Reality-Based Self-Defense: 19 Principles You Must Know for Surviving a Real-World Street Attack

Real-world self-defense is a very serious matter. And while you can have a lot of fun during practice sessions, you must remember that you are not training for a sport or tournament match, where the only thing on the line is a shiny trophy or a new martial art belt.

The following set of principles should be considered and taken to heart. They should be burned into your memory and made a part of your practice and study. And, they should be used as a guide to make sure that the program you're studying and the person you've chosen to teach you how to not die in a real-world situation, is right for the job.

Consider each of these principles very carefully. Because missing even one of them could spell disaster.

1. In a self-defense situation, you WILL get hurt

2. You are your own first-line of self-defense

3. The Police can't protect you - they won't even show up until the attack is over

4. You WILL be the underdog - attackers don't pick targets they think will win

5. It will happen when you LEAST expect it

6. You must stay in the moment - FOCUS!

7. Contrary to what mom and dad taught you, you must be WILLING to hurt another human being

8. If you want to survive, you must be ABLE to hurt another human being

9. The law may NOT be on your side

10. You must be able to control the distance and your assailant's ability to get at you

11. You must be able to control your attacker's perceptions of what is happening

12. Don't focus too much on your technique - he'll know what you're doing

13. Your job is not to "win" or "lose" - It's to go home intact

14. If he can't hit you, he can't hurt you, and...

15. If he can't hurt you, he can't beat you

16. You can't bring a knife to a gunfight and expect to win

17. The assault's not over until your attacker says it is

18. Be willing to do whatever it takes

19. It's not cheating - think of it as "rearranging the odds in your favor!"

Your ultimate survival in a street attack will depend on three very important things. It will depend on what you have done to properly prepare beforehand. It will depend on what you do correctly during the attack. And, it will depend on how well you can deal with the consequences arising out of your decision and chosen actions to protect yourself from danger.

Remember: "You are either what you choose to be or what you have allowed yourself to become."

"Victim" or "Survivor."

The choice is yours.

Jeffrey M. Miller is the founder of Warrior Concepts International, a Pennsylvania-based company specializing in helping private, law enforcement, and corporate clients to develop time-tested and proven self-protection and personal development skills that work in the real-world. He is the author of the highly acclaimed, educational video, Danger Prevention Tactics. His latest book, The Karate-Myth shows the reader why most martial arts and self-defense programs don't work and how to insure your safety in today's violent world. For additonal information about having this internationally-recognized expert as a guest or keynote speaker for your organization's next meeting, or to sponsor a seminar with Mr. Miller, you may contact him through his web site or by calling WCI in the U.S. and Canada, at (570) 988-2228. Subscribe to his free newsletter at http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com

Learn Ninjutsu - 4 "Perfect Moments" in a Self Defense Attack Where You Can Do the Most Damage!

Regardless of whether or not you are trying to learn ninjutsu - the martial art of Japan's ancient Ninja families - there are many powerful lessons that you can learn from the Shinobi warrior. After all, there IS a reason that the Ninja are at the top of the martial arts "food chain" - a reason why even those training in other martial arts fantasize about being a real Ninja!

But, to be a true Ninja, you must be able to do more than dress up like a movie or comic book character - you must be able to employ the laws of nature against your adversary. This single thing is the crux of all Ninja training - regardless of whether we're actually talking about self defense or anything else.

The focus of this article is on using your timing, distancing, angling, and other natural and scientific principles to be able to use your attacker's own tension against him. This one principle, which is really a combination of many principles coordinated and working together in the moment that results are needed - is one of the cornerstones of the shadow warrior's self defense art known as Ninpo-Taijutsu (sometimes also called "budo-taijutsu").

The following is a list of 4 "perfect moments" when you can actually use the attacker's energy against him. In this case, the energy that I'm talking about is NOT the same as that used when we are throwing someone (as in Judo, Jujitsu, or Aikido). In this case, I'm referring to his "tension" - the moment when his muscles are fully charged to the point that they actually immobilize all or some part of the opponent's body.

The 4 "Perfect Moments" for Attacking The Attacker Are:

1) During his punch, grab, or kick. As your assailant's limb gets closer and closer to the point of striking or grabbing you, the muscles begin to lock down to do work. If you can use proper timing to "catch" the moment (kurai dori), you can do more damage with your own counter strike, parry, lock, or other technique because what you do to his now tense limb will be translated throughout most, if not all, of his body!

2) After a distraction or other surprise technique. If we were to follow the logic of the above technique and say, we executed a counter punch to the attacker's own punching arm, his body would naturally fire other muscles in response. Based on what we did - if we knew what and where the tension would be - we could immediately attack that same area. The effect would be like putting an object in a vise where it could not move, and then striking it. Since the attacker's body would not be relaxed, and therefore NOT able to move "with" your strike, the power of your technique would be maximized!

3) At the point of unbalance. When the human body loses balance, it immediately and instinctively fires muscles and applies tension in an attempt to regain balance and not fall down. In infants, this defensive response to falling is called a Moro Reflex. And, while the belief is that this goes away as we get older, in reality the same reflex is still there - just to a lesser degree. The idea here is to be able to take advantage of this natural tension that occurs when the attacker's body breaks stability and loses balance. If you can "be there" when it occurs, you will have a clean path to deliver your own attack because his body will be busy with the task of trying to save itself - not from you, but from the fall!

And finally...

4) While he's falling. It doesn't matter if your attacker can do great breakfalls or not. Between the time that his body loses balance and the time that it hits the ground, he is at the mercy of gravity and inertia. That means that he can't evade or avoid anything that you do to him while he's falling through space. He has no stability, and very little mobility. The idea is to strike or kick him WHILE he's falling because he can't do anything about it. And, while many may argue that he might be able or even be trained to relax through a fall, the truth is that he will be firing certain muscles - usually to protect the head - to "brace for impact."

Are you serious about mastering the art of ninjutsu? Do you want to know what it takes to progress through the levels of mastery in this powerful martial art?

How? By insuring that your training is about skill proficiency - not just learning a bunch of skills! Get started by reading this valuable ninja training book, "Becoming The Master." Get your free copy at: http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com/becoming-the-master-subsc.html

Jeffrey Miller is a master-teacher in the centuries-old art of Japan's ancient shadow warrior. Each month he shares his 30+ years of training, research, and knowledge - combined with his years of real-world experience using these teachings on the dangerous streets of our modern world - with literally thousands of students from all over the world. Shidoshi Miller says, "If you really want to learn ninjutsu, and become a master of the Ninja's arts, then I can show you the secrets for developing the power, confidence, and control of a true Ninja warrior!"