Welcome, all. This tutorial will teach you how to think and act in a hostile situation.
It is only the first in a series of four tutorials that will teach you the basics of practical self-defense. This tutorial focuses on training the mind for a hostile situation - the next tutorial will teach you how to effectively fight OR flee a bad situation. The costume in the pictures is just the training outfit in my Ryu, nothing more.
It is only the first in a series of four tutorials that will teach you the basics of practical self-defense. This tutorial focuses on training the mind for a hostile situation - the next tutorial will teach you how to effectively fight OR flee a bad situation. The costume in the pictures is just the training outfit in my Ryu, nothing more.
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The first thing you must understand is that when someone attacks you, there are TWO battles that you have to fight with them.
The first battle is mental. The second battle is physical.
In simple words, you must defeat your enemy in your own mind, BEFORE you can defeat him in physical combat.
Here, in this tutorial, you will learn how to think in a hostile situation, so that your enemy begins to be defeated before you begin to fight..
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The Battle against Yourself:
Understand that you must NOT be caught unawares. If you are caught unawares, you give your enemy the element of surprise. When you walk a dark street, be aware of shadows, be aware of entrances to buildings that possible attackers could emerge from, be aware of dark alleys.
In BROAD DAYLIGHT, in a crowded, public place, be EQUALLY aware. Look around you, take in your surroundings, walk alertly, DON'T make yourself an 'easy target'. Remember, your enemies WANT an easy target. Even a hunting tiger picks out the weakest in the herd. DON'T be the weakest in the herd.
Think like a warrior. Listen to that word - warrior. I'm talking to the women out there as much as to the men. Go and look in your mirror and say - 'this person is a WARRIOR. This person is not 'prey".
If you can't convince yourself when you look in your mirror and say it the first time, say it again. And again. And again - as many times as it takes. Convince yourself. You are a warrior. You are a hunter, a tiger - or tigress. If an enemy comes against you, you will fight with fang and claw - with ALL THAT YOU HAVE, if necessary.
Look in your mirror. See your first enemy. Yourself. Your mind will perhaps try to tell you that you are weak, that you cannot be alert, that you cannot fight. It lies to you, and it's lies are more dangerous than the attacks of an enemy. Defeat those lies with everything in you, with your WILL, with your mind and soul. Know yourself for what you are, a being with a WILL.
You ARE a warrior - every minute of every day, even when you sleep, even when you dream.
Accomplish this, win this first battle, and you have already defeated a portion of your enemy before you even meet him.
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Understanding your Body:
Now let us assume, that despite being alert, despite all precautions, you still land IN a bad situation. Let's say that there are three well-built enemies attacking (or threatening) you. Now you must understand your body's response to this.
Your hair might stand on end. Your skin might grow cold. Is this because of fear?
NO. These reactions are NOT fear. You only think they are, because your society has fed you lies. These reactions are your body preparing you for combat. For fight OR flight.
Your hair stands on end because in times when humans still had fur, the fur standing up would make the human look larger and more dangerous!! Ignore this reaction, it is just a remnant of forgotten, far off times.
Your skin grows cold because the blood is being drawn INWARDS, to nourish your vital organs, increasing both your endurance (if you have to flee) and your ability to take damage (if you have to fight). Also, if you are cut, and the cut is not deep, you will not bleed as much as you would normally. Adrenalin will also flood your system, boosting your power, and your very muscles will tense and tone themselves, ready for ACTION.
UNDERSTAND YOUR BODY. ACCEPT the changes you feel, for they give you your best chance for LIFE.
You have been taught that these reactions you feel are fear. THEY ARE NOT FEAR - they are your body going into overdrive - they are your body TURNING ITSELF INTO A WEAPON. Yes, what feels like 'fear' is your body turning itself into a deadly weapon. And when you understand this, YOU can USE that weapon - to SURVIVE!!
This is the second lesson learned.
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Fight or Flee:
Now you face your attackers, and your body IS READY. Understand that in the few seconds since the attack began, while your mind is thinking (or worrying), your body has responded like an animal - it prepares itself for ACTION. Indeed, with the changes that have occurred in your body in these few seconds that you have felt 'threatened' your body has become MORE than human - it has become an animal, a beast, ready to fight it's enemies into the ground, or to flee faster than it's enemies can run. It is READY. Now YOU must look at the situation and CHOOSE - fight or flight.
In subsequent tutorials, we will teach you how to fight, we will teach you how to run. And your body will prepare you for both. Your mind.. is the mind of a warrior, taught by YOU, yourself, every minute of every day, to NEVER BE PREY. Now COMMAND your body - fight OR flee.
But whether you fight or whether you run, RESIST.
Understand this - whoever faces you is probably a wolf. Wolves eat sheep, so you MUST NOT BE A SHEEP. Be a lion - no wolf wants to be suddenly faced with a cornered lion - or a cornered tigress.
