In the first clip, the big guy started off well. Getting her in the "right" mindset. But then, he took the "foot off the gas" if you will, when he seemingly relaxed after she fought back. In a real scenario, your attacker will escalate the violence, once you fight back. The biggest problem I see with these self defense classes. Is that they always end up making the attacker compliant to your moves. In a real attack scenario, your attacker will be many things. Compliant isn't one of them.
i get it, if Karen is not violent enough against Donut Joe, there, she'll only piss him off. but if the attacker is not in it for their life and is just trying to assert dominance or horse around (let's call that "bullying" 🤣) but the victim shows a ferocity equal to cats trying for their life not to get into the bath tub, then yeah, i can see a big dude backing off after experiencing some shrieker shit. now on the other hand, if professionals are involved, like fuckin sicarios out to get housewife Karen (can barely type this, lmao 🤣)... yeah... bye bye Karen and her afternoon self defense class. i know i used a bit too much color but you get the picture. depends what you train for. law enforcement and paramilitary should always train with 100% violence of action. Karen, can get a pass, sometimes, don't you agree? I am assuming that is a class for everybody who pays... the "sensei/renshi/kyoshi/hanshi/sifu/whatfuckingever" has to make a living somehow ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It's the infinite paradox of sparring. You're supposed to train realistically, but you never actually know unless someone tries to take you out. When I used to train people would hit you hard enough to hear the bells ring. But I guess this is often not socially acceptable, certainly when it concerns female self defense. I reckon for women the only way to figure it out is through actual competition leading to ko or submission.
@@84NZ41 that's the big problem, right? There just simply aren't enough serious people in the world to fill up classes and keep the lights on. Too many casuals that THINK they want to learn self-defense or a martial art, but drop immediately when they are exposed to a stress like realistic drilling or sparring. Like you said, the instructor has to make a living and is forced to water it down for the masses to retain clientele. It's a hard situation.
I grew up in a neighborhood with a growing gang problem. My friends and I each trained in a different martial arts and then we cross trained each other using likely scenarios. We quickly eliminated techniques that wouldn't work in real situations. One of our group was jumped by five guys. They fractured an arm with a baseball bat, which he didn't know until later. He put three of them in the hospital. The other two ran off. I would say we trained well.
Five against one & at least one of the five had a baseball bat as well. Three of the five ended up in the hospital & the other two ran off. Did they attack your friend one at a time? I'm not calling Bullshit however I can definitely smell it in the air.
@@manborg84 the uke gets upset when you throat strike them before you throw them.. when I'm the uke I comply so my limbs stay intact, real life situations are different.. best to distract the victim.. uhhh.. i mean aggressor first...
What Mark said about looking people in the eye is right on the money. Fighting isn’t just limited to physical movement it’s also a mental skill. You have to adopt an eccentric mindset which may even the odds in your favour. Eye contact is a powerful form of communication, the most obvious and it’s seminal in that your body language shifts due to what you are looking at and how you feel in that present moment. In effect when someone looks at you, it dictates how you react to them. I would seriously recommend people look their potential attacker dead in the eye with intent and focus. No one likes to be examined, glared at etc. It’s a psychological prerequisite that can make or break a situation. The amount of times I’ve been involved in arguments, potential fights with others knowing full well they could have me but my eye contact instantly shuts them down, because I use intent, focus and energy into what who I’m looking at. An example: I once went to a club with my girlfriend, we left but she waited outside as i dashed to the loo, when I returned there was ten, TEN guys surrounding her, hugging her, trying to seduce her. The leader of the pack even had his arms around her I took one look at him and all of them FLED! If they wanted to, they could have threatened me, surrounded me, nope, I gave them that terminator look 👀 and they not only apologised for talking to my women but they were prettified. Ten big, tall guys and here’s skinny ol me but the look on my face said it all. Even my girlfriend was impressed and surprised how I was able to deter them. My friends say it’s because Im black but I don’t think so. Anyways you have to learn to act or at least take a problem seriously. Use eye contact, body language as a warning tactic before your forced to engage. Good luck.
I think the best self-defense is to strike first and strike hard to avoid it from escalating out of control, other than that is to run away really fast.
I completely agree that there should also be “trauma” in training. I have witnessed first hand people who have trained in martial arts for years freeze in a real life situation.
I am a small guy and have always looked for ways to learn for self defense my whole life. here are my conclusion. 1.athleticism is super important ( strength, speed, reaction...ect), so go and get involved in some sports for fun ( its good for everything in your life) 2. only learn something that you can train everyday for it to be effective. 3. a good pepper spray is a must. 4. situational awareness is super important. Thats it! everything else is all bullshit unless you are willing to train fulltime and have a good size and good physical condition.
@@Kmasse8 I wish what you say was true but in reality is size does matter and criminals normally have more experience on the street, plus they prey on easy targets, meaning they must be much bigger or out-number a victim or they wouldn't do it.
@@QuantumMechanic_88 you are only 1/2 right. sure, athletics who are not trained specifically in fighting would have a hard time fighting someone who has had experience in fighting, but because of their ability to react and move fast plus strength. I bet you they can avoid being hurt or would handle themselves much better than most of normal folk. After all fighting in general requires athleticism just like in any sport.
@@namnguyen1969 size is just a size is like outer shell reality is more simple and practical it's the inner strength . You can't see strength you feel it when get in contact with somebody they may not put you down u but one will have a harder time wrestling them
I absolutely agree with the eye contact point. Some years ago I was sent to an Open University summer school in a dodgy area of Manchester. I was walking back to the campus on a wide city street when I saw that someone on the other side of the road had seen me and started to cross the road at an angle that would mean we would meet. Alarm bells rang! I kept my walking rythm the same but shortened my stride, so for the same number of steps I was covering half the distance and he arrived on the pavement some yards ahead of me. I watched him all the way. Eventually he said he wanted to see what was on my tee shirt. Yeah right! You do that don't you? Anyway, I am convinced that because I was aware of him and he knew it, the potential danger was averted. This was before I had taken up any martial art. After my graduating with my degree I took up Wing Chun under Sifu Shaun Rawcliffe and I have been one of his students for 20 years now. In the class we do simulated street defence, where it is outside of the classroom, the ground isn't smooth and even, it is poorly lit and the scenarios can be 2,3,4 or even 5 on one. They may attack or they may not, just like in real life. You can't just eye gouge anyone who looks dodgy, you have to respond to what happens.
I agree with every word, I started wing Chun training but I left after 2 months, not because of the techniques that I was learning but I felt that I wouldn't be able to use it because I was not in the right mindset at the time. That killer instinct was not being taught, that emotional aspect of it was not there.
Now that you're aware of emotional content, simply add to your training, no matter the system/style. Introduce it to the instructor & training partners too!
I was teaching a class where we were showing techniques how to break a grip and a girl asked me why I was gripping her wrist so tightly. She didn't understand that someone on a street wouldn't be trying to be gentle with her.
You know, I never went this deeply in the training I've done with my students. We've done maybe a quarter of this type of training. I think after viewing this insightful video I'll make those adjustments.
You guys are spot on! An attack in the street is down right nasty. Ugly . Brutal and maybe deadly. You can be highly trained in a fight style and get whacked. You need to go on the attack like the animal who’s attacking you. Being in touch with and aware of the reality of potential violence and it’s nastiness is of upmost importance.
Great video. The best martial arts lesson I ever had was when my kickboxing instructor lined up everyone that wanted to spar, and walked down the line punching each in the face with a glove on. He hit us hard enough to knock us back a few steps. Very quickly determined who actually wanted to spar full-contact. The look of shock on some of the students' faces was telling.
Thank you for the balanced and thoughtful review. I'm one of the women shown, and I want to express my appreciation for your professionalism while reviewing our self defense and combat system. I've been training KALAH for two years now, and all training and pressure tests throughout happened with my full consent. What's more, I thank my training partners and teachers for their care in setting up the simulations as safety conscious as humanly possible. I believe the techniques/principles in KALAH to be effective, and the pressure we put ourselves under in training to be the closest approximation we can safely come to a real self defense situation.
I understand your point that we need to train our women with realistic scenarios. At the same time, you won’t get many women, especially the ones who need it, to train with such aggression. There needs to be a balance. I’ve been attacked before so I know how useless martial arts is. Also, I’ve left most schools because they were too aggressive and it triggered my ptsd. Thai aggressive Krav Maga system just doesn’t work. I do agree that we need mental and emotional training first. Most women who are attacked are disempowered. So getting them to be confident is first priority. And when we smile and enjoy it, we learn better and faster. So once again, I do believe we need balance.
As someone who has been an instructor and taught self defense to women, this has been my experience as well. Men are more likely to pay to go through something like that in order to come out with the most "bad ass" fighting skills. Women don't do well being yelled at, even when they understand that it is "all an act" and will many times drop out of classes if they find that the instructors are too aggressive.
