Archive for January, 2012
Enter the Year of the Dragon
Today, January 23rd 2012 is the first day of the Chinese New Year. It is the Year of the Yang Water DRAGON.
According to mythology, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the NIAN. Nian would come on the first day of New Year to eat livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. One time, people saw that the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the color red. Hence, every time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, Nian never came to the village again.
A Grappling Move to Counter a Double Leg Takedown
Because mixed martial arts have become very popular, the likelihood that you may someday face an attacker that tries to use grappling moves or some kind of UFC/MMA technique to hurt you is increased (whether they’re actually “trained” in MMA or just watch it on TV).
If you’re unable to counter their attack, grappling moves can become very dangerous. Once you’re on the ground, an attacker can move in a pound the living snot out of you. If you’ve ever watched a mixed martial arts competition on TV, you’re well aware that once a fighter is on the ground with his opponent on top of him it’s very hard to escape.
Zombie Invasion? Tips for Survival
When you think “disaster” or “emergency,” what comes to mind might be floods, tropical storms, winter storms, hazardous materials accidents, power failures, resource shortages, drought, forest fires, and environmental contamination.
What about zombies?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently published a blog about what to do in the case of a “zombie invasion.”
The Importance of 911 to Self Defense
911 was a perfect example of an asymmetrical attack, which is how most attacks against humans occur. The terrorists were devious, used stealth and surprise, intimidation, and were able to commit one of the biggest atrocities in History, a small group bringing the greatest country in the world to its knees.
This has direct relevance to self defense because this is how most predators operate. Look at a lion, one of the most successful predators on earth. Lions must use stealth and surprise to ambush their victims. They don’t fight fair. They attack in an asymmetrical manner. If they didn’t they all would have died off long ago. Even the mighty crocodile slithers in unseen beneath the water surface to snap at his unwary prey before dragging it down in a vicious death roll.
So it is with human predators.
An Urban Survival Trick vs. “Zombie Hordes”
It’s a running joke in zombie movies…
A live person sees the zombies coming and begins to shuffle around, acting as the zombies do.
Pretty soon, the monsters ignore them, and they can go about their way in peace.
The same is true of angry, rioting crowds during a disaster or a “collapse” of civilized society.
You see, as conditions of a crisis worsen, stomachs start growling and tempers begin to flare.
Sure, we’d all like to think that during a disaster, our fellow citizens will all work together to help one another, right?
Arm Yourself With the Ultimate Weapon
I’m often asked “What protection tool should I arm myself with?” After a few qualifying questions I might answer: a Kubotan key chain, a Comtech Stinger II, a Tanto folding knife, OC Spray, a Glock 21, Saiga 12 or Ak-47. What I really want to say, even though many people are not open to it is; You should always arm yourself with the ultimate weapon: AWARENESS.
