If you are teaching self-defense what you can do within your weight class doesn't mean anything. You need to teach people what works outmatched in strength, skill, experience and ferocity. How to deal when the assault is on before they are aware. And help them work out and overcome much of their social programming.
It can be done. It has been done. But not by staying in your comfort zone perspective.
-Rory MillerIf you are teaching martial art for self defense you need to have some kind of efficacy test / filter for the techniques and strategy you teach. Unless the primary focus of your school is practical real world application, your self defense class should not look exactly like your regular class. Putting on 5.11 pants and a polo shirt instead of a gi, and practicing the exact same techniques does not turn (insert name of any art here) into self defense.
A test / filter I use at the Keishoukan Dojo is the "Jeff Test". If it doesn't work on Jeff - IT DOESN'T WORK!!
That is Jeff during a Kyu test. That is me in the background doing my best hard ass Sensei is testing you impersonation.
Jeff is a big dude. He is great to train with. If your technique works on Jeff, your technique works. My Judo Sensei is fantastic. One of the highest ranked Judo instructors in the mid-west. When he was in the Military his job was basically to go from base to base teaching "combat Judo" to Officers. He has beautiful throws...most of which don't work against Jeff (outside of his weight class).
My point being. Find out which of his throws do work against Jeff. That is Judo for self defense. Even if only 3 throws in the entire Gokyo no waza (traditional 40 throws of Judo) work against Jeff, Isn't it better to train 3 throws you know you can hit against anyone, under pressure, than to be ok at 37 throws you know will fail?
I'm sure part of you will say bump the player the record is stuck (Kids that was from before cd's and mp3's) but....
Violence happens by surprise,harder, faster, and closer than most dojo training. It happens with out convenient uniforms, and the attacker stacks the deck (seeks out victims of much smaller weight class, chooses the when, where, and how of the attack)
Here is an example from the news:
Woman bites tongue of Stamford sex attacker
Police arrest man seeking medical treatment
John Nickerson, Staff Writer
Updated 02:15 p.m., Saturday, June 25, 2011
Read more: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Woman-bites-tongue-of-Stamford-sex-attacker-1438659.php#ixzz1QTbLjkxL
STAMFORD -- A woman leaving a downtown church Thursday night repelled a sexual assault by biting nearly an inch off the assailant's tongue after he grabbed her and forced his tongue into her mouth, police said.
A Stamford man with a history of psychological problems was taken into custody at 11:30 a.m. Friday after seeking medical treatment for his tongue at a Bedford Street massage/ chiropractic clinic. Gerard Michael Landon, 46, of 40 Clinton Ave., was held by police after a foot pursuit to the Ridgeway Shopping Center and taken to Stamford Hospital for a psychological evaluation, said Stamford Police Capt. Richard Conklin.
Landon, a native of the Virgin Islands, was released to police and charged with criminal attempt at first-degree sexual assault, first-degree unlawful restraint and second-degree strangulation. Landon is being held on $500,000 bond and is expected to be arraigned in state Superior Court on Stamford on Monday.
According to police, the woman was approached by Landon as she was exiting the Basilica of St. John the Evangelist on Atlantic Street. In a pathway between the church and the rectory, Landon allegedly asked the woman, who is in her 50s, for a hug. When the woman refused, Landon grabbed her and while she screamed for help wrestled her to the ground in some bushes and flowers along the alleyway. While he was trying to sexually assault her, Landon kissed the woman and forced his tongue into her mouth. When the woman bit down on his tongue, the man stopped his attack and ran away, Conklin said.
"It was a substantial piece of his tongue," said Stamford Police Sgt. Paul Guzda. "About an inch worth."
- That is my favorite part of this story-
Police recovered the readily identifiable piece of tongue at the scene of the attack between the stone church and clapboard rectory, Guzda said.
"We put a notice out to area hospitals," Guzda said.
A St. John's priest heard screams from the woman and looked out the window saw the man run away, Guzda said.
Prior to being taken into custody on Friday, Landon allegedly grabbed a woman's breasts and poked his umbrella at another woman near the Ridgeway Shopping Center, Conklin said.
The health receptionist at the Bedford Street clinic called police to report Landon after she read the story about the attempted attack on stamfordadvocate.com.
Am I suggesting that we practice biting Jeff's tongue off? No, but to reiterate:
If you are teaching self-defense what you can do within your weight class doesn't mean anything. You need to teach people what works outmatched in strength, skill, experience and ferocity. How to deal when the assault is on before they are aware. And help them work out and overcome much of their social programming.
It can be done. It has been done. But not by staying in your comfort zone perspective.
SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION PLUG ALERT!!!If you want to learn how this can be done, please come to the VIOLENCE DYNAMICS SEMINAR
September 26th through October 2nd.
For more information check out:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=203562699679613
Train hard, Train smart, Train outside your own comfort zone perspective, Be safe
AMEN!!!!! On top of just the plain fact that you need to have techniques that work against an opponent much larger than you, there is also the point that being attacked by a large dude is extremely scary. Training this way will help unblocking the "freeze" people encounter when put in this kind of situation. This is particularly true for women. You NEED to have the confidence that what you do works!!!!
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