Thursday, May 29, 2008
Why you should bring a knife to a gun fight 2
Here's a classic video from Paul Vunak on the reality of knife training.
Why you should bring a gun to a knife fight
Knife Wound Pictures
Take a look at these pictures. They're graphic images of what happens if you get cut.
Just a heads up for you if you train knife defense. Take a good look at your training. You can get sliced to ribbons in about 2 seconds.
Take a look at these pictures. They're graphic images of what happens if you get cut.
Just a heads up for you if you train knife defense. Take a good look at your training. You can get sliced to ribbons in about 2 seconds.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Cop gets beat down in street fight
This video shows how easy it is to get caught up in the give and take blow for blow, nature of some street fights. Notice when the cop is bent over. At this point we can assume he's taken some bad blows to the head and is seeing stars.
One nice thing about being a civilian is that there is a little more legal leeway when we take a cracked out scumbag like this and walk through his knee cap and stomp his head.
The cop got beat pretty bad. Props to him for hanging in there and props to the people who finally stepped in.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Multiple Attackers
The classic clip of Mike V taking on four jocks. Who knows if it's real or not. There have been reports that this guy picks fights with random people when there's a camera around.
Assuming that it's real, look at the shock on the "jocks" faces. Priceless. Just priceless. Even though these guys combined probably weigh less than he does, it always brightens my day to watch this clip.
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.EndTheFightNow.com
Monday, May 19, 2008
Combat Stress
What is combat stress?
“Combat Stress is the mental, emotional of physical tension, strain, or distress resulting from exposure to combat and combat-related conditions”
From Army FM 6-22.5 Combat Stress
Combat Stress Reaction is what we are concerned with. It’s almost impossible to change your emotional response during a life or death confrontation. This is ok because our physical response to stress is what will affect our performance during combat.
A list of common physical responses to combat stress
Trembling
Jumpiness
Cold Sweats
Dry Mouth
Pounding Heart
Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea
“Tunnel Vision”
Temporary paralysis and indecision
Weakness caused by adrenal fatigue
Incontinence
Ostrich Syndrome (where your mind resorts to escapism and mind displacement in an attempt to “pretend that you aren’t there” instead of addressing the situation, like an ostrich that sticks its head in the dirt. The physical manifestation would be turning your head from an attacker as he throws a barrage of punches, or hyper focusing your vision on something small to divert your attention from the task at hand. For example when post shooting survivors report being able to recall nothing but seeing the notches on their front gun site)
Sign up for the free no BS hand to hand combat newsletter at www.endthefightnow.com
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.EndTheFightNow.com
“Combat Stress is the mental, emotional of physical tension, strain, or distress resulting from exposure to combat and combat-related conditions”
From Army FM 6-22.5 Combat Stress
Combat Stress Reaction is what we are concerned with. It’s almost impossible to change your emotional response during a life or death confrontation. This is ok because our physical response to stress is what will affect our performance during combat.
A list of common physical responses to combat stress
Trembling
Jumpiness
Cold Sweats
Dry Mouth
Pounding Heart
Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea
“Tunnel Vision”
Temporary paralysis and indecision
Weakness caused by adrenal fatigue
Incontinence
Ostrich Syndrome (where your mind resorts to escapism and mind displacement in an attempt to “pretend that you aren’t there” instead of addressing the situation, like an ostrich that sticks its head in the dirt. The physical manifestation would be turning your head from an attacker as he throws a barrage of punches, or hyper focusing your vision on something small to divert your attention from the task at hand. For example when post shooting survivors report being able to recall nothing but seeing the notches on their front gun site)
Sign up for the free no BS hand to hand combat newsletter at www.endthefightnow.com
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.EndTheFightNow.com
I recently read the book Flow by Mihali Csikszentmihalyi (good luck figuring that name out.) I couldn't help but notice the applications that the principles in this book have in everyday life as well as training. In his book Mihali's talks about this flow state that we can acquire when we become engulfed in what it is that we are doing.
For example a chess player who is so in the moment while playing that everything around him seems to disappear and he can maintain complete focus on the task at hand.
This can happen for us when we do an activity with the right blend of challenge and skill. For example let's look at our training.
In martial arts there is a term to describe a concept similar to flow called "Mushin" which means no-mindedness.
It's a state that masters supposedly enter when using a technique. These cases are actually common. They have no recollection of what happened after they where attacked. They pretty much, as one martial artist I know put it "wake up with some other guys blood on their shoes."
They say that it takes thousands of repetitions before we reach this flow or "Mushin" state. This is why martial artists train the same drills over and over.
"Why would you want to have "no mind" during a life or death struggle?"
Because when you enter a life or death struggle, you're pretty much going to have "no mind" anyway when your fight or flight responses take over. All you'll have left is your natural instincts. Anything that isn't a conditioned response or a reflex will be too slow to be effective.
"How do we apply this to combat training?"
1. Drills
This is why martial artists and boxers do so many drills. They are training to condition their responses to be good ones through repetition. This is why in EFN rather than moves and technique, we like to focus on drills. Drills make the movements automatic and put us into the state of flow during training. If you want a great book on developing this flow through drills look at the book Attackproof.
2. Practice moves in combination
Chaining together techniques conditions your body to keep moving and to as we say in EFN help you to "drive through."
3. Train simple techniques
For everything an attacker throws at you, there are nine million ways you can defend yourself. Why train all nine million when you can train one or two variations that work in many situations and drill on them hard. This will allow you to achieve a state of no mind much faster with a certain technique.
