When I'm taking a class on self defence I usually start with asking them 'what's the 1st rule of self defence' and get some blank stares from my new students and the answer of 'don't be there' from my more experienced people. I then ask for the 2nd rule, which results in more blank stares and the answer of 'don't be there', again from my more senior students. With us this is the one and only rule to self defence and while this is a simplistic approach it does illustrate quite clearly the importance of being aware of your surroundings, what's going on around you, the time of day, etc. To avoid any trouble in the 1st place and also that if trouble finds you, to get out of the way. To this end the one rule to self defence, – 'don't be there'. This simple approach is the core to any sound self defence system. It has to be simple, quick to execute and effective in application. By now most of you are probably aware of what happens to you in a high stress situation like a violent confrontation. You get a massive adrenaline dump which really helps your gross motor skills and can add tremendous power and speed to what ever you decide to do or how you react. You can however also lose control of your bowels, your heart can beat so fast and hard that it feels like you are in eminent danger of a heart attack, you can get real angry and aggressive and fight back, so scared that you run like all the demons in hell are after you or maybe even freeze and do nothing. You may even do all these things on different occasions. This does not make you a brave person or a coward; it's just how your body may react under stress, particularly for those that have no training to fall back on. Any training you do should utilise your natural reactions and not fight against them. The moves themselves should be simple but effective and just as importantly they should be utilising primary options. Remember you are not there to fight but are in defence of your life and/or love ones etc.

Now as to the primary options themselves, they should be applicable to as many circumstances as possible, they should be as non specific as possible, (as in they can be used whether countering a push, punch, knife thrust, club attack, etc), they should counter with reasonable force, (as in the difference between being pushed and having a knife stabbed or slashed at your throat), they should as already stated use only gross motor skills, and be quick to learn and simple to execute. These are all principles of self defence.

Specifically:-

1. Body shift – this can be to the side, backwards, to the front or back on a 45 degree angle or even directly to the front, depending on how you react and the threat/s imposed. If actual full body movement isn't possible then ducking or twisting out of the way should at least be attempted.
2. Parry – this should be open handed as in, with a palm heel, a cover, check, a grab, etc, and done in conjunction with the body shift.

Retaliation – I believe this should almost always at least start with a strike, (as in a kick to the knee, strike to the throat or finger flick or stab to the eyes etc). I personally would avoid any grappling as I don't think getting into a tussle is a primary option. Attacking 1st is definitely a primary option if you are ready and not been caught by surprise. Remember all 3 of these moves, the shift, parry and retaliation are done if not simultaneously then as near as possible to being so.

3. Targeting – if someone attacked you with a knife and you had a gun in your hands, you would shoot them. We don't carry guns for defence in New Zealand but in this scenario it doesn't mean that our response to this attack should be toned down. You should be targeting areas that give you the most chance of a successful hit and maximum damage; you might not get a 2nd chance and are lucky to even get one. Don't waste it! In saying this if someone was just trying to punch you, you are not justified in killing or maiming them. A person with a weapon and/or multiple attackers is however another story. In fear of your life you are justified in using what you, considering the circumstances, consider to be reasonable force. However remember the saying, – " it is better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6". Don't get caught up in the legality of what you are doing, your 1st concern is the danger imposed on you by your attacker/s and reacting in an appropriate manner.
4. The areas to target that I would suggest are the knees at kicking range and the throat and eyes when within hand range. There are other targets of course and some would suggest the groin but to me this is a secondary target as it's not always as effective as you might think and is harder to get an effective strike in. If landed correctly of course it is very effective.

The reason as most of you should know who regularly read this magazine that we train for self defence using gross motor skills as opposed to fine motor skills is that under the aforementioned adrenaline dump your fine motor skills will be lost. Just as importantly however, in a real life situation you should be using stuff that doesn't rely on you being too specific. A grab must work whether you have managed to grab his wrist, forearm or even the upper arm. Any one who has tried to grab the arm of someone doing multiple rapid fire stabs at your body and slashing at any arms or legs that get presented will know what I'm talking about. If a move only works by grabbing the wrist then it's too specific, still good to know, but not a primary option in a self defence situation. Personally as I've already stated in this same scenario I would be doing a combination of low kicks to the knees using a variety of technique, (round house, side snap, front snap, etc), and palming off, striking, etc while looking for the grab, strike, and takedown if appropriate, ie – one on one. It must also be remembered that the person with the knife in this scenario can just as easily be kicking and striking at you with his free limbs and may not just be focused on using the knife and may even trick you with it.

This is just an example of course and the many different situations you could find yourself in are limitless in their complexities but the basics to a good self defence system are the same. There are other aspects of course like being able to turn your own aggression on and off like a switch. I again think of it like using a gun. When you pull that trigger there is no half hearted of frightened to act bullet coming out of the barrel, only a full on focused hunk of metal doing what it was built to do.

The training and practice you do in your self defence should give you the same degree of effectiveness, albeit at only close range, but your mind needs to be as much committed as your body to reach this degree of deadliness.

Eventually with enough continuous training your body will take over and react without any conscious thought. Remember the object of training is to make any actual confrontation or encounter to be just like training, – only bloodier.

Now all this may sound rather simple and mundane especially to any one with any actual training in the martial arts but this is for self defence, not for free fighting in the Dojo. How you actually do the moves, (as in the body shift, etc), are where the real differences in effective moves come out. Next time you are in the Dojo sparring, try for instance parrying the striking arm at the elbow with a palm heel and feel how you have control not just of that arm but of that persons actual balance. You should also find it easier to do the parry as the elbow is moving a lot slower than the forearm, wrist and fist in that order.

It takes a bit of practice and you can't always go to the outside but it is very effective and works in free style practice and not just for set moves.

Talking of set moves, I think this type of training is fine to learn the mechanics of a move but should be for only the initial part of the exercise. As soon as the students have got it working they should move on to trying to apply it under progressively more dynamic and aggressive attacks. This is where they will see whether it works for them or not. We are not all built the same and what works really well for one may not for another for any number of reasons. How they move and react is where as an instructor I build on their individual strengths and adapt moves to suit them, not the other way round.

So while I only have one rule to self defence, I do have a few principles that I have found to be important. Using primary options that you have sorted out with training is one of them. Another is the correct training to be able to implement what ever moves you have found works for you. You can't get round this, you must put in the time and sweat in the Dojo to be effective in the streets. Remember the old adage, – "It is better to sweat in the Dojo than bleed on the streets".

Bryan Goldthorpe
Head Instructor
Fudoshin Ryu Bujutsu Inc.
Ronin Martial Arts