Say the words self defense and many persons think of a strong muscled man taking on a group of mean looking guys intent on physically destroying him.  Almost inevitably, the hero will use martial arts self defense to defeat the assailants who will scatter and run away, frightened and impressed with his martial arts prowess.  The hero may also be a fairly puny looking guy who evens out the odds with his awesome martial arts skills.
Martial arts teach self-discipline, self-esteem and confidence.   These attributes along with physical fitness are necessary for mounting an effective self defense when attacked or anticipating an attack.  Persons trained in the martial arts appreciate the importance of timing, reading an opponent and throwing effective blows.  Martial arts self defense is very popular among persons wanting to learn self defense.
There are some however, who say there are disadvantages to learning martial arts self defense.  They believe that martial arts training which uses ‘kata’ or a prescribed set of moves and techniques cannot respond effectively to real life uncontrolled situations.  In these situations ‘kata’ martial arts loses its usefulness because it is too structured and does not prepare the potential victim to respond freely to the assault.  These practitioners are therefore at a disadvantage and are unable to truly defend themselves.  They are more concerned with purity of movement rather than the results of the encounter.  This makes them very vulnerable and unable to adequately defend themselves despite being trained in martial arts.
The alternative is the free response martial arts self defense system which allows the individual to assess the situation in which they find themselves and to apply the appropriate martial arts self defense moves.  This need not be a part of a prescribed sequence of movements or ‘kata’ but rather responses to the attacker’s moves.  As a part of their training, these individuals will apply martial arts strategies which include putting the opponent off balance by striking a vulnerable area of the body.   They will then proceed to bring the attacker down and ensure control of the situation by immobilising him.
Another advantage of martial arts self defense is using the knowledge of the opponent’s pressure points in the body to gain the advantage.  Martial arts practitioners are taught the pressure points in the body and can bring enough pain and discomfort to an attacker by simple moves such as a pinch or squeeze.  This can be enough to gain the advantage over the assailant.
Whatever the form of martial arts, be it karate, jujitsu, tae-kwon-do or any other, care should be taken to ensure that they are taught realistically and involve physical contact likely to simulate that of a real life encounter.  Martial arts self defense which are not taught by rote but rather with an understanding of the techniques and how they can be applied in a real, life-threatening encounter is likeliest to be the most successful form of martial arts for self defense.   Martial arts self defense will undoubtedly remain popular among self defense practitioners.

Martial arts started with a practical application, but as they have evolved over the years, times have changed.  We no longer have a need to “use” martial arts on a daily basis, so they have become largely stylized and intended for self-improvement and physical conditioning.

But some people want to learn a “practical” martial art or one they can use for self defense.  While there is no one best self defense martial art, there are some that focus on realistic fighting and dangerous scenarios as opposed to stylized fights.

The top three best self defense martial arts are:

1. Krav maga

2. Brazilian jiu jitsu

3. Hapkido/aikido

Ultimately you will get the best training for self defense if you practice different martial arts – or “mixed martial arts” as you will hear them called.

Krav maga is actually a system which Israeli defense forces are required to train in even today.  Its focus is on realistic fights and what to do to quickly end a fight rather than sustaining violence.

Another useful application of krav maga is techniques to disarm an attacker who may be carrying a knife or gun.  Obviously you cannot just punch someone with a gun to your face so you have to know how to deal with firearms and knives in self defense.

So really the best self defense martial art is a combination of different fighting styles.  Krav maga is a great place to start and then if you choose to take other classes or watch more online videos in different martial arts styles you can do so.

When it comes to self defense most people tend to think of the Asian martial arts first. Disciplines like Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Karate, are some of the most common programs, especially in the United States. However, there are many lesser known disciplines being practiced throughout the world. Brazilian martial arts self defense programs have a long history too.

History

Brazil’s history in martial arts is long, and the forms of martial arts developed within the country are very distinct from the martial arts practiced within other systems. Capoeira, for exmaple is one martial art that originated in the country of Brazil as a form of self defense. Practitioners of Capoeira need a degree of flexibility to perform techniques such as head butts, kicks, elbow strikes and sweeps. A second type of Brazilian martial art program is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. As you might guess, this form did not originate in the country. Instead, it was adopted from the Japanese from and the Brazilians incorporated new styles and techniques.

