Category: Martial Arts

Survivalism: A Jewish Perspective, by DystopianLiving

Since I am Jewish, I read with interest “A Prepper’s Holiday” by C.E.B. (posted March 7th), in which the author described what he has learned by observing the Old Testament holidays of Passover and Sukkot. It occurred to me that Jewish history and culture – being largely a five-thousand year track record of survival against all odds – actually has quite a few lessons that would be relevant to SurvivalBlog readers of all faiths. Here are a few. 1) WHEN IN DOUBT, GET OUT In 1941, Adolf Hitler invaded the Soviet Union. At the time, my grandmother and her family …


Letter Re: Unarmed Defense in the Apocalypse

Mr. Rawles, I just read the excellent article you posted by Tony C. The only thing I would add (and you can’t always cover everything, so this is not derogatory towards Tony C. in any way) is this: If you do want to educate yourself in any martial art, please do as much research of the facility that you want to take it from as you do in research for your firearms. This does not mean go around and ask the people that take it there if they like it. Their only experience may be of that one place. I am …


Unarmed Defense in the Apocalypse, by Tony C.

Many people today are preparing for TEOTWAWKI in various ways. Much discussion and planning for a host of apocalyptic scenarios is underway and justifiably so as many factors converge to seemingly plunge the world into a looming sense of impending doom. We all hope for the best but must prepare for the worst in hopes of survival for ourselves and our families. Self defense is a cornerstone of prepping for the seemingly inevitable collapse of our modern societies. The procurement and use of firearms is the obvious and most effective means of protecting ourselves and our emergency supplies which we …


Letter Re: Self-Defense and Stress: You are Your Own Last Line of Defense, by Jessica B.

James: Jessica B wrote a good article entitled “Self Defense and Stress” and to add to what she wrote about the lack of articles on “…that moment that you find yourself in a stressful, self-defense situation and how to overcome it,” Col. Cooper’s “Four Conditions” immediately came to mind. That great man not only gave use the “Four Rules” for firearms, but the “Four Conditions” for mental preparedness for self-defense, both of which are as perfect as simplifying the complex can be. I assume they have been discussed before, but are worth repeating. From Father Frog’s web site, a good …


Self-Defense and Stress: You are Your Own Last Line of Defense, by Jessica B.

I have seen many articles on Self-Defense. What I have not seen is topics regarding that moment that you find yourself in a stressful, self-defense situation and how to overcome it. I have taught my children from age 4 that you are your own last line of defense. This realization in itself can be pretty stressful. What most people don’t realize is that when attacked you only have ½ a second to react. This may not seem like a lot of time, but I assure you, your life can be ended by what happens in that initial ½ second. People …


Letter Re: Lessons From a Knife Attack

James, A local surveillance camera [in Albuquerque, New Mexico] caught this stabbing incident.  There are lots of lessons here, but I’d point out three: 1–the attack was quick, with no warning and no known reason, and 2–the victim fought back as best as he could, probably saving his life as the attacker was trying to stab him again and 3–“smoke shops” should be avoided. – Scott B.


Basic Cane Fighting Self-Defense, by Michael L.

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I think it is best to start with a simple disclaimer: you really can not learn any kind of hand to hand fighting skill from an article… especially one without pictures. If you really want to learn martial skills (I think “martial arts” is a terrible translation) then you need to seek out competent instruction and apply yourself to your lessons. There are a million pieces of advice on the Internet, even on this site, concerning how to pick a style or school but the simple fact is that you are limited to what is affordably offered in your area. …


Mental Preparation for Lethal Force, by Mark B.

When preparing for TEOTWAWKI, or any lesser natural or “man made” disaster, it can be mind numbing with all the list, needs, “to do’s”, training, purchases, and planning it really takes to become self sufficient. As you prepare it becomes very apparent how complicated modern life is and exactly how vulnerable our sophisticated society has become. Most Preppers actively research via the internet, routinely learn new self sufficiency skills, train, buy supplies, and are most likely to be ardent supporters of the 2nd Amendment. But there is one area of training that must be considered by Preppers and can be …


Guest Article: To Arms!, by William Crosby Prentice

The title of this essay could be either a call to action, or a toast to weapons.  Either way, the purpose is to discuss the decision of whether or not, and to what extent, a person should be armed.  The author is biased in favor of being as heavily armed as is legal under any given circumstances, and has a hard time coming up with reasons for not being armed. The Right of Self Defense I would bet that nearly all of those that regularly visit SurvivalBlog will agree that a person has a natural right, independent of and senior …


Letter Re: Training Combatives: The How, What and Why of Acquiring Hand-to-Hand Skills

Hi Mr. Rawles, I’m a seasoned martial artist and self-defense instructor.  I teach Western Boxing, Jeet Kune Do (Concepts), Kali, Submission Grappling (mainly Sambo and Machado Brazilian Jiu Jitsu), and mixed martial arts (MMA. ) I regularly instruct law enforcement officers and military personnel who go into harm’s way.  I agree with much of what Legionnaire wrote, but must take exception to his statement that most fights go to the ground.  This is a myth that has been bandied about since the early days of the UFC, and the only notable support for this assertion is a “use-of-force” study conducted by …


Training Combatives: The How, What and Why of Acquiring Hand-to-Hand Skills

Disclaimer: the opinion presented below is garnered from my personal experience. I make no claims of omnipotence or omniscience. As with all things, analyze this information and use your judgment to make an informed decision on how to integrate the following material into your personal preparations. When it comes down to it, learning how to avoid a fight and effectively negotiate a resolution is as (or more) important than combatives training. However, I will leave the topic of practical negotiation to others who can espouse the finer points better than I. I was motivated to write this article after gritting …


Letter Re: Getting Real About Unarmed Combat

James: R.G. wrote a great article! I really appreciate his emphasis on the fact that when you fight hand to hand you will most probably be injured – he who is injured the least “wins”, but in reality you both lose. It needs repeating over and over, that the best strategy is to avoid potential confrontations – don’t be in the situations or places where confrontations are likely to occur.  As that is not always possible or predictable, second best is to disengage or run away (and keep an exit route on your situational awareness radar).  As that is not …


Getting Real About Unarmed Combat, by R.G.

Before I get to my take on unarmed combat, I want to make a few points: First, if you are totally unarmed at any time before it hits the fan, and especially after, you are not taking survival, or life seriously; and you are probably already screwed because your enemies will not be unarmed. Second, the last I checked this isn’t “the middle weight champion of the world blog”, it is “SurvivalBlog” which should be a real clue as to what you look for in an unarmed combat skill set. Third, I readily admit I have never killed a person …


Practical Non-Martial Arts Training and Learning How to Survive, by OMK

All too often those of us who have been in the martial arts leave behind the non trained person in our conversations and training advise. I would like to highlight a few areas for those that have no formal training and how they might approach a fist to fist conflict. This is not intended to be all inclusive for no article can cover every aspect of a fight; what I do want to cover is a few make are break concepts for those that have never trained or are just beginning to train. The motivation to write this article comes …


The Mind of the Survivor, by William C. Prentice

Introduction Taking stock recently, I realized that I am probably not as well prepared as most of the followers of James’ SurvivalBlog.Com, certainly not in terms of infrastructure and stockpiles of materials and equipment.  I don’t have a long-term supply of food, nor do I have a survival retreat prepared for when the big one hits.  My bullion holdings are embarrassingly low.  On the other hand, I am probably better prepared than most for any criminal or paramilitary attack on my person, my family, or my home, so I am not totally hopeless by the standards of most survivalists. The …