Month: June 2019

Please note that we are NOT the original writers of this blog post. All credit goes to the original writers. Find the original post as published at this link: http://mdpofsd.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-two-kinds-of-how-which-one-do-you.html

Please note that we are NOT the original writers of this blog post. All credit goes to the original writers. Find the original post as published at this link: http://yourwarriorsedge.com/warrior-wisdom/life-really-simple/

– Confucius
Sometimes it’s important to take a step back and simplify. As Confucius said so long ago, we insist on making life complicated. Sometimes we do so with our martial arts also. We insist on making things more complicated than they have to be.

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
But take this lesson in the training hall to life, and recognize why you’re doing things, and don’t complicate life . Because as the simplest self-defense techniques are often the best for defending yourself from real violence, the simplest things in life, and maintaining our life free of unnecessary complications produces happier, healthy and fulfilling lives.
Simple methods, done properly, are often the best for actual self-defense. However, this doesn’t mean we could ’t practice things more complex to improve other traits and develop ourselves in different areas. We simply have to recognize the purpose for what we’re doing things.

The article Life Is Actually Simple appeared on .

Please note that we are NOT the original writers of this blog post. All credit goes to the original writers. Find the original post as published at this link: http://invictaselfdefense.blogspot.com/2013/07/what-to-do-if-you-are-threatened-with.html

Not a great situation to find yourself in. 

People consistently ask me,”What do I do if someone has a knife and they want my purse?” 
GIVE IT TO THEM. 
“You? With all of your training? You’d give him your handbag?” I value my life and my health, and I don’t feel that wrestling somebody over my phone is worth perhaps being injured or disfigured for the rest of my life span. 

Avoid any chance to participate or fight off someone with a weapon; it is not really worth it: 

• Everything could be substituted – your phone, wallet, credit cards, car, etc.. None of this
  

  stuff matters in the long term. It might be inconvenient to replace, and it could cost you money; nevertheless this is still a small price to pay in comparison to the long term effects of bodily injuries and disfigurements. 

• You will most likely get hurt – this is the very fact of attempting to fight someone wielding a weapon, especially once you have minimum training. Stab wounds are really serious and cause a frightening number of deaths; their wounds can be tough to treat, and the rate of disease is high. 
• Run away if you can, and comply with your attacker if it’s reasonable for you to do so 

If you’re forced to fight off an attacker with a weapon, there are a couple of things to remember: 

• You are probably going to get hurt if you do fight. The goal though is to minimize your injuries, and to attempt to have non-vital regions suffer the harms (i.e. out of the arms vs. inside of the arms, where there are all kinds of important arteries that could cause you to die if they were to be cut). Fortunately, the adrenaline that will be coursing through your body can enable you to avoid feeling some of the pain if it is not a vital cut, and permit you to keep holding your floor or to run away to safety. 
• Always cover your head and neck 
• Shield your body with the outside of their arms, not the interior  
• Do what you can to run away and get to a safe area where you can call for medical attention (run towards individuals!) 
• Keep moving, don’t stand still and make yourself an easy target 
• Be as vocal as possible to attract attention from passersby 
• Use improvised weapons to inflict damage to your attacker, and to also create space between you and your attacker (knock over chairs, garbage bins, use pieces of stone or sticks – anything around you that you can use to protect yourself or cause damage) – more on this next week. 

Please note that we are NOT the original writers of this blog post. All credit goes to the original writers. Find the original post as published at this link: https://selfdefensemusic.com/post/185408162923

But that’s great to hear. Both sets were fun.
They went on a midnight. There was no chance after playing one I’d make it through the set.

Please note that we are NOT the original writers of this blog post. All credit goes to the original writers. Find the original post as published at this link: http://yourwarriorsedge.com/reviews/pain-free-back-dr-yang-jwing-ming/

There’s then a chapter that introduces qigong for back pain, and then the real qigong exercises that will help your spine and back with the goal of having a pain-free back.

I had Spina Bifida surgery as a baby, and for that reason have had back problems my entire life. My morning routine includes doing certain back exercises that I learned from various sources, such as my Qigong teacher in Korea when I lived there in the 90s. I found a couple of new movements in this book I have been merged into my routine. I am sure that these preventative exercises keep me from experiencing back pain, and I know the times I have experienced back pain qigong movements and other exercises have helped get me through it quicker.
The book has chapters on how the Chinese cure back pain, understanding our spine, potential causes of back pain, and how Western Medicine treats back pain. I found all of these chapters. The provide about the amount of information for the lay person. There’ll be some who wish to find more details on these topics.

