Low Tech Drone Catcher

It's even environmentally safe!

Plagiarism In The Self Defense Instruction World

From some people you kind of expect it, but when it comes from a well known name in the field, it's just that much more disheartening.

The following post came from a thread I started in a forum that I run. It happened in 2016 so it may come off as old news, but considering some things I've seen in the advertising and teaching end of some instructors lately I felt it was relevant enough to put here on the Blog.

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From Tony Blauers FB Page, June 20, 2016

"In a Fight, it's not who's right that matters, it's who's left." (highlighted italics are mine)

The harsh reality is that your personal safety, your ability to detect, defuse or defend yourself rests on your shoulders. The standardized martial art and DT programs taught to most people just don't have the depth needed to handle the real-world violent confrontations of today.

Did that piss you off? It shouldn't. This isn't a biased opinion. This is merely a fact & the evidence is every bodycam or CCTV of real violence. Don't be pissed off at me, be pissed off at the bad-guys!

Your safety, like your fitness, is up to you. You either want to win your next fight or you don't. Our system will make you safer, sooner.

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Now where have we seen that first line statement before?

Does the content of those few sentences ring a familiar bell?

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Here's another use of the quote, this time from the Tonyblauerblog

http://tonyblauerblog.com/2009/01/23/its-not-whos-right-its-whos-left/

Part of our research is the conversion of the flinch and not the flinch itself. It’s a big area of confusion. You usually get that confusion from people who have an unconscious or conscious investment in how they look, not how they do. If you look at the PDF files on our website for the new training centre the slogan is “It’s not who’s right, it’s who’s left.”

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It's Not a Matter of Who is Right.....

by Carl Cestari (2003)

"People here may belittle sports arts...."

Who?

Almost EVERY "combatives" man of any note CAME from a combative sports
background. Boxing, wrestling, judo. WEF and O'Neill (SIXTH DAN-Kodokan Judo-
personal student of Uchijima Sensei, a NEWAZA LEGEND) are PRIME examples of
this.

What a 20 or 25 year old young buck and what a middle aged
businessman seek to get out of their training are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.

As far as the "effectiveness" of ANY technique, well a FIGHT is a FIGHT. I know a guy
who got his head split open from a blow with a lead pipe. Know what? HE STILL beat
the shit out of the TWO assholes. SO WHAT?

You FIGHT like hell until either YOU'RE DONE or HE'S DONE.

AND why is it so hard to "get" that "close combat" is far MORE than "ax hands" and
"tiger's claws". It's ANYTHING THAT WORKS. Cracking someones "egg" with a
blackjack is close combat. "Kneecapping" some asshole with a bat or ax-handle is close
combat. Working some street punk over with "knucks" or "sap" gloves is close combat.
Using a shiv, push dagger, or a friggin' ball point pen is close combat. A steaming hot
cup of coffee right in the mug is CLOSE COMBAT.

I "know" guys who have DECADES of training in sporting combatives. YEARS of
competitive experience and TONS of knowledge. KNOW WHAT? Screw with them and
the LAST thing they are gonna think about is ANY "unarmed" mano a mano response.

As far as "building" attributes? OF COURSE! Athletics in GENERAL build many fine
and useful attributes. BUT....I know of MANY instances were individulas with NO
athletic background AT ALL have overcome TREMENDOUS odds. I have also
witnessed "champions" who were hell on wheels in the ring, and on the mat FOLD like
the proverbial "cheap suit" when the rubber met the road for real. SO WHAT?

But here's the REAL issue at the bottom of this ongoing debate.

Someone who has spent years training in "karate" has invested time, money, and maybe
blood sweat and tears in his pursuit. He WANTS to believe that what he has invested so
much in will WORK. Same for Kung Fu. Same for Aikido. Same for BJJ. Same for
Boxing. Same for Wrestling. Same for Judo. Same for Savate. Same for FMA. SAME
FOR ANY ENDEAVOR.

But that ONLY makes sense in the PARAMETERS of that SPECIFIC endeavor.
Competitive Judoka expect to compete within the well defined "rules" of THAT
endeavor. They DO NOT expect to enter a shiai and be knifed in the guts by the other
competitor. A boxer enters the ring and expects to fight under the agreed rules of the
boxing commission. He DOES NOT expect to be shot dead from across the ring by his
opponent.

