Self-defense is always a hot topic in the survivalist and prepper community and with good reason – you don’t have to be in an “end of the world” type scenario for self-defense techniques to pay off.
It can happen to anyone: walking alone or even with your family and you take the wrong turn. Or maybe it’s the right turn, just at the wrong time. In any event, the point is that even the most gentle, well-meaning people have found themselves on the wrong end of a raging psychopath, a deranged crack addict or someone just looking for trouble.
When that happens, you might not be able to get to your everyday carry weapon. Even if you can eventually get to a concealed firearm or other weapon, you might have to fight your way to get it – what are you going to do if your attacker pins your strong arm (or even both of them) against your body in a bear hug?
This is why it’s so important to know something in the way of hand-to-hand self-defense combat. Your life and your family’s might just depend on it.
What Works And What’s Bullshido?
You can go to a self-defense course on just about every street corner these days. The issue is that all of these are not created equally.
Take for example, kung fu. It’s a fascinating art and a beautiful one with a long, rich history and exotic traditions. However, in a real-life street fight it’s probably going to have you counting the street lamps from your back and your teeth after you manage to get up.
Brazilian ju-jitsu and mixed martial arts gyms are incredibly popular these days, but as much as their proponents like to boast about how “combat tested” they are, this is simply not the case. Federal agencies have increasingly ceased relying upon them to train their undercover agents, because they’re just not up to snuff for a real-life street fight, mostly because they’re far too complicated for people to remember when push comes to shove – literally.
So what can you count on in a real-life street fight?
The Deadly Art Of Kicking Butt
If you’re already taking a martial art it’s not absolutely necessary that you switch from whatever you’re doing to something else more “battle tested.” In fact, what you know is certainly better than nothing, especially if you’re an experienced hand at the art.
However, you might want to consider dropping into a seminar or three for the purpose of learning some very direct, effective and brutal tactics that you can deploy in a real-life street fight.
There are three martial arts that are very good places to begin your hunt for these battle hardened tactics. We’re certainly not endorsing every martial arts school that teaches these, but, as a rule, these are the kinds of places that are going to be more oriented toward what works on the street than what works in the ring.
- American Kenpo: This is what Elvis took and it’s a really interesting art that flies under the radar. American kenpo has always been about devastating strikes, crippling joint locks and fight ending chokes. “Kenpo 5.0,” an offshoot of American kenpo integrates the techniques from modern grappling arts that work on the streets, while ditching the rest.
- Jeet Kune Do: Bruce Lee fashioned his own martial art on the principle that students should do what works for them and not waste their time learning anything else. It’s specifically designed for street combat with a hard stance against sport competition, which practitioners see as watering down the art. JKD studios vary widely from one place to another.
- Krav Maga: This was developed by the Israeli Defense Forces to train recruits in brutally effective fighting tactics as quickly as possible. It’s primarily based on striking techniques, but it also involves a heavy dose of learning how to take deadly weapons away from people. To get a black belt you have to fly to Israel and disarm a soldier of his bayoneted combat rifle. Fun!
Before you sign up, make sure to at least watch a class, though it’s very common for martial arts schools to allow people to take a single class for free. If you don’t feel that you’re welcome or the instruction simply isn’t your style, keep looking. Like we said at the very beginning, there are tons and tons of martial arts schools around for you to choose from.
Remember that what works in the ring isn’t necessarily (and probably won’t) work in the street. So if you’re committed to learning self-defense, make sure that you pick something that’s designed for combat. If you’re already learning something that’s designed for sport, consider augmenting your studies. Because you never know when violence is going to come knocking on your doorstep.
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