I received this question recently and here is the reply I gave:
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Thank you for the great question about blocking.
When I went through the martial arts as I grew up, each style had some type of blocking that they used.
I didn't question it at the time, but as time and experience passed I started to realize that blocking a punch wasn't realistic.
When someone punches, you have no idea when it's coming, how fast or where they will hit you. It could be in your stomach or your face or your head and if they were faster than you it would be impossible to block it. For most people, action is faster than reaction.
Also, the whole concept of blocking implies that you must wait for the other guy to punch, instead of proactively moving to get out of there or punching your way out. Stopping to block is a waste of time. Why not punch your way out? Just explosively punch every attacker near you as you keep moving to get out of the situation.
If you hesitate even a fraction of a second on the street, a second and third attacker could tackle you from behind. Then both would try to beat you into the ground.
Forget blocking. Just focus on how fast you can punch them in the face and then get to safety. (Try to avoid their eyes and mouth if you can. You don't want their blood on you. Diseases, etc.)
I hope this helps.
Best regards,
Al Abidin
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Parking lot safer: You and your car
Whenever you place valuables in your car, put them all in your trunk and if possible do this as you depart your current location.
If you wait until you arrive at your next destination, criminals may see and break into your trunk while you're away.
By the way, pull that GPS or other electronic unit off your dash and put it out of sight. This will help you avoid being a victim of a smash and grab burglary, where the thief smashes your window and grabs your stuff.
In addition to avoiding burglaries of your car it's important to preserve your life, by carefully choosing where to park in a parking lot.
Select a parking space that can easily be seen from the entrance of the building you are going to.
If there's a chance you'll remain past sundown, select a space that is not only visible from the entrance but also close to a light.
If you will be returning to your car during a desolate time, try to walk with someone else or ask the security guard for an escort.
Develop a survivor's attitude that as you walk, you stand tall, keeping your head up, making eye contact with everyone, and a determination that you will beat any threat to your safety, no matter what.
Develop a habit of walking with your car key tightly in your hand the way you would use it to open your car door.
Keep the key down at your side (for stealth) and if someone attacks you, stomp your foot as you step toward him to poke his face with lightening speed, 2 or 3 times if necessary. Stomp your forward foot each time you poke to make it powerful. (This should only be used if your personal safety is at risk.)
This will buy you time to get away.
As usual, I hope you never need to use that, however personal security isn't developed by accident.
Al Abidin
Director of Training
Cutting Edge Combat
http://www.cutting-edge-combat.com
866-276-3350
If you wait until you arrive at your next destination, criminals may see and break into your trunk while you're away.
By the way, pull that GPS or other electronic unit off your dash and put it out of sight. This will help you avoid being a victim of a smash and grab burglary, where the thief smashes your window and grabs your stuff.
In addition to avoiding burglaries of your car it's important to preserve your life, by carefully choosing where to park in a parking lot.
Select a parking space that can easily be seen from the entrance of the building you are going to.
If there's a chance you'll remain past sundown, select a space that is not only visible from the entrance but also close to a light.
If you will be returning to your car during a desolate time, try to walk with someone else or ask the security guard for an escort.
Develop a survivor's attitude that as you walk, you stand tall, keeping your head up, making eye contact with everyone, and a determination that you will beat any threat to your safety, no matter what.
Develop a habit of walking with your car key tightly in your hand the way you would use it to open your car door.
Keep the key down at your side (for stealth) and if someone attacks you, stomp your foot as you step toward him to poke his face with lightening speed, 2 or 3 times if necessary. Stomp your forward foot each time you poke to make it powerful. (This should only be used if your personal safety is at risk.)
This will buy you time to get away.
As usual, I hope you never need to use that, however personal security isn't developed by accident.
Al Abidin
Director of Training
Cutting Edge Combat
http://www.cutting-edge-combat.com
866-276-3350
Friday, May 28, 2010
Self-control and breathing
How important is breathing for your personal safety?
Well during an argument, you tend to have shallow breathing and an elevated heart rate which can cause you to lose self-control.
If the other person also loses self-control you could end up in a fist fight.
A simple way to maintain self-control and preserve your safety is through Combat Breathing which lowers your heart rate, enables you to think clearer and exercise self-control.
Combat Breathing is an exercise done in a set of fours.
-Inhale for 4 seconds.
-Hold your breath for 4 seconds.
-Exhale for 4 seconds.
-Then wait 4 seconds before the next inhale.
Do 4 repetitions of this drill to relax yourself and lower your heart rate.
As you relax you will be able to determine if the other person might turn violent and then choose the best response.
