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ASSAULTED IN YOUR HOME—NOW WHAT?
This
question came to me after seeing some news stories relating to this.
When some people are confronted with a burglar in their home the victim
sometimes says they were tied up and put in a closet or something of
that sort while the person or persons robbed the house. So this
generated a question in my head. If you were being robbed in your own
home and the burglar said he'd tie you up and wouldn't hurt you, should
you go along with this? Yes, I know common sense says not to, I mean
here's a stranger wanting to tie you up. And another thing is, if
you're tied you cannot defend yourself if they suddenly change their
minds. But sometimes the residents of the house just get tied up, put
in a closet, and that's it, the robbers leave after they have what they
came for. And what if by refusing to be tied triggers something in
the burglar and they get angry and use their weapon on you. But I
guess this question has a common sense answer and by me going into this
I'll probably end up answering my own question here. I'm guessing
even though the burglar doesn't intend to harm you you really can't
take that chance, so if you're confront with someone in your home you
gotta dish out the goods and stop him/them. But would this go against
being a pacifist warrior on some level? Meaning, you might bring
violence into a situation that might not have been violent. But my
guess is you should never submit to some one who plans to tie you up
and rob you. And I was curious if there are any "signals" or "give
aways" that might let you know if the person really doesn't mean to
harm you or if they're just tricking you. Thank you for your time and
I hope my questions made sense. Have a great day.
Generally
you have to have something that a burglar wants. If he is in your home
he is now a robber. In NYS a burglar who enters a dwelling at night
with people has crossed a serious line and is now simply by just
entering commiting a major felony. Most people who will enter an
occupied dwelling mean business and have a plan for the occupants. If
it is a home invasion then all bets are off. You and members of your
family are at high risk for death, usually after some form of torture.
If the bad guys are only after your treasure and only want to secure
you and family members while taking what they came for and you are able
to actually read their minds concerning not harming anyone then good
luck. I can't read minds and usually what a bad guy says he is not
going to do is just exactly what he will do. If you have to fight after
someone with a weapon and friends have entered your home you will need
a miracle to win. If you have family members present you will need a
biblical miracle to save you. The answer is not can you read a certain
sign whether or not you will be harmed after being tied up. The answer
is prevention. A good alarm system and a dedicated dog go far in your
favor for a home invasion. If you have access to firearms and really
know how to use them under extreme conditions that would help. Even in
the case of homes with alarms some home invaders have ignored them
and just kicked in the front and or back doors to enter and had the
home owner turn off the alarm or give the code word to the alarm
company at the threat of death. Treasure comes in many forms. It could
be that you have money that someone knows about. Daughters who some
psychos would like to know better. I have doors and windows which are
difficult to break and a tiny poodle which has ears like a bat and will
always give warning of anyone near my home. My tiny poodle will not
only alarm me but my big bad pit bull. I have no treasure but my well
armed girl friend. Are you gettin the picture? If somone got into my
place and wanted to tie me up I would resist as much as possible. I
don't have children to worry about. If you do then you should make a
burglar extremely unwelcome. Good luck, John Perkins
Bad Bruce Lee advice! GTX
I
think people who get into attackproof read a Bruce Lee book somewhere
that said "no way as way" and decided they never had to practice kata
(probably their too lazy anyway). Kata practice makes you able to
handle all different attacks if its done right. Thats why you'll never
see an attackproof school in your neighborhood.
05/15/03 at 09:22:46
Re: Bad Bruce Lee advice! Anonymous
I
am very intrigued by what you have to say. You should stop by one of
the ATTACKPROOF classes and show everyone just how kata practice helps
enhance one's abilities in defending against various attacks.
05/15/03 at 15:32:32
Re: Bad Bruce Lee advice! GTX
I've
seen what attackproof looks like, its slow and soft like tai chi which
doesn't work either. power is always better. I've worked out with tai
chi people and their defense is like cotton candy. Their punches also.
05/15/03 at 16:47:46
Re: Bad Bruce Lee advice! Humble Student
Just
because attack proof class "fights" are slow and appear soft does not
mean it is ineffective. We look soft because we stay soft to avoid
injury when someone is trying really hard to hurt us. Our punches &
kicks are not soft however, they are just slow, so not to hurt our
training partner. We go slow to learn what works and the correct way to
hit without hurting our training partner. As one progresses, one can go
faster. If you go faster before your ready, you get hurt because you
will not have learned to stay soft and avoid the attacks.
Attackproof
doesn't have katas. We do have drills. (balance, looseness, multi-angle
hitting, etc.) Some do the drills out of class, others don't. I am sure
that is true everywhere. If katas are so great, why doesn't Drivers
Education use it? Because, your reactions to ever changing situations
is more reliable than a rigid do this then do that system. No one ever
told me someone would stop in the middle of the highway, while everyone
else is doing 60+. No kata for that. I just had to use my wits. Oh, and
using only the breaks is not the answer.
05/15/03 at 18:17:35
Re: Bad Bruce Lee advice! GTX
Yeah,
but you can't be soft when you're going full speed! How can you block a
full speed punch in the face soft! You have to block it hard or become
hamburger.
05/15/03 at 20:54:19
Re: Bad Bruce Lee advice! Hudson
"You have to block it hard or become hamburger."
I'm
surprised you can't think of any other way to avoid becoming hamburger
- like maybe moving and/or counterattacking ? Also, it doesn't seem
like a block needs to be that strong if it is done right.
05/15/03 at 22:24:13
Re: Bad Bruce Lee advice! Ted Stal
I
have seen the Attack Proof guys working out in a park in Rockland
county last year. Apparently you have misinterpreted what you saw.
These guys practice slow but will punch you across a room or slam you
to the ground. I work out with personal professional fighting students
of the Gracies and found the strikes from the Attack Proof people to be
devastating. It may serve you well to drop by one of their classes and
try it for yourself. One of my Police buddies did and thought it was a
real eye opener. Good luck
05/16/03 at 01:12:29
Re: Bad Bruce Lee advice! GTX
Practice
slow and you fight slow. Block soft and you'll be soft. Real fights are
full speed, full power. If you have no techniques or kata you can only
fight sloppy with weak strikes that hit nothing. What are you gonna
do-make stuff up? Sorry, but that's how you have to train to be real.
05/16/03 at 07:57:12
Re: Bad Bruce Lee advice! Major Al
First
of all I want to thank GTX for writing and starting off this forum with
a lively topic, we don't want this thing to become a form of mutual
admiration society, nobody learns anything that way. With that said I
think one of the things we need to understand with regard to “kata” is
that while its intention is well meaning, it is woefully inadequate for
“real fighting.” This is because kata and any other type of forms
within the martial arts are based upon a reality that does not exist in
real fighting! [This is what Bruce Lee discovered the hard way.]
Mind
you I'm not in total agreement with many things that Bruce Lee said
because I believe he had some wrong ideas about some things, but my
fighting experience and that of many high level black belt students,
military and law enforcement personnel that I've instructed has taught
me that this philosophy of "no way as the way" is true.
Like
I stated before, while I understand the intent of kata, kata assumes
you know what the attacker is going to do before hand, or that the
fight is going to go down the way you want it to, heck if you knew
that, there would be no fight. You would just crack the attacker across
the neck before he could get his stuff off in the first place.