@@GenXSpiritWarrior you obviously know a lot of weak women. Maybe I should introduce you to my mother, sister and girlfriend. There are three humans on this planet I fear more then them and I’ve fought all three of them. Not all women are weak. That’s a stupid stereotype perception to have. You obviously don’t know a lot of strong people who can handle themselves, female or not.
I took a model mugging course for men so that I could experience fight or flight stress. Have a video on it. I learned some things. One thing I learned is that gross motor defense techniques, high margin of error moves work best in a real situation. Forget anything fancy. Your coordination is going to be off in real situation so learn a few gross motor techniques, simple moves really well targeting soft areas.
I have caught shoplifters in a retail setting for the better part of 20+ years in the US. Many fights, struggles, verbal judo, etc. has heightened my alert system to such a high it's hard to turn off. All of the interactions have taught me so much about what to expect from people...I always expect the unexpected and constantly move out of the way to not be an easy target. IF you can find a trainer that puts you into realistic, difficult positions in real life scenarios, feel lucky you got that training.
I had no say something when I read your post and mentioned "verbal judo" as that was one if many things we were taught in Police Academy. I've never seen it mentioned anywhere until now. We had a fond nickname for it as it was known as "gerbil voodoo" or at least we pronounced it that way. That is a course that many people should read about and grab the book. It is useful for many aspects of life....but de-escation and dealing with hostile people are it's best uses. My 2cnts.
To clarify- it is reasonable to START your training with more relaxed, "fun", and smiley style situations while you are teaching your students the basics and movements of the techniques. This should ramp up to training against more resistance, and eventually to training during a stressful environment. This is a natural ramp up of training. Look at any military training regimen, they begin with how you hold the weapon and how you use the weapon in a relatively low stress environment then ramp it up from there.
What Mark said about looking people in the eye is right on the money. Fighting isn’t just limited to physical movement it’s also a mental skill. You have to adopt an eccentric mindset which may even the odds in your favour. Eye contact is a powerful form of communication, the most obvious and it’s seminal in that your body language shifts due to what you are looking at and how you feel in that present moment. In effect when someone looks at you, it dictates how you react to them. I would seriously recommend people look their potential attacker dead in the eye with intent and focus. No one likes to be examined, glared at etc. It’s a psychological prerequisite that can make or break a situation. The amount of times I’ve been involved in arguments, potential fights with others knowing full well they could have me but my eye contact instantly shuts them down, because I use intent, focus and energy into what who I’m looking at. An example: I once went to a club with my girlfriend, we left but she waited outside as i dashed to the loo, when I returned there was ten, TEN guys surrounding her, hugging her, trying to seduce her. The leader of the pack even had his arms around her I took one look at him and all of them FLED! If they wanted to, they could have threatened me, surrounded me, nope, I gave them that terminator look 👀 and they not only apologised for talking to my women but they were prettified. Ten big, tall guys and here’s skinny ol me but the look on my face said it all. Even my girlfriend was impressed and surprised how I was able to deter them. My friends say it’s because Im black but I don’t think so. Anyways you have to learn to act or at least take a problem seriously. Use eye contact, body language as a warning tactic before your forced to engage. Good luck.
The emotional content really is the key. The overwhelming majority of people have never been on the receiving end of explosive anger, which is a completely different animal to normal angry outbursts. That difference alone may be the determining factor in whether you win or lose and in a defensive encounter losing could very well mean losing your life.
What Mark said about looking people in the eye is right on the money. Fighting isn’t just limited to physical movement it’s also a mental skill. You have to adopt an eccentric mindset which may even the odds in your favour. Eye contact is a powerful form of communication, the most obvious and it’s seminal in that your body language shifts due to what you are looking at and how you feel in that present moment. In effect when someone looks at you, it dictates how you react to them. I would seriously recommend people look their potential attacker dead in the eye with intent and focus. No one likes to be examined, glared at etc. It’s a psychological prerequisite that can make or break a situation. The amount of times I’ve been involved in arguments, potential fights with others knowing full well they could have me but my eye contact instantly shuts them down, because I use intent, focus and energy into what who I’m looking at. An example: I once went to a club with my girlfriend, we left but she waited outside as i dashed to the loo, when I returned there was ten, TEN guys surrounding her, hugging her, trying to seduce her. The leader of the pack even had his arms around her I took one look at him and all of them FLED! If they wanted to, they could have threatened me, surrounded me, nope, I gave them that terminator look 👀 and they not only apologised for talking to my women but they were prettified. Ten big, tall guys and here’s skinny ol me but the look on my face said it all. Even my girlfriend was impressed and surprised how I was able to deter them. My friends say it’s because Im black but I don’t think so. Anyways you have to learn to act or at least take a problem seriously. Use eye contact, body language as a warning tactic before your forced to engage. Good luck.
@@master-of-mind5881when you look someone who is agressive and crazy in the eye, all you surely get is a violent attack from that person. No crazy dudes like to be stared at, esp. in the eye, You were very lucky back then, to subdue all those people by looking them in the eye
Ever since I heard the advice, don't try to plan how to deal with an attack but instead have a strategy this has fundamentally changed my approach to training. Thanks guys! :)
If you can stay composed while a heavily built 6ft+ man is slapping you about and still be aware of what you need to do then you stand a chance Grateful to you for sharing these excellent videos Sifu 🙏🏽
At 4:27 in the video, I'm appalled. As a 5th Dan Hapkido practitioner with 35 years experience it is irresponsible and incompetent to teach beginners wrist locks as part of a "practical self-defense" course. I believe that wrist locks have their place after years of practice they have a 50% failure rate among the experts and a 99.999% failure rate otherwise. You use them when you know what you are doing only. This instructor (seems can barely do one herself), is teaching a beginner a wrist lock for self-defense is almost criminal.
Agreed 100% As police officer wristlocks sometimes come in useful but not if the person's behavior escalates further. Passive aggressive people can be controlled with wrist locks. Only if you are trained in their use. Self defense...not a chance.
Teach and practice what works. People are not going to do a graduation in self defence and are never going to be ever ready to fight back when jumped. One has to be really paranoid to expect and attack . But when it does learn to protect vital point and break out of holds and damage a pivotal joint and escape. Yea been jumped learned karate useless. But judo is what works
@@robertarnold7187 agreed. Law enforcement here also. People also forget that the fine motor skills go out the window when shit hits the fan. Trying to grab and do a fancy wrist lock is just not realistic, where as gross motor skills like a body lock takedown or tackle become much more realistic.
As with any lock, its really hard to lock a wrist, shoulder, arm etc in a fight at high speed, mainly because a good and proper lock is really a precision thing to do, couple of milimeters off and its useless, i am always struggling in my trainings with the locks, maybe its experience, but in a real fight i think its really hard.
@@fullmerfitmindandbody agreed absolutely. Judo gets a bum wrap but what people who dismiss it don't realize is that judo can save your life..especially when trying to get loose or get away from situation, even if it can create space long enough for you to use other tools, which in our case could be on our belt. To the same extent, pressure point knowledge is a must. Whether for applying pressure or strikes. It's easy to know when you are on target with them. Those are another story though I guess.:) stay safe!
Ripped shirts, angry slurs and aggression is a great way to stress test your techniques, i am fairly confident in my ability to escape a situation with minimal damage and feel comfortable in s sparring scenario. My huge downfall is how uncomfortable i become in verbally aggressive arguments, even when i know its very unlikely to become physical i still feel strange, almost like im waiting for it to get physical so i can calm down.
Agreed. I honestly love this channel. Y'all put out real content this is important. So many places out there put you in a comfortable environment. Which is B.S.
Stress training is the best way to truly understand how you are going to be able to react in self defence situations and I do wish that more self defence clubs and traditional martial art would implement this style of training in some way , also not be afraid to say that this technique won't always work but here is 3 or 4 other things that might and must always reaffirm that self defence is about survival for the student and thier loved ones
Well stated. I believe self defense classes should always have an element of this style included. Clearly we need to be brought outside of our comfort zone. We will not be in our comfort zone if involved in a real life situation...so never training that way is not wise. I'm not suggesting it for every training session..as technique and execution of the moves need to be practiced frequently. However to not include the more realistic style and see how we react outside of our comfort zone is a disservice to the students in my opinion. Stay safe. :)
Realism in training is key. Exposure to situations in training will help you more in real situations. Our motto is "we train as we fight" Train good principles for defense, train real life scenarios. Alot of these defense instructional videos do set moves in set scenarios that almost never play out the way you want them to. So build skill, and good situational awareness. Your work on TH-cam is outstanding and informative. And most of all truthful and practical.
Making eye contact is massive. I've saved myself from at least 3 definite muggings in south London by simply looking at the bloke (often behind me) and then also crossing the road while continually looking back. I always cross over the road to test potential muggers out. If they cross to your side, cross to the other side. If they cross back again, you cross again. This has saved me quite a few times..don't be embarrassed to do it, it works. Good video lads.