You might decide to stop talking, change the subject, defend yourself or even walk away.
Practice Combat Breathing in front of a mirror so you can learn how to do this discreetly. Then others won't realize what you're doing.
Make use of this drill to give yourself an advantage.
Be strong,
Kubler Al Abidin
P.S. Go beyond self-control and add an extra measure of personal safety to your life. Go to http://www.hikuta.com/order.html right now to get any of my self-defense DVD's for 20% off. This Memorial Day special ends on Saturday, June 5th and this will be your only reminder.
Al Abidin
Director of Training
Cutting Edge Combat
http://www.cutting-edge-combat.com/
866-276-3350
Well during an argument, you tend to have shallow breathing and an elevated heart rate which can cause you to lose self-control.
If the other person also loses self-control you could end up in a fist fight.
A simple way to maintain self-control and preserve your safety is through Combat Breathing which lowers your heart rate, enables you to think clearer and exercise self-control.
Combat Breathing is an exercise done in a set of fours.
-Inhale for 4 seconds.
-Hold your breath for 4 seconds.
-Exhale for 4 seconds.
-Then wait 4 seconds before the next inhale.
Do 4 repetitions of this drill to relax yourself and lower your heart rate.
As you relax you will be able to determine if the other person might turn violent and then choose the best response.
You might decide to stop talking, change the subject, defend yourself or even walk away.
Practice Combat Breathing in front of a mirror so you can learn how to do this discreetly. Then others won't realize what you're doing.
Make use of this drill to give yourself an advantage.
Be strong,
Kubler Al Abidin
P.S. Go beyond self-control and add an extra measure of personal safety to your life. Go to http://www.hikuta.com/order.html right now to get any of my self-defense DVD's for 20% off. This Memorial Day special ends on Saturday, June 5th and this will be your only reminder.
Al Abidin
Director of Training
Cutting Edge Combat
http://www.cutting-edge-combat.com/
866-276-3350
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Cop killer and improvised weapons
Yes we can credit another disastrous failure to the criminal justice system for releasing another ex-con. Unfortunately he killed four cops in Lakewood, Washington. What a tragedy.
As I read the article about it on Fox news, something at the end caught my attention in the long list of crimes committed by this ex-con; improvised weapons. It mentioned two separate cases in Arkansas courtrooms where he tried to use improvised weapons. The first one was a metal hinge that he hid in his sock and the second one was a padlock that he brought into the courtroom.
The article said he intended to use the hinge so apparently he wasn't successful with that. He wasn't successful with the padlock either. He threw it at a bailiff, but he didn't aim good because the padlock hit the ex-con's mother.
This piece of the article caught my attention because I just finished an improvised weapon article for the December issue of Police Magazine. In the article we used a flashlight, a coffee mug and a clipboard as improvised weapons.
When one of my police detective friends heard I was writing the article he called and suggested that we use the weapons to hit watermelons to get a comparable result of what might happen to a human.
I liked the idea so we used the items to hit watermelons and we took photos and also a video of it.
Click here to see the video of what happened: http://www.hikuta.com/Article-videos.html
Be strong,
Kubler Al
P.S. I'm glad this ex-con wasn't successful with improvised weapons.
To see how effective improvised weapons can be, go watch my new video at http://www.hikuta.com/Article-videos.html.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
It ends on Saturday
Until MIDNIGHT on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28 you can get my self-defense DVD for free with my BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE offer.
To find it go to http://www.hikuta.com/EC-offer.html
I've never done this before and I don't know if I'll do it again, but until midnight on Saturday, November 28 when you buy my professionally produced self-defense DVD you'll get a 2nd DVD for free, after all it's Thanksgiving this week.
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Not only that but you'll also get 5 bonuses if you order by midnight on Saturday.
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* Bonus 1: Quick and Easy Self-Defense! This 18-Minute Video Will Show You How to Quickly Escape When Anyone Grabs You!
* Bonus 2: Extreme Combat Download (28 minutes) This Download Will Show You How to Win Every Fight!
* Bonus 3: Quick Start Guide! This 9-Page Report Shows You Hot Tips to Get the Most from Your Training and How to Learn Quickly!
* Bonus 4: INSTANT ACCESS to my Complete Video Clip Library Online, Including the MANSWERS 'Bear Attack Self-Defense' as Shown on Spike T.V.!
* Bonus 5: Hikuta in Action! A 15-minute, Fast-Paced, Demonstrational Video Which Displays the Power and Speed of Hikuta!