Some people refer to Capoeira as a martial arts dance, because it contains elements of music, athletic movements, combat theories, martial arts, and dance all in one discipline. Capoeira was developed approximately four hundred years ago by the slaves. They used it as a means of self defense. After that time, the techniques were employed for use in street protection. Practice of Capoeira was illegal, and for a long time its use was hidden and practitioners used nicknames to conceal their true identity.

Capoeira as a Ritual Art

In addition to martial arts self defense, Capoeira also holds a place or ritual and tradition in Brazil. The country’s residents consider it a ritual celebration of art and freedom. Capoeira is extremely difficult to learn as it requires a variety of skills in dance, endurance, flexibility, and acrobatic fitness.

Within the category of Capoeira there are several different subtypes. One of these subtypes, and the oldest version is referred to as Capoeira Angloa. Changes to this type were made and a ranking system was instituted. Capoeira Reginoal, a modernized version helped to popularize the discipline. One of these changes included the institution of a ranking system.

As with other self defense martial arts, the completely history is not fully known, and experts disagree as to who actually started Capoeira. There are two individuals associated with its beginnings: Mestre Bimba and Mestre Pastinha. Bimba is credited as the first authorized teacher of the Brazilian martial art while Pastinha is known for opening the first Capoeira school in 1942. Both are responsible for the advancement of the form and for its eventual recognition throughout the world.

Music

The dance element of the discipline has made music an important part of the program, and Capoeira music incorporates voice and instruments that are used in a solo or choral call and response format. While Brazil’s martial arts are not as well-known in the United States, they continue to grow in popularity.

Heavy Bag training for Mixed Martial Arts, Self Defence and Fitness.

by S.Ward c/o www.themmaforums.com

The Heavy Bag is most often used suspended from a ceiling but should also be used on the ground to practice ground striking as well. It can be punched, kicked, kneed and elbowed. Used correctly it can improve the power of your striking and gives a great cardio workout as well, but if used improperly can cause injuries.

The Self-Defence benefits of Heavy Bag training

Striking the heavy bag can develop great fight related qualities but is nothing like a real combat situation. The strikes used against the heavy bag are what’s known as Gross Motor Skills meaning they are simple actions using large muscle groups and when used under an Adrenal Dump status (the bodies Fight or Flight response) will often result in a greater performance in terms of strength and endurance.

Training your striking skills can lead to an increased confidence in your ability to strike an opponent which can be beneficial to those whom may be reluctant to fight back or suffer greatly under the bodies adrenal responses.

Good strike training, against the heavy bag, pads and sparring with partner(s) builds competence and confidence and develops ‘muscle memory’ so when confronted by an assailant gives the ability for the body to strike as it does in training without the person making a concious effort to strike with these developed skills.

AnAerobic Training

Anaerobic training is training at such an intensity that the body is unable to keep up with it’s oxygen requirements and so can only be carried out for a short period of time. Carrying out this type of training on the heavy bag both leads to an increased time in being able to carry out a ‘flurry’ of strikes and also develops the important factor of a ‘determination to win’. Driving yourself to carry on with every single ounce of determination, mental stamina and ‘grit’ you can muster.

Note: This type of training is intense and should not be carried out unless you have a good foundation of conditioning and striking mechanics. Sprained wrists are a common injury sustained in this type of training.

Heavy Bag training for fitness

A good heavy bag training program improves your cardiovascular system, improves muscle strength, bone density, connective tissue strength and also burns calories and fat. By incorporating punching, elbowing, knees and kicks into your traing regime you use all the major muscle groups within the body. Arms, shoulders, abdominals, hip flexors and the leg muscles become both conditioned and also develop coordination.

Stress Management Benefits of Heavy Bag Training

The evolution of mankind has created our brain and bodies to react in a pre-programmed response to danger and is most commonly termed ‘Fight or Flight’ and causes a host of responses in the body to allow us to either run at a higher speed (flight), or fight at a higher level of intensity (fight). When confronted with danger this is a good thing, but is often mistaken as ‘fear’. Today’s modern lifestyles often cause the triggering of this pre-programmed response when it isn’t needed or wanted, being stuck in a traffic jams, arguments at home can all be triggers for the response.

