USA Football Presents Double Wing Series - Sweeps, Counters And Advanced Blocking Techniques FullHD10/23/2015 Civilian Edged Weapons Response provides the instructor and student a view of the strategy, tactics and context of the education and training needed for civilians to deal with one or more assailants armed with edged weapons. Contents include an overview of civilian EWR, the pre-attack phase, attack phase, post-attack phase, training tips, and recommended equipment. Please be aware of two things: 1) that this material does not come from any one particular martial art or instructor. There are elements from various Asian Archipelago martial arts, infighting systems, Reality Based Training (RBT) approaches, classical martial arts, military schools, Law Enforcement Officers (LEO) and hybrid martial arts systems. 2) No book or multi-media source is an adequate substitute for quality, in-person training. Whenever possible, the reader will be directed to teachers of excellent repute who provide excellence in a particular area. Instructors deserving special thanks for their in-person contributions include the following: Mr. Marc MacYoung (Instructor and author), Mr. Jeff Quail, Inventor/Executive Director of ShocKnife, Guro Heather MonDee, Lead Instructor for CCA and Denver-Metro Academy of Martial Arts, Mr. David Halford and Mr. Richard Nance of WARTAC; Sensei Jon Matijavich of DanZan Ryu, Mr. Dave Decker: White Shadow Dojo, Author The Rhythm of One, Yagyu Shinkage Ryu. Copyright by Michael Thau - a Denver, Colorado, USA martial arts Instructor who teaches civilian EWR. DISCLAIMER This is a book dealing with the subject of avoiding being crippled or killed by one or more edged weapon assailants. It strongly advocates a LEGAL RESPONSE towards such attacks. The primary author, material contributors, and publisher are not legally liable for the slightest misuse or abuse of the contents of this book. In fact, the reader is strongly recommended that he or she consult a local reputable criminal attorney specializing in assault to determine what the local laws are regarding self defense as well as how to properly respond to police and the criminal justice system. TOTAL EWR writers and the publisher advocates the reader intimately knows and follows all laws in self-defense situations - including what happens before and after the assault. None of us individually or collectively are legally or morally responsible for any misuse of the contents. 1. Introduction (Posted) 2. Countering the Quick Draw (Posted) 3. Setups and Other Pre-Combat Strategies and Tactics (Posted) 4. The Attack 5. The Response 6. Training Tips 7. Resources 8. Conclusion 9. Author Information INTRODUCTION The weapons used to attack civilians in countries such as the United States tend to be firearms, edged weapons, impact enhancers (such as a roll of quarters inside a fist) and blunt instruments. Electrical discharge devices and OC sprays are also used but at the time of this writing, are significantly less common. The focus of Civilian Edged Weapons Response (CEWR) is to communicate what type of edged weapon training program for civilians is the most effective and sensible. This is important as Edged Weapons Response (EWR) experts agree that nearly all of the available edged weapons programs for civilians are utterly ineffective at best. What Are Edged Weapons? These refer to hand-held items that can rend flesh through 1) puncturing, 2) cutting, or 3) a combination of both methods. Puncture-only edged weapons have a point but no cutting edge. They may be a pencil, window punch, hypodermic needle, dart, sharpened screwdriver and so forth. These are generally used to stab although the point dragging across the skin can create a very shallow cut called a 'rip-cut'. Edge-only edged weapons may be a razor blade, box cutter, straight razor or shard of glass. These tend to be used more often with a slashing technique although stabbing motions are also possible. The combination edged weapon has both a point and a cutting edge such as the typical knife so it can be used effectively in both slashing as well as stabbing motions. Some larger combat knives are also 'impact weapons' as they can be used to shatter bone through impact with the back of the blade, the flat of the blade or the base of the handle. As short swords and longer edged weapons deal with a different range and body mechanics than shorter ones, this book will focus on those edged weapons, which are bowie-knife or smaller in length. Poor & Incomplete Instruction There are many reasons why the 'knife defense' classes taught at most martial arts studios, will not work or will work poorly on the street. The most important reason is that the studio training in most schools assumes that you will see the edged weapon attack coming from the front with plenty of time and space to deal with it whereas in real life, nearly all attacks are by surprise, not always from the front and the edged weapon is usually never seen. In one example, on May 26, 2005, CNN released a story of a woman who randomly stabbed a lady from behind on a downward-moving escalator in a Bethesda, Maryland, USA, Nordstrom department store. In another example, on May 27, 2006, a 17 year-old knife-wielding German went on a rampage in Berlin, wounding 25 civilians leaving a celebration. What Needs to be Taught If the goal is to learn and instinctively apply all responses that directly relate to surviving an edged weapon attack then an effective EWR program would be radically different than what is normally available. Every EWR expert including ex-cons, policemen, bodyguards, street-fighters, bouncers, MP's, security guards, etc., claim that nearly all physical attacks - particularly those with edged weapons - come by surprise to those who are poorly educated and trained in EWR. Since a single contact with an edged weapon can leave you crippled, killed, or unable to mount an effective response, it becomes imperative to learn how to drastically reduce the 'surprise element' before the attack. This can be accomplished by learning four things: 1) condition yellow habits, 2) street etiquette, 3) interview training, and 4) assassin grips. This brings us to the first EWR Principle - 'Living Aware'. The second EWR principle is found in Loren Christensen's book Far Beyond Defensive Tactics: 'You should make training as real as you can get without getting anyone hurt. Since most fights occur in cramped and cluttered places that in no way resemble your training area, and because environment often affects how you apply your techniques, it only makes sense to try to create similar conditions in your training'. New techniques should be learned in a safe environment such as a martial arts studio but once learned, they need to also be frequently practiced in cluttered rooms, alleyways, stairs, narrow hallways, and in a crowd (students can mill about the edged weapon attacker and unarmed responder). Even within the dojo, drills and techniques should often be practiced in the corners and along the walls to reduce the 'bright open space' effect. Using modern training tools such as the 'ShocKnife' training blade also simulates reality as the pain stimulus feels like a cut and evokes a stress response. An example of this principle applied in real life is Darren Laur's Integrated Street Combatives program. At the time of this writing, a page on their website (personalprotectionsystems.ca) mentions that in making the training as real as possible they use strobe lights, a 4 speaker sound system, fog machine, wind fans, uneven floor space, 4 fixed video cameras and in addition to the environmental props, their student training regime may include 1) tying an arm to the body to replicate a broken or injured limb, 2) covering one or both eyes to deal with site deprivation and increase tactile sensitivity during Close Quarter Battle, 3) wearing goggles that are obscured to blur vision, 4) training out in the environment (during heavy rain, on hills, uneven ground, darkness, etc.), 5) providing video feedback training with 360 degree video coverage. Their goal is to get the students used to the many distractions and difficulties faced in real life combat that most instructors do not simulate or even mention. Be aware that there are many fluids ranging from spit, alcohol, water, sweat, blood, etc. that frequently affect one's grip during real life tousles. During an edged weapon attack, you may be surprised to discover that your grip may be far looser than expected due to one or more of these fluids. Sammy Franco of Contemporary Fighting Arts has a drill where students practice grabbing the weapon bearing limb and then practice the same grab after heavily slicking their hands down with vasoline. When the assailant is non-complaint and attempts to immediately strongly yank his arm away, the simulated responder realizes how strong one's grip has to be in real life in order to truly be effective. Shocknife Inventor and Defensive Tactics Instructor Jeff Quail states "Fear is wrongly thought of as being binary. Fear is not either on or off, it is more like a slide ruler. Panic, self doubt and surprise can push it to the high end of the ruler. In contrast, training, confidence and preparation can keep fear on the low end of the ruler. There will always be some type of arousal during a real attack, regardless of how much you train. Even Stress Inoculation Training has its limitations. This is why what ever system you train with, the techniques and tactics must function when an individual is experiencing acute stress." The third EWR principle is that without learning to overcome adrenaline dumping, all of your physical skills and training becomes nearly useless in a real situation. Firearms legend John Farnam says: I have always found that without the requiem philosophical overlay, merely teaching people a series of psychomotor skills does little to enhance their survivability. Civilians tend to be taught EWR techniques but rarely are they educated and practiced in 'fear management'. Fear will take the most capable sport fighter or martial arts combat instructor and cause them to freeze or respond poorly during a real life attack. For edged weapon attacks, this translates to being crippled or killed. In his book Dead or Alive, Geoff Thompson writes: If I as a veteran of hundreds of fights, struggle with adrenaline, it goes without saying that people with less experience and knowledge of conflict will also struggle. Fear needs to be understood intellectually and overcome through training simulations that present the correct level of fear to the responder. Too little fear during training and in real life it becomes overwhelming. Too much fear during training and there is a sense of incapability developed in the student while student retention goes down in the class. In his book Real Fighting, former bouncer and current combat instructor Peyton Quinn makes the following statements: Proper mind includes the ability to control and harness the positive effects of adrenal stress while suppressing the dysfunctional ones. This means recognizing the first precursor, the interview, and dealing with it effectively and immediately. The person who adrenalizes too quickly must fight right then to be able to use it best, because after that first peak adrenal response, any second adrenal reaction is not nearly as powerful or useful. This too-quick adrenalization also manifests itself as the freeze-up reaction in someone who is not adrenal stress conditioned. On the other hand, the person who is too slow to adrenalize may not get the full adrenal effect until he has already lost the fight or is impaired by injury. Students must feel an appropriate amount of fear and discomfort during training until such stimuli is automatically overcome. For example, unexpectedly training with competent people that you do not know - say from another martial approach - brings some uncertainty and a little fear to many students. Another method is for each student to select those other students that they feel the most fear and/or discomfort towards and use them as training partners. When training simulations contain the same level of sudden verbal and physical violence and aggression as in real life and the students become 'conditioned' to properly respond to that simulation, they will be much more likely to respond effectively to fear during real life edged weapon encounters. In the book Tactical Defensive Training for Real Life Encounters, Ralph Mroz points-out a flaw in the fear-simulation approach. He writes: In many real life encounters