Category: Self-Defense

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.usconcealedcarry.com/blog/seatbelts-cars-and-firearms-firearms-training-beyond-the-norm/

For some of that training, Jacob and co-host Riley Bowman have created a DVD and digital video lessons on vehicle self-defense. Vehicle Firearm Tactics covers approximately two hours of discussions, investigations and demonstrations concerning firearms-related defense in, around and even into a vehicle. The eye-opening information presents both important questions and possible answers for how to carry and draw your firearm, how to guard against an attack and how to pick the best course of action depending on where you are, where the attacker is and whether or not loved ones — or others — are involved.

Don’t Limit Your Own Firearms Training

Being in or around a vehicle during an attack may be a position that is stressful and frightening. And no matter how long we spend driving, it’s likely that most of us have not had the chance to do this kind of training on the range… and may not have the opportunity. Whatever the case, Jacob and Riley have created an excellent collection of tips, strategies and techniques that could potentially save lives.

An Alternative for Accessing Your Firearm

Writer of Ladies ’s Handgun & Self-Defense Fundamentals, associate editor of Concealed Carry Magazine and inventor of the Pacifiers & Peacemakers column, Beth Alcazar has appreciated almost two decades of teaching and working in the firearms industry.  She holds degrees in language arts, education and communication management and uses her expertise and enthusiasm to share safe and responsible firearms ownership and use with others. She is also a Certified Instructor through SIG Sauer Academy, ALICE Institute, DRAW School, TWAW and I.C.E. Training and is a USCCA Certified Instructor and Senior Training Counselor.

About Beth Alcazar

Vehicle Firearm Tactics delivers a solid and clear demonstration of tactics that you can never have considered before (such as”punching” out a hole in the windshield first and then shooting following shots throughout the spot to receive effective hits on the threat). Jacob and Riley also play out some MythBusters-type experiments to see how the windshield glass affects trajectory. And they experiment with whether full metal jacket bullets or hollow-points perform differently through the glass or through the vehicle body. I also appreciated that beneficial priorities are presented by the course. These priorities mirror our USCCA instructions shield, escape and to avoid. However, Riley and Jacob also transpose these three theories of being in a vehicle, to the conditions. So you are able to remember the options and methods for using the vehicle to create an escape, using the automobile as a weapon, bailing out of the automobile to get away or to defend yourself, or fighting from within the car.
I had the opportunity to spend some time speaking with Jacob Paulson, the founder and president of ConcealedCarry.com, on The Concealed Carry Podcast a few weeks ago. We were talking about proper procedures and strategies for off-body carry. From that, an interesting topic came up about effective ways for concealed carriers to get out of a seatbelt in order to have more effective use of both arms and hands in a self-defense event.
The article Seatbelts, Vehicles and Firearms: Firearms Training Beyond the Norm appeared first on USCCA.

Instead of going across the belt to release it (like most of the populace probably does nearly all the time), Jacob said that he was practicing going under the belt. In this manner, his left arm would not get caught up or up. Not only does that allow for more freedom of movement and movement, which is great, it’s also fantastic if there were ever a need to access your firearm for self-defense.
The somewhat arbitrary seatbelt topic definitely got me thinking about how much time I spend in my 4Runner — running errands, chauffeuring children, forcing to speaking events or training activities, or just sitting in traffic. According to research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, over the course of a year, Americans collectively spend 70 billion hours behind the wheel and drive an average of 11,498 miles (the equivalent of making 2 roundtrip drives from San Francisco to Washington, D.C.). I might not be in my car quite that much, but the seatbelt conundrum remains something I need to consider, try and practice. But that’s the interesting thing about firearms training: The scope is very, very wide! And firearms training shouldn’t just be restricted to a traditional square range with plain, paper targets. It’s important that we have the correct mindset, and it’s very beneficial to prepare mentally by thinking through possible scenarios and results. But if we can physically train more realistically — with motion and even with vehicles — we might be able to better prepare ourselves for the chance encounters that might happen throughout our everyday lives.

