Good talk on blocks

[Van Canna]

One thing that I think folks in martial arts need to get their heads around is how really capable of inflicting stopping strikes are they, if an opponent is twice as big, twice as strong, and much younger and meaner. A street opponent is not the same as a dojo opponent in some bunkai.

[Van Canna]

jorvik »

Folks think that they are ready for the bad guys, they aren't .they really really aren't...they have no conception of what these folks are like.and also they are not all the same.they may be like animals but there are all different sorts of animal.

One guy was on my wife's ward he was about 20 but looked a lot younger..and was about 5Ft 6 tall weighed about 140lbs in a wet dufflecoat
came in with a really bad back injury, was totally obusive to the nurses.........

anyway the long and the short of it was that he was a gangster and the police came to arrest him, he had a guard at his bed side
and a nurse brought him a tray of food he threw it at the window.

So the police (two burly coppers) had to restrain him.it took both of them and they were at it for a good 5 minutes...my wife reckoned a normal person would not have been able to walk with that injury let alone fight .

So I look for a real world philosophy, and real world strength ........the philosophy goes back to 9/11 ..plane load of hard working nice folks on the plane, when a gang of nutters get it on and start with the boxcutters .what do you do!!

You are going to die, whatever happens...........the only choice you have to make is how you die .I'd like to think that I would have the bravery to make the right choice, who knows ..same as on the streets.guy pulls a knife he can kill you, it's another 9/11 situation in my book.

As to technique there are a couple now, although I practice "arts" for real world you need a couple of good "stoppers"
jorvik

[Van Canna]

I have to agree. Thinking we are ready when most of us are not…gives rise to false self confidence…the biggest killer there is.

One example of this, I have talked about forever it seems, is the necessary understanding of how the ‘fight or flight’ reflex affects our performance and the type of ‘performing’ when faced with, say, a couple of punks with drawn blades or a baseball bat _ seemingly out of nowhere.

We all like to think we are ready because of our years of training in one defensive discipline or another. That’s fine…but we need to understand the physiological and mental aspects of confronting real world violence and what might be needed to survive it.

Many still don’t get the whole picture as to how your body will react.

For example_ you are leaving a food shopping mega store pushing your cart loaded with groceries and wheeling it to your car in a more isolated spot of the parking lot.

Suddenly you are confronted by two punks with drawn blades “Hey you bitch, give us all your money or we’ll stick you like a pig” _ here is your immediate ‘challenge’ to action or ‘corpse inaction’ _

You go to ‘arousal’ in a split second. Arousal refers to those physical and psychological changes (biochemical) that occur in your body to prepare you to fight [if you are capable of it] _ or flee at maximum capacity.


These effects are linked primarily to the release of adrenaline by the body to create such readiness. While some arousal is necessary for optimal performance, excessive arousal can impede effective response.

Excessive arousal can be managed by knowledge to an extent.

[Van Canna]

Arousal, you say? What is this?

Studies report two kinds of ‘arousals’ when in a serious confrontation.

1. Primary arousal

2. Secondary arousal

The Primary arousal comes from the challenge at hand and likely to promote effective action and survival.

Secondary arousal, immediately following on the coat tails of the primary, is different.

It is not challenge-focused and comes from factors that can distract _ you _ from the goals of success and survival in an encounter.

As examples, secondary arousal can come from worrying about whether you can handle the situation, whether adequate support and back-up will be present, during and after the event, whether training was sufficient, whether you have the adequate tools, strength , staying power...or what the consequences of your actions will be (sometimes called “reading tomorrow’s headlines”).

Secondary arousal can be a problem. It can be hard to control, so it interferes with performance.

It can be distracting and affect concentration. It can exaggerate the performance inhibiting effects of high stress.

At so many disparate levels of consequences, and during the training practice, whatever it might be, we need to at least visualize that increasing tension that will be part of the event for sure, and work ‘techniques’ and or proven tactics that will break the tension, ‘resetting’ stress build up _

reminding the self to continually ‘assess’ the psychological state and survival mindset that defines physical, mental/emotional/criminal/civil/financial aspects of the impending violence.

Who ever said self defense was easy?

[Van Canna]

gary6dan »

Certainly there is a "Big" difference in dojo training and "real life threatening" situations. Possibly this is where the problem exist.