I
agree with his assessment of Tai Chi, however Tai Chi fails in fights
not because the principles are wrong, but because they believe that
their “forms” along with their so-called mystical chi powers will work
during the utter chaos and mayhem of a real fight. This is the same
classical mistake being made in dojo's all over the country, and so it
fails for the same reasons I've mentioned above.
As for
blocking with hard strikes the only thing I can say is that anyone who
relies on hard strikes to block obviously has never had to deal with
some of the psycho street killers that I know. That may work in the
dojo, but not against street hardened thugs high on drugs and hell bent
on your destruction. When you learn to block solely with hard blocking
techniques, you're assuming that you're going to be stronger than any
would be attacker. My question is, are you willing to bet your life on
that assumption?
As for being “soft” while moving full
speed, a better word would be “relaxed.” When a sprinter sprints his
body is relaxed, if it is not there is no way he can achieve max
acceleration, even Boxers when they Box they are relaxed. It's very
simple the more relaxed you are the more responsive your muscles are
and the faster you can move. When you're able to move faster along with
greater muscle control you are able to strike with greater penetrating
or killing force.
Here's the deal if you're into doing
katas, I say more power to you, it's definitely a good workout, but
just like doing knuckle push-ups they have absolutely nothing to do
with real fighting.
05/16/03 at 12:42:31
Re: Bad Bruce Lee advice! Theo
Hallo
everybody! Congratulations for the new website and for the forum! I
cannot think of a better way to help anybody who is interested in
self-defence and Attack Proof specially to learn.
I
started my research for a self-defence system after a street attack I
experienced one and a half year ago. I consider Attack Proof the best
thing that has happened to me during that research. I have watched a
lot of instructional tapes and read many books and I believe that the
Attack Proof book and videos and John Perkins' Ki Chuan Do are the
closest and best ways to train for the "real thing".
However,
I think that katas have their value in training. They teach you balance
and they put into muscle memory certain moves like blocks and strikes
and as Major Al said, it can be a good workout. Of course, in Attack
Proof there are many drills to help you develop balance as well as
sensitivity, body unity and looseness. I think any Martial Artist or
self defence practitioner would benefit a lot from these drills without
having to abandon his traditional training.
This, of
course, is my humble opinion. I have had very little martial arts
training in the past and no training in Attack Proof yet, but I am
planning to do a lot of the later as soon as I recover from a broken
leg (street attack, broken leg, what a year, eh?)
Thank you. Train hard and stay safe!
05/17/03 at 05:48:07
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fighting for real Henry Taylor
I
have read ATTACK PROOF and found it to be the most insightful book on
actual close combat around. Only if you are about to fight a slow drunk
or someone much weaker will fancy high kicks and magic punches from a
memorized kata work. In the real world of able bodied attackers speed
and surprise is the norm. Thanks for the book. And, by the way I looked
up the class schedule on the web site and there are 4 established
Attack Proof schools in the the New York area.
05/16/03 at 00:57:24
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Aggression Ladder Tony LoCasto
Recently
I read an article published by a major martial art magazine about the
different levels of aggression that you may encounter and how you
should respond. They used a ladder to illustrate the aggression levels.
To make things simple lets use three levels,
First level strong language.
Second level, invading your personal space. (Push or a poke)
Third level, the opponent has engaged you in a physical combat. No doubt that he or she means you physical harm.
My
question to you is should it be our responsibility to evaluate another
person's intensions when we feel threatened? Things escalate fast!
05/17/03 at 18:07:03
Re: Aggression Ladder
Hi Tony, I wouldn't -- I think this is what you were getting at too. My aggression level ladder might have two and a half rungs.
1. Loud aggressive threatening language -- I should probably be aware that this might be a threat.
1
1/2. Anything that even remotely looks like a push or poke that I have
the luck to be able to see, I would most probably attack them right
then.
2. They have touched me in any unwelcomed manner
that could possably have caused me harm - they will be attacked by me.
However if they are armed or if I feel that I would be defeated for
another reason, escape would be a good tactic to follow.
05/19/03 at 02:29:11
Re: Aggression Ladder Matt Kovsky
My
ladder would have only one rung. If ANYTHING appears threatening, I'm
out of there. You never know who you're dealing with. I was verbally
and physically assaulted once out of nowhere by a punk half my size for
no reason. I was about to crack his head open when a friend of mine
interceded who knew the kid's brother and cooled him out. I said to my
friend "what did you do that for?", and he told me that he heard that
the punk had just acquired a pistol and was showing it off to other
people saying he couldn't wait to try it out on someone.
Now
if I had no place to run or had someone to defend and they're verbally
abusive to the point where i fear for my physical (not my vanity's)
safety within my PCZ (personal comfort zone or as far as you can
reach), I attack the attacker and that's it.
05/19/03 at 09:21:03
Re: Aggression Ladder Andre' Winter
My
opinion is to sense a knowing when not to be somewhere , to not be near
the ladder to climb . Of course we also know that this may not always
be the case but something to keep in mind. Lets say we are in a a bar ,
we know the guy has a gun , befriend him, buy him a drink, excuse
yourself to the bathroom, and leave the joint. "Gifts" with a healthy
dose of humility go a long way in the Art of War .
05/19/03 at 22:03:47
Re: Aggression Ladder Major Al
Regarding
the aggression ladder I saw this same article in “Black Belt” magazine.
The only thing I can say is that while it is logical to have some form
of “Aggression Ladder” in your mind, real world situations have too
much ambiguity and there are too many steps in this concept for the
brain to process in the split second you have to be reactive and move
like the wind. The point is you just don't know what's in another
person's head. The guy who seems nice to you may turn out to be a
serial murder and rapist ala “John Wayne Gacie” or “Ted Bundy.”
We
teach a similar concept known as the “Sphere of Influence.” The first
level is your awareness, which should always be up but not heightened
to a level where you become paranoid. Awareness is based upon your
intuition and your visual and perceptual skills, in other words if you
think something is wrong, it probably is. The next level or layer is
the actual sphere, which extends from the center of your body to the
striking limit of your hands and feet. I say striking limit because the
extension you have for striking is slightly less that the maximum
extension of your limbs, this ensures you are always able to strike
with power.
But here's the big difference in our
concept, if someone “suddenly enters” your sphere or causes you to feel
threatened under any circumstances, you are free to take their head
off. While this sounds crude it's the only logical response given the
often ambiguous and suddenness of the type of situation people find
themselves in when face with an attacker hell bent on their destruction.
05/22/03 at 14:23:22
Re: Aggression Ladder wmpm
Hello all -'specially the NYC 14th street crew. I'm Suffering from a bit of insommnia and I thought I'd check out the site.
Regarding
the aggression ladder, I feel that potential danger should never be
thought of in "levels". The situation's either harmless, potentially
spotty, or barrelling strait down at you. There are guys out there who
are REALLY good at the sucker punch thing, but even then it is still
very possible to get that "spider sense" from them and know enough to
walk away or be ready when the sucker punch does indeed come. I realize
how debatable this is, but I KNOW from experience that Ki Chuan Do's
sensitivity training upgrades the natural ability to tell me which to
choose; fight or flight.
