I Can't Believe This is Happening...

Just saw this video, and it is quite disturbing. I'll warn you that you may get a feeling of disgust as it goes on (and it goes on a while) at what these animals do.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=dc7_1326772255
- Edited with new link due to YouTube removing video for violent content

A few things popped out at me, the major one being something that seems to be consistent with victims of violent exchanges. They don't believe what is happening. It seems going beyond knowing what to do, but failure to even comprehend the amount of danger they are in. The poor kid doesn't seem to fathom that he is in an alley getting the his a$$ kicked and beaten by thugs. He eventually gets to his feet, and believes he can try to reason with a bunch of dudes in masks that have been relentlessly pounding on him even after he has completely submitted.

Only after more than three minutes of this does he get the bright idea to use the Nike defense and haul a$$ out of there at top speed. Up until that point, he seems to be in complete denial of the situation.

While I have every faith that none of us would respond the way this poor kid does, it pays to see up close just what disbelief can result in. For example, trying to reason with animals who have proven they are beyond listening and are only interested in the joy ride of beating you to a pulp. That kid is lucky his attackers lacked competence or he'd be toast.

A few minor points that I noticed:
- This kid takes what looks like a serious beating, but can still get up and run. He got some cuts and probably some bruises, but he is still able to move after an extended beating. The attackers are obviously amateurs, but still. Know that you can take some shots and you can (and SHOULD) keep going.

- Make your decision to get out quickly, as in as soon as things look like they MAY go South. There is nothing to be gained by delaying your departure. I'll grant you that the video does not show the setup. How long do you look at a group of guys in masks and wonder if this is a situation you should be far away from? If the victim's naivety is any indication, then this kid probably had no alarm bells going off when he saw masks, nor when he was led or coerced into an alley, or starting to get pushed, etc. It may have been a quick ambush instead. In either case, he didn't make the decision to beat feet until far too late.

- The attackers lost ambition to chase very quickly. Not sure other attackers would lose the will to chase so soon. After all, the thugs spent a good amount of time venting their anger and beating on the kid. Perhaps they would have been more motivated to chase if they lacked getting at least some satisfaction. However, is it wiser to take to running before getting a five minute beating or after? That is, if you can get up at all.

Something to consider.

Hey everyone!

I know all of you are passionate about training and getting better. I get many emails/phone calls each week from you guys, asking about different training ideas or ways to get better.

I saw this post on rosstraining.com and thought I would share it. The drill is pretty cheesy, but it would greatly help with coordination. The punches are not realistic, but that shouldn't detract from the simplicity, and value of the drill. Take a look!

http://rosstraining.com/blog/2012/01/11/tennis-ball-reaction-training/

Fighting in a phone booth, bathroom, or laundry room.

I got a great article from Mark this morning from the Star-Trib. I am torn about this article because it is a AWESOME article, with a real hero story, BUT it was sent to me instead of being posted on the blog by one of our students! I would have loved to see his opinion on this article.

Shame on you Mark!

I often see people at the gun range practicing "home defense" shooting. They draw a holstered weapon, set the target 50 feet down range at a well lit target. The body they are shooting at is typically a novelty "terrorist of the month" or some barely human cut out.

I often time look at these marksmen and ask, "What the hell are you training for?"

My point is this: If you are serious about a martial art or self defense, you MUST train for reality.

What hallway in your house is a 50 foot clear shot?

What infiltrator is going to stand right in front of you in a well-lit hallway?

Do you normally wear a holster in your own house?

Etc...

These questions rattle through my head every time I see a martial arts class.

Bunch of pajama wearing kids in horse stance punching from unrealistic positions into the air.

Then, I see Jimmy-The-Crack head. Jimmy goes around his kitchen and practices slaping his old lady in the tight quartered kitchen, then his kids, then when the cops show up, Jimmy has his warm-up done, and he fights them too.

When that is all said in done, Jimmy goes to jail, beats up his cell mate, goes into segregation, only to practice waving his hands like he is talking, and springing punches out of his "talking hands".

Who would you rather fight?

Of course, I think people hurting other people (especially their family) is disgusting, and I would never encourage it. But the training theory is much better than the stock broker who goes to Pajama Party with his kids and practices punching air/boards/padded folks at maximum range.

How would your training fair in this article?

Could you be as heroic as these guys?

As Giles says, "There's nothing better they could have done."


http://www.startribune.com/local/west/136920153.html

Court Security

Following up on Reed's last post, here's another "what if" that's something I think about each and every Monday at Hennepin County Division III (the "Ridgedale" courthouse ):

A Hennepin County judge and vocal critic of a lack of weapons screening at three suburban courtrooms says he is refusing to hear cases at them until stronger security precautions are put into place.

"I'm tired of driving to Brookdale, the courtroom everyone who knows agrees is the most likely place for a shooting or violence to occur, and not know whether I will be carried out in a body bag that day," District Judge Lloyd Zimmerman wrote in an e-mail to his judicial colleagues Wednesday, citing the high number of domestic violence cases at that courtroom.

"I ask that you stand in solidarity with me. Do not go. Don't take my place."

The rest of the article:

I'm not ready to quit my job over this issue or otherwise raise a stink (I knew what I was getting into), but I have spent a lot of time working out my safety plan for the courtroom and - equally importantly - the hallways and parking lot.

Discuss...

There you are...

So there you are at some local eatery. Perhaps you are eating alone, or with a friend, or even your family. You notice that a group of "Asians" have been talking to a group of "Blacks" at a separate table in the same dining room.

You carelessly drop your napkin.

You bend over to pick it up, and you hear a crashing sound. You look up and this is what you see:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/viral-video/montreal-restaurant-brawl-756092

Now, this is in the far away land of "Canada" that nobody has ever been to. But as the article points out, this can happen in our flawlessly perfect United States of America.

Some questions for you:
1. Where do you wanna be?
2. How important is a head cover here?
3. How the hell do you get your family/friends/self out from between two angry mobs?

I can tell you right now that if both exits are blocked by 10+ violent people a piece, you have only two options:
1. Hide and hope the bad men go away soon
2. Plow through one of the lines with enough force to be sure that you clear them in 1 shot.

If 2 fails... You are probably the next one to get a piece of lumber across your back...

More to think about fellas!

See you at class!