Archive for June, 2010

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

The Critical Principle Of Eye Contact In Any Confrontation

HERE’S what we teach:

In any instance when you are interfacing with anyone you do not know, keep yourself distanced outside arms’ reach if you possibly can, and keep your eyes on the face of the person.

Whenever you are standing — alert, off-angled, and ready (in condition YELLOW or ORANGE) — outside of arms’ reach you have placed whoever you are confronting at the disadvantage of having to take a step toward you, in order to attack you if that is his intention. He cannot simply throw a fast punch or otherwise attack without moving in in order to do so.

When you are properly distanced and when your eyes are resting on the other person’s face, then your peripheral vision will take in his entire body (try this with a training partner, and you’ll see what we mean). He will not be able to initiate any suspicious or even subtle gesture without your being 100% aware of just what is happening. Once again, if you are in the proper off-angled (we call our position the “Relaxed-Ready Stance”) position and if your mind is in either YELLOW or ORANGE, YOU WILL BE IN THE PROPER POSITION TO MAKE ANY REQUIRED PREEMPTIVE ATTACK. And you will observe — in plenty of time — when making that attack is required.

If by chance you have ever heard the statement, in any context, that “the hand is quicker than the eye” you have heard a piece of scientifically proven, absolute NONSENSE. There is simply no way — no way — that any individual, no matter how physically fast, how superbly trained, or how experienced he may be in close combat or anything else, could possibly make any physical movement that is faster than you can see him doing so, if you are watching him do so at the time.

The hand is not even close to approaching being anywhere near “as fast as the eye” — let alone “faster”! Even the physically slowest and most technically inept individual whose eyes are watching will pick up any slight physical action that is attempted by anyone who he is looking at, regardless of who that person may be.

How do we know this? Three sources:

1) Our own experimentation and researches during teaching and training, over the years, in a “hands on” training environment

2) Documentation from the U.S. armed forces pertaining to findings in regard to the aircraft recognition capabilities of fighter pilots and others, during and since WWII

3) Documentation from the Central Intelligence Agency that was compiled during the Cold War, when John Mulholland (a professional magician contracted by CIA to provide instructional manuals for operatives on deceptive hand movements, etc.) established that magicians must use deception and distraction to fool audiences. THE EYE IS ALWAYS QUICKER THAN THE HAND, and consequently, it is only by distracting a person that you can initiate a hand movement or other physical motion that you can prevent him from seeing it happen.

During the second world war it was determined through exhaustive studies done with aviators that an accurate identification of an aircraft (”friend or foe”) could be made by a pilot in hundredths of a second! The eye and brain of a trained aviator who knew what friendly and enemy aircraft looked like could do this reliably and routinely. And that has nothing to do with his being able to SIMPLY SEE THAT THERE IS ANOTHER AIRCRAFT IN THE SKY WITH HIM! Essentially, that occurs virtually upon eye contact.

This ability to observe-and-identify is hardly the province of trained fighter pilots. Any human being possessing eyesight has this identical capability. Obviously, he can only determine the status of an aircraft per se if he knows what friendly and enemy craft look like. However, the student of close combat and self-defense need only learn what an aggressive physical action that is being made by the human body “looks like” in its embryonic stage (and we all, presumably, know that much, if we train in personal combat) and if that action is being made by someone whom we know, or by a stranger. IF IT IS BEING MADE BY A STRANGER WHO IS CLOSE ENOUGH TO HARM US, AND IS APPARENTLY CAPABLE OF DOING SO, THEN WE ATTACK — we preempt and we finish the damn thing. Period.

It is very easy for you to prove to yourself the truth of that which CIA learned from John Mulholland. Obtain video footage of some brilliant magicians rendering their performances. Penn and Teller are two of our favorites. Now, watch the magicians perform — carefully. Scrutinize areas of their bodies and positions of their hands over and over again, as they perform their “magic”. If you do this you will see — rather clearly — the deceptive hand motions involved in concealing that which they do not want you to notice. As you review the video again and again — in regular and in slow motion — you will marvel at the skill and dexterity of good magicians BUT YOU WILL ALSO DISCOVER THAT, WHEN YOU ARE NOT DISTRACTED BUT ARE INSTEAD LOOKING AT SOMETHING, YOU SEE IT HAPPEN — CLEARLY, AND IN REAL TIME!

It is important to keep your eyes on anyone who approaches you, and whose identity and intentions you are unsure of.

It is important to be in either yellow or orange during any interfacing with any stranger.

It is important to REMEMBER HOW CRUCIAL DECEIT AND DECEPTION IS FOR YOUR OWN PURPOSES in close combat, and how it may be used in an emergency to save your life!