I like practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for the reason it's very close contact and gets me used to the stress of fighting bigger people (I'm small) and remembering to keep a level head in a mildly stressful situation, but that first minute fighting videos are probably the most realistic way to be great at self-defense , there's no sparing of adrenaline there damn! Thanks for the video!
@@kiljaeden5405 It's true in best case scenario I wouldn't want to be be, but if I didn't have a choice and was in stabbing range, I'd at least have a fighting chance I think
Love it. I was literally thinking "this is so much better/more realistic than the classes I've taught or been in where the students are smiling as they practice the technique" and then you brought that up seconds later. I would not do it with kids or beginner adults, but definitely will with more experienced adults.
Even with my background in Boxing and Wrestling I have learned so much watching this Channel with regard to unconventional hand to hand. A HUGE Thank you!
Ear slaps are very underestimated and rarely highlighted. Cup your hands and smash those ears making sure to push air in, same with high heel toe stamp. A thumb in eyes also works.These are good because if he has grabbed you at least one of the options is open to you.
Couldn’t agree more. If you aren’t intimately familiar with what physical confrontation and taking damage feels like, how can you possibly be effective? “Stress testing” and full contact sparring are the best way to prepare yourself.
Great article mate,been trying for 40 years to get people to be more serious in training self defence but unfortunately a lot of people have the they all want to be a wolf until it’s time to be one attitude,keep them coming
By the way I forgot to ask about the political situation in RSA, coz I've seen the news on BBC & CNN that there was some massive riots broke out in the wake of Zuma's arrest on alleged corruption charges, people were burning/vandalizing public or private property, looting shops and stores, how's everything now?
Great video! That's unfortunately very true that almost nobody would sign up for a really effective self-defense training. I wondered for a long time why there are no real pressure tests or realistic scenarios like this anywhere, and I wondered what would be the ideal training, but I realized that it would be unsalable. People will always believe in shortcuts and they are pretty good at convincing themselves exercising slow choreographed moves with a non-resistant opponent will prepare them for the real violence.
After years of Krav Maga style martial arts, I did more jiu jitsu/wrestling and was not prepared for the sensation of a stranger (especially heavy and sweaty) directly on top of me with all their bodyweight. Easy to get anxious and lose air. Important lesson though.
The Krav video was great. The stress is absolutely needed for real world training. Learning the muscle memory and techniques is one thing. But when it's time to drill...train as you fight. And the eye contact, definitely. Let them, a potential attacker, know that you see them.
I think another important element which is touched on here is understanding what actual pain feels like so you don't freak out. I remember the first time I was put in a real choke in a class, I freaked out but after training it, I was able to react and counter it. If all you train is soft, fun scenarios, you'll freak out in a real one.
Good video and advice, especially about letting the potential threat know that you are aware of their presence! When I was 19 working in Miami as an insurance agent, going door to door in the Liberty City neighborhood, I would come out of an apartment around 10 p.m. and see the drug dealers on the corner, and dressed as I was, in a suit with a briefcase, I would walk right by them as I was going to my car and show no fear, and just acknowledge their presence by saying hello. Maybe I was just lucky, but they never once bothered me. They would always reply, though somewhat uncomfortably or surprised, but they let me be! I've always believed in showing no fear, while being aware of your situation and following your instincts. To give some perspective, this is a predominantly black neighborhood with a reputation for high crime. I am a light skinned, not white man of mixed ethnicity and a Jamaican who was comfortable in this type of environment.
This is absolutely true! A real scenario is totally different from a girl's perspective, I have trained in martial arts too and I always ask myself if I got threatened in real life how am I supposed to respond to a male's aggression coz all we ever do in training is playing cool along the way 🤷♀️ That's why I love this video because it's fact.
Any form of self defense training will boost your confidence and that shows in your posture and awareness. That alone makes you a less likely victim because predators prey on the weak. Most of them are not very useful in a real street fight. And than you see instructors with really long hair but you have to grab their wrist according to scenario. :)
Hi guys, thankyou very much for a more realistic take on self defense. I've seen a few of you video's and really like your style and logic. When it comes to the color system and these more realistic self defense classes. I agree that it is a much better way to train for life's dangerous situations, considering the scenarios and emotional extremes that are the reality of finding yourself in these bad situations. I do feel it is important to consider that training people in this way is extreme and students that already have anxiety or other personality issues may not benefit the same way as someone that really is mentally prepared for this type of training. If a student is not mentally prepared for this kind of training, I can imagine that they could potentially become overwhelmed by the wrong kind of emotions and understanding of the training and either act very irrationally in the real world being hyper afraid or even aggressive. So basically I'm just suggesting that while this kind of training is certainly better than those unrealistic and to soft examples you showed, it should be wise to make sure there is a focus on the students phycological health and understanding when taking on this more realistic and extreme training. I don't expect my opinion is perfect , just wanted to share my thoughts. Thanks again for all the work and effort you put in to teaching and helping others. : )
I immediately pretend faint, nobody wants to hit a dead body. Then when their backs turned I nip at the legs. Seriously though I mostly agree. I do think repetition is key as well. I remember training simple self defense with a cop years ago and applying the techniques in a barracks tussle. Training and retaining but also keeping a fighting mentality.
I always felt unlucky to have little opportunity to train consistently in a system to any degree but having some of very unorthodox teachers who were far less than kind and taking some (realism wake-up) knocks, I look back feeling a lot more confident than if was under one great teacher. I'm no tough guy, but I had a lot of teachers who were, and I sure am better for it! Great vid!
Ex Police officer here. Did my "officer safety training" in a dojo ( as a new recruit ) at an empty RAF base, in a windowless bunker. It was the first of a new type of training back then in 2006 and was very aggressive. We had 4 instructors, the main one was hardcore to say the least. I spent the two weeks there terrified and excited at the same time. It was brutal, insulting, and painful. The place was set up with mock bars/public places as well as the Dojo. I learnt a lot and unfortunately have to agree with you on that the emotion of fear and terror almost has to be experienced for truly effective learning. At times I thought they were going to kill me, but I made it though and was so pleased to finish 😁😎
I agree. That said I’m not into school right now, but I have literally been in some of these situations! That said I had a near miss with a large truck some months ago. We were on the same route, it happened he stopped at a small convince store, I stopped to take photos of his plates to use when I called the police. I did not wait long enough, he saw me and came to the truck as I was taking the photos. No fight happened I limited my engagement and left after reminding him he nearly ran me off the road, but I was surprised at my extreme discomfort and how it affected my ability to think clearly for some time. I’m not sure how effective I would have been had there been a physical conflict!
What? I don't suck at self-defense! I had to fight only once in my adult life, some 20 years ago, when my mother's neighbor knocked down my old mother and threw her spouse down the stairs. I came to her place, argued with the guy, found out that I just cannot start a fight out of fear from going to prison, so I turned to leave, the guy kicked me from behind to throw me down the stairs, but I was in shape back then (today, this would send me to the hospital), I turned the fall to a jump, landed safely below the stairs, ran back up the stairs (I was seeing red like wild buffalo), I punched him just once in the face, he flew through a glass pane, pulled a gun and aimed at my face, but did not shoot me (later, police found out it was a replica with blanks), we were both fined for "violating the neighborly peace", and sentenced to pay 1000 CZK, which we both promptly did, and that was the end. It lasted just seconds, and I did not need any of the technical finesse I studied in all those schools. My mother then won the lawsuit, the guy (son-in-law of my mother's spouse) had to leave the house, and that was it, my only fight of my adult life, some 20 years ago. Now I am crippled due to my arthritic knee (courtesy of too many lunges during my fighting days), but nobody still picks a fight with me. I was beaten a lot as a child, since I was a small, cowardly, scrawny kid, but I practiced and practiced (judo, then karate, then aikido - worthless by itself, but it taught me to fall safely, how to move around [tai sabaki IS useful!], then HEMA), and somewhere along the road, people just stopped picking fights with me. Just like that, suddenly, the beatings stopped. And that's my life's story, really. I admit that you guys would beat me to a pulp today, as I am too fat and old and ill, but you are no crooks, and I am not stupid to pick fights I cannot win, so I conlude - I don't suck at self-defense!
When I go through scenarios of being attacked sometimes I start being really anxious and really aggressive but, ofc, under control. What helps me is the fact that I was attacked three times in my life and managed to get out safely, where there was aready physicsl contact or fight. If anything ever happens again I know I will be able to push myself to any possible level to save me or my close ones, without going to far but I am ready to harm the attacker from the mental side. And I know it will hurt to be in a fight, I hate to see such shitty trainings where everything is in 0.25 motion and never gets to controlled fights during drills. And my main focus in everyday life is just plain situational awareness. Thanks for yet another great video!