4. Get hit
Put on the pads with someone who knows what they're doing. This will teach you flow. After the 5th or 6th boot to the head you'll realize that the moves are coming at you too fast to think. You'll only have conditioned responses to depend on. Granted this doesn't compare to the "adrenaline dump" you get with a life or death confrontation, it helps force your brain to work on a faster level than conscious thought.
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.endthefightnow.com
For example a chess player who is so in the moment while playing that everything around him seems to disappear and he can maintain complete focus on the task at hand.
This can happen for us when we do an activity with the right blend of challenge and skill. For example let's look at our training.
In martial arts there is a term to describe a concept similar to flow called "Mushin" which means no-mindedness.
It's a state that masters supposedly enter when using a technique. These cases are actually common. They have no recollection of what happened after they where attacked. They pretty much, as one martial artist I know put it "wake up with some other guys blood on their shoes."
They say that it takes thousands of repetitions before we reach this flow or "Mushin" state. This is why martial artists train the same drills over and over.
"Why would you want to have "no mind" during a life or death struggle?"
Because when you enter a life or death struggle, you're pretty much going to have "no mind" anyway when your fight or flight responses take over. All you'll have left is your natural instincts. Anything that isn't a conditioned response or a reflex will be too slow to be effective.
"How do we apply this to combat training?"
1. Drills
This is why martial artists and boxers do so many drills. They are training to condition their responses to be good ones through repetition. This is why in EFN rather than moves and technique, we like to focus on drills. Drills make the movements automatic and put us into the state of flow during training. If you want a great book on developing this flow through drills look at the book Attackproof.
2. Practice moves in combination
Chaining together techniques conditions your body to keep moving and to as we say in EFN help you to "drive through."
3. Train simple techniques
For everything an attacker throws at you, there are nine million ways you can defend yourself. Why train all nine million when you can train one or two variations that work in many situations and drill on them hard. This will allow you to achieve a state of no mind much faster with a certain technique.
4. Get hit
Put on the pads with someone who knows what they're doing. This will teach you flow. After the 5th or 6th boot to the head you'll realize that the moves are coming at you too fast to think. You'll only have conditioned responses to depend on. Granted this doesn't compare to the "adrenaline dump" you get with a life or death confrontation, it helps force your brain to work on a faster level than conscious thought.
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.endthefightnow.com
Flowing from move to move
I recently read the book Flow by Mihali Csikszentmihalyi (good luck figuring that name out.) I couldn't help but notice the applications that the principles in this book have in everyday life as well as training. In his book Mihali's talks about this flow state that we can acquire when we become engulfed in what it is that we are doing.
For example a chess player who is so in the moment while playing that everything around him seems to disappear and he can maintain complete focus on the task at hand.
This can happen for us when we do an activity with the right blend of challenge and skill. For example let's look at our training.
In martial arts there is a term to describe a concept similar to flow called "Mushin" which means no-mindedness.
It's a state that masters supposedly enter when using a technique. These cases are actually common. They have no recollection of what happened after they where attacked. They pretty much, as one martial artist I know put it "wake up with some other guys blood on their shoes."
They say that it takes thousands of repetitions before we reach this flow or "Mushin" state. This is why martial artists train the same drills over and over.
"Why would you want to have "no mind" during a life or death struggle?"
Because when you enter a life or death struggle, you're pretty much going to have "no mind" anyway when your fight or flight responses take over. All you'll have left is your natural instincts. Anything that isn't a conditioned response or a reflex will be too slow to be effective.
"How do we apply this to combat training?"
1. Drills
This is why martial artists and boxers do so many drills. They are training to condition their responses to be good ones through repetition. This is why in EFN rather than moves and technique, we like to focus on drills. Drills make the movements automatic and put us into the state of flow during training. If you want a great book on developing this flow through drills look at the book Attackproof
2. Practice moves in combination
Chaining together techniques conditions your body to keep moving and to as we say in EFN help you to "drive through."
3. Train simple techniques
For everything an attacker throws at you, there are nine million ways you can defend yourself. Why train all nine million when you can train one or two variations that work in many situations and drill on them hard. This will allow you to achieve a state of no mind much faster with a certain technique.
4. Get hit
Put on the pads with someone who knows what they're doing. This will teach you flow. After the 5th or 6th boot to the head you'll realize that the moves are coming at you too fast to think. You'll only have conditioned responses to depend on. Granted this doesn't compare to the "adrenaline dump" you get with a life or death confrontation, it helps force your brain to work on a faster level than conscious thought.
For example a chess player who is so in the moment while playing that everything around him seems to disappear and he can maintain complete focus on the task at hand.
This can happen for us when we do an activity with the right blend of challenge and skill. For example let's look at our training.
In martial arts there is a term to describe a concept similar to flow called "Mushin" which means no-mindedness.
It's a state that masters supposedly enter when using a technique. These cases are actually common. They have no recollection of what happened after they where attacked. They pretty much, as one martial artist I know put it "wake up with some other guys blood on their shoes."
They say that it takes thousands of repetitions before we reach this flow or "Mushin" state. This is why martial artists train the same drills over and over.
"Why would you want to have "no mind" during a life or death struggle?"
Because when you enter a life or death struggle, you're pretty much going to have "no mind" anyway when your fight or flight responses take over. All you'll have left is your natural instincts. Anything that isn't a conditioned response or a reflex will be too slow to be effective.
"How do we apply this to combat training?"