To touch off on what Andre said, a good
bit of humor in a bad situation can go a helluva long way. If your
relaxed enough to crack a stupid joke, your relaxed enough to bounce a
nice palm to the chin. You can literally win a mental battle simply by
being calm, respectful, and apparently ready for the "bad guy". He'll
walk off, either quietly or muttering, either truly scared at the
disturbing display of confidence, or simply feeling your not worth the
trouble. Best of all, this can be perceived by you, and if your walking
home with that special lady, you've just increased your chances of
getting lucky fella!
And if he doesn't walk away...well, like I said, you'll be relaxed enough for that nice palm strike to the chin.
06/02/03 at 04:07:22
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Some thoughts from Sun Tzu Tony LoCasto
Sun
Tzu was the Chinese tactician and military adviser to the Chou
emperors, 500 B.C. I believe his words still apply to today's modern
martial arts.
All warfare is based on deception. When
able to attack, we must seem unable: when using our forces, we must
seem inactive; when we are near, we must have the enemy believe we are
far away; when far away we must make him believe we are near. Hold out
the bait; entice the enemy. Feign disorder and crush him. Sun Tzu
I am interested in how you intrepid of Sun Tzu's words and do you still believe his words ring true today?
05/19/03 at 22:51:07
Re: Some thoughts from Sun Tzu Major Al
Sun
Tzu, from a philosophical standpoint was a genius when it came to
understanding the true nature of warfare and his timeless concepts are
every bit as applicable today as they were over 2,000 years ago. His
writings are required reading at every Field Grade Officer and General
Staff level military school around the world. Combat is fluid, ever
changing and dynamic not rigid or static, it is chaotic and full of
surprises which requires that nothing be taken for granted of left to
chance, something Sun Tzu clearly understood. Unfortunately to many
people both in the military and the martial arts have forgotten his
sage advice and teachings and have opted to listen to the pied pipers
of folly and destruction. The best versions of this ancient translation
is “The Art of War,” by Sun Tzu, Ralph D. Sawyer and “The Art of War,”
by Samuel B. Griffith.
05/22/03 at 14:49:20
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Sport Specific Strength Training ed
I've
lifted weights for some time now but since begining my training with Ki
Chuan Do have found my body tight and fighting itself. I was much more
flexible when I just played b-ball. I was thinking of purchasing one of
those "total gym 1000's" that you see Chuck Norris pushing in those
infomercials. It seems to yield supple "useful" muscle strength over a
greater range of motion. I know that it uses the same principals as
"Pilates" which is proven to work. I've seen them on Ebay for a song.
Is there anyone who has used one or can give me some input as what to
do to increase my strength, flexibility and range of motion. I love
lifting but need something that doesn't bind me up. ed
05/21/03 at 16:04:52
Re: Sport Specific Strength Training John Perkins
I
have used the total gym myself and have found it to be a good adjunct
to most physical training. If you use weight training it may slow you
up temporarily while learning KCD but if you stretch well before and
after weight training you should be fine. Remember although we do not
rely on strength there may come a time when you may not have any other
opening and sometimes a good powerful push can help. I do recommend,
however, that if you are interested in developing maximum fighting
strength that you use the dynamic contraction methods that I teach.
That is the method I use for increasing ligament and tendon strength
and why I can manipulate many of the weight lifters at the gym a few of
which bench 500 pounds. If you need more info contact me at
attack@attackproof.com Good luck, JP
05/22/03 at 07:42:09
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Questions and answers about KCD solo drills... Matt Kovsky
Hi Matt,
Been trying out some of the drills in AP last one week. I have tried
Anywhere Striking, Hula, Turning, Solo Contact Flow, Swimming, Body Writing, Polishing the Sphere and Washing the Body.
Here are some of questions:
1. Sometimes my hands get "entangled" when I strike too fast when
practicing Anywhere Strikes. Is this normal?
I
assume you're doing the advanced Anywhere drill with multi-strikes. I
haven't heard of entanglement being a problem before, but here's how to
prevent it. As emphasized in Tai chi, you want to clearly separate the
Yin from the Yang. In English, separate your upward from downward
strikes, your lefts from your rights, strikes moving inwards and
strikes moving outwards, etc. Keep transferring your weight from leg to
leg as you strike, like a tennis player changing from a backhand to a
forehand shot, or a right handed batter suddenly switch-hitting to
lefty and back again. Also, develop your sensitivity (read the
sensitivity and contact flow chapters) so that you pocket and yield
your body and limbs out of the way of each other as your arms snake
around so they don't entangle.
2. Is Turning drill similar to Psycho Chimp drill? Same objectives, right?
Turning
drill is just a very simplified exercise to get you to transfer your
weight completely from leg to leg as your upper body and arms loosely
turn and swing from the momentum. The Psycho-chimp requires (as in
entanglement question above) Sensitivity so you don't hit yourself at
high speed while you maintain weight transfer and looseness at high
speed like a mongoose.
3. How come my legs get so tired after practicing Body Writing, Polishing
the Sphere and Washing the Body? It's as if I have run a marathon race.
As
we intended, you are using important balance and stabilization muscles
that are vital for fighting but are rarely if ever trained properly.
The fatigue is a good thing.
> If i have to keep my hands "loose" then I must use my hips & legs or lower
> body, right? Am I moving too fast?
Hard
to know how fast you're moving; just remember that all power comes from
the legs and your connection to the ground and weight transfers. Think
of your legs as being the handle of a whip: the motion becomes
amplified and accelerated as the power wave flows to the the tip of the
whip (your hands). This is where the power of your strikes come from
(read Dropping chapter).
> 4. How long do you recommend I practice all these drills daily, bearing in
> mind I have very limited time or sometimes too tired from work.
Frequency is very important, but you only have to do each exercise for less than 5 minutes each.
More than that can damage tendons.
> 5. Will I see any positive effects on my next Karate sparring?
Because
most karate sparring is sportive and has definite rules of engagement,
it doesn't allow true "play" (like when you were a little kid
play-fighting and wrestling with friends) so it is questionable how
many attributes can be brought to bear. Karate in general lacks true
infighting development, where most real combat takes place. Any good
wrestler will demolish most blackbelts: they'll take a shot and then
crush you and pop your arms out of their sockets (As Gene Labelle did
to Bruce Lee). You need to find like-minded and trustworthy training
partners where anything goes (other than ripping out throats and
drawing blood!) so you can freely apply all Ki Chuan Do principles.
> 6. What is a balance board? Where can I buy one?
Save
your money! Go to a Home Depot and get a 4 foot long 2x4. Roll up some
newspaper into 2 balls and duct tape them to both ends of one side of a
board. All you're trying to do is make an unstable surface to stand on,
like a Canadian logroller. The bigger the wads of paper, the more
unstable the board is when your try to balance on it.
Great questions and good luck with your training!
06/08/03 at 08:53:49
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The Pre-emptive strike John Perkins
There
are many out there who have learned serious CQB (close quarters battle)
techniques. Along with the proper physical training you must learn the
right mind set for fighting. I have over the years come across many
instructors classes, videos, books etc. which deal with the pre-emptive
strike. This a Military concept which has been used for centuries.
