Christian Warrior Skill: Picking Handcuffs -- WARSKYL Training

WARSKYL TRAINING: Picking Handcuffs

I hope all Christian Warriors had a meaningful and joyous celebration of the incarnation and birth of their King. Now I have a little Nativity present for you -- by tradition, Christmas does not end until Epiphany.

Suppose you find yourself captured and cuffed by the bad guys: terrorists, kidnappers, rabid feminists, stark raving mad liberal hooligans, lunatic anti-gun lobbyists . . . . You get the idea.

Anyway, the bad guys slap the cuffs on you as they transport you to your doom. In this situation, wouldn't it be handy to know how to improvise a handcuff key out of a bobby pin, paper clip, piece of wire or even a twig?

That's the skill you'll learn in the video below. And always remember, cadets, only use this against the bad guys, never against legitimate LEO's who are enforcing the law in accordance with their oath to preserve, protect and defend the U.S. Constitution against all enemies.

How to Know When Attack is Imminent

Can you identify when the orc is ready to attack? I just read this tip from Damian Ross over at theselfdefenseco.com.


When humans shift into fight mode . . . hormones and adrenaline are dumped into their body as they prepare for physical violence they will display some or all of these tendencies unless they have otherwise practiced suppressing them. If you are in a situation and the person you’re dealing with displays some or all of these behaviors they are going to attack you. They will use one syllable responses. When you’re in fight mode you can no longer reason. Sentences will be reduced to one word answers, nods and grunts. They will start to stretch their neck and arms. They will take their jacket or shirt off. Some people think this is because the person wants to show off their muscles. But it actually has more to do with the desire to shed weight and excess baggage to increase mobility.


What do you think? Are there other signs? Tell me what your experience is like in this regard.

Keith Pascal: Improve Combat Footwork in 20 Minutes

Better Fighting Footwork in 20 Minutes

by Keith Pascal


How would you like to be able to move left or right, around your opponent, and be able to fire off instant kicks better than before? Because of your tightened footwork, your kicks will have a better chance of surprising your opponent.

Follow along, and 20 minutes after reading this article, you'll see a marked improvement in your footwork.


Footwork Warm-up — The Variations
Spend a minute on each of the following ways of stepping: Begin with your natural steps from side to side. How do you move to the left and then to the right, when you are in martial arts mode? Make your shifts as natural as possible. Freely move, first left, then right ... back and forth, several steps in each direction.

    Note: Imagine, a football, volleyball, or badminton team practicing their directed, side-to-side quick stepping, during training. The leader points one way and then the other. The team facing him moves as quickly as possible in the direction that he points. They keep moving to one side, until the leader signals a change of direction.

After you have spent a minute examining and warming up with your natural movements, it's time to switch....

Next, move from side to side with small steps, where neither foot crosses in front or behind the other. It's like a replacement kick. If you are moving to the right, then the left foot moves right up to touching or replacing the right foot, but it doesn't cross over.

Put many of these together, and practice moving in both directions. Practice this way of moving side to side for one minute.

And finally, practice moving side to side where your foot slightly crosses over in front or behind the other. For the purposes of this footwork training, it's your choice whether one foot alternates, first crossing in front, then behind, or if you will always have the same foot crossing behind (or in front of) the other.



    Note: Think Line Dancing for this step. Or, for those who know how, imagine dancing the Hora.



Practice crossover stepping in both directions, from side to side, for one minute.



Changing The Path of the Footwork
You are going to practice the above variations on footwork again, one minute each, but with a change. This time, you will circle as you step.

Find a pole, a heavy bag, or a column, and start walking around it. Or you can train with a partner and circle each other.

Spend one minute circling in your natural steps, one minute where the feet "kiss" but don't cross over, and one minute with crossovers (either alternating or consistent steps in front of or behind).

Circle and subtly and suddenly switch direction of your stepping. Back and forth ... five steps around to the right, back three steps to the left. Four more steps to the left, then one back to the right, followed by three to the left.

Back and forth.

So far, you have warmed up for six minutes — three with footwork in a line, and three minutes for the three variations while circling.



The Footwork Blend
Now, spend two minutes blending the three ways that you step around the heavy bag or pole. Your goal is to make the second and third variations as natural as your normal stepping.

Mix and match. Combine. Analyze what makes your first type of footwork natural. Incorporate the details into your other two ways of stepping.

After two minutes, you should be able to move either clockwise or counterclockwise around your object, switching steps naturally. Don't think about whether your feet are crossing over or stepping side to side, just move. Let your footwork flow naturally.