1. Drills
This is why martial artists and boxers do so many drills. They are training to condition their responses to be good ones through repetition. This is why in EFN rather than moves and technique, we like to focus on drills. Drills make the movements automatic and put us into the state of flow during training. If you want a great book on developing this flow through drills look at the book Attackproof
2. Practice moves in combination
Chaining together techniques conditions your body to keep moving and to as we say in EFN help you to "drive through."
3. Train simple techniques
For everything an attacker throws at you, there are nine million ways you can defend yourself. Why train all nine million when you can train one or two variations that work in many situations and drill on them hard. This will allow you to achieve a state of no mind much faster with a certain technique.
4. Get hit
Put on the pads with someone who knows what they're doing. This will teach you flow. After the 5th or 6th boot to the head you'll realize that the moves are coming at you too fast to think. You'll only have conditioned responses to depend on. Granted this doesn't compare to the "adrenaline dump" you get with a life or death confrontation, it helps force your brain to work on a faster level than conscious thought.
http://nononsenseselfdefense.com/AreMASD.htm
A link to a great article on Martial Arts Vs Combat Reality from Marc "Animal" MacYoung
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.EndTheFightNow.com
Home of the free no BS combat newsletter
A link to a great article on Martial Arts Vs Combat Reality from Marc "Animal" MacYoung
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.EndTheFightNow.com
Home of the free no BS combat newsletter
Sunday, May 18, 2008
www.endthefightnow.com stopping any attack
Today well give you a move that you can use to stop almost any attack. This move is what we call a stop hit. As in a hit that actually stops an attackers forward momentum. Some moves seek to redirect an attackers force. Not this one. This one stops him where he stands and makes him pay for bum rushing you.
The stop hit we are talking is a basic front stomp kick. This is one of the simplest kicks you can learn. You basicly take a giant stomping step forward. The kick is aimed at the groin/hips but if you can connect with anything below his navel it should do the trick. You're going to walk right through this guys groin.
Here's how we apply this. Your would be attacker is still outside of range to throw a punch without moving forward. The second you see him move forward, your hands come up to protect your face as you drive your foot through his groin/hips. Then follow up with a highline attack such as an elbow, head butt, or forearm blast.
Striking the hips and groin area is a great way to destroy someones mobility and forward momentum. The same is true with attacking the knees. Your opponent will literally have to address this attack before moving forward which breaks his rythym and puts you on the offense.
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.endthefightnow.com
The stop hit we are talking is a basic front stomp kick. This is one of the simplest kicks you can learn. You basicly take a giant stomping step forward. The kick is aimed at the groin/hips but if you can connect with anything below his navel it should do the trick. You're going to walk right through this guys groin.
Here's how we apply this. Your would be attacker is still outside of range to throw a punch without moving forward. The second you see him move forward, your hands come up to protect your face as you drive your foot through his groin/hips. Then follow up with a highline attack such as an elbow, head butt, or forearm blast.
Striking the hips and groin area is a great way to destroy someones mobility and forward momentum. The same is true with attacking the knees. Your opponent will literally have to address this attack before moving forward which breaks his rythym and puts you on the offense.
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.endthefightnow.com
Heres a link to the video (audio really) floating around youtube. It covers a quick combat reality exercise and talks about how time distortion causes differences in how martial artists see a street fight going down. It's also why some people get beat down in a street fight.
www.endthefightnow.com\EFNvid1.avi
www.endthefightnow.com\EFNvid1.avi
Joint Wrenches part 2
Ok enough theory. Let's get to the technique…
Joint wrench #1
To get the starting position, grab your partner's right wrist with your right hand (You can also grab farther up like a wrestler's arm drag.) Your left hand goes just above that hand so that you now hold his arm like a baseball bat. Jerk his arm toward you and slightly down so that his arm is fully extended. You want to off balance him with this move as well as set up the arm.
As soon as you have the arm straitened drive FORWARD and PLOW into his arm with your left shoulder. Hit the arm just above the elbow. You are not circling him, you are blasting forward.
It is possible to hit this wrench against a knife wielding attacker if you already have both hands controlling the knife arm.
Joint wrench #2 (small joint wrench)
Grab your opponent's fingers bunched together and jerk down and toward you so that they bend backward. You can back pedal if you have to (if applicable) to compensate for him coming toward you. This downward jerk will snap one or two fingers. Continue to twist while controlling the arm. (Note: If the fingers come off you loose the control of the twisting motion. On the bright side they're yours to keep. Give them to friends and loved ones!)
The beauty of this move is that it's so easy and you can hit it from a ton of positions. You can do it any time you are able to grab his hand! (Always easier said than done of course)
Practice both of these carefully.
Now for some fun we can combine the two.
Joint wrench #1 and 2 combo
Use your finger control from wrench #2 on your opponent’s right hand to extend his arm. Your left hand can control his right forearm just like in lock #1. Then plow forward just like the first lock, wrenching his elbow with your shoulder. If you hold on to his arm tight with your left arm, you might even be able to keep the lock on his fingers with your other hand throughout the lock.
For training you can add another move like a takedown to head stomp finish.
Always be careful when training with a partner.
Keep reading the End The Fight Now newsletter for no BS hand to hand combat information.
Sign up for free at www.EndTheFightNow.com
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.EndTheFightNow.com
Joint wrench #1
To get the starting position, grab your partner's right wrist with your right hand (You can also grab farther up like a wrestler's arm drag.) Your left hand goes just above that hand so that you now hold his arm like a baseball bat. Jerk his arm toward you and slightly down so that his arm is fully extended. You want to off balance him with this move as well as set up the arm.