Basically it is the method used by the German army in WW2. You attack
before the enemy does. In a street confrontation you would apply this
concept a bit differently. If you read any of Prof. Bradley J.
Steiner's works you will come across his ATTACK the ATTACKER concept.
Basically, if you are approached by someone who you perceive is about
to harm you and you have no other choice you get off your stuff
immediately. There is no time to block an attack so If you are mentally
prepared you will explode instantly into your opponent with well aimed
strikes to the most accessible and vulnerable parts of his anatomy
giving him no time to react to you. You have actually taken the
initiative and caused him to have to play catch up. There are
circulating letters about mysterious fighting ability which uses all
sorts of terminology designed to sell you seminars and tapes using this
concept. They fail to tell you many of the complications which could
cause you to get killed in the wrong circumstances. Many of these
writer/teachers have served in the military so it would lend undue
credence to their pontifications. Remember most military members
including many spec. ops. never had a chance to fight hand to hand. If
they did it would usually be considered a failure on their part to use
the many weapons and options at hand. You must look into the background
of the person teaching and make a critical assesment about them based
on what they can actually can do. Read KILL OR GET KILLED or go to the
contacts page and contact Prof. Steiner. You could also read
ATTACKPROOF or attend the upcomming seminar which will be given by
Major Ridenhour in New Jersey (SEE EVENTS PAGE) this month. Don't be
fooled by people disguising the pre-emptive strike methods as some
secret scientific cool stuff. They could call it anything like focal
point fighting, scientific sucker punches, whack em first. Most of
these guys pander to the wannabes of the world. Yes you can learn some
deadly techniques from some very qualified teachers. These will be
taught in the best light that they can show it through to MAKE it work.
Remember the Guided Chaos principles are used to work against even the
attacks from the military CQB trained men. If you need proof as a
student or an instructor of CQB or any martial art contact me at one or
my classes or make an appointment to see me in person. You can reach me
at attack@attackproof.com. I can also give you the contact info. for
some real tried and true super fighting CQB instructors who have not
trained with me and are virtual buzz saws. Good luck, John Perkins
06/13/03 at 07:55:08
Re: The Pre-emptive strike Inquiring Mind
I
am interested in learning some style of martial arts. I took Kenpo for
a little over a year when I was younger but did not feel like I was
benefiting. I am presently trying to find a school to attend. I do not
live in NY and it doesn't look like you have any schools outside of NY.
My question is what is a good way to choose a school and/or Instructor.
What are some of the questions I should be asking them and how do I
know if they are being honest? I see a lot of instructors say the same
thing about their style that they teach realistic self defense
techniques but no instructor would be honest or should I say stupid
enough to say that their style is useless in an actual street brawl. If
you have some experience in the martial arts then you can wade through
most b_ _ _ s_ _ _ _ but if not you may not know what to actually look
for in an instructor.
I would appreciate any suggestions that you may have.
06/13/03 at 15:09:08
Re: The Pre-emptive strike John Perkins
To
answer the question of Mr./Ms. Inquiring mind. I will go out on a limb
here and offer anyone who wants to know if a particular instructor is a
serious and qualified fighting instructor this: If you can send me a
name and contact information of a teacher I will personally try to
interview them to see what their philosophy is about real combat and
get some direct information on their background. If you are a beginner
or long time practitioner of martial arts you may not be able to
discern what it takes to be a true combat master. I could post some
guidelines but after years of experience I have found that it is too
easy to fake people out. Some of the most gullible are the martial
artists who have spent years under the hypnosis of some "masters".
Thank you, John Perkins
06/14/03 at 07:21:02
Re: The Pre-emptive strike
I'll
second John's response to Inquiring Mind. I have seen countless books
and websites that sound great -- at times just like us in fact -- and
then worked out with the very people touting they can do the stuff that
works. Almost all of them can't. Good luck in your search and with
Master Perkins helping you find a teacher you may get lucky.
06/17/03 at 18:15:17
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KICK BUT AMERICA ! John Perkins
Recently,
I was having a discussion with one of my professional shoot fighters.
He has fought dozens of UFC style fights and has won most by knockout.
He looked over our website and said that it was too intelectual and
lacked PUNCH. He stated that we should emphasize the fact that I and
some of our instructors have real world experience. He stated that
myself having been in over 100 bloodbaths should be emphasized. He
stated that we should be vigorously knocking on the doors of our
military and police to teach them the CQB methodology of KCD. He stated
that America is laughed at by other countries as far as hand to hand
combat is concerned. They see us as weak. Question: Should Attack Proof
Inc. go out there and give a psychological body slam to our people.
Wake them up to the fact that the U.S.A. does not have the best
fightining for close combat and that we should go out there and educate
our people about the most devastating fightind system on earth? Should
we uncover the bullcrap out there that poses as real fighting? Give me
some feedback folks. Thanks, a once patient master
06/14/03 at 06:54:45
Re: KICK BUT AMERICA ! Dave Bell
You know me, John: I'd fully support such an endeavour, especially regarding training military and law-enforcement personnel.
But
to be honest, I don't think the majority of the American public cares
for self-defense, close-combat, etc. We are a complacent society,
driven, it seems nowadays, by fast food, the Internet, and easy living,
but I'd assume it's this way for most industrialized/non-third world
countries (France, Germany, England, etc). It takes big wakeup calls to
really make people realize and understand that someday, it's their very
lives that may be at stake, or the lives of loved ones. And the image
of the American people as weak is further driven along by the rising
unathletic/obesity rate in the USA, now spreading rapidly amongst
children in their early years, in my honest opinion.
Dave.
06/14/03 at 11:50:12
Re: KICK BUT AMERICA ! Dave Bell
I
guess my main point boils down to this quote by George Orwell: "People
sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand
ready to do violence on their behalf."
06/14/03 at 11:52:17
Re: KICK BUT AMERICA ! Major Al
Man
I've got to get back in the loop here. Anyway, I can fully attest to
what John's friend said that most of the rest of the world find us
“soft” and weak especially with regard to self-defense training and
fighting.
While we kid ourselves with “Bull jitsu” and
other forms of fantasy fighting, our allies as well as our enemies are
laughing at us. Yes laughing! Our obsession with cool looking
techniques and all this high speed gear that serves as more of a
hindrance to our mobility than protects us, has become the stuff of
much late night camp fire satire amongst our allies and enemies alike.
I
had the opportunity to see the al Qaeda training manual and I can tell
you that there is absolutely no BS in their training. Their training is
well thought out, well organized and highly effective. There are no
corny techniques and impossible wristlocks or throws. Everything they
teach is an assassination technique and all of their strikes focus on
the neck and above, in other words all they do is headhunt. The irony
is, is that it all comes from stuff found in many of the older military
fighting manuals that use to be the standard within the US armed
forces. There is nothing original about anything they do. The
difference is they know what's real and what's crap and don't waste
their time with the crap.
As for building up the art
one of the reasons why I personally believe it is difficult for us to
attract more students, (besides properly marketing the art) is that
this stuff “really scares” people. This art truly cuts to the core of
who people are, because you can't fake it, and all of your trophies,
certificates and sashes mean nothing if you can't deliver the goods.