For in a dojo setting, although we may "simulate" scenerio training and work "reactionary response" drills etc. the fact still remains that it is still a "safe" environment that has a mutual respect of it's partners and is supervised by an instructor (or third party) who will stop the action if it is getting dangerously out of hand.

Also, we generally know the material that is being worked on, as often it is pre-arranged, other than in free sparring or random attack drills.

So the "chemical" responses that Van often has made reference to, can not be duplicated to the extent that it is "realistic". How much 'adrenaline" will dump in an instant upon a percieved real life threatening situation ?

How will it effect us ? What will determine the response of our actions ? Fight/flight, freeze/engage ?

I tend to conclude in opinion, that we are more likely to survive situations that our actions are more "instantanious" that lack moment of thought of hesitation.

For "reactionary response" as in the hitting of one's brakes or swerving of a automobile, has "no thought" hesitation or time frame of adjusting to the "chemical dump".

Respectfully,

Gary s.

[Van Canna]

f.Channell »

Christmas Chaos

Talking to some Police friends of mine at the gym.

What to expect at Christmas time....

Increased domestic violence, perhaps in public
Drunk drivers
Huge increase in suicide
Road rage

So your driving home late from work and a speeding car is aiming right at you. Perhaps you've been chosen to assist a guy in his suicide chosen to look like an accident so his family still collects insurance....

A guy comes crashing into the company Christmas party looking for his wife who is is insanely jealous of, she's having an innocent dance with you...

I'm sure there's more

Have fun and keep both eyes open.

F.

Sans Peur Ne Obliviscaris
www.hinghamkarate.com

[Van Canna]

Christmas Chaos

f.Channell »

Talking to some Police friends of mine at the gym.

What to expect at Christmas time....

Increased domestic violence, perhaps in public
Drunk drivers
Huge increase in suicide
Road rage

So your driving home late from work and a speeding car is aiming right at you. Perhaps you've been chosen to assist a guy in his suicide chosen to look like an accident so his family still collects insurance....

A guy comes crashing into the company Christmas party looking for his wife who is insanely jealous of, she's having an innocent dance with you...

I'm sure there's more

Have fun and keep both eyes open.

F.

Sans Peur Ne Obliviscaris
http://www.hinghamkarate.com

[Van Canna]

Being listed as a suspect will cost you between $25,000 to $100,000. The police report will NOT be re-written.

•As a suspect you are arrested for homicide or attempted homicide.
•You are booked and if you want to go home, you will have to post bail.
•There is usually no bail for murder under certain circumstances.
•Other murder arrests have a $1 million dollar bail - that means that you must come up with $100K and collateral for the rest
•And the god-like attorney that descends from the clouds the next day will not be free either. Minimum defense for murder begins at $50K

Gabe Suarez

[Van Canna]

Gabe Suarez

Don't give sufficient info to qualify as a victim and you automatically become a suspect...with all the courtesies afforded a suspect.

Your attorney PREFERS YOU BEING A SUSPECT SO HE CAN MAKE FAR MORE MONEY DEFENDING YOU than solely sitting in on a secondary interview of a victim shooter.

Why that simplicity is so difficult for some to grasp explains so much about human history.

What I have done in the past, and what I teach my students is this.

At the first phone call, identify yourself as the victim. Say it, "I am the Victim".
At the initial contact with Law Enforcement give a very limited statement, focusing on the actions of the bad guys, reiterating what they did - or tried to do to you.

This is where that "gentleman" persona will pay off dividends. A Raylan Givens will be treated differently than a Dewey Crowe.

If at some point you want a "time out", and that is not a bad idea for true medical reasons as well as to simply catch your breath, collect your thoughts, and make any additional calls, it is a simple matter to ask for medical attention due to head ache, racing heart, etc.
Say something like this -

"Officer. I am glad you are here. Thank God. You saved my life from these guys"
"I am a good guy. I am the victim. I was minding my own business on my way home when those two guys attacked me."

"The one in the blue shirt had a knife. He threw it up there on the roof as he ran away down the alley. There should be some blood on it from my arm when I blocked his attempt to stab me."

"The guy on the gurney was armed with a pistol. He dropped it right there in that pile of ivy when he fell."

"It was so sudden. I was terrified. I am still terrified. I am glad you guys are here. "

There...more micro statements pointing to roles in the event, evidence that can now be recovered, and additional investigative leads to apprehend additional suspects. And then the "time out".