you will be in the severely debilitated state of SNS override. In force-on-force training, we are training people not to enter this undesirable state. Therefore, we cannot claim that because a technique holds up in force-on-force training that it will be reliable - or even possible - in a real-life encounter. In other words, simulations do not put you in genuine fear of your life so they do not accurately reflect what will happen. Also, the stress level of training simulations decreases over time so the stress benefit of such training become less effective after the first couple of sessions. For education regarding how creating fear is used as a tactic by assailants as well as how to overcome the various adverse biological and psychological effects of fear, check out the books: Real Fighting, by Peyton Quinn; Dead or Alive, by Geoff Thompson; Contact Weapons, by Steve Tarani and Damon Fay; Strong on Defense by Sanford Strong; and Streetwise by Peter Constandine. Also valuable is to view Tony Blauer's Contact Sparring & Fear Control DVD. Personal experience is of course the best teacher. Attending workshops such as some of Tony Blauer's workshops in Canada or Bill Kipp's FAST Defense workshops here in the United States are also helpful. The 'quick draw' refers to the action of reaching for an edged weapon and maneuvering it into play. EWR expert Hock Hochheim breaks the quick draw down into three phases; early, mid and late; where the weapon becomes increasingly ready for use and thus more dangerous. The knife or other edged weapon may be stored on one's person (openly or concealed); in or under a nearby accessory such as a briefcase, handbag or jacket; or laying on the ground such as a shard of broken glass. There are several sources that civilians can use to learn more about how assailant's store edged weapons for quick use. These include the following books: Unarmed Versus The Knife by Hock Hochheim; The Logic of Steel by James LaFond; and Knives, Knife Fighting and Related Hassles by Marc "Animal" MacYoung. The book Disguised Weapons by Meissner is a law enforcement guide to how weapons can be covertly hidden for easy access and use. CHAPTER TWO: SETUPS AND OTHER PRE-COMBAT STRATEGIES AND TACTICS Introduction The 'setup' refers to the pre-combat words, thoughts and actions of the assailant(s). Top threat assessment companies such as Gavin De Becker & Associates who were selected to develop threat assessment systems for the CIA, DIA, US Marshals, and many other government law enforcement agencies have performed extensive research on violence in all areas of American society. Data from all other areas of law enforcement and security personnel including patrolmen, bouncers, security guards, hospital orderlies, bodyguards, prison guards, and so forth have also been compiled with the result of certain patterns being noticed. The most common pattern of violence in the US follows a pre-attack event called 'the interview'. The interview is a standardized method of determining one or more potential victim's suitability for being attacked. In The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker, the author writes: The criminal's process of victim selection, which I call "the interview," is similar to a shark circling potential prey. The predatory criminal of every variety is looking for someone, a vulnerable someone who will allow him to be in control, and just as he constantly gives signals, so does he read them. The assailant is trying to answer the following questions: Are they in condition white? Can they be verbally and/or physically intimidated? Are they displaying any fear, disorientation or discomfort? Will they be able and willing to fight back and if so, how effectively if attacked? The patterns of violence discovered by law enforcement and security are broken down into two types; complex professional models used by law enforcement agencies (such as MOSAIC) and simpler models for bouncers, security personnel and civilians. People however need to realize that these models are not explicit solutions to all problems. As Gavin De Becker writes in The Gift of Fear: Though I am often asked for advice on how a person should respond to a robber or car-jacker for example, I cannot offer a checklist of what to do for each type of hazard you could encounter, as cookie-cutter approaches are dangerous. Understanding the different types of setups - especially how to think, talk and act during them - determine whether you are selected as a victim, have time to escape, have the ability to grab a makeshift weapon, create witnesses, change your physical position to increase your advantage, fall for the sucker attack, and most importantly prepare yourself physically and mentally for battle. Understanding and responding to the setup thus affects strategy, tactics and environment in any ensuing physical confrontation with an edged weapon assailant. It is the lack of understanding how setups occur that is the main reason why expert martial artists frequently lose to the street-fighter. The second reason is the vicious intensity the street-fighter possesses that compensates for and often exceeds the benefits of technical skill. The third reason is that the tables often turn (say about 70% of the time in real life) right before the martial artist applies the finishing technique. The following material in this chapter deals with overcoming the 'surprise' factor. It comes from numerous people who have worked security and personally been involved in numerous physical altercations on the street along with top violence experts in the law enforcement community. When discussing patterns of behavior leading to violence, it is important to not become too rigidly fixed in your thinking and expectations regarding how attacks will occur. Many people are going around saying that "Attacks always happen this way" or "A person with a knife will attack you this way". Peter Consterdine in his book Streetwise sums this issue up nicely by writing: My only reservation is the lack of pre-emption and the fact that the training and techniques apply without seeming adaptation to 'regional threats- in other words street attacks in the UK don't happen as they do in the states, as they do in the Phillipines, as they do in Moscow etc. Small country variations require often big adjustments to your thinking and force options. Therefore, view this chapter on 'Setups' simply as an incomplete yet useful framework. There are four models of pre-attack violence patterns for the civilian we will present; 1) James LaFond's conclusions in The Logic of Steel, 2) Darren Laur's conclusions from his research, 3) Geoff Thompsons Four D's and 4) Marc MacYoung's Five Stages of Violent Crime. James LaFond's Conclusions James LaFond is a former street-fighter who performed a formal study into edged weapon attacks. More than 250 acts of violence involving an edged weapon were analyzed and the results were published in the book The Logic of Steel. What is interesting about the study is that it included various incidents not reported to law enforcement and details of the incident were broken down into specifics such as weapon type, use patterns, injury patterns and so forth. LaFond writes: Your chances of avoiding a knife attack are very good if you recognize the knifer's approach posture and deny him the preconditions he needs to build the confidence to launch a successful attack. These preconditions are as follows: - You are unaware of his presence or intent - You permit yourself to be isolated or cornered - You do not have a potential weapon in your hand - The knifer judges you to be incapable of beating him in an unarmed fight (applies primarily to rapes and murders). Above all, remember the four keys to victory: - Experience - Aggression - Athletic Ability - Training LaFond's conclusions are a little counter-intuitive and also suggest that EWR training in the typical martial arts studio may need to be adjusted for better outcome. Essentially, he is saying that knifers attack by surprise; they position you for being trapped and having minimal-to-no maneuverability; and you have no makeshift weapons available. In addition, experience and aggression are posited as the main keys to victory and not technical skill! It turns out that this is supported by many former street-fighters as well as bouncers and other security personnel. Fights on the street are often won through who is the most experienced (in such encounters) and aggressive and not through technical skill. What this means is that EWR students need to frequently train against non-cooperative and highly aggressive simulated attackers and not just wussy fellow students day-dreaming of actuary tables while they stand in one place lobbing you easy slashes and thrusts. Darren Laur A full-time Police Officer (Sergeant); police trainer; and head of Personal Protection Systems, Inc., Darren Laur not only drew conclusions from existing law enforcement data but performed research of his own regarding edged weapon attacks. This research includes interviews with ex-cons as well as formal studies performed regarding videotaped attack simulations and response. His martial arts school may be setting the bar worldwide in the proper use of equipment and environment to simulate reality on the streets. In his article Edged Weapons Tactics and Counter Tactics (http://www.personalprotectionsystems.ca/safetyarticles.htm), Darren Laur states the following points: - In most edged weapon attacks the victim received multiple knife wounds. The usual cause of death are usually the last few wounds of the overall attack - Remember that most edged weapon assaults take place unexpectedly and so quickly that it is not unusual for the defender not to have time to realize that an edged weapon is involved. The attacker who possess an edged weapon usually does not want to convey in any way that he has one, and will usually conceal it until such time as he can deploy it quickly against you. Although a reality, it is a rarity that the attacker will produce his weapon in full view prior to an assault. - It was difficult if not impossible for the defender to differentiate between an attack with an edged weapon or an attack using hands of feet. This was especially true when the defender was not aware from the start of the assault, that the attacker had a knife Laur created a 1992 study where 85 police officers were attacked during a training simulation and right before the attack, the simulated assailant boldly flashed a training knife and verbally expressed his intention to kill them. The officers were not told beforehand about the presence of the training knife as part of the simulation. The results were as follows: - 3/85 saw the knife prior to contact - 10/85 realized that they were being stabbed repeatedly during the scenario - 72/85 did not realize that they were being assaulted with a knife until the scenario was over, and the officers were advised to look at their uniforms to see the simulated thrusts and slices left behind by the chalked training knives Regarding typical EWR training programs, Laur writes: - Most assumed the defender knew that the attacker possessed an edged weapon. (what good is this assumption when we know that the majority of attacks with knives the defender did not know the attacker had a knife) - Most techniques being taught were to complicated for people to remember (too many fine complex motor skills which we know do not translate when survival stress clicks in no matter how well trained) - Most techniques neglected the not so frozen limbs, which the attacker still possessed and would use if not neutralized. - Most techniques being taught concentrated on controlling the knife hand rather than the delivery system. (the hand moves faster than the eye in a spontaneous attack. As well if cut, blood is a very good lubricant and makes grabbing the knife hand, even with two hands, very difficult if not impossible. To replicate this, use some baby oil during your next edged weapon defensive tactics class) - Most techniques being taught were designed to be used against a static (stemming) attack. (Real knife assaults are not static but fluid and dynamic in nature) - Most techniques were designed to be used against what I call wide "Hollywood" motion attacks. (most knife assaults are short and multiple in nature) - Most techniques were designed to be used under perfect conditions of the dojo or training studio. (most would not work if fighting/rolling around in the mud, the blood, and the beer of an "open" rather than "closed" environment When we look at Laur's