Lesson Four of the Self Defense Mini Clinic

Click here to see Lesson 3.

Welcome to Lesson 4 of the Self Defense Mini Clinic. This lesson is about the 4 D’s of personal combat. It’s an easy to remember acronym for the most important principles of winning a fight.

Before we get into the lesson check out this video. One of the 4 D’s stands for Distraction, and this video teaches you some of the classic (but still effective) distraction techniques used by experienced fighters.

The “Four Ds” Of Personal Combat:

These “Four D’s” were one of my own biggest “ah-ha” experiences because they explain why some guys — even little guys (who may look like they’d have trouble winning a fight at a quilter’s convention), consistently WON real-world street fights against larger more aggressive opponents.

It boiled down to this. These guys were consistently good in four specific skills:

  • Deception
  • Distraction
  • Disruption
  • Destruction

This is exciting “meat and potatoes” stuff about actually winning a street-fight. The best part is, unlike “sport fighting,” these skills have very little to do with size, strength, and physical skill. Let’s take a look:

Deception:

Deception is not some wishy-washy theory, it actually WORKS in the real world.

Deception plays on simple human psychology. The idea is to trick your adversary into thinking one thing, then suddenly turn the tables on him. The result is confusion, hesitation, and panic.

Here are a few classic deceptions techniques that really work.

  • Verbal Deception:The idea is to deceive your opponent by verbally expressing the exact OPPOSITE of your real intentions. A LOT of guys commit the mistake of announcing their real intentions. Do NOT tell someone you’re about to “kick their ass” and make threatening movements if that’s what you’re really planning to do.A better plan is to tell him that you’re “not looking for a fight,” or “don’t want trouble,” or even that you’re “injured and can’t fight.” Say anything that’ll lull him into the comfortable belief that he is indeed master of the universe.The more he has settled into this mindset, the greater will be his surprise and panic when HE is suddenly under attack. Here are a couple of methods of verbal deception:

    Begging: “Please, don’t hurt me.” The more you can get him to believe he’s the guy in control, the more effective this deception stuff will be. The idea is to set him up for the “big surprise.” Then, put him on the defense, and “back on his heels.”

    Comply: At the very least you should act like you’re complying with his wishes. For example, if some guy asks you to “step outside,” you already know what’s up. So I ask you, is it really necessary to “step outside” and “put up your dukes”? No. A better strategy would be to act like you’re going along with it, then launch into an attack or simply escape.

    Sound unfair? Good… This is your life, use whatever dirty tricks you can muster to end the fight before you end up in the hospital or the morgue. The concept of “total commitment” means you are NOT fighting fair.

Distraction:

This principle hinges on another quirk of the human brain, its inability to completely focus on more than one thing at a time.

The good news is that you can take advantage of this human limitation by redirecting, or “distracting” your opponent’s attention away from you so you can catch him off-guard.

The bad news is that distractions are often only effective for a split second or so, which means that unless you have an immediate follow-up plan, the distraction is futile.

Here are some highly effective PROVEN distractions that’ll give you an opening to launch attack…

    • Cigarette: Flicking a lit cigarette into your adversary’s face will definitely distract him for a moment. The key phrase here is for a moment.If you flick the cigarette into your opponent’s face, then use the time to enjoy a good snicker while watching him dance around brushing off the sparks, well… your sense of humor will get the better of you. Deception and distraction tricks are to be used only as simple mechanisms to give you one or (at most) two seconds to launch your attack or escape.But when a typical fight only lasts up to 8 seconds, a second or two is a huge amount of time.
    • Throw loose change on the ground. Believe it or not, reaction to the sound of coins hitting the ground is practically hardwired into the brain and creates a major distraction. I expect the more of a tight-wad your opponent is, the better this works.This is mainly an audible distraction — so unless you’re fighting a stripper — tossing dollar bills (even twenties) won’t work. Oh… and don’t expect to see that 73 cents again. Consider it money well spent.
    • Spill or throw your drink. This is one Hollywood trick that actually works. First, there’s the shock of ice cubes and cold liquid hitting the face… and second, there’s the instant (and temporary) blinding effect. This can be the most effective method in giving you a couple seconds to do what you gotta do.