Take a Break with Kicking Warm-ups
Now, it's time to take a four-minute break from your circling. Instead of stepping, you are going to get a few kicks ready to incorporate into this training exercise.

Specifically, you want kicks that you can fire off toward the heavy bag (your enemy) while moving around in a circle. For tournaments, you'll practice high kicks, above the waist. Since my focus is on practical self-defense and not competing, I warm-up with low-line kicks to the shins and knees.

 
       Warning: If you are kicking toward a column or metal pole, then obviously, don't kick with full force. Avoid injuring your foot during practice ... or any other time, if you can help it.




Don't choose kicks where you have to pivot your body before you kick, like some side kicks. You can figure out how and if you want to incorporate them, later.

Also, avoid any type of spinning kick -- that's beyond the scope of this article.

In the next exercise, you're going to spring suddenly from your circling steps into a surprising kick. As I said, make it a fast strike, without any extra pivots.

Use your four minutes to practice the chosen kicks from a static position. Stretch appropriately. Kick the air repetitively. There is no circling as you ease into kicking.

Warm-up your kicks as you normally do. (Reminder: Spend four minutes kicking.)



Incredible Kicking Footwork
You have eight minutes left in your twenty-minute session. Spend this time adding kicks while circling around your opponent.

I could break it up for you and tell you to spend two minutes on this, four minutes on that, and a final two minutes on ... but I think a looser approach to this final stage will be more beneficial.

In this last phase of your footwork-improvement exercise, spend some time circling your "enemy" in both directions, and during your circling, execute some of your fastest kicks.

After you get a feeling for kicking while circling, I want you to analyze the instant before you kick. What's happening in that second leading up to your kick?

Do you accidentally raise your shoulders? Shift your balance in a pronounced manner, cluing your opponent into the imminent kick?

Do you stop circling and then kick, or are you able to keep everything fluid ... and thus more surprising?

Is there any pause, at all?

Spend this last eight minutes figuring out the best way to seamlessly blend your circling with your instant kick toward the center.

Without me, or anyone else, telling you, this kind of practice, will help you discover on your own the best spot to kick. You'll naturally find the exact position of your feet for the best, non-telegraphed kick. You'll find the timing that makes for a surprise kick.

With this exercise, you'll find your own path as you build from quick movements on a straight line, to circling footwork variations, and on to efficiently kicking while circling your opponent.

Whew.

Your footwork will improve ... a lot.


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Some readers will read the above, see the value in the exercise, and then that will be it. They'll never close the computer and actually practice the progression. The benefit is in developing skill, not just reading about it.

If you have motivation problems when it comes to martial arts ... or if there is anything getting in the way of your training (no time, no classes, no training partner,  and of course, no oomph), then check out this ePackage: Martial Arts Motivation:  Click Here!

Straight Blast, No Punches by Keith Pascal

Another article from Keith Pascal. This one's about a variation on a Bruce Lee tactic: the straight blast.

            Straight Blast Rushing Without The Punches: Part 1

by Keith Pascal

At a certain point in a martial artist's development, he or she starts collecting tools -- useful strategies, tactics, and techniques.

Knowing how to interrupt an attack with a stop kick is a good example of a "useful tool."

One of the most useful punching tools is a series popularized by Bruce Lee -- the straight blast. It's a fast barrage of punches that really puts you in control of the altercation. It does a good job of panicking the opponent and putting him or her on the defensive.

What if you could achieve the exact same effect WITHOUT punching?

No kidding.

  

Basic Straight Blast Elements

First, let's examine what goes into a normal, everyday straight-blast sequence:

A straight blast requires a fast set of punches. Since the punches have to be fast, you need to start with your fists close to your target ... in front of your body.

The timing of this series has a very rapid beat; to get the rapid-fire effect, you put the punches close together. Often, this translates into vertical punches with the rear punch retracting no further back than the elbow of the other hand, or maybe even less ... it's common for advanced straight blasters to draw their fists back no further than mid-forearm (in relation to the extended arm).

In a regular straight blast, you could be defending or attacking. If you are defending, then you create an opening in which to counter with the barrage.

If you are the attacker, you still punch through either a found or created opening to a target on your opponent's body, but instead of responding, you initiate.

This is straight blasting in a nutshell. Of course, seasoned practitioners add an almost necessary element to their sequence....

The Blast Benefit for Those Who Know How

You can definitely straight blast the enemy while both of you stand there, and you can also fire off your flurry of hits while you have your opponent up against a wall. Both of these are what I call static punching.