conclusions, we see again that surprise in the edged weapon attack is common; that even during the attack, a person trained and experienced in the street is likely to not realize that the attack includes an edged weapon; and that the studio version of attack and defense is absolutely unrealistic. Geoff Thompson's Four D's Former bouncer and prolific martial arts writer Geoff Thompson has been in hundreds of physical confrontations as a bouncer and witnessed many more. In his book Dead or Alive, Thompson writes: There are four techniques often used by attackers, especially muggers and rapists, in preparing victims for attack. Although these are nearly always overlooked by self-defence writers, the four D's - dialogue, deception, distraction, and destruction - are the most important element of self-protection to be aware of. Dialogue is used to disarm and distract. The physical approach is non-threatening and the assailant will usually ask a question such as if they have directions, the time, a light, spare change, etc. The goal is to get the victim to think about the question and thus not notice the weapon being drawn or the assailant's partner sneaking up on you from the rear. Deception is used to make the attacker appear harmless. A polite and ingratiating approach combined with dialogue brings the victim's guard down. Distraction is the use of questions or certain language to 'distract' the victim immediately before the attack. One method is to attack when the victim is answering your question. Another is to say things like "I don't want to fight" right before the attack. "I don't want any trouble. Can we talk about it?" is a submissive approach Thompson also mentions. These methods of distraction preceding the sneak attack are often effective in knocking out experienced martial artists. Destruction is the sudden and unexpected attack. Thompson makes the point that even highly trained martial artists frequently get suckered and knocked-out by the Four D's. Thompson's Four D's Model emphasizes the pre-attack setup of using dialogue to lull the victim into a false sense of complacency. Meanwhile, the assailant and his partner if he has one, moves to CQC (Close Quarters Combat) range, stealthily draws the weapon and attacks. The counter is of course to raise one's alert status and expect attack when a stranger approaches with harmless dialogue. Constantly scanning one's blind spots and keeping distance from the 'talker' all contribute to reducing risk. Finally, getting in the habit of increasing alertness when confrontations appear to de-escalate is a healthy habit. Marc "Animal" MacYoung's Five Stages of Crime Marc "Animal" MacYoung is a former street-fighter, bouncer, security guard, director of a correctional institute, bodyguard, and prolific martial arts author. MacYoung combined his own extensive experience with violence to that of other researchers and he now presents a model called 'The Five Stages of Violent Crime'. This can be found on his website at: http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/five_stages.html as well as in his book Safe in the City co-authored with Chris Pfouts. The five stages refer to: 1) Intent 2) Interview 3) Positioning 4) Attack 5) Reaction. Intent refers to a certain amount of desire to initiate a violent crime. With practice, one can easily spot these individuals before they initiate any form of verbal or physical conflict. Therefore, the EWR practitioner should learn to spot those people likely to cause trouble and either stay out of their way or leave the area they are in. What Is the Interview? The interview is a standardized method of determining one or more potential victims' suitability for being attacked. The assailant is trying to answer the following questions: Are they in condition white? Can they be verbally and/or physically intimidated? Are they displaying any fear, disorientation or discomfort? Will they be able and willing to fight back and if so, how effectively if attacked? The Five Interviews & Their Counters In the book Safe in the City and on his website at: http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/five_stages.html, Marc "Animal" MacYoung presents five different types of interviews: 1) Regular 2) Hot 3) Escalating 4) Silent 5) Prolonged Regular Interview This is the most common form. Someone on the street or in a bar or club approaches you and asks for a match, a light, the time or something highly innocuous. What is occurring is a psychological distraction to bring your guard down combined with a mutual socially acceptable agreement to physically come close to you. During all of this, you are being analyzed to determine your state of awareness that he is a threat as well as your willingness to defend yourself. Sometimes, the person in front will perform this interview to distract your attention while a hidden accomplice will come from the side or back and attack with a weapon. Other times, the person will continue to invade your space by stealthily moving closer and then spontaneously violently attack. The attack may be a roundhouse punch or heel palm to the face with one hand (to get your hands up and the torso arched forward) and a quick draw to a stab in the lower abdomen using the other hand. This is just one of many examples. Counter to the Regular Interview Be in condition yellow and not white. Treat any stranger walking up to you with suspicion. Turn your body a little to the side to protect your vitals. If you choose to give the time when asked, do not look down at your watch but place your watch at a level where you can also see the person asking for the time. Let them know through your eyes and body posture that you are very alert, suspicious and ready for attack. If they physically get to close, never hesitate in demanding that they give you more space. This is not Grandma's 'milk and cookies politeness' but it may save you and your family's life. Never give a match, the time or anything to strangers asking for it when in a bad part of town or simply a location where crime is more likely to occur. Hot Interview This is where some guy in the bar starts talking trash to you and/or challenging you out of the blue for no apparent reason. He may come up to you and say "What are you staring at? Want to take a fuckin picture?" These seek to intimidate other people and have little or no hesitation in erupting in physical violence. Counter to the Hot Interview While there are a few people that can talk down these 'hotheads' you usually have to either immediately leave the environment or show your willingness to become extremely violent yourself. You do not want to appear confused and stunned. Some individuals will perform the hot interview and pretend to cool down slightly by starting to walk away or offer to shake your hand. Both of these may well lead to an attack as in each case, the victim will usually psychologically and physically let his guard down. Escalating Interview This interview starts-off calm such as the context of a regular interview but after you agree to the interviewer's requests (a match, the time, a dollar, etc.) he makes more and more demands that increasingly push your boundaries. He is trying to determine how far you can be pushed. For example, after you give him a dollar, he asks for another - becoming more insistent in the process. This may lead to an attack. Date rapists often use the escalating interview. Another version of this interview is when you walk past or into a gang of troublemakers and they start hassling you. They start-off playfully in their minds but it turns into a robbery or assault. Counter to the Escalating Interview You need to firmly protect your boundaries at all times. If you initially assist the person asking for a favor and he then asks for something else then that is when you say no, mean it with every fiber of your being, and walk away. Silent Interview A person may be in a doorway, stairwell, on a porch or someplace nearby where he can observe you. Stalking may also occur. He is trying to determine if you are in condition white or yellow; are aware of your surroundings; and are willing and able to fight back. Counter to the Silent Interview Remain in condition yellow and when you spot this person interviewing you, take a decisive action that shows that you have spotted the interview and are preparing for battle. Grab a makeshift weapon (such as buying a bottle of alcohol in a nearby liquor store), take shelter, go to a safer, well-lit area, just do something that lets him know that you spotted him and are taking decisive steps to prepare for battle. Do not show fear. Prolongued Interview This stalking form of interview may take weeks or longer and is often combined with other interviews. It may end in rape, a scam or an assault. Counter to the Prolongued Interview Being in condition yellow may allow you to become aware that you are being stalked. Since the intention of this interviewer is not always obvious, you need to practice proper crime prevention. One quick and easy way of expressing these skills can be found at: http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/pyramid.html. For obvious stalkers, you need to immediately not give then attention and take steps to protect yourself legally and physically. Read The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker to better learn how to deal with stalkers. Positioning During or after the interview, the criminal positions himself to attack you. This not only brings him closer to you but also adjusts the environment to his advantage. For example, he may choose to stand with you facing the bright sun or so that your back is to a table, car or corner. On his website at: http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/five_stages.html#criminal_positioning, MacYoung mentions five types of positioning: 1) closing 2) cornering/trapping 3) surprise 4) pincer, 5) surrounding Closing: The most basic form of positioning... walking up to the victim. Cornering/Trapping: The most common is when his approach traps you in some way. He may be between you and an exit or you may be between him and a couch, car or the corner of a wall corner. Surprise: The assailant jumps out of a bush or from behind a vehicle surprising you right before the attack. Pincer: Professional criminals often use this approach in pairs. One distracts while the other attacks from the rear. They may face each other in a narrow walkway so that you have to pass between them. They may also be spread out so that as you pass one, he follows you and you end up between them. Be aware when a pair of people split up as they approach you. Surrounding: Common for three or more assailants. One may distract while the others surround by swarming or casually drifting closer. Another situation is when a group is spaced along a wall and when you are halfway along the group, the ends fold in. Positioning thus to a large extent determines your strategy and tactics. When you let someone take charge of the positioning during or after the interview, they are maximizing the environmental benefits for themselves and minimizing benefits for you. Escape is cut off, makeshift weapons are unavailable and the physical space between you and the assailant(s) becomes non-existent. Even if you do not move from the spot where you are standing, the direction that the assailant comes may make a tremendous difference in the ensuing combat. What are your options? If you are practiced in the interview, aware when it is occurring, and understand the various types of positioning, you can physically change your position to a more advantageous location before the physical attack ensues. This may be as simple as taking a step to the right so that instead of having your back to a wall or chair two feet behind you, it is now to a hallway allowing you significantly more room to maneuver and/or escape. Or during the dialogue phase, you may casually circle so that the interviewer is facing bright lights or so that you are now placed where you can grab a bottle of beer in your hand to use as an impact weapon or object to throw while you escape or attack. In any case, simulating the interview with another person in non-dojo environments forces you to practice beneficial positioning during encounters that may lead to edged weapon violence. Common Threads James LaFond, Geoff Thompson, Darren Laur and Marc "Animal" MacYoung hail from three different countries (USA, Canada and England) yet their professional observations are nearly identical. LaFond mentions surprise and positioning but he also emphasizes that experience