Let's say you're a top level collegiate wrestler. By circumstances beyond your control(real
life does that) you have to face several desperate well armed foes. You're given a
"choice". Attempt to use your wrestling skills at which you are VERY GOOD, or grab a
12 gauge riot shotgun.

Now let's say you're at a relatives wedding. The booze is flowing pretty good and Uncle
Vinny gets a little out of control. Same choice as above. Use your wrestling skills to
restrain old Uncle Vinny or grab the riot gun?

I DON'T GIVE A RAT'S ASS about "style", "system", or any of that CRAP. WHY?
Because ALL I AM INTERESTED IN is what will SAVE MY ASS in the real world,
when it's for all the marbles. I have spent YEARS in Judo, I get attacked for REAL and I
grab a brick and pound the skel into mush. DAMN! I didn't get to use my Judo! OR....I
get grabbed from behind and manage to toss the skel to the ground with O-Goshi, THEN
I finish him with the brick. SO WHAT?

If a "tiger's claw" works GREAT! If "hadaka jime" works GREAT! If a kick to the balls
works GREAT! If a takedown works GREAT! If running the bastards down with my car
works GREAT!

Anyone out there "getting" this! IT AIN'T ABOUT what is or isn't "BETTER" or more
"EFFECTIVE". ANYTHING THAT SAVES YOUR ASS IS GOOD!

It's NOT a matter of who is "right", only of who is "left"!

Carl

More Bad News For Social Media

When you start losing the young people, the advertisers start to get nervous.

Works for me!

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/aug/29/teens-desert-social-media

Even George Orwell Understood

Click on the image to enlarge it so you can read the quote;

Violence is Not Always The Answer, But.......

I'd Love to Use This Logo...

...but it belongs to the Art of Manliness website.

It is cool though ;-)

Combatives and Other Peoples Learning Curves

For years a lot of Self Defense instructors complained that Combatives had little or no grappling in their curriculum, that it left a gap, potentially fatal, in your self defense skills. As I have mentioned before, those claims were overblown and less than truthful. Carl Cestari never said "Don't ever go to the ground". He said "don't go to the ground if you can avoid it, and if you do wind up on the ground, get up as soon as you can".

Not exactly an ambiguous statement.

He taught escapes from stand-up grips and holds, he taught breakfalls, he taught how to fight on your back if your attacker was still on his feet and trying to get to you, he taught escapes from holds on the ground, and the best ways he knew from his own Judo & Jiu Jitsu background on how to disengage and get back on your feet.

He also understood that technical grappling skills were more complicated than striking techniques were, that they took longer to learn and required more commitment than a lot of students were willing to put into learning.

That was 15 years ago.

Now apparently another Self Defense instructor is finally learning the same thing. This instructor, whose name I will not give and whose website I will not give any advertising to, has finally come to the conclusion that (and I will paraphrase here) 'he gets it, he and other instructors tried to turn everybody into BJJ devotees, that a large percentage of his students have families, jobs, limited time, and can't hit the dojo and roll multiple days a week'.

In short, he has realized that people wanted to learn some practical self defense and not become BJJ Black belts.

Accordingly he has come up with a new course that he feels will fix that. He has a catchy name for it, but for the sake of this article I will just refer to it as 'Minimalist Jitsu'.

Now what does this course consist of?

Glad you asked!

- Breakfalls -
- Technical Stand-Up -
- Standing Up Against Pressure -
- Protecting Yourself On The Ground When The Other Guy Doesn't Want you To Get Up -
- Fighting Back When You Can't Get Up -

Now just in case any of that doesn't look familiar, I will refer you back to the second paragraph of this article. Take a second and see what I mean.

Ahh, looking a bit more familiar now?

As I alluded to in the Title of this Blog Post, some people just have slower learning curves.

Martial Wisdom from the Dalai Lama

The NYPD Says Goodbye to the .38 Revolver for Good

I didn't even know anybody was still using them.



https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2018/05/30/nypd-officers-trade-in-revolvers-for-semi-automatic-guns#

The Essentials of A Well Rounded Combatives System - Part Two

In my Blog Post of Aug 13 I talked about what should constitute a well rounded combatives program. I also somewhat addressed the fact that a lot of people criticize the fact that there was no grappling. This criticism was, in various ways, especially directed at the late Carl Cestari.
It’s true that he did not emphasize most ground grappling, but there were several reasons behind this.

