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....

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“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.

int_5.gif 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.

For a complete list of our products, click here.

© 2011 by Real Self-Defense LLC. All Rights Reserved. This internet site is protected by copyright. Any distribution or duplication of any of its content (text or images) without written permission from Real Self-Defense LLC is prohibited by law.

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Self-Defense Tips

Tip 65: Knocking out or otherwise incapacitating assailants

Tip 64: Home Security Resources

Tip 63: Learned Opinion on the Superiority of a Knife over a Straight Razor

Tip 62: Old lesson repeated in Norway

Tip 61: Legal Advice on Deadly Force

Tip 60: Self-Defense Resources—Free!

Tip 59: “Bulletproof Umbrella?”

Tip 58: Tactical Pen vs. an Ordinary Pencil

Tip 57: Knockouts and other fight enders

Tip 56: Physical conditioning for mental toughness in self-defense—Part II

Tip 55: The Unbreakable Umbrella in self-defense—Part II

Tip 54: The Unbreakable Umbrella in self-defense—Part I

Tip 53:“Physical conditioning for mental toughness in self-defense—Part I

Tip 52: More on temper in self-defense

Tip 51: Your temper and your reaction time

Tip 50: Writer's questions on design and function of the Unbreakable Umbrella

Tip 49: Before you say a word....

Tip 48: Are you planning to fly....

Tip 47: An ordinary pencil....

Tip 44: Think Like a Commander—How Discipline and Practice Win Battles

Tip 43: Think Like a Commander—Know Your Enemy's Weapon

Tip 42 Think Like a Commander—Don't Stand Your Ground

Tip 41: Think Like a Commander—My Favorite Battle

Tip 40: A Nightmare—Or Why You
Ought to Think Like a Commander....

Tip 39: Sample videos of armlocks
and wristlocks

Tip 38: Unbreakable Umbrellas
go everywhere

Tip 37: The Unbreakable Umbrella
vs. other personal protection devices

Tip 36: A strange scene....

Tip 33: Stand-up grappling drills for
striking skills—Large inner reap

Tip 32: Stand-up grappling drills for
striking skills—Forward foot sweep

Tip 31: Keys to fighting speed

Tip 30: Effectiveness of various combat sports and martial arts
(an answer to a question)

Tip 28: How Self-Defense: Tools of Attack differs from other videos on self-defense and hand-to-hand combat...

Tip 27: The need for proficiency with the weapon and tactics that one is likely to encounter in typical attacks....

Click here for more tips.

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