Qigong has been practiced in Asia for centuries for healing and prevention of injuries and sickness. It’s now practiced around the world. One of the leading instructors in the USA is Dr. Yang, Jwing-ming. Through his books, DVDs, and live education, he has been able to help millions of English language speakers learn and practice Qigong.
The post The Pain-Free Back by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming appeared on .

In The Pain-Free Back: 54 Simple Qigong Movements for Healing and Prevention, Dr. Yang focuses on teaching qigong movements that will help the reader work toward pain-free motion. Anyone who experiences back pain could probably benefit from the material Dr. Yang teaches.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARlznZRnplQ]
The Pain-Free Back is an excelling publication for those coping with back pain.

Pain-Free Back video review:

This is a rather simple book, not quite as in-depth as some of Dr. Yang’s other qigong texts, but that is because it has a narrow focus to help those with back pain. For that purpose, he did an excellent job. I suggest this to anyone dealing with back pain which needs a simple program of exercises and movements to alleviate their pain and keep it from coming back.

Please note that we are NOT the original writers of this blog post. All credit goes to the original writers. Find the original post as published at this link: https://www.offthegridnews.com/self-defense/smart-self-defense/

Have you got any more tips or hints on smart self-defense with a firearm? Let us know in the comments below.

The truth is that any use of a firearm in self-defense is risky. While it does allow the use of deadly force when necessary to defend yourself or defend others, there is a huge caveat. In other words, the courts must agree that your activities were both necessary and reasonable. Otherwise, someone can still accuse you of murder.

Consider that for a moment. There’s nothing that says you’ve got a responsibility to defend society. What you do have a duty to do is defend yourself and your loved ones. So do your best to do that, not by shooting, but by getting your family out of there before the shooting starts.
There’s always a price associated with taking the life span of someone, even if the courts declare you not guilty. The human mind has a way of torturing itself for killing another. That is a far harder price to pay than the justice the courts mete out.
So, how do you avoid this type of predicament?
Are you thinking that you’re safe because you’ve got it? Do you think you can outshoot a bad guy? Are you thinking that the key to surviving a shootout is to draw fast and shoot straight? Do you anticipate the chance to prove yourself where the rubber meets the road?
The old saying is,”Do not draw your gun unless you intend to use it and don’t use it unless you’re shooting to kill.” Overall, I agree with that. However, I also agree with the statistic which says that in 70% of the instances where a hidden gun is used in self-defense, only presenting the gun is enough to cause the bad guys to flee. Give them the chance to flee before pulling on the trigger.
Needless to say, if that doesn’t work, you can always run away. If he’s really been drinking, he may be unable to keep up. There’s nothing that you can lose by running except your pride. However, you really don’t want that to survive anyway, so there should be no problem with letting it go, right?

Smart Self-Defense: Avoiding Violence

Everything you and I should be thinking is that our guns are a tool of last resort. In other words, we should try to avoid a shootout if we can. Then, if we have no choice but to use deadly force in self indulgent or in the defense of others, we will know that we did everything we could to avoid killing another person.

Smart Self-Defense: Diffusing The Situation

Typically, it’s fairly easy to diffuse such a situation by turning their negative comment back into a positive one. In the situation mentioned previously, the accusation of,”Hey, are you looking at my girl?” Is intended to get a rise out of you. Responding by saying,”Yes I am, she’s beautiful. You’re a very lucky man” is the exact opposite of what he’s expecting.

This is why you want to flank them if possible. You can grab them in a way where you have the advantage and it may provide you an extra second or two until they have the ability to respond. This strategy might help tip their decision towards fleeing instead of fighting. It also might provide you the second you will need to get your sight ready should they opt to take it out. Altogether, you’ve got to use whatever you can to your advantage.
You can say the same thing when hearing news that something is happening or going to happen. If there’s a demonstration scheduled downtown, then avoid downtown. You aren’t part of that demonstration anyway, so there’s no reason for you to be there. If you would like to discover what happens, watch the news.

The post Smart Self-Defense: Knowing When To Shoot And When Not To appeared first on Off The Grid News.
The reality is that there are some prosecutors who will attempt to prove that you were searching for the opportunity to use your gun to kill someone even if it was done in self-defense. They’ll use your membership in the NRA and signs in your window with topics like”Protected by Smith & Wesson” as an indication that you were merely awaiting the chance to legally kill somebody. If they can create that idea in the minds of the jury, you could wind up facing a murder conviction. Remarkably, it doesn’t matter if that perception is accurate or not.

