Good talk on blocks

[Van Canna]

Would you really help?

have had situations where I had encounters in the middle of the Day, in crowded areas, business sections of NYC areas, near rush hour, against Multiple opponents, and the only intervention by anyone was them screaming for the Multiples to beat my Butt.

I have even had police cars and Mall security Officers pass by, look and drive on.

My advice, when in any encounter _just know that YOU ARE ALONE.

Even NYC Police Department tells it members, when off duty if you see something going down “DO NOT GET INVOLVED, USE A CELL PHONE OR FIND A PHONE AND CALL IT IN"

Happened here in Ontario today, old man beaten to death with people standing by all bleating that some one should help.

I know several ‘sheep dog’ types here in the U.K. who the police tried to prosecute after intervening on behalf of weaker people.

Another friend of mine tried to play the knight in shining armor to a lady who was being attacked by a man, only to then be attacked by BOTH of them (turned out to be a domestic).

The ‘lady’ then lied to the police and said that my friend had attacked her boyfriend for no reason.

As an Instructor all you can do is show a person how to respond to an attack, we cannot tell them what to do, how to act, how much force to use or how to end an encounter, this is always up to the Mind set and make up of the person, the fear they feel for themselves or others and how comfortable they are with acting.

What is action?
Action can be Calling the Police
Action can be trying verbal de-escalation.
It can be stepping up and acting as if you will intercede
It can be the need to get physical to protect another unable to defend them.

The problem is that action has consequence.

You maybe hurt
You may hurt some one else
They may claim to be hurt just because you got involved
They may sue you
They may file charges against you


Many times, even in self defense the attacker will ask Police to charge you so that your charges against them are off set by them charging you, forcing both parties to drop all charges.


The reason Given for not stepping up, or doing anything, Fear of Being Hurt, Fear of Being Sued.

As Human Beings, should we allow or be forced by threat of prosecution, to watch innocent people be hurt by well abled thugs?


What I feel that you are more likely to encounter is a man beating a woman, say outside of a stop n rob. Working in the Rt 40 area of Baltimore I have seen this several times with pimps and prostitutes. Often it is a business disagreement.

Even a stare in their direction can get you assaulted. He would be just as happy to beat you as he would her and then she will clean your pockets.

I guess that what I am saying that it depends a lot with who you are, where you are and who you believe the victim and attacker to be. No good deed goes unpunished.

[Van Canna]

A punk lying in wait for you on the street...you never know the luck of your draw.

At first, Jose William thought the East Boston house across the street was on fire. He saw flames in a first - floor window of the brown three- decker yesterday and scrambled for his cellphone to call 911. Then what looked like a ball on fire fell from the window and landed on the sidewalk.

Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts: When he and a friend rushed to the scene, they made a horrific discovery; it was a cat. Someone had wrapped the animal in a rag, lighted it on fire, and thrown it against the window, shattering the glass, fire officials said yesterday.

[Van Canna]

Combat Mindset and Criminal Behavior

Good article by Tom Perroni:

Criminals must go through certain specific stages of activity before they can assault/rob/abduct/rape/etc. These stages will differ slightly in different types of crimes, but will generally fall into these categories.


1. SELECTION-

The criminal views you as a prospective victim. He looks at your "victim potential", on two separate basis. First, do you have the type of car he wants, are you wearing expensive watches and jewelry, have you flashed a roll of cash, do you fit his rape victim profile? We think of this as, "Do you have what I want?" If the answer is, "Yes.", he moves to the next question.

Then he evaluates you as a threat to him. First and foremost, are you paying attention to your surroundings? Are you aware of his presence? Do you look like you might be a physical problem? Do you look like you might be armed? I assure you he goes through these questions. We think of this as, "Can I get what I want from you, safely?"

If the answer to either question, "Do you have what I want, and can I get it from you, safely?" is "NO", then off he goes, in search of easier prey. Thugs are not looking for a fight. What they're looking for is the easy mark. Someone they can get to, get what they want from, and get away from, without being hurt and without being caught.