95% + of conflict will be managing and harnessing the fear / adrenaline dump reactions. Manage this well (by training per first two examples in video) and you stand a chance of walking / running away from a real life encounter. Great video and commentary, thanks for posting. Of course using awareness / avoidance might pre-empt you ever getting into situations like this...
I understand passive training when it comes to self betterment, fitness , health and learning and understanding movement. But I think what’s really lacking is people see everything as this vs that. It can all be used if put into proper use. Self defense has to have emotional scenario training. Realism is the key. It’s a slow safe immersion into the shoes of a real scenario which mentally prepares you to react properly. What does military do to train soldiers ? Passive training comes into use for many other reasons. People are to detached because they want money or status. Train people because you want to save there life. To teach them a way to move through life confidently. To not be a victim.
Excellent video. And it also works all the way around. There must be a balance. Some people can also become aware of how dangerous they can become when they unleash their full aggressiveness and lose control in stressful situations. The line to turn from victim to aggressor is very thin. You can't neglect the importance of the legal context around self defense and this might vary from one country to another. You can't go there stabbing, breaking people's arms, noses, or choking them out to death unless it is "absolutely necessary". Self control is also an important skill to master. Stressful situations also help to learn how to deal with your rage and anger.
Competition Wrestle, judo, Jui Jitsu.... followed by competiton golden gloves boxing, Full Contact kickboxing, Muy Thai. Concealed carry training and certification. Other than hiring full-time bodyguards, that is THE BEST way. Compete in grappling, compete in striking. Competition keeps you from melting down when the SHTF
Situational awareness or presense of mind, quick physical reactions or reflexes, mental strength or toughness, composure or self-confidence, resourcefulness, the instinct or the will to fight back and defend yourself, knowing when to fight back or when to just run away as fast as you can, avoiding people places and situations that potentially lead to heated altercations or violent encounters, and your martial arts/fighting/self-defense skills and techniques (if you have any or some) which you have spent long periods of time practicing and training, can drastically increase your chances of successfully defending yourself and surviving potentially violent self-defense encounters. Speaking based on my personal experience as a self-defense practitioner.
You know what: from personal experience as a kid, as I used to get into fights in school my experiences stuck with me and this is what I want to say: Based on this testimony. When in a confrontation with another person and it leads to a physical altercation; want to say that everything works! Whether you're calmly commencing a maneuver or your under stress when faced with an ordeal that gives you the idea that You're an any physical danger or possibly in a deadly situation it's a better idea to try what it is you can to get rid of that danger. That derives from my previous experiences in my fight it seems though that when I did maneuvers and use techniques that even when I was laughed at I still feel the necessity to do what I think I needed to do there for survivability and that's the reason why I don't downsize the practices in martial arts since everyone have their own ideas on how to survive Insisting their health and health and well being but basically but based off of what I've seen I'll put what I can in favor in have considerations to try them all.
I am a big advocate for reality based self-defense and stress testing your training. You definitely need to gradually increase the stress. I wouldn't go into day 1 of a class teaching with full strikes. I always tell people that if the technique doesn't seem like it's real at 30% give me the benefit of the doubt and get it down and then we will Amp it up to 70% and see if you still feel that way after. If so then it's my job to analyze my techniques and see where they are failing. My wife is my biggest critic. I'll show her something slow and she will swear it's not real and I say OK your turn to be the bad guy and fair warning, you're coming off your feet.
Thank you for presenting this issue in a professional and encouraging, enlightening way. Bless your channel more and keep creating great contents. Thanks again for this vid.
My mua Thai Instructor was ranked 3rd in the world as a heavyweight in Thailand, he spent 8 years there and left when the gangsters rigging fights were going after him.....I have seen him break many inspected Louisville Slugger bats with both shins He was not a nice man and training was brutal....him..."it's supposed to be hard, your training to be fighters not dancers!!"
@@changlongwang9898 both legs....at one tournament i was in he did 2 in a row with left and 2 AT THE SAME TIME with right leg....Simon Posnier was 5"10 about 205 when I trained in the 1990s Even kinda looked like frank shamrock, scary dude man
Doc I am constrained to inform you that I watch all the bloody ridiculous ads attached to the Channel, as I am a good YT visitor & it’s one way I can support you & The Team from FIGHT SCIENCE!!! OOS 🙏🏽 EDIT: In American Football there’s an old maxim “You play like you practice”
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One element to look at is that we actually want to get the discursive and emotional mind completely out of it. The body should be fighting reflexively, so proper training is ingraining an automatic response that has been repeated many times. FMA/Arnis/Eskrima is ideal for this, the first thing that happens is (although it does take a little time) we get our hand speed up to stick speed. The line of an incoming strike or grab is checked with the defender's live hand, after several hundred repetitions, that hand just goes there automatically. In any lesson, we could be doing that one move 20-30 times in the space of 90 minutes. After just a few months, you have a hard-wired physical reflexive response. The counters are also coupled with it, not only do you have the check grooved, the follow up strike is also automatic. At advanced levels, you add more moves that also become reflexive, now you have a 'chain' of strikes and counters that are automatic. Also anything I can hold in my hand becomes a weapon- a book, a newspaper, a cane, pair of scissors....even a coffee mug. I'll even go one step further and say any legitimate system that is effective must address this or have some component of it. We also assume any attacker is both trained and armed, so we are not overconfident. The problem is that you can't do 1 weekend seminar and then assume you are okay and can handle yourself, this will need follow-up. Especially with all the UFC fanbois out there. Thanks Dr. Phillips, sorry to be longwinded, hopefully we will meet IRL someday.
This is a interesting point, whilst I admit lot of ma and self defense application out there is not pressure tested. The real question is to what extends do you go make these training session as realistic and yet safe at the same and this is really achievable. Let be honest if you faced with life threatening situation whereby you have to use your training, then the likehood you are going to be hurt or injured . Does that mean you should adopt that level of intensity and how would the learner react to this kind of training, obviously it is going put them under considerable amount of stress and discomfort physically and psychologically. All these these factors have to taken in account I think it had to set to down to individual, experience level, characteristics and ultimately what do they hope to achieve by undergo these type of training. Everyone is different and it can't be just say yea they should train like or it won't work on the street. That is old school mindset, you have to smart and flexible the days to meets to individuals needs.
I feel like the only way to make it kind of work the stranger alarms you and you look away, pull out your phone, instantly fill someone in on your location, lie and say you're right outside and get into whatever store you're at. Advertise a tougher situation. Now that I know the spousal abuse combat training has other training videos, I feel a little bit better. My wife literally sent that video to me saying she doesn't want to do these exercises.
In the first clip, the big guy started off well. Getting her in the "right" mindset. But then, he took the "foot off the gas" if you will, when he seemingly relaxed after she fought back. In a real scenario, your attacker will escalate the violence, once you fight back. The biggest problem I see with these self defense classes. Is that they always end up making the attacker compliant to your moves. In a real attack scenario, your attacker will be many things. Compliant isn't one of them.
Exactly. The first video clip is a stupid fantasy. Dangerous, even.
Yes the reality is that when you fight back, your opponent is going to become more enraged, unless they are highly trained. You make a great point.
i get it, if Karen is not violent enough against Donut Joe, there, she'll only piss him off. but if the attacker is not in it for their life and is just trying to assert dominance or horse around (let's call that "bullying" 🤣) but the victim shows a ferocity equal to cats trying for their life not to get into the bath tub, then yeah, i can see a big dude backing off after experiencing some shrieker shit. now on the other hand, if professionals are involved, like fuckin sicarios out to get housewife Karen (can barely type this, lmao 🤣)... yeah... bye bye Karen and her afternoon self defense class. i know i used a bit too much color but you get the picture. depends what you train for. law enforcement and paramilitary should always train with 100% violence of action. Karen, can get a pass, sometimes, don't you agree? I am assuming that is a class for everybody who pays... the "sensei/renshi/kyoshi/hanshi/sifu/whatfuckingever" has to make a living somehow ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It's the infinite paradox of sparring. You're supposed to train realistically, but you never actually know unless someone tries to take you out. When I used to train people would hit you hard enough to hear the bells ring. But I guess this is often not socially acceptable, certainly when it concerns female self defense. I reckon for women the only way to figure it out is through actual competition leading to ko or submission.
@@84NZ41 that's the big problem, right? There just simply aren't enough serious people in the world to fill up classes and keep the lights on. Too many casuals that THINK they want to learn self-defense or a martial art, but drop immediately when they are exposed to a stress like realistic drilling or sparring. Like you said, the instructor has to make a living and is forced to water it down for the masses to retain clientele. It's a hard situation.
Wow, I’m honoured to be on the channel!! Keep up the great work guys and thanks for tagging me 👌
You're welcome Sir. Love your work too. Wish you future success. 🙏
I love both your guys channels. Keep up the fantastic work you guys do🤜
Much love to both of y'all
That women's self defense session was quite memorable. At the first watch, it made my blood boil. Able to have a good laugh this time.