One of the foremost being that if you’re on the ground tied up with someone, there is always the chance that he may have friends who will happily put their bbots to you. Some self defense instructors will cherry pick videos where two people go to the ground and nobody jumps in. However it doesn’t take much effort to find an assortment of videos where the opposite is true and people get stomped by friends of the person they’re grappling with on the ground.

Another reason why Carl Cestari didn’t emphasize any grappling other than some stand-up techniques and escapes was that over his years of teaching he realized a simple fact. Grappling techniques are, without a doubt, more technically oriented than striking techniques. Accordingly, more time, effort and physical conditioning is involved in learning those methods. As a result fewer students were willing to make the commitment to do so.

It should come as no surprise in the 21st century, where instant gratification is expected by so many people, that putting in the time involved to learn these methods was not too high on most peoples priority list.

Mr. Cestari held a 1st Degree Black Belt in Judo and a 5th Degree Black Belt in JiuJitsu. So when detractors of Combatives talk about him not having the knowledge to teach grappling, well frankly, I’ll let you wonder what’s going through their minds.

Having gotten all that out of the way I’ll now introduce the material below. These were two connected articles written Carl in around the 2002-2003 period. The first part is an excerpt ffrom the Program of Instruction given to H2H instructors by W.E. Fairbairn. That is followed by what Carl Cestari considered to be the techniques/methods, whichever term you prefer, most useful for defending yourself from a criminal attack.

I hope that anybody reading this Blog Post will be able to gain some insight into the mindset and attitude behind the training of soldiers in both WW2 and the PostWar period, and how that trianing can still be relevant in the 21st Century.

Note: Italicized comments in the first section are comments by Carl Cestari

Essentials

Excerpted from ‘Close Combat - Notes for Instructors’
By W.E. Fairbairn

Part "B"

UNARMED

(For those who have been FOOLISH and caught UNARMED)

Method No. 1 - "Edge of Hand Blows"

Fingers and thumb straight out. Strike with little-finger edge of hand.

Points of Attack: Forearm bone, wrist, side of neck, one inch below adams apple,
back of neck, etc.

Method No. 2 - "Chin-Jab"

This is a close-in blow and must be given with all possible force in an upward
direction.

Points of Attack: Up under the chin with the heel of the hand and fingers extended to
reach the eyes.

Method N0. 3 - "Tigers Claw"

Into the eyes and face with a piston-like forward jab. Fingers bent like a tiger's
claw. Weight of body to be behind the blow with no "telegraphing" of the intention to
strike.

This is the most effective hand blow ever worked out. It has the advantage of three
inches additional length as compared to a "straight" left and can be achieved with
lightening like speed.

It is a complete answer to any attempt at a frontal attack and permits one to deal
effectively with one's opponent before he is really dangerous.

Method No. 4 - "Kicking"

Method of kicking: Turn right foot sideways to the left and kick forward. Make
contact on the shin-bone with the outside edge of the sole of the boot. Follow
through by transferring the weight of your body from the left to the right foot and
smash down with your boot on to the small bones of opponent's foot.

Special Notes:

1. Any student who thoroughly masters the three hand blows and the method of
kicking (no matter what his strength or build may be) will be able to effectively deal
with any un-armed opponent.

2. All these methods are ATTACKING, not DEFENSIVE and should be applied in
conjunction with each other.

Fairbairn on strategy/tactics/mind-set:

"........unfair and unethical methods of fighting in which acts of artifice, force,
vehemence, and shock are of major importance and in which all earmarks of the
concepts of fair-play and good sportsmanship must be eliminated."

(I wonder how many will break open the old Webster to define the above?)

Considering the trend on many posts, i.e, non-essentials, nonsense, agendas, more
nonsense, "pointless" arguments, etc. I feel that presenting the above is a waste of
time for the most part. However, there are a few that will benefit from it.

You see the above few paragraphs virtually gives everything you really need and
answers almost any question, IF (and this is a big IF) one possesses the true
wherewithal to really "get" it.

If I sound mildly disgusted, well I am.

There is a wealth of REAL knowledge to be mined here offered by some very
serious dedicated men. A lot of the bantering sounds like a bunch of schoolgirls!
James is gracious to a fault in NOT taking a sharp sickle to separate the wheat from
the chaff.

