Note From JWR:

Oops! Jake Stafford reminds me that in yesterday’s announcement I forgot to say that you can still order the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, and your order will be filled promptly, shipping out by the end of this week. It’s not too late to order.



Two Letters Re: Selecting a Martial Art and a Dojo

Dear Jim,
Over the years, I’ve spent I-don’t-know-how-many hours in dojos of various lineage.
Now, older (but only questionably wiser) I’ll toss out a few caveats for the consideration of anyone who wants to undergo marital arts training:
1. Decide from the outset why you want to learn a martial art and do not deviate from that goal. If it’s for recreation, exercise, balance, spiritual enlightenment or whatever, that’s fine. Practice kata to your heart’s content, learn how to breathe into your danjun and meditate until ch’i runs from your pores. But – recognize from the start that the vast majority of Asian martial arts and their descendants have as much to do with self defense as an engraved Hammerli target pistol has to do with a Colt 1911.
2. Most modern martial arts have been packaged, sold, repackaged, revised, stylized, traditionalized, dogmatized, commercialized, civilized and generally diluted to the point that most of the techniques you’re taught either won’t work outside of a well-lighted and padded dojo (with a level floor) and/or without the assistance of a cooperative “training partner.” If your goal is self-defense, select a few simple techniques that rely on gross motor movements, and practice them to the point of them becoming conditioned reflexes. Consider: When a threat presents (and your heart rate hits 200 and you’re shaking like a leaf and it’s dark and you’re hungry and scared and you’re wiping muck from your eyes because you just slipped and face-planted into a mud puddle) you’re not going to want to stop and remember whether the safety goes down on your 1911 or up on your Smith and Wesson. Stick with one gun! The safety should “disengage itself” as a matter of reflex because of your intimate familiarly and training with the particular firearm in your hand. In your martial arts training, go ye therefore and do likewise. Having a vast repertoire of techniques may impress your SaBumNim, but it won’t do to be running through a decision tree at a critical moment.
3. Most Asian martial arts are inextricably tied to Asian philosophies/religions that are confusing, if not incomprehensible to the Western mind. This is often presented as as a “better way” of living and as a necessary part of training. Nonsense. No offense to the student of Zen Buddhism or Taoism, but there’s a reason that China and Japan send their best and brightest to the West to study at our universities and have largely adopted our Western and pragmatic ways of doing things. In the martial arts, we have an equally rich and worthwhile heritage, that is only now being rediscovered. If you’re a Westerner, stick to Western values and styles of instruction and don’t waste valuable time in marital arts training trying to attain “enlightenment” or learning how to “focus your ki.” It’s irrelevant to your skills.
4. When considering a new technique, ask yourself: Will this work against an opponent of superior size and strength if – I’m wearing boots, mittens, a pack or a heavy jacket? I’m standing on uneven, wet or unstable ground? I’m tired, injured or wounded, in the dark, temporarily blinded or sick? (A close friend and student of savate told me he was once required to go to class drunk to assure his moves would work!) If the technique does not pass muster, set it aside.
5. Don’t waste your time on esoteric “martial arts weapons” such as sai, sickles or nunchaku. We don’t live in 16th century Okinawa and that’s why John Browning invented the Model 1911. (However, if you’re unarmed and a quarterstaff, stick, ashtray, chair or other practical weapon presents itself, more and better!)
6. Avoid styles, systems and instructors purporting to teach “secret” techniques or insisting that it will take years of intensive (and expensive) study to attain proficiency. Avoid any dojo where excessive emphasis is placed on belts and promotions, tournaments or especially where class favorites or bullies exist. Self defense is serious business, with no room for frills, “tournament moves” or bloated egos. If your training doesn’t measure up, walk away and quit wasting money and time. Get a hard copy of Get Tough (or download a soft copy,) Kill or Get Killed (or download a soft copy,) The Close Combat Files of Rex Applegate and FM 3-25-150. Practice your brains out with a friend or two. You won’t regret it and you’ll be better prepared than most students spewing forth from today’s “black belt mills.”
(As to “The Way of the 1911…” Here you go. ) Regards, – Moriarty