As soon as you have the arm straitened drive FORWARD and PLOW into his arm with your left shoulder. Hit the arm just above the elbow. You are not circling him, you are blasting forward.
It is possible to hit this wrench against a knife wielding attacker if you already have both hands controlling the knife arm.
Joint wrench #2 (small joint wrench)
Grab your opponent's fingers bunched together and jerk down and toward you so that they bend backward. You can back pedal if you have to (if applicable) to compensate for him coming toward you. This downward jerk will snap one or two fingers. Continue to twist while controlling the arm. (Note: If the fingers come off you loose the control of the twisting motion. On the bright side they're yours to keep. Give them to friends and loved ones!)
The beauty of this move is that it's so easy and you can hit it from a ton of positions. You can do it any time you are able to grab his hand! (Always easier said than done of course)
Practice both of these carefully.
Now for some fun we can combine the two.
Joint wrench #1 and 2 combo
Use your finger control from wrench #2 on your opponent’s right hand to extend his arm. Your left hand can control his right forearm just like in lock #1. Then plow forward just like the first lock, wrenching his elbow with your shoulder. If you hold on to his arm tight with your left arm, you might even be able to keep the lock on his fingers with your other hand throughout the lock.
For training you can add another move like a takedown to head stomp finish.
Always be careful when training with a partner.
Keep reading the End The Fight Now newsletter for no BS hand to hand combat information.
Sign up for free at www.EndTheFightNow.com
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.EndTheFightNow.com
Today let’s talk about breaking bones and dislocating joints. It's about wrenching joints as opposed to bending them.
Before we get specific, let's take a look at the mental aspects of a break. Have you ever really given it some thought? What would it be like to apply a break in the street?
Picture yourself walking to your car at two in the morning, after saying good night to your friends.
As you near your car, something hits you from behind and your face hits the pavement. You are being stomped and the attacker is yelling something that is unrecognizable at the moment.
You scramble to try and get to your feet, only to realize there are two attackers. One is holding you down with a straitened arm. You go for his eyes and throat but you aren't able to reach. Meanwhile his buddy is kicking your head and ribs. You decide to take his straitened arm. It’s his punishment for having attacked you.
As your legs tighten around his arm you have complete control and can exert as much pressure as you need. You've gotten to this point on the mat many times with training partners but you always stopped as soon as they tap. You cringe as you arch your back snapping his arm at the elbow like a piece of dry wood.
Stop. This is not a pretty picture! Having to snap some ones joint is not what they prepare you for at your local "Family Martial Arts Center." It is one thing to apply a wrench, but actually having complete control over a limb and then applying breaking pressure is an ugly thing.
If you haven't already prepared mentally to apply a break in the street then maybe take some time visualizing. Picture yourself going through the complete motion of breaking the limb and even the opponent's reaction.
1. When should you break?
Pretty much anytime you are threatened and the lock is there. To avoid legal repercussions, use breaks in life and death situations only. These are not for the town friendly drunk.
If it's like our grim scenario we mentioned earlier or you're facing a weapon... TAKE THE LIMB! Break it and don't stop twisting even after it has snapped.
2. Why break?
If he can feel the pain it will almost always end the fight. Sometimes even the image of his own joint being wrenched can screw him up totally.
If he cannot feel pain it will render the joint almost useless for the duration of the fight. The reason I say continue twisting after the break is so that the joint is TOTALLY useless. Often you'll hear of broken limbs that aren't discovered until long after a fight. It is likely an attacker will not even notice and the arm will pop back into place, allowing him to pound you with it. (He'll have a nice little surprise in the morning of course)
Did you see Tim Sylvia's UFC fight with Frank Mir? Mir broke Sylvia's arm in multiple places and Sylvia didn't know it until long after the ref stopped the fight. Must have been a crazy sight, for him to see his own arm snap over the massive instant replay screen!
Breaks (along with chokes and other submissions) are great tools when you can't get the eye gouge or anytime you don't have the space to finish with strikes.
NOTE: Being too eager to apply a wrench or lock in a fight is a good way to get your face punched in. Unless locks are your specialty, you’d better have another option. If the lock is there, go for it. If not, try something else.
Next post we'll show some joint wrench techniques you can apply
www.endthefightnow.com
Before we get specific, let's take a look at the mental aspects of a break. Have you ever really given it some thought? What would it be like to apply a break in the street?
Picture yourself walking to your car at two in the morning, after saying good night to your friends.
As you near your car, something hits you from behind and your face hits the pavement. You are being stomped and the attacker is yelling something that is unrecognizable at the moment.
You scramble to try and get to your feet, only to realize there are two attackers. One is holding you down with a straitened arm. You go for his eyes and throat but you aren't able to reach. Meanwhile his buddy is kicking your head and ribs. You decide to take his straitened arm. It’s his punishment for having attacked you.
As your legs tighten around his arm you have complete control and can exert as much pressure as you need. You've gotten to this point on the mat many times with training partners but you always stopped as soon as they tap. You cringe as you arch your back snapping his arm at the elbow like a piece of dry wood.
Stop. This is not a pretty picture! Having to snap some ones joint is not what they prepare you for at your local "Family Martial Arts Center." It is one thing to apply a wrench, but actually having complete control over a limb and then applying breaking pressure is an ugly thing.
If you haven't already prepared mentally to apply a break in the street then maybe take some time visualizing. Picture yourself going through the complete motion of breaking the limb and even the opponent's reaction.
