by Bradley J. Steiner
The field of self-defense attracts an awful lot of, shall I say, “unusual” and “strange” types. While this is true of just about every field of endeavor, it can have serious consequences – undesirable consequences – for people who want to learn self-defense and combat skills for use in emergencies they hope never arise.
One of the hallmarks of garbage in this field is complexity.
For example, I remember very well how much time and energy I foolishly wasted as a youngster when, studying Ju-Jutsu, we were taught many defenses against the wrist, arm, and clothing grabs. These were deemed necessary by the “sensei,” and one never questioned this authority figure because… hmmm… to tell you the truth, I don’t know. For some idiotic reason, the mystique of the martial arts places too many who should be asked plenty of questions about that which they teach on a kind of pedestal. These “anointed ones” apparently are to be regarded – like the Pope – as infallible!
Bullshit.
I welcome questions and encourage them. So does Mark Bryans. And here I will say something about that which I will not tolerate…. and no teacher should. That is, not being asked questions; but being questioned, per se.
Do your due diligence before you enroll with a teacher. But, once enrolled, do not skeptically whine and snivel about everything he advocates and instructs you in. If you are not confident in your teacher, he shouldn’t be your teacher! Legitimate questions are another story. You should feel 100% comfortable about asking for clarification or explanations concerning the mechanics and effects of techniques, and anything and everything that pertains to your acquiring expertise in that which you are being taught.
What all good teachers in the field of close combat and self-defense know and will emphasize is that simplicity is a great virtue, and they will characterize all you are taught to the exact extent that what you are being taught is reliable and practical.
Going back to the curriculum I was subjected to in Ju-Jutsu. A very logical question is, “Why is it necessary to learn dozens of techniques against the simplest and most obvious of aggressive gestures?”
The answer is, of course, it is not necessary (even if some teachers believe it is). “They are needed because those simple attacks are very common,” might be one reason they believe it. Or, “Those techniques make it easy to master the many wrist and arm articulations and manipulations, and also the throws, that you need to master.”
For the sake of pure art, and forgetting about practicality, I can accept those answers. For realism and reliable countering of actual criminal violence, I will tell you those answers are hogwash, pure and simple.
If certain attacks are very common, then the fewest possible counterattacks should be thoroughly developed, and they should be simple, very basic yet destructively decisive actions. Learning 40 ways to stop some lout who seizes you by the wrist, arm, or clothing is absurd. Simple, fast kicks and chops and heel-of-hand or other damaging blows to vital targets will quickly eliminate the unskilled hold. In a one-hour private lesson, I could teach anyone the fundamental concepts and some very reliable techniques for handling grabs and simple holds against the limbs or on one’s clothing.
Remember this, please: no wrist or arm grab or lapel/collar/clothing seizure needs to be broken – or even seriously dealt with, per se. It is that which the scumbag who has grabbed you will then proceed to do to you, following his acquisition of the grip(s), which is the real attack.
The very second such a seizure is employed against you by a hostile, violent offender, STRIKE BACK! Knee or kick him in the testicles, stomp-kick his knee; or if he has grabbed only one limb (or sleeve), chop him across the side of his neck, bridge of his nose, or the point below his nose (the philtrum). Or ram your extended fingers into his eyes, slam the heel of your hand into his nose, butt him in the face with your forehead. Growl and shout and grimace as you attack. If you react immediately, the hold will be gone, the attacker will be shocked, and you will have either dropped the dirtbag to the ground or set the stage where a few more well-placed attacking actions will easily achieve that end.
Never, ever hesitate, wait, try to reason before you act, or otherwise impose any obstacle whatsoever in front of your IMMEDIATE retaliatory attack – once a hand is raised against you. Ever! The time to strike mightily to avoid violence is before a hand is raised against you. Once subject to violence, ATTACK! And keep on attacking until you are safe.
In American Combato, we teach specific actions and encourage hard and persistent drilling in them to train the motor nerves and embed quality techniques in the motor-memory. But this article’s purpose is to quickly impart some useful, fundamental concepts and tactics that will work well if you lack formal training. You can improvise. Use the actions we’ve explained in your own way. If you want thorough training in close combat, you can order my DVD course. But, if you’re not interested in that, okay. Just absorb the fundamental concepts and avoid being sidetracked by inferior approaches that can get you maimed or killed if you attempt to use them.
The individual who will work at minimum develop a powerful, fast front and side kick; the open hand chopping attack; the heel-of-hand chin jab blow; fingertips thrusting to the eyes; and a fast, powerful knee to both the testicles and the face (when an opponent is doubled over) will have a decent selection of natural weapons and their use (which is always simple and direct) for an emergency.
You can see these techniques demonstrated on my YouTube channel “American Combato” and by following Prof. Bryans’ instructions. You won’t become highly skilled, and I tell you honestly that there will be types of attacks and predicaments with which that limited array of skills will not adequately prepare you for. But you’ll have something. And I will tell you very sincerely if I had known this and had developed the actions I just described (which could have been done within a week or two of practice), I would have been better equipped to defend myself back then than I was after six or more months of Ju-Jutsu!
Simplicity is the key. Look for the quickest and most damaging way to solve a self-defense problem. Nevermind the spectacular and the acrobatic. If you’ve got to be under 50, in great shape, and limbered up and dressed in a training uniform and working with a cooperative partner in a cleared, safe, matted area for the skills to work… FORGET THEM!
Simplicity applies to your mindset as well.
What – REALLY – does your mindset have to be to prepare you to defend yourself against a dangerous criminal attacker? This may be resented by some, and it surely is politically incorrect. But it is as true as true can be:
You need to be able to shift instantly from a peaceful, “normal,” passive state of civilized conduct to a state of furious, vicious, merciless violent aggression.
You need to reduce to the barest minimum of a fraction of a second the time it requires for you to go violently and determinedly after your attacker with fierce and very damaging actions. No hesitation. No reluctance to do harm. No concern about “making him angry” or “hurting him too badly,” etc. And no worrying about being hurt. You will be hurt in any violent attack by any dangerous violent offender. Accept it. Forget it. Concentrate on attacking him!
To paraphrase one of America’s greatest generals in WWII, George Patton: “Don’t worry about the violent offender hurting you. Let the goddamn scumbag worry about you hurting him!”
Neither I nor anyone else can guarantee you victory in any self-defense emergency. To do so is to confess the fraudulence of one’s knowledge of violent combat and the realities of self-defense. However, I am certainly able to convey to you the simple truth about what does and does not work, and encourage you to accept and, if necessary, use with all of your might your will and the simple, effective actions that do.
In Memoriam: our beloved friend, Bradley J. Steiner, passed on December 5, 2020.
In his legacy, we are fighting the “Brad Steiner fight” – the good fight. The fight for each person to be the person they want to be and to protect themselves when their lives are being viciously threatened by enemies of Freedom, Peace, and Justice.
