This is my space on the inter-webs where i place my thoughts on self defense, martial arts, fitness, and general preparedness for the inevitable Zombie Apocalypse. Thoughts, ideas, lessons, occasional bitching, some griping, and plenty of humor and/or sarcasm (see above reference). Yes, the title is a pun—get over it.
Questions / Comments / Salutations—direct them here: kevinwongisme@gmail.com
P.S. Thank you You Know Who for reminding me to update my description. I'd forgotten how long it had been. [;
a friend of mine sent me this video, and i cannot emphasize enough that if you are training in self defense, YOU MUST MAKE YOUR TRAINING REAL—if your training partner(s) aren’t making it a real-life-worthy simulation, and they’re just “calling it in”—tell them. if it still doesn’t work, get a new partner. watch the video below because THAT is what we’re training for. what good are your techniques if you’ve been overcome with adrenaline to the point of freezing?
watch it. it’s not safe for work (unless you have headphones), but watch and learn.
A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for, nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of men better than himself.
If you’re in the market for a new blade though, be it a pocket knife, hunting knife, or zombie slaying sword, here are a couple other sites that might interest you:
So, I want to talk for a minute about self defense…
Many of you who follow my blog are also practitioners of Krav, or soem other form of self defense. That’s great. I’m a strong believer of the idea that force is sometimes needed to protect either yourself, your loved ones, or even a stranger(s). But there is another form of self defense that some of you may know about, and some of you may not. I first came across this method in the movie The Peaceful Warrior. There’s a scene where the protagonist is mugged by a few guys, and his instinct is to ask his teacher for help—i.e. he wants his teacher to kick their ass because he knows his teacher can—but instead, his teacher (nick nolte’s character) tells the protagonist to give the muggers his money. then he tells him to give them his pants. and his jacket, his watch, everything he has—he must give to the muggers. the idea is that if the person or persons mugging you are willing to risk their freedom for some petty cash or belongings, then they are in deeper need than you. this idea was very recently brought to mind by a gentleman in New York who did exactly the same thing:
I found this story on facebook, and as such, i reposted it. it in turn received a number of comments and re-shares. but what struck me funny was someone commented that we need more people like this. i agree, we DO need more people with this mentality. but instead of just thinking “yeah, we need more people like this…” why don’t we each decide to change how we think about these things, and actively decide to do this ourselves? it seems simple enough, and it doesn’t take much more than a conscious effort to hold this new mindset. If we want to see change in the world, we have to start with ourselves. If we change how we view the world, we’ve effectively made the change we were seeking.
So… yes, knowing how to defend one-self is important. but more important is learning how to recognize another fellow human in dire need—more-so than ourselves—and learning to be open to that person, and actively doing something to help create a change in that persons life as well. when you read the story, its amazing how much the mugger has changed within the time of the mugging, to the end of a dinner.
I’m not exactly a “god-fearing” man, but i did have to go through a 12-step program a number of years ago, and i’ll share this quote, because it fits:
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things i cannot change, the courage to change the things i can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
the key is being able to recognize the difference between the two. and Mr. Diaz had the courage to change the things he could, as well as the wisdom to know that he was able. So, know that your first option in self defense does not have to be a physical attack, but it can be a verbal defense. Just don’t go shouting in your attackers face, that WILL backfire (don’t ask how i know this…).
Peace and love. and remember, it all starts with You!
“Throughout history, survival has favored those who are clever, tough and fortunate.
Natural selection operates impartially and without mercy; weakness and lacking the ability to adapt or overcome is an evolutionary dead-end. Only the strong survive. A harsh climate or hostile environment naturally produces a tougher and hardier creature; consequently, the weaker die off at a higher rate.”
This is from a pdf book entitled Brain Over Brawn by Clint Cornelius, and can be found here: http://brainoverbrawn.com/. It’s a free download, and so far (I’m on chapter 4 currently) I’m finding the thought’s and perspective in line with my own. Sound, logical, and simple to understand. If you CrossFit, this book is for you. If you train in Krav Maga, this book is for you. If you’re an athlete, this book is for you. If you want to be healthier, and fitter, this book is for you.
it’s been an unusually long time since i’ve posted here, but one of my krav teachers recently posted this on facebook, and i felt compelled to share it here.
“BROOKSVILLE, Fla. – Prosecutors say they are not going to charge a Florida high school teacher who punched a student in a video that was recorded on a cell phone.
Prosecutor Brian Trehy said students who witnessed the punch said the student made contact first and the Tampa Bay-area teacher was responding.
The 64-year-old Sandra Hadsock was arrested last month after she hit a student who was calling her vulgar names. The veteran teacher says she hopes she’ll be allowed to return to the classroom, but it’s still unclear if that will happen.”
this is a textbook example of how you should defend yourself should the need arise. and by all means, if you feel threatened, don’t wait for them to throw the first punch.
…life has been extremely hectic as of late. krav has taken a back seat to crossfit for the time being, but it isn’t gone. in the meantime, here’s a lovely video from the legendary Bas Rutten—pay attention, he got a lot of good pointer’s in here, even with the witty editing. (and if you want to hear more from this legend, check out Joe Rogan’s podcast #83)
today was good. despite the wrecking soreness in my legs, we learned a bunch of the nuances of some of the techniques.
1. bar arm / carotid choke = pull at 90° from the assailant’s thumb. your plucking arm should be perpendicular to the attackers hand / thumb.
when slipping out from the headlock, use your shoulder as a shoe horn. this will prevent the head from getting caught in a headlock.
2. side kick / back kicks = keep the foundation knee bent. this will bring the hip down behind the knee and put more body weight into the kick. bring the knee high, then bend over and “stomp” your heel into the assailant.
3. buck, trap, and roll = it’s not about shooting the arm up and over the assailant, it’s about bucking over one shoulder and rolling.
4. leverage on the neck = push the head to one side and up. never push straight back (unless your thumbs are in their eye sockets), over and up because it allows for more manipulation of the assailant.
5. soft techniques = with the majority of wrist locks, the trick is to go with the attack, not against it. think: “bend over, and turn around.” done—