When
I was recalled to active duty I ran numerous training courses and
seminars for free for any Marine, Sailor or Soldier who wanted to
train. While these classes began to become popular I would have to say
that for every student I had there were at least two to three others
who had tried it out, recognized its value, but decided not to continue
training for various reasons.
I would have guys come up
to me all of the time, mostly officers, expressing the desire to get
involved in some form of training with me, but they always seemed to
have an excuse for not doing so. Much of this had to do with their egos
especially amongst the officers.
These officers just
couldn't accept that many of the Sergeants and Corporals who had
trained with me in the principles of Ki Chuan Do, if they so desired
could seriously ruin their day. So instead of humbling themselves so
that they could learn something that was real and that could possibly
save their lives, they chose to place their heads in the sand. It's sad
but true…
I also agree that we need to develop a more
aggressive marketing strategy, which emphasizes the combative aspects
of the art. It's simple, those who want the real thing will come once
they know it's out their and available for the taking, those who do not
will continue to kid themselves by placing their heads in the sand.
As
for changing the content of the website I agree with Mike that you can
have a balance with the intellectual side as well as the combative
side, however, we must do so while emphasizing the combative nature of
the art of Ki Chuan Do.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
GUNPLAY John Perkins
I
am not sure that most of my students know that one of my most developed
area of skill is in the use of firearms, particularly handguns. Some of
my work has been published in various shooting magazines. I state this
as a set up for this question/statement. For many years I have taught
hundreds of people how to shoot. Most do very well once the handgun is
in hand. The big problem lies in the fact that most shooters don't know
how to get to their sidearm during a sudden attack. This has been
proven to them countless times. Many handgun carriers state to me that
they sill "read" a situation beforehand and have their stuff ready. ARE
SHOOTERS ABLE TO PERCEIVE THE FUTURE? I know that they mean that they
will spot trouble before it starts. This I hope is true. Even after I
prove to them that they will be at the mercy of the serious attacker
some will ignore what I show them. Can anyone out there shed some light
on this subject of ignoring the obvious? All help would be appreciated.
Maybe my head is in the clouds. Thanx the semi-humble one
06/16/03 at 05:54:07
Re: GUNPLAY Kevin
Since
I have been training with you I have come to truly realize and
appreciate some of my strong points, weak points, and limitations. By
accepting those facts it allows me to strive to improve in all of those
areas. Especially my limitations (i.e physical). As the old saying goes
"you can bring a horse to water but you can't make him/her (politically
correct) drink it.
So I say to you John that "to thy
own self be true". You have a gift that you have generously decided to
share with the world. So anyone that is fortunate enough to be exposed
to your teachings but refuse to accept it then you fulfilled your role
and don't be bothered or spend too much time in trying to figure out
the mind of megalomaniacs.
I always figured that the world was made up of 4 types of people:
1. Those that can listen to advice and examine the information and can honestly compare it to themselves (self evaluation
2. Those that listen but are a little hard headed so they have to experience it for themselves and eventually learn
3. Those that listen but never learn (they always feel they know better)
4. Those that never listen
These
4 areas can be used to describe people in a worldwide of areas.
Unfortunately, when you are dealing in areas of life and death, you may
not get another chance if you fall into category 2,3, and 4.
Xxxxxxxxxxx
OFFENSIVE ART? HMMM.... carl
I
recently had a great opportunity to flow hands w/ a tai-chi master down
in chinatown NYC. It was great because not only did he show me a
fantastic level of skill, but I also learned later by his lecture to
his class (which was free for me) and by reading his website that his
300 year old art had esentially the same core beliefs that our school
has, ie sensitivity, balance, chaos observation, the question of
neccessary speed, and the limitation of forms.
He said one thing
that, at the time, I agreed with, but much later I felt was wrong. By
his observation of our slow "match", he said that our art is mainly an
aggressive, offensive art. Granted, there are many of us that would
easily agree with that as well given our priorities of mental awareness
and and our methods of "engagement prone" training, but I have
experiences to dispel that notion. One that happened recently comes to
mind.
About a month ago, I had been walking in the Village NYC
very late at night, just after having fun with a few friends, so I was
in a good mood. I walked past a man, and suddenly felt him move behind
me. I turned around and somehow found myself easily blocking an
overhand hook punch, grabbing his wrist, and pulling him off balance.
In less then a second, I was able to register all the information I
needed, which, was that I didn't even need to hit him. He was bigger
then me, but he was completely drugged up and off balance. I could've
pounded on him like Roseanne Barr jumping on a Twinkie. He was so
drugged up in fact, that he even began crying and praying as I put my
hand on his chest and pushed him backwards a few feet. He started
pleading with me, and I told him in the most vulgar way possible to
turn around and walk away before I beat the crack out of him.
The
bottom line? I physically blocked and controlled a sucker punch without
so much as having a defensive posture, I controlled the attaker, and in
a tiny moment decided he wasn't even a threat, thus my ordering him to
escape.
If THAT sounds like the workings of an aggresive,
offensively oriented "style", then paint a mustache on my face and call
me Hitler!
06/18/03 at 00:03:56
Re: OFFENSIVE ART? HMMM....
Many
times when bouncing I have had big opportunities to kick the sh*t out
of people who attacked me while I was asking them to leave. Granted
unlike your instance I saw all of them coming. They too were so easily
subdued and no need for further attack or violence was necessary. You
could feel them submit right away. Our level of skill due to the way
John teaches the sensitivity training makes us almost have a sixth
sense. After contact begins or sometimes even before they can perceive
– even when flying high – that the animal they face can destroy them
and they cower. So nice of you not to bounce his head off of the
concrete Carl.
06/18/03 at 00:43:52
Re: OFFENSIVE ART? HMMM.... Kevin
Dave,
Have
you had the opportunity to practice contact flow or push hands with
those two masters and if so what was your assessment of their style
versus KCD?
Carl,
You proved the example of what
John always says about giving you the Louisivlle Slugger in case you
need it. Also the fact that you have developed the mental awareness to
make an immediate threat assessment that determined that your attacker
was no longer a threat. I commend you on your mercy. However, I'm sure
that in the split second that you determined that the aggressor was no
longer a threat if he had reversed himself and decised he was going to
challenge you then you would have solved his problem for him (at least
his problem with attacking strangers for no reason). So the compassion
that you displayed toward him really has no bearing on the
agressiveness of KCD. That was the decision that you made. Another
student might have decided to teach him a lesson or who knows he might
have caught you on a good night. It's possible that if he tried that
when you were really having a bad day or week you might have displayed
more aggression.
06/18/03 at 14:41:31
Re: OFFENSIVE ART? HMMM.... JP
Good
work Carl. To set the record straight KCD is defensive and can be
extremely offensive. During my career as a Police Officer I had many
occasions to use the yang aspects of the art. This was when there were
multiple assailants. These incidents usually happened in the most
chaotic conditions. Many people will attempt to show their superiority
by stating that KCD is too aggressive. My answer to that is this. When
an attack happens against yourself or a loved one or your radio car
partner or your soldier buddy should you stand in a ready stance and
wait for the enemy to create the stage for the impending combat?
