In today’s society, it’s almost a given you will at some time be approached by a an irate person, either attacking you, yelling at you, or maybe just trying to stare you down.

This can happen for almost any reason and in almost any location — like in a bar, a restaurant, on the street or even on your property in some cases.

When this happens, you’ll be tempted to yell back, shove back or simply attack.

But for purely legal and ethical reasons, unless someone is trying to kill you or outright attacks you…your first reaction should always be to simply gain some distance.

For example, imagine some ticked off guy comes knocking on your door some day and starts accusing you of sleeping with his wife (happens to totally innocent people more often than most people realize.)

He’s naturally (and understandably) angry, and looking to tear off your head.

What do you do?

Well, unless he outright attacks you, the first thing you should do is slowly take a couple steps back, and relax.

Why?

Because taking a couple steps back usually starts the “de-escalation” process. Plus, it also lets you see a lot more of the “playing field” — like the closest exit, a possible weapon, or his friend waiting in the corner ready to jump in.

It may sound simple, but simply stepping back slow is a highly effective way to protect yourself and, at the same time, start the process of calming the guy down and (ideally) talking it out — instead of fighting it out.

In the USA, every two minutes a woman is being raped.

A 1993 survey revealed that 50% of Canadian women have experienced an incident of sexual assault or physical violence.

In Australia, 19% of women aged 18 to 24 experienced an act of violence in the last year.

Statistics show that one in very four women in America will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime.

These are SHOCKING statistics!

For more than 30 years I have been running specialized self defence courses and seminars. Over that time I have shown thousands of people how to protect and look after themselves.

Increasing personal safety ALWAYS commences with awareness.

Since most women fear attacks of a sexual nature more than anything else most of my quick tips are geared towards that.

If you are a woman, here is a list of ten simple things that you can do immediately that will increase your safety:

1 - Do not wear revealing clothing in public places. Doing so will ensure that you attract plenty of attention, including attention from those people with evil intent. Be discrete and leave provocative wear to those times when you can enjoy the intimacy of your partner.

2 - Trust your instincts. Women are very intuitive. If you think a situation might be dangerous then it probably is. That little guardian angel should be trusted rather than ignored.

3 - Rape and other sexual assault is always increasing. In the event of the worst outcome use your fingernails to gouge your attacker’s cheek. It marks him for identification and you will have DNA under your nails.

4 - Drive your motor vehicle in a courteous manner. Nobody appreciates rude hand signs. Remember - eventually you have to stop, even if it is to refuel. Psycho cases might follow you for many miles “just to teach you a lesson” - all because you made yourself a target to their twisted minds.

5 - Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, taking mind altering drugs and leaving ANY food or drink unattended where it may be tampered with is a recipe for disaster. Give your self an even chance.

6 - NEVER pick up hitch-hikers and ABSOLUTELY NEVER hitch-hike yourself.

7 - If you live alone make sure that all your mail is addressed by just your first initial followed by your surname. Never allow mail to be addressed to you with salutations like Miss, Mrs, Ms or with your christian or given name. Those letters and parcels pass many eyes before they get to you. Change them. Make them nondescript as to your sex and marital status. Why allow anybody even one extra shred of information about you?

8 - NEVER walk alone at night or at any time in isolated areas. Predators love these locations. Avoid them.

9 - Many sexual acts are committed by people who the victims knew - or, at least, thought they knew! Be friendly and polite by all means but be vigilant for tell-tale signs of “strange” behavior. Do NOT flirt. Be firm about any unwanted attention, particularly in the work place.

10 - Sexual attack is usually preceded by some visual sign, which is usually preceded by some verbal approach before the physical action. Recognize the sequence: the look - the talk - the attack.

Please feel free to distribute this safety list to every woman you care for. The only condition is that the resource box remains intact and that this article is not altered in any way.

There are so many predators out there. Let’s help our women to PROTECT themselves! Don’t let somebody YOU know become the next victim.

About the author: Gary Simpson is the author of eight books covering a diverse range of subjects such as self esteem, affirmations, self defense, finance and much more. His articles appear all over the web. Gary’s email address is budo@iinet.net.au. Click here to go to his Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website where you can receive his “Zenspirational Thoughts” plus an immediate FREE copy of his highly acclaimed, life-changing e-book “The Power of Choice.”

