Self-Defense: Your Body's Own Natural Self Protection Modes

Contrary to common belief, the human body has a set of default, hardwired defense modes that can be used in your defense against a real-world attacker. Here, I'll briefly describe these modes and how you can use them to win against a dangerous attacker.

If you look at most martial arts and self-defense programs, you can easily come to the belief that all you have to do is learn a few moves or techniques, train until you can execute them well, and...well, that's it. You're a master or self-defense expert.

However, there is one aspect that's generally missing from most self defense training. And that is the addition of your body's emotions as tools for defense.

In the past few years, systems and programs have been developed that focus on what's known as "adrenal response training." These programs, however, tend to concentrate on only one of these emotional states, or modes.

There are actually four of these modes that we can find ourselves in when confronted with danger. Each state is a natural response to several factors including things like your:

• 1. Perception of danger or level of threat
  
  
• 2. Personality type
  
  
• 3. Rules and restrictions that you're aware of as a part of your job

And others

Each of these modes is more than a mood, state, or condition which we might find ourselves in. They also control, in many ways, how we process information, and even work to free or hinder certain types of body movement.

The Four Emotion-based Defensive Modes Are:

• Stable/Confident
  
  
• Adaptable/Defensive
  
  
• Direct/Aggressive
  
  
• Slippery/Evasive

As I said, each of these modes is both a reaction to the current situation, and a strategy for handling a situation in a very specific way. As a general outline, I'll quickly explain each mode from both a responsive and a controlling perspective.

Please note that the following modes are in no particular order of importance, nor is one better than any of the others. But you may find that a particular mode or two feel more comfortable or "natural" for you, each should be seen as an option that can be pressed into service in a self-defense situation. And, as I've said time and again, the more options you have in any given situation, the greater your chances of getting the results you want.


Stable/Confident "Earth" Mode.

This defense mode is marked by a general sense of relaxed calm. You really don't perceive a threat and you are in firm control of the encounter. Notice that I didn't say that you were stubborn and forced a sense of command. In what I call the "earth-mode," you use superior positioning and relaxed strength to stop his attacks and direct your strong points against his weak ones, using leverage and crushing pressure to put an end to his plan to hurt you.


Adaptive/Defensive "Water" Mode.

Just like the water, you adapt to his movements. You use long-range, defensive angling to pull away from his attacks and then crash back in with powerful strikes and kicks to his vulnerable weak points. This mode is often present when you feel intimidated by his size, strength, or other factors. You instinctivelly want to create time and distance between you and your opponent so that he has to work harder to get at you.


Direct/Aggressive "Fire" Mode.

Either out of fear, anger, or a need to react first, you move in and direct the fight to the bad guy. In this "fire" mode, you are almost pulled in by a sense of urgency and a need to get things over with quickly. When I say "aggressive," I do not necessarily mean destructive, but rather a direct, committed, "go-for-it" attitude which sends you directly in to meet the assailant before he can really get started. Again, this mode could be triggered by anger just as easily as it could be initiated out of a feeling of being cornered and needing to take action right away.


Slippery/Evasive "Wind" Mode.

This mode is marked by a very carefree, open movement with a sense of last-second timing to slip, avoid, and wrap up your opponent with his own attacks. The body position associated with this mode is very open and looks very different when compared against the conventional martial arts and self-defense stances that you usually see. This mode could be caused by a complete desire to avoid the situation altogether. It could also be used in a playful, confusing manner as you effortlessly evade your attacker's punches, kicks, and grabs only to catch him with your own attacks from unseen and confusing directions.

Like I said, there is no one best mode. Each is a natural response that is hardwired inside us and a part of our overall natural human self-protection mechanisms.

While each of us has steered toward one or another of these modes as we've moved through our lives, and perceive our chosen one as the "only natural" for us. The truth is that, with proper training, each mode can be developed, enhanced, and added back into our arsenal as a very powerful strategic option for dealing with a real-world self-defense situation with a very real-world attacker.