Also the response causes the body to release toxins which if not used up, cause what is commonly known as ‘stress’. Physical exercise is required to flush this ‘fight or flight’ residue from our bodies before it compromises our health and immune system. Vigorous exercise, such as heavy bag training gives the exertion needed to burn off this residue and return the mind and body to a healthier state.

Take this training, turn up the music and destroy your ‘opponent’. Remove all this negative ‘energy’ from within you and turn it into anger to destroy your imaginary opponent and allow Endorphins to give you that ‘feel good’ post workout sensation.

Precautions to consider when Heavy Bag Training

Like any form of exercise if taken to extremes, heavy bag training can be counter productive and involve risks. It is designed to ‘build you up’, increase your strength, your fitness and your health.

Just as impatient weight trainers damage their joints and strain their muscles, or runners who increase their mileage too quickly can suffer shin splints, bag training is exactly the same. Make sure you execute your strikes with proper form to maximise your gains whilst reducing the risks, this will allow you to continue your training for a much longer period of time.

The two types of athletic injuries most common with physical training are ‘chronic’ and ‘acute’. Chronic injuries develop and last over an extended period. Training improperly, too intensely, or too often causes them. When your body is stressed through exercise, it must be given time to recover and rebuild itself in order to become more efficient and be ready to be trained again.

When your training too hard or not resting for sufficient time between your training sessions, you will develop overtraining injuries. It’s imperative that you realize that the bodies muscles adapt much faster than the connective tissues and that striking puts a great deal of stress on these connective tissues. Your advances in speed and power will quickly exceed the capacities of your bones, tendons, ligaments and joints. This can result in torn muscles, chronic joint pain and even result in permanent injuries.

Acute injuries like a sprained wrist or a broken bone occur suddenly. The risk of these injuries should be reduced with proper form and of course common sense. Technique comes before speed and power. There isn’t a need to smash the heavy bag as hard as you can every time you train. Concentrate on good body mechanics and allow the speed and power to develop by itself. Begin slowly and allow your speed and power to gradually increase and as always allow your body to adapt and become able to handle these stresses.

Avoiding bad practice

Often when people train on the heavy bag their proper technique goes out the window. Feet come off the ground, the body is badly aligned, they wind up their strikes like a baseball pitcher .Don’t exaggerate your movements and keep your techniques correct. Apart from the risk of injuries, your practising of these bad techniques will result in incorrect ‘muscle memory’ and so when you use your techniques against a real opponent, you will leave yourself open to counter attack.

Telegraphing of your techniques

Telegraphing means you make obvious preparations to throw a technique, cocking your fist back before throwing a punch is a good example. As the bag doesn’t fight back people often forget the importance of being able to strike your opponent without signalling your intention to do so.

Failing to defend

Because the bag doesn’t hit back people drop often their guard when practicing. Keep your hands up at all times and concentrate on not just the attacking part of a technique, that’s the easy bit, concentrate of maintaining a good defence as well. Do this with every strike you throw and slowly but surely you will do this automatically over time. Keep moving in and out of range, visualise your opponent doing the same and keep your head moving, don’t just move straight back, move side to side, up and down.

Pushing instead of hitting the bag

A common mistake when hitting the bag is to follow through too deeply and push, rather than hit the bag. A punch or kick increases in speed from start of it’s movement through until it’s fully extended. The further an arm or leg for example moves, the faster and more powerful it will be. Strike the bag at the point near full extension. Penetrate it no more than a few inches beyond the surface and generate a “popping” sound on impact. Never lock out the limbs else you will hyper extend the joint and cause problems in the joint and it’s connective tissues.

Holding your breath

People often hold their breath which is a bad habit. First it reduces your endurance by starving your body of the oxygen it needs. Secondly you increase thoracic pressure which can result in you injuring yourself. Exhale as you strike. This prevents the holding of your breath and improves your techniques power by tensing the muscles of your torso which are responsible for a great deal of the power in your strikes.