Jim,

While I am not an expert in any martial art form, I have studied many of them at one time or another. Here is my 2 cents worth on fighting.
There are, in terms of distance to your opponent, 4 unarmed skills to learn. They are kicking, punching, throwing and grappling. Kicking will allow you to distance yourself from a talented boxer. Keep the kicks below their waist as you are not likely to be flexible enough or fast enough to deliver a kick above their waist without either falling yourself or having you leg caught. Hit the nerve on the middle (a bit above) of the outside of their leg (like punching someone in the arm to give them a dead-arm) a few times and they won’t be able to move, then run away. Groin shots are tough if you telegraph your move at all as all males learn to guard this area and it is easy for them to catch a foot. Better to use this with a knee if the opportunity presents itself. If you are able to use mace to distract the opponent, then a groin shot is fine. Groin and leg shots will not incapacitate someone on drugs who feels no pain. Kicking an opponent on the ground is useful. Better is stomping. Face, neck (front and back) and the floating ribs are main targets, but be aware of the various takedowns a grounded opponent can use on a standing one.
I do not recommend boxing it out with an opponent unless you are either much larger or more skilled then they are. This brings you into knife range and you may not see it until too late. It also minimizes your field of vision (more on this later) if there are multiple attackers.
The easiest is the double leg take down, but this can set you up for a guillotine choke. Learning a few basic judo type throws is useful especially if you can land someone on their head and the surface is hard like the street. If you learn this in a class, it will be more of a sport throw designed to minimize damage to the opponent. To maximize the damage, change your posture and your attackers mid-aerial rotation to land them head down. If you can squat the weight of the opponent, drop down and hook your arm under their groin, your other arm is on their opposing shoulder. Lift them up and over and plant their head in the ground. This is a killing move.
Within this skill set, you must also know how to escape bearholds front and rear as well as various styles of headlocks. I’m not sure I can describe these moves on paper, but here goes. If you are grabbed from behind and your arms are held, step back and left with your left leg and place your right leg behind the left leg of your opponent. Lean back and as you do so, lower your weight and grab the legs of your opponent. Pull the legs out and lean back and the opponent falls.
If your arms are free, snap back with your head into opponents face, jump up and then when you come down grab between your legs one or both opponents legs. Straighten the leg(s) and sit down and a little backwards on the top of the kneecap breaking the leg.
Side head lock escapes are a bit tough to describe. You can bit the nipple, attack the groin and drop the opponent by placing your left leg (if held on his right side) behind his legs, pin his left elbow with your left hand to prevent being punched and fall leftwards tripping your opponent over your outstretched leg. Mount opponent and disable or kill.
A guillotine choke requires you to climb up your opponent. Put your left arm (if held or his right side) as high as possible over his right neck and shoulder and use it to pull/climb up while putting your feet on his knees. This will take the force off your neck on onto his body. When he tires, he will drop you.
Now you and gently try these with a friend.
As for grappling techniques, we have all seen the ultimate fighting championships, and fallen in love with ju-jitsu. You simply must spend 3 months at a grappling dojo. No excuses, just do it. No, video tapes and dvds won’t do it, you simply need the mat time. Having said that, there are 3 serious flaws in this style.
1) Going to the ground in a dojo is fine, in a back alleyway with broken glass bottles and a hard ground is not. A move that is painless to you at the dojo can hurt like hell if you land on a hard littered street.
2) Going to the ground will kill you in a multiple opponent scenario. They will stomp your head in, especially in the ‘superior’ guard position.
3) What you will learn in ju-jitsu is sport fighting. It leave you open to eye-gauges, fish hooks, bites and all nasty manner of things. While studying, always ask yourself, if this was a real fight, would this attack/defense position still work. How can I alter it?
Having said that, learning the principles of ju-jitsu is both fun and easy and in a 1-to-1 encounter, can save your life.
So, to conclude, my advice is… always carry a knife. Ask any martial artist and if they are being honest, for all their years of training, they know their odds against a knife are at best 50-50. Yes, yes, learn to kick, how not to telegraph, how to block or take a punch (move into it to minimize the force and keep your chin down to avoid a knockout punch and take it on the forehead). Learn 2 or 3 throws, some basic grappling and how to use your and your opponents clothing to choke them but still, carry a weapon (or weapons). A weapon makes all, I repeat, all the difference. It gives you distance, confidence, magnifies your ability to inflict damage and puts fear in the opponent.
Regarding a knife, I believe that a knife attack to the torso, neck or head is attempted murder but to the extremities is assault with a deadly weapon (not sure–check your state laws). If you are using a knife to kill, puncture, don’t slash unless you can get to the brachial artery on the inside of the arm. Do not go for a rib target unless you have a push knife or are very strong and have a thin blade. You may not make it through the ribs. Concentrate on belly, and throat, and if he is armed, first his hands.
You must fight dirty. If you want to learn a standing art that is brutally effective and very very fast to learn and great for kids and women too, visit Attack Proof. It focuses on directly attacking the eyes. Everyone has them, there are no muscles or bone protect them, and if you can overcome your squeamishness about jabbing your fingers into someone’s eyeballs, you can end a fight with a larger opponent very fast.
Some final thoughts.
1) Carry a knife. Carry another knife.
2) When you think you might be being interviewed by an assailant(s) to determine your value and resistance level, put your non dominant arm’s elbow (say left arm for illustration) at your same side ribs, arm across the belly and left hand over right ribs. Cup your right elbow in your left hand and stroke your chin thoughtfully. This will
a) protect your ribs,
b) decrease the response time for you to block a punch to the face or make a punch yourself
c) prevent a rear choke by protecting your neck
d) seem totally innocuous
2) Never go to crime scene 2. To explain: Crime scene 1 is where the weapon is shown and your money is taken. Crime scene 2 is where the assailant says, come over here behind this dumpster. This is where you are raped and or die. I repeat, Never go to crime scene 2. (Where the body is found with the chalk outline). Run, fight, scream but do not willing go to your death. Make sure your family understands this.3) In the majority of fights, statistically speaking, the first person to attack wins. So, if you are going get into a fight, hit first. The psychological momentum and the initial reaction to defend causes a person to minimize what they can see coming and gives the first person to strike a huge tactical advantage.
4) Focus on endurance rather than strength. If you have a knife, strength won’t be of paramount concern anyway. I use the desperado from cold steel. If will fit down your front pocket and is fast to pull and is a variant of a push knife for maximum force.
5) Work on your peripheral vision. Since we spend so much time reading, we have largely lost the ability to use our peripheral vision. This type of vision is the most efficient at seeing motion and someone creeping up alongside you. Take a cheap pair of glasses and put white tape over the front of them. Then draw a dot in the center of one of them on the white tape with a dark pen. When looking at this dot and your eyes are completely relaxed (like looking off into infinity) find the place on the other lens so that when a dot placed on the that lens, the dots overlap and look like one dot. Make that mark.
Now, looking into the glasses, you should see 1 dot (not 2). Looking but not staring at the dot, keeping your eyes relaxed become aware of your peripheral vision. Since your glasses are covered in white tape, you will only be able to see at the outer edges of your vision. When you do this for a while you will train your brain to start using your peripheral vision again. Once you get the hang of it you can do it without the glasses. Just change your focus from in front of you to the peripheral vision. This will give you an advantage against being attacked from an angle.