@@QuantumMechanic_88 Have you watched that channel?.So damn funny!
The phrase "can't learn to swim without getting in the water" comes to mind.... LOVE THE VIDEO... and YES- this is good.
I grew up in a neighborhood with a growing gang problem. My friends and I each trained in a different martial arts and then we cross trained each other using likely scenarios. We quickly eliminated techniques that wouldn't work in real situations. One of our group was jumped by five guys. They fractured an arm with a baseball bat, which he didn't know until later. He put three of them in the hospital. The other two ran off. I would say we trained well.
Well done man
Five against one & at least one of the five had a baseball bat as well. Three of the five ended up in the hospital & the other two ran off. Did they attack your friend one at a time? I'm not calling Bullshit however I can definitely smell it in the air.
And then everyone clapped
i know it has been awhile but how many were in the group that got jumped?
ACHOO. Sorry I'm allergic to possible bullshit
A lot of the "self defence" trainings will work great when the attacker complies with your moves.
The “aggressor” has to comply during training or he/she can get hurt.
Never heard of an aggressor " complying " with a victims request
@@manborg84 the uke gets upset when you throat strike them before you throw them.. when I'm the uke I comply so my limbs stay intact, real life situations are different.. best to distract the victim.. uhhh.. i mean aggressor first...
What Mark said about looking people in the eye is right on the money. Fighting isn’t just limited to physical movement it’s also a mental skill. You have to adopt an eccentric mindset which may even the odds in your favour.
Eye contact is a powerful form of communication, the most obvious and it’s seminal in that your body language shifts due to what you are looking at and how you feel in that present moment. In effect when someone looks at you, it dictates how you react to them. I would seriously recommend people look their potential attacker dead in the eye with intent and focus. No one likes to be examined, glared at etc.
It’s a psychological prerequisite that can make or break a situation.
The amount of times I’ve been involved in arguments, potential fights with others knowing full well they could have me but my eye contact instantly shuts them down, because I use intent, focus and energy into what who I’m looking at.
An example: I once went to a club with my girlfriend, we left but she waited outside as i dashed to the loo, when I returned there was ten, TEN guys surrounding her, hugging her, trying to seduce her.
The leader of the pack even had his arms around her I took one look at him and all of them FLED!
If they wanted to, they could have threatened me, surrounded me, nope, I gave them that terminator look 👀 and they not only apologised for talking to my women but they were prettified. Ten big, tall guys and here’s skinny ol me but the look on my face said it all. Even my girlfriend was impressed and surprised how I was able to deter them. My friends say it’s because Im black but I don’t think so.
Anyways you have to learn to act or at least take a problem seriously. Use eye contact, body language as a warning tactic before your forced to engage. Good luck.
I think the best self-defense is to strike first and strike hard to avoid it from escalating out of control, other than that is to run away really fast.
I completely agree that there should also be “trauma” in training. I have witnessed first hand people who have trained in martial arts for years freeze in a real life situation.
I am a small guy and have always looked for ways to learn for self defense my whole life. here are my conclusion. 1.athleticism is super important ( strength, speed, reaction...ect), so go and get involved in some sports for fun ( its good for everything in your life) 2. only learn something that you can train everyday for it to be effective. 3. a good pepper spray is a must. 4. situational awareness is super important. Thats it! everything else is all bullshit unless you are willing to train fulltime and have a good size and good physical condition.
It´s not the size of the dog in a fight, but the size of a fight in a dog
Bruce Lee warned about these fake trainings 40 years ago. Apparently not many people listened, not even martial arts practitioners sadly.
@@Kmasse8 I wish what you say was true but in reality is size does matter and criminals normally have more experience on the street, plus they prey on easy targets, meaning they must be much bigger or out-number a victim or they wouldn't do it.
@@QuantumMechanic_88 you are only 1/2 right. sure, athletics who are not trained specifically in fighting would have a hard time fighting someone who has had experience in fighting, but because of their ability to react and move fast plus strength. I bet you they can avoid being hurt or would handle themselves much better than most of normal folk. After all fighting in general requires athleticism just like in any sport.
@@namnguyen1969 size is just a size is like outer shell reality is more simple and practical it's the inner strength . You can't see strength you feel it when get in contact with somebody they may not put you down u but one will have a harder time wrestling them
I absolutely agree with the eye contact point. Some years ago I was sent to an Open University summer school in a dodgy area of Manchester. I was walking back to the campus on a wide city street when I saw that someone on the other side of the road had seen me and started to cross the road at an angle that would mean we would meet. Alarm bells rang! I kept my walking rythm the same but shortened my stride, so for the same number of steps I was covering half the distance and he arrived on the pavement some yards ahead of me. I watched him all the way. Eventually he said he wanted to see what was on my tee shirt. Yeah right! You do that don't you? Anyway, I am convinced that because I was aware of him and he knew it, the potential danger was averted.
This was before I had taken up any martial art. After my graduating with my degree I took up Wing Chun under Sifu Shaun Rawcliffe and I have been one of his students for 20 years now. In the class we do simulated street defence, where it is outside of the classroom, the ground isn't smooth and even, it is poorly lit and the scenarios can be 2,3,4 or even 5 on one. They may attack or they may not, just like in real life. You can't just eye gouge anyone who looks dodgy, you have to respond to what happens.
I'm not reading that lol
You said the key phrase, "The mindset" mastering that is key. people will do anything to put the hurt on you
"I said emotional content, not anger."-Bruce Lee
Good video! You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable - if your first time being punched hard/grabbed/taken down is in the street you're screwed
I agree with every word, I started wing Chun training but I left after 2 months, not because of the techniques that I was learning but I felt that I wouldn't be able to use it because I was not in the right mindset at the time. That killer instinct was not being taught, that emotional aspect of it was not there.
What did you decide to train in instead, assuming you wanted to.
Now that you're aware of emotional content, simply add to your training, no matter the system/style. Introduce it to the instructor & training partners too!
And we really that you're not practicing the right martial arts. Wing Chun is one of the worst martial arts in the world.
Most martial arts do not fight enough for fear of running off there customers. But you have to fight to learn how to fight. Distance and timing.
Train in muay thai and jiu-jitsu then you will become a complete fighter
I was teaching a class where we were showing techniques how to break a grip and a girl asked me why I was gripping her wrist so tightly. She didn't understand that someone on a street wouldn't be trying to be gentle with her.
You know, I never went this deeply in the training I've done with my students. We've done maybe a quarter of this type of training. I think after viewing this insightful video I'll make those adjustments.
You guys are spot on! An attack in the street is down right nasty. Ugly . Brutal and maybe deadly. You can be highly trained in a fight style and get whacked. You need to go on the attack like the animal who’s attacking you. Being in touch with and aware of the reality of potential violence and it’s nastiness is of upmost importance.
Great video. The best martial arts lesson I ever had was when my kickboxing instructor lined up everyone that wanted to spar, and walked down the line punching each in the face with a glove on. He hit us hard enough to knock us back a few steps. Very quickly determined who actually wanted to spar full-contact. The look of shock on some of the students' faces was telling.
Thank you for the balanced and thoughtful review. I'm one of the women shown, and I want to express my appreciation for your professionalism while reviewing our self defense and combat system.
I've been training KALAH for two years now, and all training and pressure tests throughout happened with my full consent. What's more, I thank my training partners and teachers for their care in setting up the simulations as safety conscious as humanly possible. I believe the techniques/principles in KALAH to be effective, and the pressure we put ourselves under in training to be the closest approximation we can safely come to a real self defense situation.
I understand your point that we need to train our women with realistic scenarios. At the same time, you won’t get many women, especially the ones who need it, to train with such aggression. There needs to be a balance. I’ve been attacked before so I know how useless martial arts is. Also, I’ve left most schools because they were too aggressive and it triggered my ptsd. Thai aggressive Krav Maga system just doesn’t work. I do agree that we need mental and emotional training first. Most women who are attacked are disempowered. So getting them to be confident is first priority. And when we smile and enjoy it, we learn better and faster. So once again, I do believe we need balance.
As someone who has been an instructor and taught self defense to women, this has been my experience as well. Men are more likely to pay to go through something like that in order to come out with the most "bad ass" fighting skills. Women don't do well being yelled at, even when they understand that it is "all an act" and will many times drop out of classes if they find that the instructors are too aggressive.
@@GenXSpiritWarrior you obviously know a lot of weak women. Maybe I should introduce you to my mother, sister and girlfriend. There are three humans on this planet I fear more then them and I’ve fought all three of them.
Not all women are weak. That’s a stupid stereotype perception to have. You obviously don’t know a lot of strong people who can handle themselves, female or not.
I took a model mugging course for men so that I could experience fight or flight stress. Have a video on it. I learned some things. One thing I learned is that gross motor defense techniques, high margin of error moves work best in a real situation. Forget anything fancy. Your coordination is going to be off in real situation so learn a few gross motor techniques, simple moves really well targeting soft areas.
