IN THIS ISSUE
1 - Self Defence, the Professionals Perspective
2 - Staying Motivated
3 - Knife Crime Statistics
4 - Recommended Products (genuinely recommended, cos we think they’re great)

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1 – SELF DEFENCE - THE PROFESSIONALS PERSPECTIVE

It’s funny how there can be so much rivalry between the 3 main camps of martial arts. You have the Mixed Martial Arts with their surf shorts and tattoo’s, the Reality Based Self Defence with shaved heads and combat pants and the Traditional Martial Arts with their coloured belts and white Gi’s.

3 camps that argue about the differences in methodology and argue that each is better than the other. Well I have another viewpoint, that of a Self Defence Professional.

What is a self defence professional? Simple really, somebody who is employed in a professional role to defend others, i.e. Bodyguards, Doorstaff, Police/Garda, Military and Private Security Officers. The people who’s job it is to be on the front line keeping the rest of us safe. The martial arts were developed for and because of these people, the rest of us benefitted from the strength and skills these people developed, they became heroes, icons and role models in their societies.

The pro’s job is to protect those around them, we are societies sheepdogs (ref: On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs - Dave Grossman). In Dave Grossmans article he explains how we can compare society to Sheep (the general populace), Wolves (those that prey on the sheep) and Sheepdogs (those that patrol the fringes, protecting the sheep from the wolves). Enough metaphor, what is self defence to us, the sheepdogs?

First and foremost it is avoidance and awareness. The first and most efficient weapon in our arsenal is the brain, we get paid, not for our ability to hurt people, but for our ability to keep people safe from harm. Being able to recognise and avoid trouble is the keystone of effective self defence, fighting and violence is and should always be a last resort. We only fight when we have exhausted all other possibilities, in any martial arts school, with the exception of the new breed of “Reality” based martial arts, this is often completely overlooked or only mentioned in passing, although I do remember my old instructor constantly shouting “Zanshin” (Japanese for awareness) and sneaking up behind us and clipping us round the ear unless we spotted him.

However lets not fool ourselves, sometimes we have to get down and dirty. 

This is when we must turn to maximum efficiency, no nonsense techniques that will dissolve the threat quickly without fuss or endangering our sheep. The chosen method changes according to the individual circumstance, for example am I a Copper arresting somebody? am I a bodyguard trying to get my client away? or am I a doorman looking to remove the threat from the premises? For the civilian self defence, it is the bodyguard method you should lean towards. 

The bodyguard is not there to fight people, he (or she ) is there to protect his charge. The threat must be avoided or eliminated and the client taken off side to a safe location. As a civvy, you are your own client.

It’s about creating space. Space between you and the aggressor, enough space will allow you the time to escape. Failing that you must knock him down, or better yet, out cold. The most efficient way to do this is by striking first, with 100% commitment and keep striking until he buckles. This is your escape. There is no ego, involved, no punishing the attacker, simply create the space and run away. 

But I’m only a 8 stone weakling! I can’t do that!

Wanna bet? Learning where to hit and how to get all your bodyweight behind a strike means that you can you can potentially take down a guy twice your size. A full bore strike to the Jaw, the Mastoid (the lumps on the back of the skull level with the ears), the ears or neck will take down or stun most people, at least for a few seconds and that’s all you need! A few seconds gives you ample opportunity to follow up with a barrage of strikes, or get a headstart in a sprint to safety. 

We don’t spend our time on forums bitching about who’s style, system works and who’s doesn’t. If I were a copper I’d be very interested in Jujitsu for it’s grappling and locking techniques, but I’m not, I’m a Doorman and occasionally a Bodyguard. For me Eskrima/Kenpo give me the tools I need, fast, powerful multiple strikes and a range of joint locking abilities as well as the weapon work. I encourage you, as a self defence pro, to go out and try various arts and styles, find the one that suits your body type and gives you the skills to take out an aggressor. The best art or system is the one that works for you, it’s that simple. 

Obviously I think my style is the best, but it’s only the best for me. I’m lucky in that several others agree that it is also the best for them, but I never stop them going to other styles to try it out. 

Self defence for a professional is about getting the job done and getting home safe, It’s not about coloured belts and shiny medals. Make up your own mind. Walk your own walk.

 

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2 – STAYING MOTIVATED

It’s a tough world, you’re under pressure from all sides to be everything to everybody, is it any wonder that when you finish a hard days grind, face the commute to and from the office, the mountain of work all in the knowledge that tomorrow will be no different, how do you stay motivated to keep on improving yourself.

Wether it be martial arts or strength & conditioning, or any other endeavour, it’s quite simple.

Keep a log

I have a training journal that I write down every workout that I do, with times, dates, locations, sets reps, weight, how did I feel, injuries and niggles, sometimes the music that was playing.

Now I can look back to any day and see what I have done. So for example, yesterday maybe I deadlifted 130kg for 5 comfortably, I’m feeling good about myself until I look back through the log and see that 6 months ago, I lifted 130kg for 5 comfortably. In 6 months there has been no progression. In this example there are simple reasons as to why, I haven’t Deadlifted in those 6 months and have been suffering with injury. So I’m actually happy, no progress, but no loss either. On the other hand If I press my 32kg kettlebell for 5 today, is it enough. If look back to the last time I pressed it, I can see exactly what I have to beat. 