There are some fighting techniques that are unrealistic for the beginner. These include what you might label the esoteric arts like Tai Chi, Aikido and Dim Mak. The first two require years to master. Once you have 10+ years worth of them under your belt, you are in great shape, but for the first few years, they are actually counterproductive in a real fight. A beginner gets a false sense of security and will expect an opponent to graciously leave an outstretched arm for the twisting and throwing, or grab on to their collar rather than maul your throat. Dim Mak is another example. Yes, you can either knock an opponent out, or make them really, really nauseous and practically incapable of continuing to fight with Dim Mak, but this technique is not for beginners. This technique, (hitting on nerve plexi) is usually only taught as a ‘secret’ to advanced students. They are imbedded in blocks and katas, but not taught until later. When you have mastered the basic form, and if they like you, you are then shown that with a slight change of intent, the block hits the nerve point and the opponent magically goes down. You must keep in mind however that these points are the size of a dime. Imagine taping 8 dimes to your sparring partner, and trying to hit any of them with any force in a full speed sparring match. You see, what happens when a beginner learns a few Dim Mak points is that her or she becomes so fixated on the points that they try to force the issue and miss the larger picture. What ends up happening is that rather than clawing out an exposed eye or grabbing a leg for a take down, you end up with a series of ineffectual glancing blows near a Dim Mak point, but rarely on it. You also are now focusing on the points rather than your opponent so you may not see the kick, punch or knife coming your way. Focus on the basics, at least for the first few years. Oh yes, here’s another trick. If you are dealing with an unarmed opponent, walking backwards is usually a really bad idea. It makes kicks impossible, saps the power from your punches and puts you off balance for a moment when your front leg crosses behind your rear leg. Try walking backwards with any speed and you’ll see. Plus, if someone rushes you when you are walking backward, your going to go to the ground with your opponent on top. Move backwards, when you must, like a fencer. Move your back leg a little farther back and then quickly slide in your front foot. Some people even suggest moving forward like a fencer. Watch some of the more seasoned UFC fighters and you will see this technique in action.
Notes regarding improvised weapons: Even when unarmed, weapons can often be improvised. Anything that can be thrown at an assailant instantly becomes a weapon. In a convenience store, cans and bottles, at a beach, a handful of sand in the eyes, in a back alleyway, garbage cans and lids and broken bottles, in a bedroom, a lamp or alarm clock. Just look for anything and start hurling. This is surprisingly effective. A jacket thrown at them or even the change in your pocket can disorient and provide an opening for retreat or attack. Even the most hardened criminal still has a reflex to block things thrown at his face. This can expose the abdomen or groin to an attack. On a budget, I know a friend who made a habit of carrying a handful of salt in his pocket. If you have an umbrella, it may help distance you from a knife. A rolled magazine held tightly can also help.
As an exercise, when out and about, or even in your home, ask yourself, what could be a weapon right now if I needed one?
Now a word about disarming a person with a knife. This is an opportunity for you to practice “sneaker-fu.” That is, run your a** off. Okay, okay, if you are cornered or protecting your family, your going to get cut. make your peace with it. The good news is that you almost never die from a slashing attack. According to inmates at Folsom prison, the graduate school as it were in knife and shiv fighting, you’ll probably never see the knife that gets you, but if you can, try to determine where your opponents hands are. If one arm is tight to his body or behind him, assume a knife. If you have a jacket, whip it at his face or his knife hand. If you must block, use the back of your forearm. Lots of low kicking and a rapid slapping motion to keep the knife from your neck, face and torso. Keep your belly and chest slightly caved in. Don’t let the fantasy school of martial arts make you think that you can rely on a overhead cross-arm block or some other hollywood trick. This will get you killed fast. No one attacks with a telegraphed straight thrust that you can deftly avoid by moving to the side while simultaneously grabbing the wrist, twisting the arm and disarming your foe. Want a reality check, think you’ve good the skills to avoid getting cut? Give a friend a rubber training blade with an inked blade and do some sparring at full speed.
Knife fights are fast and a skilled fighter will feint and counter feint. Reach for his wrist and you will have your hand a bloody mess.
So, be aware of people getting close to you in a public place. Carry a small flashlight (I use the Gerber Infinity LED flashlight) to illuminate parking lots at night, and with that, some better peripheral vision and a handful of table salt, you’ll do just fine.
Stay safe and draw first blood. – SF in Hawaii