Several years ago, a fascinating study was conducted by some psychology students. They took photos of ordinary people as they came and went from a downtown business area. They then planned to show these to criminals and ask them to identify the people they would choose as victims, and identify the people they would choose to bypass. In the preliminary write-up, they said that they expected to see a 10-15% correlation among the "victim" and "non-victim" groups.

They then went >

to a state prison and got a very large number of career violent offenders (rapists, muggers, etc.) to enter a room one at a time and view these photos. Time after time, the thugs said "I want that one", and pointed to others and said, "But I don't want that one!" When it was over, the psychologists were shocked.

There was a 95% correlation rate! Ninety-five times out of a hundred, individual thugs, with no communication among them, picked the same people to be victims, or to bypass.


How did they do that? Body language. The only thing available from these photos was body language, but that was enough for the thugs to instantly identify the true victims as well as the people they would not risk a confrontation with.

Whom did they choose as victims? Gender, size, and age were surprisingly not the keys. Instead, they looked for people who shuffled along, head down, avoiding eye contact, unaware of their surroundings (Condition White).


In contrast, they avoided choosing people, even small females, if they were alert, confident, head up, and looked like they knew what was going on around them (Condition Yellow). Remember what he really wants. He wants to get to you, get what he wants from you, and get away from you, without being hurt or caught.

[Van Canna]

There are signs that you are being evaluated by a potential attacker. They include:

1. Anyone who appears to be watching you should be viewed with mild alarm. If every time you look up, the same guy is looking at you, ask yourself, "Why?"

2. Anyone who is inactive until you approach, then tries to look busy;

3. Anyone whose activity is geared to yours. You speed up, he speeds up, etc.

[Van Canna]

2. POSITIONING-

Once a criminal selects a victim, he must move into a position from which an attack is possible. Always remember that to assault, rob, or rape you, he must be close enough to talk to you.

He will attempt to maneuver into this position by stealth (which is defeated by being alert), or by ruse. He may ask you for the time, for change, for directions, anything to distract you and preferably cause you to look away from him.

When you look away, here comes the blow! The best course of action is to politely refuse any request, no matter what it is.

Keep your eye on him and say, "No". Anything you agree to is the springboard for the next request, which then escalates to demands. Just say "No".

Positioning prior to the assault is vital to him, as he relies almost totally on surprise for success. If you avoid his attempts to properly position himself, you forestall the attack. Be alert and watchful for these cues:

1. Anyone who falls in behind you after you walk by;

2. Two or more people who are together, but split up as you approach;

3. Anyone staying in one place, observing, but begins to move toward you;

4. Two or more people lined up along a wall or fence; or

5. Anyone who moves to block an exit after you enter a confined space.

If you see one of these cues, cross the street, change directions, turn a corner. If he alters his course to match yours, he has tipped his hand. Go to Orange and start planning an escape or response.

[Van Canna]

3. THE ATTACK-

The attack phase can only come after the evaluation phase and the positioning phase. It is simply not possible to attack you until these first two stages have been completed.


The very best defense, therefore, is to circumvent the attack by not allowing the Evaluation Phase and the Positioning Phase to be fruitfully completed.


Every single attack you avoid is a battle won! In every attack you fail to prevent, you are at enormous risk!

A one-eyed, three fingered jackass can miss you by ten feet with a handgun, and ricochet a round off the pavement and into your femoral artery.

Although you are "accidentally" dead, you're still dead. Be alert and use your head and you won't have to use your pistol nearly as often.

[Van Canna]

BEHAVIORAL CUES TO IMPENDING AGGRESSION-

With the exception of the true sociopath (more on him later), there will normally be cues, principally body language, which will assist you in forecasting aggressive activity by an individual you are observing. Being aware of these cues is vital to your accurate threat assessment.

Of course, verbalization by the offender is a critical cue. Someone cursing, shouting epithets, and generally being aggressive verbally is a likely candidate for physical aggression.

Bear in mind, however, that 80% of human communication is non-verbal, and you must be aware of and watchful for these sometimes subtle indicators.

