watch for them.

2) Officers need to start subject interactions (Presence / Verbal skills) assuming high levels of force will be necessary and violence is immanent. There are no “routine calls”. You don’t want to get stuck in the observe – orient loop and try to play catch up as you are taking damage. Much better to be surprised / happy you didn’t need to use force than the other way around.

Same goes for physical tactics. It is better to start at a high level and ease up as control is gained as opposed to start at low levels, fail to control, take damage, then use greater levels of force than would have been necessary if control had been gained quickly.

END CONFRONTATIONS QUICKLY!

The longer the fight goes on the higher the chances of both Officer and subject being injured.

Over in 3

OK rant over. I hope I gave you some things to think about

Train hard, Train Smart, Be safe – It might just save your life

Nihon Jujutsu

2012-01-03T10:01:00.000-08:00

I took this information from:

http://nihonjujutsu.com/index.php

The reason I am sharing it on my Blog is because Nihon Jujutsu is a direct result of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) Combative Measures (hand to hand) Instructors course and serves as technical foundation and influence on One On One Control Tactics / Taiho Jutsu.

Always know your roots

http://nihonjujutsu.com/attachments/Lineage.pdf

Bottom line it’s a story about a guy who was raised by cops and martial arts experts who went on to teach U.S. Military personal hand to hand combat, pretty cool.

Enjoy…

Nihon Jujutsu

Origins

Nihon Jujutsu is a modern Japanese martial art that focuses on practical, efficient techniques as originally found in both ancient and contemporary martial arts. Its principles and techniques derive from Japanese unarmed combat and self-defense techniques from pre-1945 judo and aikibujutsu, as well as taihojutsu (Japanese police immobilization and arresting methods). The founder of Nihon Jujutsu, Sato Shizuya, established this system based on his extensive studies with leading Japanese budoka (traditional martial artists), many of whom introduced ancient bujutsu methods into modern budo.

In Japan, gendai budo (contemporary martial arts) are those styles established after the Meiji Restoration (1868), while kobudo (ancient martial arts, also known kobujutsu) are those that can specifically trace an uninterrupted lineage to a time before the Meiji Restoration. Nihon Jujutsu does not claim to represent any one classical kobudo system, because under Japanese custom, direct linkage can only be claimed when a tradition has been directly transmitted by the soke (traditional head of a school) or upon receipt of a menkyo kaiden (license authorizing the licensee to teach and modify the style).

The following world-renown Japanese martial artists influenced or directly contributed to the development of Nihon Jujutsu:

• Ueshiba Morihei (1883 – 1969) – the founder of aikibujutsu and aikido
• Mifune Kyuzo (1883 – 1965) – 10th dan Kodokan judo, senior instructor at the Kodokan, and founding
member of the International Martial Arts Federation
• Nagaoka Hidekazu (1876 – 1952) – 10th dan Kodokan judo
• Ito Kazuo (1889 – 1974) 8th dan Kodokan judo; Founding Member and First Chief Director, Kokusai Budoin, International Martial Arts Federation (IMAF)
• Kotani Sumiyaki (1903 – 1991) – 10th dan Kodokan judo, Director of the Strategic Air Command’s combatives course at the Kodokan, and one of the Kodokan’s foremost experts on judo kata
• Hosokawa Kusuo (1918 – 1997) – 9th dan judo, taihojutsu instructor of the Strategic Air Command’s combatives course at the Kodokan.
• Ishikawa Takahiko (1917 – 2008) - Instructor of the Strategic Air Command’s combatives course at the
Kodokan, 2 time All Japan Judo champion, who dedicated thirty years of his life to establishing judo in
North America
• Dr. Tomiki Kenji (1900 – 1979) – Founder of the Japan Aikido Association and Shodokan ryu aikido (also known as ‘Tomiki ryu aikido’), 8th dan Kodokan judo, 8th dan aikido, chief aikido instructor of the Strategic Air Command’s combatives course at the Kodokan

Nihon Jujutsu Founder, Sato Shizuya

Born 1929 in Tokyo, Japan, Sato Shizuya began his lifetime study of judo during middle school at age 12. Sato’s father learned judo while in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War I, and was a senior judo instructor for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. His personal friends and judo compatriots included many preeminent pre-WWII Kodokan instructors, including Mifune Kyuzo, Nagaoka Hidekazu, Sumiyuki Kotani, and Ito Kazuo. When Sato Sr. died in 1948, the young Sato came under the care of these senior judoka who lent their personal guidance and lifelong support, which greatly influenced the development of Nihon Jujutsu. Upon graduation from Meiji Gakuin University in 1948, he joined the International Section at the Kodokan.

Following WWII and during the Allied Occupation of Japan (1945 – 1952), Sato was one of the few Kodokan staff who spoke English (Dan Ivan, a member of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) during the Occupation, claimed Sato ‘was the only man in the place who spoke English’, which Sato claims was not true). Kotani Sumiyaki was appointed head of the Kodokan International Section in 1950, and eventually became 10th dan Kodokan judo, one of the most famous judo instructors of the Tokyo police, and one of the world’s foremost authorities on judo kata. His focus on precision in kata played a significant part in Sato sensei’s budo education.

Prior to the end of WWII, in 1945, regular Kodokan training included self-defense, kata, randori (sparring), taihojutsu, and, to a limited extent, weapons training such as kenjutsu, jojutsu, tanbo, and bojutsu. This multi-disciplinary approach was in keeping with Kano Jigoro’s philosophy that budo naturally evolves and grows in accordance with human experience. Postwar, a large number of non-Japanese entered the Kodokan for the first time. The majority of these young men, along with a few women, were U.S. military personnel of the Occupation forces. Many established lifelong bonds of friendship and cooperation with Sato-Sensei and other budo instructors, and some eventually became the pioneers responsible for introducing Japanese martial arts to the West. Significant American budoka who began their budo shugyo (martial arts studies) at the Kodokan, and later played large roles in the ensuing development of budo worldwide, particularly in North America, include Mel Bruno, Donn Draeger, Dan Ivan, and Walter Todd.

Nihon Jujutsu - Technical and Philosophical Origins

The philosophical basis of Nihon Jujutsu can be found in the Japanese axiom,

(seiryoku zenyo jitakyôei), which can be read “Commit oneself to maximum efficiency, and mutual benefit in all endeavors.” This phrase, first coined by Kano Jigoro, the founder of Kodokan judo, refers both to applications of the physical art during training, and to the larger philosophical concept of utilizing budo as a catalyst for personal growth.

Concisely, “maximum efficiency” in training allows one to apply techniques before an opponent has a chance to react and overcome opposition with a minimum of force. “Mutual benefit in all endeavors,” as applied to practice in the dojo, serves as a guiding principle that permits all practitioners to train rigorously without undue injury.

Nihon Jujutsu can be said to embody the spirit of Kano Jigoro’s philosophy of building a moral society through the practice and teaching of budo. Specifically, through physical training practitioners cultivate methods for controlling opponents, and thereby learn principles and techniques for overcoming adversity in everyday life. The underlying theme is that negative results are minimized through the application of a rational and flexible response to all situations.

The underlying theme is that negative results are minimized through the application of a rational and flexible response to all situations.

I like that a lot!

Principles adapted to the situation at hand.

According to the founder, Sato Shizuya, “the philosophy of seiryoku zenyo jitakyôei is both practical, and appropriate for modern life. In ancient, or earlier times, the methods of bujutsu, techniques developed primarily for the elimination of an opponent by whatever needs necessary, may have been relevant only for members of the military or law enforcement agencies. Whereas, Nihon Jujutsu is a system based on respect for one’s fellow man, for the community as a whole and is truly a method of living with one another in a modern world.”

The core curriculum of Nihon Jujutsu incorporates the practical, decisive throwing, choking, and immobilization methods of judo; the entering and striking of aikibujutsu; the restraining techniques of taihojutsu; and the taisabaki (evasive movement), open hand, and armed self-defense principles expounded by Dr. Tomiki Kenji.

The Influence of Dr. Tomiki Kenji

Tomiki began judo in high school, receiving shodan (first-degree black belt) in 1919. He later began studying aikibujutsu, as Ueshiba Morihei originally called his art, as Ueshiba’s personal student at the original Kobukan dojo in Tokyo in 1926. Tomiki was awarded the world’s first aikido 8th dan in 1940 during a visit by Ueshiba to Manchuria (then known as ‘Manchukuo’).

The phrase(karada tai ken), or ‘body as a sword’, first coined by Dr. Tomiki in 1937, was a revolutionary concept in its succinct definition of the aikibujutsu ideal of using the body as a weapon. This phrase became the basis of his lifelong investigation of the ways and means of budo and its application to practical methods of self-defense. During his tenure in Manchukuo 1934 – 1945, Tomiki was first a Professor at Daido Gakuin (a Manchukuo government official training college), and later also at Kenkoku University, the country’s premier college. Additionally during this period, he taught aikibujutsu to the Military Police of the Imperial Japanese Kwantung Army.

Though he was interred by the Soviets for three years after WWII, Tomiki continued his studies of budo. Upon his return to Japan in 1948, he joined the Kodokan as a part-time secretary, where he continued his study of judo and aikido. When Tomiki became the aikido director of the Kodokan’s Strategic Air Command (SAC) martial arts program (1952 – 1956), Sato became the assistant aikido instructor, and remained so for the duration of the program.

Additionally, Tomiki Sensei is credited with leading the development committee of the Kodokan Goshin-jutsu (forms of self-defense) in 1956. Ultimately, Tomiki retired as Professor Emeritus of Physical Education at Waseda University, Tokyo, and founded the Japan Aikido Association, the capstone organization for Shodokan aikido (‘Tomiki ryu aikido’), now practiced worldwide.

Until mid-WWII, aikibujutsu hand-to-hand combat instruction (as directed by Ueshiba Morihei, and Tomiki Kenji, in Japan and Manchuria, respectively, as well as other instructors) comprised the core of combatives training for elite Imperial Japanese military personnel. During this period, the fundamental methods of aikibutsu, Kodokan goshin jutsu, and aikido were refined and compiled.

While Tomiki taught the Imperial military in Manchuria, Ueshiba Morihei directed training in Tokyo at the Toyama School (Army officer training school), the Nakano School (site of the famous Army intelligence officers’ program), and at the Navy School officer candidate school in Etajima.

The full curriculum of the Japanese Imperial military officers’ combatives training focused on 4 unarmed and armed martial arts:

- Aikibujutsu (Ueshiba and Tomiki’s early Daitoryu aikijujutsu-based martial arts)
- Tankenjutsu basic techniques (use of the short sword/bayonet)
- Kenjutsu basic techniques (Toyama ryu battojutsu)
- Jukenjutsu basic techniques (Japanese Imperial Army rifle bayonet training, incorporating both ancient
Japanese spear methods and modern European bayonet techniques)

The Kodokan and SAC

Meanwhile, during WWII, the Kodokan emphasized self-defense techniques over the sporting and spiritual aspects of judo; there also was a special self-defense kata developed for women during this period called joshi goshinho. The focus changed again after WWII largely to focus on sporting competition and eliminate the controversial self-defense aspects likely to draw negative attention from the Occupation authorities.

In 1952, the U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command (SAC) sent two initial groups of airmen to the Kodokan to study judo, karatedo, aikido, and police techniques. This program was expanded through 1956, and by its end hundreds of U.S. Air Force martial arts instructors had trained under Sato sensei, who instructed both aikido (under head aikido instructor Tomiki) and taihojutsu techniques (under taihojutsu head instructor and senior Tokyo Metropolitan Police taihojutsu / judo instructor Hosokawa Kusuo). Other notable instructors included such Shotokan karatedo legends such as Funakoshi Gichin, Nakayama Masatoshi, Obata lsao, and Nishiyama Hidetaka.

