Modern Antagonistics

After a lifetime's training, fighting and surviving (!)and  studying and analysing criminal assault and self defence, both first hand/up close and as an academic endeavour, I've come to understand what WORKS and what DOESN'T, and what is NEEDED, and what is most definitely NOT NEEDED to stay safe, reduce risk or- when unavoidable- to SURVIVE or DOMINATE physical conflict and unsought aggression.

 

Modern Mixed Martial Arts competition is well known to most by now (the UFC), and clearly has represented a 'watershed' in how people view martial arts and the realities of combat.

It's now a bit harder to sell people the rubbish, ineffectual moves and theoretical nonsense that MOST SELF DEFENCE TEACHERS have invented, without them having any extensive background fighting, surviving and managing real conflict and violence.

Whilst sport MMA (and combat sports in general) are fantastic, hard disciplines that develop attributes and techniques that can 'save our skin' in any environment, they do not address the issues of MULTIPLE ATTACKERS, WEAPONS and SURPRISE ATTACKS; key aspects of many criminal assaults.

 

Around the turn of the 20th Century, owing to growing levels of crime and the resulting unease amongst law abiding citizens, a new SELF DEFENCE INDUSTRY came into being.

Writers, schools and teachers sprang up, mostly in England, France and the US, promoting a mix of boxing, jujitsu, savate, wrestling, improvised/expedient weapons (such as walking stick, umbrella or chair) and 'dirty'/street tactics, coupled with a wholly 'UNSPORTING' use of deception and ruthlessness, designed to 'BEAT THE CRIMINAL AT HIS OWN GAME'!

 

The first line of defence must always be living a lifestyle that reduces risk, and factoring awareness of criminal behaviour and our environments into our normal activities.

Quick thinking and action, involving avoidance, escape and the strategic use of communications and 'situational control' follow.

 

It's still possible, that WHATEVER WE DO; however sensible and measured we are, how polite and reasonable our behaviour, that we find ourselves VICTIMS of some kind of UNSOUGHT AGGRESSION or CRIMINAL ATTENTION.

 

 

AT TIMES LIKE THIS, WHEN WE ARE LEFT WITH NO OTHER OPTION, WE NEED TO FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES, WITH URGENT AGGRESSION AND NO SYMPATHY FOR THE CRIMINAL/S WHO WISH TO DO US HARM.

 

 

Fighting is not something one can learn to do without FIGHTING (at least within an approximation of the circumstances trained for).

Punching, kicking, grappling, gouging, biting and USING ANY OBJECTS WE CAN GET OUR HANDS ON are skills, just like anything else, and need to be learned and practiced under progressive pressure and non-compliance, to have ANY HOPE AT ALL of working against a determined, brutal criminal assault.

 

 

Most self defence instructors do not have extensive experience fighting on the streets, that's a fact.

WHAT THEY TEACH IS PURE, UNTESTED THEORY AND SUPPOSITION.

 

99% of what you will be taught elsewhere WILL NOT WORK IF YOU ARE ATTACKED IN THE CAR PARK AFTER THE CLASS (FOR EXAMPLE).

 

 

These individuals and groups sell 'PEACE OF MIND', a kind of placebo or tranquilizer, which convinces you that a ROBBER, BURGLAR, RAPIST OR THUG can be 'effortlessly' and 'safely' contained using some kind of easily-learned MAGIC TRICK!

 

THAT'S NOT THE REAL WORLD, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!

(Spend some time watching robberies and assaults on Youtube, to see the horrific, intense and brutal nature of violence, and the LEVELS OF FORCE AND/OR DETERMINATION THAT ARE NEEDED TO DETER OR OVERCOME THIS THREAT).

 

 

As the Victorians knew, the combat sports provide the basis for functional self defence.

The skill, technique, timing, toughness, courage and CONTROLLED AGGRESSION developed through boxing, wrestling and stick fighting, etc.,

adapted and augmented through scenario training and pressure testing (both USING and DEFENDING AGAINST the 'DIRTY TACTICS' of the street thug) give is our best chance of SURVIVING or DOMINATING an attack.

 

 

EVERYTHING I TEACH IS BASED ON THE VICTORIAN ERA METHODS WHICH DEALT WITH THE SAME CRIMINAL REALITY AS WE FACE TODAY,  AND HAS BEEN PROVEN THROUGH COUNTLESS REAL WORLD FIGHTS, ALTERCATIONS AND OTHER SITUATIONS I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN (I'VE GOT A LOT OF STORIES TO TELL!), AND BY MY OWN AND OTHERS' SUCCESSFUL EXPERIENCES OF DOMINATING, DEFEATING AND NEUTRALISING OPPONENTS WITHIN SPORT FIGHTING ENVIRONMENTS.

 

 

'MODERN ANTAGONISTICS' IS REAL, JUST AS THE THREAT WE FACE IS VERY REAL.

 

 

NOTHING CAN MAKE YOU INVINCIBLE, OR MAKE THE REALITY OF CRIME JUST 'DISAPPEAR' (DESPITE WHAT MOST 'SELF PRETENCE' INSTRUCTORS WILL TEACH YOU), BUT LEARNING TO BE AWARE, PREPARED AND 'TACTICALLY INTELLIGENT', AND TO FIGHT FOR YOUR VERY LIFE WITH ALL THE RIGHTEOUS RAGE, AGGRESSION, DETERMINATION, RUTHLESSNESS AND TOOLS THAT LIFE GAVE YOU, WILL MAKE YOUR CHANCES OF STAYING ALIVE, SAFE AND FREE FROM UNNECESSARY WORRY THAT MUCH GREATER...

 

 

 

THAT'S YOUR ONLY CHANCE.

 

 

THE CHOICE IS UP TO YOU.....