Odds ‘n Sods:

Walter at NoNAIS.org mentioned a device under development that would destroy RFID tags. Keep in mind that if the USDA thinks that you are purposely disabling your livestock’s tags they will give you $1,000 fine if and when NAIS registration becomes mandatory.

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SurvivalBlog reader Sid recommends the Wunderground.com weather web site. He says that it is more comprehensive than its competitors. My first impression is that it does a great job of fusing weather data from multiple sources, including weather radars.

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Planning to stock up on lantern batteries? Get the Eveready Energizer brand rather than Duracell. Here is why.





Note From JWR:

I heard from Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing that the first big batch of copies of the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course have now been printed and the accompanying audio CDs have be “burned.” The course binders will be assembled and mailed soon–starting later this week. All of the copies that are going to U.S. addresses are being mailed via Priority Mail, so you should have them within about a week. Thanks for your patience!



Letter Re: Another Recommendation for the Survival and Austere Medicine e-Text

Mr. Rawles,
The subject of survival medicine is one which you touched upon in your novel “Patriots” (nicely done, I might add) as well as occasionally via letters to your blog. All well and good but far less than the subject merits insofar as it may weigh into our collective futures. If I may be so bold I’d like to suggest that it be given at least as much attention as the nifty gadgets readers are often eager to promote.
You may or not be aware of a relatively new book on the subject, perhaps the first if not the only peer-reviewed volume on the subject of survival medicine in general. I am speaking of the 2005 publication of Survival and Austere Medicine: An Introduction.
The book was written by a small group of writers that include two physicians trained and practiced in the art of medical care under unusually austere conditions, as well as the more common clinical practices known to all.
The book is available to everyone with a computer, an internet connection and an Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) reader application. It is free to download and print for your own use.
In addition the authors have chosen to publish a hard copy version for which they collect no royalties, the better to make it accessible to everyone at very reasonable cost (under $20 shipped). It can be ordered direct from the publisher.
Keep up the good work of spreading the word on surviving difficult times. The world is becoming a harsher place every day and only a blind man would fail to see them for what they are.
Sincerely, – RR

JWR Replies: You are actually the fifth SurvivalBlog reader to mention it, and I posted the link once before, but it bears repeating. Austere Medicine as an invaluable reference! Coincidentally, the hard copies of the book are available from Cafe Press–the same folks that make the SurvivalBlog T–shirts and other logo products.