In the early 1950’s, Sato sensei began teaching judo and self-defense at U.S. military facilities around Tokyo. In 1957, Sato sensei founded the U.S. Embassy Judo Club where he continued to develop and refine the techniques that ultimately evolved into Nihon Jujutsu.

During the same period, Tomiki sensei led the Kodokan committee that developed the Kodokan goshinjutsu series of techniques, an advanced self-defense curriculum. Interestingly, Nihon Jujutsu and Kodokan goshinjutsu feature many similar techniques, which is unsurprising given their extensive common roots in traditional jujutsu, judo, taihojutsu, and aikibujutsu.

The techniques and philosophy of Nihon Jujutsu represents the culmination of historical and modern development in gendai budo, the rational review of past practice in light of a changing world, and the preservation of traditions that form the core of budo.

The evolution of this system began before 1868, during the Edo era (1603 – 1868) in bujutsu schools, continued with the establishment of modern Japan, and culminated in the development of contemporary arts such as judo, aikibujutsu, aikido, and taihojutsu. Technical and philosophical developments during the 1930s and 1940s by premier judoka and aikidoka, imparted to Sato-Sensei during the early post-WWII years still comprise the essence of Nihon Jujutsu today.

Quit yer bitchin'

2011-12-27T13:24:00.000-08:00

In the past I've bitched about how little training Law Enforcement receives.

I've also bitched about the martial artists and combative sports athletes with no practical field experience teaching Law Enforcement and Military Close Quarters Combatives.

So, it's time to quit bitching and do something about it.

Taiho Jutsu Minnesota

To all Defensive Tactics Instructors / Training Coordinators,

Taiho Jutsu Minnesota is a network of police officers and defensive tactics instructors across the state

Tai: Body - Ho: Law or Control - Jutsu: Technique. Simply defined, Taiho Jutsu means control and restraining techniques.

Taiho Jutsu Clubs provide additional training for Police Officers supplemental to their official training. This is an excellent opportunity for Officers who want more than 8 hours of defensive tactics training a year

This training is also designed as Instructor development. Giving trainers an opportunity to brainstorm with and learn from other Instructors.

This training will be made available to active duty military personal and combatives instructors

This training will also be available to civilian martial artists that pass back ground screening and who are willing to teach local Law Enforcement in their area.

There are many martial art instructors teaching many different martial arts to Law Enforcement. Unfortunately the overwhelming majority of those instructors have never worked in Law Enforcement, tried to control a resisting opponent, or been in a fight. Also there are many Officers teaching defensive tactics with no training beyond the minimum 40 hour train the trainer course.

Taiho Jutsu Clubs are run by experienced Police Officers and Operators who use these techniques in the field.

Training by Professionals, based on real world experience, designed for practical application. For cops by cops to deal with actual problems cops face.

The training focuses on gross motor, high percentage techniques that are effective for all regardless of size or gender and has an emphasis on ground control, an area where most Law Enforcement Officers need serious additional training.

An individual can test the efficacy of any combat method (martial art) by asking himself this simple question “Will this work so I can use it instinctively in vital combat against an opponent who is determined to prevent me from doing so, and is striving eliminate me through means fair or foul?” - Paraphrased from Col. Rex Applegate’s “Kill or be killed” written in 1943:

Taiho Jutsu Clubs provide reputable schools teaching principles that have been tested over 30 years on the street to work for the officer under pressure against a resisting subject, to be non obtrusive to the public, and defendable in court.

Taiho Jutsu Minnesota meets once a month at rotating locations across the state

MONTH LOCATION TRAINING TOPIC SPECIAL TOPICS / GUEST INSTRUCTORS

January St. Paul Contact Control

February Mankato Take Downs

March St. Paul Counter Assault

April Alexandria Weapon Retention SOTA – Special Operations Control Tactics

May St. Paul Impact Control

June Mankato Ground Skills

July St. Paul Contact Control

August Alexandria Take Downs

September St. Paul Counter Assault Violence Dynamics - Marc MacYoung , Rory Miller

October Mankato Weapon Retention

November St. Paul Impact Control

December Alexandria Ground Skills O3CT Instructor School – Steve Jimerfield

Our first meeting will be January 14^th at 2210 Silver Lake Road New Brighton MN. The exact dates and times for other training are to be determined.

Training sessions will run 3 hours and follow this basic format

Warm Up 30 Min

Training Topic of the month 60 Min

· Technique / Skill Building

Drills 30 Min

Brainstorming / Trouble Shooting 30 Min

For more information please contact :

· Officer Kasey Keckeisen Mounds View Police Department

o 763 717 4078 kasey.keckeisen@ci.mounds-view.mn.us

· Investigator Ken Anderson Douglas County Sheriff's Office

o 320-762-0234 ken.anderson@mail.co.douglas.mn.us

· Shawn Morgan

So any cops reading this in the upper mid west please come and join us.

Any civilian trainers that teach cops (whatever art / system) and want to learn what Operators need for their job please come join us

Train hard, train smart, be safe

Uchi Deshi

2011-12-20T09:44:00.000-08:00

Uchi-deshi (Kanji: 内弟子 Hiragana: うちでし lit. "inside student") is a Japanese term for a live-in student/apprentice who trains under and assists a sensei on a full-time basis.

Uchi-deshi usually live in the dōjō or the home of the teacher, or in separate accommodations near the dōjō. He serves the teacher all day, every day. Duties may include cleaning and secretarial work. In contrast to uchi-deshi, students who live outside are referred to as soto-deshi (Kanji: 外弟子 Hiragana: そとでし literally "outside students").

Historically, an Uchi-deshi was typically chosen and groomed to become the next head of a school of martial arts when a direct family member was not available.

In modern times, the role is also referred to as tsukibito (Kanji: 付き人 Hiragana: つきびと literally, "attached person"). Other terms include senshusei (専修生; せんしゅうせい) and kenshusei (Kanji: 研修生 Hiragana: けんしゅうせい "trainee"), although these terms are more general and do not necessarily indicate a live-in apprentice.

Gayku Homma Sensei runs a Uchi Deshi program at the Nippon Kan in Denver. I knew a couple of guys that spent a summer there and came back much better.

They improved at an accelerated rate, because one way or another they were training nearly 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

I always wanted an experience like that.

I’ve come close to that a couple of times hosting Mark, and Rory but not quite the same. At your own home you have a certain familiarity and “normal life” leaks in.

Camp Taiho Jutsu

Last week I finally had the uchi deshi experience. Douglas County SWAT wanted Special Operations Control Tactics training. They also wanted Instructor development training for their DT guys. We developed a week long training program. Steve Jimerfield would run a One on One Control Tactics Instructor Course Monday – Thursday and I would work with the local area SWAT teams on Friday.

(I love my job)

The training took place at Alexandria Technical College (about 2 ½ north of the metro area)

My brother Kent let me use his cabin (his totally kickass resort like cabin)

So living in a cabin 3 hours from home with nothing to do but eat sleep and train.

Great week! I can see why the Uchi Deshi process accelerates learning. I learned as much over dinner or watching Kung Fu movies after class as I did the whole day on the mats.

Another cool thing happened last week. Control Tactics / Close Quarter Combatives were accepted by Mixed Martial Artists.

This is usually the discourse between sport fighting enthusiasts and people who have to use their training to protect their lives while they serve others

https://www.facebook.com/#!/permalink.php?story_fbid=322175874460285&id=571384768&notif_t=like

Enough to make you want to pull your hair out right?

So when a friend of mine who was a amateur MMA fighter and now teaches Muay Thai and BJJ asked me about how to teach cops I was a little apprehensive.

Gus is a good kid and he has helped me teach SOCT before so I invited him to the One on One Control Tactics Instructor Course. If you’re going to teach cops there is no better foundation to have.

Jimerfield, Miller, MacYoung all teach:

· Structure

· Range

· Power Generation

· Movement (Motion defeats strength)

Gus got all of this in the Uchi Deshi experience. He learned 1^st hand what Operators need, and that real world violence has very little to do with the paradigms of sport arts.

Gus wasn’t the only person who learned this. One of the students also managed Brock Lesner’s private training facility. When his size and strength were made useless it was very cool to see the gears click and watch him use structure, range, and movement to end violence quickly.

He thought it was so cool he invited us to the training camp to meet Brock

Train hard, Train Smart, Be safe, and - make an opportunity to have that Uchi Deshi experience, it’s totally worth it

Do you Kung Fu?

2011-12-06T09:17:00.000-08:00

I love the Kung Fu Panda movies, and now the very good series on Nickelodeon. So do my daughters. So much so that they have been begging to watch all my old Kung Fu movies. It’s been a blast

Last Saturday I decided to teach some Kung Fu.

Now just so we are clear I don’t know Kung Fu, the formally taught Chinese martial art.

However, I really like this quote from the movie “The Forbidden Kingdom”

Jackie Chan as Lu Yan:

“Kung Fu is hard work over time to accomplish skill. A painter can have Kung Fu, or the butcher who cuts meat with such skill, his knife never touches bone. A musician can have Kung Fu, or the poet who paints pictures with words and makes emperors weep, this too is Kung Fu.”

So if we define Kung Fu as hard work to accomplish skill, Saturday’s training was bursting with Kung Fu.

Class started with an optional 2.25 mile run. I don’t think class time should be spent on PT training. I wanted to run and we were training at a park with a nice trail so I incorporated it into my training. Students are free to join me if they wish.

I like to run before class for the obvious cardio benefits, but also to loosen up and to tire out before training. That way it is harder for me to slop muscular strength and I must rely on solid fundamentals.

Saturday is all about solid fundamentals, I focus almost entirely on principles and use very few techniques. Techniques only being used to demonstrate / test the principle.

This is also Kung Fu. How many Kung Fu movies have you seen where the “master” has the student do some menial task (perhaps grueling if done wrong) over and over again to drill a specific principle. Then when the “disciple” can’t take it any more, the master shows the application of the principle in a technique. Almost magically because the student understands the principle so well he masters (makes it his / her own) the technique.

Another quote from “The Forbidden Kingdom” I like a lot

Jet Li as The Silent Monk (who oddly enough spoke through out the entire movie):

Learn the form, but seek the formless. Hear the soundless. Learn it all, then forget it all. Learn The Way, then find your own way.

A big paradigm shift for me, and the most fun I’ve had teaching lately revolves around helping others find their own way.

You don’t have to do things the way I do them, but you have to do them well, they have to work.

What makes things work?:

Structure
Movement
Power Generation

So, guess what we worked on?

1^ST Exercise

Rowing exercise

Rowing exercise as its name implies looks like you are standing in a boat rowing with oars

It is a subtle form of power generation. Shifting your weight as opposed to using muscle.

Here is a video

I don’t like this video, it is the kind of granola eating hug a tree Aikido that makes me puke, but it serves its purpose

For this exercise I used the Frankenstein plyoband contraption I made

This also works structure. You have to be very strong if you use muscle to stretch the bands. You can't do rowing exercise using muscle. You can do rowing exercise if your structure is solid. If your structure has a weakness you will never be able to shift your weight foreward. Using resistance students instantly saw their own flaws, then were able to fix them. Much more productive then me saying something they don’t understand over and over again.

The woman from the video never would have moved an inch. I’m sure she has been doing rowing exercise for years with cooperative partners. Even the “hard” variation. Training with resistance 5 minutes would have taught her more than doing it perfectly with no structure for years.

2^nd exercise

Same thing only this time the pulling motion. More light bulbs go off, more students - Learn The Way, then find their own way

Then pulling against a push, pushing against a pull. Good times

This blog would go on for ever if I describe in depth every exercise we did, but I hope it can serve as an example for you to do some principle based training for yourselves.

For myself I think I have found a fun, productive way to teach children that won’t have them maiming their siblings or ingraining horrible habits that will get them killed.

I have been playing Kung Fu school with my own daughters. We’ve been having a lot of fun and Lauren is really catching on (faster than most cops I teach)

The experiment continues – more to follow

Train Hard, Train Smart, Be Safe

P.S. – When we play Kung Fu my Kung Fu name is Woo Ping. Woo Ping Yo Ass!

