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Re: Surviving Armed Assaults: A Martial Artists Guide to Weapons, Street Violence, and Countervailing Force (Paperback)
by Lawrence A. Kane (Author), Loren W. Christensen (Foreword)
The "Tell"
10:56 AM PDT, October 26, 2008
In more then twenty years of working stadium security I have witnessed, interceded in, and stopped or prevented well over 300 fights, yet in all that time I have only been sucker-punched once. Didn't like it much, obviously, but I’ve managed to avoid repeating that mistake by taking it upon myself to pay close attention to, and learn from, the behaviors that precede violence.
While it often seems that way to victims, violence really doesn't happen in a vacuum. There is always some type of escalation process beforehand. While it may be a long, drawn out confrontation that builds up to the point of attack, it could just as easily appear to be a sudden ambush. In such situations, the escalation may have taken place within the mind of the aggressor. Either way, an astute observer can identify and react to cues, such as an adversary's adrenal twitch, that precede his attack. Unfortunately if you do not spot these indicators, or tells in common self-defense parlance, you are bound to get hurt.
Spotting an adversary's tell directly requires that you notice very small physical movements, signals of the other guy's intent to attack. These indicators are often subtle, hence easy to miss, particularly when you are distracted or mentally unfocused. For example, the tell might be a slight drop of the shoulder, a tensing of the neck, a flaring of the nostrils, or even a puckering of the lips. On the other hand, changes in an opponent’s energy are much easier to spot then any specific physical sign. You are simply looking for change. Any change of energy should be treated as a danger signal. Here are some examples that you can recognize and act on during a confrontation:
A person who was standing still moves slightly. A weight shift is far subtler than a step, but this change is a possible preparation for attack.
There is a change in the rate, tone, pitch, or volume of a person's voice. An overt example is when someone who is shouting becomes suddenly quiet or, conversely, one who has been quiet suddenly raises his voice.
A person who was looking at you suddenly looks away or, conversely, a person who was looking away suddenly makes eye contact.
There is a sudden change in the person's breathing. Untrained adversaries will begin to breathe shallow and fast in the upper chest while trained opponents will breathe slow and deep from their abdomen.
A person develops a sudden pallor or flushing of his face (adrenaline-induced vasoconstriction).
There is a change in the person's posture. Untrained adversaries tend to "puff up," opening their chest and arching their spine, while trained opponents tend to close down their chest, straighten their spine, and lower their center of gravity.
Regrettably, most people are not mentally prepared for sudden violence. Even when sucker-punched, most victims report seeing the blow just before it lands. Those who fail to recognize these aforementioned signs or wait too long to take action on them can be needlessly hurt or even killed. It does not matter why you are being attacked, simply that you are in danger. Do not deny what is happening, recognize the change of energy that constitutes your adversary's tell, and respond appropriately to defend yourself. Worry about making sense of the encounter once it is over and you are safe.
Jissen 3 is now available
7:38 AM PDT, October 24, 2008
The third issue of Jissen is now available. For those who don't already know, Jissen is Japanese for "actual combat" or "real fighting." It's also the title of a free, internet magazine produced by Iain Abernethy of British Combat Association fame. Jissen is put together with the pragmatically-orientated martial artist in mind. It's not only free to download, but free to distribute as well.
I've personally found Jissen a more valuable and thought-provoking resource then any print magazine I've paid for over the years. Given the enormous and exponentially-growing number of downloads of late, I believe that I'm not alone in that opinion.
Issue Three (Autumn 2008)
Contents include:
· Martial Arts Skepticism: A Manifesto
· Differing Visions
· How to Spar for the Street: Part 3
· How to Survive a Knife Assault
· Debunking Taekwondo Myths
· Adaptable Karate: Part 1
· The Way of Kata: Part 3
· Kata Training for Fighting Reflexes
· Naihanchi / Tekki Bunkai
· Creating an effective application: Do San
· Power and Impact
Contributors include: Iain Abernethy, Stuart Anslow, Rev. Arthur Chenevey, Jamie Clubb, Chris Denwood, Lawrence Kane, Eric Parsons, Matt Sylvester, John Titchen, and Kris Wilder
Here's the link: http://www.iainabernethy.com/Jissen_Magazine.asp
Enjoy!
The Little Black Book of Violence Preview, continued
6:47 AM PDT, October 14, 2008
What advance readers are saying about The Little Black Book of Violence:
“Kane and Wilder’s book will save lives. It will keep others out of prison. As an attorney, a self-defense instructor, and someone who has experienced violence, I was most impressed with the practical and realistic information.” — Alain Burrese, J.D., former U.S. Army 2nd Infantry Division Scout Sniper School instructor, martial arts instructor, and author.