One of the most reliable indicators of an impending assault occurs when you are in a position of authority and the offender fails to comply with or contemptuously ignores your commands.

If, for instance, you encounter an intruder in your home, and he does not immediately comply with your commands, you are in for a fight!

[Van Canna]

Other definitive indicators can include these, alone or in combination:

1. hands on hips;

2. cocked head

3. arms folded across the chest

4. fists clenched, or clenched and flexed alternately

5. jaw clenched

6. spitting

7. deliberate avoidance of eye contact

8. continuously looking around

9. sustained verbal rationalizations

10. continuous yawning and stretching

11. target glancing.

"Target glancing" refers to brief, repeated shifting of the offender's eyes to your chin, your nose, or your weapon.

Repeated target glances to your chin or nose means he is gauging the distance for a punch.

Target glances at your weapon indicate a gun snatch may be imminent.

Always, when the pre-attack indicators are present, shift to the highest level of mental readiness (Condition Red) and be geared up.

If at all possible, extend the distance between the two of you. Unless you are a Marine, you don't have to die for the piece of ground you're standing on!

[Van Canna]

Sociopaths: These ANIMALS are born without or fail to develop (because of abuse) any sort of empathy for their fellow man.

They not only feel nothing when inflicting pain, but IF it brings them sexual pleasure they may do so anytime or anywhere.

There will be no "cues." The serial killer may be a sociopath, but likely his other symptoms are not such as would inhibit him from interacting with "normal" folks socially... like in a daily work situation.

Some are so disconnected from reality they can't hold a job at any level. Society quickly detects these. But folks like the infamous and now deceased serial killer Ted Bundy are winsome and charming and you may like hanging out with a guy like this, at first.

But most folks will eventually get a clue that there is something... just WRONG. It may be too late at that point, especially if you belong to the target group. But there will be no attack indicators with a sociopath.

What this means of course is that for folks you don't know very well be polite; be professional but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.

Be prepared to implement such plan instantly. If you run into a sociopath (highly unlikely unless you're a part of a target population) and he goes for you, you'll be behind the power curve from the start.

But react as if you'd been caught in a near ambush with an immediate action drill.

EXTREME violence in instant response may well put this sort of wolf off balance and allow you to either escape or finish him.

[Van Canna]

Mall Safety

by Denise McCluggage

Malls provide one-stop shopping for more than the ordinary patrons. Thieves, panhandlers, drive-by purse-snatchers, car burglars and other such predators can find almost anything they want in the extensive parking lots surrounding the malls.

And yet there is something about the orderly array of cars and the enticing promise of wonders inside the mall that lulls ordinary folk into a lack of awareness adding to their vulnerability.

Thus the first step in danger abatement is to take responsibility for your own safety. Instead of going into a slow-blink-rate mode when you turn into a mall parking lot sharpen your wits and become even more alert to your surroundings.

Even before you choose a mall as your favorite check out its security program. Does it have foot or motorized patrols in the parking lot? What are their hours? Will the security force provide an escort to your car if you want one? Ask for the security department for recommendations how you can protect yourself and your car at that mall.

Here are some general suggestions that can help you be safer in mall parking lots as you begin your holiday gift shopping this year.

-- Park as close as possible and preferably within view of the door from which you will exit. If you are one who stashes your car in a far-off corner of a vast parking lot to protect your paint job from possible dings weigh that against other risks, particularly if you are alone.

If you park in the boonies you'll have farther to walk, possibly with your arms full of purchases. You could be more vulnerable to drive-by grab-and-run thieves.

-- Park in a well-lighted area. Keep in mind that you may arrive in the daylight but emerge after dark. Choose a spot near a lamp standard.

-- Leave nothing of value visible in your car. A car phone, a radar detector -- or the cleaning you just picked up before stopping by the mall -- is merchandise on display and could invite a broken window. What you don't take with you lock up out of sight. And do that with a stop before you park or you could be advertising their location. Hide sunglasses, tollgate coins, umbrellas etc.

-- Avoid parking near vehicles in which someone is sitting.