According to the FBI, four women die everyday as a result of domestic violence and about 130,000 women report that they’ve been victims of rape or attempted rape annually. Because of statistics like this, many women enroll in self-defense classes to learn the skills they need to defend themselves.

The thing is, a short-term self-defense class may not address all of the areas you need to be able to fully defend yourself. While martial arts classes won’t specifically train you for combat and fighting, they will give you the ability to defend yourself if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to practice self-defense. The best part is that this self-defense isn’t always physical. What most people don’t know is that in a good martial arts class you’ll learn a variety of skills to help you gain the awareness, peace and physical conditioning you need to be a stronger person, in all aspects of your life.

Confidence. All the physical defense skills in the world won’t help if you don’t have the confidence needed to use them. That’s the beauty of martial arts training. In order to successfully train a martial art, you need to have your mind and body in tune with one another. This self-awareness gives you the confidence your need to control and defend yourself if needed. You’ll be able to handle everyday and extraordinary situations without losing your temper. You’ll be able to stand your ground. You’ll appear to be (and will be) more confident – and people who appear to be confident are less likely to be the victims of violence because they don’t look like “easy targets”.

Focus and Awareness. While training martial arts, you need to focus and concentrate on what you are doing so that you don’t injure yourself or those around you. This focus and concentration carries over into other aspects of your life as well. Soon, you’ll find yourself better able to concentrate on work, school and home. You’ll even find yourself being more aware of your surroundings which can help you avoid potentially harmful or violent situations.

Peace. Training martial arts will also give you an inner peace that can change your life. First of all, to effectively train martial arts, your workout will always be changing. You’ll never get bored with your workout because it will always be challenging to your abilities (both physical and mental). In addition to that, training martial arts is a great stress reducer. You probably already know that regular physical exercise can reduce physical stress, but what you don’t know is that martial arts go one step further to reduce emotional stress as well. Activities such as martial arts that require you concentrate on your movements and your core strength can give you full stress relief in one activity.

Strength and Conditioning. When you train martial arts, you use your entire body. You cannot use just one muscle set at a time. The exercises are always changing and evolving to give you the maximum out of each training session. Martial arts also increase your flexibility which is great because people who are flexible suffer fewer injuries, have better posture and are better able to relax their muscles.

If you are interested in learning more about how martial arts can help your self confidence, please contact one of my three locations in Bellevue, Lynnwood or Kent, Washington at 800-508-6141or martialadvice@hotmail.com to set up a free 2 week trail orientation.

Also, please see our web pages at www.kungfutemple.com and www.martialarts-instruction.com

Sincerely,

Robert Jones
Master Instructor
6th Degree Black Belt
Owner, the Academy of Kempo Martial Arts

Mr. Robert Jones runs three successful martial arts schools located in Bellevue, Lynnwood, and Kent Washington. He has been helping families make positive changes in their lives through martial arts for over 20 years. He has also written two guides on how to pick a martial arts school. One for adults and one for parents wanting to pick the right school for their children. He can be reached at 800-508-6141.

You’d almost have to be living on another planet to not realize that swords of any kind are becoming very popular among collectors and even investors. Ninja swords and other styles of Chinese weapons are particularly in demand right now.

There are a few key aspects that you should know about before you dish out your money, especially if you plan to buy over the internet. Unfortunately there are many websites claiming to that certain swords are battle ready or can be used for cutting exercises in the dojo and in many situations that is just not true.

Sometimes you might see a website that features a ninja sword and the name of the weapon will be very similar to one of higher quality and will even look exactly like a better well known sword. So the unsuspecting buyer thinks he’s getting this unbelievable that no one else has found on a certain sword. Unfortunately he/she learns the hard way that it’s not what he thought.

If you buy a ninja sword that’s not worthy to be used for anything but hanging on the wall and you take it to the dojo serious injury could result. The main trait of a quality ninja sword that you need to look for is to be sure that the blade is forged high carbon steel and preferably differentially tempered.