1. When should you break?
Pretty much anytime you are threatened and the lock is there. To avoid legal repercussions, use breaks in life and death situations only. These are not for the town friendly drunk.
If it's like our grim scenario we mentioned earlier or you're facing a weapon... TAKE THE LIMB! Break it and don't stop twisting even after it has snapped.
2. Why break?
If he can feel the pain it will almost always end the fight. Sometimes even the image of his own joint being wrenched can screw him up totally.
If he cannot feel pain it will render the joint almost useless for the duration of the fight. The reason I say continue twisting after the break is so that the joint is TOTALLY useless. Often you'll hear of broken limbs that aren't discovered until long after a fight. It is likely an attacker will not even notice and the arm will pop back into place, allowing him to pound you with it. (He'll have a nice little surprise in the morning of course)
Did you see Tim Sylvia's UFC fight with Frank Mir? Mir broke Sylvia's arm in multiple places and Sylvia didn't know it until long after the ref stopped the fight. Must have been a crazy sight, for him to see his own arm snap over the massive instant replay screen!
Breaks (along with chokes and other submissions) are great tools when you can't get the eye gouge or anytime you don't have the space to finish with strikes.
NOTE: Being too eager to apply a wrench or lock in a fight is a good way to get your face punched in. Unless locks are your specialty, you’d better have another option. If the lock is there, go for it. If not, try something else.
Next post we'll show some joint wrench techniques you can apply
www.endthefightnow.com
What To Do When A Technique Fails Part 2
Always train in combinations. When a boxer misses a punch, his training kicks in and he continues throwing punches in combinations. When a skilled grappler fights to secure and arm bar he can always follow it up with a choke or a sweep.
When you chain together techniques in training, you teach your body to keep moving.
Learn to flow from technique to technique. Why force and arm bar when you can abandon it for a kick to the side of his knee?
Set ups
When you elbow someone in the face where is their attention focused? It’s probably going to be on their broken nose. This is leaving them wide open for another strike.
While set up movements can be effective by themselves, they are primarily used to set up another technique. For example a palm strike to the nose causes his body to arch back exposing his lower body to stomps and kicks (or the other way around).
High low combinations
High low combinations are great ways to save you from a failing technique. As soon as your attacker blocks your thumbs from driving into his eyes, he now has to worry about your knee plowing into his groin. If that fails he now has to worry about your head smashing into his face.
When you alternate between high and low techniques, you are giving an opponent too much to think about. His focus is constantly changing and he exposes himself to other attacks.
Now back to our failing arm lock. What can you do? One option is to drop the arm lock and finish him another way.
Another option is to hold the arm lock and move his attention elsewhere. Sweep him off balance and stomp his feet. As soon as he is distracted, drill the arm lock hard. Continue to strike his lower body while locking out his arm (upper body).
Another option is to drive into him and take his balance. As he struggles to regain it you can finish the arm lock.
Any time you are in a fight and you gain an advantage... KEEP IT. Here’s an example. When you blasted his elbow with your body you failed to either wrench his arm or take him down. You notice that he lost some of his balance when you attacked his joint. Keep driving forward! Even if you lose the arm lock, keep driving and it will make your other techniques easier to apply.
What if instead, you blasted his arm and he kept his base? You could abandon the lock entirely but why not keep the lock as you follow up? You fought to get the move so don’t be eager to abandon it. The same goes for an advantageous position on the ground. KEEP IT! I’ve seen ground fighters (including myself) break a hold only to be put back in the same hold thirty seconds later. The same is true on your feet. When you get control of a joint, bite down like a pit bull and never let go. This arm is now your arm (until you’ve snapped it and rendered it useless to him for the remainder of the fight.) This does not apply when there is an opening that is clearly better than the move you’re going for at the moment.
Always be careful when training with a partner.
Keep reading the End The Fight newsletter for no BS hand to hand combat information.
Sign up for free at www.EndTheFightNow.com
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.EndTheFightNow.com
When you chain together techniques in training, you teach your body to keep moving.
Learn to flow from technique to technique. Why force and arm bar when you can abandon it for a kick to the side of his knee?
Set ups
When you elbow someone in the face where is their attention focused? It’s probably going to be on their broken nose. This is leaving them wide open for another strike.
While set up movements can be effective by themselves, they are primarily used to set up another technique. For example a palm strike to the nose causes his body to arch back exposing his lower body to stomps and kicks (or the other way around).
High low combinations
High low combinations are great ways to save you from a failing technique. As soon as your attacker blocks your thumbs from driving into his eyes, he now has to worry about your knee plowing into his groin. If that fails he now has to worry about your head smashing into his face.
When you alternate between high and low techniques, you are giving an opponent too much to think about. His focus is constantly changing and he exposes himself to other attacks.
Now back to our failing arm lock. What can you do? One option is to drop the arm lock and finish him another way.
Another option is to hold the arm lock and move his attention elsewhere. Sweep him off balance and stomp his feet. As soon as he is distracted, drill the arm lock hard. Continue to strike his lower body while locking out his arm (upper body).
Another option is to drive into him and take his balance. As he struggles to regain it you can finish the arm lock.
Any time you are in a fight and you gain an advantage... KEEP IT. Here’s an example. When you blasted his elbow with your body you failed to either wrench his arm or take him down. You notice that he lost some of his balance when you attacked his joint. Keep driving forward! Even if you lose the arm lock, keep driving and it will make your other techniques easier to apply.