-- Avoid parking near vans or vehicles with blacked out windows. The sliding doors of vans make it easy for a rear-seat occupant to surprise you as you walk past. Darkened windows conceal occupants.

-- Walk with your purse held firmly to your side opposite traffic flow. And if you hear a motorcycle burbling up on you, move quickly between cars. A common purse snatching technique is a motorcycle passenger making the grab and then speeding off. Cars or trucks cruising with lowered windows are also suspect.

-- Don't let strangers approach you in the parking lot. Keep a car between yourself and others, particularly those approaching with soft-voiced requests. A common ploy is to ask if you know where "social service agencies" are located. Or to play on your sympathies with a sad tale of lost wallets and the need for gas money to get home. Report any such canvassers to the mall security office.

-- Know exactly where your car is. Jot down any grid numbers. And look back at your car as you near the mall entrance to get a mind picture of where it is. When you come out you will want to go quickly and precisely to your car eliminating any wandering about.

-- Before you leave the mall locate your car keys and carry them in your hand ready to use.

-- If you return to put purchases in your car and then go back to shop lock the packages in the trunk and move your car. This can be a pain, particularly during crowded times when spaces are rare. The choice is yours -- inconvenience or the possibility of a damaged lock and stolen possessions.

-- Make a scene. If you think you are being followed or a suspicious person approaches you don't be timid: make a ruckus. Yell, blow a whistle, honk your horn. If you are wrong, so what, you've got a story to tell on yourself at dinner. If you are right you may have avoided being the subject of a more unpleasant story.

Keep in mind that your best protection is your alert attention. Look around you. Let your intuition be your guide. If a situation makes you uneasy, avoid it.

[Van Canna]

’Expect the unexpected’

Street violence, which can be directly related to the unlawful exercise of physical force, is a reality which all of us live with on a daily basis. Training to protect oneself for street confrontations is very intense and quite different from training for competitions, even the No holds barred competitions that are very popular today.

The Pavement arena is where there are no rules, where anything goes and where you can expect the unexpected.

’The most constant thing in life is change. Everything that has been mummified belongs to the past. Mummification is a blockage in the body, there is no spirit. We are all alive and need to progress and go beyond…’

The latest ‘buzz word’ in the martial arts community is REALITY BASED. It is a police term, though never widely used in the law enforcement community, which refers to Realistic Conflict Rehearsal training. The term 'reality-based' was brought to light thanks to one of the world's leading reality based instructors, Sergeant Jim Wagner. He defines reality-based as follows:

'Training and survival skills based on modern conflict situations that the practitioner is likely to encounter in their environment (their “reality”), in an accordance with the use-of-force continuum of that jurisdiction.' - Jim Wagner

According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word reality/realism/realistic can be defined as: ‘Actually existing or occurring. Practise of things in their true nature and dealing with them as they are. Based on facts rather than ideals’

In the reality-based world there are 3 main conflict stages that one is exposed to. Any violent or self defence situation can be divided into these important stages.

- Pre Conflict (before the fight)

Most situations can be avoided by ensuring one exposes oneself to pre conflict training. Pre conflict training consists of various factors such as: Threat assessment, situational awareness, hostile awareness, legal issues, verbal judo etc.


Learning how to avoid confrontations physically, mentally and socially is imperative to any reality based self defence training. Besides the physical techniques and training methods one can incorporate to achieve these results, it is just as important to expose oneself to case studies of various violent crimes to identify the pre conflict stage and methods of avoidance or minimal damage/injury.

- Conflict (the actual confrontation)

This is the part that most Self Defence and Martial Art schools focus on. The problem is that most of them are based on theory, rituals, tradition and set sequences or forms. Not one confrontation is the same as the next and trying to
memorize complex techniques for certain situations or attacks is going to get you killed or seriously injured.

The conflict stage has social and asocial violent components, which need specific attention such as gang attacks, the
way criminals fight with weapons, carjacking, robberies, muggings etc. It is also important one is able to establish the difference between social and asocial violence and the amount of force you will be using to successfully defend yourself and your loved ones.