Two Letters Re: Push or Pull Carts For All-Terrain Hauling

Hi James,
Thanks for the very useful letter about the All Terrain Carts. There are lots of things to think about after reading your article; I had some thoughts to add. I like the input you had about storing liquids, etc… In the tubing of your frames for these carts. A very likely necessity IMHO. I would hate to cart 20 gallons of water 90% of the way home, and spill 1?2 of it before you get there!
In the article, the web links to the different types of carts all have inferior wheels as a week link unless you live on the salt flats. I like the castor, or solid wheel in town, or on hard surface. When I hear All Terrain, these simply don’t fit in this category.  
It is hard to beat ATV (all terrain vehicle) rims/tire combos.  Coming in at around 5 lbs each (assuming aluminum rim), I think the weight of the tire is overcome by the extreme dexterity that this kind of tire provides.  I would be very comfortable placing 1,500 lbs on two ATV rim/tire combos.  The weak link,… the axle.  
ATVs are a modern marvel no matter what one’s opinion.  The terrain that they can defeat is seemingly almost mathematically impossible.  The equal and opposite reactions coupled with the “balloon effect” of their tires result in ease of straddling washouts, logs up to 1?2 the height of the tire, etc… And doing so all the while not tipping the apple basket.   Consider that this cart could also become a much needed stretcher during TEOTWAWKI after a terrible incident, the balloon shock absorbing effect of the pneumatic tires could in fact be lifesaving to the passenger.
In the following idea’s, I am envisioning a horizontal cart about 7’ long and 4’ wide, not nearly as high as the picture of the cart with the elk on it.
When I hear All Terrain,… I envision hills. Hills that make pushing a loaded cart troublesome indeed. I think a few moments of brain storming would render a very very handy feature to this cart.
Here’s my thought: After your horizontal All Terrain Cart is built, fabricate a makeshift mud flap that serves three purposes.
1. A simple mud flap
2. A mud scraper
3. A parking brake for climbing those steep hills when your body needs a break, and you can’t figure out a way to get the cart to stay still. I recommend mounting the mud flap/parking brake/ scraper assembly directly above the center of the rim, located above the rubber ATV tire, (approx. 1 1?2” above inflated rubber tire. Weld a piece of pipe on the “frame” sticking out over the tire (aprox. 5” long piece of pipe, drill a hole big enough for a cotter pin to fit in the end.
Then weld a piece of 1/8” steel plate aprox. 6” long and 4 1?2” wide to another piece of pipe that is at least 1?4” i.d. larger than the o.d. of the pipe welded to the frame. Bend the 1/8” plate at a slightly tighter radius than the pneumatic tire. (When mounted, the only edge touching the tire would be the end furthest away from the pipe it’s welded to). ( Envision the old playing cards mounted to the bicycle frame that flop against the spokes that kids used to do to create a “motor” sound). Same principle. This mud flap will in fact be mounted and facing towards the front of the cart, (not the back as you would typically think). This multi-purpose flap will actually ride/bounce on the tire.
Slide the flap assembly onto the pipe welded to the frame, (pipe welded to frame should be about 1?2” longer than the pipe welded to the flap assembly) slide a heavy duty washer on, then drop in your cotter pin; this will retain the flap assembly to the cart.
If installed properly, you should be able to pull/ push the cart forward with the curved flap bouncing off of the tread on the tire, but once you go to pull the cart backwards, the curved flap will “dig in” to the knobby tread of the tire, this is the brake. If you are fighting the flap, you un-pin it and store it away, or, flip it over backwards so the curved flap is now curved the complete opposite of the tire. It should easily be out of the way of the knobby tire this way, it will only rub on the tread, but it is a large curved surface that can’t grab the knobs on the tire. I like this idea because if this cart became a stretcher, then hopefully the person in tow could put downward pressure on the curved plates which would apply friction to the tires slowing down the descent rate if going down a hill.
There are so many different tread patterns to tires that you may have to attach lugs, or make notches on the plate so it actively engages the lugs when using it as the intended curved down parking brake. Some tires are staggered tread; some are more like a paddle tire where it would be easier to engage such large knobs.
The descriptions so far do not act as a mud scraper. I would weld a piece of flat stock to the back side of the mud flap assembly that faces rearward. This flat metal will not touch the tire, but will scrape off any thick sticky mud that may attach itself to your tire and keep you from rolling the cart very easily not to mention the extra pounds of mud that it should remove. Keep it off of the rubber enough that you can still flip the assembly over backwards, plus, you don’t want to jamb up your drive train with weed entrapment. Leave at least an inch of space.
When designing your cart, determine your potential use. A true All Terrain Cart would be better served with a 48” space between tires than a 24” space. High centers of gravity need to be offset by a wider “stance”. The wider the stance, the heavier the axle needs to be. Think it through, and make it multipurpose. Just don’t let the kids use it as a Soap Box Derby car! – The Wanderer

 

James:
Check out the hiking attachment system for a bike trailer. Attach to your cart, copy the design, or use it with the bike trailer it was intended for…
Hope it helps, – OSOM – “Out of Sight, Out of Mind”



Odds ‘n Sods:

Israeli Defense Force Issues an “Order 8” Call-Up of Citizen Soldiers.

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A new electric car is hitting the U.S. market with a splash.”[W]ith the backing of PayPal co-founder Elon Musk, Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and ex-eBay chief Jeff Skoll, [Martin Eberhard] has created Silicon Valley’s first real auto company.”