👍...leave the fancy stuff to Hollywood movies...
I have caught shoplifters in a retail setting for the better part of 20+ years in the US. Many fights, struggles, verbal judo, etc. has heightened my alert system to such a high it's hard to turn off. All of the interactions have taught me so much about what to expect from people...I always expect the unexpected and constantly move out of the way to not be an easy target.
IF you can find a trainer that puts you into realistic, difficult positions in real life scenarios, feel lucky you got that training.
I had no say something when I read your post and mentioned "verbal judo" as that was one if many things we were taught in Police Academy. I've never seen it mentioned anywhere until now. We had a fond nickname for it as it was known as "gerbil voodoo" or at least we pronounced it that way. That is a course that many people should read about and grab the book. It is useful for many aspects of life....but de-escation and dealing with hostile people are it's best uses. My 2cnts.
To clarify- it is reasonable to START your training with more relaxed, "fun", and smiley style situations while you are teaching your students the basics and movements of the techniques.
This should ramp up to training against more resistance, and eventually to training during a stressful environment. This is a natural ramp up of training.
Look at any military training regimen, they begin with how you hold the weapon and how you use the weapon in a relatively low stress environment then ramp it up from there.
As long as you have consent to push your students, and they have a safe word of sorts, I actually like it
Being an older woman, I'd sign up for the tough one in a heartbeat. No playing around.
Much respect to you.
What Mark said about looking people in the eye is right on the money. Fighting isn’t just limited to physical movement it’s also a mental skill. You have to adopt an eccentric mindset which may even the odds in your favour.
Eye contact is a powerful form of communication, the most obvious and it’s seminal in that your body language shifts due to what you are looking at and how you feel in that present moment. In effect when someone looks at you, it dictates how you react to them. I would seriously recommend people look their potential attacker dead in the eye with intent and focus. No one likes to be examined, glared at etc.
It’s a psychological prerequisite that can make or break a situation.
The amount of times I’ve been involved in arguments, potential fights with others knowing full well they could have me but my eye contact instantly shuts them down, because I use intent, focus and energy into what who I’m looking at.
An example: I once went to a club with my girlfriend, we left but she waited outside as i dashed to the loo, when I returned there was ten, TEN guys surrounding her, hugging her, trying to seduce her.
The leader of the pack even had his arms around her I took one look at him and all of them FLED!
If they wanted to, they could have threatened me, surrounded me, nope, I gave them that terminator look 👀 and they not only apologised for talking to my women but they were prettified. Ten big, tall guys and here’s skinny ol me but the look on my face said it all. Even my girlfriend was impressed and surprised how I was able to deter them. My friends say it’s because Im black but I don’t think so.
Anyways you have to learn to act or at least take a problem seriously. Use eye contact, body language as a warning tactic before your forced to engage. Good luck.
The emotional content really is the key. The overwhelming majority of people have never been on the receiving end of explosive anger, which is a completely different animal to normal angry outbursts. That difference alone may be the determining factor in whether you win or lose and in a defensive encounter losing could very well mean losing your life.
I fully agree with the fact that trainers should make the situation as real as possible for maximum effectiveness!
Three things to master for self-defense:
1. Calming your mind
2. Reacting quick
3. Running
Easier said than done
What Mark said about looking people in the eye is right on the money. Fighting isn’t just limited to physical movement it’s also a mental skill. You have to adopt an eccentric mindset which may even the odds in your favour.
Eye contact is a powerful form of communication, the most obvious and it’s seminal in that your body language shifts due to what you are looking at and how you feel in that present moment. In effect when someone looks at you, it dictates how you react to them. I would seriously recommend people look their potential attacker dead in the eye with intent and focus. No one likes to be examined, glared at etc.
It’s a psychological prerequisite that can make or break a situation.
The amount of times I’ve been involved in arguments, potential fights with others knowing full well they could have me but my eye contact instantly shuts them down, because I use intent, focus and energy into what who I’m looking at.
An example: I once went to a club with my girlfriend, we left but she waited outside as i dashed to the loo, when I returned there was ten, TEN guys surrounding her, hugging her, trying to seduce her.
The leader of the pack even had his arms around her I took one look at him and all of them FLED!
If they wanted to, they could have threatened me, surrounded me, nope, I gave them that terminator look 👀 and they not only apologised for talking to my women but they were prettified. Ten big, tall guys and here’s skinny ol me but the look on my face said it all. Even my girlfriend was impressed and surprised how I was able to deter them. My friends say it’s because Im black but I don’t think so.
Anyways you have to learn to act or at least take a problem seriously. Use eye contact, body language as a warning tactic before your forced to engage. Good luck.
@@master-of-mind5881when you look someone who is agressive and crazy in the eye, all you surely get is a violent attack from that person. No crazy dudes like to be stared at, esp. in the eye, You were very lucky back then, to subdue all those people by looking them in the eye
I trained the Kalah System at Kalah Cape Town and can say from personal experience, the best way yo train by far. 100% recommended.
Ever since I heard the advice, don't try to plan how to deal with an attack but instead have a strategy this has fundamentally changed my approach to training. Thanks guys! :)
If you can stay composed while a heavily built 6ft+ man is slapping you about and still be aware of what you need to do then you stand a chance
Grateful to you for sharing these excellent videos Sifu 🙏🏽
If your a woman you have no chance.. Unless you have a gun.
@@jackhammer0101 stupid statement. I’ve seen woman beat men senseless. You obviously don’t know strong women.
I agree with you here 100% that the emotional aspects of these situations is so important in training.
At 4:27 in the video, I'm appalled. As a 5th Dan Hapkido practitioner with 35 years experience it is irresponsible and incompetent to teach beginners wrist locks as part of a "practical self-defense" course. I believe that wrist locks have their place after years of practice they have a 50% failure rate among the experts and a 99.999% failure rate otherwise. You use them when you know what you are doing only. This instructor (seems can barely do one herself), is teaching a beginner a wrist lock for self-defense is almost criminal.
Agreed 100% As police officer wristlocks sometimes come in useful but not if the person's behavior escalates further. Passive aggressive people can be controlled with wrist locks. Only if you are trained in their use.
Self defense...not a chance.
Teach and practice what works. People are not going to do a graduation in self defence and are never going to be ever ready to fight back when jumped. One has to be really paranoid to expect and attack . But when it does learn to protect vital point and break out of holds and damage a pivotal joint and escape. Yea been jumped learned karate useless. But judo is what works
@@robertarnold7187 agreed. Law enforcement here also. People also forget that the fine motor skills go out the window when shit hits the fan. Trying to grab and do a fancy wrist lock is just not realistic, where as gross motor skills like a body lock takedown or tackle become much more realistic.
As with any lock, its really hard to lock a wrist, shoulder, arm etc in a fight at high speed, mainly because a good and proper lock is really a precision thing to do, couple of milimeters off and its useless, i am always struggling in my trainings with the locks, maybe its experience, but in a real fight i think its really hard.
@@fullmerfitmindandbody agreed absolutely. Judo gets a bum wrap but what people who dismiss it don't realize is that judo can save your life..especially when trying to get loose or get away from situation, even if it can create space long enough for you to use other tools, which in our case could be on our belt. To the same extent, pressure point knowledge is a must. Whether for applying pressure or strikes. It's easy to know when you are on target with them. Those are another story though I guess.:) stay safe!
Ripped shirts, angry slurs and aggression is a great way to stress test your techniques, i am fairly confident in my ability to escape a situation with minimal damage and feel comfortable in s sparring scenario.
My huge downfall is how uncomfortable i become in verbally aggressive arguments, even when i know its very unlikely to become physical i still feel strange, almost like im waiting for it to get physical so i can calm down.
Agreed. I honestly love this channel. Y'all put out real content this is important.
So many places out there put you in a comfortable environment. Which is B.S.
Stress training is the best way to truly understand how you are going to be able to react in self defence situations and I do wish that more self defence clubs and traditional martial art would implement this style of training in some way , also not be afraid to say that this technique won't always work but here is 3 or 4 other things that might and must always reaffirm that self defence is about survival for the student and thier loved ones
Well stated. I believe self defense classes should always have an element of this style included. Clearly we need to be brought outside of our comfort zone. We will not be in our comfort zone if involved in a real life situation...so never training that way is not wise. I'm not suggesting it for every training session..as technique and execution of the moves need to be practiced frequently. However to not include the more realistic style and see how we react outside of our comfort zone is a disservice to the students in my opinion. Stay safe. :)
Realism in training is key.
Exposure to situations in training will help you more in real situations.
Our motto is "we train as we fight"
Train good principles for defense, train real life scenarios. Alot of these defense instructional videos do set moves in set scenarios that almost never play out the way you want them to. So build skill, and good situational awareness.
Your work on TH-cam is outstanding and informative. And most of all truthful and practical.