The importance of getting the most effective results is directly related to the tools that are brought into action focusing on the most vulnerable targets that are available.

Morné Swanepoel
President JKD High Performance Street Fighting

[Van Canna]

- Post Conflict (after the fight)


These are the actions you will take after the confrontation/fight. Again there are many factors involved here which needs to be addressed in ones reality based training such as first aid training, escaping methods, citizen's arrest
methods, communication with the authorities, courtroom survival, attacker/description and incident detail etc.


Your duty as a Street Self Defence Coach/instructor is to expose your students to what is real in today's world of street violence and to ensure that their training methods and techniques is on par with what is actually happening out there today i.e. their reality.

If you are serious about self defence or personal protection then you need to include weapons to your training whether you like weapons or not. Most violent crimes involve weapons. It doesn’t matter whether you live in a ‘weapons culture’ like the USA or in a country with strict weapons control, criminals make use of weapons.

Buying illegal weapons on the black market is as prevalent as the drug trade. Don’t think for a moment that your government can keep weapons out of the wrong hands, because they can’t.

It is imperative that you always expect your attacker to be armed in an asocial street encounter, as this is the most common tool used for effective intimidation.

[Van Canna]

In the streets of today we can face up to 5 main weapon categories.

1. Projectile Weapons i.e. Firearms
This includes but it not limited to the throwing of objects i.e. being attacked by
rocks being thrown at you. Firearms are your most common projectile
weapons associated with street attacks/crime. It is imperative that one needs
to learn how to use and study some basic tactics concerning a firearm.

Part of
these tactics should include important feedback on issues such as; firearm
disarms, escaping methods, use of various firearms, gun safety, target
acquisition, weapon grip & stances, difference between competitive and
combat shooting, cover and concealment, room entry and building searches to
mention just a few.

Exposing yourself to this training will give you a better idea
of what the attacker is able to do with his weapon thus giving you a better
chance to survive.

[Van Canna]

2. Edged Weapons i.e. Knife

In all of my training and experiences, the one area of the martial arts or
realistic combat that frightens me the most is edged weapons or more
commonly the blade. It is hard to convey the ugliness of the blade as a
weapon.

Anyone, trained-untrained, man-woman, is at a significant advantage
with a blade and a great disadvantage against one. This includes but is not
limited to broken glass or bottles being used as a weapon.

One also needs to
be aware that you can be up against any sharpened objects which includes
steel, wood, plastics etc. Anything that can cause a puncture or slash wound
will fall into this category.

The blade is the most common edged weapon used
in the streets of today. It is important to understand that your attacker does
not need a $100 limited Edition designer blade to be effective or deadly.

Again
it is imperative one trains with various edged weapons to understand the
strengths and weaknesses. Part of your tactical training you should expose
yourself to the studies of various criminal edged weapon attacks as
experienced in the jails etc.

Do not think for one second that the criminal out
there is going to feed you with the perfect overextended angle of attack or
give you time to perfect your block or your disarm.

[Van Canna]

3. Impact Weapons i.e. Baton
Impact weapons are probably the most available weapon to which a person
has access to.

Man has been using impact weapons since he began throwing
rocks, as his first means of protection, and as a weapon to hunt game in his
struggle for survival.


Impact weapons become usable for everything from riot
control, prisoner control, military purposes, civilian self defence tool to a
extremely lethal close-quarter combat weapon.

The range of impact weapons
are unlimited with batons, clubs, sticks, everyday household objects to just
about anything you can lay your hands on.

The baton, club and stick are the
most common impact weapons found on the streets of today.

Two important
factors re impact weapons in contrast and comparison with edged weapons is
that firstly your attack with an impact weapon should primarily be focussed
upon the bony protrusions and nerve centres of the human anatomy, while the

edged weapon is most effective cutting, slashing and puncturing veins,
arteries, muscle, tendons and organs of the body.

Secondly it is exactly what it
says ‘impact’ which means you need to strike as hard and powerful as possible
whereas the edged weapons can be effective with far less brute force.