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/the-costs-of-domestic-violence.html

Violence rolls all: “. . .the energy of violence moves through our civilization. Some experience it as a breeze that is disagreeable although light, easy to tolerate. Others are ruined by it, as if by a hurricane. But nobody – nobody – is untouched.”  (1)

Even if your own life experience has been free of violence, you want to recognize that violence is still a very real part of your life. Not only in the media, not just through your relationships with people you may know who have experienced violence, but as a taxpayer: 

“Many sexually and emotionally abused women in Canada suffer from multiple physical health issues directly related to intimate violence. Women harmed by such violence seek medical care more frequently than do non-victimized girls, to such a a degree that in Canada the measurable health-related economic cost of violence against women is roughly $1,539,730,387 per year.”  (2)


Think about the amount of work that goes into looking for medical attention for domestic violence: 

Click to see larger image

If You Reside in the U.S., the prices are considerably higher. As the picture to the right shows. This is a drain on taxpayer money, which could, of course, be spent on things that are so many better and might improve our nations in myriad ways. That is also why it is so imperative to focus on prevention. As women, it’s not just important to learn self-defense, but to learn how to read the red flags on your spouse , and to have sufficient confidence in yourself and your self-worth into walk away from any relationship where your partner doesn’t treat you how (s)he should. 


However, there are costs beyond the actual financial drain on our economy. The fact is that girls who are abused are also at a higher rate of being killed by their spouses .   There are pregnancy/loss of an current pregnancy, suicide attempts gastrointestinal problems, cardiovascular disease, substance abuse other long-term physical health effects of misuse, and a wide-range of issues among other problems. 

Although domestic violence can be a politically divisive issue, it really is important for everyone to understand that it affects everybody . The goal must be to keep healthcare costs down by focusing on prevention for women, but on better education for men. 

People, no one should ever touch anyone. If you’re dating it’s time to find a partner that respects you enough to deal with you appropriately, and who is better at communication. 


(1) deBecker, Gavin.
(2) DeKeseredy, Walter. Violence Against Women: Myths, Facts, Controversies, Toronto: UofT Press, p. 95.

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://www.functionalselfdefense.org/blog/dont-miss-this/

The reason why Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners were and generally still have the ability to slaughter Japanese Jiu Jitsu practitioners is because they use part of what exists at the Covered Blast – “place then entry ”. 
Of all the emails I get from readers and readers, almost none of them mention the most valuable and useful material I have: the Covered Blast, the Fundamental Five, and the 4 Measure Matrix.

These default responses give you solid solutions to a broad range of attacks.  They don’t ask you to match specific defenses to certain attacks.  They work without thought.  And you don’t need to use the techniques that I use.  I advise that you do.  But if you train another system you are likely to find techniques out of your system that you can use in their location.  The key is to get default answers for each of the different situations, and to make sure that the default responses incorporate the principle of the Covered Blast.  Having solid default responses is the difference between taking out your opponent when freezing and threatened under pressure as you weren’t sure what to do.

Don’t do this!

The Fundamental Five

The Fundamental Five is the application of the Covered Blast in 5 different scenarios.  It provides practitioners with 5 default answers that are geared to real world physical self defense scenarios.  If you are threatened and cannot escape you can hit-and-run or burst the opponent until he’s no longer a threat.  If your opponent attacks first with strikes, crash for to a superior position and take him out. 
If you truly want to maximize your physical self defense skills there is some great information on this site which will help you do just that.  However, you missed it.  And when you have seen it, you probably didn’t realized how precious it is.
For those of you that did realize how valuable it is, please take this opportunity to take a peek at just how well you’re incorporating it in your training.
The Covered Blast, Fundamental Five, and 4 Measure Matrix are concepts/strategies.  When I teach people in person and demonstrate these concepts, students immediately see how precious they are.  But on the web and in print, where I will ’t demonstrate these concepts *on* readers, it’s too easy to forget about the concepts and only pay attention to the techniques I’m using.  The techniques are easier to see, so people miss the concepts that are being applied.

The 4 Measure Matrix works with any weapon and against any weapon, and because it’s the application of the Covered Blast it ensures that you are able to continuously attack your opponent from a superior position while he is unable to do anything but try to block your attacks – at best.
These concepts will be more beneficial to you than any techniques I demonstrate, in the event you really think about them and work on applying them to your practice.  As soon as you’ve got a solid technical base, they’ll allow you to beat opponents that are much bigger, stronger, and faster than you.  They’ll permit you to do more with less.
It doesn’Regardless of what martial art(s) you practice.  These are strategies that anyone can apply, and if you apply them properly you’ll win every time.  I ll write that.  These are strategies that anyone can use, and if you apply them correctly you’ll win every time.  Use them!!!
And there is sufficient material on this website to get the gist of it if you watch the movie and click through the links on this page: http://www.functionalselfdefense.org/techniques/

The post Don’t Miss This! Appeared on Functional Self Defense.
Please let me know in the comments below why you think people may not be seeing the value in these concepts.  When you have any questions or comments regarding them, please ask in the comments below and I’ll be pleased to answer them.