Sometimes you must set the tone instantly. Many times this has allowed
me to use less force because I was in more control than if I had to
play catch up. There were many times that I did not have to shoot some
assailants because I pre-empted the action. Don't be confused by
someone trying to define KCD. I know many friends who are highly
evolved in Tai Chi Chuan. Some are monks while others are grand
masters. None of them are Cops or Soldiers. None of them judge KCD
negatively. I am sure that the gentleman who you rolled hands with did
not mean to use the word aggressive negatively. I am proud of the way
you handled the street thug and I know that you have had many rough
experiences working as a night club security specialist. Good luck, JP
06/18/03 at 18:25:30
Re: OFFENSIVE ART? Carl
Thanks
for the feedback guys. I reread what I had written and wondered if it
had sounded a bit boastful. I apologize if it seemed this way, and let
me assure all those who read it that this is not my intention. For the
record, I now sort of wonder if letting that guy walk away was such a
good idea; I may have just sent him looking for an easier target to get
"fix money".
To be quite honest, I actually like to tell of
these experiences because I want to convince other students, especially
the beginners, that they are not wasting their time from all the
training that other martial artist would probably call "useless".
Sometimes it's hard to simply believe in a training methodology if you
are completely unsure of it's usefulness, AND if it's not the norm.
Every now and then I can look in a classmate's eyes and see they have a
little doubt, which I can understand. So, while doing my best not to
seem like a chest-beater, I like to tell them exactly why I KNOW this
stuff works.
For Dave and all others interested, the guy I rolled hands with is named Sam Chin, and his website is http://www.iliqchuan.org/
If
anything, you can read the history and feel a warm fuzzy knowing our
mantras aren't insane, but something ingeniously conceived long before
our time.
06/19/03 at 00:16:30
Re: OFFENSIVE ART? HMMM.... JP
Remember
folks that many of the concepts of KCD are rooted in my training in
combat tai chi. I have trained since summer 1971 with Doc Miller who
introduced me to Grand Master Waysun Liao in Chicago. His text on The
TAI CHI CLASSICS is a mainstay of many KCD concepts. If anyone wants to
visit Grand Master Liao we are planning to hold a large seminar this
October in Chicago at the Degerberg Academy with the aid of Doc Miller
who is a Tai Chi master and who keeps me on my toes in this regard. I
also roll hands with a few other Tai Chi Chuan masters just to keep
Kosher. There is nothing new under the sun. It is the blending of
cultures of combat along with serious life experience of myself and
many of our students and teachers that brings about KCD. Many Tai Chi
purists don'thave a clue about KCD. If you only roll hands on their
terms they and you will not get the intrinsic flow and dynamics of KCD
when applied realistically. Again there is nothing new under the sun
but there are many shadows out there to penetrate. Good hunting. JP
06/19/03 at 04:37:53
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ground fighting Tony LoCasto
This
is an opening statement I read in a popular martial arts publication
this month. I am interested in your opinions on ground fighting. I was
very impressed with the teaching of groundwork at a resent seminar at
the Bellerose location with Master Perkins and his instructors.
The
ground is the last place you want to be during a real fight. If you end
up down there, it usually indicates that your stand-up battle plan had
a catastrophic failure.
Re: Ground fighting JP
If
you want to see a good example of why it is not a good idea to go to
the ground in a real street fight just get the video Menace 2 Society.
It is a great movie depicting gang life in L.A. you will notice that
once a person is taken to the ground he will be stomped to mush in
seconds. This begs the question, "how do I not go to the ground in a
fight?". The answer is a bit complicated. First of all you must treat
all street altercations as potential assasination attempts. If you are
merely dealing with a push-shove situation use your head and leave.
Watch behind you while you make your exit. When I was in high school it
was in vogue to have some hoods surround you while one faced you and
made like he was going to fight you man to man. The usual move,
however, was to dive at your ankles and lift your feet off the ground
hoping to crack your head on same. The group around you would
immediately proceed to kick, punch and do full body slams onto you. The
best defense that I found was as soon as I realized that a party was
about to begin I would instantly begin drop stepping forward directly
into my antagonist while simultaneously chopping downward onto the side
of his neck and kneeing low into his chest or face, whichever presented
itself first as he dove for my ankles. At almost the same instant I
would launch into what we refer to as the Mexican Hat Dance.(see ATTACK
PROOF for directions) If for some reason I happened to land on the
ground all hell would break loose. Using the methods of Native American
ground fighting I would open up some space for myself to escape or put
my knife or other weapon into action if need be. If you go to the
ground with someone in the street you don't have to follow any rules. A
good hard poke in the eye, a bite to the neck or any fleshy area could
help you quickly. If it is a life and death fight poke through the eye
into the brain. This is extremely effective against a grappling attack.
Most of my personal experience has been in the streets, hallways of
tenement houses, living rooms, etc. and usually weapons and multiple
assailants were the norm. I was at a distinct disadvantage to
civilians. It was incumbent on me as a police officer to keep the level
of my attack limited as far as possible. As a civilian in New York
State you are obliged to retreat, if possible, but I have found that
juries will give a civilian under attack by multiple or armed
assailants more leeway in their own defense. This may have a lot to do
with our political climate today. Remember to train hard so that you
will have more control in your own and your loved ones' defense. Luck JP
XxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Re: Real fights vs. Ultimate fights vs. Martial arts gavin sicks
I
should point out that the great benefit of ki chuan do and john
perkins, is that IF you follow johns advice to the "T." You will, like
many other high ranking and extremely skilled instructors of this
system, be able to (without any street experience) handle yourself as
if youv been fighting in the streets for a life time. An experience is
simply that. to improve you need a vivid memory and the accurate
ability to analyze, train and discover. Johns intelligence is special
to say the least. with less street experience than some of his students
he has trained them how to do better and proved it, 1000 times over!
YOU DONT HAVE TO GO THROUGH WHAT JOHN WENT THROUGH TO LEARN HOW TO DEAL
WITH IT. I hold this to no-other art ive ever seen.
Re: Real fights vs. Ultimate fights vs. Martial arts Joe Martarano
I belive all three is a good source of information. What we do with it, it's up to the seeker.
The
person who has fought in the ring has mental strength. The never give
up attitude. The competive spirit. An I can attitude. A good work ethic.
The
instructor with 30 years of martial arts experience, teaches us the way
of the warrior. The martial artist trains both body & sprint. The
martial artists only use force as a last resort. He is a man of peace
with the ability to rage war when he needs to.
The
person who has survived a good number of serious, violent street fights
brings reality of combat to training. It gives us the ability to
determine what will and not work.
The best source of
information for close combat, is the person who combines the best from
all three, and the ability to teach others what they have learned.
I have found that person in John Perkins, I am thankful for that.
Re: Real fights vs. Ultimate fights vs. Martial arts michaelcoplon
I don't know if I can come up with anything that you haven't thouigh of already, but I'll give it a shot.
First
my honest opinion. I am going to assume that there is no other
information available to me other than there are three different
instructors. One has 30 years of classical trainning. Another has some
real experience surving violent street encounters. The third is a good
sports fighter. I can only choose one to help me prepare for self
defense, to fight for my life in situations that I cannot simply avoid
by being nice or being assertive or some other means. These unsought,
unwanted encounters could be against multiple attackers with weapons.