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The naive residents of Memphis, Tennessee prove themselves to be sheeple.

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Jay in Florida mentioned this article: Feral dog packs attack Australian farmers.

 



Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Freedom is not empowerment. Empowerment is what the Serbs have in Bosnia. Anybody can grab a gun and be empowered. It’s not entitlement. An entitlement is what people on welfare get, and how free are they? It’s not an endlessly expanding list of rights — the ‘right’ to education, the ‘right’ to health care, the ‘right’ to food and housing. That’s not freedom, that’s dependency. Those aren’t rights, those are the rations of slavery — hay and a barn for human cattle. There’s only one basic human right, the right to do as you da*n well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences.” – P.J. O’Rourke



Note From JWR:

The following letters demonstrate once again the collective breadth and depth of knowledge of SurvivalBlog readers. Thank you everyone, for sharing your knowledge, experience, and wisdom!



Eight Letters Re: Selecting a Martial Art and a Dojo

Hi Jim and Family,
Many, many years ago I was an assistant martial arts instructor. I had studied several Chinese styles along with Japanese Kendo. I was making inquiries about instruction in my area for my daughter after being out of that area of study for over 30 years. The self defense instructor I was talking to said that for the best ‘out of the gate’ use of martial arts for practical street self defense was Ju-Jitsu, but to watch the style you want to learn. Basically the styles of Ju-Jitsu are quite similar but some are less suited for immediate self defense utilization. He stated his approach was toward the styles that deal with grappling techniques. His idea was that, for females particularly, the advantage the attacker wanted was one where the attacker gets the female on the ground and then he has control. A school that teaches good grappling techniques will train the student how to defend her/him self when on the ground, and make short work of the attacker or to grapple with the attacker while standing and place him on the ground. Unfortunately he was from a distant county or I would have had him teach my daughter. But the type of school I wanted to find was one where what is learned in the classroom can be immediately applied when the student walks out the door. And that was his method. Learning some systems or methods can take a year or more to be able to utilize in a practical sense. This is fine for athletic endeavors or building strength and endurance or studying it as an art form. But grappling techniques of Ju-Jitsu is best for getting direct tactically efficient self defense capabilities. It sounds trite or ‘grasshopper-ish’ but from my studies one thing Bruce Lee kept trying to get across to martial artists was that his form was no form. His approach to martial arts, and much of life, was well stated in an interview. He said to be like water. Water can rush forward with great force, destroying everything or it can flow around and erode away an obstacle. When water is poured into a tea pot, it becomes the tea pot. So be like water. Basically I think his concept of martial arts was to have a set of basic tools for self defense and by ‘becoming water’ you can mold those basic tools and techniques into an infinite combination to be applied to differing situations an threats. Don’t become hung up on the ‘style’ of martial arts. Style is nice but can be difficult to learn and easy to be defeated. Whereas good grappling techniques for ‘on the ground’ fighting as well as direct straight line use of force to defeat an attacker is more tactically and energy efficient. The instructor I talked with advised to visit as many of the schools in my area and watch what was being taught. It will take a bit of time but is well worth the time spent. I, like you, prefer the Way of the 1911. But a good set of self defense skills is something you don’t have to have a permit for, at least not yet; and you can carry them everywhere. Later,- The Rabid One

 

Dear Jim,
I read your blog a couple times a week. You recently asked about martial arts training for the family. Jujitsu is good. From what friends tell me, who practice martial arts on a frequent basis, the art you practice is not as important as having a skilled sensei who can teach it properly. Sort of like with firearms: the gun is not as important as shooting it well. See if you can find out some comments on the skill of the teacher. Even Tai Chi is a good martial art, but finding an actual self defense teacher of Tai Chi is very difficult. Best, – Heretic Monk

 

James:
I am only a beginning martial artist, and have dozens of military and martial arts books, but one that read and re-read all the time is Living the Martial Way . (Similar to what I do with “Patriots” , and Boston’s Gun Bible, pick it up in the middle and learn something new.) I can’t recommend this book enough. Keep up the good work. Sincerely, – M.W.