Differentially tempered means that the back of the blade is not as hard as the edge of the blade. At first some people think that this is not a positive aspect for a high quality ninja sword. Differentially tempering is necessary so that it gives some flexibility to the sword. Differentially tempering makes the ninja sword virtually unbreakable. Hopefully this article has helped you to know the traits to look for when purchasing your next ninja sword.

John Gottshall is the owner of Japanese Swords 4 Samurai. If you are in search of a
quality ninja sword
you just might find the one you’re looking for at the Japanese Swords 4 Samurai website
www.japaneseswords4samurai.com/

By knowing how to take advantage of the terrain, you gain an
additional weapon. You may be indoors or out o a hill or flat
land, on stairs or in a tight and cramped place, on slippery or
wet ground, etc. You need to give special consideration to every
different terrain. Some will give an advantage while some will
cause you difficulty. Assaults can occur any time, anywhere.
Training in a cushioned, spacious training hall will not prepare
for fighting in a car or on an icy street. There are basically
three types of terrain – Open space, confined space and inclined
space.

1. Open space

Open space - Most of the assaults do not occur in the open
space. But nevertheless, you still need to prepare yourself
against any assaults on such a terrain. A lot of attackers
would be deterred to assault their victims in such open space
for the fear of being noticed. In such open spaces, there is a
smaller chance to tie up and confine the victim. However, this
depends on whether there are people around to notice them.
If you find yourself in an open space, aim for escape. If escape
is not possible, keep your distance and avoid the opponent. Open
spaces have the highest possibility for escape without a great
deal of damage.

2. Confined space

Confined space – Confined spaces cam be indoors or outdoors,
including vehicles. They can be confined on all sides or only a
few. Basically, it limits the movements. Confined spaces favors
would-be rapists because they are able to control and limit the
movements of their victims as well as covering themselves from
the outside world. That is why most rapes and assaults occur in
confined space as most victims have difficulty in escaping and
calling for help.
In a confined space, try to keep your back to the most confining
barrier such as the wall. Keep your back to an opening. Strive to
avoid being pinned against any barrier. Instead, use those
barriers around you to inflict damage to your attacker by
driving him into them if possible. If there is any chance to
escape, grab that chance instantly.

3. Inclined space

Inclined space – Inclined spaces can be either confined such as
the stairs or open such as the hillside. For both cases, the
strategy is the same; always try for the higher ground. Make the
assailant attack upwards and retreat downwards. This will make
him expend more energy and consequently his movements will be
slower. His retreating will be treacherous and always at the
risk of tumbling backwards down the incline.

In any type of terrain, aim for the most advantageous position.
If the assailant has a better position, do not fight him for it.
Chances are the assailant is a much stronger person. Remember:
Escape is your main priority! Do not attempt to exchange blows
with him. Hit when you are required to and run when you have the
chance to. When you get your opponent, do not allow him to look
around and assess his location. You should try to distract him
to make him confused.

(Above is just an excerpt from a chapter of the popular book
“Effective Self Defense Against Rape in 10 Days”. To download
the complete chapter of the book for FREE, you can go to
http://www.womenself-defense.com)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ahmad Mutammim is a recognized authority in
the Self-defense industry. He has a Black belt in Taekwondo and
is also trained in other Martial Arts such as Judo and Silat. He
has fight experiences in street encounters and is also a former
police officer in the Singapore Police Force. His self-defense
book, which is a must-have for all ladies looking for sufficient
knowledge of defending against rape, can be found at:

http://www.womenself-defense.com

Copyright 2006 Ahmad Mutammim. Please feel free to pass this
article on to your friends, or use it in your ezine or
newsletter. It’s a shareware article.

There has been much outcry over the recent popularity of so called “reality fighting” such as UFC (the Ultimate fighting Championship), KOTC (Kings of the Cage), Extreme Fighting, Shoot, Pride and Pancrase.

Typical comments from a perspective of ignorance include;

“bloodletting for our amusement”

“brutal and bloodthirsty streetfighting with no rules”

“legalised brawling encouraging violence”

The reality is that modern “extreme” or “reality” fighting is a contact sport with rules to protect competitors and is basically a blend of boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, judo and other martial arts which have been around for a long time, so why the outcry all of a sudden?