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Looking at a situation realistically, and recognizing traps for what they are:
Now for some simple, obvious, practical advice. You must look at a situation and see if you are really in danger. LOOK at your enemies, read the signals all humans send off - see if they REALLY pose a danger. Get together with a friend and practice recognizing these subtle signals.
If a mugger is going to be satisfied with your money - GIVE IT TO HIM. Money isn't worth putting yourself in danger, IF he's going to take your money and leave you alone. Try to 'read' him.
UNDERSTAND that there is a line you MUST NOT allow your attacker to cross. ABOVE ALL, don't let anyone even suggest that they tie you up, or tell you to get in a car so they can take you elsewhere - the moment they say that, they've crossed the line, and you HAVE TO FIGHT AND/OR RUN. Don't get trapped.
Another example: A girl is sitting on a bench in a park with no one in sight. Suddenly three men come up. One sits on one side of her. Another sits on the other side. The third stands behind the bench, behind her back. Is this a trap? OF COURSE IT IS. THESE THREE MEN HAVE ALREADY CROSSED THE LINE. This is an obvious trap. If you want to give them the benefit of the doubt, then RUN AWAY AS FAST AS YOU CAN. Don't bother with talk - this is a TRAP. FIGHT OR FLEE, but NEVER allow a trap to close.
Incidentally, the trap described above (with those three men, and the girl on the park bench) HAS NOT CLOSED YET. She can still escape. Or she can even fight, with methods we will teach you in later lessons. She can prevent the trap from closing.
Now you'll say to me - how do I know it's a trap. Won't I look foolish running away if it isn't. Well, I say to you - this is a real incident I described. The girl was real, the men were real. She didn't try to run. She didn't try to fight. She tried to talk her way out of it. And she was dragged to some nearby bushes and raped.
It WAS a trap. Learn to recognize a trap, and NEVER tolerate one.
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An Inspiring Episode.
Now, let me tell you about something that illustrates what an aid even the right mind-set can be. There was this old lady in the UK who had just collected her pension - as she was leaving the post-office three men stopped her and demanded her money. And this old lady lifted her walking stick and attacked one of the three with such ferocity that the other two men fled in terror - she actually broke his ribs, then, when he collapsed, she sat on him until the police took charge!! Now THAT'S an attitude. That woman is a tigress if I ever saw one, and you see what happens to the wolves when even an old tigress meets up with them!!
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A good Meditation to help build your 'Fighting Spirit'
Many humans have problems with using violence. A tiger, on the other hand, has no problems at all with using violence if the situation requires it. This meditation will help you shift your mental state into that of a tiger, to allow you to better react to situations with decisive ACTION.
The Tiger Aura Meditation:
This mediation will help build up your fighting spirit - called in Japanese, Tou-kon.
Begin this meditation by sitting comfortably cross-legged, or in a chair. Close your eyes and breathe very deeply. Breathe this way for around a minute.
Keep your eyes closed throughout the meditation.
Now, with your eyes still closed, let your breathing become even deeper. Imagine yourself walking down a flight of stairs. There are nine stairs. As you step down each stair, you should count backwards from 9 to 1. After the last stair, there is nothing, absolutely nothing - just black, empty space.
You step off the last stair as you count 1 - you step into nothingness, into empty space, into chaos. Now imagine the 'human' skin you wear beginning to peel away to reveal the savage tiger underneath. Imagine your arms and legs growing, bulging with the great muscles of a cat - imagine claws forming on your hands and feet - imagine your face changing, the great fangs forming, the sensitive nose, the slit eyes, the pointed ears.
A cat sees the world not in color but in grays. In your mind, look out at a grey world. See people, not as people, but as prey. Imagine yourself, a great tiger, rearing up on two legs and fighting puny humans. See yourself fell them with mighty blows of your great paws. See yourself fighting them AS a tiger, effortlessly, with all it's great power.
After some time, open your eyes. But for as long as you can keep it up after the meditation, pretend that you are a tiger in human form.
Do this meditation daily, and in time you will see yourself not as a human but as a tiger; and will take on the beast's aura of strength and power.
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Manipulating the mind of your enemy..
Just as your enemy projects his willingness (or unwillingness) to attack, you should also learn to project emotions that will MISDIRECT your enemy. Stand in front of your mirror and project fear, happiness, gladness, anger, lust - all without really feeling any of those things.
Sometimes an enemy will be caught off-guard by a victim pleading with him, 'projecting' helplessness, then suddenly attacking with lethal strikes.
Another time, a man intent on rape might be caught off-guard by a victim sensually kissing him, then striking him hard in the throat or groin.
Learn to project emotion 'genuinely' and you'll that it is a useful weapon to catch an enemy off-guard. And you might also find that getting your enemy to lower his guard is just as useful in combat as ANY weapon.
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This tutorial is just the beginning of a series, and will be followed up by many more, teaching practical self defense, the use of concealed weapons, and unarmed combat - as well as the basics of effective fleeing. I hope these will be of help to people out there. Take care, all.
Thank you for this tutorial Lightmage, as I understand the importance and practicality of fighting in many situations.