The Covered Blast is a strategy that maximizes your options while minimizing your competitor ’s options.  It allows you to continuously attack your opponent without taking damage yourself.  It offers you a way to combine offense and defense, space, position, and timing so that your opponent doesn’t have a opportunity.  I won’t go into the strategic and technical details here since I already have a page with information, pictures, and illustrations, but have a look at my page on it: http://www.functionalselfdefense.org/covered-blast
You’re here, so make sure you apply it to your practice!

But if you recognize how to start from a superior position and how to maintain that position during the fight, your opponent will always be playing catch up, at best.  That’s what the Covered Blast is all about.  It is by far the on my site.
The 4 Step Matrix is the program of the Covered Blast for self defense with weapons.  In my next book, The Ultimate Guide to Weapon Use and Defense, there are 84 pages on it.  And here on my site there’s a comprehensive page on it with pictures and video: http://www.functionalselfdefense.org/weapons/4-step-matrix
When two people fight with only techniques and no meta strategy, the struggle is won by whoever happens to score , or whoever happens to get more techniques in against their opponent.  This is a recipe for disaster, especially if you’re smaller and weaker than your competitor.

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://www.functionalselfdefense.org/blog/cool-moves/

Then it was time for the second round, where we can add kicks, knees, elbows, and clinch. His boxing skills seemed to instantly disappear. In the second round, he couldn’t touch me, and I could hit him at will.
When he tried to include kicking and kicking defense, he was too busy thinking to respond in real time. When I tried to add his evasive movements and particular covers, I had been too slow to make them work.

We both happened to have a rest at exactly the same time, and he complimented me on what I was doing. There was a boxing ring next to us, and I told him, “Well, I wouldn’t want to get in the ring with you! ” He replied, “I wouldn’t need to get in the ring with you! ” We talked a bit more, and figured the best thing for us would be to get in the ring for a little sparring, and to share our knowledge.
The difficulty here, especially for a beginner, is knowing which techniques are high percent and which are not. If my partner and I coached this elusive movement more, I’m convinced we’d be able to make it work. Looking at a favorable result though, understanding how it would work and where it would place a practitioner if it did work, I think there are better choices in most self defense situations. There are likely exceptions. However, with limited training time I lean towards focusing most on techniques and training methods that we know are high percent for self defense. What techniques are these? My website and books are full of them.
The next time I met with my training partner for practice, we began drilling these new boxing moves. After drilling them for more than one hour, it was time to test them in light sparring. A couple of the techniques worked well, but the one which I thought was the coolest, an evasive technique that combined footwork, body/head motion, and switching leads, didn’t work at all for us. We had been too slow, and hadn’t trained it enough. Additionally, in contrast to our standard high proportion substance, even the new methods that worked didn’t work as well as what we normally used.

With all the coaching and teaching I’ve completed in functional self defense, I found myself viewing cool moves and temporarily switching my focus to them. But we will need to understand when to continue and when to switch course, otherwise we might get stuck going down a path that isn’t ideal for us.
In the first round we limited our light sparring to boxing just. I felt like a 6 year old sparring with an adult competitive boxer. He managed to evade, parry, or pay every punch I threw, and to counter my attacks with awesome counterpunching skill. He gave me a few pointers, and showed me the mechanics of some of his footwork and evasive motion.

However, if we would rather train a mixture of techniques that are as effective and efficient as possible for self defense, then it probably doesn’t. Could these new methods work in self defense? Definitely. But are there higher percentage techniques/movements? I believe so.

High Percentage Techniques

I showed him how he could easily add a few kicks to his toolbox, how he could use knees and elbows in the clinch, how he could defend against kicks and clinch entrances, and so on. With his ability in footwork and movement, I guessed it would be easy for him to immediately apply that stuff. And I’m sure he figured it would be easy for me to apply his footwork and evasive motion.

If you’re training toward a target (a boxing fight, a karate kata competition, self defense proficiency, etc.), the techniques you should train most are the techniques which have the highest percent likelihood of achieving your goal. There’s an important difference between what is possible and what is probable. Many moves from other systems might seem and feel cool to do, but unless your goal is to look cool, your time will be better spent on your own high percentage moves.
Cool Moves

The article Cool Moves appeared first on Functional Self Defense.