and aggression are the main factors that generate victory for the assailant - more so than athletic ability and technical skill. Laur also mentions surprise as a basic strategy but emphasizes how even the trained responder will almost always remain unaware that he is being attacked with an edged weapon before and during the assault. Thompson's Four D's model focuses on the non-ambush approach where the assailant will use various methods of surprise before launching the attack. MacYoung's model is both deep and broad but in addition to breaking the interview down into five types, he also discusses different types of positioning. Thus, there is little or no disagreement between these EWR experts regarding how assailants use setups to precede an edged weapon assault. Please note that Marc MacYoung during a telephone call with this Author mentioned the fact that different ethnicities may tend to perform the interview process differently. For example, a drunk, middle class white guy may start-off with a hot interview and then escalates the conflict into a shoving match before launching the physical attack. This contrasts with a situation where a Caucasian walks into a Latino bar in a dangerous area and the only warning he may get is a voiced "Get Out" from one of the patrons immediately as he walk in. If he does not immediately turn around and walk out, physical violence may immediately erupt. This does not mean that middle class Caucasians will always take their time and get to violence slowly or that poor Latinos will always fight at a moment's notice but that there may be some general differences as to how the interview process plays out between class, race and ethnicity. Common Setup Dialogue The following are the type of 'first contact' interview statements commonly used by assailants in the US that often lead to violence. These are only a few of many possibilities but you get the idea. "Got a light?" (Regular or escalating interview) "Got a match?" (Regular or escalating interview) "Can I have a dollar?" (Regular or escalating interview) "Excuse me but do you have the time?" (Regular or escalating interview) "Excuse me but do you know he directions to..." (Regular or escalating interview) "What the fuck you lookin at?" (Hot interview) "I don't like you." (Escalating or hot interview) Whenever a stranger approaches you with harmless dialogue, you should 1) increase your alert status; 2) be exceptionally careful of the physical space between you two; 3) scan and keep scanning your sides and rear for an accomplice sneaking up on you; 4) give eye, voice and body language signals that you are alert for attack and prepared for battle, and 5) change your positioning if necessary. Sometimes, there is set-up dialogue that occurs after words are spoken and the hot interviewer appears to be verbally and physically backing down. Be aware that the interview is not over and he is at his most dangerous at this point. He is attempting to lull you into a false sense of complacency and safety by appearing regretful, sorry or submissive. Some examples of this may be along the lines of: "Sorry for my behavior. Let's shake and part ways." Before or during the handshake he may attack such as a head-but given during the handshake. Never shake hands, remain exceptionally wary and continue to assume that this is an interview. If you do shake hands, keep your chin down with your eyes continuing to watch him so that he would have to head-butt your forehead and not your face. "I was out of line. I'll be leaving now." The hot interviewer turns away from you and takes three baby steps away, turns suddenly and throws an overhand sucker punch at your face. Stay on high alert status, expect the sucker punch and change your positioning after he turns so that your position and distance is different than he expects when he launches his attack. Assume that he may have drawn a weapon after he turned away so grabbing a chair or making your escape may be appropriate. Common Setups In this chapter, we have discussed the interview and positioning process with some examples. Now, various types of common setups are presented. By no stretch of the imagination is this a complete list nor does it cover every situation. 1. While shopping in a store, assailants put a slow leak in your tire. They then follow your car and stop to assist when your tire runs flat and you have pulled over. The attack then ensues. 2. Parking lots. A person may be leaning against your car waiting for you. As you are walking in a parking lot, a person may suddenly jump in front of you and occupy your attention while the accomplice slips up from behind and initiates the assault. 3. The street person approaches and asks for change, a match, the time, etc. When you attempt to assist, they slug you in the head and immediately follow with a stab to the gut. 4. The hothead in the bar starts giving you a hot interview. You appear to convince him that the confrontation is unnecessary and he appears to walk away but he takes three very short steps and on the third step he turns and performs an overhand strike. A variation is the head butt before walking away. Yet another variation is the assailant apologizing and offering to shake hands. During the handshake he slugs you with his free hand. Non-Interview Attacks At this point, one may get the impression that all attacks are preceded by the interview. While a majority of assaults do have an interview before them, there are certain situations that do not. The first relates to the schizophrenic or similarly mentally disturbed individual. This person tends to be a transient or occupant of a mental institution. They may be calm and fine for years and in the middle of a sentence they snap and freak out. In his book Far Beyond Defensive Tactics, Loren Christensen faced this situation as a police officer. He was speaking to a homeless person he had pleasantly known for years when all of a sudden during a conversation the guy whipped out a hypodermic needle and tried to stab Christensen with it. The second type of non-interview attack is when someone becomes 'seriously emotionally disturbed' and goes out on a rampage. It may be workplace violence with a fired employee going postal or the occasional person who goes on a rampage in a shopping mall or outside a public gathering - indiscriminately stabbing and slashing everyone that they can reach. The third type of non-interview assault relates to terrorism. While these bastards normally prefer to use bombs, the Al Qeida training manual does discuss how to kill with a knife. Should one or more ever go on a killing spree in a shopping mall or similar venue, they will be seeking targets of opportunity (whomever is available) rather than carefully setting certain people up. The fourth type refers to 'moments of madness'. There have been several stories lately where a young child tired of his infant siblings cries goes to the kitchen, grabs a knife and stabs the infant in the chest. There is no interview - only rage and a single 'mad' action. The fifth and last non-interview type of assault might be considered by some people as part of the silent interview. It refers to the surprise, pincer and surrounding types of positioning. In these situations, there can be minimal scanning and preparation. They will simply take whoever arrives into their space and assault them. When they are choosing their victim then it is part of the silent interview or an ambush but if they are simply taking whoever is present then there is no interview going on. It becomes an assault of opportunity. The Ambush Whenever you have an unpleasant encounter with someone and you part ways, the encounter and danger is not over. Let's say you had a hot interview in a bar and the bouncer came by and kicked the other guy out. Guess what? He may be waiting outside in the parking lot waiting to move past the interview - except this time, it may simply be the part where he springs out from alongside a car and stabs or whacks you. Therefore, after each altercation, you must be on great alert for the entire evening especially when you leave the place of the altercation and for several weeks after if he knows (or can find out) where you live, work or hang out. Follow MacYoung's advice of practicing for several months constantly asking yourself where you would ambush someone. Whenever you are walking outside or at a different location, there are only going to be a few spots where people driving or walking by will not be able to see you skulking in the bushes. Many stores and malls (such as Walmart) have cameras monitoring the parking lots. Drivers may report people skulking in the bushes if they can be seen from the road. And so forth. After a while, you unconsciously become aware of those spots that are acceptable ambush spots and you can avoid them or at least go on strong alert when in close proximity. Interview and Crime Prevention Sources One of the most important things one can do to perform quality EWR is to develop proper interview training and crime prevention habits. The following sources will get one started: Attack Proof, by John Perkins, Al Ridenhour, and Matt Kovsky; Dead or Alive, by Geoff Thompson; The Gift of Fear, by Gavin De Becker; Safe in the City, by Marc "Animal" MacYoung and Chris Pfouts; Streetwise, by Peter Constandine; Strong on Defense, by Sanford Strong; The Truth About Self Protection, by Massad Ayoob; Up Close, Nothing Personal, by Lee Morrison; and Violence, Blunders and Fractured Jaws, by Marc "Animal" MacYoung. Chapter Two Conclusion In this chapter, we have looked at the conclusions from four different individuals who are not armchair violence theorists but who have frequently experienced violence on the street as well as performed extensive research. They all agree that assailants not using the ambush, terrorist and 'going postal' approaches use surprise in the form of the interview before the edged weapon attack. MacYoung also discusses the use of positioning by assailants. Laur, LaFond and other edged weapon specialists such as Graham Kuerschner of SDTactics in Australia emphasize that both before and during an assault, even most trained people fail to see that an edged weapon is being used as part of the attack. What this means is that most-to-nearly-all edged weapon attacks can be avoided by studying the interview process and choosing the correct verbal, physical and attitudinal response. Even failing the interview, recognition that one is being interviewed can allow one to have the time to escape, grab a makeshift weapon, grab a makeshift shield, reposition oneself for greater combat benefit and watch for the draw so that it can be countered. Good interview skills will also stop one from being 'sucker-punched' at the end of some interviews. Positioning awareness means that one can spot attacks about to occur along with increasing your environmental advantages. Lastly, one can develop 'ambush awareness' habits that drastically reduce the odds of getting caught in one. Thus, setups are a tremendous advantage for the attacker that with proper training can be nullified in most cases. INTRODUCTION This chapter begins with a look at the methods of evaluate civilian EWR through evidence-based approaches. This will be followed by 1) fantasy responses, 2) different EWR principles promoted within the industry, 3) a discussion of tactics (this section is perhaps 1% of the content in the book, which will go into significantly greater detail and include images. The first evidence based category is first person testimony. For example, if a Silat expert in Indonesia fights several edged weapon assailants in a street confrontation and later discusses his tactics, what worked well and what worked less well, then he is providing his perception as to what worked in that instance. There have been numerous cases where soldiers, LEO (Law Enforcement Officers), prison guards, doormen, bouncers, bodyguards, orderlies, martial arts instructors (real life assaults only) and civilians were attacked by one or more assailants with edged weapons; they lived and later discussed in chronological detail exactly what happened throughout the assault. Thus, everything is from the responder's perspective. The information may be presented during a police interrogation, court trial and/or presented in books and DVD's. The second category of evidence refers to the first person testimony of edged weapon assailants. It turns out that soldiers and LEO have interrogated a very large number of these individuals and have over many decades collected a lot of data from their