In the previous part of this series where we discuss the role physical fitness plays in self-defense, we looked at how common it is that fights last more than a couple of seconds, and that thinking you will be fine in a violent encounter without the ability to walk across a parking lot without having a heart attack may lead to bad outcomes

Today, we will look at the single best reason to have a modicum of physical fitness for self defense. Take a look at the following picture:

It is a snapshot of a recent incident where LE had to interact with someone who was hostile. I couldn’t find a good video of the incident (you can find it on the IG page of BJJ black belt Tom Deblass), but the pic works. The suspect is telling the cops to come at him. One of the cops says “he has cauliflower ears. I’m not getting close”. 

For those outside the grappling world, cauliflower ears are a condition where your ears have been so badly mangled that they have been compressed in on itself. It generally stems from a lot of heavy duty grappling against big and tough people. You earn cauliflower ears the hard way. For those who know, they are a mark that the person with them probably can fight, and fight really well. 

So the cops recognized the sign, and rather than blindly wade in and most likely get beaten up, they all kept their distance and were ready to use ranged weapons like a Taser or a gun rather than go hands on with this dude. 

What does that have to do with our subject concept today? Everything. The fight with the suspect and cops did not happen because the cops understood the signal and made a choice to go in a different route. Criminals do the same thing. 

There have been many, many studies on this, and all the data supports each other. When incarcerated criminals are given random pictures of people walking on the street, and ask which of those they would victimize, it is essentially 100% accurate in what any of the criminals choose. By seeing someone, they instantly know who would be a good victim (i.e. an easy mark) vs who would not be. If you look like prey, you will be treated as prey. 

The SINGLE BEST WAY TO SURVIVE A VIOLENT CRIMINAL ASSAULT is that you don’t get into one. Period. There is no argument to be made against that. You win every fight you don’t get in. So if we can avoid the situation entirely, it does not matter how good a fighter we are, how good a shooter, what kind of gear we have on. All of that is superfluous if we never get picked as a victim by any bad guy anywhere.

And the SINGLE BEST WAY TO GET DESELECTED AS A VICTIM BY ANY BAD GUY IS TO NOT LOOK LIKE A VICTIM. Again, simple and elementary to understand this. Don’t look like an easy victim and most bad guys will find someone else to victimize. We all understand this. We make quick slice snapshots of people we meet every day, and we make those calculations constantly – “man, that guy looks tough”, or “wow, that guy looks like if someone sneezed he would be knocked over”. Why would criminals, who do this all the time because it is their chosen vocation, not be making the same decisions? All of us know that that fat guy, moving down the sidewalk really slowly and wheezing does not scare anyone. Why would he scare off a violent criminal actor who most likely has already experienced massive violence in his life? The VCA will not only NOT be scared, he will be encouraged to go after that guy, because he knows it is an easy pick. 

And again, it is simple to understand who looks more like prey. Can anyone argue that someone morbidly obese, who is waddling down the street because they are so physically out of shape, and their feet have rotated outward (one of the most common effects of poor physical condition and something that bad guys will look for), is going to be deselected because a bad guy is worried?

NOT

ON

YOUR

LIFE

 And it may very well be your life. So choose wisely. If you are not willing to do a bit of work and make yourself look less like a victim, then you better be hoping that luck follows you around, because that is the only way you are going to come out okay. 

Choose wisely in how you conduct yourself, how you live your life, and most importantly, who you listen to. Because if someone is telling you it’s okay to look like a victim, they do not have your best interest at heart, and they are only caring about their own internal rationalization to support their personal sloth and laziness. 

IAC Seminar

OKC, OK IAC Seminar 2/23-25 , 2024

I am pumped to head back to the amazing facility at Meadhall in OK for my second semianr of 2024. for the first time, and it is a great way to kick off my 2024 seminar schedule. Meadhall has a great (and large) indoor training area with plenty of mats, so we are free from any incliment weather no matter what, so this is a perfect place and time to to take the plunge into the H2H in a Weapon Based Environment world, or if you have trained before. Come join us!

Contrary to popular belief, many empty-handed fights and those involving weapons end up entangled, either standing or on the ground. No amount of pontificating or self-proclaimed “expert” posturing will change this simple fact. If you ignore this reality, you may very well find yourself in a situation you cannot handle with disastrous consequences.

This course is designed to give the layman a realistic and functional set of concepts, techniques, methodologies, training drills and experiences that will prepare them for a worst-case grappling scenario. All techniques and concepts are high percentile applications which span a wide spectrum of confrontations.

Training consists of presentation, drilling and Force-On-Force evolutions providing attendees with immediate feedback regarding the efficacy of the skills learned, all delivered in a professional, ego free manner.

The goal of this course is not to create a “ground fighter” or grappler. The objective is to provide attendees who have limited training time and resources with solid ground survival and escape fundamentals geared toward the increasingly violent weapon-based environments they may live, work and/or travel within. And all techniques/concepts are from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, and Boxing and are combat proven over the past 80 years by thousands and thousands of practitioners, including the U.S. Army.

These methods are for everyone regardless of physical condition – young, old, male, female, athlete or not – You DO NOT have to be a professional fighter to perform at a functional level. This will be a class about physical training, but it is NOT boot camp. Participants may go at the pace that is comfortable for them, while trying to push the envelope of their own individual performance.

Requirements: loose, comfortable but durable clothes, mouthpiece, cup, notebook, and an open mind. Boxing or MMA gloves are strongly encouraged but are not mandatory. Blue Guns and matched holsters, and training knives are a good idea, but there will be loaners available.

Surviving/defending/escaping the bottom

Getting back to your feet / staying upright

Defending against strikes on the ground or clinch

Denying the attacker weapon access – understanding technique, positional hierarchy, and timing

Proper role of “dirty tactics”

Multiple opponents

Essential training principles, methods, and drills

Underlying concepts and mindset for the clinch in a self-defense context

Dealing with the sucker punch/ambush

Fundamentals of the clinch

Controlling the entanglement

Disengaging and making distance for escape, weapons access or orientation reset

Performance coaching and troubleshooting

Structuring and balancing your training for a real world lifestyle

Use the code “DEPOSIT” to sign up for 50% (you can the balance the week of the class).

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/immediate-action-combatives-okc-ok-223-25-2024-tickets-754945200417?aff=oddtdtcreator&fbclid=IwAR24gWBArlGOBeF8yD9NVB091dwohgywDZIC5419JA52gSODrhalukLHpFk