"Officer...I am still a little shaken up. I want to cooperate with you guys, but I have a huge headache right now and my heart beat won't slow down. Do you mind calling paramedics for me...I think I would like a doctor to check me out".

I guarantee that you will not be asked any additional questions that night.

Things are no longer in your control but you have set the investigation on the proper course, and the truth will be determined instead of being overlooked.

Gabriel Suarez

[Van Canna]

In order to have your position as a victim sealed and locked in, you need to give these guys[police] what they want, as much as is in your control. How do you do that?

By telling your side of the event, from your position. What you saw, why it alerted you and caused your reaction, and this last is important, why you couldn't have done anything else. All of these are illustrated in the flowchart we posted earlier.


•You were there on good faith minding your own business.
•The bad guy presented as a bad guy intent on doing harm to you or others.
•It was clear from what you saw and heard that what was going on was to cost lives if something wasn't done.
•Being a man, a father, a person for good, you could not morally run away and leave innocents to their fate...or it was not tactically possible to do so.
•Your only option was to shoot the bad guy.

Suarez

Same as if you used empty hands to strike instead of shooting.

[Van Canna]

The role of the victim - Victims give a statement, an additional follow up statement, and are likely released to go home and sleep in their own bed. Costs? Minimal... Not a bad idea to have a lawyer go with your for a secondary interview.

Suarez

[Van Canna]

A great article from Gabe's forum on how we sense danger.


https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/science ... 2020190204

[Van Canna]

It is that time of the year.

MENTAL CASES-

In any major urban area, street contacts with mentally or emotionally disturbed persons are practically unavoidable.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, one of every three Americans will suffer some form of serious mental or emotional illness at some point in his life.

The most common group of mentally disturbed persons you will encounter is the “street person”, typically a homeless drifter, or “bum”, usually shabbily dressed, unkempt, bearded, and dirty.

A lot of people will try to tell you that these people are helpless, harmless victims of the failed mental health care system. This is not typically true.

It is now extremely difficult in this country to involuntarily commit someone for a mental illness, even a serious one.

Even disturbed persons who kill are typically stabilized with medication and released back into the public, with the frail hope that they will continue to faithfully take their medication without supervision.

Most mentally ill street people have been placed in care homes or mental institutions at some point, but since they cannot be held there against their will, they left and went back on the street.

In my experience, many of these persons prefer uncertain life on the street to the structured and confining life in an institution. Of course, once on the street and broke, they have no access to medications, and no one to evaluate their progress or deterioration.

In my area, for instance, I used to patrol a residential area, which was a short distance from the main concentration of hospitals, including mental health facilities. We would arrest these "disturbed persons” for theft, burglary, or assault so many times we knew them all by name.

Some were not violent, some were. In court, the judges recognized them as persistent offenders, but understood that they were seriously mentally ill, so were reluctant to put them in jail.

In jail, true criminals victimized these typically poorly physically conditioned people horribly.

The judges were powerless to commit these individuals to mental institutions for any length of time, as the admitting psychiatrists would judge them not to be “an imminent threat to their own safety or that of others”. Back on the street they went in 24 hours.

[Van Canna]

One night one of these “repeat customers” of ours, a fifty-ish female of slight build, knocked a man down, sat astride his chest, and cut his heart out with a steak knife. Sometimes three of four of us would have to “pile up” on one of these offenders to get him into custody without having to kill him. Harmless? Hardly.


A large percentage of these street people are armed, with usually crude weapons such as knives, screwdrivers, straight razors, or improvised weapons. They are often very territorial about “their home”, which may be a cozy spot behind your office’s dumpster.

They also tend to be very touchy about personal space, and inadvertently getting too close to one may be interpreted as the worst sort of aggressive attack against him, resulting in a furious assault against the “intruder” (you!).


Aside from the obvious “bum” be on the lookout for behavior such as a shuffling, uncoordinated gait; a vacant, “thousand-yard stare”; incoherent mumbling; talking to himself or unseen associates; and other bizarre behavior.

[Van Canna]

With anyone you suspect to be mentally disturbed, try these tips to avoid or de-escalate a contact:


1. Remember his personal space, and don’t invade it.

2. Do not try to touch him, unless you are prepared to fight him.

3. Do not make sudden, rapid, or startling movements.

4. Speak quietly and slowly. Do not shout.

5. Try to increase distance, and get an obstacle (parked car, fence, etc.) between you, as if he is armed it is probably with an edged weapon.