Feel safer for the holidays by taking advantage of my two videos for the price of one offer, just click on http://www.hikuta.com/EC-offer.html
Be strong,
Kubler Al
P.S. This special BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE sale ends at midnight on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28. If you'd like to get my revolutionary Self-Defense training system so many people are raving about ...and get a 2nd video for free, along with FIVE BONUSES, then go here now: http://www.hikuta.com/EC-offer.html
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Unpredictable world
The shooting at Fort Hood was a sad tragedy and also a reminder of how unpredictable our world can be. You'll never know when someone might point a gun at you.
Last week I gave a link to part of a video technique, however this week I decided to let you WATCH the WHOLE TECHNIQUE. Its almost 10 MINUTES long and it shows you how to MOVE FASTER when violence happens to you.
You can WATCH the whole technique at http://www.hikuta.com/ExtremePreview.html
It's my desire to help you be more prepared and aware of what's around you.
Be strong,
Kubler Al
P.S. When you follow the link above you'll find the video preview, a link to 'Extreme Combat' the DVD which contains the technique and you'll also find information if you'd like to help those affected by the Fort Hood tragedy.
Go to the preview page at http://www.hikuta.com/ExtremePreview.html
Kubler Al
Director of Training,
Cutting Edge Combat
Self Defense for the real world!
Since 1998.
P.O. Box 404
Lakewood, CA. 90714 USA
1-TOO-ARMED-50 (1-866-276-3350)
www.hikuta.com
Last week I gave a link to part of a video technique, however this week I decided to let you WATCH the WHOLE TECHNIQUE. Its almost 10 MINUTES long and it shows you how to MOVE FASTER when violence happens to you.
You can WATCH the whole technique at http://www.hikuta.com/ExtremePreview.html
It's my desire to help you be more prepared and aware of what's around you.
Be strong,
Kubler Al
P.S. When you follow the link above you'll find the video preview, a link to 'Extreme Combat' the DVD which contains the technique and you'll also find information if you'd like to help those affected by the Fort Hood tragedy.
Go to the preview page at http://www.hikuta.com/ExtremePreview.html
Kubler Al
Director of Training,
Cutting Edge Combat
Self Defense for the real world!
Since 1998.
P.O. Box 404
Lakewood, CA. 90714 USA
1-TOO-ARMED-50 (1-866-276-3350)
www.hikuta.com
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Push him back
When someone threatens you and moves forward to grab you, there is a simple move that you can do to escape.
Hold up both of your palms toward him and firmly say 'leave me alone'.
Having your hands up like this will prepare you to push him away if necessary.
Then if he moves in to grab you, place one of your open palms out where its almost touching his chest diagonally across from you.
So in other words if you are using your right hand you'll place it on his chest on his right side.
Then explosively crunch your stomach to bring your upper body weight forward.
As soon as you begin the crunch, step toward him with your right foot.
(I'm having you use the foot that is on the same side of your body as the hand that you'll be using to push him away.)
Your foot should land with stomp, as it touches the ground.
At the same time that you stomp your foot, quickly bring your right elbow forward to slam across his chest.
Your elbow will have a levering effect as you apply force starting from your palm which will be the first to touch his chest and then followed by your forearm and elbow. (Your forearm should be parallel to the ground.)
This move will help you to push him away even if he's bigger than you.
Then you should immediately go someplace safer.
Be strong!
Kubler Al
P.S. Oh, by the way Al, a variation of this technique is on our Big Kuta seminar DVD's.
You can find them at http://www.hikuta.com/DVD_BigKuta.html
Hold up both of your palms toward him and firmly say 'leave me alone'.
Having your hands up like this will prepare you to push him away if necessary.
Then if he moves in to grab you, place one of your open palms out where its almost touching his chest diagonally across from you.
So in other words if you are using your right hand you'll place it on his chest on his right side.
Then explosively crunch your stomach to bring your upper body weight forward.
As soon as you begin the crunch, step toward him with your right foot.
(I'm having you use the foot that is on the same side of your body as the hand that you'll be using to push him away.)
Your foot should land with stomp, as it touches the ground.
At the same time that you stomp your foot, quickly bring your right elbow forward to slam across his chest.
Your elbow will have a levering effect as you apply force starting from your palm which will be the first to touch his chest and then followed by your forearm and elbow. (Your forearm should be parallel to the ground.)
This move will help you to push him away even if he's bigger than you.
Then you should immediately go someplace safer.
Be strong!
Kubler Al
P.S. Oh, by the way Al, a variation of this technique is on our Big Kuta seminar DVD's.
You can find them at http://www.hikuta.com/DVD_BigKuta.html
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