Combat Jujutsu

2011-11-30T07:56:00.000-08:00

I took most of this essay from http://www.alljujitsu.com/combat-jujitsu.html

What they call Combat Jujutsu is what I call Taiho Jutsu

Before you read on please understand:

I hate the term / concept of extreme martial arts

I hate the term / concept of the world's deadliest martial art

I hate the idea of preying on the afraid and uninformed for financial gain

(those pills I bought from the internet didn't make my pecker any bigger)
(learning lethal commando techniques won't magically protect you from dangerous situations)

Having said all that I thought I would hate this essay, but there was some pretty good stuff in there.

So, for your entertainment and enlightenment I tried to edit out most of the stuff I hated and leave in the good stuff here.

Enjoy -

History of Combat Jujitsu

Also known as close combat or close-in combat, hand to hand (H2H) combat is the most ancient form of fighting known to man. A majority of cultures have their own particular histories related to close combat, and their own methods of practice. However, the ultimate goal of all of them is to dominate the enemy, usually by termination! There are many varieties practiced throughout the world including various martial arts, boxing, and even wrestling.

Those who study the Art of War have always looked for quicker, more efficient methods by which to dispatch their enemies. Military organizations looked to the effectiveness of Japanese H2H methods and there found the deadliest martial art. It was refined and adapted for modern warfare. The ultimate result is Combat Jujitsu.

Military organizations have always taught some sort of unarmed combat for conditioning and as a supplement to armed combat.

Among the Samurai warriors of Japan, such combatives were known as Bujutsu, meaning the Art of War. This included jujutsu (jujitsu, jiu jitsu), empty hand arts; tantojutsu, knife or dagger arts; bojutsu, staff arts, and so on. Moving into more sophisticated weapons of the time you had weapon arts such as kenjutsu, sword arts; yarijutsu, spear arts; and kyujutsu, archery. Each art was studied separately as is done in modern times where each specialty has its own school; i.e. infantry, airborne, artillery, etc.

Weapons and tactics change with new technology, but even with major technological changes such as the initially crude uses of gunpowder, all the way up to the invention of the machine gun, hand-to-hand fighting methods, including small arms and bayonet, remain central to modern military training.

Hand-to-hand tactics designed specifically for modern Special Operations was largely codified by Major William E. Fairbairn and Colonel Rex Applegate during World War II.

William Ewart Fairbairn (1885-1960) was a soldier, police officer, and exponent of hand-to-hand combat methods for allied special forces in World War II.

He served with the Royal Marine Light Infantry starting in 1901. After joining the Shanghai Municipal Police (SMP) in 1907, he studied Jujitsu and then Chinese martial arts. He developed his own training system and taught his method to members of that police force in order to reduce officer fatalities.

Fairbairn described this system as primarily based on his personal experience, under the most extreme martial arts conditions which according to police records included some 600 non-training fights, occurring while attempting to make arrests. Fairbairn published a book, Scientific Self Defence, in 1926 illustrating this method.

Fairbairn was recruited in WWII by the British Secret Service as an Army officer, where he trained U.K., U.S. and Canadian Commando and Ranger forces and their instructors. He modified his techniques for military applications, rather than police and riot control. The original Police system was oriented towards self defense and restraint, while the military Close Quarters Combat Jujitsu system concentrated on rapidly disabling an opponent, with potentially lethal force.

The militarized version is the basis for all US Military Special Operations Forces H2H combat and is described in detail in a later manual for Allied Special Forces titled Get Tough, originally published in 1942.

His system was designed to be simple to learn and brutally effective. The techniques presented by Fairbairn are all Jujitsu techniques. All you need to do is scan through his training manual to see for yourself. Here are a few examples.

Technique No. 6A - "FROM A STRANGLE HOLD".

You are seized from in front by the throat, as in Fig. 23.

With your left hand seize your opponent's right elbow from underneath, your thumb to the right.

With your right hand, reach over his arms and seize his right wrist (Fig. 24).

With your right arm apply pressure downwards on his left arm; at the same time, with a circular upward motion of your left hand; force his elbow towards your right side. This will break his hold of your throat and put him off balance (Fig. 25, reverse view).

Keeping a firm grip with both hands, turn rapidly towards your right-hand side by bringing your right leg to your right-rear. Follow up with edge-of-the-hand blow on his right elbow to break the arm (Fig. 26).

Note - All the above movements must be one rapid and continuous motion.

Anyone familiar with Jujitsu will recognize technique No. 14 - Japanese Strangle Hold.

And of course, No. 19 - Wrist Throw.

These techniques are designed to quickly disable or kill an opponent!

As you can clearly see, It's All Jujitsu!

Rex Applegate's book "Kill or Get Killed".

Read for free here

www.psicosocial.net/.../201-kill-or-get-killedriot-control-techniquesmanhandling-a-close-combat-for-police-and-the-military

Colonel Rex Applegate (1914-1998) worked in the US Office of Strategic Services (OSS) where he trained allied special forces in close-quarter combat during World War II. In 1943 he wrote Kill or Get Killed, still considered the classic textbook of Western-style hand-to-hand combat.

Applegate developed the techniques outlined in the book during his work with William E. Fairbairn. The result of this was the development of what is widely considered the first scientifically based study of Combat Jujitsu. Applegate's techniques are heavily based on Fairbairn's system, and enhanced with feedback from the OSS operatives who put his extreme martial arts techniques into action in World War II. In other words, these methods are tested and proven! Making Combat Jujitsu, without doubt, the world’s deadliest martial art!

Excerpt from Kill or Get Killed

Here Col. Applegate describes where his system of Combat Jujitsu came from, its purpose, and why it is important not to settle for imitations. This is a paraphrased version of Chapter 1: Introduction to Unarmed Combat. (You will notice he uses the jiu jitsu spelling.)

"Long before the existence of the stone knife and the bow and arrow, primitive man fought with his hands, teeth, legs, feet, and body.

Tibetan monks of the 12th century are reputed to have been among the first to develop a definite system of fighting without weapons. Some time after the 12th century, the Japanese learned of this method of combat and, characteristically, copied it and claimed its origin. They gave it the name of jiu jitsu, and claimed that it was developed during their mythological age. For centuries jiu jitsu was practiced, with many variations and improvements, by the Samurai warrior clans.

After WWII [due to the aura of mystery that surround the practice of jiu jitsu], there was a huge demand by the public for books and techniques on these methods of fighting. Bookstores were flooded with books and pamphlets on the subject of unarmed combat. Many of these, purporting to be genuine jiu jitsu, bore titles and slogans intended to appeal to the gullible. However, when the course was completed and students were called upon to use what they had learned against a determined opponent, they usually found themselves helpless. Such courses obviously did not give the student the extreme martial arts training necessary to adapt him to the uncertainties of combat.

Military experience, in combat and training centers throughout the world, has shown that the average man can be quickly turned into a dangerous, offensive fighter by concentrating on the correct principles of combat jiu jitsu and by advocating its use of blows executed by the hands, feet and other parts of the body, often overlooked by the average enthusiast.

All types of combat can be divided into two phases, offensive and defensive. Knowledge of both is necessary to any fighting man. However, in training Special Forces for warfare, the emphasis is usually on the offensive. The techniques presented in Kill or Get Killed, have been used successfully in training and in recent combat. They can be learned easily and applied quickly and instinctively, but only after adequate practice.

No text, no matter how well-illustrated or clearly explained can, alone, teach a man to fight. It can only serve as an instructional guide. Closely supervised intensive practice is the only path to practical knowledge. There are no easy methods or short cuts. Practice must be intensive enough to render the mechanics of each technique automatic. There is seldom time to stop and think when the pressure of combat is on. Being able to throw a man is much different from knowing how."

As you can see from the above statement, Col. Applegate stresses correct technique and supervised practice.

Special Forces all over the world will Always use Combat Jujitsu!

General Purpose Forces change H2H training based on changing technologies and changing missions, such as the recent concept of "peace-keeping". Spec Ops, on the other hand, require sticking to the basics! When the enemy is encountered, react swiftly and decisively! These tactics have not changed since the beginning of history, and they never will.

The big misconception is that Special Operations Forces are like Ninjas that sneak in and assassinate enemy forces in their sleep. Well, this may occasionally be part of the mission. But usually, Spec Ops missions are to destroy vital infrastructure, and the goal is to never make contact with enemy combatants! In fact, it is preferable to avoid contact, as it slows down a unit from reaching its objective.

However, if you encounter an enemy combatant during Spec Ops, there is no time for hesitation. You must always keep in mind two vital assumptions:

He is Armed!

He is not alone!

Therefore, speed and surprise will always work to your advantage.

When meeting the enemy during Spec Ops, you will have three choices:

Dis-arm (and/or bind, but leave behind)

Capture (rescue hostage or take prisoner back)

or Kill.

[Can you see where a Law Enforcement Officer may need to make similar choices? That's why Combat Jujitsu is perfect of those tasked with keeping our streets safe.]

In most cases, the objective of the mission will predetermine some of this (as in whether or not to take prisoners), but sometimes the decision must be made in an instant. When necessary, you cannot hesitate to make use of the deadliest martial art, Combat Jujitsu.

Techniques must be functional in actual close-in combat. Spec Ops troops may be wearing helmets and flak jackets. They could be armed with M-16s and carrying heavy packs. It would make little sense for a soldier thus encumbered to try a taekwondo kick to the head of a helmeted enemy. This is precisely the lesson learned by armored Samurai four centuries ago, and it is still relevant today!

Civilian Instructors

Most civilian instructors in Combat Jujitsu train police, martial artists or combative sport athletes, due to the limited need to learn lethal tactics outside the military. But some may train civilians for private security and self-defense. The very things which make Combat Jujitsu the deadliest martial art, being that it is well-adapted for military training (fast, ease of use, modest physical demands) also make it suitable in many ways for civilian self-defense. The world's military forces train thousands of instructors every year.

Frequently emphasizing their law-enforcement, corrections or military background, many Combat Jujitsu instructors also offer training to law enforcement agencies, the military, private individuals, security guards or companies. However, you should be very skeptical of anyone who tells you the US Navy SEALs use their system.

The Department of Defense has always looked for "educational" methods whereby the extreme martial arts techniques of Combat Jujitsu may be learned by trainees faster, and retained longer, and also making their reaction instantaneous. However, the techniques themselves have changed very little over the last fifty years. They have been proven effective, so why mess with a good thing? Besides, there are only a certain number of ways to kill someone with your bare hands. No one has yet to come up with anything better. So be very skeptical of anyone who says, or implies, they taught the SEALS or any other Special Operations Forces how to do Combat Jujitsu techniques.

No one since Fairbairn and Applegate have been able to improve on the world's deadliest martial art. But, many civilian "instructors" just outright lie about teaching Navy SEALs (Green Beret, etc.) their techniques. Most have never seen a harbor seal, much less a real Navy SEAL! Others "misrepresent" their program by saying they taught their "methods" to so-and-so & such-and-such Special Forces.

They may have indeed "demonstrated" their "training" (educational) program to representatives of the "D.O.D.". But, I guarantee you they never taught NEW Combat Jujitsu techniques to Special Forces. Most likely, they learned the techniques from Special Forces in order to plug them into their programs. Now they are making money by showing what they learned, not what they taught!

I do not make any such extravagant claims; nor do I need to! I admit, I'm showing you what I've learned through two decades of martial arts study, teaching and training with some of the most experienced Combat Jujitsu Masters in the world!

I didn't make these techniques up! They have been around for centuries!

After all, It's Jujitsu!

As warfare continues to evolve, high-tech weaponry will reduce the need for H2H (the enemy will be destroyed long before contact is ever made). However, it will never be completely eliminated, and it is important to continue to train and improve. There will be slight improvements in techniques, and changes may be made due to changing missions. But the core techniques of Combat Jujitsu will always remain. Why?