“Reminiscent of Musashi’s Book of Five Rings, this book gives the reader insight way beyond punching and kicking back. Elements of psychology, street smarts, and martial strategy make this book worthy of inclusion in everyone’s library. Well done and comprehensive.” — Kancho John Roseberry, three-time All Services Judo Champion, seven-time All Marine Judo Champion, 10th dan Goju Ryu karate, 7th dan judo, 3rd dan aikido, (honorary) 5th dan Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu.
“Every parent of an adolescent should read this.” — Julie Van Dielen, Producer, Law Enforcement Training for In the Line of Duty.
“The true flavor of down and dirty fighting is captured and revealed. The aftermath of the fight is laid bare as it really exists. The reader is left to experience the blood, injuries, guilt, regret, and post-traumatic stress that sometimes plague the individual combatant involved. This book is as relevant to any police officer, soldier, or martial artist as it is to any student of criminal justice or psychology.” — Jeffrey-Peter A.M. Hauck, J.D., Former U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Infantry Pathfinder, Martial Arts Instructor, retired Municipal Police Sergeant, and author.
“A hip, easy-to-read manual on how to identify potentially violent situations and avoid them. Or, failing that, how to best deal effectively with violence should one be forced to do so. Everyone with a pulse should read this book.” — William C. Dietz, bestselling author of more than thirty science fiction novels and thrillers including Halo: The Flood, and Hitman: Enemy Within.
“A very cool yet frightening perspective on violence; a book where the dreams of heroism and adventure are acted upon with proper forethought and intellect.” — Martina Sprague, martial arts instructor and author.
“While martial arts schools show you how to kick and punch, The Little Black Book fills in crucial information about street survival that most instructors don’t teach or even know.” — Loren W. Christensen, 7th dan black belt, author.
“I was hooked from the first 15 words... I like to call this book Scared Smart or at least Scared Thoughtful.” — Michael F. Murphy, School Board Director.
“A must read for any man or woman who is interested in learning not only how to defend oneself, but how to read other people’s aggressions, and understand both the mental and physical aspects of violence.” — Staff Sgt. Bryan Hopkins, USMC, 1999 Armed Forces Judo Champion, US Marine Corps Martial Arts Instructor.
“An exceptionally modest title for a volume so comprehensive. Kane and Wilder maintain an engaging, readable, and occasionally humorous style that makes the book not just incredibly useful, but hard to put down as well.” — Barry Eisler, internationally bestselling author of the John Rain series, shodan in Kodokan judo.
The Little Black Book of Violence Preview
6:45 AM PDT, October 14, 2008, updated at 7:56 AM PDT, October 14, 2008
There’s not much explanation about The Little Black Book of Violence on Amazon yet, so here’s a more complete synopsis of my forthcoming work. It's co-written with Kris Wilder and features forewords by Sgt. Rory Miller and Marc "Animal" MacYoung as well as an afterword by Lt. Col. John R. Finch...
“Kane and Wilder’s book will save lives. It will keep others out of prison. As an attorney, a self-defense instructor, and someone who has experienced violence, I was most impressed with the practical and realistic information.” — Alain Burrese, J.D., former U.S. Army 2nd Infantry Division Scout Sniper School instructor, martial arts instructor, and author.
Summary:
The Little Black Book of Violence will arm you with the knowledge and good sense to make informed choices in hazardous situations. While some yahoo spewing insults about your favorite sports team is worlds apart from a drug-crazed lunatic lunging at you with a sharp knife in his hands and bloodlust in his eyes, there is a large gray area in between these two extremes where hard and fast rules do not always apply. This is where wisdom, oftentimes hard-earned wisdom, makes the difference between good decisions and bad ones.
Every time you engage in violence, no matter how small or trivial it may appear to be at the time, it has the potential of escalating into something extraordinary serious. What is really worth fighting for when you might find yourself spending the rest of your life behind bars, confined to a wheelchair, or trying to dig yourself out of bankruptcy from beneath the crushing weight of a civil lawsuit? It is important to ask yourself, “Is this really worth fighting over?” While in some instances the response could legitimately be “Yes,” more often than not it ought to be “No.”