Rather than punch your enemy while he or she is against the wall, I think one of the straight-blast's best benefits is its ability to get your opponent TO a wall. In other words, straight blasting is excellent for forcing someone backwards.

          ***********************************************************

          Note: If you have problems generating power with

          your punches or lack the moves that would force

          a big attacker backwards, then check out:

          How to End the Fight with One Hit. It's worth it:

             http://punchharder.com/learn-how-to-fight/

          ********************************************************

You cause panic as you rush your evildoer with a boatload of punches. Your opponent has to retreat; there is no other option with so many hits flying in. Each punch gets closer, because you are running at your enemy.

If you have ever experienced racing someone backwards with your attack, then you know how good it feels. It's very satisfying, wouldn't you agree?

How would you like to achieve this effect without even having to punch?

Interested?

Reverse Engineering The Straight Blast

To be able to force someone back with a similar result, I suggest you reverse engineer the straight blast. Let's run through the process together:

We start with the end in mind....

In the last stage of the straight blast, we want to blend into a non-hitting move. After all, our goal for this exercise is to be able to rush our opponent backwards to a wall, quickly, WITHOUT hitting. So, at some point, we have to stop hitting. This makes sense, right?

Think about the point that you reach the wall: Do you want your hand at your opponent's throat? Do you want a palm on your attacker's chest? How about a horizontal forearm pushing against your opponent's upper arm?

Think in terms of a shove where you maintain contact. Where and how do you want to shove your opponent?

The next stage involves reversing the sequence a little more. Figure out how you are going to morph from your blasts to your end shove.

Will your fist open into a palm strike and then continue to push?

Will you reach around to his arm and grab after your punch?

Will your last straight blast punch "drift" up to the throat and turn into a grab after the hit?

The connector between the punch and the shove is the next stage back.

From this point on, it's a matter of practicing punching and then segueing into the control.

The magic key to this technique is to practice by shortening the amount of punching on each repetition of the sequence....

Maybe the first time, you straight blast your partner all the way back to the wall. The second time, you transform to the control three steps before the end.

Then move to the half way point; you punch to about mid distance from the start to the wall. Switch into the control without stopping. Make it a seamless blend.

Eventually, work to the point that you only need a punch or two to start your opponent retreating, then you continue the advance with, say a throat grab, and rush him all the way back to the wall, holding the throat the entire time.

And now, for the icing on the cake ...

Magical Moving Without Even Punching

Okay, so it isn't quite magic, but still, it's amazing the control that you can exert ...

Now, the objective is for you to eliminate all punching. No straight blast, at all.  Now, you are in search of moves that get your opponent moving backwards. Preferably, you want techniques that allow you to maintain contact during your advance to the back wall.

One example is the simple wrist lock. Any time in the fight that you feel yourself effecting a wrist lock, adjust the pressure, so that you can push your opponent towards a wall. Maintain the lock, exert pressure on your opponent's joint, causing pain, and force him or her back.

You could do the same routine with an arm bar, but in this case, your opponent would be facing the wall, and you'd be rushing him head first toward your destination. Crunch.

Besides locks and arm bars, think of any moves you know that cause your enemy to lose balance. Keep in mind that with a teetering opponent, he or she may completely lose balance and fall down, before you control him or her to the wall.

Be prepared for this. Don't accidentally tumble into and over your fallen foe.

Continue the lock to the ground and control your enemy facedown in the dirt. In my book, a floor or ground is just a horizontal wall.

Maybe instead of punches, you employ a series of eye jabs, to get the meanie moving. Again, practice reducing the number of jabs by bridging into the control move that will shove your attacker backwards.

Making The Control Practical

The key to making this tactic work is to practice the transition from the move that starts your opponent moving backwards to the position that will control him her her to the wall.

I suggest that you begin with one technique that gets the opponent moving. Then practice changing to different shoving points. So, maybe you blend first from a wrist lock to a throat shove, the next time from a wrist lock to a chest push, and finally from a wrist lock to a double shoulder slam ... all of the moves forcing your enemy backwards to the wall.

If you are interested in what to do once you get your opponent to the wall, or how and why to add back in some punches along the way, then read this follow-up article:

      http://bestmartialartsarticles.com/blast-rushing-2

Keith Pascal: Defending from "The Grab"

Here's another self defense article from Keith Pascal.

Tips for Avoiding the Grab-and-Punch

by Keith Pascal

Imagine -- you're in a parking lot in front of a restaurant. You turn, and some overgrown, steroid-pumping lounge looney decides that picking on you would be a good show for his friends and anyone else heading back to his or her car.