Always warm up and cool down

Warming up improves your performance and reduces the risk of injuries and post-exercise muscle soreness. Before exercising intensely work up a light sweat and engage in some basic limbering exercises to increase blood flow, your range of motion and to lubricate your joints. Jumping rope, ‘running on the spot’ and shadow boxing for 10 or 15 minutes are good ways to begin your workout. (Note: don’t do extensive stretching during the warm up. It can compromise joint stability and make you more susceptible to injury. Leave vigorous stretching until the end of your workout). steadily cooling down at the end of your workout returns your system (breathing and heart rate etc) to a resting state. Never finish an intense workout and then just stop. The cool down is a time to work on your flexibility with stretching exercises and should be thoroughly enjoyed as flexibility is important, especially in MMA when the ranges and techniques involved range a great deal.

Some ideas for creating a training regime

There are a variety of Martial Arts from which MMA fighters source their striking techniques. The most common one though is Muay Thai but MMA fighters must adapt their footwork as they need to defend from a takedown and wrestling techniques attempts made by their opponent.

Repetition based training: Learn the basic strikes, kicks, knees, elbows and punches and create combinations you want to practice. Perform sets and reps of each. For example, execute two sets of 20 lead punches, three sets of 20 roundhouse kicks, etc. Rest long enough between sets to catch your breath and move on to the next.

Time-based Training: Another excellent way to train is to work for a time limit or set number of rounds. For example, execute either random strikes or pre-determined combinations continuously for 2 to 3 minute rounds with 1-minute rest period in between.

Circuit Training: Circuit training is good if you are already in good shape, consider alternating your bag work with other exercises to form a circuit. However, don’t alternate with weight lifting exercises because the muscle fatigue will make you more susceptible to injury. For example alternate 3-5 minutes of jumping rope with 3-5 minutes of bag work. Complete as many cycles as you need to get a good workout.

AnAerobic Training: AnAerobic training should be reserved for those who have established a high level of fitness and proper striking mechanics. This training involves intense barrages of strikes for a time limit (15 to 30 seconds+) or a rep goal (20 to 30 repetitions of a combination). This training is as mental as it is physical as mentioned earlier. There are significant benefits to this “stop/start” or interval-based training. You exert yourself for a brief, intense period, recover, and then exert yourself again. This training improves your ability to recover quickly, increases the efficiency of your muscular and anaerobic energy systems and elevates your metabolism (burning body fat) for several hours post workout.

Frequency and intensity

Heavy bag training, like other forms of exercises, stresses the body. Training too intensely can surpass the body’s (joints, tendons, ligaments, muscles, nervous system) ability to recover. I recommend that heavy bag training be limited to 2 or 3 times per week. The more intensely you train, the more time off you should take between workouts. It is a good idea to alternate intense workouts with easier ones.

I hope this short introduction into Heavy Bag training gives you an idea on how to use it both correctly and safely.

by S.Ward

c/o The MMA Forums.com

Disclaimer : The author accepts no responsibility whatsoever for anything related to this article. Consult your doctor before starting any type of exercise.

Last year, the compiling group of the Chinese textbooks made a decision that some parts of a martial arts novel would be selected as one of the texts. This has sparked off a heated debate. Some say that it is a new idea to do so. The martial arts novels are a new genre of literature and should be included in the textbook. Some others are strongly against this decision. They say it will do no good to students because they will think about nothing but fighting and revenge when they read this kind of novels. In my opinion, it is not reasonable to put the martial arts novel in to the texts.

Firstly, the main theme of these novels is revenge. To all the characters, not for a minute was revenge forgotten. The purpose of their life is to seek revenge. These novels with such kind of theme do no good to the students. It will exert side effects to the health development of the student. They may follow the same ways to seek revenge when they conflict or quarrel with others in the daily life. This mentality is harmful to the establishment of the harmonious society.

Secondly, the characters do nothing but fight with each other. They needn’t make a living. Their main job is to find someone to fight with. This is opposite to the real life, which is likely to lead to the fantasy on the students’ part. This may distract the students’ attention that they should concentrate on the study and also lead to the unhealthy competition among students.

Thirdly, there are all kinds of factions in the novels. People are always belonging to a kind of faction. The students may follow this way to hook in several students to form their factions, which is harmful to the solidarity of the students.

Students who have not established their values and outlook of life will be affected by these ideas. They may imitate the characters and do some bad things. Therefore, these novels should be removed from the textbook. Of course, some good materials should be selected to instruct the students and help them to form the correct outlook of life. They can benefit from the selection for his whole life.