Recently I was exercising at a gym, hitting a heavy bag. A bit into my workout another man started hitting the heavy bag next to me. He was obviously a very skilled fighter, and his technique was wonderful. Standard boxing is the first thing I teach from the MMA Base, to get practitioners accustomed to space, position, timing, throwing punches, getting punched at, and so on. But I’m no professional fighter. So this guy next to me was moving and hitting the bag in a manner that I’m not able to. He’d very cool moves.

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/2014/02/the-wrong-question.html

You can’t get the perfect answer from the wrong question. That statement was heard by me from Rory Miller.

Concerning a self-defense discussion, the wrong question generally beings as”I want to learn some moves”, or”please show us some moves”.

This question inevitably contributes to the Self-Defense Instructor demonstrating a technique to be execute into a particular situation. The problem is that the Instructor is demonstrating the”move” which he or she would use, not a move that most other people could emulate without bodily, emotional, and spiritual practice, the judgment of if the”move” is suitable for the situation, and the successive actions necessary in case that the first”move” fails.

The Instructor, by the very nature of their training and choice of self-defense profession isn’t comparable physically, mentally, and emotionally to the majority of the people seeking”moves’. Thus, the question should seem more like”Given my present lack of physical training and ability, my inhibitions from social conditioning, my mentally fearful state, and my lack of clarity regarding what would be actually happening, and my unwillingness to devote much time, energy, and resources to self-defense research, what is something I could reliable do in this [described] scenario?”

No longer is the quality of the answer dependent upon the Instructor’s own ability to execute. It is about the Student actually being able to perform the suggested”move” at a real life situation. The Instructor is currently judged on how well the Student could perform the proposed’move” regardless of the Instructor’s personal ability. The determining factor is the Student’s odds of success, not the likelihood of Instructor of success.

The problem with this more involved question is that the Student does not wish to be informed of their limitations. He or she is miserable to settle for a”movement” that’s so basic in nature it can not even be described as a”move”.

For many beginning students with the limitations of mind, body, and spirit as noted above, the best”move” if physically attacked in an asocial predatory situation is to make as much noise as possible and move away from the attacker as best they can.” Given the classic”victim” is silent and frozen in fear, loudly moving isn’t a classic”victim response”.

This”move” isn’t what the Student is searching for because the Student is asking the wrong question. A more appropriate question is to ask”Given my current mental, physical, and emotional abilities and limitations, what can I actively do to discourage being assaulted in the first place?” This question does not get asked because most people feel that self-defense begins with the assault, not nicely before it.

There’s absolutely no sexiness and glory in deterrence. But knowing deterrence is a prerequisite to understanding what to do if deterrence is not enough.

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://www.functionalselfdefense.org/blog/how-to-get-in-the-zone-wake-up/

Hold on to this heart conscious awareness. Here you’ll see the arising of thoughts but be unaffected by them. Every feeling, what you see, hear, feel, and some other thoughts that arise, will be one in the exact same – consciousness or energy in the current flow. You will be in the zone, awake. Attempt to maintain it even as you get up from the meditation spot. Try to keep it longer and longer, and more often.

From the core consciousness you will perceive the arising of thoughts. On this level the perception of a thought arising will be no different to you from the perception of the sound of a bird chirping. The perception of a thought arising, no matter the contents of the thought, won’t affect or alter your core consciousness.
Being fully aware at the present flow, conscious from the level of your heart consciousness, there’s a profound freedom – freedom from the past, the future, the constraints of your thoughts and ideas – and a profound perception of perfection and satisfaction. The experience is like waking from a dream. Every sight, sound, and feeling becomes clearer. On observation and reflection, deep and numerous insights can be realized.
How long this state lasts and how frequently you access it largely determines how much it affects your life. The longer and more often you wake up, the more it rewires your brain, the more insights you’ll be able to realize, resulting in deeper places, and the more quickly and easily you can do it at will.
This is the goal.  You may have the ability to skip steps 1 and 2 and go straight for this step.  In my own practice, I start here now.  If this doesn’t make sense to you, after practicing steps 1 and 2 for a while, it should begin to make sense.
The more you do it, the longer it will last, and the nearer your everyday mind will be to it. You’ll be able to notice when a negative or unproductive thought arises, quickly go to your heart degree of consciousness, and clear your mind of this negativity.

