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 >>

Twitter
Google+
Facebook

Leave A Reply:

Leave a Reply to Bill Haley Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

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

  2. Hi, I’m 70 years of age. 100% Disabled Marine. I like this finger magic defense system. I’m glad you are providing this information. This is much easier than anything I have learn in the past.

    Reply

  3. Great lesson with several basic techniques for the beginner to focus on when a fight is about to occur. What to look for & pay attention to,
    what vulnerable body parts of your opponent to focus on, and more!!
    Excellent info for building confidence!

    Reply

  5. Simple but seems very effective.I studied Krav Maga for a time.It’s been awhile so I feel pretty lame.I will keep watching.Thanks.

    Reply

  8. These videos are GREAT. Keep up the good work. And thank you very much. I’m in a wheelchair, and have already had to use a few of the techniques that I’ve learned from the videos. People see a person in a wheelchair as an EASY TARGET. Well, not ME, NOT ANYMORE. Around the holiday, the desperate get MORE desperate. I’m happy to say, that after learning these amazing techniques, that I will NEVER be a VICTIM ever again.

    Reply

  11. As an ex soldier in the British Army back in the 70s I new most of the moves shown and discussed but it was interesting to see some and read about some of the moves. Unfortunately there is no sound when playing on my phone so hopefully it will be better on Ipad.

    Reply

  17. Hi I am a small guy at the same time I am a hill Billy from South East Missouri at a young age I was chucking 100lbs hay bails , fire wood and milking cows. On top of that I’ve always been very well balanced and accurate, and my brother and I have had a lot of vicious knock down drag out s , being small, strangers would think easy target so 98percent of the time I put the juice to them most people are idiot but not all and your lesson s have been a honing leather strap and I thank you

    Reply

  19. Hi, I’m getting on a bit , in my sixties, and walk my dog over the hills. It can be quite isolated at times and made me feel very uncomfortable one day when I saw a man behaving strangely and believe he was following me, anticipating where I would walk. I changed my route and as it was getting darker I saw him walk from the area where I would normally have ended my walk; a wooded area. Since then I have changed my route daily and was looking for a deterrent spray that is legal in the uk.

    I am a retired nurse and my internal dialogue is to protect and heal, but self defensive techniques are something that I feel I could utilise, causing minimum harm. I found this site whilst looking for the defence sprays. I would always avoid conflict where possible but I believe some of these techniques could be life saving for many vulnerable people and those of my own age group who become a little slower and weaker as we age. Especially the wrist and finger disabling techniques.

    Thanks to you all for making me feel that I don”t have to give up walking my dog because of a few aggressive, or intimidating individuals.

    Kind regards,
    Anne

    Reply

  20. AWESOME techniques. I have actually used the “slap” many times in fights, and it works great to STUN your attacker. I love all of the videos, and the advice on this site.

    Reply

  21. Thanks so much. After watching these videos, it makes you think, “That’s so easy to learn, but so unexpected”. Even an 80 year old grandmother culd easily master these techniques, and take down an attacker.

    Reply

  22. Thanks so much. After watching these videos, it makes you think, “That’s so easy to learn, but so unexpected”. Even an 80 year old grandmother could easily master these techniques, and take down an attacker.

    Reply

  24. Good shit im 49 and dont want to be dancing around for 20 min my wind might be gone but im also working on my whole self getting in better shape i love all that ive ordered and seen on web you guys is the truth.

    Reply

  27. That was interesting somethings I never heard of and are good to know.. I like a clean fight but sometimes it’s nice to know a few dirty tricks keep the other person off their game..

    Reply

  28. Thanks , there were many times these moves would have come in handy , so lesson learned, thanks to you and your crew I will be better prepared for next time .

    Reply

  30. This video helps alot. Things that I didn’t know about fighting, I know now. The signs, reaction, all of that, I know it now.

    Reply

  33. It’s a great thing that you are nice to give us all the INFORMATION, Thank You and every one. I saw all of the Information and How two handle myself.
    Every thing is what we have seen and enjoyed all the information. Lou Myers UDT# 3.

    Reply

  35. I have not seen any video yet so far but will go through and analized over the next few days, to be very honest, what I have read I am very very pleased and thankful as I see your links as very useful advice and I am so thankful for it all, tomorrow I will watch and learn from these and as someone who has basic training that I have gone over and over, I will adapt this into my preparation for self defence, thank you….

    Reply

  36. These techniques are GREAT. I’m in a motorized wheelchair most of the time, but these techniques, and most other techniques that I have seen on this site are even easy in a wheelchair. And thank you for your service.

    Reply

  37. Don, I disagree. These techniques are well done, well thought out, and very well filmed. I get these techniques the first time, every time.

    Reply

  38. Very moved to practice these moves. I have had three open heart operations and my sternum will not heal and I am 68 years old now. I never have started a fight or ever picked on anyone since I was 6’00” 210 lbs at 16 years old. My Dad said don’t ever start a fight but you might have to finish one.

    Reply

  41. Very good basics . I’ve been teaching since 1983. Training since 1968. Professional bodyguard 15 years. Good content. Very easy to understand.

    Reply

  42. My thanks to you Bob and the Fight Fast crew. I’ve bought some knives, videos and got lots of free stuff too. It’s all good.
    Stay safe, successful and …
    Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
    Mike

    Reply

  43. Thank you for these informative solutions to an unwanted physical attack. I am definitely waiting for Day 2 of your yraining and in the meantime I will be studying Day 1 information……..

    Reply

  44. Thank you for these informative solutions to an unwanted physical attack. I am definitely waiting for Day 2 of your yraining and in the meantime I will be studying Day 1 information……..

    Reply

  48. Having never been in the Military or Law Enforcement, I had no knowledge of these. I will need to practice them (without a partner). being a senior, these moves depend on speed and awareness rather than “Pure Brawn”. A great lesson indeed!

    Reply

  50. Exactly what everyone needs to know givese a sense of ease knowing I can do the same if and when trouble comes thanks guys I appreciate your advice and the techniques you show me once again thank you

    Reply
1 … 36 37 38 39 40 … 54