Subject: Attackproof.com Newsletter #89
ATTACKPROOF NEWS:
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GUIDED CHAOS TRAINING TIPS #89
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ATTENTION UNITED KINGDOM SUBSCRIBERS!
We are planning to do our first seminar in the UK in the near future. In order for participants to get the maximum amount of hands-on time we'd like to send as many of our top instructors as feasible. To do that we'd like to gauge the interest level out there, so if you think there's a strong chance you'd attend, shoot us an email as well as any feedback you might have.
SLAMBAGS BACK IN STOCK.
Ideal for practicing full-power Dropping strikes and developing tremendous hand strength with hit-and-crush drills (as seen in our Combat Conditioning , Slam Bag Workout, and Companion Part 1 DVDs) while also developing timing, which is critical to effective Dropping.
Congratulations to Ari Kandel!
Recently promoted to 3rd degree GC. Now he's in for it...
YOUR QUESTIONS:
Q [From the Guardian Angels Regional Director in Capetown S. Africa:
"...where we will test Attackproof to the max is in places like Manenberg, Mitchells Plain, Langa, Gugulethu and Khayelitsha... These areas have more knives than food! Kids as young as 5 (five) years old get raped here on a daily basis!!! Gang recruitment starts from about 10/12 years old, alcohol is the cheapest in the world as is crystal-meth with 12 y/o girls selling themselves for a hit! The weapon of choice is a knife. The target of choice is the left upper shoulder and neck in a band running from the upper chest over the shoulder to the top of the scapula.
I would like your comment on empty-handed knife-defence in our scenario.
In the Western Cape, virtually all attacks are with a knife. Firearms are seldom used. Attacks are unlike anything I have ever seen in any book. The knife is held in an ice-pick/reverse grip with the tip projecting from the ulna side of his hand, like a hammer fist, but with the striking surface the blade's tip. The attacker proceeds with the knife at his side, close to his body. When he gets into range the leading hand is used to either hold onto the victim (pulling him into the strikes) or fend him off should he counter-attack. The knife-hand goes up to about shoulder level, point still down and the strikes are repeated vicious, jabs/rips with the tip.
Why most victims get stabbed in the left shoulder region is the knife coming down from the attacker's right hand and the victim flinching away from the strike, by turning to his right. This exposes the left shoulder where the knife then penetrates behind the clavicle and hits the lung.
In the grappling-knife clip on the website you see the defender working against the knife with multi-kicking. Would it work against our thugs? In our situation the knife is jabbed down repeatedly. When we tried multi-kicking against an attacker holding the lip-stick smeared knife in a reverse grip it worked better than anything else we tried, but we were still pretty much covered in lip-stick.
What were we doing wrong? Do you have any suggestions? The crap they showed us in the police college is laughable. Great if you wanna be a martyr, though."
Regards
Charl (Morpheus) Viljoen
International Alliance of Guardian Angels
Regional Director: South Africa
ANSWER:
The situation you describe is difficult to deal with unarmed. One obvious thing that must be taught to your students is to watch the hands of anyone approaching them. This, of course, is nearly impossible with a rear attack.
In the case of a frontal attack from a right handed knife wielder who uses the downward strike method you have described a person who is able to see the attack coming should step to their own right and get distance as quickly as possible. The problem is complicated when you have a determined attacker who will follow at high speed to make the strike. If there is enough room for a serious run then that is advisable. The trouble usually happens in this type of knife attack when there is no where to run effectively. Here a person would have to be able to kick with tremendous force while staying on balance and warding off the knife with the back of the arms. One thing that has been of some use at real attacks such as this is to go to the ground and keep your shod feet between the attacker and the victim. Lashing out with powerful and fast multiple kicks to the attacker's legs, groin and knife wielding hand can often buy the victim some time and maybe thwart the attack if the assailant is not so determined to kill the victim without some form of damage to his person.
One question often arises when a victim fights back is whether the attacker will get angry and fight harder or give up and leave quickly. Here in New York where there is the presence of other people the attacker usually will leave the scene if the victim puts up a fight. Your situation may be different. In many countries the crowd will not step in and help a victim so the attacker usually will continue to fight. If a person does not fight and the attacker only means to cut and not kill warding off the attacker will usually cause the attacker to stop after some superficial damage. If the purpose of the attacks that you are referring to is murder then fighting back is a good idea. I would go by the available information on many of the attacks and find what the attacker's mind set is in the majority of cases.
The use of surreptitious weapons like a cane, soda bottle, strong pen, lock on the end of a small chain, a rock in a sock etc. can bring the odds in the favor of the victim. To engage an assailant who uses a knife is always dangerous. Practicing the side step and return with a rock in a sock to the head of an armed person takes grit, great timing and much practice.
There was a college girl who I trained in the use of a lock on the end of a short chain who used it against an armed rapist who attacked her from the rear. She slammed him in the head with a four ounce pad lock and caused a fracture and concussion. In New York State it is against the law to carry a rock in a sock. It is actually spelled out in the Penal Law. We are allowed to carry single edged knives up to 15" in length either concealed or in sight. In New York City the knife must be less than 4" in length and single edged. I don't believe that the Guardian Angels in NYC are allowed to carry weapons according to their rules. In NYC there is usually more space to move and avoid attack and simply report to the police. In fact the presence of the Guardian Angels is a deterrent to crime here. They do not suffer many personal attacks.