More than mere techniques, this book fills in crucial information about street survival that most martial arts instructors don’t teach or even know. You will learn how to use awareness, avoidance, and de-escalation to help stave off violence. Despite the best intentions, however, you may still find yourself in situations where you have no choice but to fight and others where it is prudent to do so. Consequently you will also learn smart things you might want to try and dumb things you should attempt to avoid during a physical confrontation.
In addition to learning strategies and techniques for defending yourself on the street you will also learn how to manage the aftermath of violence, including performing first aid, interacting with law enforcement, managing witnesses, finding a good attorney, navigating the legal system, dealing with the press, and overcoming psychological trauma.
Men, who commit about 80 percent of all violent crimes, are twice as likely to become victims of aggressive behavior as women. While written primarily for this at-risk demographic, this comprehensive tome is essential reading for anyone who regularly deals with violence, thinks they may encounter a hostile situation, or who simply wants to increase their ability to survive a dangerous encounter.
Weapons Awareness
10:22 AM PDT, September 29, 2008
I was watching football yesterday afternoon when I suddenly heard sirens. I live in a quiet residential neighborhood but there is a major arterial a couple of blocks away so we tend to hear an emergency response or two from time to time. They’ve historically passed on by rather then stopping nearby, but this time it turns out that a man was knifed a few of blocks away. The 22-year-old victim was stabbed in the stomach, rushed to Harborview Medical Center, and listed in critical condition according to press reports. Police reported that another man drove a getaway car, but didn't give a description of the vehicle that I could find.
While this incident was disturbing, it also brings up an important lesson. Despite what you may have learned in martial arts class, unarmed civilians who tangle with weapon-wielding attackers invariably get hurt. Often quite badly. Armed assaults are far more dangerous to the victim than unarmed ones, more than three times as likely to result in serious injury. In fact, some 96% of all homicides involve a weapon. Since hand-to-hand combat against an armed assailant is often a losing proposition, it is important to learn how to spot a weapon and avoid it before it can be used against you.
With few exceptions, civilians who carry a weapon need to do so in a manner where it cannot be seen by those around them yet can be drawn in very big hurry should the need arise. After all, you wouldn’t want to be stopped every five minutes by a police officers summoned by panicked bystanders who report that you are armed. Bad guys also conceal their weapons, though more often then not to maintain the element of surprise. Either way, accessibility is key. After all, a weapon does you no good if you cannot get to it rapidly when you need it.
Most carry techniques center on or around the waist. Most law-abiding civilians who own a gun use a holster. Holsters make the most reliable carry systems because they rigidly affix the weapon to a specific spot on the body. That way it can always be found it when it is needed, even under extreme stress. Many folding knives come with belt clips designed to hold them firmly against the side of your pocket where they are easily located by touch.
Criminals, on the other hand, rarely use a holster. The two most common ad hoc carry positions for firearms are in inside the pants, either in the front alongside the hipbone or in the small of the back. Because the weapon has a tendency to move around when carried in this fashion, you can often spot a bad guy touching himself to assure that it is in the proper place or adjusting the weapon to get it back into the proper carry position.
Pants or jacket pockets are always a handy choice as well. Like the inside-the-pants carry, they are not as reliable or easy to get to as a holster when you need rapid access. Weapons can also be palmed, hidden behind an arm or leg, or held out of sight beneath a covering object such as a folded jacket or newspaper. These methods facilitate rapid access but can be easier to spot than other methods. That’s the good news. The bad news is that if the weapon is already drawn and held in a concealed position, you will be in extremely serious trouble if you do not spot your adversary’s intent. He has already decided to attack and is maneuvering into position to do so.
Weapons can also be "hidden" in plain sight too. A hot cup of coffee tossed into a bad guy’s face can make an effective deterrent. A solidly built pen can operate much like a martial arts kubaton or even like a knife. A cane, walking stick, heavy purse, or laptop computer can be used as a bludgeon. Heavy keys on a lanyard can work much like a medieval flail, albeit far less effectively. A beer bottle, pool cue, baseball bat, or mug can be just as effective in a pinch as a weapon designed for combat.
Pay particular attention to a person's hands and midsection, looking for unusual bumps, bulges, out-of-place items of clothing, or odd movements. Also look for concealing clothing that may be covering a weapon. Examples include a jacket worn in hot weather, a vest that covers the waistline (especially the hips/lower back), or a loose shirt that is only buttoned high.
Just because a weapon is not in use at the beginning of a fight doesn't necessarily mean that it won't be by the end, particularly if the other guy thinks he’s in danger of losing. Before, during, and even after a fight, watch for the upward or sideways motion of withdrawing a weapon from its sheath, holster, or hiding place; a weapon cannot be used until it is deployed. While you will frequently rely on your eyes to spot a concealed weapon, you can use your ears too. Listen for the sound of a weapon being drawn or readied for action as well.