Without
other information I would have to choose the teacher with the relevant
real world experience. The other two might be great teachers, but what
they teach could be all wrong. If they do not know how to convert their
sport fighting or classical training into self defense training then
what I learn from them could leave me in worse shape than if I had no
trainning. And from the information given, there is no indication that
they can convert what they teach into self defense. Even if the
instructor with the real world experience turns out to be a poor
teacher, at least he has some idea what to teach.
Now
if I already knew a lot about fighting for my life, from first hand
experience, I would try to find all of the best classical teachers and
get raw material from them to make myself even better. I would have the
knowledge to be able to pick and alter classical training to suit my
needs. At one time many people actually fought for real, so they were
able to easily gain things from quality classical training. Now most of
us will not have to fight for our lives so we lack the real expeience
that kind of cuts though all of the BS and fanatsies.
Some
people substitute sport fightinmg experience for fighting for your
life, but it doesn't take much thinking to realize that even Ultimate
Fighting is very different than a real encounter. On the other hand,
there is no question that sportfighting can help a person to learn to
channel their fear into action even if it is the wrong type of action.
It seems to me that sport fighting contests probably started out as
training methods for warriors. What happened is they evolved into big
money spectator sports where winning within the rules is the only goal.
Once this Occurred these contest lost most of their value as trainning
methods for self defense.
I will try to write more later and play Devil's Advocate
Re: Real fights vs. Ultimate fights vs. Martial ar Virgil
Here's my two cents:
As a direct answer to the question, it takes 3 things:
1. An analytical mind with a fair amount of combat intelligence.
2. Enough combat trial and error, experience, experimentation to feed that mind.
3. The ability to put it all together in some form of training methodology so that someone else can benefit.
Virgil
(hello to everyone from Nyack Fighting Arts)
Re: Real fights vs. Ultimate fights vs. Martial arts John Perkins
Hi
Virgil, glad to hear from you. For the information of anyone out there
Virgil is the Master instructor for the Nyack Fighting Arts. He teaches
in a very realistic manner and if you are looking for a superb stick,
blade, and empty hand master it's Virgil. You can reach him at his web
site www.NyackFightingArts.com
Re: Real fights vs. Ultimate fights vs. Martial arts michaelcoplon
Again an honest answer. I am not yet ready to play Devils Advocate.
A
good anology for the problems of tradional trainning can be seen in the
American Civil War. Many of the leaders on both sides had studied and
attempted to use the strategies and tactics of Napolean. The new
weapons changed everything. Grant who did not do well at West Point
(21st out of 39) did not have much invested in the old approaches. He
did better than the others at learning from experience what would work.
You all know what happened next. I imagine that military history is
full of examples of over schooled leaders making big mistakes and
leaders who learned from experience doing well.
But an
even more accurate anology for many but not all tradionalist would be
taking the most recent top of the class at West Point and immeadiately
making her/him the head of the armed forces. For a sport fighting
anology you could take someone who has done well at war games but
hasn't been in battle and put them in charge. It sounds absurd and
practically no one would take these inexperienced warriors and make
them the head of the Armed forces. However traditionalist and
sportfighters are sought out by even the police and army for advice on
empty hand fighting. Is this because people with significant self
defense experience are rare? Are there other reasons for this?
Re: Real fights vs. Ultimate fights vs. Martial arts Michael Coplon
Time for a little devils advocate
The
person with 30 years of martial arts experience is head and shoulders
over the rest. The street fighter may be good, but it could all be
genetics and natural attributes. Also we have no idea how much skill
the people who he fought with possesed. Probably not that much since
anyone with formal training would not get into street fights. Another
important consideratio is that martail arts are like any other science.
No matter how smart you are yo have to go to school to learn it. Even
Albert Einstein couldn't just teach himself, he went to school and
study for many years before he could make advancements in the physics.
As
far as sport fighting goes, it just isn't as sophisticated as Karate,
Judo, Ju Jitsu or Tai Chi Chuan. Look who one all of those Ultimate
fights against bigger stonger opponents, Royce Gracie and he had years
and years of classical trainning.
Re: Real fights vs. Ultimate fights vs. Martial arts ed
At
the risk of being cliche' something that has been reinforced to me
through my short experience in Ki Chaun Do is just what I learned from
"Mr.Miagai" in "The Karate Kid." Your mind is your greatest weapon and
the best way to avoid being in hit is to not be there when the punch is
thrown. If a martial art assists you in gaining inner peace and
humility enough that you can sense and walk away, while giving you
practical real world training, then it's done it's job. That person who
has survived many violent encounters might just as well have walked
away from whatever situation arose. Would that not have been better? It
is always better to have and not need than to need and not have. Ki
Chaun Do delivers both.
Re: Real fights vs. Ultimate fights vs. Martial arts Andre'
All of them. None of them.
Development
Movement
is a manifestation of thought. If we move forcefully and rigidly then
this is how our mind is. If we move with grace and yeild if necessary
-- and hit with respect, then this is how our mind is. If we are trying
to defeat our training partners then this is how our mind is -- not
focused on our own development. If these things are true that our mind
makes us move as we do then our body reveals the way our mind works.To
fight better is not always to develop as we do the aspects of
looseness, balance, sensitivity, and power in the body, but also in the
mind. No great warrior was only a great fighter they were known for
their way.
Re: Development Hudson
Great
post Dave ! Re: Developing the mind - I recently finished a book called
"The Mental Edge" which discusses the value of mental training for
athletes (at all levels) who want to reach their greatest potential.
One of the primary techniques in the book (which I have yet to try on
my own) is visualization. If anyone reading this uses visualization (or
similar tools) as a regular part of training I would be interested
(& grateful) to hear your experiences - what works/doesn't work for
you, how much time you devote on a regular basis, the results you had,
etc.
Re: Development Virgil
This
is a good point and on one level it also brings to my mind the concept
of the warrior's soul. A person who develops their mind, and by
extension, their spirit or soul, is that person a better fighter than a
person who does not do this? And, conversely, a person who knows his
soul, is he at an advantage in terms of his physical art? I use the
term better to refer to larger concepts of good and evil, right and
wrong, morality, and not just the ability to defeat someone in battle.
XXXXXXXXX
Chi, "Iron body," Grappling and Reality
Chi, "Iron body," Grappling and Reality Major Al
QUESTION=Is
iron body training any good? Also, I've heard incredible things about
the SCARS system- how it is the most effective system in the world. I
doubt this based on their complicated grappling.
While
I haven't heard of this system I'm sure there are many similarities to
Ki Chuan Do since much of what is in our system can be found in many
ancient martial arts books such as "Tai Chi Classics by Master Waysun
Liao," so many ofthe principles that we teach are not new per se.
However, and I agree with your
skepticism, this business about
"Iron Body" is utter nonsense, many people are fooled by this because
they seek the "mystical" in their training rather than
what
really works. They want to believe there is some super secret technique
which makes them invincible with an average body. Who knows maybe the
founders of this system can make some of this stuff work for them under
controlled conditions [i.e., in martial arts demonstrations and other
parlor tricks], but I
seriously doubt that the average student of their system can make it work under the chaotic conditions of a real fight.
I
can tell you countless stories of some of my own father and uncles
feats of strength, that seem like they come right out of a comic book.
