Lesson One of the Self Defense Mini Clinic

Each lesson of this course includes videos of highly effective, street proven fighting moves that are easy to learn and simple to use.

Each installment will also include some seriously important fighting information that has taken 20 years of interviews and research with dozens of the world’s most notorious street fighters, bar bouncers, law enforcement officers, and soldiers to put together.

This stuff is solid gold. These lessons are boiled down from a 100 page book I wrote on how to fight and win. I’ve taken the most valuable life-saving lessons from it at put it into 5 short lessons.

You don’t want to miss any of this critical information.

Below is your first video, the other two videos are further down the page (my little trick to get you to read this stuff). The following technique is extremely simple and can be used by anyone with little practice.

*Note: Feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of the page. I enjoy the feedback and others may learn from your insights & thoughts. Enjoy.

Know When The Fight Is On:

Today’s lesson is meant to get you up to speed quickly. It includes the most important things you need to know to win a street fight.

The best way to win a fight is to recognize it before it has happened. Countless guys get taken out by some punk without even knowing they were in a fight (they either didn’t see it coming or didn’t want to believe they were in a fight). Don’t let this happen to you.

There are three ways to recognize a fight (other than someone punching you). There are non-verbal body language cues, verbal cues, and previous behavior (aka common sense).

Aside from getting hit there are 5 main non-verbal cues that you are about to be in a fight:

  1. The “Look Away:” During an argument the other guy suddenly looks away from you off to one side. An experienced street fighter and special ops soldier Jim West uses this cue all the time. He once told me, “If I’m in a confrontation with someone and they look to the side, it means they’re about to hit me – so I hit first.” It may seem odd but looking away is a very common, almost reflex like, reaction for many aggressors. So take Jim’s advice and hit first because if you don’t his haymaker will be sailing towards your temple.
  2. The “Finger Jab:” Someone poking you in the chest is also a big red flag. It’s a way that your opponent “tests the water” to see if you are an easy target. He’s building up his confidence and resolve, by violating your personal space. If you stand by and do nothing, it tells him, “the water’s fine… go ahead and attack this guy.” A poke in the chest, or any violation of your personal space at the initial stages of a confrontation should trigger some kind of immediate response from you.
  3. The “Shove:” Yet another classic example of violating your personal space, except this move is almost always immediately followed by a punch. You should expect very little time between the shove and the incoming blow, which of course means you need to act fast in this situation. People typically don’t push, then walk away.
  4. The “Target Gaze:” An opponent will naturally look at what he’s about to strike. Watch out for an adversary who changes his gaze from your eyes to your chin or some other obvious target. This is another one of those gifts from human nature, he can’t help but look where he is going to strike, so use that information to gain the upper hand.
  5. The “Chin Drop:” Another involuntary move that should prompt you into a decision is seeing your opponent drop his chin. This is a fairly consistent, and subconscious act of protecting the neck, it almost always means trouble.

Verbal Cues:

  1. The Threat: “I’m gonna zyx@%# you up!” This may seem so obvious that it’s not worth mentioning. And I wouldn’t mention it if my research didn’t show that MOST inexperienced fighters do nothing in the face of serious verbal threats. They often stand by and take NO action.
  2. The “Sudden Silent Treatment:” If your opponent has been talking, talking, and talking, then suddenly becomes quiet, it means he’s entered into an internal dialog on what he’s about to do to you. As FightFast instructor Demi Barbitos says: “Fighters don’t talk and swing at the same time.” In other words he is probably about to hit you.

Previous Behavior:

This one is painfully simple. If you are around someone who is known to be violent it’s pretty likely they may start a fight. Don’t play with fire. Also intoxicated men are trouble, intoxicated men with women around are even more trouble. If you get into an argument or scuffle with a drunk guy and his girlfriend or other women are around he is very likely to fight.

I’ve worked with almost a dozen bar bouncers from some of the roughest bars and nightclubs and they all know that saving face is one of the biggest causes of fights. In other words if you somehow manage to bump into, slight, or irritate a drunk guy or his girlfriend a fight is pretty likely, so be ready for it.