Because there are only a finite number of ways to kill a man with your bare hands, and we have probably explored all of them. Science and medical research may discover a few more in the future, but the core still remains. It has been proven in combat, so why take chances with unproven theory?

“Knife fighting”

2011-11-22T06:28:00.000-08:00

Ripped from the headlines…

St. Paul man stabs wife in eyes, kills another man

http://www.kare11.com/news/article/947636/396/Police-St-Paul-man-stabs-wife-in-eyes-kills-another-man

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A father of five who suspected his wife was cheating on him was charged Monday with killing one man and stabbing his wife in the eyes.

Pah Ber, a 48-year-old man from St. Paul, faces charges in Ramsey County of murder in the second degree and attempted murder in the second degree.

The incident happened early Saturday morning at an apartment building in the 1400 block of

Farrington Street

in St. Paul. When officers arrived they found 40-year-old Po Lye dead from a deep cut to his neck.

Police then found Ber's wife, Paw Pree, on the floor of the living room with stab wounds to numerous parts of her body, including both of her eyes. Pree was taken to Regions Hospital where the staff determined she is now blind as a result of the wounds.

According to the criminal complaint, Ber's 21-year-old son said Lye was a friend of his who had asked to stay overnight. The son told investigators that when his father came home he began accusing his wife of cheating on him with other men. Ber allegedly asked if she was going to "love that guy" referring to Lye.

The son said that Ber grabbed a knife and chased Lye around the apartment, eventually stabbing him and cutting his throat. The son ran to his sister's bedroom and told her to call 911. He and his sister then fled to a neighbor's apartment.

Police interviewed Paw Pree at the hospital. Pree said that she fled into her bedroom after Ber stabbed Lye. She told authorities that Ber broke the door down and stabbed her numerous times, including several times in her eyes. Pree then heard Ber in the kitchen sharpening the knife, stating he was going to cut her throat. The complaint states that Pree's youngest son grabbed her hand and led her out of the apartment.

Ber was interviewed by officers following his arrest. He told police that he had been drinking and playing cards before he went home at 6:00 a.m. Ber said that he saw Lye and believed he was the man who had been with his wife.

Ber stated Lye had one time suggested they both sleep with Pree at the same time. When asked if he wanted to kill Lye, Ber responded "yes." Ber said he then stabbed his wife who was with his little daughter in bed.

According to the complaint, Ber told police that "it is better" that Lye is dead because he had been getting teased about his wife cheating on him.

"We are very disturbed by the violent nature of this crime," said County Attorney John Choi.

What can we learn form this?

Lots of violence dynamics stuff going on here.

Pah was so concerned about his status in the group he was willing to kill for it.

He was cool having a 3 way with the victims not too long ago, but after a night of taking shit from his drinking buddies, he sees dude on the couch and goes ape shit.

First let me get this rant off my chest.

There is soooo much bullshit out there under the title knife fighting.

Most of it will get you killed, the rest will put you in jail.

I vowed never to post videos or links of bullshit and then comment how bad it is. To me that is chicken shit. If you don’t like it, be brave enough to post yourself doing better.

So here I will share some of the best knife defenses I’ve ever learned

1) Don’t join a violent criminal organization

2) If you do, DO NOT betray the above mentioned criminal organization

3) Don’t fuck other people’s wives

If you follow these 3 simple rules it is very unlikely you will ever face an edged weapon attack.

I think this case falls directly into #3. Different culture, different rules but when I was 21 I didn’t have any 40 something friends. And we sure as shit weren’t having sleepovers at my mommy’s house.

If you follow those 3 rules where else could you see edged weapons violence?

A process predator.

This is where I give you the totally kick ass secret Commando technique I learned to disarm a mugger.

Most resource predatory violence can be defeated by giving them what they want.

Wallet
Car Keys
IPod

Anything that can be replaced, any thing not worth dying for simply give them.

Professional criminals know the law better than most self defense instructors. They want cash, scaring you with a weapon gets the cash. Hurting you, especially with a weapon caries much stiffer charges. Criminals aren’t dumb but they are lazy the easiest path to the cash is the one they will take.

What is worth dying for?

Your life
Your well being

Not being raped
Not being maimed

A process predator, someone who enjoys the process of hurting others may use an edged weapon too. Like a resource predator they will show the knife to gain compliance. Usually to get you someplace secure so the can do horrible things in private.

So what is the totally kick ass secret Commando technique I learned for this situation?

If they want privacy – get attention! Yell, scream, run to safety.

Where is safety?

A crowd of people.

Do what ever you have to do to get lots of people’s attention and hopefully help.

That will serve you better than any specific H2H CQB technique I could suggest.

Who is H2H CQB designed for?

Young, fit, athletic, men.

If you follow the 1^st 3 rules, who is least likely to fit the victim profile of a predator (either resource or process)?

Young, fit, athletic, men.

So unless you are actually a commando you are “reality based” training for something that doesn’t happen in reality

If you want to practice knife vs. knife dueling that’s fine. It can be very fun. But don’t delude yourself into thinking that is how knife attacks happen.

As reality based and commando as most “knifers” claim to be, Kendo guys have a just as good a chance of getting into a sword fight as knife duelers do of

deploying their deadly skills on the street. (Unless they are actively looking to start fights)

Don’t use knives vs. social violence.

Social violence is the easiest to avoid, your little monkey might be screaming that you look like a bitch, but leaving solves the problem. If they follow they have made your case for justified use of force.

If you pull a knife in social violence you better be prepared to use it. Are you going to use lethal force against a guy that shoved you in a bar? I hope your knife skills will protect you from being ass raped in prison the rest of your life.

So let’s end this blog / rant on a positive note. I am not a hypocrite. I carry an edged weapon with me everywhere I go. If you want to learn how to use a knife find an instructor:

That has used a knife against an aggressive attacker in the world
That has defended themselves against aggressive attacker that had a knife
Understands (and can teach) force law and the judicial use of deadly force

Sadly there are maybe 5 guys in the world that fit those criteria. It is worth your time to seek them out.

Train hard, Train smart, Be safe.

Combat Training Time

2011-11-16T10:53:00.000-08:00

I was researching how much time the military devotes to hand to hand combat for a project i am working on (more on that later) when I cam across this article. I liked it so I thought I would share it here

Combat Training Time

by Damian Ross

The Self Defense Company

In the book "The Close Combat Files of Colonel Rex Applegate" you get a glimpse into the training and preparation of the early SOE Agents. Applegate describes the basic training as a "5 week paramilitary course. This included instruction in weapons, unarmed combat, demolitions, guerilla warfare, basic communications, intelligence, small boats and organizing resistance groups." [Page 18.] You can imagine that only a fraction of this time was spent on actual hand to hand practice and instruction.

After completion of the basic training course, the agent was dispatched and continued their training in the field for advanced training. Instructor Michael Calvert recalls how he used jujitsu to "kill or be killed" in the Fairbairn and Sykes style. Fairbairn and Sykes methods developed into the form most are familiar with: basic close-combat instruction divided into two parts of roughly eight hours each for silent killing and battle firing.

Though the training in close quarters combat (specifically the empty hand, knife, spring-kosh, black jack and club) was extremely limited, the techniques and more importantly, the people who used them were extremely effective.

Fairbairn protégé and Instructor Sykes felt that all hand to hand can be broken down into 12 techniques. He even criticized the Fairbairn's popular book "Get-Tough" as being too complicated and geared towards police work. Sykes felt that only 12 techniques is all anyone really needed! 12 techniques practiced and applied correctly to any situation.

How Can You Become Effective In Only a Handful of Training Sessions

The truth is the average person can't. These men (and women) went through an incredible selection process. They were already physically and mentally tough. All they needed were the proper tools and training. Just like the elite soldiers of today, if you can run a sub-5 minute mile, swim several miles in freezing ocean waters, do 40 pull ups, you're going to be a tough customer no matter what you know. The attitude needed to subject yourself to getting to that point of physical and mental readiness will serve you more than any secret technique.

So How Do These Methods Fit Into Modern Self Defense?

Anything, if applied at the right time can work in a real fight. But you want to stick with high percentage combat proven techniques and strategies. Your chances of survival will increase accordingly. The techniques selected by Applegate, Fairbairn, Sykes and others were chosen because of the high success rate, the short amount of time required to grasp the techniques and the ability of these techniques to be used by a wide variety of people with different physical ability, size and strength.

Are these techniques outdated? Even today, self defense comes down to knives, guns, clubs, hands and boots, nothing has changed. What has changed are training methods. Imagine if you could focus on these techniques and REALLY spend the time to develop them with modern, proven methods of training.

Up until recently, your options for training in these combat methods have been limited. These methods were relegated to books, old poorly produced videos that only show demonstration techniques and no real training of these methods. Demonstrating technique is easy. Taking something out of a book and putting it to video is easy. The real task is training. This makes all the difference. Now you may not be able to go way for several months of intensive training under a qualified instructor, but if you have a little time and more important the desire to really practice these methods in a systematic program of implementation that has been getting proven results for the past 10 years, then you should take a look at the latest self defense training system.

How effective do you think you would be after several months at your local karate or MMA School? Sure, these are great endeavors, but how ready will you be for an actual knockdown, drag out street fight? After several weeks do you think you will have a good grasp of what you would need to do in a fight for you life?

Just like the agents of the Special Services of World War II, the proper training and the proper technique helps create the right attitude. But unlike them you can spend more time than a handful of training sessions to really master these methods. We can only show you what you need to do; you're going to actually have to do it. No secret here, beware of the four letter words TRAIN (I know train has five letters but I'm just sharing this article I didn't write it) and WORK. There's no getting around them, but at least you can get the most out of your time and effort by practicing the right methods and techniques, the right way.

SOCT @ SCDIU

2011-11-15T08:14:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody, your friendly neighborhood Samurai Super Cop is back and blogging.

It’s been a while so I thought I’d get caught up

SOCT @ SCDIU

No you don’t have dyslexia

Last week I taught Special Operations Control Tactics to the South Central Drug Investigate Unit Tactical Team.

The class went exceptionally well. As you know I’m not shy about my awesomeness (or attractiveness). But there came a point in the class where I had to ask Cabot (oh, yeah the old man and Lise helped), “Dude we have taught teams across the state, are these guys just that good? or are we just that much better at teaching?”

I of course naturally assumed it was the latter but Cabot and I agreed that is was likely a combination of both factors.

All in all a great day. Everyone was willing to listen to the information, worked hard, and asked good questions.

Good feed back after training as well. Seasoned Operators experienced these difficulties before, but never received training on how to deal with it.

They were very excited about it and working on ways to incorporate SOCT into their regular training

It was an excellent learning opportunity for me to see how these control tactics worked with slower more methodical operational tactics.

They worked very well. Mostly because of KISS. When you keep things simple and principle based you can apply those principles to any operational tactic. Train for what happens most and you can handle most of what happens.

"Being what people call an 'elite' or 'high-speed' operator is simply mastery of the basics while adapting and applying them to the current situation which ensures success."

Here are some pictures that look cool but don’t violate operational security

People ask me what ever happened to the super soldier project.

It continues to be field tested, and it is showing results.

I am proud to announce that I was 1 of only 5 (out of 30) others who scored the maximum possible points on the SWAT PT test.

Of those 5 I am the oldest (and best looking).

But I continue to be a slow learner. I just maxed out on all these tests Thursday. Friday is a training day.

Did I pay attention to the advice about rest and recovery from the super soldier project?

No, I decided to do some heavy bench press and scared the shit out of myself. I thought I tore my pec.

Thank God I didn’t and every thing is ok but I was sore as hell all weekend.

Again God’s way of reminding me that I’m not 18 anymore. I’m listening I promise.

So now we are all caught up.

