What real
self-defense is all about
Real self-defense is first of all about avoiding being
assaulted or even bothered, about seeing trouble well ahead and not walking into an
ambush, about discouraging an attack by your demeanor, and only when all else fails is it
about neutralizing an attack that could not be prevented.
The “neutralizing” ought to be done in a manner that minimizes the chance of the
defender being victimized by the law. What I mean is that any harm to the attacker, no
matter how grave, must be the direct consequence of a purely defensive action.
Take this hint: The best defenses look like accidents and
then can be explained as accidents too. . . . And for sure they have to be explainable, in
a court of law, as actions meant solely to protect the defender and not purposefully harm
the assailant. With a little practice and a cool head, anyone can turn an attack into a
bad accident for the attacker.
The system presented on the DVD Basic
Instincts of Self-Defense consists of true self-defense techniques, those that
are simple enough to be learned quickly, that are reliable, that do not require
super-human reflexes, and that can be turned into “accidents” at will. What is more,
the effects (on the assailant's body) of practically all the techniques of Basic Instincts of Self-Defense can
be used to prove that the techniques were applied in self-defense, and not in an attack.
Now, about phony self-defense: Haven't you seen demonstrations in which a defender
unfailingly intercepts an attack, say a punch, a kick, or a knife stab, and then “destroys”
an attacker in blood-chilling ways, often making terrifying faces and blood-curdling
screams too? Without exception the attack is prearranged, the initial defense is fake—it
wouldn't work against anyone other than a cooperating partner—and the follow-up, should
it be possible, takes so long it exposes the defender to other attackers, and because it
exceeds legal bounds of self-defense, exposes the defender to legal prosecution.
You must realize that fighting is not necessarily self-defense, and the best self-defense
is not fighting. Nevertheless, being a proficient fighter helps in self-defense. Good
fighters are calm, relaxed, hard to upset, and thus hard to provoke and draw into a fight.
Think of MMA: Good groundwork specialists are hard to take down because they are not
afraid of fighting on the ground. People who are afraid of ground fighting worry about it,
become tense, and are distracted by thoughts of it, and thus they are much easier to take
down.
On this site you can learn techniques of real self-defense, both physical and mental, from
simple moves that protect you and, if needed, incapacitate the assailant, to ways of
playing with others' minds, to discouraging assaults by influencing the lowlife to give
you wide berth.
Important mental techniques you can learn from Gold
Medal Mental Workout are concentration and relaxation at will, as well as
developing an emotionally detached mind-set—what I call “thinking like a commander.”
One of the tools of developing mental toughness is physical conditioning. What's more,
done correctly, physical conditioning gives a mental edge specific to self-defense.
Fighters know that conditioning in itself is a weapon, not just in the physical sense but
also in the mental sense. In a conflict a well-conditioned person is calmer than a poorly
conditioned one, whose confidence is undermined by observing an unfazed, relaxed,
unfatigued opponent. The cool confidence of the well-conditioned opponent grows as the
confidence of the poorly conditioned combatant wanes.... And a calm demeanor,
expressionless face, and lack of signs of stress are disconcerting to an aggressor. Here is more on the use of physical conditioning for both
physical fighting prowess and mental toughness....
* * *
“To be acquitted of any kind of physical harm-related
crime (such as assault and battery and homicide) using the self-defense justification,
[defendants] must prove legal provocation, meaning that [defendants] must prove that they
were in a position where not using self-defense would most likely lead to death, serious
injuries and property damage.”
— http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-defense
“However, when an assailant ceases to be a threat (e.g. by being tackled and restrained,
surrendering, or fleeing), the defense of justification will fail if the defending party
presses on to attack or to punish beyond imposing physical restraint.”
— http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_of_self-defense
For your actions to qualify as justifiable self-defense, you must be in immediate danger,
and not just in your opinion but in the opinion of a “reasonable and prudent person.”
Lawyers call it “imminent jeopardy.” Jeopardy can cease as soon as your attacker
surrenders or ceases to be a threat, say, is restrained or tries to run away. Continuing
to use force against the attacker when you are no longer in imminent jeopardy is illegal,
and you will be prosecuted. |
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Our bestseller:
The Unbreakable Umbrella
Ideal self-defense weapons are those that are legal to carry
everywhere, do not attract attention, are simple to use, and do not require practice.
The Unbreakable Umbrella
works just as well as a walking stick or cane but does not make you look funny. It whacks
just as strong as a steel pipe but it weighs less than 2 lb. (1 lb. 8.6 oz/700 g or 1 lb.
12 oz/790 g depending on the model). Do you know how to swing a baseball bat? Do you know
how to strike with a sturdy stick? If you do, you know all you need to know...
Our Unbreakable Umbrellas are carried by the Presidential
Security Group (PSG) of the Philippines President. Click here to see photos.

For self-defense moves to work under stress they must be based on your
natural, instinctive reactions, require little strength and limited range of motion, and
be proven in fighting experience.
To learn how your natural reactions can instantly defeat any unarmed
attack, see the video Basic Instincts
of Self-Defense.

To defend against weapons you have to know how they are used. Also—every
stick has two ends ... the weapon of attack may become a weapon of defense in your hand
...
To learn how the typical street weapons (club, knife, razor) are used by
an experienced streetfighter and how to practice with them, see the video Self-Defense: Tools of attack—Club,
Hatchet, Blackjack, Knife, Straight Razor.

Staying cool under pressure is more important for self-defense than
being physically fit and technically skilled. If you can't control your mind what can you
control?
To learn mental techniques that let you calmly face any threat and act
rationally in the heat of a fight, click here. |