Making eye contact is massive. I've saved myself from at least 3 definite muggings in south London by simply looking at the bloke (often behind me) and then also crossing the road while continually looking back. I always cross over the road to test potential muggers out. If they cross to your side, cross to the other side. If they cross back again, you cross again. This has saved me quite a few times..don't be embarrassed to do it, it works. Good video lads.
I like practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for the reason it's very close contact and gets me used to the stress of fighting bigger people (I'm small) and remembering to keep a level head in a mildly stressful situation, but that first minute fighting videos are probably the most realistic way to be great at self-defense , there's no sparing of adrenaline there damn! Thanks for the video!
Why would you want to be in stabbing range?
@@kiljaeden5405 It's true in best case scenario I wouldn't want to be be, but if I didn't have a choice and was in stabbing range, I'd at least have a fighting chance I think
Love it. I was literally thinking "this is so much better/more realistic than the classes I've taught or been in where the students are smiling as they practice the technique" and then you brought that up seconds later. I would not do it with kids or beginner adults, but definitely will with more experienced adults.
High intensity boxing and kickboxing during 2-3 minute rounds is a decent compromise.
So is BJJ rolling and Judo Randori. Okay
Thanks Mark, Your videos are always worth watching and learning from.
Even with my background in Boxing and Wrestling I have learned so much watching this Channel with regard to unconventional hand to hand.
A HUGE Thank you!
Ear slaps are very underestimated and rarely highlighted. Cup your hands and smash those ears making sure to push air in, same with high heel toe stamp. A thumb in eyes also works.These are good because if he has grabbed you at least one of the options is open to you.
Training has to be real good choice of words
Best advice i have seen in years, this isn't about what martial is best? , is about getting the job done which is self emotional defense
Couldn’t agree more. If you aren’t intimately familiar with what physical confrontation and taking damage feels like, how can you possibly be effective? “Stress testing” and full contact sparring are the best way to prepare yourself.
Great article mate,been trying for 40 years to get people to be more serious in training self defence but unfortunately a lot of people have the they all want to be a wolf until it’s time to be one attitude,keep them coming
Good morning from South Africa
Thank you for your comment and your professional review.
GOD BLESS
KALAH SYSTEM
Love You South Africa🇿🇦😘❤, the land of great Nelson Mandela.👋👌👍
By the way I forgot to ask about the political situation in RSA, coz I've seen the news on BBC & CNN that there was some massive riots broke out in the wake of Zuma's arrest on alleged corruption charges, people were burning/vandalizing public or private property, looting shops and stores, how's everything now?
Great video! That's unfortunately very true that almost nobody would sign up for a really effective self-defense training. I wondered for a long time why there are no real pressure tests or realistic scenarios like this anywhere, and I wondered what would be the ideal training, but I realized that it would be unsalable. People will always believe in shortcuts and they are pretty good at convincing themselves exercising slow choreographed moves with a non-resistant opponent will prepare them for the real violence.
After years of Krav Maga style martial arts, I did more jiu jitsu/wrestling and was not prepared for the sensation of a stranger (especially heavy and sweaty) directly on top of me with all their bodyweight. Easy to get anxious and lose air. Important lesson though.
The Krav video was great. The stress is absolutely needed for real world training. Learning the muscle memory and techniques is one thing. But when it's time to drill...train as you fight. And the eye contact, definitely. Let them, a potential attacker, know that you see them.
Great points made. Thanks
I think another important element which is touched on here is understanding what actual pain feels like so you don't freak out. I remember the first time I was put in a real choke in a class, I freaked out but after training it, I was able to react and counter it. If all you train is soft, fun scenarios, you'll freak out in a real one.
Good video and advice, especially about letting the potential threat know that you are aware of their presence!
When I was 19 working in Miami as an insurance agent, going door to door in the Liberty City neighborhood, I would come out of an apartment around 10 p.m. and see the drug dealers on the corner, and dressed as I was, in a suit with a briefcase, I would walk right by them as I was going to my car and show no fear, and just acknowledge their presence by saying hello.
Maybe I was just lucky, but they never once bothered me. They would always reply, though somewhat uncomfortably or surprised, but they let me be!
I've always believed in showing no fear, while being aware of your situation and following your instincts.
To give some perspective, this is a predominantly black neighborhood with a reputation for high crime. I am a light skinned, not white man of mixed ethnicity and a Jamaican who was comfortable in this type of environment.
This is absolutely true! A real scenario is totally different from a girl's perspective, I have trained in martial arts too and I always ask myself if I got threatened in real life how am I supposed to respond to a male's aggression coz all we ever do in training is playing cool along the way 🤷♀️
That's why I love this video because it's fact.
Super awesome video 💯
Any form of self defense training will boost your confidence and that shows in your posture and awareness. That alone makes you a less likely victim because predators prey on the weak. Most of them are not very useful in a real street fight. And than you see instructors with really long hair but you have to grab their wrist according to scenario. :)
An excellent assessment, in a world of frauds and fools, you and your channel provide a legitimate resource for all who are at risk. Thank you.
I am sharing all your videos to Facebook. Thank you for all your work to help people prepare and do all they can to survive.
Thank you all kind master's.
Such an important reminder for every form of self-defense.
Hello kweli
Hi guys, thankyou very much for a more realistic take on self defense. I've seen a few of you video's and really like your style and logic.
When it comes to the color system and these more realistic self defense classes. I agree that it is a much better way to train for life's dangerous situations, considering the scenarios and emotional extremes that are the reality of finding yourself in these bad situations.
I do feel it is important to consider that training people in this way is extreme and students that already have anxiety or other personality issues may not benefit the same way as someone that really is mentally prepared for this type of training. If a student is not mentally prepared for this kind of training, I can imagine that they could potentially become overwhelmed by the wrong kind of emotions and understanding of the training and either act very irrationally in the real world being hyper afraid or even aggressive.
So basically I'm just suggesting that while this kind of training is certainly better than those unrealistic and to soft examples you showed, it should be wise to make sure there is a focus on the students phycological health and understanding when taking on this more realistic and extreme training.
I don't expect my opinion is perfect , just wanted to share my thoughts. Thanks again for all the work and effort you put in to teaching and helping others. : )
Completely agree. Thank you!!!!!
I immediately pretend faint, nobody wants to hit a dead body. Then when their backs turned I nip at the legs. Seriously though I mostly agree. I do think repetition is key as well. I remember training simple self defense with a cop years ago and applying the techniques in a barracks tussle. Training and retaining but also keeping a fighting mentality.
Yeah Kalah is the intense way. But never fought with a crew so kind an humble.
I always felt unlucky to have little opportunity to train consistently in a system to any degree but having some of very unorthodox teachers who were far less than kind and taking some (realism wake-up) knocks, I look back feeling a lot more confident than if was under one great teacher. I'm no tough guy, but I had a lot of teachers who were, and I sure am better for it! Great vid!
Yea better to have so different points of view than 1 teacher who is teaching wrong for that student
Thats why kalah system should be trained by everyone because they train not only there moves but also their mind set
Ex Police officer here. Did my "officer safety training" in a dojo ( as a new recruit ) at an empty RAF base, in a windowless bunker. It was the first of a new type of training back then in 2006 and was very aggressive. We had 4 instructors, the main one was hardcore to say the least. I spent the two weeks there terrified and excited at the same time. It was brutal, insulting, and painful. The place was set up with mock bars/public places as well as the Dojo. I learnt a lot and unfortunately have to agree with you on that the emotion of fear and terror almost has to be experienced for truly effective learning. At times I thought they were going to kill me, but I made it though and was so pleased to finish 😁😎
I agree. That said I’m not into school right now, but I have literally been in some of these situations! That said I had a near miss with a large truck some months ago. We were on the same route, it happened he stopped at a small convince store, I stopped to take photos of his plates to use when I called the police. I did not wait long enough, he saw me and came to the truck as I was taking the photos. No fight happened I limited my engagement and left after reminding him he nearly ran me off the road, but I was surprised at my extreme discomfort and how it affected my ability to think clearly for some time. I’m not sure how effective I would have been had there been a physical conflict!