Now that you know how to recognize a fight before it happens I’ve got another fight move for you. This one is from professional fighter and notorious “cooler” Mike Serr. Go ahead and watch the video before moving onto the next section.

Dealing with Fear:

When it comes to fighting and learning how to fight fear is the 800 lb. gorilla in the room. Everybody knows it’s there but nobody want to talk about it.

Well like it or not I’m going to talk about it. After 20 years of working with Special Ops soldiers, SWAT cops, Cage-Fighters, Ex-Gang Enforcers, and bar bouncers, I’ve learned that all of them feel fear before a fight.

Wow, what a shocker. Fear is normal and healthy. The thing is none of these guys are scared, because they have learned to deal with that fear and make it work for them.

They have learned to harness that adrenaline dump and make it work for them, not against them.

The average guy on the street, when confronted with a life threatening fight will quickly realize the danger and the voice inside his mind will start talking a mile a minute, “Why is this happening to me? Am I going to die? What did I do to piss him off? Should I run? Should I stay and fight?” and on and on.

Letting this internal dialogue turn your fear into panic will get you hurt. Instead you have to use that fear and adrenaline to help you identify targets and take action.

The first step is to control your breathing. Slowing the pace of your breaths (inhale deeply and exhale slowly) sends a direct message to your brain that calms you down, lowers your heart rate, and lowers your blood pressure.

The next step is target awareness described below. But before we get to that here’s another video for you.

Target Awareness:

Once you know a fight is eminent you need to look for open targets to strike. To do this you must be aware of certain “high value” targets on the human body, so that when they are exposed or unprotected you know when and how to strike them for maximum damage.

Target awareness is a continuous process because as an attacker moves closer or further away from you the targets you can strike change. Below is an example of what your internal dialogue should be like once you realize a fight is coming:

“He’s approaching me — is he in range?”…
“Is there anything in his hands?”…
“What targets are open?”…
“Are there any friends around?”…
“Now… what targets are open?”…
“Is anyone behind me?”…
“What targets are open now?”…

Finally you need some basic info about what targets to strike and why, some are common sense some may surprise you:

Neck: the side of the neck is a “knock out” area. The good news is that the shoulder and head offer a natural “funnel” that’ll guide your hand directly into his neck – which means it’s a “high percentage” shot. People rarely protect their neck properly so even a poorly executed shot can often mean instant knock out.

Groin: believe it or not, research shows that most guys do NOT protect their groin. They are so “indoctrinated” with the idea that they’ll be punched in the face that they leave themselves wide open for one of the most devastating strikes. So forget about focusing so much on getting in that right hook to the head, (which he’ll be expecting), and start looking for an OPEN target.

Inside knee: very vulnerable. One good kick to the inside of the knee can end a fight instantly.

Outside thigh: a favorite target of Muay Thai fighters is the nerve running down the outside of your leg. Even a well conditioned fighter can’t stand more than a couple good shin kicks to this nerve before buckling.

Eyes: Striking the eyes is a great distraction technique. They are the main sense used during a fight, take them away for even a second and you have gained a huge advantage. An eye strike causes a person to blink involuntarily, and if scratched the eyes will water blurring vision.

There are many more targets these are just a few to get you thinking like a fighter.

Keep your eyes peeled for more free videos, in the next lesson I’ll take you inside the world of a real street fight. This is something most guys have no idea about, thanks to myths and misconceptions that often get guys hurt or killed.

Knowing what a real fight is actually like is a huge advantage.

Interested in learning “dirty fight tricks” right now?
Click here to find out how!

Next Lesson >>

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2,694 thoughts on “Lesson One of the Self Defense Mini Clinic”

  1. Thank you, of all the videos thus far: This one with the,”Magic fingers” and the “ear slap” are a couple of tools I might be able to employ as I never know what condition I’ll be in due to an extremely variable form of multiple sclerosis.

    Reply

  2. Thank you!!! I’m disabled in my neck and back. Always wondered what to do if the situation happens.
    TY TY TY TY!!!!!

    Reply

  3. I’m a disabled street fighter who has lost my first six fist fights due to my wheelchair being flipped. I’ve been in quite a few fights and have only lost the last six because I’m a T-4 paraplegic, I have used most of your teaching and was considered a bad dude! THEY WORK!