I’m sure you can probably think of a dozen more simple distractions off the top of your head. But you’ll need to keep an open mind and use what’s available to you at the time.

Disruption:

This is any tactic or technique that messes with your opponent’s plan of attack. Regardless of who your attacker is he’s threatening you because he “envisions” in his mind’s eye everything ending up okay for him. The movie in his head doesn’t show him being hurt or killed.

The point of “Disruption” is to make it clear to him that his plans of easy victory are nothing but a fantasy. You need to screw up his little plans, take away his options, and “convince” him as quickly as possible that this could end very badly for him.

Here are a few ways to “disrupt” his plans:

  • Surprise: The quickest and most effective method to surprising your adversary is to initiate the attack – i.e. “hit first.”As one world-class street-fighter put it, “you need to demonstrate, to your adversary, that you have a total disregard for his well-being.” This is a nice way of saying that you should try to hurt him. Why? Because the psychological effect is to strip away his will to fight, and get his “internal chatter” going.
  • Close the distance: If there’s no escape and you’ve determined that a fight is imminent, you should move-in (as long as he doesn’t have a knife).In a hand-to-hand situation, “moving-in” is a very effective tool to convince him he’s made a terrible mistake.You do NOT want to close-in, then pause and do nothing. You should move in with the 100% intention of attacking.By closing the gap, you effectively neutralize the attacker’s two main weapons, the left and right haymaker. This is a major disruption to his strategy and he’s forced to stop and consider a new strategy, while you’re busy attacking.
  • Forward pressure: My research has PROVEN that the guy who puts continued forward pressure against his opponent most often wins. You do NOT want to let up.Keep yourself in a fluid state and fire continuous shots at open targets, never “letting up” your attack until he’s been removed as a threat or you’ve had the chance to escape effectively.

Before we get into Destruction I want to share the following video lesson with you. This video comes from James Painter’s Rock and Roll Prison Fighting System. This move was designed to work in close quarters and cause lots of…you guessed it…Destruction.

Destruction:

This involves breaking down your opponent physically to remove him from the fight. This is not as simple as “kicking his ass.” The better you understand his vulnerable targets and the specific striking techniques to attack those targets, the more effective a fighter you’ll be.

The two most critical elements for effective Destruction are, 1) target selection and, 2) how you’ll strike that target. The key is to attack the targets that’ll give you the most bang for the buck (i.e. targets that’ll produce instant results with high-damage potential).

Even an unsuccessful attack on a high damage target “disrupts” your opponent’s evil plans.

For example, Fight-Fast instructor Tom Cruse points out that the “elbow snap” technique does not always break the elbow. But, the horrid reality that you attempted to bust his arm like a twig is so disturbing to your opponent that his “internal dialog” can turn him into a deer in the headlights, shutting down his ability to vigorously fight back as he unconsciously switches to a more defensive mode.

If you succeed (break his elbow for example) in most cases the fight’s over. On the other hand if you don’t succeed, the “Surprise and Shock” value usually triggers negative internal dialogue.

Want to Learn The Super Secret (& Blood Proven)
“Humiliate, Dominate or Kill” Tactics?

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237 thoughts on “Lesson Four of the Self Defense Mini Clinic”

  1. i feel like i am blessed to even spot you. you are an angels who save people’s life.
    i make no mistake of what i get from you. it’s not an advanced fighting technique. it’s a formidable knowledge same effective as a knife or pistol. i definitely would not use it in a public place. it’s for a dark corner, where some one plan to some one find in the morning my dead body.

    Reply

  3. As for that, Slap, Grab & Twist, I’ll shorten that to Strike hard with knee or foot or hammer fist, and he grabs himself and falls down in agony. Fight over. I’ve never been one for that open hand striking. When I was a kid I tried to do judo chops and would hurt my hand, so I guess that has stayed with me to adulthood. Now in the last few years I’ve discovered elbow strikes. I’ve always known about knees as weapons from way back from different Self-Defence classes. I just can’t do open-hand striking ,the thought of my fingers and thumbs out throwing blows makes me nervous. I guess testicle grabbing is ok for those who have that in mind. I’d rather strike that area and make him grab himself, then I can continue my attack or flee the area.