testimonies. How they selected their victims, how many weapons they carried and what type; why they initiated the attack in the way that they did, where they carried and how they held their edged weapons; what types of edged weapon attack seems to work best for them, and so forth. Law enforcement personnel are those who generally have the best access to this information although individuals with access to court records may be able to access the court transcripts. The third category of evidence relates to the use of properly designed training simulation using feedback tools. These feedback tools include a 1) video recorders documenting the combat from the side or above, 2) helmet cams, 3) the ShocKnife and 4) a marking blade. The video recorder is a way to visually review and analyze the training simulation from the side, top or three-quarters perspective. Helmet cams offer a way to analyze the simulation from the assailant's and responder's perspectives. The ShocKnife is an electrified drone (training blade) that provides real-time feedback (along with fear and stress) to the responder when the tip or edge of the ShocKnife makes contact. Marking blades are drones that leave a red lipstick or green chalk mark where the tip or edge make contact. Many reports show that the use of these feedback tools generates significantly faster and better tactical skill when learning civilian EWR. The fourth category of evidence relates to researching and then performing statistical analysis of EWR encounters. Groups like the FBI, various LEO agencies and so forth have hoards of data regarding EWR encounters. Some of these organizations actually publish some of the data and conclusions. In other cases, certain individuals have actually sorted through it themselves and have been able to make some conclusions. The downside is that although LEO is good at collecting data, an unknown but potentially large percentage of people involved in edged weapon attacks do not report the attacks so the LEO `data is incomplete. The fifth category of evidence refers to video recording and analysis of actual attacks. Many parking lots, stores, buildings, concert halls, prisons, subway stations and numerous other areas have over time recorded many actual edged weapon assaults. This approach yields the maximum benefit when one can analyze surveillance video coming from many different geographical locations and time periods. The sixth category relates to news reports. When thousands of stories related to stabbing and knife attacks are collected and analyzed, the evidence shows that in some cases, people are stabbed or slashed numerous times and survived. Thus, this approach when used wisely can yield important information regarding how some edged weapon assaults occur along with assailant tactics. Fantasy Responses A 'fantasy response' is a tactic that when applied under real life conditions, has a low or non-existent rate of success. People often believe in the effectiveness of fantasy responses as 1) they seem to work fine in the dojo, 2) they may work well against unarmed people or against certain non-edged weapons, and 3) they may be effective against the amateur under ideal battlefield conditions. Are you willing to bet your life that you will only face an amateur under ideal battle conditions? FANTASY RESPONSE: INAPPROPRIATE BLOCKING METHODS The first area of discussion has to do with blocking. In this discussion, we are defining a block as something that completely stops the direction of motion; as opposed to a deflection or redirection, which are things that change the path of the motion. Offensive edged weapon experts have extremely strong beliefs (based upon experience) about when it is OK to use defensive blocks along with how to safely use them. Knife fighting instructor John McCurry explains in The Journal of Asian Martial Arts (volume 15, Number 4, 2006) that the five basic responses to a knife fighter to a block are: pressing, pulling, passing, cutting the line, and going around the line. The following five counters to the block are quoted from that article. Pressing A block executed with restrained energy by the defender can be countered by the attacker' pressing the defender's blocking arm, above the elbow, back towards the defender's body, freeing the attacker's knife-wielding hand to continue its attacking movement to cut the attacker. Pulling A block of a knife attack executed by a defender with forward energy directed against the attacker can readily be countered by the attacker grabbing the defender's blocking hand and pulling it forward, thus leaving the attacker's knife wielding hand free to continue its attacking movement to cut the defender. Passing Another counter to a block is for the attacker to slap the defenderís blocking hand in the same direction as the defenderís blocking energy is directed, freeing the attackerís knife-wielding hand to continue its attacking motion to cut the defender. Cutting the Line An immediate counter to a block is for the attacker to slide the blocked arm in a downward motion across the defenderís blocking arm and continue that movement with the blade of the knife, cutting the defenderís arm. This can be followed up with an immediate slash or thrust to a vital area. Going Around the Line The attacker can disengage his knife-wielding arm from the defenderís block and go around the block to slash and/or stab at the opening the block creates. A high attack which draws a high block can be followed by a low attack at the low opening created by the high block and vice versa. The above are some of the methods the proficient, offensive edged weapon assailant will use to respond to the block. Even if the responderís block manages to succeed, three other problems exist: 1) flying weapon, 2) single arm block safety and 3) double arm block (X block) safety. Flying Weapon Some one arm, hard style blocks (inward, outward and upper) may cause a disarm where the edged weapon goes flying. Disarms are good right? Sometimes, a disarm can have both positive and negative aspects. The impact of a traditional, hard style, inside block against an angle 3 attack when making hard contact may cause the edged weapon to fly right into the side of the responderís torso. This is easily proved by trying it out using a rubber knife and wearing protective gear on the torso. Sometimes, it makes a direct impact, sometimes it skims the side and back of the torso and flies by, and sometimes, it will miss completely. The contact is dependent upon the size, shape and physical positioning of the people along with several other factors such as the weapon size, weight, etc. The edged weapon may also be disarmed and fly off when impacting against certain classical outside and upper blocks. Obviously, different people and styles perform these blocks differently so where the weapon flies may vary. The concern is not only that the weapon may fly into your head or torso and then drop on your foot when applying a classical upper block but that it may fly into a nearby civilian such as your wife or three-year-old daughter. Thus, a strong, traditional hard style block may generate a flying weapon, which could seriously hurt someone (you, a family member or a civilian). Single Arm Block Safety When applying a traditional block to the weapon bearing limb, one problem that occurs is that in some cases, the weapon arm can bounce or slide past the responders fist or elbow into an attack on a vital target. For example, many single arm upper blocks have the forearm slanted upward rather than horizontal so that the arm will not collapse during the impact. Against the unarmed person, this forearm slant is not a problem as once the energy is spent during impact, the attacking arm becomes significantly less dangerous. The assailant usually needs to pull the hand back before striking again. When it is an edged, weapon-bearing forearm or wrist that is striking the upraised arm, the situation is different. The weapon-bearing limb may slide or bounce after impact past the blocking elbow and then flow into a head, neck, throat or torso stab/slash. This may occur even without the assistance of the live hand. Similar problems exist for the single arm, traditional, inside, outside and down blocks. The attack and defense paths of the weapon-bearing limb are different than those of the empty hand. This is partly why the maxim of ëtreat the weapon arm the same as the unarmed armí doesnít work and will lead to being crippled or killed. Double Arm Block (X Block) Safety Traditional arts often promote the use of the upper, side and downward X block where the forearms are crossed and touching so that the forearms form an X shape. The upper X block is used against the downward psycho stab, the side X against an angle 5 thrust and the downward X is used against the low angle 5. When performed correctly under optimal battle conditions against the amateur, this is a powerful block that can lead into grabs, joint-locks, throws and kicks. Offensive edged weapon instructors however are not highly impressed with the X block as a defense. Frankly, they see it as a suicide move. For the upper X, a simultaneous front kick to the solar plexus or a scoop kick to the groin are options. So is using the live hand at the responderís elbow to twirl both the responderís arms down, trapping them while the blade is withdrawn and then rapidly used. There are many, many effective counters to the traditional upper X block and the proficient edged weapon assailant is likely to know at least one of them. The side X block is nice in that the responder shifts sideways out of the LOA (Line of Attack). Unfortunately, this 1) requires that one early on notices a lunging, high angle 5 from far away, 2) requires the physical space to move to the side and not stop up short against a wall, table, person, etc., and 3) creates bad body positioning relative to the attacker for a moment during the initial block as the responder is not facing the attacker. The down X block is also seen as having strong disadvantages. First, your head and torso are unprotected. Second, it is easy for both arms to be trapped as they are crossed and touching. Third, it is easy to suddenly yank the edged weapon out and continue attacking. The above criticism does not mean that traditional, one-arm and X blocks will never work in real life. There probably have been some instances where they have worked well without causing harm to the responder or nearby civilians. In fact, the above criticisms over-simplify what a competent responder may do during and after impact. It is just that offensive edged weapon instructors know that there are safer methods of blocking. Some safer blocking methods even look quite similar to classical, hard style blocking methods but with some critical differences. Safer blocking methods will be discussed later in the ëtacticsí section. FANTASY RESPONSE: DISARMING VIA A KICK Some instructors in certain kick-centric martial arts teach the tactic of using kicks to generate an edged weapon disarm. Specifically, they often promote using an inside crescent kick to the back or inside of the assailantís weapon-bearing hand or wrist. Offensive edged weapon instructors and street fighters see this as pure suicide instruction. Sure, against the lethargic, drunk, amateur, an extremely fast kicker ëmayí be able to pull it off under optimal battle conditions. A small number of the infinite problems with this approach will be listed but limited in number due to reasons of space: 1. Proficient edged weapon assailants do not have their weapon dangling helplessly in the air in front of them. The edged weapon may be near a hip, moving, hidden, etc. 2. The inside, mid-level, crescent kick (snapping or deadweight methods) is arguably the slowest kick as well as exceptionally difficult to rapidly change midstream. It exposes the Achilles tendon (cripple target), femoral artery (kill target), groin (cripple and perhaps kill target), and lower abdomen (serious injury, cripple or kill). The crescent kick eliminates mobility during the kick as well. All EWR experts promote rapid mobility as one of the most important qualities to have during EWR. 3. There is a fundamental EWR rule in that you never seek a disarm; you simply take it when an excellent opportunity presents itself. 