Train hard, Train SMART, Be safe

Training Opportunity

2011-11-07T14:27:00.000-08:00

Anyone reading this who lives in the upper Midwest should take advantage of this opprtunity.

If you are a martial arts Instructor and want to learn what cops need, and how to teach them - take this class

If you are a DT Instructor - take this class

If you are an Operator, even if you never want to teach a DT class - Take this class

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office presents

COLD WEATHER ONE-ON ONE CONTROL TACTICS INSTRUCTOR COURSE

Each year, Law Enforcement agencies in Minnesota are required to participate in inclement /cold weather fire arms training, and for good reason as it is a necessary skill for our environment. However, the majority of law enforcement personnel will never have to use their firearm in the line of duty. Conversely every LEO has to control and cuff suspects nearly every shift of their career including the cold weather months. But LEOs never receive training in this area. The COLD WEATHER ONE-ON ONE CONTROL TACTICS course is an excellent opportunity for Use of Force Instructors to increase their knowledge base and improve the quality of training for their Departments.

INSTRUCTOR:

The class is taught by Steve Jimerfield. Jimerfield is a retired Alaskan State Trooper and a state trainer in law enforcement control tactics.

Cold Weather One-On-One Control Tactics is a defensive tactics system that was developed by Mr. Steven N. Jimerfield after his partner Bruce Heck was killed by a felon in a hand to hand confrontation.

The theory behind One-On-One Control Tactics is that movement defeats strength. Application of this principle will allow you to take and retain control of a non-compliant or compliant subjects. One-On-One Control Tactics is an integrated self defense and control tactics system of managing a subject‘s body from various positions and always following through to a handcuffing position.

The One-On-One Control Tactics system took the best techniques from judo, jujitsu and karate, and developed a system that works on the street for police officers. One-On-One Control focuses on gross motor skills, high percentage techniques that are effective for all Law Enforcement Personnel regardless of their size or gender. This program is not meant to replace the defensive tactics system you have, but will enhance and supplement your program. These techniques will give your officers confidence in hand to hand confrontations both standing and on the ground.

One-On-One Cold Weather Control Tactics protect LEOs physically, legally and they also project a positive public perception. Over the last 20 years One-On-One Control Tactics have been proven effective in application on the street and 100% defendable in court. Use of these techniques have resulted in:

• 0 – LEO injuries

• 0 – Suspect injuries

• 0 – Use of Force complaints

With the courts looking at every contact police officers have with the public, this integrated One-On-One Control Tactics system has been found to be non-obtrusive to the public, while at the same time maintaining officer safety and giving the officer maximum control without causing injury to the suspect or to the officer. This system has been both court and street proven!

This is a 40 hour Instructor (train the trainer) course. Dec 12th – Dec 15th

The class fee is $250 and includes a certificate, Instructor shirt, and Challenge coin.

Classes will be held at the Alexandria Technical and Community College

1601 Jefferson Street

Alexandria, MN 56308

Class size is limited to 30 students

40 POST credits

To register please call

1-888-234-1313 or 320-762-4510

Self defense is multi faceted

2011-10-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

Last night I read a fantastic blog - The multidimensional paradigms of self defense by Erik Kodo. This morning I was listening to “Davis and Emmer” on the radio. Emmer was running his mouth about a shooting that happened recently in Minneapolis.

Here is a podcast of the show if you want to listen for yourself
http://www.twincitiesnewstalk.com/cc-common/podcast/single_page.html?podcast=davisandemmer&selected_podcast=DavisEmmer_102511_6a_1319546280_15160.mp3

Emmer’s ignorance compelled me to share the good information from Kodo’s blog.

Before we get much further let me state a few things:

I’m a huge supporter of concealed carry. I believe citizens should be armed
I’m not second guessing the witness / shooter
I will give him the benefit of the doubt
This blog isn’t so much about the specifics of the case, but about the discussion on the radio show.
Good information on self defense has to get out to the public.
I wasn’t there, and the media isn’t a good source for facts

Here is a link to the news story on the shooting

http://www.kare11.com/news/article/943265/391/Robbery-suspect-fatally-shot-in-Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS - Minneapolis police say a man who shot and killed an armed robber who was attacking a woman has been released.

Officers detained the man for questioning following the fatal shooting of the 23-year-old robber Thursday night. Authorities say the armed robber confronted the woman in the parking lot of a Cubs Food store, took her purse and hit her in the head with his gun. A man who witnessed the robbery chased the suspect and shot him behind a nearby restaurant during a confrontation. When police arrived, the witness told officers he had a permit to carry a gun, shot the armed robbery suspect and told officers where they could find his handgun. He was detained for questioning.

Investigators say they found the robber's gun near where the shooting took place.

That is all the information that was publicly available at the time of the radio show.

So, to break it down witness saw a woman being assaulted and robbed. Robber ran away. Witness chased him. Confrontation ensued. Witness shoots the robber

Here are some of the things that Emmer was saying that pissed me off:

Emmer – Oh, so we should let bad things happen? Should he call time out while he calls 911

Davis – But the issue is that he chassed him

Emmer – Of course he should have chased him. We don’t know what he knew at the time. He doesn’t know if he has a gun or not. Guess what bad guy I’m armed too, good night.

To me, it’s not only what Emmer was saying, but the way he was saying it. Through his tone he came off as an arrogant ass clown, acting as an expert with out any solid information on use of force law.

Self defense is defined as protecting yourself from death or great bodily harm (permanent injury / maiming). In order for self defense to be justified you must have IMOP

I – Intent

M – Means

O – Opportunity

P – Preclusion

When the witness saw the initial assault robbery IMOP was clearly there. The Robber showed intent by actually committing the assault, he had the means - 23 year old male with a gun vs. an elderly woman, he had the opportunity - at night in a parking lot. One could even make the argument against preclusion because if the witness left the victim may have been further injured or killed. Had the witness / shooter acted then force would have been justified. However, when the robber fled, the victim was no longer in danger. The Robber no longer had opportunity, and he showed lack of intent by fleeing. How are you protecting yourself or others by chasing him? Police have a duty to peruse, to prevent possible harm to the public. When a civilian chases someone after the danger has passed they have violated preclusion. With out IMOP force is unjustified

Emmer doesn’t know use of force law. His statements were very emotionally driven. Of course the good guy should chase down the bad guy and bring him to justice. If this causes a situation in which lethal force is used - oh well “good night”

Emmer’s view on self defense is very one dimensional. Which brings me back to Erik Kodo’s blog The multidimensional paradigms of self defense.

http://mdpofsd.blogspot.com/

THE MULTI DIMENSIONAL PARADIGMS OF SELF-DEFENSE

The Multi Dimensional Paradigms of Self-Defense is a model that describes a person’s overall view of the universe self-defense. Everyone’s viewpoint is different, but viewpoints can still be categorized in groups. The MDP model helps explain the basic differences in viewpoints. It provides people a framework to expand and evolve their self-defense paradigm into one with a more comprehensive viewpoint.

The Multi Dimensional Paradigms of Self-Defense

HOW THE MULTI DIMENSIONAL PARADIGM BENEFITS YOU

"A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step" - Lao-tzu

And that is how most people start learning self-defense, they just start stepping with no idea where they are actually going.

A journey of 1000 miles actually needs to begin with a road map. The
Multi Dimensional Paradigms of Self-Defense is a "map" for the journey of learning and applying self-defense.

This journey has many forks, dead ends, and bad roads in the form of incomplete, inaccurate, and missing information.

The journey is made even more hazardous by the existence of the multiple Paradigms that self-defense experts, martial arts instructors, law enforcement, and security professionals use to promote and teach their personal view of self-defense.

These Paradigms are more than just aspects of self-defense. They are viewpoints that carry with them certain pre-conceived "truths" about what is fact and what is fiction. Unwavering belief in these "truths" create the foundation of the Paradigm and allow the Paradigm to exist without modification or evolving into a more comprehensive viewpoint.

Steadfast believers in their Paradigm will deny and refute any and all information that conflicts with their "truths". Conflicting information or evidence threatens the "reality" of their Paradigm and are therefore ignored or attacked as "untrue".

DIMENSIONS ARE NOT PARADIGMS

Dimensions on the other hand are not viewpoints. They are aspects or elements. These aspects are combined with the "truths" to create the Paradigms. Unlike a Paradigm, belief in one Dimension does not automatically conflict with belief in another Dimension. For example, you can believe in the existence of the color red and the color blue. But, if you believe that there is only red, then there cannot be blue.

The Dimensions are combined with the "truths" and become the foundation of the Paradigms.

THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXAMPLE OF A PARADIGM VIEWPOINT

In response to how women should defend themselves from sexual assault:

“Just teach women how to kill quickly. It's that simple. Who's going to convict a woman of killing her attacker?” - Self professed "expert" with 20 years experience of personal protection, physical security and martial arts.

This "Expert" exists and promotes the 1 Dimensional Paradigm of Self-Defense.

a. He has no need for the 2nd Dimension of Avoidance because he believes, you can "just kill your attacker".

b. He needs to deny the 3rd Dimension of Psychology and Physiology in order to make killing something anyone can easily do.

c. He needs to deny the 4th Dimension of Law and Ethics in order to promote killing without legal consequence.

d. There is no need for the 5th Dimension of Violence Dynamics when the issue
as simple as "good" vs. "evil".

e. There is no need for the 6th Dimension of Societal Violence Dynamics if you believe that everyone in society supports your actions.

THE MULTI DIMENSIONAL PARADIGMS OF SELF-DEFENSE MODEL WILL ALLOW YOU TO EVOLVE AND TO EXPAND YOUR VIEWPOINT OF SELF-DEFENSE.

Think self-defense is simple and clear cut? Marc MacYoung shows you how complicated it is: Reality vs. Actuality
Self-Defense Explained

1 Dimensional Paradigm of Self-Defense

1 Dimensional Paradigm of Self-Defense- This viewpoint is that self-defense is a physical confrontation between the “bad” attacker and the “good” defender. The depends upon using physical skills to defeat the attacker. The attacker is known to be bad because of his actions, or because he attacks first.

1st Dimension of Self-Defense focuses on all concepts that relate to physical combative skills, methods, and training.

More on the 1st Dimensional Paradigm

2 Dimensional Paradigm of Self-Defense

2 Dimensional Paradigm of Self-Defense - This viewpoint acknowledges that physical defense may sometimes fail. Therefore, it is necessary to use situational awareness to avoid a potential confrontation. If avoidance fails, physical defense is applied. This paradigm also defines a “bad” attacker and a “good” defender.

2 Dimension of Self-Defense focuses on all conventional threat assessment, situational awareness, and avoidance concepts.

More on the 2nd Dimensional Paradigm

3 Dimensional Paradigm of Self-Defense

3 Dimensional Paradigm of Self-Defense - This viewpoint builds upon the 1st and 2nd Dimensions and acknowledges that awareness and physical defense is greatly affected by the psychological and physiological responses of the combatants.

Therefore, awareness and physical defense training must include aspects that address these issues. This paradigm also defines a “bad” attacker and a good “defender”.

3rd Dimension of Self-Defense - focuses on all of the psychological, physiological, and behavioral aspects of self-defense such as scenario and adrenal stress training.

More on the 3rd Dimensional Paradigm

4 Dimensional Paradigm of Self-Defense

4 Dimensional Paradigm of Self-Defense - This viewpoint acknowledges that there are legal and ethical considerations for physical defense. It acknowledges that confrontations are not necessarily black and white with a well defined “bad” attacker and a “good” defender. There are in fact gray areas to be considered.

This viewpoint also acknowledges that sometimes physical defense requires using extreme force, and or/ pre-emptive attacks in order to defeat an opponent.

This paradigm also takes into consideration all of the aspects of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Dimensions.

4th Dimension of Self-Defense - focuses on all Use of Force, Rules of Engagement,
legal, and ethical considerations of self-defense.

More on the 4th Dimensional Paradigm.