Weapon awareness is relatively easy to practice. Take an outdoor seat at a restaurant in a high foot-traffic area, hang out in a mall, or take a walk through a public place and carefully watch passersby. Count how many knives, guns, and other weapons you can spot. Who is carrying them? How are they concealed? What subtle clues did you notice that helped you spot the weapon? Once you get good at consciously finding these devices, you can begin to pick them up subconsciously as well. Honing your intuition in this manner builds solid survival skills.
Occasionally Hollywood can actually teach you something
7:03 AM PDT, September 15, 2008
I watched Felon, a movie that makes some chillingly realistic and valuable points about self defense, last night. The story centers around an average, likeable guy named Wade Porter (played by actor Stephen Dorff). As the movie begins Porter, along with his fiancé and young son have just moved into their first house. After years of struggling for success, his construction business is beginning to take off, they have gotten their finances in line, the marriage ceremony is rapidly approaching, and everything seems to be going his way. Of course this happiness doesn’t last…
Everything changes suddenly one night when an intruder breaks into their home. Porter hears a noise, finds the guy in his son’s bedroom, chases him outside, and smacks him upside the head with a baseball bat. Unfortunately that one blow kills the intruder on the spot. While Porter initially feels like a hero for protecting his family and chasing off a dangerous bad guy, he ultimately finds himself in seriously hot water when the police arrive and discover that the burglar was unarmed and had died outside the home where castle doctrines do not apply.
Before you know it, Porter is sentenced to prison for three years on an involuntary manslaughter conviction. In short order he loses his freedom, his business, and his home, all over one split-second decision. As he begins to serve his term and adjust to prison life, his relationship with his family suffers, perhaps irreconcilably, as well. Everything he has come to know and love falls apart around him. While the corrupt guards, forced fights amongst the prisoners, and certain other aspects of his time in prison are your typical Hollywood falderal, the overall movie is vastly better then I had expected. It’s also Val Kilmer’s best performance in years; he plays a “lifer” who befriends our erstwhile hero and helps him learn how to survive in the joint.
Beyond mere entertainment, however, the movie teaches some valuable lessons. Chasing down an unarmed intruder who’s hell-bent on escaping and bashing him over the head with a bat is clearly not self-defense, not even in Hollywood. In fact, in most jurisdictions a person can only resort to deadly force in order to escape imminent and unavoidable danger of death or grave bodily harm. That “unavoidable” part is the bugger...
While legal definitions and interpretations are generally uniform across the country, there are small but very important differences from state to state. To stay out of jail, you really need to talk to someone who practices law in your jurisdiction to understand these differences. I’m a martial arts instructor not an attorney, so while I can provide some good guidelines you really shouldn’t rely on me for legal advice. After all, you get what you pay for ;-). Having said that, however, the classic rule is that self-defense begins when deadly danger begins, ends when the danger ends, and revives again if the danger returns. Neither a killing that takes place after a crime has already been committed, nor a proactive violent defense before an attack has taken place is legitimately self-defense in the eyes of the court.
So, that begs the question of how you’d know when it’s legally justifiable to get physical with an adversary. Many self-defense instructors teach the AOJP principle. That stands for Ability, Opportunity, Jeopardy, and Preclusion. If all four of these criteria are all met, you have a pretty good case for taking action. If one or more of these conditions are absent, however, you’re on shaky legal ground. Clearly, you will want to speak with an attorney to understand the laws in your locale, but this principle is a useful, relatively easy to remember guideline that you can rely on in the heat of the moment on the street.
Ability
Ability means that an attacker has both the physical as well as practical ability to seriously injure, maim, or kill you. This may include the use of fists and feet as well as the application of conventional or improvised weapons such as knives, guns, bottles, baseball bats, or similar instruments. It also includes the physical ability to wield said weapon (or fists or feet for that matter) in a manner that can actually injure you. A small child with a baseball bat does not have the same ability to cause harm as a professional ball player swinging the same hunk of wood as a weapon.
Opportunity
While your attacker may have the ability to harm you, his ability does not necessarily mean that he also has the immediate opportunity to do so. Your life and well-being must be in clear and present danger before you can legally respond with physical force. For example, a bad guy with a knife has the ability to kill you only so long as he is also within striking range of the weapon or can quickly move into the appropriate distance from which to initiate his attack. A physical barrier such as a chain link fence may protect you from a knife-wielder but not an assailant armed with a gun, so opportunity relates not only to the attacker and the weapon, but also to the environment within which they are deployed as well.