What? I don't suck at self-defense! I had to fight only once in my adult life, some 20 years ago, when my mother's neighbor knocked down my old mother and threw her spouse down the stairs. I came to her place, argued with the guy, found out that I just cannot start a fight out of fear from going to prison, so I turned to leave, the guy kicked me from behind to throw me down the stairs, but I was in shape back then (today, this would send me to the hospital), I turned the fall to a jump, landed safely below the stairs, ran back up the stairs (I was seeing red like wild buffalo), I punched him just once in the face, he flew through a glass pane, pulled a gun and aimed at my face, but did not shoot me (later, police found out it was a replica with blanks), we were both fined for "violating the neighborly peace", and sentenced to pay 1000 CZK, which we both promptly did, and that was the end. It lasted just seconds, and I did not need any of the technical finesse I studied in all those schools. My mother then won the lawsuit, the guy (son-in-law of my mother's spouse) had to leave the house, and that was it, my only fight of my adult life, some 20 years ago. Now I am crippled due to my arthritic knee (courtesy of too many lunges during my fighting days), but nobody still picks a fight with me. I was beaten a lot as a child, since I was a small, cowardly, scrawny kid, but I practiced and practiced (judo, then karate, then aikido - worthless by itself, but it taught me to fall safely, how to move around [tai sabaki IS useful!], then HEMA), and somewhere along the road, people just stopped picking fights with me. Just like that, suddenly, the beatings stopped. And that's my life's story, really. I admit that you guys would beat me to a pulp today, as I am too fat and old and ill, but you are no crooks, and I am not stupid to pick fights I cannot win, so I conlude - I don't suck at self-defense!
This was really interesting. I never thought about it like that. Thank you! Love this format by the way 👍
Great videos and advice guys, thanks for posting, much appreciated
Great video! I would definitely sign up for that intensive training in that Kalah system.
I think it's ethically ok to push students as long as they are informed beforehand
When I go through scenarios of being attacked sometimes I start being really anxious and really aggressive but, ofc, under control. What helps me is the fact that I was attacked three times in my life and managed to get out safely, where there was aready physicsl contact or fight. If anything ever happens again I know I will be able to push myself to any possible level to save me or my close ones, without going to far but I am ready to harm the attacker from the mental side. And I know it will hurt to be in a fight, I hate to see such shitty trainings where everything is in 0.25 motion and never gets to controlled fights during drills. And my main focus in everyday life is just plain situational awareness.
Thanks for yet another great video!
Yes spot on, people like Geoff Thompson 20 years ago were training like this in thier animal day.
Thats what makes boxing awesome. Theres actual contact sparring.
And muscle memory.
True. Mindset first.
95% + of conflict will be managing and harnessing the fear / adrenaline dump reactions. Manage this well (by training per first two examples in video) and you stand a chance of walking / running away from a real life encounter. Great video and commentary, thanks for posting. Of course using awareness / avoidance might pre-empt you ever getting into situations like this...
I understand passive training when it comes to self betterment, fitness , health and learning and understanding movement. But I think what’s really lacking is people see everything as this vs that. It can all be used if put into proper use. Self defense has to have emotional scenario training. Realism is the key. It’s a slow safe immersion into the shoes of a real scenario which mentally prepares you to react properly. What does military do to train soldiers ? Passive training comes into use for many other reasons. People are to detached because they want money or status. Train people because you want to save there life. To teach them a way to move through life confidently. To not be a victim.
Excellent video. And it also works all the way around. There must be a balance. Some people can also become aware of how dangerous they can become when they unleash their full aggressiveness and lose control in stressful situations. The line to turn from victim to aggressor is very thin. You can't neglect the importance of the legal context around self defense and this might vary from one country to another. You can't go there stabbing, breaking people's arms, noses, or choking them out to death unless it is "absolutely necessary". Self control is also an important skill to master. Stressful situations also help to learn how to deal with your rage and anger.
How to handle those trained guy who is intending to hurt those untrained ones is very significant.
Competition Wrestle, judo, Jui Jitsu.... followed by competiton golden gloves boxing, Full Contact kickboxing, Muy Thai.
Concealed carry training and certification. Other than hiring full-time bodyguards, that is THE BEST way. Compete in grappling, compete in striking. Competition keeps you from melting down when the SHTF
Situational awareness or presense of mind, quick physical reactions or reflexes, mental strength or toughness, composure or self-confidence, resourcefulness, the instinct or the will to fight back and defend yourself, knowing when to fight back or when to just run away as fast as you can, avoiding people places and situations that potentially lead to heated altercations or violent encounters, and your martial arts/fighting/self-defense skills and techniques (if you have any or some) which you have spent long periods of time practicing and training, can drastically increase your chances of successfully defending yourself and surviving potentially violent self-defense encounters. Speaking based on my personal experience as a self-defense practitioner.
You know what: from personal experience as a kid, as I used to get into fights in school my experiences stuck with me and this is what I want to say: Based on this testimony. When in a confrontation with another person and it leads to a physical altercation; want to say that everything works! Whether you're calmly commencing a maneuver or your under stress when faced with an ordeal that gives you the idea that You're an any physical danger or possibly in a deadly situation it's a better idea to try what it is you can to get rid of that danger. That derives from my previous experiences in my fight it seems though that when I did maneuvers and use techniques that even when I was laughed at I still feel the necessity to do what I think I needed to do there for survivability and that's the reason why I don't downsize the practices in martial arts since everyone have their own ideas on how to survive Insisting their health and health and well being but basically but based off of what I've seen I'll put what I can in favor in have considerations to try them all.
I agree self defense training should trained for real life situations. I would love to be trained this way
I am a big advocate for reality based self-defense and stress testing your training. You definitely need to gradually increase the stress. I wouldn't go into day 1 of a class teaching with full strikes. I always tell people that if the technique doesn't seem like it's real at 30% give me the benefit of the doubt and get it down and then we will Amp it up to 70% and see if you still feel that way after. If so then it's my job to analyze my techniques and see where they are failing. My wife is my biggest critic. I'll show her something slow and she will swear it's not real and I say OK your turn to be the bad guy and fair warning, you're coming off your feet.
Thank you for presenting this issue in a professional and encouraging, enlightening way. Bless your channel more and keep creating great contents. Thanks again for this vid.
My mua Thai Instructor was ranked 3rd in the world as a heavyweight in Thailand, he spent 8 years there and left when the gangsters rigging fights were going after him.....I have seen him break many inspected Louisville Slugger bats with both shins
He was not a nice man and training was brutal....him..."it's supposed to be hard, your training to be fighters not dancers!!"
He’s breaking bats with his shins?
@@changlongwang9898 both legs....at one tournament i was in he did 2 in a row with left and 2 AT THE SAME TIME with right leg....Simon Posnier was 5"10 about 205 when I trained in the 1990s
Even kinda looked like frank shamrock, scary dude man
Doc I am constrained to inform you that I watch all the bloody ridiculous ads attached to the Channel, as I am a good YT visitor & it’s one way I can support you & The Team from FIGHT SCIENCE!!! OOS 🙏🏽
EDIT: In American Football there’s an old maxim “You play like you practice”
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Excellent Advice and Video thanks Gent's 😊
Very true facts love this channel
This is real right here! Great way! Make it real!
Greetings from México. Every advice is useful here in latinamerica. Dangerous everywhere. Good channel
Thank you for helping us so much.
One element to look at is that we actually want to get the discursive and emotional mind completely out of it. The body should be fighting reflexively, so proper training is ingraining an automatic response that has been repeated many times. FMA/Arnis/Eskrima is ideal for this, the first thing that happens is (although it does take a little time) we get our hand speed up to stick speed. The line of an incoming strike or grab is checked with the defender's live hand, after several hundred repetitions, that hand just goes there automatically. In any lesson, we could be doing that one move 20-30 times in the space of 90 minutes. After just a few months, you have a hard-wired physical reflexive response. The counters are also coupled with it, not only do you have the check grooved, the follow up strike is also automatic. At advanced levels, you add more moves that also become reflexive, now you have a 'chain' of strikes and counters that are automatic. Also anything I can hold in my hand becomes a weapon- a book, a newspaper, a cane, pair of scissors....even a coffee mug. I'll even go one step further and say any legitimate system that is effective must address this or have some component of it. We also assume any attacker is both trained and armed, so we are not overconfident. The problem is that you can't do 1 weekend seminar and then assume you are okay and can handle yourself, this will need follow-up. Especially with all the UFC fanbois out there. Thanks Dr. Phillips, sorry to be longwinded, hopefully we will meet IRL someday.
This is a interesting point, whilst I admit lot of ma and self defense application out there is not pressure tested. The real question is to what extends do you go make these training session as realistic and yet safe at the same and this is really achievable. Let be honest if you faced with life threatening situation whereby you have to use your training, then the likehood you are going to be hurt or injured . Does that mean you should adopt that level of intensity and how would the learner react to this kind of training, obviously it is going put them under considerable amount of stress and discomfort physically and psychologically. All these these factors have to taken in account I think it had to set to down to individual, experience level, characteristics and ultimately what do they hope to achieve by undergo these type of training. Everyone is different and it can't be just say yea they should train like or it won't work on the street. That is old school mindset, you have to smart and flexible the days to meets to individuals needs.
I feel like the only way to make it kind of work the stranger alarms you and you look away, pull out your phone, instantly fill someone in on your location, lie and say you're right outside and get into whatever store you're at. Advertise a tougher situation. Now that I know the spousal abuse combat training has other training videos, I feel a little bit better. My wife literally sent that video to me saying she doesn't want to do these exercises.
Great video as always!! Thanks!!!
Good points as always
Always great advice!…