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!

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

  1. I found all this videos extremely helpful and simple to apply. Being a girl it can always come handy. Thank you! 🙂

  2. thanks for the valuable info and tips. We have a certain lawless element moving into our area and I want to be able to be offensive/defensive if threatened.

    thanks again.

  3. these lessons are amazing & easy to practice. I can see where it will help a person who believes they are smaller & weaker than a larger person coming at them. Looking forward to learning more.

  4. I learned all these in Special Forces back in 1982. Old age caught up with me, so I have to say this refresher course was excellent.

  5. good info. studied much info in the last 10 years, and your info is so easy, cleaver, and effective Forget all the hogwash and get down to your dirty quickly!

  6. I studied the martial for over 20 years. Have been away from it for a decade now. I love your vids because they show how to end a confrontation quickly. At 65 now I prefer to keep it short and sweet. Your vids also are helping me to recall many of the hand to hand techniques I learned years ago. Once again training at home. Thanks so much.

  7. Great, simple approaches for defense. I have had several weeks of Taekwando and Ryukyu Kempo So much to do, but the good stuff comes slowly into the program. I like these several techniques to practice in case ever needed. I don’t want to wait weeks.

  8. Good joint lock techniques for beginners easy to learn, easy to remember, and for instructors, easy to teach.

  9. Loved this website and all the guys showing how to protect yourself….. I’ve never seen a website that shows you this much and not want something for it, like your money….. Thanks so much for helping people protect there family’s and such…… You guys rock and you kick ass…… Later guys.

  10. Hi, so far this mini course is awesome. I would just like to say that video 1 was the best. It was simple but powerful and you can practice it by yourself without having a partner or you can practice it on a bag. A lot of women and men are single and they don’t have a partner to practice with. I was wondering if you have a package like this out of all the awesome programs you sell, You know something simple and powerful but can be practiced by yourself or on a punching bag.

  11. Great self defense lessons, very straightforward and no nonsense. I feel much more aware and confident now. This was a very gracious and generous move to share this valuable information with us. I’m forever grateful. ?

  12. Regarding the throat jab, if attackers instinctively go in with a chin down to protect the neck, can the throat jab work coming upward instead of straight forward?

  13. I’m a disabled vet and confined to a wheelchair. How can I use these techniques from a sitting position? I don’t hang out in bars and such but recently my wife was driving us home and we were involved in a fender bender and I helpless as this big old lug starts yelling at her that it was her fault. I felt helpless.
    I have a CCL and was carrying that night, and as he approached her one more time yelling at her, she retreated to my side I was forced to draw on him and held him there until the police arrived.
    The lug was arrested for DUI, assault and several other things. I feared or my wife’s safety as well as my own but I would have preferred to have other options.

  14. Myself personal opinion is that an instructor who has to wear a mask to protect his identity should not be instucting on video.He’s mumbling and is not easily understood.But actions do speak louder than words and his actions were completely clear.I’m ex military,almost sixty years old,in pretty good shape still.These lessons bring a lot to rememberance. Thank you and merry christmas!

  15. Excellent!!! I studied Combat Hapkido for a couple of years but had to stop due to injuries. I’ve been looking for similar training not only to get myself and my mindset back into the groove, but for my girlfriend and son. This is what i was looking for!!! Thank you very much for sharing this life saving information. It is greatly appreciated! i pray deeply it never has to be used, but when it comes to life saving techniques, this is absolutely vital survival knowledge.

  16. These are great teachings. I am a 65 year old widowed grandmother of 12.
    Even I can put these to work.. Thank you for making this available to me. I live by myself and go and come at different hours. It is reassuring to know I can take positive action by applying these simple techniques.

  17. Thank you Bob For your Help. I Hope you have more Materials to Train me how to Fight when i Get Attacked . I Brought Materials from you and I Hope you will make more Materials and I Worked in Supermarkets where Men Threated me to Shut up and at my Tiki Bar in my Club House at Evergrene Complex where this is a Gated Community I Live in Palm Beach Gardens Florida and I had a Situation where a Man Was Drunk Looking to Start a Fight with me and I was Getting a hamberger and a Soda and when The Man wanted to Punch me I Told him I will Call the Police and have them Throw him in Jail but the Police would not always arrive in Time to Deal with these Messes but with Fast Fight and STDs By Damian Ross Who Founded The Self Defense Company and he Learned Self Defense From Carl Cestari and he is a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Karate and he was a Bouncer and a Body Guard and Investing in your System and Damian Ross System and I Have Tapes of his Mentor on You Tube Carl Cestari and Damian Ross is on You Tube and I Need all the Help I Need to Learn Self Defense and People who Studied the Martial Arts would not Win a Fight with a Street Fighter . I Want to Live a Life of Peace but I Need to Live Of Peace Through Strength and my Father Knows Self Defense but he will not Help me out but God sent you and Damion Ross and his Self Defense Company is the Best Company to teach Self Defense but Your System is great for me Bob and Thank God you and Damian Ross has Great Systems to help the Average Person to Deal with Terrorism in our County and the Average Person in our Country Needs Lessons on Self Defense for our own Public Safety . Thank you for every Thing . Ronny Romano

  18. I am a retired 65 yr man that used to be a police officer. I enjoy these lessons because they reenforce what is needed to survive a street fight. Law enforcement only teaches how to control not win. At my age I want to win to survive as long as possible and teach my grandchildren to survive. Thanks

  19. Thank you , for showing the first steps to at least how to defend your self , If someone comes at you . I am looking forward to learning the rest , See if there is something you can do with a cane. Thank you Janet Cruz

  20. I’M in my 80’s now but want to feel that knowing just a few areas vulnerable, would be very helpful in defense. Thank you for these free videos. I’ll watch and study and continue with your others.-Thanks again John Sharp

  21. What defences do you have for the disabled? I am on a cane because of a back injury, and my balance is off so I am not able to run if attacked. I have to depend on my service dog for protection. It would be helpful to apply a technique with my cane.

    What if any, advice do you have for the disable?

  22. This information is not just great, but comforting. I am a 52 year old woman, with a 14 year daughter, and with the rape culture present today, having this kind of knowledge is invaluable. Thank you.

  23. Very sound and solid defensive moves. I was trained to use some of the exact same techniques in combat.
    I will be ordering the full course as soon as I can afford it. I have Daughters who will benefit from this. I have found that it’s much easier to use courses like these to teach family and friends.

  24. The information is very easy to understand & the finger Magic works very well. I showed my small frame wife & she was impressed with the ease and how powerful it is to use. I just told her to NOT to show this to anyone.

  25. I never sat down and thought about these things. Your videos have opened my eyes and given me confidence in myself that I know I can defend myself. Thank you very much.

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