Jeopardy
Jeopardy or “imminent jeopardy” as the law sometimes requires, relates to the specifics of the situation. Any reasonable person in a similar situation should feel in fear for his life. This is a legal attempt to distinguish between a truly hazardous situation and one that is only potentially dangerous. While you are not expected to be able to read an aggressor’s mind, you certainly should be able to ascertain his intent from his outward appearance, demeanor, and actions. Someone shouting, “I’m going to kill you,” while walking away is probably not an immediate threat even though he may very well come back with a weapon or a group of friends later and become one should you stick around long enough. Someone shouting, “I love you,” while lunging toward you with a knife, on the other hand, most likely is an imminent threat.
Preclusion
Even when the ability, opportunity, and jeopardy criteria are satisfied, you must still have no other safe alternatives other than physical force before engaging an opponent in combat. If you can run or retreat from harm’s way without further endangering yourself these criteria have not been met. In some jurisdictions, there is no requirement to retreat when attacked in your home or, in some cases, your place of business. Regardless, it is prudent to retreat whenever you have the ability to do so safely. After all, it is impossible for the other guy to hurt you if you’re not there.
Clearly you should never let fear of legal repercussions keep you from defending yourself when your life is on the line, but a clear understanding of the law can help you make good decisions on “that day” should it ever arrive.
Some great martial arts blogs
9:14 AM PDT, September 11, 2008, updated at 1:58 PM PDT, September 11, 2008
There are billions of blogs out there, most of which are a complete waste of time in my opinion, yet with any media there are a few gems that really stand out. If you're a serious martial artist, here are a few to consider:
Kris Wilder, The Striking Post: http://thestrikingpost.blogspot.com/
Kris is not only my instructor and friend, but also one of the best martial artists I know (and I've trained with hundreds, possibly thousands over the last 30+ years). Beginning his martial arts training in 1976 in the art of taekwondo, Kris has earned dan rank three arts: taekwondo (nidan), Kodokan judo (shodan) and Goju Ryu Karate (yodan), which he teaches at the West Seattle Karate Academy. He has trained under Kenji Yamada, who as a judoka won back-to-back United States grand championships (1954–1955); Shihan John Roseberry, founder of Shorei-Shobukan Karate and a direct student of Seikichi Toguchi; and Hiroo Ito, a student of Shihan Kori Hisataka (Kudaka in the Okinawan dialect), the founder of Shorinji-Ryu Kenkokan Karate. Kris is the author of The Way of Sanchin Kata, The Way of Martial Arts for Kids, and Lessons from the Dojo Floor and is my co-author on The Way of Kata, The Way to Black Belt, and The Little Black Book of Violence.
Iain Abernethy, The Practical Application of Karate: http://blog.iainabernethy.com/
One of the world’s foremost experts on applied martial arts, Iain is the author of Bunkai-Jutsu, Karate’s Grappling Methods, Arm-locks for All Styles, Throws for Strikers, and Mental Strength. He holds a godan rank in karate with both Karate England and in the prestigious British Combat Association. He has also produced many popular DVDs on practical martial arts and the realistic application of traditional kata. His web, www.iainabernethy.com, is packed with information, including a variety of articles by Iain and several guest authors and a vibrant community forum which I help moderate.
Rory Miller, Chiron Training: http://chirontraining.blogspot.com/
Sergeant Rory Miller is the author of Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training and Real World Violence. He has studied martial arts since 1981. He has received college varsities in judo and fencing, and holds mokuroku (teaching certificate) in Sosuishitsu-ryu jujutsu. He is a corrections officer and tactical team leader who teaches and designs courses in defensive tactics, close quarters combat and Use of Force policy and application for law enforcement and corrections officers. A veteran of hundreds of violent confrontations he lectures on realism and training for martial artists and writers. He's currently a bit busy working on his next book and teaching law enforcement skills to the Iraqis so he is not posting as often as he used to, but his insights are uniformly outstanding nevertheless.