What if instead, you blasted his arm and he kept his base? You could abandon the lock entirely but why not keep the lock as you follow up? You fought to get the move so don’t be eager to abandon it. The same goes for an advantageous position on the ground. KEEP IT! I’ve seen ground fighters (including myself) break a hold only to be put back in the same hold thirty seconds later. The same is true on your feet. When you get control of a joint, bite down like a pit bull and never let go. This arm is now your arm (until you’ve snapped it and rendered it useless to him for the remainder of the fight.) This does not apply when there is an opening that is clearly better than the move you’re going for at the moment.
Always be careful when training with a partner.
Keep reading the End The Fight newsletter for no BS hand to hand combat information.
Sign up for free at www.EndTheFightNow.com
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.EndTheFightNow.com
What To Do When A Technique Fails Part 1
Even when you reach levels of mastery in hand to hand, there will be times when you slip up. There will be opponents who are tougher than you and situations that don’t go your way. There will be variables thrown in and times where you’re caught off guard and even countered.
What if you go in to take him down and he punches you in the face? What if your elbow strikes aren’t connecting? What if you have a solid arm lock and he’s very flexible?
The bad news is that until you reach mastery, these variables will happen almost 100% of the time. More bad news is that even after mastery these things will likely happen. No amount of skill can make you untouchable.
There’s good news. You can increase your odds of being able to cope with these situations. One way is to train in techniques that are simple and use natural body movement. Another is to train a lot, making your techniques a part of your muscle movement.
Now you’re going to learn how to handle a few variables.
For this example we’ve snagged a standing arm lock on an opponent after a solid blast to his groin. He’s bent over and the arm lock is being applied. He’s very strong and he’s doing a good job of fighting out of it. You know that the lock is going to be lost in a second if you don’t move.
How can this be? Isn’t he supposed to go flying and flip onto his back like in class?
Here are two tools you can use to make the best of this situation.
a. Combination/transitional training
b. Break ups
c. High low combinations
Next post well cover these in more detail
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.EndTheFightNow.com
What if you go in to take him down and he punches you in the face? What if your elbow strikes aren’t connecting? What if you have a solid arm lock and he’s very flexible?
The bad news is that until you reach mastery, these variables will happen almost 100% of the time. More bad news is that even after mastery these things will likely happen. No amount of skill can make you untouchable.
There’s good news. You can increase your odds of being able to cope with these situations. One way is to train in techniques that are simple and use natural body movement. Another is to train a lot, making your techniques a part of your muscle movement.
Now you’re going to learn how to handle a few variables.
For this example we’ve snagged a standing arm lock on an opponent after a solid blast to his groin. He’s bent over and the arm lock is being applied. He’s very strong and he’s doing a good job of fighting out of it. You know that the lock is going to be lost in a second if you don’t move.
How can this be? Isn’t he supposed to go flying and flip onto his back like in class?
Here are two tools you can use to make the best of this situation.
a. Combination/transitional training
b. Break ups
c. High low combinations
Next post well cover these in more detail
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.EndTheFightNow.com
Easy Takedowns
Let's cover some easy takedowns. Since most opponents on the street aren't judo experts, they won't be expecting a basic outside sweep. These moves are fast and make use of surprise. This is nothing fancy. No intricate off balancing techniques.
All of these techniques become much more effective when applied directly after a set up technique. For example a double leg takedown would be much easier if you were to first blast him in the face with a head butt.
For added effect, make sure he lands on his head. We will show you how to do this in a later issue.
Easy takedown #1 (Basic outside sweep)
This is a really simple move with one HUGE important detail. This is the sweep you might see kids do while wrestling on the playground. It is the basic trip. This sweep takes your opponent backward.
1. Secure a grip on your opponent's upper body with your arms. Many grips will work including just grabbing his jacket at the collar or sleeves. One way is to grab his lead (left) wrist with your right hand and put your left hand on his right (rear) shoulder or collar.
2. We are always going to sweep his lead leg. In this case his lead leg is his left. So drive your weight forward and to the right. As you do this, slightly bend forward at the waist. Your head is going to go outside your opponent's head and his shoulder (A human head weighs a lot when doing a move like this. Be sure to drive your head forward and down. It makes the difference.)
3. Now sweep his left leg with your left leg. Kick it out from under him with the back of your leg. Since his weight is on his other leg you can really pop this leg out from under him.
IMPORTANT NOTE: YOU MUST DRIVE FORWARD! Commit fully. Lean past him even. The main problem with how some schools teach the move is that they never tell the student to lean or drive forward. The student is never able to get the move. As soon as he lifts his leg for the sweep he leans back and his opponent sweeps him first.
There are more technical ways to do an outside sweep and more intricate off balancing techniques. This will get you started in your side sweep training. This one is great for sparring. Great when your opponent leans back. You can also try this one any time you face an opponent with a side stance. Shuffle in before he can throw his sidekick and throw your sweep.
Easy takedown #2 (basic kick sweep/shin blast sweep)
The basic position starts with you facing your opponent. Your right hand crosses over to grab his right shoulder or behind his neck. Almost any grip on his upper body with your right hand is fine. Drive forward and penetrate to the outside of his right side with your left leg. Drive past him. Then blast his right shin with your right shin. You are stepping forward and blasting through. What really contacts is the very bottom part of your shin to his shin/foot. You are going to kick his foot out from under him while at the same time jerking forward and down with your right hand. This will off balance him and sometimes put him flat on his face. Great when you have him leaning forward from another move.
Since his arms will shoot out to catch his balance he is now wide open for an arm wrench.
Easy takedown #3 (finger twist)
Grab his fingers and bend them in the wrong direction. Jerk them downward so that he hits the pavement. This move is great because it’s so simple.