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The question arises is that what are the key elements of proper self-defense. Well, every person has one’s own perception and one’s own point of view but I think that basically you need to take self-defense training course, carry self-defense weapons and last but not the least you must be quite confident of your abilities.

Therefore, we can say first of all you need to acquire self-defense training. The self defense videos are an easy way to learn self defense. This is not a big issue in today’s modern world when most of the things are available at your doorstep. So you can easily find a number of self-defense training institutes where you can find different programs related to self-defense like karate, judo, kung fu and martial arts etc. All these programs are of equal importance and meant for the same purpose so it is up to you what you prefer in all.

Secondly, you must carry your self-defense weapons. The weapons are of lots of types like lethal, semi lethal and non-lethal weapons. When you have got lethal self-defense weapons then you must also get this license first. You should also keep in mind the hazards and negative points of keeping the lethal weapons. On the other hand when you are using non-lethal weapons then there is no risk in using them and you can simply use and apply them against your attacker whenever you want.

When you have got training of your self-defense program plus you are carrying the weapons for your security then your confidence level will surely raise and you may be able to tackle your predator in a better way.

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 Kendo is a Japanese style of fencing derived during the Meiji period in Japan (1868-1912), from the two-handed sword fighting techniques of the samurai. Today kendo, which means “way of the sword”, is practiced with shinai (bamboo swords), and fighters wear protective equipment covering the target areas: the head, wrists, and abdomen. The bogu (protective gear) consists of a men (face mask), a do (breastplate), kote (fencing gloves), and the tare, a kind of apron to protect the stomach and hips. Under the protective gear, kendoka (students of kendo) wear a hakama, or wide split skirt, reaching the ankles. The weapon used in Kendo is the shinai, or bamboo sword. The shinai is approximately four feet in length and is made of four carefully formed bamboo slats bound together to form hollow cylinder. A cord runs along the length of the shinai. To make a valid cut a player must strike his opponent with the side opposite the cord. In addition the point must be struck with the top third of the shinai.

 Kendo is not very well suited as self-defense – quite the contrary, it is a very aggressive martial art! There are no blocking techniques which are not counter-attacks: you must attack quicker than your opponent to defend yourself! Kendo is a full-contact martial art – unlike most other martial arts, the cuts are not just marked, but they are delivered with only a minimum of restraint. Still, injuries (other than occasional blisters on the soles of the feet) are very rare. The injury frequency is in fact equal to the one in curling.

 To avoid injuries, the kendokas use protecting armor (bogu). The different parts of the bogu are:

 Men – a fencing mask combined with shoulder flaps for protection of the head, face, throat and shoulders.
 Do – a breastplate, covering the torso and stomach.
 Kote – a pair of padded gloves for the hands and the wrists.
 Tare – an apron which is worn around the hips to protect the thighs and the groin.

 The concept of Kendo is to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the Katana. The purpose of practicing Kendo is:

 To mold the mind and body,
 To cultivate a vigorous spirit,
 And through correct and rigid training,
 To strive for Improvement in the art of Kendo;
 To hold in esteem human courtesy and honor,
 To associate with others with sincerity,
 And to forever pursue the cultivation of oneself.
 Thus will one be able to love his country and society,
 To contribue to the development of culture,
 And to promote peace and prosperity among all people.

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What is kyudo?

Kyudo is the term for the traditional practice that uses the Japanese bow as a way for selfexamination and understanding. In this practice, the relationship between physical action and the practitioner’s feelings makes this a very personal experience, not unlike a form of meditation – many popular activates, such as taichi or yoga have this holistic approach to body/mind development.

Kyudo is “The Way of the Bow” When the bow became obsolete as a weapon the spiritual aspect of archery was developed as a discipline for peace and self-cultivation.This was achieved by uniting the vigor of the warrior tradition with the dignity of the ceremonial. As a path for personal growth and development, the concept of Reisetsu – respect for the other, became the moral discipline which united these two aspects and formed the foundation for the practice of Kyudo. In meeting desire, negative thoughts, and physical difficulties the practice of Kyudo offers the individual the opportunity to meet their limitations, and to enjoy the challenge of this confrontation. One soon realizes that the problems faced are not to be found in the bow, or the immovable target, but in oneself. If this is accepted and the practice is carried out sincerely then the energy of the shooting begins to enrich one’s life. Technique cannot be considered without an understanding of spiritual energy. Neither aspect can function without the other. The acquisition of technique grows with the increase in body-mind awareness to form a harmonious working together of the bow, body and spirit.

