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Welcome to Lesson 3 of your Self Defense Mini Clinic. If you’ve made it this far you are leaps and bounds ahead of most guys. Believe it or not most guys can’t even make it through my Self Defense Mini Clinic let alone a real life street fight.

In this lesson we are going to talk about picking the right target and technique for every situation, and you’ll learn why total commitment is crucial if you want to win a fight.

But before we get into that here is a quick video lesson that’ll teach you something you can use right away. Please click play on the video below and let decorated Counter-Terrorism Expert (and respected hand to hand combat expert) Glen Boodry take it from there.

Target Awareness vs. Technique Focus

Understanding the difference between “target” and “tool” (technique) is an important concept that confuses many fighters and gets them hurt. Knowing where to strike (the “target”) is the key. How to strike that target is simply a matter of which “tools” you’ll choose.

The bottom line is recognizing an open target is much more important than having the best technique. Because, a sloppy punch to the side of the neck is far better than a beautifully executed high reverse round-house kick that misses the target.

You must throw away the idea that a certain punch or kick will solve your fight problem and instead embrace the concept that hitting certain “high value” targets (by ANY means), is what WINS fights quickly.

But don’t get me wrong – technique is crucial. You want that “bag o nasty tricks” in your arsenal. It’s actually comforting when you realize you’ve got BOTH bases covered – that is, you’ve got a solid understanding of an opponent’s most vulnerable targets AND an arsenal of highly effective techniques to take advantage of them. Suddenly you’re the guy walking the streets in total confidence knowing you can “take care of business” if the situation arises.

The idea is to concentrate on first things first. And the first step is to choose a target – the second is to choose which tool or technique you’ll use.

We already went over some of the best targets back in Day 1, but today I’m going to list some more of them before we talk about techniques.

Great street fighting targets: Eyes, ears, jaw, throat, solar plexus (just below the sternum), groin, inside and outside of the knee.

Those are the big ones, a well-trained fighter will look for many other targets.

What Makes A Good Fighting Technique

First off a good technique has a high damage potential. In other words if it hits its target it will cause a lot of pain or damage your attackers body. This is just common sense.

The other consideration is probability of success. This is the real kicker, because many fancy martial arts moves are devastating if they hit their target, but the chances of that happening in a street fight are slim. Let me tell you why.

You will lose fine motor skills in a fight. Only very experienced fighters are able to use fine motor skills during a conflict (were talking about Navy SEALs and other special ops soldiers).

MMA fighters are able to use fine motor skills because although the threat of getting hurt is real their chances of dying in the ring are very small. It’s the fear of death not a scuffle that gets you pumped with so much adrenaline that fine motor skills go out the window.

If you aren’t familiar with fine motor skills the following explanation will get you up to speed:

Fine Motor Skills: These are typically complex moves that require a high degree of training to learn and continual training to maintain. Your typical martial arts class will teach you these skills. By the time you’re a black belt (which may take ten years) you’ll know all sorts of fine motor skill techniques, including flying round house kicks, flying knees, spinning back kicks, and a lot more.

When your adrenaline dumps during an attack (the “fight or flight” response hits), higher thinking processes begin to degrade and fine motor skills deteriorate big time. It’s how the sympathetic nervous system works. As heart rate goes up, fine motor skills decrease, there’s simply nothing you can do about it.

Because fine motor skills are out the window you are going to want to focus on Gross Motor Skill to take out your attacker. These are movements that utilize the larger more powerful muscles of your body.

Gross Motor Skills: These do not require a lot of complex bio-mechanical skills. Nail down a few simple kicks, head-butt, elbows, knee work, and ground moves and you’ll be on your way.

They’re based on natural movements that don’t require years to learn and they’ll stick with you even when the adrenaline is pumping.

In fact, most fights are won with these simple (but well executed) skills – mainly because you’re simply tapping into your body’s own natural movement patterns instead of forcing some overly-complex process that will often fall apart in a real fight.

Before we get into total commitment and the fighting mindset I want you to take a look at the video below. This technique is all about gross motor skills and is simple and easy to remember.

Total Commitment:

Total commitment is the mindset you must have if you are going to win a fight. And it all starts with the internal question, “am I willing to hurt this guy?”

First, it’s important that you understand that street fighting is a zero sum game. That means there’s no such thing as a “win-win” outcome. You either win or you lose… period. And losing can mean hospitalization, permanent injury or death.

Even “friendly” fights that start with a couple buddies wrestling for fun can quickly turn serious and become lethal. I’ve seen the police reports.

The smart fighters – even experienced match fighters — avoid personal combat on the streets whenever possible because they know that the “rules” are different. How? Well, unlike the ring, there are NO rules. They understand that even a “little guy” can use an improvised weapon, or get in a lucky strike for an instant knock out.

You should never resign yourself to taking a beating under the assumption that you’ll take a couple shots then lick your wounds and go home. My research has shown that one of the most popular “gang-banger” moves is “stomping” your head once you’re down. There’s no guarantee you’ll live through something like that, and if you do, that you won’t be drooling from a wheelchair for the rest of your life.

Here are some assumptions you’ve got to keep in mind for any fight that’ll help you stay totally committed in a confrontation:

1. Zero Sum Game – There is NO potential win-win. There are thousands of “let’s step outside” kinda fights that end in permanent injury or death every year.
2. Defeat is not a temporary set back – and it’s NOT an option. Because keeping the option open that it may be “okay” if you get a good ass beating means that you’re also okay with the possibility of permanent injury or death – or that the people you’re supposed to be protecting will be left to the mercy of your adversary.Never get comfortable with the idea that if you simply let this guy beat you up a little it’ll be better than really pissing him off by fighting back. This is why getting the first question right in your head is so important. “am I willing to hurt this person?” Not, “am I willing to fight this person?” you must be 100% committed to victory.
3. Your adversary has NO rules. Let me tell you about an “underground” match fight I witnessed between a baby-faced “tough guy” and a hardened tattooed ex-con.This videotaped fight was supposed to require bamboo sticks and “Baby face” said, in private, he’d use his stick to break his opponent’s fingers.The ex-con (on the other hand) said, in private, his goal was to “kill” the guy. That’s it… didn’t even mention the sticks.Guess what?When the fight started and the ex-con simply threw down the stick, leaped on his opponent, and tore half his face off with his teeth. In those seconds of terror, baby-face could only scream “he’s biting me… he’s biting me… he’s not using the stick… he’s not using the stick.”Certainly an ugly… brutal… and shocking way to make my point, but unfortunately it’s all true. A real fight means NO rules. You cannot expect your adversary to show mercy or fight “honorably.”
4. Always leave immediately. Don’t stand around “waiting to see what happens”… because winning the fight is as good as it gets – it’s all downhill from there. Get you and your family the hell out. Hanging around means there’s a good possibility you’ll be caught up in the next round of drama from friends or from citizens who might perceive you as the “bad guy” or even from the police.That doesn’t mean you’re necessarily running from the law – it’s just that you want to talk to the cops on YOUR terms – without the extra drama and confusion. Bottom line – as Navy SEAL trainer Paul Vunak points out… “Get out while you can.”

Dominate larger attackers with a simple (and innocent looking) “bare-handed” strike. Click here to find out how.