5 Dimensional Paradigm of Self-Defense

5 Dimensional Paradigm of Self-Defense - This viewpoint acknowledges that violence is complex issue. It is comprised of both social violence and asocial violence with large gray areas between the relative “good” and “bad” of the combatants.

This paradigm acknowledges that the driving intent and motivation of an aggressor has a great deal to due with how the aggressor is ultimately dealt with. That threat assessments, strategic, tactical, and physical responses are influenced by the specific violence dynamics of the confrontation.

5th Dimension of Self-Defense - focuses on the violence dynamics of confrontations. It incorporates these aspects of violence dynamics into all of the other four dimensions.

6 Dimensional Paradigm of Self-Defense

6 Dimensional Paradigm of Self-Defense - This viewpoint acknowledges that not only is violence comprised of the actions of the individuals involved, it is also colored by the social agendas, bias, prejudices, and conceptions of society.

This paradigm acknowledges that a person’s and societies' view and interpretation of acts of violence can be differ widely depending upon the individual’s personal agenda and the norms and social bias of different cultures. This viewpoint also takes into consideration the concepts and aspects of the other 5 Dimensions.

6th Dimension of Self-Defense - focuses on the societal dynamics of violence. It also incorporates these aspects into all of the other five dimensions.

More on the 6th Dimensional Paradigm

More on the 1st Dimensional Paradigm

When most people think of self-defense, they tend to think of the 1st Dimension. The majority of self-defense training focuses on the 1st Dimension. It is the most concrete aspect of self-defense. It is centered around physical skills.

These physical skills are usually taught as systems. The most popular of these systems are formal martial arts styles such as karate, jujitsu, TKD, etc. But a system can also be an informal collection of techniques and concepts that put together by an individual instructor. The basic premise behind the 1st Dimension is to develop your physical skills to such a degree that in the event you are assaulted you will be able to physically prevent harm to yourself and others.

The underlying assumptions or “truths” that support the 1st Dimensional Paradigm are as follows:

1. Self-defense involves a well defined “bad” attacker that physically assaults you without justification.
2. Defeating the attacker is simply a matter of executing the proper physical techniques.
3. The attacker is known to be “an attacker” because he can either be easily identified as “evil” or he initiates the physical assault.

The popularity of the 1st Dimensional Paradigm comes from its simplicity. You are good, the attacker is bad, and self-defense will always achieved upon execution of the proper techniques. Self-defense begins with the physical attack and ends with the attacker being defeated. This Paradigm is appealing because self-defense mastery is an obtainable goal. Just as you can learn to swim and thus not drown if you fall in the water, you can learn self-defense and always be safe.

More on the 2nd Dimensional Paradigm

The 2nd Dimension focuses on developing your situational awareness to such a level that you are able to identify potentially dangerous people and situations and thus stay away from them.

Here is an article that expands upon situational awareness in terms of the Cooper Color Codes.
States of Awareness, the Cooper Color Codes

Cultivating Awareness

The 2nd Dimensional Paradigm is an expansion of the 1st DP. It acknowledges that there are instances where the best way to defeat your attacker is to avoid a physical confrontation in the first place. For example, if you realize that there are certain people who you cannot defeat with your 1st Dimensional skills, then you must avoid them in order to stay safe.

The underlying assumptions or “truths” that support the 2nd Dimensional Paradigm are as follows:

1. Self-defense involves a well defined “bad” attacker that wants to physically assaults you without justification.
2. The attacker is known to be “an attacker” because due to your execution of situational awareness, he can either be easily identified as “evil” before he initiates the physical assault.
3. Defeating the attacker is simply a matter of avoiding him.

The 2nd DP is an evolving viewpoint, but it is still harmonious with the 1st DP. Because, in the event that avoidance might fail or it is not possible to avoid the attacker, you can rely on your 1st Dimensional skills to defeat him.

Similar to the 1st DP, the popularity of the 2nd Dimensional Paradigm comes from its simplicity. You are good, the attacker is bad, and self-defense will always achieved upon execution of the proper techniques of situational awareness and/or physical skills. Self-defense begins with the identifying the potential attacker and ends with the attacker being avoided or defeated.

In the 1st DP, self-defense is ALL about you and your abilities. In the 2nd DP, self-defense is mostly about you, .i.e. your ability to detect and avoid and/or your ability physical defeat. The variable of the other person's abilities is introduced, but it is managed by your actions.

As with the 1st DP, this Paradigm is appealing because self-defense mastery is an obtainable goal. Not only can you learn to swim and thus not drown if you fall in the water, you can also avoid dangerous water in the first place.

Here is Marc MacYoung on:
Avoidance
The Five Stages of Violent Crime

More on the 3rd Dimensional Paradigm

The 3rd Dimensional focuses on the psychological, psychological, and behavioral aspects of self-defense. These aspects are complicated, but nobody explains them better than Lt. Col Dave Grossman.

Why can’t Johnny kill?: the psychology and physiology of interpersonal combat

We now have a situation where there is direct conflict between the 3rd Dimension and the 1st Dimensional Paradigm. Remember, the "expert" who said "Just teach women to kill..."? Grossman is telling us in effect that the majority of human beings don't want to kill each other.

On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs

The 3rd Dimension now casts doubt on both the ability of the defender to execute all of his physical skills under stress, and the willingness of the defender to injure or kill the attacker in the manner simulated in training.

Therefore, the 3rd Dimensional Paradigm adds some modifications to the "truths" of the earlier Paradigms in order to rectify this conflict.

1. The skills of the 1st Dimension must be "gross motor skills" as opposed to "fine motor skills".
2. Psychological conditioning style training commonly thought of as "Reality Based Self-Defense" is introduced as the method to instill the desire and willingness to physically defend yourself.

Similar to the 2nd Dimensional Paradigm:

3. The attacker is defined as "bad", and the "defender is defined as "good".
4. The attacker is easily identified by either situational awareness or his aggressive actions.
5. Self-defense begins with the identification of the aggressor and/or his avoidance or physical defeat.

The 3rd Dimensional Paradigm is an evolving viewpoint that points out deficiencies in the earlier Paradigms. It attempts to resolve these deficiencies with a different style of training. Therefore, in many respects the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Dimensional Paradigms are compatable.

Richard Dimitri talks about Behavioral Protective Offense.

Here is Marc MacYoung on:

a. The Adrenal Stress Response to Crisis.
b. Chemical Baths, Neural Pathways, Monkey and Lizard Brains
c. Mental Preparation

More on the 4th Dimension Paradigm

The 4th Dimension of Self-Defense involves both the legal considerations of self-defense and the ethical issues that arise.

Brandon Oto provides a detailed tutorial on Use of Force in the United States.

Massad Ayoob on Avoiding Legal Traps.

These issues call into question the viability of the lower Paradigms. Much of the popularity of the lower Paradigms comes from their simplicity. You are good and the aggressor is bad. The aggressor attacks you, and you rightfully defend yourself. As a result, there are neither legal consequences, nor moral or ethical issues to contend with.

The 4th Dimensional Paradigm brings with it the complication that even though you believe that you are good and the attacker is bad, you may have to prove it in court. And even if you do prove it on a legal basis, there are also ethical issues to be considered.

Therefore, the 4rd Dimensional Paradigm adds even more modifications to the "truths" of the earlier Paradigms.

1. The aggressor is no longer pre-defined as "bad" and the defender as "good". The definition now resides in the hands of the Court and legal system after the fact.

2. The use of the physical skills of the 1st Dimension are now called into question. To escape criminal and civil penalties, their use must be legally justified.

3. Self-defense may require pre-emptive actions in order to succeed. Waiting to be attacked first may be fatal.

As a result of these "truths", the 2nd Dimensional aspects of Awareness and Avoidance becomes much more important. The very real negative consequences of engaging in the physical actions of the 1st Dimension makes the avoidance of confrontation more important.

The 4th Dimensional Paradigm is evolves self-defense from the simplicity and certainty of the 1st Dimensional Paradigm to the complexity and uncertainty of having to deal with the consequences of one's actions. These consequences have a very real impact on a person's ability and willingness to execute the physical skills obtained through 1st Dimensional training.

David Nerbovig on the ethical considerations of self-defense and martial arts training.

Recent Work on the Ethics of Self-Defense by Tyler Doggett.

Here is Marc MacYoung on:
Legal
Going to Jail For Defending Yourself
The Cost of Winning

More on the 5th Dimension Paradigm

The 5th Dimension of Self-Defense focuses on the violence dynamics of confrontations. The 5th Dimension expands upon violence as being either Social Violence or Asocial Violence, and in some cases, a combination of the two.

In the lower Paradigms, the causes violence and the intent of the aggressor are immaterial. An attack is an attack. All violence for the most part is assumed to be Asocial. But, a closer examination reveals that most violence is in fact Social in nature, and is used to obtain Social goals.

Asocial violence is less common, but predatorial in nature.

Here is Rory Miller on Social and Asocial Violence.

Violence Dynamics and More About Violence Dynamics

Tim Larkin on Social Confrontation vs Asocial Violence:

- Part 1
- Part 2
- Part 3

MacYoung on Kinds of Violence.

The 5th Dimension Paradigm further complicates the issue of self-defense because it brings new aspects to consider.

The 1st aspect is that if you are engaging in Social Violence, then you are an active participant in the confrontation. Thus you share some responsibility for it's creation and outcome.

The 2nd aspect is that if you are targeted for Asocial violence, then what you know about Social violence will not help you. In fact, it is highly disadvantageous to bring Social violence "rules" to a Asocial violence situation.

The 3rd aspect is that if your 1st Dimensional physical skills are designed for Social Violence, than using them in a Asocial Violence situation can lead to your demise.

The 5th Dimensional Paradigm illustrates that understanding why a person is exhibiting aggression towards you is paramount to determining how the aggression is ultimately handled.

More on the 6th Dimensional Paradigm

6th Dimension of Self-Defense focuses on the societal dynamics of violence. Self-defense now becomes part of the larger picture of societal views and beliefs. There are no absolute definitions of "good" and "bad", it is a matter of what society or some part of society deems to be "good" or "bad".

Individual actions are judged and interpreted in the context of larger societal dynamics such as Hate Crimes, Victim Blaming, Youth Violence, Domestic Violence, Date Rape, etc.

The 6th Dimensional Paradigm is filled with ambiguity, misunderstanding, and miscommunication. Here is an example of how people's perceptions differ in regard to date rape: The Havens 'Where Is Your Line?'

Much of the controversy that revolves around victim blaming arises from confusing the 2nd Dimension concept of Risk Reduction with the 6th Dimensional concept of Threat Reduction.
Victim Blaming, Threats, and Risks

Paradigm Pitfalls - Dead Ends, Loops, and Wrong Turns

The journey of self-defense is filled with dead ends, loops, and wrong turns that could cause you to back track years of training. Here are a few of them by Marc MacYoung:

MARTIAL ARTS:

Martial Arts for Self-Defense

Traditional Martial Arts vs. "Real" Fighting

Mixed Martial Arts

Grappling

Lies, Damned Lies and Martial Arts Myths

CULTS:

Cults in the MA/SD/RBSD/WSD/DT World

Near Cults, Failed Cults and Flawed Instructors

Cults: Kool-Aid Drinker Behavior

Cult: Groundwork Thinking

Cults: True Believer Mindset

FIGHTING:

Fighting Facts

Fantasy Self-Defense

Street Fighting

Train hard, Train smart, Be safe and....self defense is multi faceted

Internal training – Outside

2011-10-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

Great class Saturday. We did a lot of martial arts training, without doing a lot of techniques, which was very cool. A beautiful Autumn afternoon training outside in the city park. Anyone going by on the bike trails probably thought we were doing Tai Chi.

Well in a way we were doing some Aiki – Tai Chi.