Is it a Martial Art?

Traditional Japanese sports because of their origins are often know as martial arts. But this is often a simplistic and misleading description, and can confuse these practices with combat or fighting arts. The Japanese term for these practices is budo which means a way to remove conflict and seek harmony. Practices like kyudo are about seeking harmony and peace within the individual and contributing to a peaceful society, which is far removed from the popular image of a martial art.

Traditional practice facilities

The practice place for kyudo follows a traditional design and format, and in Japan is supplied by the local municipality, university, or school. It is known as a “kyudojo”. It has an interior shooting area with height for raising the bows (over 4 meter) and a wooden floor that allows for the performance of ceremonial shooting where some kneeling movements and a smooth walking surface is required. The target butts are housed in a special sand mount at a distance of 28 meters. The building is usually part of a sports complex.

Safety

In analyzing possible risk, it should be made clear that UK kyudo has a 30 years unblemished record of safety, performing public demonstrations both indoor and outside in public parks, and open situations, as well as the regular indoor practice groups that use sports facilities.
During indoor practice sessions, only supervised public access is allowed, and spectators must remain in the spectator area above the shooting line. To enter below the shooting line for arrow collection and for other reasons, the safety procedure must be followed, and this is supervised by the group instructor(s). The whole area below the shooting line must be closed off for entry during the session. Instruction for safety are posted and all members are made aware of the safety requirements.

Safety control Measures

The main factor in terms of safety control is the strict conditions of training that assure a very controlled release, and the inherent factors within kyudo that allow for a predictable arrow path. The shooting layout and target housing has been found historically to be the most effective in terms of safety.

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If you’re interested in self-protection and go online, you’ll see a bewildering array of self defense products to choose from. You can buy pepper spray, a wide variety of stun guns, TASERs, fighting knives, key chains and of course, instructional DVDs that show you how to apply techniques with each of these products as well as your bare hands. So which should you choose? Atlanta region self defense products firm Self Defense ATL specializes in helping consumers find the right product for their respective lifestyles. Company president David Brackman demonstrates products at gun shows and other seminar and trade venues for a wide variety of customers but he concentrates on connecting ordinary Americans with the self defense products most likely to benefit them, based on the following guidelines.

The Law: First and foremost, Mr. Brackman ensures that products conform to local laws. “If you want to avoid being victimized by criminals,” he says, “the first step is to avoid anything that might send you to jail!” Self Defense ATL keeps abreast of applicable state and federal law, and so should consumers, especially if they’re making purchases across state lines.

Practicality: Some self-defense products are known to be effective in a number of situations. Others are better suited to fantasy and wish-fulfillment, not self-defense. Examples of the latter are martial arts instructional videos that show flashy acrobatic techniques or exotic looking weapons. “A good self-defense product is designed to meet your needs as much as possible,” says Mr. Brackman, “not convince you to work even harder to make the best out of something impractical.”

Role Compared to a Firearm: “One of the big mistakes people make is to look at a given self-defense product as a straight substitute for a firearm,” says Brackman. “The truth is a little more complicated.” He points out that while buying pepper spray may provide an alternative that would not be available if you were armed with a handgun in a specific situation, you should never consider it a straight replacement. “If you exercise your right to protect yourself with lethal force, a handgun has its own role to play when you absolutely require lethal force. If not, pepper spray or a stun gun comes into play as less lethal self defense weapons.”

Fitness, Ability and Size: Pepper spray and the recently released C2 TASER gun are both useable at ranges of several feet. If you have good aim and understand how to use them, they might compensate for a deficiency in relative strength or size since you can use them on attackers before they make contact. Stun guns are close range weapons, used in situations where the attacker will be able to grab or hit you. If you have confident aim but less strength, a ranged weapon might be more appropriate. Nevertheless, you should always be prepared for the possibility of close contact with an attacker so that you retain the will to fight and prevail.

Job and Lifestyle: Self defense products include items for both security professionals and the general public. A security guard may get the most benefit from a large, reinforced flashlight stun gun. Professionals in office environments or even people trying to avoid alarm may prefer a cell phone stun gun: a product that looks like a modern mobile phone, but packs the punch of a stun gun.