    Reply

  4. I’m an ex-wildman who is now a T-4 paraplegic due to a serious motorcycle crash and an eighteen year old girl lying about the accident. I’ve been in several fist fights and have concurred with all of your methods.

    Reply

  7. Great Stuff, this was a great Refresher Video for me as I took Hopkido when in Korea back in 1973 and I have forgoten alot of these techniques Thanks !!

    Reply

  8. you guys did’nt B S thats realy neat stuff,
    whenever you have another special, and I have mo money I will take advantage of the sale.

    Reply

  9. I’m an 80 year old but I still train and practice regularly. You have sent me these 5 days before and I think they are “pure gold”. All the Hows, Whys and Wherefors are invaluable, I often read through them

    Thanks a million

    Reply

  11. very usefull, the slap we use in my wing chun and kali class. the strikes with the knuckles is very similar to wing chun and the moves in arm malipalation and fingers we have in our wing chun and kali. as you may not know is wing chun is a sholin fighting system developed by a sholing woman monk and use priciples which doesn’t require strength. just like the vedioes here we use no strength to manipulate and subdue our attacker. i was pleased to see many of the moves in these vedioes that are based on wing chun kunfu from the sholin monks and kali from the phillipines.

    Reply

  12. I was involved years ago in martial arts (shudo khan). This was a great refresher on some of these moves and some I had not seen. Thank you very much. This was very simple, good instruction that is very effective.

    Reply

  14. I just got the pen knife for my wife’s protection and watched the videos. I have to thank you for putting this package together and helping the average law abiding citizen tip the scales the good guy’s way.

    Reply

  15. AS A KID/VERY YOUNG/I WAS PICKED ON BY NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS/I BECAME A COWARD/NEVER LEARNED HOW TO FIGHT/IN ARMY TOOK HAND TO HAND COMBAT/WAS TERRIBLE/REMAINED A COWARD/AM NOW 64/DISABLED VET/ HAVE GUNS & KNIFES MORE SITUATIONEL AWARENESS/EVEN MY”6″ & AFTER WATCHING-PRACTICING-BECOMING MORE TUNED IN TO THINGS GOING ON AROUND ME/I NO LONGER FEEL AFRAID/I KNOW IN MY HEART & MIND I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF & PROTECT MY FAMILY/THE HAND SLAP WILL GET THE BAD GUYS ATTENTION/& EITHER BREAKING HIS FINGERS OR ELBOW THE FIGHT WILL BE OVER/THANKS BOB & TIM @ FIGHT FAST FOR GIVING ME MY CONFIDENCE BACK/A GRATEFUL DISABLED VET/W/2CATS&2DOGS/CALLED MY FAMILY…

    Reply

  17. This is very good advice. I have personally experienced almost all of these examples. But, the situation has changed and I have to rethink some things. I’m in a wheelchair…

    Reply

  18. Very Good Moves. Thank you for this information. It will come in very helpful for me and my family. Look forward to seeing the rest.

    Reply

  19. These videos are demonstrated with big guys on equal size or smaller guys. What about a a smaller guy against a big guy? Or how women can use these techniques. For example, the come along with the finger hold and assailants elbow tucked in to your elbow – a woman would be too short (and maybe not strong enough) to tuck and hold the persons elbow. I am a woman looking for ways to protect myself. Will these videos be useful for me or are they more geared to men?

    Reply

  20. 25 yrs of door work and I have seen all the 5 points of recognising the incoming punch I would also add a slow intake of breath with pursed lips/flared nostrils and blank stare as number 6.
    great stuff looking forward to the next mail.

    Reply

  22. Thank you for sharing this information and videos. I hope that I never have to use the techniques, but am oh so glad to have seen them. Also, I lost my sound before I got to finish them; hope they are included in the e-mail.

    Thanks again! AND Merry Christmas/Happy New Year!!!!!

    Reply

  24. I hope I never have to use information like this but the way innocent people are being attacked on the street now days, the more aware I am, the less chance I will have to be knocked out like the many, many people I see in shocking videos. If more people are taught these techniques, fewer attacks will result. People will not bully anyone for fear of getting something broken or worse. I don’t like violence but I do have the right to protect myself.