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  4. Hi Bob,

    Thanks a million for showing these fight techniques.

    I have a drug addict family member who has threatened me with violence b4 when under drugs.

    He is taller, younger and stronger (I am 67) – now the playing field has been leveled.

    Thanks again.

    Jerry

    Reply

  5. Hello, I took five years of Tae Kwon Do when I was eight until I was thirteen. I would not trade those years for anything I mean anything. I was trained by a great martial artist and a good man. His name was Billy Hong,he won many tournaments in South Korea and one year beat, almost killed a Japanese opponent with a flying back spin kick.He was injured to the point of reconstructive surgery. OK, great and good for you but what does this have to do with what we are talking about. Billy, was killed by a Russian Mig coming back from korea from a tournament.It was an international incident, you may remember. I want to tell you in those five years we never had a real sit down talk about the real world. I even knew at that young of age, people don’t bow before they fight. I don’t think your opponent is going to give you five minutes to stretch. ETC ETC.I did argue with the assistant trainer on what to do if someone just comes in on me swinging. He finally helped me with this common question after much begging, sorry but that what it was. Tae Kwon Do is great exercise, and meditation,and sparring with like partners. We needed to talk, but I wasn’t really in a self defense class I was in a sport. I left after almost five years, good years, only knowing forms, the front kick, back kick, front jump kick, round kick, back spin kick, skipping side kick, flying side kick. I guess there were more. The moral of the story is I have learned more in a few pages than,well bless his heart in months of training. I know for a fact, i could incorporate what I learned in many instances. It is just not practical in real life and in real life altercations you are not going to be four or more feet apart. I am glad to have found you and trust you.I will say with five years in martial arts you are not bull shitting in the least. I would only stress, that getting out of a fight is always better. When, you are an adult and a chance of serious injury or even death, no fight is the best when it can be avoided. If someone cause my mom a whore, I don’t care she is not, if someone calls me a pussy, I don’t care I am not if someone says something to my gal, I just leave. I have spent to much on cosmetic dentistry to get my teeth knocked out.I also know one day, I might not be that lucky and that is where you come in. I want to purchase dvds and watch videos of your system. Do you offer dvds,because you get it on a big screen can pause fast forward. Lawrence Bullard- bullard144@yahoo,com. Thank you and hope to here from you,damn my back is hurting I have been writing so long.

    Reply

  7. im a retired police officer military trained( did time as an infintry scout) first off i did not seriously hurt any of the people i arrested. i ended up in front of the judge cause i charged somebody with resisting arrest he said i hit him first and he was not going to resist after i explained to the judge that i just hit him BACK first. every thing was fine. theese vids are about making the first move what we need to be able to do is be able to discribe the things that made you hit him back first this will go a long way in court discribe such as the look in his eyes his stance his hands his vocabulary the enviorment the words to use like attact stance, aggressive. i think just about every body can see or realize there is going to be a fight and no way out but can you explain it make somebody feel with words what you felt at the moment that made you defend yourself. that also needs trainning so practice it
    what i like about these vids is that realy they are common sence for people with a combat mindset alot of this i have forgotten or not thought of in a while thanks for the reminder and the new info these vids are grate anyone can impliment these moves with not much trainning they get down to the meat and potatos or should i say blood and guts be safe and remember always hit back first

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  8. This is all very fascinating physical & mental techniques. I’m 54 have severe arthritis & back issues for 40 yrs & some of these techniques will very useful. punks are predators & they don’t care if you have have a visible handicap. It’s a sure thing in there eyes. I want to be ready for the punk who plays his “knock out” game with me. Too bad the internet wasn’t invented 40 yrs ago, I may have ahd a better record. Looking forward to more info- especially some fight enders. Thanks all