From the standpoint of the combatives student — i.e. YOU — an understanding of this irrevocable fact (that the eye is always much quicker than the hand) should help you in making your own preemptive attacks more effective.

Whenever and wherever you find yourself being approached by anyone, DO NOT AVER YOUR EYES. Always keep your eyes on any presumed opponent or stranger. ALWAYS!

TIP: NEVER try to “look tough”.  Just look. Let your eyes rest on whoever you are facing, and give away nothing by either your own physical movements or by your facial expression. This will serve you well, because the individual whom you are facing will remain unable to “read” you. Hence, if his intentions are to attack you, he will never quite know when or if he ought to make the attempt.

TIP: NEVER get caught up in a shouting or insult contest with anyone. If the other guy raises his voice, be quiet and physically still. ORANGE! But do not give the person you are facing the opportunity to distract you from his plan and intention by either verbal or subtle physical histrionics (i.e. pointing a finger at you while he mouths off and jabbing it in your direction, etc.). Just watch him.

TIP: NEVER “watch the hands”. Keep your eyes on the other guy’s face and stay at the proper distance. Your peripheral vision — not your direct stare — will more than adequately let you know when an attack is being initiated. You want to remain constantly AWARE OF the hands, as well as of the rest of the individual. This is the soundest tactic.

ANNOUNCING  A NEW INSTRUCTIONAL

MANUAL!

WE have just completed a 214 page training Manual on “Mental Conditioning For Close Combat And Self-Defense”. Our visitors have asked repeatedly if we could offer materials for their personal training, and this Manual is sure to be a tremendous aid to anyone training either in our own System, or in any other — if his objective is real combative ability and preparation for emergency defense of himself and those he loves!

MENTAL CONDITIONING IS 90% OF WHAT IT TAKES TO BE PREPARED FOR VIOLENCE, AND REAL WORLD SELF-DEFENSE! This Manual is a “FIRST” AND WILL HELP YOU TO TRAIN YOURSELF TO A PEAK IN REALISTIC PERSONAL READINESS!

If you would like a copy on a quality CD (that you can either read on your computer screen or print out in a hard copy) we will send you one for $30. AND AS A BONUS WE WILL INCLUDE  PRINTABLE COPIES OF COMBAT JUDO, by Robert L. Carlin, and DEFEND YOURSELF!, by Jack Grover (two books that are collector’s items and would cost a small fortune in their original editions if  you could locate copies!!!) The mental conditioning Manual is highly readable on screen or when printed out. The other two publications should be printed out for study purposes.

This is a hell of a bargain, and we urge  you to take advantage of it. You’ll be receiving a premier first-of-its kind Manual on mental conditioning and two impossible-to-find classic texts on practical self-defense and close combat!

This is considerably below what the cost of a printed copy would be, since modern production costs, packaging, and mailing is now through the roof.

This is not an academic or theoretical study of the subject. It is a forthright how-to-do-it Manual that will instruct, inspire, guide, and motivate you — just as we would if you were our personal student.

Teachers of self-defense and close combat will find a goldmine of information here that will not only help them, but help them to teach their students this absolutely critical subject.

This Manual is comprehensive and extensive. It explains and describes WHAT you must do, and then HOW to do it. It is politically incorrect, direct, and pulls no punches. It is the REAL DEAL, and if you are serious about training yourself for close combat and self-defense you will certainly want to obtain a copy and study it again and again.

Not available from any other source!

Send $30. (cash or money order payable to Brad Steiner) to us: Brad Steiner  P.O. Box 15929  Seattle, Washington 98115 USA,

We urge anyone who is serious about self-defense to order a copy of this new Manual today on CD. You will not be disappointed.


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Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

DEFEND YOURSELF!, by Jack Grover

Published by The Ronald Press Company – New York City – 1958

This was one of the first books aimed at providing an eclectic "all practical" approach to self-defense by drawing upon different formal arts. The author, an accomplished athlete with particular skill in wrestling, presented some excellent material on effective self-defense. While not necessarily a "must have" title, this volume is certainly a good one for any serious close combat book collection.

This was one of the first books aimed at providing an eclectic "all practical" approach to self-defense by drawing upon different formal arts. The author, an accomplished athlete with particular skill in wrestling, presented some excellent material on effective self-defense. While not necessarily a "must have" title, this volume is certainly a good one for any serious close combat book collection.

JACK Grover, the author of this interesting title, comes from a background in football, wrestling, and boxing — not at all bad for someone wishing to describe doable self-defense measures, since all three of those activities involve some tough man-vs.-man experience. Grover apparently made some study of at least the rudiments of ju-jutsu, certain police tactics, and quite possibly some karate, as well.

