| |||||||||||
|
Newsletter for April 2003 Welcome to the new members of Defend University, thanks for subscribing.
Inside this issue: In Search of the Ultimate Martial Art __________________ “Fighting with any sort of weapon is more a matter of will than of skill. If you do not have the will to fight, no weapon that you carry can be of any use to you.” Col. Jeff Cooper __________________ In Search of the Ultimate Martial Art About three months ago, a national men's fitness magazine contacted us and wanted our comments on different martial art styles and their application to fighting multiple opponents. They were looking to highlight the "best" styles that would give you a great workout and allow you to waste a bunch of guys should you ever be surrounded. It would be great if such a style existed, no doubt we would all be students! As we have tried to help this editor with additional information and a number of contacts, the story has become bigger and bigger. I told the editor that he has really bitten off a huge project. The project has veered alternatively from traditional styles, to styles that emphasize physical conditioning and attributes, to styles that are more "reality" based and self-defense oriented. It will be interested to see where the story ends up. So far the editor has taken JKD classes and a class with Renzo Gracie for his research. _________________________ Who Else is Sick of the Trash Talking? Speaking of different styles, is it just me or is there a resurgence of the old, "my way is the only way and everyone else is a fake?" line of talking. Checking out Web sites, forums, bulletin boards, magazine articles and from personal contacts with different practitioners and instructors around the world, it seems like there is a real rise in the amount of negative character attacks on instructors and styles. To be honest, if you've been around for a while, you've seen this before. But it seems like it is really getting personal these days. I contend that you can probably learn something from any instructor out there. In fact, if you only add one idea, technique or strategy to your arsenal from a class or a seminar, then it was money well spent. You might even find that the knowledge you pick up from someone is only limited to what you would not do in a similar situation, but the interaction is useful in testing and validating your position. There are a number of people who are quick to cut down other's accomplishments or past experience. To be sure, there are some people out there who are complete fakes. That is getting a lot rarer these days with the pervasiveness of the Internet. It's harder to lie within a community that can communicate readily amongst itself. More common is the instructor whose hype includes exaggerated fight records and military service (some of these people can be found on the Navy SEAL Wall of Shame and other sites that expose military commando wannabes). However, there are instructors who offer perfectly valid alternatives and methods in their teachings. Some of these methods can change and evolve as techniques and tactics are pressure tested. Keep an open mind and see if there are principles and concepts that can be applied to your situation. If someone is teaching something that does not apply to your mission, your body type, your level of athleticism, etc., move on and find someone who does. But please realize that there are many paths that lead to the top of the mountain. ___________________________ Educate Your Teen About Abusive Teacher-Student Relationships Teachers having inappropriate or sexual relationships with students is nothing new, but it seems like they are being better reported. And that might be a good thing in helping educate teens about the subject. Experts say that parents can use the news broadcasts to bring the subject up to their children and ask them what they think about it. Get them talking about what they should be aware of and what to do if they are approached inappropriately. Stephanie Orr, executive director of the Center Against Sexual Abuse, says giving teens scenarios or "what-if" situations are good tools to start talking. Experts also say that it can happen to any child. Trust your instincts with your child. You know when something is not right. The best defense is to develop a relationship with your child that allows them to tell you everything. _____________________________ Safety Tips for Road Warriors Traveling has probably changed permanently, at least for our lifetimes. There are numerous dangers to be aware of -- from the standard crimes like pickpocketing and robbery, to kidnapping for ransom or political reasons, all the way up to the threat of terrorism. Here's some tips to help keep you safe:
_______________________ Defend Gear Site Open Okay, I've been listening to the members and we have now got the Defend Gear site up and running. Go to www.defendgear.com. Over the years, I've had a great number of people tell me, "thanks for the recommendation, but where do I get what you are talking about?" Defend Gear is aimed at this need. I've set up some ways that you can get the products and information that we recommend easily and reliably. This site is just for the stuff that we recommend and use ourselves. This includes tasers, chemical sprays, batons, videos and books. Sorry, if you want the crap like cheap butterfly knives or Ninja blowguns, you'll have to go somewhere else. _______________________ Rape Escape Gets New Site The Women's Self-Defense Institute has moved to its own Web site -- www.rapeescape.com. This site has all the articles and information that was contained on the old site, but it can now stand on its own. You can still get to the old site that was a subsite on the Defend University site (indeed, many of the articles are still housed there), but all of the new information will be added to Rape Escape.com. ____________________ Coming up next month:
Results of the Defend University kicking survey. Recap of the Rape Escape Instructors Certification course.
______________________
|
|
|