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  9. All I read is really good stuff. I never trained in any martial art ever or in any fighting mode at all. I am from a small town ( population 60,00 ) and when young i often got into scrapes on the streets and never lost any of them so with this course i would make a prime target for “dirty fighting techniques”. But my real problem is this, in January 2010 i was told i needed a heart transplant. 3 months later after medication etc etc this need was uprated to an 80% in need of a heart transplant then I was considered for and had ventrical heart reduction surgery in September 2010. after surgery, my uprate was 50% in need. In November 2012 after further medication and stress test, my uprate for transplant was little more than 20% then today 16th December 2013, after consultation I was told my uprate is little more than 15%. So I am in much better physical shape than nearly 4 years ago but my meds leave me incapable of having any adrenalin rush when something excites me. I found this out when confronted with possibility of an assault a couple of days ago by someone with road rage going on whilst in a car park. He said he was going to spread me all over the car park. I stood out of my car and said “Then you had better come here and get on with it then”. I was serious but he never approached even though he had bull dog on lead. It is a worry that I felt no nerves, this is unknown to me in past situations I always had the adrenalin and fear thing. At 60, I think when I can afford this course, I will have it – it seems unthinkable but really plausible I guess the stuff I read, I’m so pleased I found this……………

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  10. I forgot to add, because I have had severe heart failure anyway which is now classed as minor, I have a Defibrillator implant too so this would make it dangerous to me if I didn’t get in first and stop any blow landing on me which could quite easily result in any assailant being up on a murder charge. I now know I need to be one step ahead and have this knowledge even at 60.

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  11. Wish I had known about this when I was attacked! Thank you for these life saving techniques. There is no way to properly say how much it is appreciated. Some of these techniques can be used by women and teens and even children! Thank you again for these simple, easy to remember tactics. God bless you!
    Sunny

    Reply

  13. Having spent a great amount of time in a group environment, and having prevailed in a few life-threatening altercations, I can attest to this technique, BUT, I would offer this advice. Do NOT rely solely on this method. You are seen by many potential opponents and, if they know your lead, they’ll already have a counter, and YOU will be surprised.

    By all means, use this maneuver again, just not twice in a row. A very good plan is to feign this move the second time on the floor, so he thinks his well-thought out plan against this will insure his victory, thereby lulling him into the coveted sense of false security, then go swiftly into your REAL attack. This works, plain and simple. ALWAYS have a plan ‘B’ and know when to abort ‘A’.

    Stay ahead and stay safe.

    Kenneth Horn
    Ideal Fitness System

    Reply

  14. Distraction technique reminds me of one of my favorites is to spit or throw a drink in the opponents face, then grab his belt at the buckle area with one hand and while his head is sill moving away from you give a violent jerk on his belt snapping his head back towards you and executing a head butt to his face preferably the nose or between the eyes.

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  15. OcFor someone who has never trained for this nor ever thought out a scenario, this is great material! Truth is, most folks of a good nature rarely think out scenarios like this; they simply graze with the rest of the sheep…hmmmm?

    Reply

  16. I live in a small town populus with moor drug adict an assholes per capida than most of the rest of Ca. citys combined -14yrs of amasuemyent howmany idjit try
    E crap for no reason- im a US Marne we dont ev
    er retire tetcnicly
    point is
    i plan on purchaceing moor of Dvd soon thank you Bob

    Reply

  17. Love the rock n roll tactic James. Seen here is the 24 carat gold attitude of “no rules”. Thanks a lot. Thanks to Bob Taylor for also demonstrating how distraction can be so simple. Cheers Bob

    Reply

  18. These lessons are great! I am 62 years old & have health problems but these techniques are easy to do with very little practice. The are even fun. So I thank you. Sincerely, Kevin Powers.

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  19. Every word makes excellent sense and highlights key points like – do not always move in close if your attacker has a knife

    Especially useful info on disruption

    Thanks again

    John Watson

    Reply

  20. Hi Bob=Ed here=I recognise the change drop.My budy van and i were engaged with 5 or 6 drunk sailors.I pushed this guys coins to the ground and the dance continued.The liberty bus stoped and help arrived.BEFORE THE ODS WERE about 6 TO US TWO. (bad ods).but we were traped.Fight over,we fetched some suds for ourselves.ED

    Reply

  21. Thanks for yet another great easy move especially for being disabled and using a cane sincerely James

    Reply

  23. I have Cerebral Palsy and don’t move around so well. But I’ve been reading your mails, and am definitely getting something out of them. Thanks so much for the good advice.
    Dave