Are you a private individual, law enforcement or security professional, member of the military, or corporate manager looking for real-world self-defense training that works?

Get the information you need to survive a real world self-defense situation.

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Jeffrey Miller is an internationally recognized self-defense expert. He is the creator of the unique EDR: Non-Martial Arts Defensive Training System and teaches individuals, security professionals, companies, and organizations how to survive danger in Today's often unsafe world. Go to his web site at => www.warrior-concepts-online.com

Martial Arts: Are You Learning To Get Your Arms Battered In A Real-World Fight Or Self-Defense Situation?

When it comes to defending targets against an opponent's attacks, especially punching attacks, a martial art student focusing on real-world\effective self-defense must be careful that you're not overlooking one. While this particular target may be virtually invisible to most attackers, not to mention martial arts students and instructors, facing a skilled attacker who knows how to exploit this weakness can have you on the losing end with a broken arm, if not more, when everything is said and doneit's all over.

What is this target?

And how can the bad guy get to this target and you end up with a broken arm, or close to it, as a bare minimum?

Before I answer that question, here's one for you.

Have you ever seen a boxer's stance? Have you ever watched boxers move around during a match?

I'm sure you have.

Now, where are their arms?

Up. Right?

And they do it for cover - to protect their heads and faces from being pummeled by their opponent's fists, right?

Of course.

One more question.

Have you ever seen pictures or film footage of one of the old-style fighters? You know, like Joe Lewis, or even those before his time? Have you ever seen how boxers stood back then, or positioned their arms...before boxing gloves were used?

If you haven't, you really should do some research so you can understand what I'm talking about. Especially if you're serious about being able to survive against an assailant who's serious about beating, breaking, or even killing you.

To get to the point, I'll tell you a little about the old school, bare-knuckle fighters. Even those who used gloves, didn't have the kind of padding that we do today. So, they held their arms and fists in very different positions than today's fighters.

Why?

Because they knew that holding your arms up and out in front of your attacker's fists, would get them beaten. They also knew that if their arms were hit while in this position, that they also stood the chance of punching themselves in the face with their own knuckles!

What does this have to do with you learning self-defense. Simple. Because many teachers are teaching their students to fight or defend themselves with their arms in this modern boxer position.

"So," you might be saying, "what's the problem?"

The problem is that not understanding why something is done, or why it's effective in one context, can lead you to think that it works all the time. And, especially in the realm of self defense and not-dying at the hands of some crazy maniac, this is certainly true.

The reason that modern boxers can hold their arms the way they do is precisely because of their gloves. Sport martial artists fighting in competitions can get away with this also. It's because the opponent's knuckles are covered with padding that protects your arms. So, these fighters never go for the arms as a target. They know that it's pointless.

But, without the gloves, the knuckles can deal a lot of damage to the narrow bones of your forearm. Something that's just not an issue in in a sport fight.

The point here is that, if you're studying martial arts to win trophies or to get belts, do whatever style you want and all the luck to you. However, if you're trying to develop the ability to protect yourself against a brutal assailant who will do anything to brutalize you, there are certain mistakes you can't afford to make.

So, regardless of what you've been taught, avoid holding your arms vertically or at least turned with the broad back of the forearm out and use distance to keep the bad guy from going after your arms. After all, it's going to be very difficult to throw your own punches with arms that have been beaten or even broken because you put them out there for him to beat on.

Are you a private individual, law enforcement or security professional, member of the military, or corporate manager looking for real-world self-defense training that works?

Get the knowledge you need to effectively handle a real world self-defense situation.

Get three self-defense reports when you get my Self-Defense Super Library

Jeffrey Miller is an internationally known self-defense expert. He is the creator of the powerful EDR: Non-Martial Arts Defensive Training System and teaches individuals, security professionals, companies, and organizations how to be more safe in Today's often unsafe world. Go to his web site at => www.warrior-concepts-online.com