4. If the disarm is successful, it may mean the edged weapon goes flying some distance away into a crowd of people. Imagine responding to an attack with a successful inside crescent kick and you cripple or kill someoneís little girl standing nearby. Ultra-lame ! There is a time and context for the use of kicking in civilian EWR. Using it as a disarm is certainly not one of them ! FANTASY RESPONSE: TREATING THE ASSAILANT AS AN ATHLETE WHO RESPONDS TO PAIN Hospital orderlies, doormen, bouncers, police officers, jail guards and others who have experience in street combat learn that a percentage of real life assailants are partially or fully immune to pain. This may be due to alcohol, drugs and/or a severe mental state. This is a problem for martial artists as a notable percentage of the strikes, kicks and joint manipulations taught in many-to-most martial arts work through pain-induction or pain-compliance. The upshot is that against the pain immune assailant, most tactics used by most martial artists are utterly ineffective. They do not respond or react as the finely-tuned athlete you spar with in the dojo. The solution is to train-to-instinct tactical patterns that do not rely upon pain in order to affect the assailant. There are a number of structural attacks ñ usually but not always at the joints and neck ñ along with the eyes (vision), solar plexus (wind) and sometimes the groin (water) that work fine. Many joint manipulations exist that are not pain-compliant but use bio-mechanical leverage. As of now, no instructor is publishing non-pain-compliant flow patterns that include strikes, kicks and joint manipulations. Does this mean one should eliminate pain-induction strikes, kicks and joint manipulations in your flow pattern? Some of them may still be useful. A fast, low kick to the shin may allow you to determine if the assailant is pain-resistant or pain-immune. A front thrust kick to the stomach or ribs may be used to create space (open the gap) allowing you to change position, escape or grab a makeshift weapon. An elbow to the head may not cause pain but it may turn the assailantís head; allowing another more effective tactic to be used. Flow patterns against a real life edged weapon assailant must be intelligent, adaptable and useful against the pain-resistant and pain-immune attacker or else you are pissing against a hurricane. FANTASY RESPONSE: USING FINE MOTOR SKILL TECHNIQUES Put simply, fine motor skills are physical motions that are complex (difficult to execute). They require finesse, skill and precision; and as a result, they take much longer to become instinctual. Gross motor skills are natural motions requiring little or no finesse. They are naturally, instinctive, physical responses. It has been repeatedly proven in studies that when under high stress and/or fear, a person is generally unable to perform fine motor skill actions. Practice under high stress and/or fear scenarios can ñ in some cases ñ improve the ability to use fine motor skills but unlike certain LEO and military training, almost no martial arts approaches practice training regularly under high levels of stress and fear. A few RBT approaches do so along with certified ShocKnife instructors but usually, it is partnering up with a buddy you have known for years in a ësafeí environment. Modern martial arts training is very watered down due to reasons of insurance, a focus on tournaments, student retention and many other factors. Certain Asian Archipelago martial arts disagree. They claim that if your training begins with weapons training (stick and knife) and is replete with fine motor skill tactics that are constantly drilled so that they become part of muscle memory, then after 20 years of practice, the practitioner will be able to perform somewhat more fine motor skill techniques under high stress and pressure than other martial arts. The claim is that constant practice and drilling with bladed and stick weapons reduces the fear factor in real life assaults due to extreme familiarity with the attack along with experience in utilizing various counters. One must understand that these martial arts constantly drill against stick and bladed weapons so their argument is not objectively proven but does carry some weight. So what should the typical civilian do? Focus on practicing the gross motor disarms, passes, strikes, kicks and joint manipulations rather than those that require fine motor skills. Fancy usually equals dead. FANTASY RESPONSE: INAPPROPRIATE GRABBING OF THE WEAPON BEARING LIMB Grabbing the weapon-bearing limb is easily one of the most controversial topics in EWR. There are many martial arts instructors with little or no instruction in the offensive use of small bladed weapons teaching the classical wrist and arm grabbing methods found in well-known grabbing arts against the weapon-bearing limb. Against the amateur or slow drunk, such tactics may have a degree of success; however against the ex-con, street fighter or proficient knife fighter, this approach is doomed to failure. What are some of the many things that make a grab fail in real life? First, the presence of fluids (sweat, blood, spit, vomit, urine, etc.) can make the grab very slippery and difficult to hold. Second, the presence of certain sleeves (shirt or coat) that are loose or of certain fabrics; and accessories such as a watch can make the grip fail. Third, such factors as the assailant twirling his wrist, the lack of mobility, a second assailant slamming into you, a flying bottle hitting your head, the assailant violently jerking his weapon-bearing limb and many other possibilities may lead to grip failure. Does this mean that any and all grabbing the weapon-bearing limb is ineffective? Not at all. There are appropriate contexts and methods for effective grabbing. For example, some assailants may be too fast and deadly at the beginning of the confrontation to risk a grab; but later, they may be injured, tired or have some internal processes that reduce their combat capabilities where it becomes much safer to go for the grab. How you grab also matters. A properly performed C clamp at the elbow, an effective wrist grab after a pass, or a two hand V grab (positive and negative) can be much safer than many of the grabs taught against the unarmed assailant. In addition, grabbing the weapon-bearing limb may be safer and more effective in the proper context such as after an effective pass, check, structural attack, poke to the eyes and so forth. Later on, safe and effective grabbing will be presented. There is a science to this. In the meantime, do not grab indiscriminately as numerous teachers promote. Extending your arms is a risky tactic against the edged weapon assailant. Only do so when you are absolutely sure it is effective and safe. FANTASY RESPONSE: ASSUMING THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE ASSAILANT. Some assailants in real life attack solo whereas others attack in groups of two-to-six. During some group attacks, one person will confront the responder whereas the other(s) may be lying in wait at the responderís sixes and nines or may silently approach from these vectors and ambush. In other cases, bystanders can suddenly switch from being neutral to joining the fight and becoming an assailant. Thus, the assumption that there is only one attacker ñ even if you only see one ñ may get you crippled or killed. Larry Wick of SSS Knife Defense has been a vocal critic of this fantasy. He makes the point that you have a very limited amount of time to deal with the edged weapon assailant you see before his allies physically attack you. Thus, EWR needs to have lots of practice in scenarios where one edged weapon assailant engages and then seconds later, one or more of the assailantís allies engages. FANTASY RESPONSE: CREATING A DISARM There are many, many, edged weapon disarms taught. One of the very few areas that nearly all expert offensive and defensive edged weapons experts agree upon is that you do not ëtry to create a disarm but if a relatively safe opportunity presents itself, then you may choose to effect a disarm.í Why? In short, shit happens. If the disarm tactic is not performed when it is safe, then it can be countered. The counter may likely include maiming, crippling or death. Thus, the disarm should occur after an effective and solid bio-mechanical leveraged joint manipulation; although some people believe that right after a solid finger-poke to the eyes is also a good time. There are additional moments and contexts but a very qualified instructor needs to demonstrate them to you in person along with discussing the dangers of each. FANTASY RESPONSE: PULLING YOUR WEAPON WITHOUT STRONG WEAPONS TRAINING The ex-con pulls his edged weapon and presents it ñ keeping it low and tight at his hip. You have plenty of time to draw and present your Swiss army or Buck knife (snicker) thinking that it will even the odds or scare him off. Unfortunately, you have little or no training in how to use it. Guess what? You have now made your situation worse. Knife dueling is a complex art requiring significant training under a qualified expert. Only carry and pull a weapon if you are very well trained in how to use it for defense against the unarmed as well as those armed with a variety of weapons. If not, your weapon hand becomes a liability during the battle and your legal position goes to shit. FANTASY RESPONSE: ASSUMING THE ASSAILANTíS GRIP IS ONE PARTICULAR WAY There are many ëexpertsí who like to go around saying that ëthe proficient or expert knife fighter will always use this grip.í Guess what? If your expert is wrong and that is all you train against, you are almost certainly maimed, crippled or killed. Instructors inexpert in the offensive use of small, bladed weapons tend to promote the expectation of a single, frontal, edged weapon assailant using the hammer grip. They will sometimes throw-in the vertically, downward psycho stab (from the shoulder), which uses the reverse grip. The upshot is that nearly all EWR students expect the hammer grip along with the angles of attack most suitable for that grip. If an ex-con attacks with proficiency using the saber grip or a reverse grip, the typical EWR student will be in trouble. Another problem with the ëthis is the grip they will useí approach is that sometimes in the course of an altercation, the edged weapon will be dropped (or is already present on the ground) and there will be a rapid movement to seize it. The sudden grab of the weapon may not end up being the assailantís preferred grip but he may concentrate on using it in the new grip so as to maximize his advantage. He may not delay the quarter second after grabbing the weapon to change its grip before focusing on gutting you. So, practice against all three grips. Do not assume that the assailant will use only the hammer grip except for the reverse grip for the downward psycho stab. Proficient ex-cons or people from other countries and backgrounds may focus on using the saber or reverse grip. FANTASY RESPONSES CONCLUSION There are many, many fantasy responses and the above is only a small sampling. It is the authorís hope that the above will catalyze the reader to err on the side of caution rather than having your life end due to inaccurate expectations or perceptions. Becoming expert in the offensive use of small bladed weapons, becoming an RBT trainer, studying how street fighters actually attack and respond during real life assaults, and training using cutting edge RBT methods is the best way to determine what is fantasy and what is not. Different EWR Principles Promoted Within the Industry A ëprincipleí is a rule or a code of conduct. Many prominent EWR experts have created a number of principles for the unarmed person facing the edged weapon assailant. Some of the principles are specifically for the soldier on the battlefield. Others are specific to the Law Enforcement Officer (LEO). After eliminating those principles, many still remain. EWR instructors in the United States have strong disagreements regarding certain principles. This is because these instructors differ in: 1) offensive, small blade expertise, 2) depth and breadth of unarmed combat strategies and tactics, 3) practical EWR experience, 4) education and training in how actual assailants attack using edged weapons, 5) education in and training in overcoming fear, stress and pain before, during and after an assault, 6) assumptions over the skill level of the edged weapon assailant, 7) making intelligent assumptions about the combat environment, participant attributes and number of assailants, and 8) responding when damaged, bleeding and/or sick. Instructors desiring to improve their EWR instructional approach need to analyze each principle both in theory and in practice to determine its merits. The following are some civilian, unarmed, EWR principles that seem to have the largest agreement and positive commentary among prominent EWR instructors. 