Further, I want you to imagine that you have no advanced notice of this attack: All of a sudden, the guy is on you like gooey maple syrup on a short-stack of pancakes. The attacker has ahold of your shirt — no way simply to turn and run.

Are you following along and thinking, "So, what? I have studied martial arts for just such an occasion."

As a matter of fact, his grab isn't immediately followed by a punch; he's not performing a grab-n-punch, as in a combination move. In this case, he reacts to your response ... which happens to be a trusty wrist lock. (You decide to snap on a joint lock.)

Why did you choose to wrist lock? Simple ... since the guy grabbed you, and there were lots of witnesses around, you decided that plastering the guy and smashing in his face, might not be the best response ... in front onlooking eyes.

So, you decided to take a less brutal approach, as your first response.

As you start to effect the lock, ol' Genghis Khan stops the control by slamming his fist into you. Bam!

Interesting predicament, eh?

How Should You Respond?

I'm not a fan of hindsight, which means you can't really go back in time and say, "Well if his next move were a punch, then I wouldn't try the lock in the first place."  Unless you have a time machine in your pocket, you can't undo your first response.

But you certainly could decide to avoid all wrist locks in the future. Some bad-"donkey" grabs you, and you immediately hit or eye jab. You respond instantly; the eye jab is successful; it's game over.

However, since I love joint-lock controls, even more than a hot fudge sundae, I want to explore other options. There are great times to wrist lock.

     Shh: Let me be perfectly frank with you: If my wife and daughter were with me, and some guy grabbed me out of nowhere as a prelude to getting to my ladies ... my instant response might be a little more violent than a simple (or a controlled) wrist lock. Still, each situation is different; I can't legally advise you take the same action.

Instead of a punch or a lock, you could combine the two: start to punch and then control with a joint lock, or start that trusty wrist lock, and make sure it stays "trusty" by adding on a "helping" punch.

A similar, third option might be to start your lock and then kick, instead of punching or eye jabbing. Did I say "instead of"? You have the option of reacting with an "in addition to." In other words, you start to lock, and as your enemy resists the joint torquing, you both punch and kick.

Are you getting any creative practice ideas?

What If The Punch Comes In Too Quickly?

In all of the above, I am assuming that you are either starting your strikes with your controlling lock, or you are responding to the slightest move by the brute to resist your joint manipulation.

Any resistance by punching, mentioned in the title of this article, or trying to kick you, gets you to respond more aggressively.

But what if the instant you start the lock, your enemy hits? What if the punch comes in too fast for you to begin your secondary response?

My recommendation originates from your martial-arts training sessions: Start to practice the complementary lock to your "regular, grab-response lock."

Huh?

Here's what I mean....

If someone grabs you or your shirt, you almost always have a choice as to which hand you use peel off the aggressor's hand to effect your control.

    Note: There are also locks that don't start with the finger peel. For example, you could pivot into your attacker's arm with your shoulder, as in the beginning of an arm bar.

Why am I suggesting a wrist lock starting with the other hand?

Because if you are getting tagged in the face (or stomach) so quickly after attempting a lock, then maybe you are too close to your attacker's punching hand. If you are that close to your opponent's meat-cleaver fist, then maybe starting with your other side would position your vulnerable areas a little more out of his reach.

  Note: If you don't know complementary locks, and have problems feeling where to go, then try the soft cover book, "Wrist Locks: From Protecting Yourself to Becoming an Expert" (revised). It will teach you all of the locks you need to escape from a grab. It also deals more completely with making locks practical ... when to hit and when to lock, and how.

A longer reach gives you more time. And my advice is to take any extra time you can get.

One Last Wrist Lock Tip, for Now

If you are experiencing any of the above difficulties mentioned, then I'd like to suggest that you "play" with the distance between you and your attacker, while you are effecting the joint lock.

Either step into your aggressor, or step away from him. Experiment; find the timing that works for you. Remember, your goal is to stop your attacker, end the fight, control him (or her), and keep the jerk from striking you as you snap on a wrist control.

-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-

If you are interested in developing a finer sense of distance in a fight, and/or if you need ways to shut down this type of attacker, I'd like to suggest the epackage How to End the Fight with One Hit. One of the four ebonuses ("Worth ...") will give you a very important distance drill.

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Training Article by Keith Pascal: Frankenstein Drill

Thanks to Keith Pascal for providing today's training article.

