Footwork

"In my strategy the footwork does not change. I always walk as I usually do in the street."

Miyamoto Musashi


It's amazing how many courses I've taken where the first thing that is taught is footwork. Surprisingly, whatever method of footwork is being taught turns out to be overly complicated and unnatural. The dead giveaway is the confused look on the students' faces and the time allotted to this unnecessary area.

Stop worrying about your footwork and whether your feet should be pointed 30 degrees or 45 degrees. Your body already knows how to move and your feet will naturally follow in the direction in which you want to travel...

In my real fights I've never given any thought to my footwork, nor have I ever yelled a "kiai". Spend more time training your attributes and practicing your skills than worrying about eight different ways to move your feet.

You Are an Amateur Compared to Your Attacker

Some interesting "rules" attributed to Walt Rauch:


1. All predators are always killers. When they attack, your options for self-defense are very limited.

2. The predator is smarter than you. Act and react accordingly.

3. Predators will use all the force necessary (and then some) to achieve their goals, without regard to consequences.

4. Predators evaluate their targets before attacking. If you are attacked, the predator has determined he will succeed without a heavy cost to himself.

5. If you are about to become a victim, you have already made serious mistakes.

6. Believe what you see; don't go into denial. Your attacker won't.

7. In a lethal confrontation, you will only have time to choose one course of action – and your life depends on making the right choice.

8. Predators rarely act alone, although the ones that do are the most dangerous. (If there's one, look for two; if there are two, look for three, etc.)

9. Fear is the predator’s friend and your enemy.

10. Talk and negotiation rarely work.

11. Predators do not have a conscience. Don't waste time and effort appealing to any sense of mercy or kindness.

12. Some people cannot be frightened or intimidated. Displaying a weapon may well not solve and, in some cases, may exacerbate the problem. Be prepared for this.

13. "Bullets don't work." Gene Zink, Former H&K Law Enforcement Trainer. No hand-held firearm fires a guaranteed "one-shot-stop" round. Anticipate needing follow-up shots.

14. Firearms don't work all the time and may well not work when you need them most.

15. Carry only the biggest-caliber gun you can control.

16. Don't be overly concerned about caliber. No one wants to "leak" or have holes put in him.

17. Carry a reload

18. Carry a second gun.

19. Be able to get to both handguns with either hand

20. Don't assume you can prevail in the conflict due to your superior tactics and training. The predator only has to be lucky once. Avoiding him is still the best defense.

21. The honest citizen pitted against a predator is an unequal contest. The predator is a professional. Most honest citizens are amateurs.

22. No competition or training, no matter how well learned or practiced, can equal hands-on experience.

23. Predators constantly validate their training with hands-on experience.

24. Getting hands-on experience can be fatal, but survivors learn their lessons well!

Here's Why You Need a Holster

Robber Dies After Accidentally Shooting Himself

(AP) OAKLAND, Calif. A suspected robber died after accidentally shooting himself in the leg while he and another man held up a Pinole liquor store. Police found the body of Sharffe Williams on a West Oakland street a few minutes after the holdup Saturday morning. Security cameras recorded footage of Williams shooting himself at the liquor store counter while returning a gun to his waistband. Officers found a trail of blood and recovered a handgun dropped at the scene.

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If you've visited Defend University for a while, you know that I contend that only the bad guys carry handguns without holsters (with one exception of a gun I took off a criminal).

The above article is a graphic example. Additionally, meetings I've had with emergency room physicians validate this as well. I've been told that it's not uncommon for the docs to treat self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the groin in gangsters who have shot themselves while pushing a handgun into their waistbands.

If you are going to responsibly carry a handgun, carry it in a holster or some other type of carrier that is designed specifically for your handgun. First and foremost, the holster keeps the handgun secure and safe. Modern holsters cover the trigger guard for safety and the newer Kydex ones are now very inexpensive and maintenance free as compared to quality leather holsters. Secondly, your holster or carrier keeps your handgun in the same place everytime to facilitate a quick and consistent draw.

I know some people (and certain gun writers) advocate carrying a handgun in a pocket. Some women I know carry theirs in a purse. Be smart -- put those handguns in a holster or scabbard.

Jetliner protected against missiles

Associated Press
Jan. 17, 2007 12:00 AM

LOS ANGELES - An MD-10 cargo jet equipped with an anti-missile system designed to eventually protect passenger aircraft from a terrorist attack took off Tuesday from Los Angeles International Airport on a commercial flight.

The system's designer, Northrop Grumman Corp., said the FedEx flight marked the start of operational testing and evaluation of the laser system designed to defend against shoulder-fired, anti-aircraft missiles during takeoffs and landings.

Adapted from military technology, Guardian is designed to detect a missile launch and then direct a laser to the seeker system on the head of the missile and disrupt its guidance signals. The laser is not visible and is eye-safe, the company said.

"For the first time, we will be able to collect valuable logistics data while operating Guardian on aircraft in routine commercial service," said Robert DelBoca, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman's Defensive Systems Division.

During the current test phase, which concludes in March 2008, nine MD-10s equipped with the Guardian system will be in commercial service. Katie Lamb-Heinz of Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems said all those aircraft will be freighters. The ultimate goal is to defend passenger airliners.

The testing is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Counter-Man Portable Air Defense Systems program. BAE Systems has also been working for the government on a similar airliner defense system and has successfully tested it.

The first commercial flight with the Guardian system followed 16 months of tests on an MD-11, an MD-10 and a Boeing 747 using simulated launches of shoulder-fired missiles.