What Is Waking Up?

I’ve practiced different types of meditation since 1992, but I’m really not a meditation instructor.  I did teach a basic form of meditation which I learned from my first instructor to many of my pupils, for 10 years or so, aimed at developing concentration for martial arts/self defense practice, and although that practice had a deep and profound impact on me, I do not have the experience of efficiently guiding practitioners there.

The post How to Get In The Zone appeared first on Functional Self Defense.
1. My preference would be to use a zafu cushion and sit on the floor, cross-legged. You can shut your eyes or leave them open. Lots of people prefer to close their eyes. I prefer to keep mine open and fixed on a stage in front of me.  Take a couple of breaths to relax, and then only observe your breathing. Celebrate the inhalation, and observe the exhalation. Ideas will disrupt your observation. When you realize you’ve become lost in thought, return your monitoring to the present flow of your breathing. Do this for a while.
In our ordinary consciousness we believe we are identical to our own ideas. There’s a fundamental lack of liberty in this, not to mention emotional instability.

If you take the time and effort to do this, you can maximize your performance in everything you do. You can realize a liberating freedom, unchained from your past and out of the constraints of thinking and conceptions. You can literally wake up from the dream-like state that the huge majority of individuals live in. I strongly recommend it.
The name Buddha means “one who is awake”, and refers to this ideal. For meditators, life is your performance, and the goal is to awaken and maintain the experience throughout life.

The steps I have described were favorably influenced by a Sam Harris podcast with Joseph Goldstein, and Harris’ book, Waking Up. The thought that had the biggest impact on both my practice and my capacity to describe it had been said by Sam Harris as an idea from Dzogchen: “The aim is the route . ”

3. Here is the somewhat tricky/subtle part – Turn your attention inward and search for what it is that’s observing your body, breath, and everything externally. In this looking, you’ll see nothing there but your heart consciousness in the present flow.
The ability to “wake up” or maintain the zone at will is more valuable than anything else you may achieve. It is the doorway not just to optimum performance, but much more importantly, to a profound sense of happiness and satisfaction in life where stress, sadness, anger, and pain cannot touch you – liberation and freedom. There’s nothing better.

To be fully aware in the present flow cannot happen on the level of your thinking mind. It can only occur on the amount of your core consciousness.

Disclaimer

This condition of being in the zone is the identical state that meditators work to discover, maintain, observe, and gain insight from – a state of core consciousness and consciousness, unobstructed by notions and conceptions.

How Long Does It Last?

How Do You Exercise?

My current sitting meditation practice is fairly simple, but it does take time and effort – time and effort really well spent. I’m not a meditation instructor, but I can tell you what works well for me.
Great actors of all kinds, from athletes to artists, have experienced being from the zone. It is the perfect state for functionality, where the actress and performance are one, unobstructed by conscious thought.
Many performers assume that this state of mind is a random byproduct of this action of performing, not realizing it is simply a state of mind that with practice can be easily accessible.

Establishing a Practice

We do not exist in the past. We do not exist in the future. We only exist in the present flow. There is only the current flow. It is the only area where we really exist.
These two steps alone will do a great deal to stop your thought patterns, reduce anxiety, and improve your physical health.

Thus, your heart consciousness, perceptions, feelings, and emotions aren’t affected or influenced by your thoughts or ideas.
2. Expand your awareness/observation to your whole body. Your breath is part of your body consciousness, and you can use it to keep you in the flow of the present. Do this for some time.

The ultimate goal for a number of meditators is to wake up permanently, the brain state of what is possibly only a mythical Buddha. I am open to the possibility, but I have serious doubts as to if waking up indefinitely is achievable. If it’s, to rewire your mind so completely it would likely require living isolated and meditating continuously for the majority of your life. But there is a spectrum, from one unrealized experience of being in the zone that does nothing to change your life, to a fully enlightened Buddha.
I’ve tried to write about this a number of times over the years without sounding either crazy, unintelligible, or pointless. Today I believe I may have found the words to make intellectual sense.
This waking up practice gives you the ability to be alive and happy on a level that many people, sleepwalking through life or riding on the waves of their unconscious thoughts, can hardly imagine. Again, it’s literally like waking from a dream.
This idea is that there’s not a route where the goal is only found at the end of the path. It simply involves looking in the right place in the right way. The path to the final goal, a full and permanent awakening, or at least an extension of this time that we’re awake, is to simply continue to the experience of waking up. The goal is the path.