Don’t think you can remember what you do in the gym, if you train by the seat of your pants are you really progressing? When I was bodybuilding I would keep track of my weight as well as the workouts, and sure enough I made steady progress, when I noted a loss of weight I’d check the food diary. These days I’m struggling for time so just keep a note of whatever I do on any given day, progression isn’t too much of an issue, but I know those numbers will always be there to compare against. Maybe next year I’ll repeat a workout I did today, will I be better or worse at it? How will I know? I’ll check the log. 

This obviously crosses over into other endeavours. Are you overweight? Keep a food diary, everything (and I mean everything) you eat and drink must be recorded, as well as you activity/exercise. Measure your girth and record it, record your weight, recheck every month to see if there’s a change. You can now adjust your diet and exercise to suit.

If you run a business, you should be in the habit of keeping accounts, but why not treat yourself and your family as a business and record every penny you earn and every penny you spend (a starbucks a day can add up to 6 or 7 hundred quid a year!) I’ve done this several times and found it a useful tool for pulling myself out a financial hole. 

Whatever you’re trying to achieve, keep notes, a detailed and honest log that you can’t cheat. It will never lie and may just frighten you into action. Plus when you’ve achieved your goals, it’s there as a record of where you came from and how you got to where you are. 

All my Personal Training clients are given a notebook and strict instructions to keep it in their training bag. Every one of them has a detailed record of their workouts and their measurements, the ones that don’t keep it up to date are the ones that don’t make progress, coincidence? 

 

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3 - KNIFE CRIME STATISTICS

I was having a look over the National Crime Council website. This is the page I stopped at: http://www.irlgov.ie/crimecouncil/statistics_cri_crime_murder.html

What caught my eye was the following:

In 2007 there were 84 total homicides, of these 20 involved firearms and 38 involved sharp implements or knives.

In 2000 there were 56 homicides with 12 using firearms and only 9 knife attacks.

These are only the reported figures, I believe that the actual numbers are probably a touch higher. 

But lets have a better look:

28 more people were murdered in 2007 than in 2000, that's a 50% increase in the murder rate (the report files manslaughter and murder together for the purpose of the lists). 

In 2000, the amount of people killed by a firearm was 21.4%, Sharp implements and knives were responsible for 16% of all reported murders.

Come 2007 and the firearm now claims 23.8% of victims while the knife is now responsible for 45.2%.

Guns may be easy to get and yes more people are getting killed by them, but the total percentage of people dying is just less than 3%.

Knife (and sharp implement) related deaths are up by 29%.

That's a little worrying. I've spoken to many people over the years including Police officers and Garda, military and special forces operators, doormen and average Joe's, and the majority of people seem to agree, knives are the most dangerous weapon available today.

Part of the reason is the availability, any hardware or home store sells kitchen or utility knives.

Knives are extremely concealable, silent, never run out of ammo and have 2 to 3 killing angles (point and 1 or 2 edges), whereas guns can be concealed, but it's that bit harder, they jam, they run out of ammo and shoot only in a straight line.
Once you get out of that line you are technically out of danger, not so with a blade. 

Is knife defence a good idea?

Go back over the figures, make up your own mind.

Wild Geese Martial Arts teach knife defence and blade awareness based on techniques and tactics taught to us by some of the best in the field, not just guys with "black belts" but guys who've been there and done it, in many cases with the scars to prove why certain techniques are less effective than others. 

 

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4 - RECOMMENDED LINKS & PRODUCTS                                                   

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This CD contains articles from the leading fitness specialists of our day including:

Adam Campbell; Alan Aragon; Bill Hartman; Bob Youngs; Brian Grasso; Chad Waterbury; Charles Staley; Chris Mohr; Chris Shugart; Craig Ballantyne; Dan John; Dave Tate; Dax Moy; The Doorman; Eric Cressey; Gray Cook; Brett Jones; Harry Selkow; Jack Reape; James Smith; Jason C Brown; Jim "Smitty" Smith; Jason Ferruggia; Jimmy Smith; Joe DeFranco; Joe Dowdell; Joe Stankowski; John Alvino; John Berardi; Julia Ladewski; Keith Scott; Lee Taft; Lori Incledon; Lou Schuler; Lyle McDonald; Mark Philippi; Michael Stare; Mike Boyle; Mike Mahler; Mike Mejia; Mike Robertson; Mike Rousell; Nick Grantham; Pat Beith; Pavel Tsatsouline; Rachel Cosgrove; Robert Dos Remedios; Ryan Lee; Steve Shafley; Susan Hill; TC Luoma; Todd Hamer; Tony Gentilcore; Tony Reynolds and Zach Even-Esh

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All the best

The Wild Geese

Doce Pares Ireland / Kenpo Karate / Self Protection / Security Training

www.wildgeesema.com / wildgeesema.blogspot.com

info@wildgeesema.com

+353 87 672 6090