 

Jim:
Well I personally think a good year of solid training (2-3 days per week) of any martial arts will put you a few levels above the average Joe in this day and age. Ju Jitsu is a good suggestion or Aikido which is similar or even Tai Chi mixed with Dim-Mak for the light weight person. I myself have recently started Escrima as since I am of somewhat poor health I wanted a lower impact exercise, I also seen a fellow who needed a cane for walking use Escrima 100% effectively and kept three opponents from ever getting hold of him. It also made me think that learning stick fight would give you machete skills and some knife skills, and also number one is with stick training everyday items are weapons…canes, sticks, boards, shower rods, curtain rods brooms, baseball bats, toilet plungers–so handy items are everywhere…
Another thing to note is that women are women and men are men and there is no way to get around it. Yes, there are a number of exceptions where some women are as good as a medium sized man but in most cases a toe to toe fight is not what a gal wants to get into. A woman’s strongest body part is her legs and then her flexibility, Tae Kwon Do is one I would recommend for women I do believe Ju-Jitsu has many leg holds so that is a good choice too. if she can get a good leg hold she can easily break an arm leg or neck….but be careful men are really just more savage, instinctive and brutal beasts…
One other thing to note is sometimes no matter the training some people just can’t fight. I know, because I happen to be one, in my training I became a dojo fighter. This means I was very good at
sparring I was even able to keep up with a few orange belts while a white belt and orange in my class was five belts above a white. But the few real fights I was in, I went blank. Kinda like writers block if my first punch or two didn’t work or take a good hit… I was lost and defeated in detail, every time. 🙁 I don’t know the cure for that but be aware of it. Your S&W is a good back up – Wally

 

Jim,
I am excited for your family; it sound’s like fun. I would say that the ‘style’ does matter but not as much as the ‘instructor’ and the ‘school’. In probably a year, I will be doing the same with our son(s). I will be looking for some one who teaches respect, discipline, control, and other values that good instructors pass along. I appreciate the spiritual aspects too, but I’m not looking for some one that will be passing on ancestor worship or praying to the Grand Master.

Regarding ‘styles’ some are more practical then others but the ‘instructor’ is the key. There’s a lot more to learn then just learning how to fight (however, if the school is not teaching them how to ‘aggressively’ defend themselves then it will let them down when they need it the most.) It’s is as essential as learning discipline, respect, and the other values.

What I’m going to tell you is considered “Old School.” The most important things is learning how to ‘block’, how to take a ‘punch’ and how to keep yourself covered when the chips are down; fighting is a contact thing (forget the art part). The first style I took was Kenpo (the instructor taught us how to cover ourselves and take a hit); it was very practical, straight forward, and easy to learn. I have never taken Ju-Jitsu and admire it as well as Aikido, but IMO I think if the person has already touched you, you have already failed (to protect your perimeter). If the Ju-Jitsu instructor is practical (and provides striking techniques) than I would give it a try.

One of my good friends recommends the Haganah F.I.G.H.T. (Fierce Israeli Guerilla Hand-to-Hand Tactics) System. He describes it as: “a unique combination of Israeli military tactics and Israeli and other martial arts—to defeat stronger, more skilled, and even armed opponents. Learn how to restrain, incapacitate or terminate your opponent fast with intuitive strategies and tactics. Haganah doesn’t employ countless, complicated techniques, but rather easy-to-learn systems enabling you to get confident and capable in just a few months. Men and women from across the country use the system to feel safe, secure, confident and stay in shape.”

Perhaps to save money, you could have the one son teach the rest of the family the lessons that they learned in the previous session (it will reinforce what they’ve learned and the rest of the family will benefit from it also). God Bless, – The Bowmn

 

Mr. Rawles:
I have practiced many martial arts in the last 10 years. Jiu Jitsu would be my first recommendation to anyone. A huge percentage of hand-to-hand combat scenarios are going to the ground at some point anyway, so you may as well know what to do once you get there. Someone ignorant to Jiu Jitsu stands virtually zero chance against someone even moderately trained. You will gain more in the first month of Jiu Jitsu training than you would in any other martial art.
That being said, Jiu Jitsu is virtually worthless in a two (or more) versus one scenario. Your best defense there is obviously the 1911. 😉 If I had to pick a martial art for multiple bad-guy encounters, I would choose Muy Thai kickboxing. Many of the martial arts that focus on striking are very good if taught properly, but for my money Muy Thai is the most versatile striking art around. Someone skilled could easily take down a large person with one well placed shot. (Best case scenario, obviously.)
The plus to both of these arts is that they are both immensely fun to practice and are an amazing workout. If you have an opportunity to take both I would highly recommend it. If you have any additional questions please let me know and I will be happy to help. Regards, – Big Wooly Mammoth

 

Jim,
You were looking for advice on self-defense courses? I would strongly suggest that you look into either Jerry Peterson’s “SCARS” training or the new school of his protege and former partner, Tim Larkin. Both of these are very expensive but the systems are virtually unbeatable. I’m on the small side of average sized and after taking the SCARS course, no fighting scenario intimidates me (and that’s some serious rewiring there. The concepts these guys teach are geared to real world problems, while the other disciplines are built around exhibition fighting (where it is literally ingrained in you to stop fighting when the other guy says “enough.” That is very dangerous when you’re in the middle of a street fight.)
I know that you feel that it pays to buy “quality” when it comes to weapons that your life depends on. The curious thing about that is that the most lethal weapon you have at your disposal is your mind, and these courses show you how to take possession of that weapon so that, whatever the situation, you are never unarmed! Best Regards, – Jim K.