Many cynics believe that, as usual, it all comes down to money! In recent years boxing, once one of the most lucrative and popular spectator sports, has been suffering dwindling audiences and poor pay-for-view results. The last thing boxing needed was a serious competitor like the UFC for instance. In fact many boxing pundits lambasted the UFC in the early days convincing many that it was too dangerous and brutal to be licensed - they succeeded in having UFC competitions banned in many US states on this premise.

The reality however is somewhat different, when UFC and other “reality” fighting events are compared to boxing (or any other contact or physical sport like rugby, American Football, horseriding, skiing etc) the results speak for themselves.

Not only has there NEVER been a fatality associated with “reality fighting” there has also never even been a serious crippling or permanent injury to the fighters. It was a serious travesty when the boxing community succeeded originally in having UFC banned on the gounds of safety when you look at the number of deaths and permanent injury to many boxers!

It has been said recently that the reason there has not been a fatal injury (yet) in “reality fighting” competitions, is because of the relatively few competitors when compared to boxers, however this was recently tragically disproved with the first death of a female boxer with a total only 2,200 female boxers registered.

The cumulative blunt trauma injuries caused by repeated punching to the head with competitors wearing heavily padded gloves is without doubt the biggest cause of fatal and permanent injuries to boxers - this simply does not happen in “reality” events as competitors wear either no gloves or very lightly padded gloves which will not allow fighters to punch to the head round after round without hand injury.

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History:

Though Karate is often associated with Japanese martial arts, its true origin dwells in Okinawan combat techniques and Southern Chinese martial arts. It is basically a fusion of both arts and was introduced to Japan only in 1921. During this period, Karate was simply known as “Te”, or hand, as called by the Okinawans. Chinese influence is evident in the original symbol for Karate - the “Tang Hand” or “Chinese Hand”.

There were no specified or concrete Karate styles in the early days and simply generalized as Shuri-te, Naha-te and Tomari-te, named after the three cities in which they were formed. Each city had its own methods, principles, system and traditions of Karate.

The introduction, popularization and modernization of Karate to Japan are mainly credited to Funakoshi, an Okinawan master, venerably regarded by many practitioners as “The Father of Modern Karate”. Other prominent Karate experts in his time include Kenwa Mabuni, Miyagi Chojun, Choshin Chibana, and Motobu Choki.

Japan began introducing Karate as a subject in schools before the Second World War and soldiers in the army were often trained in the discipline. Competitions and different styles also started emerging as several universities started karate club programs during this period.

The popularization of Karate in the West has its roots in the American military occupation of Japan and Okinawa after the Second World War, and Japanese immigration to the United States.

Fundamentals of Karate:

Karate mainly stresses on volatile combat techniques such as punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open hand methods. Grappling, joint manipulations, locks, restraints, throwing, and vital point striking are also parts of this discipline.

Karate training is divided into three main sections –

• Kihon refers to the study of basic techniques, movements and components
• Kata or ‘form’, a fixed sequence of moves, is a series of movements and techniques linked together by the combatative principles that the kata expresses.
• Kumite or ’sparring’ evovles from well-defined kata to open attack and defense.

The Uniform – Color of the Belt and Ranks:

The Karate uniform is white and comprised of the Kimono (shirt), Dogi or Keikogi (pants) and a belt (white or colored), a combination introduced by Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo. The color of the belt is dependant on the rank and expertise of a practitioner. In accordance with commonly held standards, white belts are for beginners, and black for the highest rank. This, howver, may differ from one organization to another. Each rank may also have subdivions of its own even if the color of the belt is similar.
Styles and Variations:

Karate styles can be broadly classified into Traditional and Full Body Karate. Traditional styles are those that developed in the early period of the 20th century and include variants such as Shotokan, Goju-ryu, Wado-ryu, Shito-ryu, Kushin-ryu, and Shindo Jinen Ryu. Full contact karate includes styles such as Kyokushin-kaikan and Kansuiryu. Many of the styles have offshoots that developed into styles of their own. Although the concepts remain universal, each representation differ from one another.

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