Real Life Experiences highlights the stories of operators and civilians who have had to use the skills they've learnt in self defence or combat.
If you have had to defend yourself as a civilian or in the execution of your duties as a service person, then don't hesitate to forward your story. These stories will not include the identities of any of the subjects involved, but will detail the situation and means used to overcome it.
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Some year’s back I instructed a self defence course for both men and women based on my unarmed combat methods. I showed how to safely get out of the full nelson hold and as soon as I had a male student said that he had been taught to get out of it differently at karate and proceeded to demonstrate the method he had been shown.
It was the very dangerous raise your arms and drop down manoeuvre. I told him it was far from safe and less than effective but he ensured me it always worked. He asked me to put the hold on him and informed me he would get out of it with ease. I advised him to only very slowly and carefully attempt the counter. Unfortunately he dropped down with gusto and injured his neck and is only lucky he did not break it.
While awaiting his transport to hospital he said he could not understand how he could escape all the black belts at karate and that perhaps I had held him too secure. I told him anyone using such a hold on you for real will apply it for real and you had better know the best way to get out of it.
Late 2005 I was out socially and it was a good night out with no aggro apparent. All of a sudden without any reason or warning I am told I was punched unconscious from the side. I am a good sportsperson and have trained in fighting arts, excelling.
I am not a troublemaker but if I have to defend myself I would and I could only be described as clean cut and responsible. On regaining consciousness I had to have surgery for a broken jaw and still don’t know who or why.
The reality is I was not taken on but I was taken out, without any warning and it does not matter how well you can handle yourself if you simply have no warning. This is a good reason to take the advice of Tank and employ sound hard target tactics as he has written in this magazine many times before.
It also proves his principle also covered in this magazine for close combat that if you can’t see or don’t know you are a target or have an enemy, all the training may be worthless.
Street fighters should never be underestimated. Some years back I was at a concert that had security in the form of a martial arts group including some that were highly ranked and rated. Some of these security people had a real chip on their shoulders and were being very aggressive and overzealous.
Eventually all hell broke out when they picked on the wrong teenager and he fought back. When other security people got in on the action the friends of this young but able lad came to his aid and even though they were much younger than the security people and did not have the martial arts training, they were the winners in a very fast and furious encounter that saw them show just how much better they were on the street. It only goes to show you don’t have to train for years to be able to fight in the street.
One of my exponents in Europe recently went to the aid of two military policemen when they were overwhelmed by a suspect and disarmed. The bad guy took the baton away and beat up the officers. My student went straight in- distraction, attacks, guard up and elbow finish. Since he has not learned long weapon disarms yet he has done pretty well, I think. Todd Systems didn’t let him down.
I have trained in Geoff’s system in Australia and Dunedin, New Zealand. I have found the skills Geoff teaches to be invaluable in my job as a Police Officer. I have had to call on my skills on numerous occasions due to drug /alcohol induced fuelled rages by offenders or by the sheer fact they have been so goal driven on escape.
One such moment I recall was recently when my partner and I were sent to a job with a male who was enraged and attempting to assault people on a main street.
On arrival we located the male who was 5 foot 4 inches in height and roughly 253 pounds in weight sitting on a seat. When spoken to he was co-operative and gave away no signs that warranted any great concern. As we were walking with him to the patrol car he swung around and elbowed me. I managed to grab him, contain him, which allowed me enough time to employ a restraint and take him into custody.
Once back at work he was taken to be charged and he was taken out of handcuffs. The whole time he was being processed I kept an eye on him as by this stage I did not trust him. Once he was handed a pen he rushed me and pulled his hand back in an attempt to stab me.
I employed defensive tactics I had learnt from Geoff and managed to, without injury, restrain and control the offender.
The male offender was well known to us and I found out later he had made previous threats to kill a cop. I am so grateful to Geoff and his team for the skills and knowledge they had passed on as the tables could have easily been turned on me that day.
I have a lot of respect for Geoff and consider him a close and loyal friend someone to look up to and someone who is not afraid to pass on his knowledge to those that seek it out. I would not hesitate in recommending his training to anyone who wants to know how to protect themselves because it works. Geoff is the real deal in self-defence as that is what he specialises in.
I had just arrived at a nightclub to meet some friends who had started partying several hours earlier. I scanned the club for my mates as I entered and had only taken a few steps when I felt a hand grab the front of my shirt. Before I knew it my right hand had trapped the hand grabbing me, I had turned side on and was about to counter attack when I got my first glimpse of the aggressor, who I immediately recognised as one of my drunken mates.
I couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the night as not only had my close combat training kicked in and I had reacted exactly the way I had practiced. The thing that impressed me most is that the psychological principles that are also an integral part of the Todd System training had also just switched on and I was able to Assess (the situation), Decide (on the appropriate response) and Execute (the required action), which in this case was to cease my counter attack, all in a split second.