Smart Self-Defense: It’s Time To Move

When all else fails, it is time to draw; but the point I’m hoping you are seeing here is that you don’t wish to draw until you’ve exhausted other possibilities. If a person walks into the restaurant you are eating at and opens fire, you don’t have other options. Nonetheless, if they’re trying to start trouble, you do. Take advantage of those possibilities when you’re able to.
I feel that exact same temptation too. But that does not mean that I must be the hero. First of all, that’s not my responsibility. I’m not charged by society to protect them, but the police are. While it is likely that I could defend someone and keep them from harm, I must ask myself,”At what cost?”

Smart Self-Defense: What Are You Thinking?

Smart Self-Defense: When It’s Time To Bring

You may also enjoy reading an additional Off The Grid News post: 9 ‘Survival Guns’ That Will Keep You Alive In Any Situation

However, if you’re going to be the one who’s pulling the trigger, you want to make sure that your action is really necessary. The less wiggle room it is possible to give a prosecutor to show that you acted angrily or irrationally, the less chance there will be that you end up in court defending your actions.

Or download our free 29-page report which discusses how to legally carry firearms (almost) anywhere, anytime: Stick To Your Guns
Sadly, there are some who never fully think this through. They managed to receive their concealed carry license because they felt they needed it. Nevertheless, they don’t practice and they do not really think about what it will mean to actually use their gun from self-defense.

Even when trying your best to avoid a violent situation, you can end up in one notwithstanding. A classic example is someone getting mad in a pub or night club. Take some guy catching you looking at his girlfriend for an example. If he is the violent kind or has been drinking a lot, he can decide to face you for this imagined slight. What should you do?

First off, if you are keeping your situational awareness, then you need to have a pretty good idea that something is going to happen. Once you’ve got a feel for this, you want to make an important choice. Do you stay and see it out or do you leave before it can happen? Most of us would stay when in fact we should leave before anything could escalate.
When it comes to smart self explanatory, you will need to make sure that your action is really necessary before you pull the trigger.

But when it’s clear that you must use your gun, do not hesitate to do so. At least, don’t hesitate no more than tactically necessary. Bear in mind, provided that you conceal your gun, you have the element of surprise on your side. Consequently, don’t draw until you’re ready. If you can, take the time to move into a fantastic strategic position where you have cover and the bad guys are flanked before drawing.
Granted, if you leave a shop or restaurant each time you think something is very likely to go down, you are going to be leaving for nothing the vast majority of the time. But that’s okay since you’re accomplishing your goal and protecting your family. You can always go back after it is clear it is safe.
Before drawing a gun, it makes sense to try preventing a situation altogether. While that is not always possible, there are plenty of situations which may be avoided by simply not going where violence is occurring or by leaving when it seems like something is going to go down.
The same can be said for many other potentially dangerous situations, such as being in a poor area of town. Unless you have a valid reason to be there, why go? Find someplace else to buy what you need or another route to take so you can avoid problems. Don’t put yourself unnecessarily in danger.

Please note that we are NOT the original writers of this blog post. All credit goes to the original writers. Find the original post as published at this link: http://yourwarriorsedge.com/warrior-wisdom/complete-ones-duties-within-day/

Writing this, I couldn’t help but think of one of my favorite film series. “There’s no tomorrow!”
– Daidoji Yuzan
“Complete One’s Duties Within The Day: One Second Ahead Is Uncertain.”

The post Entire One’s Duties Within The Day appeared on .
In this essay, Daidoji Yuzan wrote,”For a warrior serving a lord, there is a primary understanding concerning the implementation of his daily responsibilities, as hard and unending as they are. Specifically speaking, it’s the important fix to do one’s responsibilities within the day allotted, rather than thinking that one will have unlimited time in the long run. The reason for this is that, for the guys in this uncertain world, neither high nor low have the ability to tell what tomorrow may bring.”

This comes from Budoshoshinshu: The Warrior’s Primer of Daidoji Yuzan. The Budoshoshinshu is a collection of essays that Daidoji Yuzan (1639-1730) composed before he died attempting to illustrate the true meaning of what it meant to be a member of the warrior class and the paradox of that class’ existence during times of peace. While I have many different copies of the on my shelves, I’m using the translation by William Scott Wilson for this.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BTeWyRTF60]

This lesson is as important today as it was when written centuries ago in Japan. We’ve got goals, we’ve got lists, and we have schedules and expectations. But none of us knows for sure that we’ll also wake up tomorrow morning, or that some unforeseen event, local, or international, won’t change everything.

We don’t know what’s going to happen, so it’s important that we focus on important tasks and accomplish our duties now, and not put them off to the future. This was the way of the warrior that Daidoji Yuzan wrote about, and it ought to be the way of those who live with the warrior’s edge today.