I Talk With My Hands
Recently I whipped up a few videos for the website. In fact, my last post featured one of those videos, and luckily I had a weapon to handle the whole time. Something I noticed during my open hand videos is that I make a lot of hand gestures naturally throughout the course of my conversation.
I also noticed that my voice goes up into a high pitch sometimes, which is annoying. Sorry.
But anyway, I do a lot of gesticulation. Once I started thinking about it, I realized that this is no accident at all. Whenever I discuss self defense with students, I always talk about putting yourself at a safe distance and keeping something (i.e. your hands) in between you and your opponent. This will greatly increase your ability to quickly react and defend. One of the best ways to have your hands up naturally and without drawing attention to it is to have "talking hands" while you interact with people.
Not too long ago I was watching Goeff Thompson (proud owner of The Fence), and he made the very same point. In fact, he took it one step further and claimed that if you don't train your fence to be natural and part of your communication process, it won't serve as well as possible in times of stress. Good fence technique, he explains, can be a subtle controlling factor that causes your opponent to feel at a loss, and puts you in ideal body position to defend yourself.
Next week I'll post a video that discusses bunkai, and you'll be able to see my hand jiving in action.
Do you have a good natural fence that flows with your conversation?
Eku Bo Fighting Theory and Application
The Eku Bo (aka Eiku Bo, Ekku Bo, Kai Bo) is a very interesting weapon. It is a traditional implement of Okinawan Kobudo, but not many systems have passed down its proper use and technique.
I'd like to share with you a video I created describing Eku Bo combat theory and application. In the video I talk about handling the weapon, how it differs in usage from other weapons, controlling it properly, and more. I also demonstrate at the end a bit of randori (freestyle kumite) to show how the blocking and attacking movements can be utilized.
Throughout the video you'll hear the lovely pitter patter of Danzan Ryu Jujutsu in the background. This is a live working dojo alright!
_
The Eku is a devastating weapon and can generate astounding amounts of power!
More or Less?
I hope you enjoyed the video, and please help me decide if I should continue integrating these into my normal writing routine. Vote in the poll below as to whether or not this was interesting and helpful, and please include any thoughts and questions in the comments section.
The Perpetual Need For Self Defense
**I'd like to send some initial credit to Kris Wilder at The Striking Post for exposing me to the video in this post. He and I share some similar ideas in our analysis as well, so credit to him and his commenters for a thoughtful discussion.**
As society continues to grow and mature, there is more and more emphasis on anti-violence. This, of course, is good in theory. In a perfect world there would be no violence thrust upon anyone and no need for anyone to know violence.
We don't live in a perfect world though and the struggle to balance violence against non-violence is messy.
Interestingly, we are told (as proper citizens) to not take matters into our own hands. We are prompted not to fight back and instead seek out authority figures who are authorized to deal with bad situations. Furthermore, as technology and communication increases, it is expected that we be in quicker contact with the authorities (and thus have less reason not to rely on them).
In an effort to drill violent behavior out of the minds of children, schools have enacted severe rules and regulations both for students who fight and for students who defend themselves. Frequently if two youths get into a fight they are both punished equally, regardless of circumstance. Teachers are put into an equally awkward position as laying a finger on a student, even if trying to break up a scuffle, can potentially land them in hot water. Children and teachers alike are often resigned to become watchful bystanders.
Bystander freeze (similar to the bystander effect) extends to more than just schools - people everywhere understand the trouble with getting involved in a violent altercation.
When all of these factors come together, you end up with situations like in the following video. A young girl spending time in a Metro Bus Tunnel gets attacked. Meanwhile, three security guards who are literally five feet away do nothing to intervene, and neither do any bystanders.
On an individual basis, it was probably "smart" for people not to intervene because now they can't be held liable. Imagine if you pulled the attacker off the other girl and hurt her in the process. Let's assume you have martial arts experience and she has a semi-decent lawyer. You can bet you'd be in trouble for assaulting a minor, using excessive force, etc etc.
This is reality and it is a part of our culture. That's why it has never been more critical to develop high levels of self defense skill. You need to rely on yourself for protection as bystander freeze is a strong phenomenon. Even security and authority personnel are not immune.
I also recommend people learn non-fistic forms of self defense in addition to percussive striking. From a legal standpoint, closed fisted strikes are often equated with willing violence and receive repercussion, but controls/locks/subtle-strikes are less obvious.
Of course you also need to make sure you have the ability to cause destruction quickly. As Shaka Zulu (the martial artist) said: "I will start with the mindset that I am going to kill you. Then, if I don't have to, I will de-escalate". I believe it's necessary to have the ability to both maim and control, and have it be a naturally integrated form of self expression.
It is possible to look passive and yet be devastating.
Everybody has to decide for themselves what they are willing to risk to defend themselves, their loved ones, and complete strangers. But it's wise to understand the possible ramifications of relying solely on others for that protection.