Our strike structure exercise looked a lot like this

When Marc was here he made an analogy. Tai Chi is like a bull with the horns removed. Other fiercer kick ass Commando styles brag about their horns, but it’s like duct tapping long horns onto a Chihuahua. Taichi may not use its horns but it’s still backed up by 1,500lbs of unprocessed big macs. Easer to return the horns to a bull than for a Chihuahua’s neck to support horns

There is an old saying in Aikido – feeling is believing.

Feeling is believing, but even believing isn’t necessarily accepting or understanding. I’ve been geeking out about subtle power generation since the seminar. But I’ve discovered a dangerous flaw in my perception. The evolution of my thought process follows something like this.

Marc grabbed me – good luck little guy – I go flying – oh yeah this stuff really works.

Wicked smile if Marc can have huge results with his small mass how much more can I achieve.

Working a drill with Lise to illustrate how easy it can be I just “sneeze”….and nearly cripple Lise.

With great power comes great responsibility. It has sunk in how powerful this is, but somehow it hasn’t sunk in that it has consequences and repercussions. A few days later working on power generation again, Lise puts Chad through the wall.

Again slow learner I guess somehow not understanding that generating that power has consequences.

Few days after that working this again, Daniel with no effort or ill intent chucks Lise across the Dojo and she cracks her head million dollar baby style against the base of the BOB heavy bag. Daniel feels horrible but it’s my fault. So finally it has sunk in that’s its not magic and it not a game. Small people generating power subtly has the same results (or greater) as large people using their muscle to hit or throw. But unlike using muscle and size to hurt someone subtle power can inflict damage with absolutely zero intent. So as a Sensei just as you take precautions during force on force training to protect your students, safety precautions must be taken when training power generation.

Training outside and having a designated “catcher” so Uke doesn’t get shot put into any trees or the next county or anything is a good way to do it.

Here is a breakdown of what we worked on

Structure

· Stance

o Falling into stances

· Striking

o Bone and Ligament alignment

o Range

Subtle power generation

Rowing exercise

Push

An example of a rowing exercise jab is illustrated in this video I stole from Wim Demeeres blog

Pull

Wag your dick

Turn and walk

Indian leg wrestling

Elvis hips

Off balance / falling striking

Sit Down

Seio Nage

Ikkajo

Hiji Shime

Sneeze

Dead Palm

Puke

Push

Seio Nage

Rory had us do one of his plastic mind drills when he was here. Reading about it will ruin it for you when you get a chance to do it. So I won’t write about it…..except to describe a variation I have been having fun playing with. If there were some sort of freaky Friday body swap and I was in a 5’ nothing 100 and nothing lbs body how would I beat 5’10” 240 Kasey. So, along those lines I have been playing with the concepts of Omote and Ura, front and back or manifest and hidden. You can’t resist non-resistance. When you push into me I open when you pull I enter. 5 nothing, 100 and nothing Kasey is making me a better opoeater, and much better teacher

So along those lines we finished class with a few techniques

Technique

Ikkajo Omote

Ikkajo Ura

All in all a great class. Much learned and …wait for it….no injuries or destruction to property.

Train hard, Train smart, Be safe (play and have fun too)

Some of the best Aikido I’ve learned was from guys who “hate” Aikido

2011-10-19T13:47:00.000-07:00

Wow! what a crazy couple of weeks. I just get done with the Violence Dynamics Seminar, and then I have a few days to get caught up with work, then bam! Off for 6 days at the Regional Training Center in Sioux City Iowa. I had the opportunity to attend the only low light precision rifle school in America. It was tough training but well worth it. More on that in the future, I’m still trying to process all the information form the Seminar. Which leads me to today’s blog

Some of the best Aikido I’ve learned was from guys who “hate” Aikido

Let me start this blog by stating I am very fortunate to have the Aikido Sensei (I looked it up to be sure but Sensei is the plural of Sensei) that I have had. Tom Moore and Gaku Homma from Nippon Kan. Alvin McClure and Amos Parker from Yoshinkan. All excellent teachers who helped lay the foundation of how I move / what I teach. Moore Sensei, and McClure Sensei also gave me the freedom to explore how things work for me and encouraged me to seek my own path which has turned out to be even more valuable than the technical back ground.

Morihei Ueshiba (The founder of Aikido) said do not abandon the warrior arts of the past. Absorb venerable traditions of the old ways into this Art by clothing them with fresh garments, and building on the classic styles to create better forms.

Having said that the theme of this blog is - Some of the best Aikido I’ve learned was from guys who “hate” Aikido.

OK maybe hate is a strong term. The guys I’m talking about all have a solid respect for the bones of Aikido but hate the way Aikido is all too often taught (who can blame them I hate the way most Aikido is taught too)

So let’s go back to the beginning of Aikido

Most everyone remembers Ueshiba like this

But they forget first he was this

Ueshiba was badass - like a mustache with titties.

Ueshiba grew up as a sickly little book worm. His father would recount the tales his great-grandfather "Kichiemon," said to be one of the strongest samurai of his day, and encouraged him to study Sumo wrestling and swimming.

Hmmmm, a nerd who wrestled and was inspired by stories of heroes.

Morihei realized the necessity of being strong after his father was attacked and beaten by a gang of thugs hired by a rival politician. Ueshiba become so strong he was banned from local rice smashing events because he would destroy the huge wooden hammers used to smash rice into a flat paste / bread (think of a Japanese version of a tortilla)
In 1898 Ueshiba moved to Tokyo. There he sought instruction in the martial arts. He actively investigated dozens of arts, but was eventually drawn to specialize in three: the sword style known as Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, the staff style known as Hozoin Ryu, and Tenjin Shinyo jujutsu.

He witnessed criminals beat the hell out of his dad so he got strong and started studying martial arts. Kind of like Batman

During the Russo-Japanese War, he decided to enlist in the army. Standing at just under five feet tall, he failed to meet the minimum height requirements. He was so upset that he went immediately to the forests and swung on trees trying desperately to stretch his body out. On his next attempt to enlist, he passed his examination and became an infantryman in 1903.

He wanted to serve his country in time of war but couldn’t pass the physical so he undergoes a special regiment to pass the test. Kind of like Captain

America

The Russo-Japanese War (1904) provided Ueshiba with a real operational experience. Ueshiba spent most of the war years in the harsh climate of northern Manchuria.

Having grown experienced and even stronger during his time in the military, he was now eager to continue physical training. His father built a dojo on his farm and invited the well-known Jujutsu instructor Takaki Kiyoichi to tutor him.

In the spring of 1912, at the age of 29, he and his family moved into the wilderness of Hokkaido. After a few years of struggle, the small village started to prosper. Ueshiba had grown tremendously muscular, to the point that the power he possessed in his arms became almost legendary.
It was during this time in Hokkaido that he met Sokaku Takeda, grandmaster of Daito-ryu Aiki Jutsu. After meeting Takeda and finding himself no match for his teacher, Ueshiba seemed to forget everything else and threw himself into training.

A muscular, experienced martial artist and operator found a smaller instructor that could effortlessly kick his ass. Kind of like me

During his early 40s (around 1925), Ueshiba (who was a very religious man) had several spiritual experiences which so impressed him that his life and his training were forever changed. He realized the true purpose of Budo was love that cherishes and nourishes all beings.

Here is where some of the things I hate about Aikido start to creep in. Where the focus changed from practical field proven martial art to philosophy. Rory likes to say Ueshiba is a good example of what happens when a good Jujutsu guy finds religion

But here is the thing, even the philosophical and the almost magical aspects of Aikido have practical operational applications if you cut the bullshit.

So, what is some of the best Aikido I’ve learned and who do it learn it from?

First, remember all of the things I’m about to discuss are in Aikido

"Almost every technique in the Martial Arts works, if you know when and where to use it." - Rory Miller

However, I’ve found when you get away from the dogma of Aikido you can finally see the really good stuff Aikido has to offer

If you boil down Aikido to its base parts it basically consists of

Tai Sabaki – Movement - don’t get hit

Atemi – Hit them

Kansetsu Waza – Locks

Nage Waza – Throws

Osae Komi Waza – Pins

From Steve Jimerfield I’ve learned

Practical gross motor applications

If you can’t do a technique with broken fingers, numb / frozen hands, or great big mittens on – then you can’t do that technique on the street.

Not getting hit (behind the shoulder)

Jimerfield spends a lot of time on the practical application of Tai Sabaki. Not only getting off line, bet getting to a position of control

Osae Komi that works

I could write an entire blog on this alone. As you may have noticed I’m passionate about practical application. As such I require that my students prove their techniques work during testing. For Osae Komi waza you can chose which pins you want to do but you have to be able to hold a fully resisting opponent down for a full 20 seconds. Just like a Judo match. I noticed of all the Aikido Osae Komi only a few met this requirement. Jimerfield Sensei is also passionate about this. Pin the head and the snake stops fighting. The thigh lock fully controls the subject and allows you to do what ever follow up action is necessary to end the confrontation (see also makes all Aikido Osae Komi field applicable)

From Rory Miller I’ve learned

Response tree Not getting hit (behind the shoulder)

Further refinement of Jimerfield’s not only getting off line, bet getting to a position of control. If you have a different block / evasion for every possible attack you’ll never be fast enough to decide which one to use in the time between when you perceive the attack and the attack lands. If you have one response that works well for pretty much any attack, that improves your position (not only getting off line, bet getting to a position of control), worsens their position, protects you from damage, and allows you to deliver force into them – then you are caught up with or ahead of the attacker and have a fighting chance.

Along those same lines you can spend years memorizing every joint lock in Aikido, or you can spend a few hours learning how a joint lock works and be able to improvise every joint lock in Aikido against a resisting attacker.

Joints:

Hinge
Ball & Socket
Floating

Hinge

Bend it against how it was designed to bend

Ball & Socket

Take to 90’ angle

Floating

Twist
Bend
Twist and bend
Bend and twist

Ok Aikido guys I challenge you to find a lock that doesn’t fit into one or more of those categories

From Marc MacYoung I’ve learned how to hit. How to use structure - bone and ligament alignment to deliver force. For a non – aikido guy I recognized more Aikido in his motions than in most Aikido Shihan.

Just like joint locks you can spend years learning every throw in Judo or you can learn how any throw works and be able to improvise every throw in Judo or Aikido against a resisting attacker.

How a throw works

You can make distinctions between throws and take downs, involuntary throws and voluntary throws, but basically you:

Use skeletal structure to create a catapult or trebuchet which launches him
Take his support away (like cutting a leg from a table)
Blow his balance and don’t allow him to regain it
Slave him to your body

He has to fall so things don’t snap
He has to fall because you are falling

Ok Jujutsu – Judo - Aikido guys I challenge you to find a throw or takedown that doesn’t fit into one or more of those categories

Some of the more esoteric aspects of Aikido are :

Ki no Nagare - Continuous flow
Takemasu Aiki - Spontanious technique
Ki – Internal Energy
Philosophy

The field applicable version of Ki no Nagare breaks down to

Don’t break the power chain

Ride the horse the direction it wants to go. Meaning once you get a guy moving don’t let him stop or regain his balance. Keeping him going the way he is going until he meets something really cool like the planet or wall.

Flow from one lock to another.

If the first aspect of Ki no Nagare fails, the very aspect of that failure hands you success in the second aspect. What ever effort is used to break your lock or throw hands you energy to use in another direction. Don’t fight flow, then transition back to keeping him going in the new way he is going until he meets something really cool like the planet or wall.

Takemasu Aiki

Spontanious technique – this is regarded as mastery or the highest level of Aiki. You don’t attempt a technique, a technique just happens. Rory’s one step drill is practical training in search of spontaneous or improvised technique. Hunting for specific locks or throws is hard. Taking whatever gifts are presented naturally is easy. The hardest part of one step training for me was to stop being a martial artist and just be me. I am working on how to get that out of myself and my students faster and more easily. (I believe the answer is in more play and less Sensei)

Internal energy – My favorite part of the seminar was subtle power generation and structure. Lise throwing

Chad

, and especially Marc throwing me has become the throw heard around the world

How many stories have you heard about old small Ueshiba tossing some US Marine, or Judo Champion across the room effortlessly?