Like most books on self-defense, this one contains some very good material as well as some material that is perhaps most useful for demonstrations, and best not attempted in hand-to-hand combat.

The finest example of the good material is Grover’s presentation of ways to start a fight. Clearly, not intending these attack sequences to be employed literally to “start a fight” per se, Grover wisely urges these attacks (which in certain cases we our self took from this book and incorporated into our own repertoire and System) in order to preempt an obvious aggressor who has not yet begun to initiate his full attack. This is very, very good instruction. It is also extremely unusual, and the fact that Jack Grover sees the importance of preempting, per se, speaks to his obvious “real world” knowledge of exactly what close combat is all about — and what prevailing in an encounter really does necessitate! This is the best part of the book.

The less-than-terrific material involves the wrestling-type actions, especially the takedowns and ground grappling. It seems that many who have distinguished themselves in the great arts of wrestling and judo sometimes fail to appreciate that —  a) Almost no one who trains for self-defense is or will become an accomplished wrestler;  b) Wrestling and judo are both done on mats, and hence that which one may do in either of those sports does not translate into that which one will likely be able to do in an honest-to-goodness close combat situation;  c) In real combat one strives to knock one’s adversary to the deck — not to accompany him there for a “pin” or for a “submission hold”. Instead, one uses one’s feet, knee drops, downward blows of the hands, etc. against the downed enemy.

The book includes a section devoted to “self-defense for women”. Some of the material is good. Eye attacking, for example. However, Grover’s advocacy of holds and control type grips in order to “bring a man to his knees” is, as far as we are concerned, pure fantasy and nonsense. It might work against a mildly annoying and physically inept fool; but a woman would be insane to try this stuff on a dangerous male aggressor. Chops to the throat, eye gouges, biting the face, kicking the testicles, and rippling off the attacker’s ears is more in line with what a woman ought to be training to do, if she is genuinely interested in self-defense.

There is also a “technique” that we take exception to. A woman is urged to remove one shoe (assuming she is wearing high heels) and strike at her attacker with the heel. Barefoot — or with one shoe still on — a woman is, as far as we can tell, more vulnerable than she was with both shoes on! (Yeah . . . if she’s wearing six-inch stiletto heels she’s immobile while wearing her shoes. But let’s face it: in general the sort of women who wear six-inch heels also tend to carry better weapons with themselves than the heels that they are wearing!)

In all seriousness, the high heel can be employed in only one way: an obvious, swinging hit. This is easily blocked and then she’s helpless. Besides, going through the action of removing a shoe and positioning it for a blow is not likely to go unnoticed by a rapist, kidnapper, murderer, or other nut. Better the lady simply act compliant, then bite a piece of his face off while ripping off his ears and kneeing him in the testicles. Or carry a utility knife and tear his throat open.

There is a chapter on exercise, and it is refreshing not to have the author advocate the useless (and potentially harmful) stretching that is so often taken for granted as being “necessary” for self-defense. We would have liked to see a frank advocacy of weight training, but the book was written in 1958 . . . and it really wasn’t until we wrote WEIGHT TRAINING FOR THE BUDO-KA for STRENGTH AND HEALTH MAGAZINE in the late 1960’s that weight training per se began to be associated in this Country with combatives training.

There is an interesting chapter on “Tricks of the Trade” which covers some interesting and possibly useful tips of a miscellaneous nature, that self-defense students might find helpful to know. Nothing on the order of any spectacular revelations, but when you consider the time of the book’s authorship (1958) and the fact that — insofar as the private sector was concerned at that time — virtually all of the “good stuff” was the WWII material by Applegate and Fairbairn, and Styers (slightly post-WWII), Grover deserves a lot of credit for his approach in this volume.

The Ronald Press (as far as we know, no longer in existence) produced three books that have each become fairly difficult to obtain. Two of them are genuinely valuable. The three books are:

• SELF-DEFENSE, by Wesley Brown

• JIU-JITSU, by Frederick Paul Lowell

•  DEFEND YOURSELF!, by Jack Grover

The genuinely valuable two are the ones by Brown and by Grover. Lowell’s is interesting, but the least practical,  in our opinion. Book collectors will of course be after all three titles. But if you can obtain SELF-DEFENSE or DEFEND YOURSELF!, you’ll have located a real find for practical instruction.

Our students will smile when they see in DEFEND YOURSELF! Grover’s description of two attack methods that we adopted for our System. Our students will recognize them as “Chop—Punch—knee” and “Distract—Punch—Knee the face”.

Doubtless, a serous study of this book — if you can find a copy — will prove interesting and, perhaps, reveal a tidbit or two about practical combatives that you’ll be able to employ, yourself.

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