Alain Burrese, Attack Back: http://www.burrese.com/attackbackblog.html
Alain is the author of Hard-Won Wisdom From The School Of Hard Knocks: How To Avoid A Fight And Things To Do When You Can’t Or Don’t Want To and the instructional videos Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, and Hapkido Cane. He also stars in the Lock On: Joint Locking Essentials DVD series with Aiki Productions. His martial art background started with judo in 1982 and since then he has also studied taekwondo, karate, boxing, qigong, and hapkido. He has lived and trained in South Korea where he continues to return to train with his hapkido instructors. His primary focus for training and teaching today are with hapkido and realistic self-defense. He served as a paratrooper with the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, NC., and as a sniper instructor with the 2nd Infantry Division Scout Sniper School at Camp Casey, South Korea. He has also worked as bouncer, security, and bodyguard, all of which add to the practical side of his instruction regarding real fights and violence. Alain also practices law, focusing on mediation as well as some corporate/business law, immigration and international matters, and some real estate. He writes a regular column on negotiation for The Montana Lawyer magazine, and provides programs in this area as well. His legal education and time as a prosecutor also allows Alain to teach about the legalities of self-defense during his martial art and self-defense programs.
No First Strike in Karate?
1:01 PM PDT, September 3, 2008
Karate is first and foremost a defensive art. This essential tradition is best described by Gichin Funakoshi’s famous saying, “karate ni sente nashi” which translates as “there is no first strike in karate.” While this statement is absolutely true it is also commonly misunderstood.
To be clear, karateka, like most martial artists, are taught to avoid seeking conflict. This convention helps practitioners of potentially lethal arts behave in a manner appropriate to interaction within polite society, something I think we’d all agree is a positive thing indeed. The challenge then is to make that defensive move work to your advantage.
What many don’t realize is that defensive techniques when executed properly are just as fight stopping as offensive ones. After all, these arts were developed before the advent of modern medicine. To merely block an adversary’s attack would allow him to continue to strike until his victim turned the tables with an effective technique or was beaten into a bloody pulp. Since almost any injury suffered in battle could ultimately prove fatal through infection or other collateral impact, fights had to be stopped expeditiously.
Here is where the confusion lies. To many “no first strike” implies waiting for an adversary to attack then trying to successfully counter when you are already injured or out of position from the force of your attacker’s initial blow. After all, once you block the first strike another is inevitably already on its way so you are effectively behind the count before you begin. In order to decipher the true intent of Funakoshi’s statement we must understand three Japanese terms: (1) go no sen, (2) sen no sen, and (3) sen-sen no sen.
Go no sen means “late initiative,” blocking and riposting after an enemy has already attacked. This is the method that new practitioners are initially taught. It means to receive or block a blow and then to strike back. It is a great learning method because it breaks advanced techniques down into small movements but it is not practical on the street where you are likely to become overwhelmed by a determined aggressor. This is elementary karate, abandoned quickly once any significant level of skill has been achieved.
Sen no sen means “simultaneous initiative,” intercepting the adversary’s blow just after it begins. This is an intermediate form of karate, using quickness and power to simultaneously attack and defend, cutting off the opponent’s strike before it makes contact. This is where we begin to find street-worthy application.
Sen-sen no sen means “preemptive initiative,” cutting off a blow before it even starts. Practitioners sense that an attack will be forthcoming and then cut it short before the aggressor has the chance to transform the mental desire to attack into the physical movement necessary to execute that desire. This is the ultimate goal of martial training insofar as self-defense is concerned, advanced karate.
Cutting off an attack before it is fully in play looks an awful lot like a first strike yet is still a defensive movement. This is what Funakoshi really meant: striking to cut off an impending attack is okay while instigating unwarranted violence on your own initiative is not. Your intent, however, must be to stop the assault that is in progress so that you can escape to safety or otherwise remain safe until help arrives. Your goal is to be safe, not to kill your attacker, humiliate him, or otherwise teach him a lesson. This, in my mind, is the ultimate meaning of karate ni sente nashi.
Summer '08 edition of Jissen Magazine
7:41 PM PDT, July 28, 2008
The summer 2008 issue of Jissen Magazine is now available (free) at: http://iainabernethy.com/Jissen_Magazine.asp. Jissen is Japanese for “actual combat” or “real fighting”. It's also the name of a free online magazine dedicated to serving all martial artists that approach the traditional martial arts from their original combative perspective. Published by internationally renown martial artist and author Iain Abernethy, it's every bit as good as any martial arts magazine I’ve read anywhere.
Once again it's packed with fascinating articles. This edition includes contributions from Iain Abernethy, Jamie Clubb, Chris Denwood, Lowell Hein, Eric Parsons, Dan Redmond, Michael Rosenbaum, Brian P. Struchtemeyer, Matthew Sylvester, John Titchen, Kris Wilder, and myself.
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