Feeling is believing. Its not magic, F=ma. I am having fun playing with the math. If Marc can produce that much force with his small amount of mass….and if by following the same principles I can generate the same acceleration…. how much more force can I generate with my greater mass? A big guy who can fight like a good little dude is a force of nature. Hell Yeah!

Philosophy

The philosophy of Aikido is basically that the real purpose of martial training is to nurture and protect all living things.

Cool, but sadly bad understanding of this philosophy has lead to some very bad wishy washy tree hugging granola eating bullshit with which Aikido is now most commonly associated with.

I agree that martial training is to nurture and protect all living things. My ass is on the top of the list of living things that I need to nurture and protect. If I can do that with out turning someone into a cripple or a corpse great. If not, tough shit. Now don’t take this to mean you should go out looking to hurt others. Instead lets look at some good field applications of this philosophy.

Marc often says the trip to good behavior is always free. If I just crank on a guy, I am sending him signals that I’m going to keep hurting him no matter what he does. So he better fight because if he doesn’t I might kill him.

On the other hand once I’ve gained control, if he goes with the program, that’s it, no more juice. He will receive the message fighting equals pain, submission equals relief. Protecting myself from further conflict also protected and nurtured the guy I was controlling. That can only work if you are capable and willing to inflict pain / damage and controlled enough to stop.

So, in conclusion if there any Aikidoka reading this that have serious concerns about the validity of their training against actual violence the answer is yes it can work. But, I suggest you seek out the people I mentioned. They will show you how to use what you already know in a whole new way

I think that is the longest I have gone with out a pop culture reference. So, remember at the end of the last blog when I compared Marc and Rory to martial arts movie characters? Well, I thought about it some more and came up with this Anime reference

If you follow Naruto, you’ll get it. If you don’t it will take too long to explain so just enjoy

Rory

Marc

Train hard, Train smart, Be safe

Happy Halloween!

Violence Dynamics Seminar Review

2011-10-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

Sunday – Buki Waza / Weapons techniques

This class of the seminar started for selfish reasons. Many times over the last year I would have a good class or a personal epiphany expressing close quarters control concepts through the sword. I would discuss it with Marc or Rory and they would say something like that’s cool, try this. Or I wish I could work this with you. So I decided that when they came back to town I would set aside an entire day to do just that. For less selfish reasons, I decided this should be the first class in the seminar because it will touch on fundamental principles that will be discussed in detail throughout the seminar.

Because the Violence Dynamics Seminar is principle based it can be applied to any martial art or defensive tactics system.

In order to facilitate this cross training and to prepare for physical activity our warm up is going to focus on basic motion.

There are only so many ways a human body can move. This should help form a reference frame work to help you relate the principles to your previous training.

Learning Goal:

Using a sword exposes losses in the power chain that may not be apparent without a sword. Therefore the learning goal of this clinic is to gain deeper understanding of martial art principles by expressing solid fundamentals through the use of the sword

Specific Training Objectives:

Students will demonstrate working knowledge of:

· Reactionary Gap

· Structure

· Movement

· Power Generation

· Natural Human Stress Reactions

· OODA Loop

· Counter Ambush

· Operant Conditioning (Response Tree)

· Dead man’s 8

· Golden Technique

· Efficient Motion (Over in Three)

It was cool to see Marc and Rory use European sword techniques too

Monday – Conflict Communications

Things you have always known/ perceived your whole life but struggled to put into words or describe to others. Con Com established a base line common language / lexicon of violence. Understanding behavior patterns in yourself helps you, avoid violence from others and articulate why you had to act if violence can’t be avoided. Great for those who get paid to be where others can avoid violence

Charlie's Angels

Tuesday – Force Physics / Martial mechanics

The best way I can sum up this day is that it is not about adding more power, it is about removing every thing that robs you of power

Here are some of my favorite lessons from Tuesday’s class

Offense does NOT mean pain

Destroy his ‘supply lines’

Remove what he needs to attack or resist

You are NOT adrenaline’s punk

Walking and chewing gum at the same time

Functioning under adrenal stress

Muscle memory is a lie

How long to ingrain a reaction?

How long to ingrain proper mechanics?

Then to reliably do it under adrenaline

The same dynamics, but instead of 1,2,3

it’s 1,2,3,4,5,6

The more you add, the harder it is

(My ideas on this for training military and possibly children will be a future blog)

Turning hard into soft

Putting ‘english’ onto the cueball so he falls softly

Lands in a cuffing position

Buffet of pain

The return trip to good behavior is ALWAYS free

Pain and injury only occur while he is attacking

Never while he is complying

Wednesday and Thursday were spent on defensive tactics

Rory gave a great break down on use of force law and policy. The training was principle based not technique specific. The focus of the drills was to train officers to find opportunities refining better individual officers. Increasing the ability to improvise under combat stress

Example

Instead of teaching a specific joint lock take down, show how a joint (hinge, socket, floating) can be locked(only so many ways each) then drill taking any joint lock you are gifted

Friday

Friday’s day class was limited to a very few operators only. I won’t discuss much about this class. I will say that the information disseminated in this class can only be gained at great personal risk through up close human interpersonal violence. That kind of information comes with a price. I am very grateful that Marc is willing to deal with subject matter that brings back hard memories so that current operators can benefit from his hard earned 1^st hand information.

Friday’s evening class was edged weapons defense. During the week we developed a habit of debriefing the day over scotch and cigars. During Friday night’s debrief Rory summed up this class best. “This is one of handful of knife defense classes that isn’t stupid or suicidal”. High praise from Rory, especially when you consider how many people out there are teaching knife defense classes that fit soundly in the other category.

Saturday - Logic of violence

In a week full of fantastic classes, this is probably my favorite class. Rory is onto something very important here and I see big things for him in the future. Having said that I don’t want to steal any of his thunder here. At the same time I want to encourage everyone reading this to seek out this training. So, I’ll let slip a little sneak peek (I checked with Rory to make sure it was cool with him first)

Logic of violence asks the questions (Socratic) the participants come up with their own answers. Batman said, “Criminals are a cowardly, superstitious lot.” Criminals are human just like the rest of us. When you come up with your own answers to questions criminals face you begin to see the logic behind their actions. Cowardly and superstitious is just the best way to get the job done. Seeing the logic makes them much more predicable and shows you where you are at risk.

An example I witnessed on Saturday

Who is your nightmare opponent?

- Bigger

OK, How much bigger ?

– 3 weight classes up

UFC weight classes:

Heavyweight - Over 205 lbs. to 265 lbs.
Light Heavyweight - Over 185 lbs. to 205 lbs.
Middleweight - Over 170 lbs. to 185 lbs.
Welterweight - Over 155 lbs. to 170 lbs.
Lightweight - Over 145 lbs. to 155 lbs.

So 60 to1 00 pounds heavier

- Stronger

OK, How much stronger?

50%

- Meaner – disregards the rules, wants to hurt you

Fighting this guy would suck!

Now let’s give him the 1^st attack by surprise from behind. (cowardly and superstitious)

Do you have anything that can handle this nightmare?

This nightmare is what women face every minute of every day

If you don’t have anything that can beat that nightmare opponent, what are you teaching as women’s self defense?

My thoughts were

If pulling guard and trying for some half assed submission wouldn’t work against a guy 100 lbs heavier, 50% stronger and actively doing everything he can to injure you how the hell are you going to teach pulling guard as a rape defense?

Sunday – subtle power generation and environmental fighting

This class was my favorite physical class. It is very hard to put into words and has to be experienced hands on. Another reason there aren’t many scrolls / books passed down through the years. The good stuff has to be passed down hands on teacher to student. Your body is capable of generating huge amounts of force naturally.

Without any special training everyone has 1000’s of reps of:

Walking
Sneezing
Puking

This training shows you how to deliver that naturally generated force into an opponent.

It just science, when I say force I don’t mean like power of the force touchy feely metaphysical bullshit. But watching it, it looks like “chi magic” out of an anime flick

Kama..Hama...HAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!

Summary

Those of you have read my blog for any amount of time or rolled with me know I’m a pop culture guy. Rory said he could never watch enough TV to understand what I’m talking about, but he was raised by coyotesJ. It’s just easier for me to remember something if I relate it to a visual image. Make connections to previous information. Having said that the best way I can summarize the week and the instructors is to make connections to pop culture archetypes in martial arts movies.

Marc

Everyone has seen a kung fu movie where the teacher doesn’t look like much (not physically intimidating) and he has the student doing some mundane task that seems in no way related to martial arts. Inevitably the young impatient student gets pissed at learning “nothing”. Then the master shows him how that “nothing” applies to martial art, and the student crushes a concrete table, or……throws someone twice their size through a wall

Learning from Marc was kind of like that kung fu master character. Marc gives different things easy-to-remember names (sneezing/puking/wag your dick at him) so people can remember and apply them naturally. What hand work or what you apply the motion for is entirely up to you. Making you a better you not a poor copy of him

Rory

Rory is very good at asking you smart questions. He reminded me of the archetypical Zen master asking Koans. Anyone can spit out easy answers. Good teachers get you to find the answers on your own.

Here is an example, cops (anyone who uses force professionally) not seeking out training on their own is a pet peeve of mine. I asked why don’t more cops train.

Rory asked me when I started training.

I replied 18.

Rory said, so you started in that magic sweet spot between 16-18 after you discovered girls but before you had a chance with them and have been training ever since.

Your addictive personality is asking why non addicts aren’t addicted?

Oh, when you put it like that it makes perfect sense.

So out of that two strategies formed for me. 1 advertise to the 16-18 year old demographic. 2 offer class times that work for overnight shift workers (more on this in future blogs)

What I took from the seminar

Buffet of pain
If I have to put my hands on some one every motion I do should direct force into them until the situation is resolved (the trip to good behavior is always free).
Example - A grab is wasted motion. a strike that holds on is buffet of pain. Getting close with me should like getting close with a buzz saw.
Short range power generation + mass = holy shit!

Train others to be masters of improve

Play more Sensei less
I don’t need to watch to make sure they are doing the technique right. I need to play with them, force them to make it work on me. What ever they do to make it work on me is right.

Spend more time playing with principles

Allow students to find the principles in the techniques for themselves. That way the own it from that moment on

Great seminar!, everyone reading this really needs to find away to train with these guys. Hopefully in Minnesota next year so I can play too.

Train hard, Train smart, Be safe

Quick update

2011-09-28T21:11:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody your favorite Samurai Super Cop hasn't checked in for awhile. I've been busy getting my ass kicked 14 hours a day by Marc and Rory. I'm having a blast, but every minute is scheduled either training, eating, discussion or then if there is time sleeping.

So I'm sorry I haven't blogged much, but as you can imagine this week is generating tons of material for future blogs so stay tuned true believers.

I'll give ya one quick story to tide you over until then.
In future blogs I will discuss power generation, structure, and force but for now just the story
Rory had us doing a drilll that I won't go into detail about. Not that its an operator only drill or secret, just that if you read about the drill it won't be nearly as worth while when you experience it for yourself.(and you really should experience this training 1st hand)
So, regardless of the drill Marc gets his hands on my shoulders from behind. I have one motion to do something about it. Now Marc is someone I know and respect. He has made me a much more efficient operator, and a better teacher. Having said all that still some part of my brain was like - pshh good luck little guy. Next thing I know I'm a good 10 -12' from where I was and struggling not to smash into the wing chung dummy in the corner.
My next thoughts were:
1) Wow! that was fucking awesome
2) Why did I think this guy who has helped improve how I throw guys wouldn't be able to use that same information to toss me
3) Giggle giggle lets watch him throw some other guys.

So stay tuned to learn how Marc threw me and how you can apply it to what you do.