    Reply

  26. I love the slap, and alternately the palm heel strike. If you practice these techniques you can learn to generate a great deal of power without risking breaking your hand. I love walking up to a heavy bag and unleash first a slap, then a palm heel strike, alternating four or five times. The sound is incredible and often causes everyone to stop what they are doing to watch. Learning to torque your hip a split second before landing the strike increases the power by a magnitude. The best thing is that even if you find yourself in a position where setting your feet and putting torque into the technique, the speed of a whipping slap is something to behold. Landing it to the side of the head, especially the ear is devastating.

    Small joint manipulation requires a bit of practice to master, but it is well worth the effort. It works just as well off your back as standing when applied with speed and dexterity.

    Strikes to the throat are targets of opportunity. They should be only of a few targets you master so that depending on range and angle you have alternate opportunities.

    Great stuff. As I get older a part of me hopes I don’t run into someone younger with the same knowledge.

    Reply

  27. Very informative and simple to learn! It’s as if you are in on a 1 on 1 lesson from the instructor…very detailed and well shown! These are awesome!

    Reply

  30. this is all very good info i will take this into account, within the new year i will be seeking karate,jiujitsu training as where i live is actually pretty rough area and when i walk the streets it is not a question of will i get jumped its a question of when where who how many and what weapons do they have,i have been jumped 4 times last year 3 of those times i was beaten pretty good and was because i was out numbered the 4th time i was able to fend off the attacker, but needless to say i would like to see some videos to help me defend myself against multiple attackers when the time comes thank you

    Reply

  34. This is great information and so well demonstrated. Easy to use….. I see a few comments from women, but only a few.
    I am a 58 year old woman, not martial arts trained, as a matter of fact, completely untrained but athletic most of my life.
    I recognize as I get older and the city I live in grows, the odds of an altercation has been ever increasing. Gangs developing with initiation attacks, drugs and all the rest included in a growing major city.
    Would appreciate seeing more demonstration with women being attacked by large man it man of her size.

    Thanks for your excellent treatment of members and invaluable information.

    Reply

  37. Thanks very much for this helpful information.
    Hopefully i will be able to learn,remember, and apply some of these techniques, when i have the need. I’m an old dog learning new tricks.
    01/06/15

    Reply

  40. I like this had some really great info. It has been a long time since I was in law enforcement (MP Sentry Duty). Things have not changed that much.

    Reply

  43. We travel to other countries for our job and because of our appearance and language; we are easily identified as a foreigner. Knowing these tips and tricks without a doubt will keep me and my coworkers a little safer in foreign places. Thanks a bunch for the great instruction.

    Reply

  44. Awesome advice! I especially liked the ear slap. As a kid I broke my pinky knuckle (Amateur boxers sprain, the nurse in the ER called it- as professional boxers hit with their first two knuckles) when I hit someone who dropped their head just before impact. The kid I hit- who is a good friend of mine today, told me that he learned from Mohamed Ali to “Block with your head.” Anyway, between that fight and crashing motorcycles, I don’t want anymore broken bones in my hand. I really can’t punch a person without great risk of breaking more bones. The ear slap sounds like a good technique for throwing someone off their balance. I enjoyed all the videos. They were great fighting techniques that were presented in easy to understand, practical terms. I look forward to seeing more of them. Thank you!

    Reply

  46. I have been using these videos to help instruct my wife although I have been learning and refreshing my memory also. thanks for the training opportunity. Mike

    Reply

  48. Thanks for the tutorials. I like how you demonstrated the finger grabs. The video showed me how to do it effectively.

    Reply

  49. Good stuff, looking for resources to train my 4 sons, schools would break my bank (which isn’t much to begin with). The info shared here is functional and quick, thank you all for your efforts in providing your countrymen with techniques to protect their families! I eagerly await the next installment!

    Reply

  50. Your training is excellent.
    In the past I won a few and lost one, glad to be alive. I hope to avoid problems, be much more aware, and whatever happens, your advice improves my chances radically. THANK YOU!

    Reply
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