1. Escape whenever possible when you have no loved ones to protect. The benefits of escape are enormous; you avoid death, being crippled, maimed or severely damaged. The edged weapon is significantly more dangerous ñ even in the hands of an amateur ñ than most EWR instructors communicate. You can get AIDís or various other diseases from a simple touch of the blade or hypodermic needle. With great effect, some edged weapons can be thrown and others can be used to smash (pommel and flat of the blade). It is silent so the absence of a gunshot means that the police (and ambulance) are significantly less likely to be called if you are wounded or dying. With no training and very little force, an assailant can easily cripple or kill a person. If you do not have a loved one to protect youíve got to run. The late comedian Richard Pryor strongly emphasized this point: ëYouíve got to ruuuun ! 2. Manage your cuts. This means that you maximize protection towards your vital organs and cripple/kill targets so that if something gets through, it does the least amount of damage. This is done through body positioning, arm and hand positioning and body/arm movements (macro and micro). Using the ShocKnife and marking blades significantly helps you discover which angles and combinations get through along with how severe the injury would be. Many believe that it is best that if you do get stabbed or cut, that they be on the outside of your forearms. 3. Avoid tunnel vision Assume that there are always at least two additional assailants about to spring out at you from your sixes and nines RIGHT NOW! Look and assess every single chance you can get for 1) exits, 2) makeshift weapons, 3) allies, 4) possible and actual enemies, 5) makeshift shields, and 6) terrain issues. Drills for developing this are in the training section. 4. If possible and appropriate, get out of the Line Of Attack (LOA) The LOA is the path of the edged weapon. Advance warning, rapid mobility and an environment that permits movement in the preferred directions (walls, furniture, people, urinals, trees, curbs, additional assailants, sloping or uneven terrain etc. stop movement in certain directions) may allow you to rapidly reposition. This repositioning can allow for a safer counter-attack, escape, form a degree of control as the assailant is responding to your movements, bring you closer to a makeshift weapon or shield; or simply adjust the sun, street light, or headlights so that it is in the assailantís eyes. This principle needs to be qualified; in some cases, moving out of the LOA is not advisable. Leaping from a sidewalk into moving traffic is rarely a good thing. Nor is moving into an assailantís ally. If your reposition eliminates any possible avenues for escape then that is usually very bad. Learning how to best respond when in the LOA is a necessary complement to effectively moving out of it. 5. Do not seek the disarm; if a good opportunity presents itself, then you may take it. In the fraction of a second, you may shift strategies from 1) repositioning with a counter-attack, 2) attempt to escape, and 3) adjust range. You should always and only go with what is probably the most effective (under the law) tactic with the least amount of damage for that particular fraction of a second rather than force a particular situation. The stakes are significantly higher than those in an unarmed altercation so you always and only play the best odds. 6. If it is safe to do so, grab and use a makeshift weapon or shield. Having no weapons or shields puts you strongly ëbehind the curveí as others phrase it. If you can access a makeshift weapon and/or shield, the odds of your survival and after-altercation health have just increased. This may be a jacket, folding table, liquor bottle, hardcover book, chair, or anything that may save your ass. 7. If possible and appropriate, move from the inside position to the outside position. The inside position quite frankly blows. The assailant has maximum advantage as all of his limbs can be used for attack and defense. The outside position is significantly better; you only have the weapon-bearing limb and one leg to worry about. Good footwork, a safe block, a good pass, a deflection or decent stand-up grappling skills in a clinch (ones that are proven to work against the edged weapon assailant) are some possible methods for making this transition. When is it not appropriate to move to the outside? If it means that you shift into cripple/kill range from a second assailant, step into traffic, leave your daughter to take a cripple/kill shot, or change the combat environment so dramatically that the odds are now worse for you than before then you may want to re-think this. 8. Assume that the assailant(s) are pain resistant or pain-immune and use strategies and tactics accordingly. Real life assailants tend to be more aggressive and less affected by pain as compared to your lawyer buddy ëErnie Johnsoní in the dojo. Despite this well-known fact, most martial arts instructors inexplicably continue to churn out tactical sequences and combinations that rely mostly or fully upon pain to be effective. EWR students (and instructors) serious about unarmed and EWR self defense need to revise their tactical sequences to emphasize strikes, kicks and joint locks that use biomechanical leverage rather than pain induction. Not doing so is an indicator of being stuck in the deadly illusion that people in real life will react similarly to lawyer Ernie in the dojo or whatever weekend warrior athletes are in the class. 9. Adapt when a tactic fails While some instructors tout the idea that ëwhen performed properly, this technique will not failí others are wise enough to know that techniques sometimes fail in real life. Rather than sit around and scratch their balls, the competent instructors immediately flow into the next most effective and appropriate tactic. For example, the outside arm bar fails due to the assailant rolling his elbow or the environment not allowing you to apply leverage in the proper way. You immediately reverse the direction and flow into a figure four lock. If that fails, you kick to collapse the knee closest to you (structural attack) and then reapply a bio-mechanical leverage joint lock. 10. Use effective gross motor tactics Even among highly experienced martial artists, fear is common during real life street altercations; especially when facing a firearm or edged weapon. Fear makes fine motor skills vanish like the job market and profitability when President Obama applies his Keynesian economic prescriptions. YeahÖ that fast and furious! The point is that you need to have a strong, solid repertoire of gross motor tactics in all areas. These are what need to be used in the street rather than the 12 step fancy moves you do to impress the hot MILFís bringing Johnny and Stephen in for class so that they can earn their pretty belts and patches. Fine motor skill tactics ñ most likely to fail! Gross motor skill tactics ñ most likely to succeed. Itís a simple equation. The next two principles have more debate and controversy surrounding them. The most controversial of all EWR principles will be presented first: 11. If and when possible and appropriate, control the weapon-bearing limb The idea being touted is that the weapon-bearing limb can be controlled through some sort of a grab and then be safely contained or put into a joint lock. Conditions where the odds of this being successful in real life will be presented followed by those conditions that would make this unlikely or impossible. Conditions that increase the odds of success for making this principle work: ï The responder is an expert in an in-fighting art such as an Asian Archipelago martial art, Wing Chun, Jeet Kune Do, Chin Na, etc. ï The responder is an expert in the offensive and defensive use of small bladed weapons ï The responder is an expert in certain tactical areas such as passing, de-fanging the snake, checking, trapping and joint-locking. ï The responder is an expert in the science of how to grab the weapon-bearing limb such as the V-Grip, C-clamp (palm up and palm down), etc. ï The responder is an expert in knowing when a grab is less dangerous such as after a successful pass, modified block, balance attack or disruptive strike (such as a fingertip poke to the eyes). ï When the assailant is an amateur telegraphing and attacking from a distance. The lighting is good, the combat environment allows for mobility and the assailant is not very aggressive. There are also no fluids present on the responderís hands or the assailantís wrists and elbows. ï The assailant is injured or disoriented Conditions that decrease the odds of success for making this principle work: ï The assailant is an expert in the offensive use of small bladed weapons ï There are fluids (liquor, blood, urine, etc.) on the responderís hands and/or on the assailantís hands and/or elbow ï The responder treats the grab as if he is grabbing a bare wrist or the gi of his buddy at the dojo instead of what is required to firmly grab a struggling 250 pound angry man wearing a thick leather jacket or oversized sleeve that moves and/or tears. ï The responder is poorly trained in the science of the grab along with the tactical set-ups necessary to precede the grab. ï The responder treats the weapon-bearing limb just like an unarmed limb ï The combat environment sucks such as bad lighting, a non-secure floor, poor mobility, etc. ï The responder is injured (eye, leg, etc.) so grabbing becomes even more dangerous than before Thus, the more likely this principle is likely to succeed is based upon 1) the number of conditions present favoring the responder, 2) how powerful are the conditions favoring the responder, and 3) how few and powerful the conditions are favoring the assailant(s). It is not a matter of the principle being all bad or all good but of the battle environment, personal attributes and so forth. The result is that some EWR principles have a context; ex. they may be an effective rule when certain conditions are met. As most civilian martial artists are ëtechnique-basedí, this creates a danger during real life edged weapon attacks where context determines life and death. 11. Treat the armed limb just like the unarmed one This is one of those principles that is expressed as a universal truth without exceptions and context. The deepest meaning is generally true; that fundamental principles governing oneís relationship to the unarmed limb and the armed one is the same. The physiology of the limbs remain the same so they both react to joint-locks, impacts and controls in the same way. However, the principle is expressed as a universal truth without exceptions or context. The edged weapon is a ëgame changerí. It alters many important things including range, lethality, counter-attack capability, appropriate vectors for making and maintaining a grab; appropriate follow-ups, the legal use-of-force continuum, amount of fear and stress present; presence of fluids which may affect the grab; and so forth. Therefore, the principle really should be re-written as follows: The basic principles of the unarmed limb are the same for the armed one but important allowances must be made for the weapon. Now that is a principle, which is much less likely to get you killed ! The following principles are some that are bandied about. ï Everyone may be armed ï Everyone may become armed ï Use the environment. Quality RBT training will teach you this one best ï Fight offensively: this is a fight for your life ï Be mobile ï Stick to low kicks when kicking Selected EWR Expert Strategies From Public Materials In this section, the strategy and tactics of various EWR instructors as presented in their public instructional training materials (books, videos, DVDís, correspondence courses, public seminars, etc.) will be presented and examined. Realize that not only is this a limited snapshot of what they may teach in real life, their teaching may have evolved since the material was publicly presented. In addition, one instructor of a particular martial art may teach or stress different strategy and tactics to some extent than another teacher of the same art. Lastly, any errors in accuracy in bringing that material to this book are strictly the Authorís fault. HOCK HOCHHEIM Hock Hochheim is a modern EWR specialist. As some of the material being presented comes from his training, his EWR principles need to be mentioned. Hock Hochheim's Basic Principles: 1. Control and Contain the Weapon Limb 2. Balance Disruption 3. Diminish (physical destruction of the attacker) 4. Take Him Down and Out ï IMPORTANT POINT: Numbers 2 through 4 are not necessarily in order but can occur simultaneously. Number 1 is primary for him. DARREN LAUR Darren Laur is a Canadian policeman who not only instructs EWR but also has done research regarding many types of violent encounters. He has written many articles regarding combat and EWR. Darren Laur's Five EWR Principles: 1. Respect the blade. The person who attacks with an edged weapon has two incredible advantages. * PSYCHOLOGICAL: has chosen to use the weapon ruthlessly * PHYSICAL: usually has first strike advantage Again remember, it is the desperation factor and not the technical skill alone that makes a person armed with an edged weapon so dangerous 2. Expect to get cut. You will likely get cut, bleed, may or may not feel pain. A program that teaches students not to expect this fact is NEGLIGENT. Your goal is to WIN. Notice I use the word WIN and not SURVIVE. Words are very powerful. The word SURVIVE is no different than the word TRY. Both of these words to the subconscious mind mean FAILURE. Our goal is to WIN, survival is a by-product of winning. 