I would make a civil statement about "offending" list members, but I seriously
doubt many will ACTUALLY READ THIS!




“ESSENTIALS.............Part 2”
By Carl Cestari

Well here's a different approach.

Let's put the "shopping" lists on the back-burner for a moment, cut to heart of the
matter and ask the FIRST logical question, WHY?

ALWAYS seek out the BIGGEST BANG for the BUCK! See if this is logical;

Edge of Hand:
Can be used literally from ankle to temple with effect. Can be used against a
STANDING, stooped, or grounded assailant (whatever position). Can be used
around a 360 degree circumference, with little re-positioning. Is effective as a
"defensive" manuever as well as an offensive attack. Can be used while grappling
standing or on the ground, from a seated position and of course from standing.
When trained PROPERLY can deliver very fast trip hammer blows. Can be used
against armed assault, as well as unarmed. Force can be moderated to damage, stun,
break bones, cause a KO, and kill, if need be. Little chance of damage to the hand.
Can be delivered with VERY HARD impact even when a good foundation is
impossible AND even when YOU are being driven backward. Virtually a
COMPLETE system unto it's own.

Chin-Jab:
EXCELLENT maneuver at close quarters. Can be used as a hard shove or as a
vicious blow, both are followed up by eye gouging. Very good in close confines were
the "double slam" effect can be useful, you slam home a Chin-Jab and drive said
assailants head HARD into a solid surface or a sharp edge. Can be used singularly
or again in fast multiple hits with either a single hand or in combination. Can be
used in many directions IMMEDIATELY with POWER and with a MINIMUM of
telegraphed intent.

Tigers Claw:
A COMBINATION heel hand smash AND eye gouge. A distance weapon that can
be used as a fast stunning "lead" OR as a power shot. It does NOT need "specific"
targeting. The claw hand slams into the face and then drives through with the
clawed spread fingers. By a simple twist of the body can be delivered to the front or
either flank. Is simply an EXTENSION of the Chin-Jab for longer range. Can be
used in devastating combinations.

The Boot Kick:
This should not have been referenced as a low "side-kick". It's NOT. Hard to
describe BUT easy to learn. WEF termed this kick with the outside edge of boot as
the "flick" kick. Simple, NON telegraphed and very damaging. This can be used at
distance as a "kick" or at close quarters as a ripping shin scrape and smash. We
train this with a specific footwork sequence as well as "wagon wheel" style, either as
the "hub" kicking out in eight directions or as the "rim" moving circularly and
kicking in at the hub. There are MANY, MANY mis-conceptions about how this kick is
executed and how effective it can be against a VARIETY of unarmed and armed
assaults. It is also a "defense" AND an "attack".

ALL of the ABOVE constitute a COMPLETE method of unarmed combat. And
that is NO shit! You LEARN the maneuvers separately, but the GOAL is to
FIGHT with them, just the same way a boxer learns his basics and THEN learns to
FIGHT with them.

I would have added the knee smash in this because it WORKS perfectly with ALL
of the above, but I believe that the outline comes from WEF's syllabus for the OSS,
and he did NOT include the knee in the final outline, but does reference it in the
technical descriptions.

These were NOT just a handful of maneuvers lumped together for the hell of it.
WEF had a "method", a DEFINITIVE method of how these maneuvers are USED
IN A REAL FIGHT.

That is the part that MOST are MISSING! They see these maneuvers as an
unrelated "hodge podge". This is NOT the case.

O'Neill preferred different methods -including finger jab type blows (though
WEF's 1915 SMP manual DOES include the "finger jab"), smashing back knuckles
and PRODIGIOUS use of the elbows and knees, as well as several kicks. O'Neill
ALSO taught this as a SYSTEM, not as a handful of "do this" or "do that". He also
taught doubled forearm blows at GRAPPLING range, NOT as a "defense" against
blows as some have suggested.

So let's review: Edge of Hand/Chin-Jab/Tigers Claw/Boot Kick. FOUR simple
direct and EFFECTIVE methods that can be used against virtually ANY type of
unarmed attack from standing to rolling in the mud, while seated, while being off
balanced and driven backwards, against an assailant in virtually ANY position and
in a 360 degree sphere. Also can be effective against a number of armed attacks,
and can be very effective against multiple assailants (if one UNDERSTANDS
the proper method of use).

E.A. Sykes used what basically was a "combination" of the two as well as teaching
fundamental boxing blows to vulnerable targets.