Things like punching and breaking liquor bottles without cutting their
hands to cracking 2x4's with their bare hands. However, in no way does
this imply that my dad or
uncles possess some form of mystical
chi power. Besides these guy's wouldn't know Iron Body if it bit them
on the rear end, and they probably think "chi" is
some form of
French cuisine. These guy's were "corn fed-country bred" farm boys from
western North Carolina who worked as laborers for most of their lives,
and anyone who is familiar with this area of the country knows that
such men raised in the 1940's and 50's are the norm rather than the
exception.
As for SCARS, I've had an opportunity to see
some of their videos and I agree with you, the over emphasis on
complicated grappling techniques causes me to
seriously question
the effectiveness of this system under real combat conditions. And
their claims that SCARS is all that you need are ridiculous, the
Gracie's use to make similar claims and as you have noticed as of late
they have backed away from claiming that Gracie Ju Jitsu is the end all
to be all. Even
though within Ki Chuan Do, we have had an
opportunity to test our methods against various systems and against
some of the most high level practitioners of
various arts, we do
not set ourselves up as the end all to be all of martial artists. We
understand that no matter what you know, including Ki Chuan Do, if
the
bad guy gets the drop on you, then you are done! Remember that
grappling does work "if they're not trying to kill you," and for
sport/ultimate fighting
there's probably nothing better, but
against people hell bent on your destruction it's a disaster waiting to
happen. As with the Iron Body example
above, who knows maybe
they can make some of this stuff work, but they obviously don't know
the kind of psycho street killers that I know. The question I guess I
have for them is do you want to risk your life on such "iffy" techniques?
thanks for your questions.
Major Al
Re: Chi, Virgil
I
don't know much about Iron Body training except that the human body is
tortured in ridiculous ways in order to perform feats of strength that
seem impossible. However, I would like to relate an experience I had
with full contact body training:
Many years ago I
trained in a system of fighting called Kajukenbo. This is an American
system that stresses full contact strikes and throws in it's training
method. Class usually began with body conditioning that involved
punching and kicking your partner and having your partner punch and
kick you with as much force as he/she could muster to your torso, arms,
and legs. Sometimes this was done blindfolded so that you could not see
when you were going to be struck. The recipient would "Yatze" (like a
Kiai) the strikes in order to train muscle tension control in the area
being struck to prevent serious internal injury. We also did medicine
ball training where a 25lb ball was thrown on your stomach at full
force from 5 to 8 ft. above while you were lying on your back.
The purpose of this training was fourfold:
1.
To develop the muscle integrity and the ability to control that
integrity when struck in order to minimize pain and ward off injury.
2. To develop the sensitivity to apply 1 when needed.
3.
To develop a feel for what it is like to hit at full power the human
body (the person doing the striking gets trained too). Remember, he
human body is not flat like a board, nor is it perfectly cylindrical
like a heavy bag. Nor does it just hang there silently and
unresponsively - I've come to understand the term "kicking the sh*t"
out of someone" as it applied literally in Kajukenbo.
4. To
develop the mental fortitude to ignore the pain, dizziness, nausea from
being hit hard so that the mind can focus on other things, like
(hopefully) counterattacking, evading, or whatever your game plan is.
Now,
I've been in a couple of situations where i'd have to say that this
training helped me immensely. The flip side is that, 20 years later, my
body is feeling the punishment. Looking back, if I knew then what I
know now, I would not do this kind of training.
With
regard to mystical powers, I was at a Hsing-I demo once where I was the
"dummy" being demoed on. The demonstrator, a well respected Hsing-I
person, had me face a wall so that I couldn't see behind me. A few
minutes later i felt someone touch the back of my head. I turned to see
the Hsing-I person. Only thing is, he was standing 20 feet away. Now, i
am the last person to believe in mystical powers, magic, supernatural
forces, etc., but, this is an event that is wholely unexplained in my
mind.
Re: Chi, Ken
Warning:LONG MESSAGE
Hello
fellas, I'm a SCARS practitioner myself. Been at it since 1998 so I
basically know the system pretty well. During the time I trained in
SCARS I literally looked at 100s of systems and styles to fill what I
percieved to be some gaps in my SCARS training. I knew what they were
but no one out there seemed to have the answers.
Enter Attack
Proof. I saw the book at the bookstore, went through it and put it down
because looking at the pictures it looked like another self defense
book for average beginners who didn't understand the meaning of a
killing system. Well, I was wrong. I just so happened to look through
the book another time and I noticed that some of your wrist escapes
were identical to some principles taught in SCARS Compression
groundfighting. I also noticed how close you all were to your
attackers, in SCARS the principle of jamming your attackers limbs(arms
and legs) and fighting chest to chest is one of the key elements. My
biggest complaint with SCARS however was its stressing upon applying
strikes and then leverages to attacker's punches. I also got the
impression that they greatly underestimate the speed and intelligence
of attackers. I read through Attack Proof and I realized without doubt
that this was the system I'd been searching for. It seemed so
applicable to actual full speed, chaotic, bodies flying everywhere
fights.
I say all of that to let you all understand
that I'm not some zealot(tons of them exist) that trains in SCARS and
believes its the absolute undefeatable pinnacle. Even though its
probably one of the top 3 systems I've seen for really fast and
efficient street fighting, it still has flaws. But my question to you
all is this. When you say SCARS is filled with complicated grappling,
what do you mean by that? Are you speaking about Gracie style Ju Jitsu
ground locks/leverages and such or are you speaking about the Aikido
style standing wrist leverages and throws? The reason I ask is because
I'm 100% sure that SCARS doesn't teach any resemblance to Gracie style
Ju Jitsu. In fact they stress that you should never fear going to the
ground but that you should never stay on the ground fighting the way
they do in competition because in war you can be stomped or bludgeoned
to death by a shovel. I'm just making sure we're on the same page guys
because if you're speaking about the Aikido type actions I completely
agree that stuff is absolute unrealistic nonsense. Unfortunately, SCARS
is filled with a lot of this lunacy even though I feel the good
outweighs the bad.
The only thing that kind of has me
mystified is the idea of the no inch punch. Maybe my training has
brainwashed me but how can dropping with no real penetration stop an
attacker? In SCARS we are taught to penetrate 6-12 inches to affect an
attacker's nerves, organs and bones combined with an offensive mindset
so that the attacker can't roll off the strikes. All of this can be
performed practically chest to chest because you're constantly using
rotational strikes. Maybe I'm missing something but I can't see a no
inch punch actually dropping someone with the same type of efficiency
as the SCARS strikes. Keep in mind that I'm brand new to this system so
I may very possibly be missing something very obvious. Which leads to
my next set of question. What tapes should I order and are there any
redundancies in the videos? I can't wait to start training with you
guys.
Sincerely,
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
WHY YOU MIGHT NEED SELF DEFENSE! Matt Kovsky
Street attack stuns visiting doctors
Psychiatrists at S.F. convention get dose of reality on streets
Katherine Seligman, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, May 23, 2003
Members of the nation's largest psychiatric association discovered San
Francisco's mentally ill homeless problem up close this week, as they stepped
out of their annual convention and were surprised -- some say shocked -- by the
legions of people living on the street.
The worst, how
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