3. Neutralize the line of attack. In any kind of combatives it is important to get you body of the line of attack. Remember in a knife fight you will get cut and stuck, the secret is to limit the amount/degree of this damage. Unlike a fistfight, you cannot stand there and take multiple blows with a knife 4. Control the delivery system. In the system of Pat Wrap and Attack we do not play the knife hand but rather the delivery system (arm/elbow) In hockey do you play the puck or do you play the man. You play the man why, the puck moves to quick. In a knife fight donít visually lock onto the knife hand it moves far to fast when compared to the arm/elbow. We also do not attempt to grab the knife hand in a dynamic situation for the reasons that I mentioned earlier. Small target, slippery when blood is present Remember than most edged weapon deaths are associated with serious multiple blows. Why, person failed to control the delivery system. The delivery system is the arm (lever); if we can control the lever we control the blade. The only exception to this rule is in a static knife hold up where the knife hand is not moving and can easily be controlled with two hands. 5. Attack the attack. I believe that so long as the attacker has the opportunity to continue his attack, he has a strong tactical advantage, with a strong psychological advantage as well. Both of these advantages must be neutralized as soon as possible by throwing the attacker on the defensive. Marc "Animal" MacYoung Marc "Animal" MacYoung's Four EWR Principles: These principles are listed in order of effectiveness from most-to-least: 1. Run like hell 2. Do an immediate effective response that prevents further attack 3. Avoid the attack, buy distance, then deploy and use a longer-range weapon 4. Go ape shit on the guy hoping that somewhere in there is an effective response SANG H. KIM Sang H. Kim's Six EWR Principles: Copied From: http://www.turtlepress.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=37 or Impact, 2006 Issue 1 Many years have passed since I survived dozens of missions as a special agent while serving in the Korean military. Many missions involved combat, both with weapons and with fists. A few members of my elite 202 unit survived, many never made it. Looking back, I find something valuable for my friends who couldnít make it at the time. In the Academy for Special Agents at Jeong-Neung, Korea, my combat instructor T.K. Kim used to scream at us during the grueling knife-fighting training sessions, "Do not run away from your opponent, get closer to him!" Dissolve the knife in your head! I remember that most of my comrades who tried to run away from their enemies got killed. Those who got injured by choosing to stay closer, by following T.K. Kim's instruction, survived. The cardinal rule of combat, whether against a knife or an empty-handed adversary is Stay close to your opponent! Especially when your opponent is armed with a knife, there is often no way out but to stay close and fight. The keys for surviving in close quarters combat against a knife are: First, read the intent of your enemy. In combat, the enemy has only one motive, to eliminate you and obtain his objective. This often made the first assessment for me simple - there was not option to escape or placate my attackers. In civilian life, however, you must read your attackers intentions. Assess what he wants from you: your money, your car, your pride, your honor, your life - assailants have many motives for attacking their victims. If you can buy your way out of a situation, whether through material possessions or your wits, this is your best option. Do not hesitate to give the attacker if he wants if it means he will spare you injury. Second, assess the intensity of his hostility. Try to determine if your attacker means to hurt you or to kill you; if he will be satisfied by getting what he wants or if he is bent on violence for the sake of violence. Many times you might find yourself faced with an assailant that has no mercy and is bent on inflicting pain no matter how you respond to his demands. If you cannot escape and your attacker is intent on hurting you, you have no choice but to fight back with all your might. Third, acknowledge that you will get hurt. Once you commit to a defense against a knife-wielding attacker, you must accept that you will get hurt. Without overcoming this psychological hurdle, you cannot hope to survive. Accepting that you will get hurt, allows you let go of the notion that you must defend yourself perfectly. There is no perfect defense against a knife. Things will not go as you planned or practiced. You must be prepared to respond without prejudice or preconceptions, something you cannot due if you cling to the notion of a perfect defense. Fourth, do not try to intercept the knife. Focusing on the knife is the most deadly mistake you can make. The knife is simply an inanimate object. You place your focus on the stopping your attacker, not the inanimate object in his hand. Fifth, attack the forearm, shoulders, neck, and head. To defeat the knife, you must attack the limbs or if possible the intelligence that is controlling it. The most practical initial attack will be to the attacker's forearm (of the armed hand). The second most practical attack will be to upper arm or shoulder. Both of these targets will allow you to gain partial control of the knife wielding hand or at least to momentarily divert the attack. Your final goal should be an attack to the neck or head of the assailant to either control his body or render him unconscious. Sixth, cut in to the side or rear of the enemy. To attack the head or neck, you must bypass the knife. To do this you have to divert the attack with a looping, deflecting, parrying or cutting technique. Once past the knife, you should always move to the side or rear to take the attacker's balance and keep the knife as far from your body as possible. This is the stage where staying close becomes essential. Once you establish contact with the assailantís body, you have to stick to him like glue. Any space between you and your attacker works to his advantage, giving him space to maneuver the knife or take your balance. Sergeant Jim Wagner Sergeant Jim Wagnerís Four EWR Principles: (Excerpted From: http://www.jimwagnertraining.com/articles/CT_Knife_Defense.htm) Based on Human Instincts The problem with the way most civilian martial arts instructors teach knife defense (for self-defense situations) is that they go contrary to human instincts. Let me ask you a question. If somebody was next to you and threw a beer bottle at you as hard as they could, what would you instinctively do? You would immediately put your hands up in front of you to block the flying object. If the attacker stepped toward you at the same time he threw the bottle you also would step back or lean away while keeping your hands up. This is what everyone does. I have observed this exact reaction in thousands of students across the world. The same is true when I come in at full speed with a rubber knife. The first thing the student does is put up their hands (not in a well coordinated fashion, but in an automatic fear reaction), and they lean away from the attack. Like I mentioned before, those students with some martial arts training will often times try to block, punch, kick, or even attempt a knife disarm, but they too are rapidly defeated and critically injured with the blade. In a real life situation, even if a punch or kick happens to hit its target, a determined attacker will gladly sacrifice a broken nose, jaw, or limb if it means slaying his opponent. Thus, the question is, why go against human instinct? In a knife fight DISTANCE IS YOUR FRIEND (provided that you do have some distance). Whether it is in a training session or a real conflict on the streets, if an attacker comes at you with a knife you will inevitably put up your hands and step back ّ so go with it. You wonít override your natural instincts. Thus, you have to make your first instincts a part of your training if you want to be prepared for real-life attacks. When someone comes at you with a knife, and you have room behind you, put your hands up and step back. The Tactical 'L' Most untrained military or police personnel will continue to retreat backwards in a straight line. Iíve seen some go back in a straight line as far as 7 to 8 meters. However, it does not take long until the attacker catches up with you and out maneuvers you. Although your instincts will dictate that you will step back at the beginning of the attack, your training must take over once your decision-making abilities take over. Once you realize that the attacker is pursuing you, and you feel yourself retreating backwards to avoid getting stabbed or cut, you must suddenly make a conscious decision to step to the right or to the left so the attacker moves past you. This sudden pause in combat will buy you a half or a full second of time. This movement, the side step, is known as the Tactical 'L'. This extra second that it takes for the attacker to change directions is hopefully enough time to deploy your own weapon if you have one, or strike an incapacitating blow (such as a knee kick or eye gouge for real situations) if you are unarmed. If you are unable to get your weapon out after performing the Tactical 'L' or your empty hand strike is ineffective, then you will have to recycle and do the maneuver over again if the attacker keeps coming at you with the knife. Move and Escape Once you have gained some distance between you and the attacker you will need to do one of two things. One, if you are a police officer or a soldier and the attacker continues to assault you or another person near by, you will have no choice but to use your most potent weapon against him (If youíre a constable in the United Kingdom your highest weapon would probably be your baton, while in the USA, Spain, France, Russia, etc., it would be your firearm). You will continue to use your weapon until the threat has stopped. During the attack you will keep moving away, striking, and moving. Do not be a stationary target. Always look for a safer area. Again, distance is a key factor in survival. Even a severely wounded attacker is capable of pursuing you and landing a fatal blow before they go down. On the other hand, if you are unarmed (such as custodial situation in a facility), the best course of action once youíve done the Tactical 'L' is to immediately escape. If you have the room, do not try to wrestle the weapon away from the attacker. Thank you for your article. I have heard some stories as well but have not heard this one before about Ed Parker. It is always sad when a student takes the less. The Media Bias Page is all about the clearly evident liberal bias in the US electronic news media. This page contains examples of biased news coverage not categorized. After being taken down twice by Blogger within a single week, we got the message: It’s Time To Go. Gates of Vienna has moved to a new address. Edged Weapons Response On vous propose de venir vous détendre avec nous le temps d'une soirée, que se soit pour faire une pause pendant vos révisions, de souffler après les examens, ou. Armadillo's Den: Thursday's List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud. Week 7 NFL info now posted on NFL page College football info posted; also.
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