Many of our drinking establishments do not allow long necked bottles to be served because they are dangerous weapons. You may carry a long necked bottle in the streets with no legal hassle. If you use a bottle or any object to maim or kill a person you are then charged with the use of a deadly instrament only after it is used and people are sometimes charged even in cases of self defense. Here we believe that it is better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6 meaning that it is better to be alive to go to court than to be carried in a coffin.
Many of my students who have licenses to carry concealed handguns are not allowed to carry in NYC. Often they will walk with a stout cane or umbrella as well as other objects which will serve in self defense.
A method of practice that may be of help to your students is to have a rubber knife go against a padded very short club which could serve as a long necked bottle substitute. Here one can role play. One attacker could approach while in a group of others and the student defender could try to pick out the one who is palming the knife and practice evasion. Next you could have the fake knife wielder simulate an attack with a grab and pull while the defender steps to the right and slams the very soft padded bottle substitute onto the arm and especially head of the would be knifer. The same could be practiced with a padded stick used as a cane. Side step and slam. With both the bottle and cane a defender could strike many times as fast as possible. In the case of the cane or bottle moving away and circling the knifer while multi striking is advisable. The cane initially could be used in a jabbing strike as the initial side step in performed. This is done by simply lifting the cane with the right hand and simultaneously placing in into the left hand and jabbing quickly as you move. Against a knife the cane can also be used as a bludgeon but done with short dropping strikes against the knife hand while moving away and around as the knifer advances. A good snapping hit against the wrist holding the knife is usually enough to make the knifer drop his weapon. Be careful practicing this even with a padded cane because you can sometimes cause damage against the hand and wrist. We do have some upcoming DVDs teaching the use of knife and cane and pen etc.
If you choose to go to the ground and defend with the feet and you have a cane or bottle or even a pen you could bring these weapons to bear while kicking and moving.
---John
Q: Hey, awesome site. However, I am more interested
in training for MMA rather than self-defense at the moment. Is it still
worthwhile for me to study your DVDs? Your thoughts on \"dropping\" and
proprioception were enlightening to say the least... and has me wondering
if it was just superior proprioception that enables punchers with
\"natural\" KO power like Prince Naseem to knock out their opponent while
backing up or coming from positions that aren\'t known to normally produce
KOs. Anyways, I don\'t mean to ramble... just wondering if there is any
carryover from your techniques into MMA. I\'m just getting started and
really want to develop my striking and I\'m craving that brutal KO power.
A: We have students with a MMA background, one of them a Vale Tudo champion. They all see distinct advantages to using Guided Chaos principles for self defense. The principles can be appplied to MMA but you will seriously hurt your ultimate self defense responses because
if the payoff is not to disable (as opposed to "winning" or beating") your
attacker)...well... the way you train is the way you fight and your automatic
responses could become dangerous to you on the street.
That being said, dropping, looseness, balance, body unity and especially
sensitivity and adaptivity training can do nothing but increase your
ability to "win" in a MMA contest. There are specific examples of Sonny
Liston and Muhammad Ali knocking out opponents using a crude form of
dropping that you can see in old films. You should especially review
sensitivity in our book or dvd because it is an approach that is
fundamentally different from what is normally taught to fighters.
NOW ON SALE!
THE GUIDED CHAOS COMBAT CONDITIONING DVD.
Watch video clip of the DVD's intro on our VIDEO CLIPS page
(it's labeled #16--Guided Chaos Combat Conditioning)Question: "How do I work out on my own?"
Answer: THE GUIDED CHAOS COMBAT CONDITIONING DVD.
We've got to tell you, this is one fun dvd and it really makes doing the drills and setting up a training program EASY! There should be some greatly improved practitioners out there real soon...
All the Guided Chaos drills back-to-back and non-stop on one DVD. No theory or extended explanations. Put it on, blast your stereo, follow along and work out--5 minutes, 20 minutes, an hour or longer--whatever you want-you decide! Also, many chapters end with a quick application demo of the skill just trained. Talk about practical! We can't wait for this one to be done because we intend to use it also! Comes with an awesome Native American Music inspired soundtrack which we find extremely motivational (same kind of music we used to play in our classes back in the '80s). Almost 2 Hours long.
SPECIAL BONUS: when you purchase the DVD we will also email you the password to the accompanying Combat Conditioning eBook with helpful workout tips.
(PLEASE NOTE: this is a one person, solo workout DVD. Drills that require partners, elaborate equipment or are too "esoteric" for a workout video have been excluded. Full explanations and applications of principles and exercises can be found in The Companion Series DVDs).
ADDITIONAL NOTE: If you HAVEN'T read our book or seen our other DVDs, these exercises will almost certainly appear unusual and perhaps confusing.
Read Ari's review...
FIRST GUIDED CHAOS SEMINAR IN EUROPE:
STUTTGART GERMANY
6-9PM 1/29/08 at the Best Western Hotel Ketterer
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--WILKINS F. URQUHART, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF
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REAL FIGHTS ARE NEVER CHOREOGRAPHED...
YOUR SELF-DEFENSE SHOULDN'T BE EITHER.
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What your current training may be missing...
=========================================...through watching videos put out by attackproof.com, and by
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