Well that lays out the WHY and fulfills our "BIG BANG" mandate.

That's about as logical and pragmatic as I can get. We really DON'T just pull this
stuff out of our ass, REALLY we DON'T. We've given it just a wee bit of thought.

Like most things in life, it starts by asking the right questions FIRST.

Has Tacticool Gone Too Far??

I'm thinking........Yeah.

The Essentials of a Well Rounded Combatives System - Part One

A lot has been said about Combatives over the years about the fact it's not complete. You will hear comments such as; "what do you do if you can't pre-empt?" "There is no grappling/ground game." People have misquoted the late Carl Cestari as saying "never go to the ground" when what he actually said was "don't intentionally or willingly go to the ground if you can avoid doing so" and "if you do wind up on the ground, attempt to disengage and get back up as soon as you can"

Below is an article/template by Carl Cestari of what Close Combat is and/or should be.


CLOSE COMBAT FIGHTING
Copyright @ Carl Cestari


REALLY being able to FIGHT with "Close Combat" techniques means exactly THAT..................BEING ABLE TO FIGHT!

So what "standard" can be used to develop the mandated attacks and methods?

Can we agree on this: The ability to attack the enemy with a BARRAGE of HARD, FAST, DAMAGING blows and kicks that can be USED convulsively, instinctively and that attack ALL body areas and from any and ALL varied angles while combined with evasive body shifting and footwork. Accuracy is also important, BUT blows that can DAMAGE almost ANY part of the body are to be preferred over those that NEED specific targeting.

If we agree on the above as our "template" of effective fighting methods, what methods fit the bill best?

PUNCHING: Fist blows that can be straight, overhand, hooking and uppercuts. These blows can be thrown from anywhere and in any angle of trajectory. They can be thrown in a BARRAGE of combinations and can be aimed at many body areas. Proper strengthening and conditioning (which should be DONE anyway) can turn the FISTS into VERY POTENT STRIKING TOOLS.

Punching meets the above criteria.

EDGE OF HAND BLOWS: Again these can be USED anywhere on the BODY & LIMBS with damaging effect. They can be used in any manner needed, hence the Chinese term "Thousand Hand Blow". The Edge of Hand is very hard to injure even when struck against bone. Hatchet like blows can be delivered from a variety of angles and targeted almost ANYWHERE on the body.

Edge of Hand meets the above criteria.

ELBOW JABS & SMASHES: The elbow ALSO can be used in a WIDE variety of attacks. It can jab, smash, hook, back smash, drop, rise etc. It can be devastating to almost ANY part of the body. It can be used with speed and pop or driven in with two hands reinforcing, smashing and crushing. VERY difficult to defend against and virtually the BEST weapon for in-close work.

Elbows meet the above criteria.

LOWER BODY ATTACKS: These THREE are the primary ones to TRAIN and used MOST effectively as stated above -

1. KNEE - Can be used as an UPWARD smash, a DIRECT INWARD thrust, in a roundhouse or hooking manner, and in a "dropping" single and double crushing attack to a downed enemy. Knees can be DEVASTATING to almost ANY body area.

2. THE FRONT KICK - Using the ball, toe, or instep of the boot. Can be directed from the shins to the head (depending on position of enemy). Its simple, easily trained and instinctive. With heavy footwear this kick is a KILLER. It can damage shins, kneecaps, testicles, and other bones (pubic/ribs/sternum).

3. THE STOMP - Using the heel of the boot this stomping kick is a "natural". It can be employed to an assailant in front, to the side, or to the rear. It can be used close in when grappling or used unexpectedly from a distance.

So there is the "FIGHTING SYSTEM" out line. The punch, the edge of hand, the elbow, the knee, the front kick, the stomp. SIX methods that I would train and use in a real FIGHT, NOT a pre-emptive "sneak" attack or other first strike scenarios, but in a REAL tooth and claw FIGHT.

The other mainstays are GREAT for when they CAN be used. But they are LIMITED to specific scenarios and specific TARGETS!

GRAPPLING -

FIVE chokeholds/strangles.
FOUR specific head twist takedowns
FIVE throwing/takedown methods.
SEVEN arm-bar/joint breaks.