The Moral Dimension: Ultimately, you choice should rest on what you are prepared to use with little to no hesitation to protect yourself or your loved ones from harm. If you can’t get motivated to use a self defense product, you’ll have a much harder time making it work. “Examine your values,” says Brackman. “Once you raise and answer questions about what you’re prepared to do, doing it becomes much easier.”

One of my favorite stories to tell is about the time my brother-in-law’s girlfriend got her black belt in karate…

She had her big flashy test…kicked the bag…sparred other girls (and a couple of guys that looked like girls!) with the foam booties and gloves on…did her kata with the appropriate “snap” in her movements…very nice.

Now, I’m not a complete jerk, so I let her have her moment. Congratulated her, hobnobbed with the karate “master”, and ate a piece of the sheet cake with little icing karate dudes on it….

That was until a couple of months later at a family graduation party when she began to tell all the girls how the type of “karate” she studies is great for fitness (ok), fun (ok), and self defense (BZZZZZ!).

I had stood what I could, but I couldn’t stands it no more…

I walked right up into the middle of the gaggling girls, singled her out and flat out asked her, “Tell me the truth…If a 225 pound man attacked and tried to rape and kill you, can you 100%, honestly say that you would know what to do? Could you save your own life?”

There was a deathly quiet pause as every single girl in the room visualized that horrible situation in their own minds. Then came the same answer I’ve heard from every single women martial artist I’ve ever met in my life who doesn’t train with us…

“Ummm…I guess not.”

Here in the United States there seems to be a government agency looking into just about every consumer industry in an effort to protect people from scammers, hucksters, and other assorted con men or corporate swindle.

Unfortunately, for women who are looking for a martial arts style that will provide them with a way to defend themselves, there is no government agency licensing or even looking into instructors or the proven effectiveness of the claims.

Therefore there is an over abundance of inexperienced, untrained, liars who claim they are teaching self-defense. These frauds will often teach a style that sounds and perhaps even looks good on the mat, but lacks any value in real combat.

Moreover, dealing with criminal rapist scum is no time for a woman to find out that her “training” was really just cardio kickboxing in disguise… So share the following information with a woman you care for.

Examining the profiles of rapists gives incite into a dangerous enemy.

The Power-assertive rapist considers himself manly and is the one most likely to commit date rapes. This type makes up 44% of rapists and will try to con a victim and gain her trust, but will have no problem using whatever level of physical force he needs to take control.

The Anger-retaliatory rapist hates women and will look to brutalize and punish them. He looks for targets of opportunity and will most likely beat you unconscious then commit rape. This animal makes up 33% of rapists and is easily enraged.

Power-reassurance rapists account for 21% of rapes and often spies on or stalks his victims since he lacks the confidence to have a normal relationship with women. In his twisted fantasy, he sees himself and the victim as lovers, and will force her to wear lingerie and kiss her while seeing the attack as lovemaking. However, using violence is not out of the question if it comes down to making a woman give in to his demands.

The Anger-excitation is the worst of the lot. A sexual sadist, this sick bastard only makes up 5% of all rapists. He has his attacks preplanned and victims can be women he knows or just spots haphazardly on the street. He derives sexual pleasure from inflicting pain and will tie up, gag and torture women for days on end. So vile is this creature that he will even film or photograph his victims so he can relive the attacks. He is the hardest to catch of the group because he usually kills his victims when he’s through.

During an attack your mind will be racing and you won’t be thinking clearing about what kind of rapist you are dealing with and what approach to take, but what all experts agree on is that a “properly trained” woman who fights back early DOUBLES their chance of escape…AGAINST ANY SIZE OR STRENGTH ATTACKER.

The Department of Justice reported that 93,934 women were forcibly raped in 2005 (They’re still calculating ’06)…These numbers are completely unacceptable as women can and should know how to defend themselves.

In Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, safety is listed right after breathing and eating. Personal protection is too important to be left to the police alone, or to depend on others for help.

Teaching and learning a martial art is ok as it has plenty of redeeming physical, cultural, social, & mental benefits. However, what people (especially women) need to understand, is that 99% of martial arts are NOT legitimate methods of self-defense.

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