This is similar to a drill I've done with daughters & students. I've called it the "Frankenstein Drill". Interesting that Keith Pascal also associates the drill with Frankenstein's monster. (You'll see why as you read the article.)

The Human, Wooden-Dummy Drill

by Keith Pascal

Would you be willing to try an unorthodox drill, if it meant honing your martial-arts skills? How would you like to create a wooden dummy (not a mook jong) for free, un under five minutes?

I'm about to share a proprietary exercise; this is a drill that I have never seen anyone else perform, yet every time I have tried it, there have been noticeable improvements.

This drill helps you refine your distance and angles, avoid certain attacks, and take control of your opponent's attacking limbs. It's not an end-all exercise, but it does offer some definite skill-refining benefits.

You'll definitely move differently after just one session with your "human" wooden dummy.

Here's what you'll need for this exercise:

  2 dowels (or pieces of PVC tubing), arm length or a little less

  6 - 8 pieces of cord, rope, or velcro ties, at least eight inches each

  1 practice partner, with any desired protective gear (recommended)

This really is a simple idea that will help your training immensely; I promise.

Dummy Attacks, You Defend

The drill involves tying some sort of dowel (like a broom stick or mop stick) to each of your practice partner's arms. I use my Filipino fighting sticks. Why? They are available.

You could try an unused piece of PVS tubing, extra wood for a doorframe, or anything rigid and narrow that will prevent your partner's arms from bending at the elbow.

I like to use three ties per dowel, sometimes four.

Tie each dowel along the arm, tight enough that the stick doesn't slip out, but loose enough that you don't cut off circulation.

Once your partner's arms are motion limited, you are ready to begin ... the game.

You are trying for a Frankenstein monster effect -- his or her arms extend straight forward. The hands extend past the dowels.

Have your "opponent" chase you around the training area. His or her goal is to touch you with the palms of either hand. (The palms are "poison.")

Your goal is to practice defending yourself.

    Warning: Your partner's motion really is limited, so be careful when training. Don't actually hurt your peer. Respond with controlled techniques. Remember, new training partners are hard to find. Also, make sure your partner doesn't trip and impale himself with a dowel.

Now, you could run away and make this a game of cat and mouse, but this is the time for you to practice timing, distance, and combination techniques. In this first phase of the drill, prohibit kicking from both parties. Make it a "hands only" game, at first.

Also, start slowly, and work up to speed. At first, your opponent moves slowly, like the mummy chasing innocents. Later, the speed of the chase should quicken.

After you are comfortable working your way around your partner advancing, you can kick as a response, but the Frankenstein monster still only attacks by walking into you with arms stiff, extended forward. No creature kicks allowed, right now.

In your next phase, you could allow kicks, but now you have to be extra careful. You don't want your partner falling and breaking an arm. You also don't want to drive your buddy to the emergency room, jabbed by a stick. So, do be extra careful, if you decide to incorporate this phase.

If you don't want to have your partner kick at you, because of the training risk, I have another idea, that still increases your difficulty in responding.

In the first phase of the drill, your partner tried to touch you with the palm of his or her hand. Now, have your partner increase the distance by trying to touch you with his or her fingertips.

It will make the game just a little harder as you try to reach your opponent's torso or face.

If you'd like to up the ante just a little more ... stick a rubber practice knife in your partner's hand. Maybe even two -- one in each. This increases your opponent's reach and makes it even harder for you to close the distance.

Believe me; this will be great for you.

Actually go out and try this various phases of this training drill. You'll give yourself a lesson in finding efficient angles, countering with direct hits to openings, and finding just the right distance for your counterattacks.

Try this exercise for just twenty minutes. Oh ... and don't forget to give your partner a turn; you have to wear the dowels, too.

Bonus Training Drill

This one is for people who normally use a wing chun, wooden dummy ... a mook jong. Imagine what it would be like to have a wooden dummy chasing you around the room, instead of statically mounted in a corner or your training room or garage.

Why not have your partner set his or her arms at a fixed angle, still with the dowels attached, forcing rigid arms.

Simulate the dummy.

Then you go to work on the dummy, just the way you'd practice individual moves on an immobile dummy. Again, be careful not to hurt your partner, but imagine the possibilities of having a more dynamic way to practice your precise hits and checks ... with the "give" of a real person.

Good training!

Are you looking for more training ideas?

100 Practical Martial Arts Articles will definitely get you thinking in the right direction. And there are some useful drills to be found. Important principles and considerations, too. Advantage Martial Arts -- 100 Articles