That's the CORE system for REAL FIGHTING. Six upper and lower body striking and kicking methods and twenty-one combat grappling methods. Everything else - clawing, gouging, crushing, ripping, butting and biting are ancillary to the core system. The other attacks like the tigers claw, chin-jab, ear box, rock crusher, cradle blow, etc. are SPECIFIC methods of attack that are limited in use by the NATURE of their method. These methods of attack can be used as THE OPPORTUNITY presents itself. The FIGHTING methods can be used whenever YOU want to use them.

An example: To effectively USE the "chin-jab" your enemy must "give" you a clear and unimpeded "path" to the point of his chin. However, if I just start SMASHING at him with multiple hard driving elbow blows I don't give a damn what he does or what's "open" he's going to be in a world of shit from jump street. See the difference?

Does this make sense?

Fighting an ACTIVELY aggressive enemy will require DIFFERENT tactics and methods as opposed to ATTACKING an enemy PRIOR to full-blown practice FIGHTING.

BOTH approaches need to be studied thoroughly, understood fully and PRACTICED to the point of INSTINCT.

OVER emphasis on the pre-emptive OR on the active FIGHT will render you woefully lacking when the other method is mandated.

HIT FIRST when YOU CAN, WIN THE FIGHT by whatever MEANS when YOU CANNOT!

Just like I preach about GUNFIGHTING...There is the REACTIVE and the PROACTIVE. Either YOU start the shit or the other bastard starts the SHIT. Each requires different SKILLS, and if you plan to SURVIVE you had BETTER understand BOTH and be able to DEAL with BOTH!

This line of strategy and tactics applies to ANY weapon, as well as to unarmed combat.

The Impending Fall of The Social Media Giants.

First Mark Fuckerberg loses 119 Billiaon dollars in one day, a worlds record in the history ofmthe Stock Market. This is immediately followed by the fact that Facebook usage in the last 2 years has dropped from 8.5 billion daily page-views to 4.7 billion.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-facebook-worst-trading-day-20180726-story.html

https://www.marketingdive.com/news/youtube-to-soon-overtake-facebook-as-second-most-visited-site-analysis-fin/529706/



Twitter has suspended 70 million fake accounts which has brought the wrath of advertisers down on their heads as the advertisers start complaining that the have been paying ad rates to reach millions of Twitter users who don't really exist.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/11/technology/twitter-fake-followers.html



And now Youtube is under fire for fake page-views that again are pissing off advertisers who feel that they've been ripped off. Not to mention how some uploaded videos have only gone viral because somebody paid a tech-nerd to put all the robot page hits on the video page.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/08/11/technology/youtube-fake-view-sellers.html

These fucking Social Media pages rose to prominence, took in hundreds of Billions of dollars, have turned people into digital zombies, have fucked with the news cycle, and incited more shitstorms than Global Warming is supposedly responsible for.

But their greed and arrogance are about to hit them where it hurts. Right in the pocketbooks as teenagers abandon them daily and move on to the next big thing.

Fuck em' all, I won't miss them.

Aggressive Forward Drive and it's Use in Combatives

This article was originally written in 2002, and is copyrighted to the estate of Carl Cestari.


The Aggressive Forward Drive

by Carl Cestari 3-25-2002

There has been some discussion concerning the Aggressive Forward Drive, it's use and lack thereof.

What hasn't been fully addressed is the why.

Here are the reasons why this maneuver is so all-important.

1) This method of close combat is based wholly on aggression. Fairbairn fully emphasized that these are methods of ATTACK-OFFENSE and not DEFENSE. Lyle L. Shook in his 1968 manual on self-defense titled "ATTACK" put it quite well.........."You MUST carry the ATTACK to the ATTACKER".

2) The constant forward drive allows you to use full bodyweight and momentum behind each attacking method.

3) It forces the assailant off balance and into a "defensive" posture and attitude. It forces the assailant to move into unseen/unknown quarters, i.e. backwards. Obvious tactical advantage for you. You can see were you're going - he can't.

4) It fosters an aggressive offensive spirit! By the very nature of the physical movement you help develop the proper aggressive mind-set and offensive spirit.

5) You are more difficult to knock down or to take to the ground. This is NOT "sport", restricted by rules or parameters of constraint.

6) Is a "built in" hedge against multiple assailants. You are NOT a sitting duck. By constant aggressive movement, other assailants will be playing "catch up". Always having to adjust and set themselves against an ever-moving target.