 

James,
The study of a martial art should be a goal for any serious survivalist. We must remember to counter force, in kind; not all situations call for use of deadly force. The skills obtained allow the individual a force progression, from mild persuasion to deadly force, if needed. The martial arts foster respect for others, respect for self, team work, physical coordination and mental focus.
First, any Japanese art that has a “do” attached to it means “way” and in most cases can be viewed as a sport. “Jitsu” or “Jutsu” attached means “art” and in most cases can be viewed as a combat art. Jiu-Jitsu is the original samurai combat art, which uses your opponent’s force against him. This art uses joint locks, arm bars, throwing and grappling techniques to subdue your opponent. Judo was derived from Jiu-Jutsu, with most of the maiming techniques removed, except for arm bars which are allowed for senior rank competition.
I spent six years studying Jiu-Jutsu and competing in Judo, as well as a couple of years in Karate.
In my opinion, Jiu-Jitsu as a “soft” art is more beneficial than say Karate, a “hard” art. Hard arts focus on strength against strength moves, like punching, kicking and blocking. These arts may be viewed by bystanders as aggressive. Soft arts focus on off-balancing techniques which may be viewed as passive. This can be of benefit in a situation where the police are summoned.
One very positive benefit of Jiu-Jutsu is learning how to fall. In a throwing art this skill is a must. I’ve used it outside of training and saved myself unwanted injuries.
Christians who wish to become students, should ask the instructor if any meta-physical techniques or teachings are included in the training. Zen and Bushido (The Way of the Warrior) teachings are, in my opinion, not compatible with a Christian lifestyle. – Terry in the Northwest.



Letter Re: “Ed’s Red” Mix-It Yourself Firearms Bore Cleaning Solvent

Dear Jim,
WD-40 is a poor lubricant and a lousy gun cleaning solvent. (“WD,” incidentally, means “water displacing.”) While it may have some utility in removing moisture, that’s about where it’s value ends. Aside from being a poor lubricant, it also tends to oxidize and gum in short order, making it a poor choice.
Anyone interested in bore solvents should consider making a gallon of “Ed’s Red.” (C.E. “Ed” Harris was a chemist and technical editor for the NRA’s American Rifleman magazine. He devised a modern equivalent to the old Frankfort Arsenal Nitro-solvent Gun Cleaner No. 18. as detailed on page 352 in Hatcher’s Notebook.) It works exceedingly well for modern, corrosive and black powder cleaning. To wit:
Combine 1 quart of deodorized kerosene, 1 quart Dextron automatic transmission fluid, 1 quart mineral spirits and 1 quart acetone into a suitable container. (A metal can works best. If you choose to use a 1 gallon fuel can, replace the neoprene gasket with one made from cardboard gasket material, purchased at your local auto parts store. Acetone will cause the neoprene gasket to soften and swell.)
That’s it! If you choose to go the extra mile you can add 1 pound of anhydrous lanolin (available by special order at some pharmacies) to the mix and stir well. Ed’s Red is an outstanding cleaning agent, combining polar and nonpolar solvents (mineral spirits, kerosene and acetone) with a lubricant with exceptional stability and antioxidant properties (Dextron ATF) and a polar “grease” (lanolin) for long-term protection. Best of all, it’s cheap and easy to make.
A fine resource on “homebrew” firearms cleaning can be found here.
For those without the patience to wait for their order of lanolin to arrive, an even simpler and highly effective solvent can be found here. Regards, – Moriarty

JWR Replies: Thanks for your comments. I must add one other warning about the solvent WD-40. It is notorious for deadening primers in ammunition. Keep stored ammunition in sealed cans, separate from solvents and paint cans.



Odds ‘n Sods:

I just noticed that WhataCountry.com (not one of our advertisers, but a very reputable firm that I’ve done biz with for 15 + years) currently has reconditioned AN/PVS-2 Starlight night vision scopes on sale for just $476 each. The PVS-2 is an older bulky design, but genuinely “bomb proof.” When you call, tell Yasha that Jim Rawles sent you.

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The inventory of unsold houses in Phoenix, Arizona is now at 50,000 and climbing. For comparison, in January of Aught Five, the inventory was only around 5,000. I predict that house prices in the English speaking world will fall dramatically in the next year, particularly in the super-heated metro markets. Phoenix is one of them.

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SurvivalBlog reader T.R.O. notes that is no great surprise to hear that California has started warrant searches for unregistered “assault weapons” and .50 BMG rifles. It was just a matter of time before they started doing this. My advice to our readers that live in California: Vote with your feet, folks!