    Reply

  26. Your examples are supper right to point, quick brutal and affective,that what public needs to see and realize streets are not dojos thanks mike

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  27. Awesome moves, after 30 years of martial arts I have learnt more watching these guys than I have doing things in the dojo. That is not to say the dojo was a waste no. I am 5,6 and need devastating moves that must annihilate any threat from road rage to some idiot hanging around the underpass in the UK. Just awesome inforamtion guys. Well done +44 07729614943

    Reply

  28. Awesome moves, after 30 years of martial arts I have learnt more watching these guys than I have doing things in the dojo. That is not to say the dojo was a waste no. I am 5,6 and need devastating moves that must annihilate any threat from road rage to some idiot hanging around the underpass in the UK. great information guys. Well done +44 07729614943

    Reply

  29. Very useful tips because I don’t look like I can ever win a fight and I’ve never been in one but a lot of fights have broken out at my school and I want to be ready just in case
    Thanks

    Reply

  30. I need this training very badly but I am on SS and do not get paid till the 1st. I am a few days late and a few dollars short. This training is really fantastic.

    Reply

  33. I am.enjoying all the.techniques.u guys.are.teaching. i am a.security enforcment officer and alot of these moves are very effective. If its neccesary for me to ask. I wpuld like a copy of the five day training videos

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  36. I really enjoyed the course so far, as a person that is barely 5’4″ that spent 20 years in Army Sec Ops, 8 years with DOJ FBOP and as a licensed PI and former Bounty Hunter I found out very early in my 65 years, that the target must understand that you plan to either Kill them or “F” em up real good. I found that some big guys like to use a bear hug and lift me up high to crush me. Their mistake is to bring me in close to their face and neck. You will be surprised how quick they drop you when you use your “Killer Scream” and sink your teeth in to their neck/face and began to bite, rip and chew. This has always gave me time to run away. The scream startles them and the pain from me going Rottweiler on them gives me plenty of time, unless there are two or more.

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  37. this is great stuff don’t kno if i could use a lot of it because i am kind of crippled up in the shoulders. thats why i carry an equalizer just wont put up with much harresament

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  38. The four Ds” IS the most amazing technique,I learnt especially verbal deception, the attacker may feel pity on his victim and walk away.

    Reply

  40. I think I’ve seen these two video in the past. I purchased them from Fightfast. In any event, they appear to be effective, although I’ve not used them in the field. I think about those tactics all of my waking moments. good job guys, eep it up.

    Reply

  41. great I am 69 and have 9 children and 2 grandchildren have been getting ready for years this is a great finishing tool for the younger (and older) Keep it coming I am hungry U.S. needs a big change And it is comind

    “DOC”

    Reply

  43. GREAT STUFF! As an LEO Instructor for over 30 years, when giving one day seminars on rape and mugger defense to civilians we used these same techniques.

    They are very effective for women, even against large and stronger attackers. This training will “empower” fearful women, teens, the elderly and others.

    Great Program,
    Orrin M. Knutson
    Peace Officer Retired and Author

    Reply

  44. These videos are fantastic.What an awesome teaching tool.I’m learning so much. Thanks again

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  45. very effective moves and and use of hands,.I can see using these moves a lot in conjunction with a belt knife that I usually wear.Don’t buy one that is very flashy.You want one that looks as much like a regular buckle as possible.I see guys all the time wearing belts with skulls,crossed swords etc.that alerts me he has a knife built into the belt.

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  47. This is basically how I was taught to fight. My brother asked me once, if your in a fight do you want to win orlose,of I said win, his response was, make that man know your there to hurt him with great disregard for what happens to him. Starting with a distraction is the way to go. If you can’t get out of it, make sure you believe in your mind, it’s him or you, because that is the reality of the situation.

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  48. Been in prison and know the reality of ending it as quickly as possible,to avoid damage to me and not ending up in seg. I found the need to do this effectively so i could melt into the crowd and be undetected by the guards. Third advantage I found,those that witnessed your ability and the damage you can inflict in just seconds.Word spreads fast to think real hard about getting in your face.

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  49. Thanks for all the great self–defense lessons. The best part is that they are so easy to remember.

    Reply