7) Allows for immediate "E & E". You are already in motion, so maneuvering for escape and evasion tactics is far easier. It gets you out of "tight" confined spots.

8) For police and military personnel who are burdened with tactical loads this forward aggressive movement is an AID and not a hindrance to movement in a close quarters battle when weighed down with equipment.

A proven maxim of war is - "always take ground". The inclusion of the forward drive is perhaps the best method for seizing and maintaining the initiative in close combat. It is also almost always overlooked.

Carl

Attempted Assaination by Drone in Venezuela

Unfortunately the attempt to rid the country of Maduro didn't succeed. Multiple drones carrying explosives were involved, and several soldiers were injured, but the 'drone swarm' wasn't large enough. It does however represent a big step in ramping up a more sophisticated level of resistance to the government down there.

There is no report about the type of drones used, but my best guess would be that we're talking about commercially available drones that can be purchased on the open market. Maybe next time (and you can be sure that there will be a next time)the opposition will have learned from this failure and made adjustments that will provide a more successful outcome.

Venezuelan Security Forces responded by means of cracking down on the local population (ie: the usual suspects) they also leveled accusations against their neighbor Columbia for harboring anti-Maduro rebels.

You guys who follow my blog all know that I've been talking for years now about how small, inexpensive easily obtainable drones were going to change not just large scale warfare and Law Enforcement, but low level guerilla tactics as well.

And with the technological genie out of the bag at this point, there won't be too much that can be done about it.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6944240/venezuela-president-nicolas-maduro-assassination-bid-drone-live-tv-speech/

The Screwdriver as an Improvised Self Defense Tool Part 2

Continued from;

improvised-weapons-and-commonality Part 1

 Now one thing more. While carrying a screwdriver in a cool looking Kydex sheath like the one I showed in Part 1 of this mini-article is certainly efficient, the problem is that if you get searched it kind of negates your ability to pass it off as “just a screwdriver” (unless you have really good line of shit). Additionally the Kydex sheath can be bulky and if tucked into your waistband, also uncomfortable

This brings us to the item pictured below. Sold by a company called Delta2Alpha, it is a simple piece of plastic tubing with an internal diameter that allows you to insert the flathead portion of the screwdriver and a few inches of the shank, and thereby holding the screwdriver in place by friction. A small grommet is inserted at the end that projects past the flathead and allows for a length of para-cord to be inserted and tied off.

The loop created can then be attached to your belt, belt-loop, a carabiner or other hardpoint inside a backpack or shoulder bag. This will allow you to position it in any spot that will allow for a convenient carry. Although again, depending on where you attach it, it may belie your assertion that it’s just a screwdriver that you had been using at home or in your car and that you had simply forgotten it was on you.

While I have offered up these carry methods as options, your best bet would be to simply put it in the pocket of your coat/jacket, or in an easily accessible side pocket of whatever type of bag you may happen to carry with you on a regular basis.

Remember when carried properly, use of any innocuous tool should fit in seamlessly with your unarmed Combatives training.

Improvised Weapons and the Commonality between Empty Hand Techniques and Screwdrivers. Part 1

If you can do an EOH, a jab, or a hammer fist, you can use a screwdriver. Plus, you can carry one on you pretty much anywhere. As long as you don’t get stupid and carry some ridiculously long model. It’s hard to justify a 12" long screwdriver in your coat pocket when walking into a show or a government building (unless you’re the hired help).

Learn how to heat up a piece of Kydex and make a cheap, disposable sheath and you’re really in business. Or you could be a lazy bastid’ and just fold over a piece of cardboard and tape it up.

The body mechanics of using a Close Contact weapon, be it edged or impact, should be no different than most of your unarmed skills. Vertical, horizontal or diagonal, hip rotation, bodyweight and torque should all remain essentially the same. One of the most precious commodities in the world is time, and there’s no reason for spending more time than necessary on basic skills that have multiple applications.

A little common sense goes a long way.






For an additional well done write up on the subject, you can check out this article;

http://themartialist.net/flat-head-screwdriver-for-self-defense/

If you’re an “operator, operating operationally” you might like to have an expensive, custom made or even a high end production knife for self defense. But for the rest of us with a family, a full time job, and limited time and finances, and you’re looking for an edge to add to your unarmed skills, then you could do far worse than putting a screwdriver in your hand the next time you decide to practice your unarmed hand strikes.