Note: Finger twisting is limited because it uses pain compliance to force an opponent to move. Pain compliance is useful against certain opponents and worthless against others. Also this move will only be useful to you when he exposes his fingers so they can be grabbed.
Always be careful when training finger takedowns with a partner.
Keep reading the End The Fight Now newsletter for no BS hand to hand combat information.
Sign up for free at www.EndTheFightNow.com
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.EndTheFightNow.com
All of these techniques become much more effective when applied directly after a set up technique. For example a double leg takedown would be much easier if you were to first blast him in the face with a head butt.
For added effect, make sure he lands on his head. We will show you how to do this in a later issue.
Easy takedown #1 (Basic outside sweep)
This is a really simple move with one HUGE important detail. This is the sweep you might see kids do while wrestling on the playground. It is the basic trip. This sweep takes your opponent backward.
1. Secure a grip on your opponent's upper body with your arms. Many grips will work including just grabbing his jacket at the collar or sleeves. One way is to grab his lead (left) wrist with your right hand and put your left hand on his right (rear) shoulder or collar.
2. We are always going to sweep his lead leg. In this case his lead leg is his left. So drive your weight forward and to the right. As you do this, slightly bend forward at the waist. Your head is going to go outside your opponent's head and his shoulder (A human head weighs a lot when doing a move like this. Be sure to drive your head forward and down. It makes the difference.)
3. Now sweep his left leg with your left leg. Kick it out from under him with the back of your leg. Since his weight is on his other leg you can really pop this leg out from under him.
IMPORTANT NOTE: YOU MUST DRIVE FORWARD! Commit fully. Lean past him even. The main problem with how some schools teach the move is that they never tell the student to lean or drive forward. The student is never able to get the move. As soon as he lifts his leg for the sweep he leans back and his opponent sweeps him first.
There are more technical ways to do an outside sweep and more intricate off balancing techniques. This will get you started in your side sweep training. This one is great for sparring. Great when your opponent leans back. You can also try this one any time you face an opponent with a side stance. Shuffle in before he can throw his sidekick and throw your sweep.
Easy takedown #2 (basic kick sweep/shin blast sweep)
The basic position starts with you facing your opponent. Your right hand crosses over to grab his right shoulder or behind his neck. Almost any grip on his upper body with your right hand is fine. Drive forward and penetrate to the outside of his right side with your left leg. Drive past him. Then blast his right shin with your right shin. You are stepping forward and blasting through. What really contacts is the very bottom part of your shin to his shin/foot. You are going to kick his foot out from under him while at the same time jerking forward and down with your right hand. This will off balance him and sometimes put him flat on his face. Great when you have him leaning forward from another move.
Since his arms will shoot out to catch his balance he is now wide open for an arm wrench.
Easy takedown #3 (finger twist)
Grab his fingers and bend them in the wrong direction. Jerk them downward so that he hits the pavement. This move is great because it’s so simple.
Note: Finger twisting is limited because it uses pain compliance to force an opponent to move. Pain compliance is useful against certain opponents and worthless against others. Also this move will only be useful to you when he exposes his fingers so they can be grabbed.
Always be careful when training finger takedowns with a partner.
Keep reading the End The Fight Now newsletter for no BS hand to hand combat information.
Sign up for free at www.EndTheFightNow.com
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.EndTheFightNow.com
The Bouncer Never Saw It Coming
I was recently visiting some friends in El Paso TX. A large group of us met at a new club and I ended up meeting several new people that night. One of these guys was named “John” (for the sake of this article)
John had had quite a few to drink that night and it seemed like the more he had, the more talkative he became.
He told me that he didn’t like the bouncers. I had to agree with him that they seemed a little too intense with the black BDU pants and German style tanker boots.
It seemed everyone in the establishment was having a good time and staying out of trouble.
aI saw John again later that night. I noticed he was carrying something in his hand which was down by his side. He was carrying a handful of wooden skewers. He had somehow gotten them from behind the bar and was walking around with them.
“Why do you have those?” I asked.
“If the bouncer asks for my ID I’ll ******* stab him.”
I found out much later that John had a serious criminal record and was lying low for the moment. He was actually dodging a five year sentence that he was set to begin serving earlier in the year. He skipped out on his bail.
The bouncers were walking around checking IDs for most of the night and would have gotten a terrible surprise by asking John for his. I don’t know that he even had one.
In this particular situation, the bouncer may have spotted the threat because he has dealt with these situations before. Perhaps he has gone through these situations mentally and has prepared. Or maybe he would have been turned into shish kebab.
Most of us are not bouncers but the threat exists for everyone. Start your training immediately. Many situations can be avoided if a threat is spotted and then avoided. For those that can’t be avoided, it’s great to have a basic set of combat skills to fall back on. Keep checking your EFN newsletters as later in the month were going to be breaking into the bread and butter techniques that make up the foundation of the system. Also soon were going to be releasing a free audio for you to download.
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.EndTheFightNow.com
John had had quite a few to drink that night and it seemed like the more he had, the more talkative he became.
He told me that he didn’t like the bouncers. I had to agree with him that they seemed a little too intense with the black BDU pants and German style tanker boots.
It seemed everyone in the establishment was having a good time and staying out of trouble.
aI saw John again later that night. I noticed he was carrying something in his hand which was down by his side. He was carrying a handful of wooden skewers. He had somehow gotten them from behind the bar and was walking around with them.
“Why do you have those?” I asked.
“If the bouncer asks for my ID I’ll ******* stab him.”
I found out much later that John had a serious criminal record and was lying low for the moment. He was actually dodging a five year sentence that he was set to begin serving earlier in the year. He skipped out on his bail.
The bouncers were walking around checking IDs for most of the night and would have gotten a terrible surprise by asking John for his. I don’t know that he even had one.
In this particular situation, the bouncer may have spotted the threat because he has dealt with these situations before. Perhaps he has gone through these situations mentally and has prepared. Or maybe he would have been turned into shish kebab.
Most of us are not bouncers but the threat exists for everyone. Start your training immediately. Many situations can be avoided if a threat is spotted and then avoided. For those that can’t be avoided, it’s great to have a basic set of combat skills to fall back on. Keep checking your EFN newsletters as later in the month were going to be breaking into the bread and butter techniques that make up the foundation of the system. Also soon were going to be releasing a free audio for you to download.
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.EndTheFightNow.com
Combat Reality
These are belief systems that people are emotionally attached to because they’ve spent the last 20 years training a certain way. When you bring it to their attention that their method is even slightly flawed, they take it as a vicious attack on them personally.
But let’s tell it like it is. There’s a problem with modern martial arts. The model they use is flawed. The current model is that we will face an opponent that fires individual strikes that will be perceived and then countered. This is highly unlikely. At times this will happen. Given the rage of most attackers, it’s going to be a mess.
In the a new model, you train to fight a Tasmanian devil. Instead of individual attacks that can be perceived, see it as a huge ball of attacks coming from all angles. So the model is that instead of training against individual attackers, strikes and weapons see it more as a ball of energy. This ball of energy can hurt you or your loved ones and it must be dealt with. You had better have a strategy that involves redirecting or stopping this energy, weather it has decided to stop or not. For example a hip throw works well on a drunk who feels no pain. A wristlock works if he decides to stop from his broken wrist.
Another example is that a knife will never come at you with a set angle unless you’re lucky. It will be an unpredictable mass of stabs and slashes that must be addressed without focusing on individual knife attacks.
How come most schools train to disarm knife wielding attackers that wind up and slash in a wide, slow arch?
I understand that breaking a technique down in slow motion is one of the fastest ways to learn. Still, real life attacks bare no resemblance to what we learn in our martial arts schools.
How should we move in a fight? Sparring doesn’t come close. Reaction attack drills are close. Three on one reaction attack drills with the possibility of weapons about covers how you should move in a fight. So how do we prepare? Attribute training, concept training, repetition and drills. Combat concepts and drills will build up certain body movements that act as tools in the time of need.
You won’t guarantee success in a street fight with this strategy (or any other); you will increase your odds of survival.
Now you do need a way to break each attack down for training. Granted if you can’t beat one punch, you can’t beat five at once. If you can’t beat one opponent, you can’t beat five at once. That isn’t the point. The point is we need to take another look at the way we train.
Ryan Wolfenbarger is the founder of EFN fighting systems. Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.EndTheFightNow.com
But let’s tell it like it is. There’s a problem with modern martial arts. The model they use is flawed. The current model is that we will face an opponent that fires individual strikes that will be perceived and then countered. This is highly unlikely. At times this will happen. Given the rage of most attackers, it’s going to be a mess.
In the a new model, you train to fight a Tasmanian devil. Instead of individual attacks that can be perceived, see it as a huge ball of attacks coming from all angles. So the model is that instead of training against individual attackers, strikes and weapons see it more as a ball of energy. This ball of energy can hurt you or your loved ones and it must be dealt with. You had better have a strategy that involves redirecting or stopping this energy, weather it has decided to stop or not. For example a hip throw works well on a drunk who feels no pain. A wristlock works if he decides to stop from his broken wrist.
Another example is that a knife will never come at you with a set angle unless you’re lucky. It will be an unpredictable mass of stabs and slashes that must be addressed without focusing on individual knife attacks.
How come most schools train to disarm knife wielding attackers that wind up and slash in a wide, slow arch?
I understand that breaking a technique down in slow motion is one of the fastest ways to learn. Still, real life attacks bare no resemblance to what we learn in our martial arts schools.
How should we move in a fight? Sparring doesn’t come close. Reaction attack drills are close. Three on one reaction attack drills with the possibility of weapons about covers how you should move in a fight. So how do we prepare? Attribute training, concept training, repetition and drills. Combat concepts and drills will build up certain body movements that act as tools in the time of need.
You won’t guarantee success in a street fight with this strategy (or any other); you will increase your odds of survival.
Now you do need a way to break each attack down for training. Granted if you can’t beat one punch, you can’t beat five at once. If you can’t beat one opponent, you can’t beat five at once. That isn’t the point. The point is we need to take another look at the way we train.
Ryan Wolfenbarger is the founder of EFN fighting systems. Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.EndTheFightNow.com
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Saturday, May 17, 2008
EFN Newsletter
Hey Ryan here,
Go to www.EndTheFightNow.com and sign up for the newsletter. We're giving away a special report called "Limb Destruction" just for signing up.
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.EndTheFightNow.com
Go to www.EndTheFightNow.com and sign up for the newsletter. We're giving away a special report called "Limb Destruction" just for signing up.
Ryan Wolfenbarger
www.EndTheFightNow.com
Thursday, May 15, 2008
End The Fight Now
Welcome to the End The Fight Now combat blog. No BS hand to hand and reality based combat. Keep checking back cause we'll be posting reviews and articles on specific aspects of unarmed combat.
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