Uh Oh! What to do???

There is a lot of stuff out there, some good, and some bad. Don’t forget, you are betting your life on your choice… Here are three quick tips on how to instantly defeat the knife.

1. My best way to defeat a knife attack is of course, not be there in the first place.

Barring that, the next best thing is to be able to get as far away from the knife as possible without getting cut while doing it.  Put as much distance as possible between you and your attacker’s weapon. Back up from your opponent and utilize any nearby objects to either arm yourself or block the path between you and your attacker.

If the attack is sudden and there is absolutely no way to put a barrier between the knife and our body then we must move away from the blade. The most effective movement to perform is called the “V-step”. Imagine that you are standing at the center point of a giant clock and the knife is in the 12 o’clock position. You should quickly move at an angle towards the 10 o’clock position while keeping your hands in front of you and with your palms towards your face. While moving, think small. Crouch your body and hollow your stomach away from the knife. This will move your body away from the cutting or stabbing line while protecting soft fleshy areas.

2. Grab the weapon hand – secure the blade!

Once you have gotten yourself angled away from the slash or stab, we need to keep our attacker from doing it again. The absolutely best way to secure the blade is to seize the attacker’s weapon hand in what is called a baseball bat style grip. You want to hold the arm or wrist with your palms facing each other, fists very close together and thumbs locked. Just imagine the arm is a baseball bat and you will have it. This grip makes it extremely hard for your attacker to shake off or dislodge your hands and keep trying to gut you. As well, these grips are very secure in that you can move around and fight for space in order to disarm the bad guy or find an escape.

3. Disarm and Escape…

Now that we have the weapon hand and are controlling the very thing intent on killing us, what do we do with it? The Filipino Combat Arts have a saying that is very apt, “Defang the snake”. We are going to do whatever it takes to smash the attacker’s hand on your knee and break it or damage it enough to make the blade fall away. We want to slam it into a wall, smash it repeatedly with one of our fists, whatever you can find or do to make that grip weak. Okay! Now the blade is on the ground; what next?

Our best bet is to follow another good rule of thumb. I call it, “Reducing the vision”. We want to head butt them in the nose, poke our fingers or other sharp object into the attacker’s eyes so that when we run, he or she cannot see to follow.

My last tip on making a good escape is to weaken or prevent our attacker from following us. This tip is called, “Reduce the mobility”. You want to kick the attacker’s leg, stomp their foot, kick a knee or push them into a wall so that they fall while we run away to a safe place.

4. Live, Survive, Thrive.

A knife fight or knife attack is one of the most challenging situations a person trained in self defense can encounter. Especially when we find ourselves unarmed against the blade. There are many, many techniques and procedures that are effective with a great deal of time and practice. You might not have that time. You can use these simple, direct and effective techniques to escape and live to see another day.

Self protection techniques are an investment into your family’s life. Spend the time and learn a few strategies and tactics that could prevent a horrible event.

About the Author:

Self Defense and Knife Fighting Expert, Jim Mahan has helped thousands of individuals just like you learn simple and effective ways to protect themselves. Jim spent 20 years in the US Army and three combat tours teaching US and Allied forces fighting skills used on current battlefields. For more unbeatable, sure-fire ways to defend yourself or your family, join the Self Defense program at Jim’s academy in Killeen, Texas. www.combativesgroup.com



Welcome Keyla Moses!

Does Your Child Know What To Do Now?

In light of the recent child abductions and several attempts in the area, the gym will be hosting a FREE 2 part child safety clinic next week. As you know, the gym isn’t that big so I am asking for you to RSVP you and your child(ren).

We will host a expert in child safety as well as local authorities. More information to follow.

• Part One will be conducted Wednesday, November 3rd at 5:30PM.

• Part Two will be conducted Saturday, November 6th at 10:00AM.

Please don’t miss out on this opportunity to arm your family with prevention. Feel free to invite other family members, just include them in your RSVP.

Thank you so much for helping us protect our children.

Help Me!

Bullying has always been a part of growing up. But how a child deals with it and the repercussions of dealing with bullying have changed dramatically.

Incidences of bullying vary in severity. One thing that’s certain is repeated attacks whether verbal, physical, written, or on the internet erode your child’s fragile self-esteem. The CDC linked bullying to isolation, drug use, violence, and suicide! But your child does not have to be a victim. Follow these tips…

Use The Secret Word to Stop Bullying Before it Starts

The assault can be verbal or physical, either way the first line of defense remains the same. It’s one word… Confidence! Here’s why; Bullies choose their victims much like a criminal would choose a victim.

They go for the easy and obvious target. So if your child looks like a kid who will get bullied, guess what, they’re going to get bullied. On the other hand if your child radiates self-confidence they are less likely to be a victim, it’s almost that simple!

Body Language is Key

Your child needs to walk with their head up; their shoulders square, and make eye contact with people. Just doing so, even if your child needs work on their self-esteem, will keep bullies away from them. This is easier said than done, but it can be learned. So having them change their body language (what they are saying non-verbally) will have a huge impact. Teaching this can serve as a quick fix. However, going to work on their self-confidence will have a greater long-term affect on keeping bullies away.

Embrace Your Role

Children get their first layer of self-confidence from parents. The love you show your child and the time you spend with them gives them their feelings of self-worth. It has been said that the number one role of parenting is to develop a self-confident individual.

Speaking Up

Teach your child how to speak up clearly when they first meet someone. Teach them the importance of making eye-contact when they talk to you. Get them out of their comfort zone and have them explore new things. The more you have them confront fear and discomfort the more confident they will become.

The first few tips are meant to stop bullying before it starts. Now here’s what your child can do if the bully chooses them…

Create A Boundary When Confronted By A Bully

The next layer of defense is to create a boundary. Children can protect themselves with an assertive body posture: Feet apart a little, one foot in front, shoulders square, chin up, eye contact, and most importantly, hands up as if making a “Stop” Gesture! We call this our self-defense stance. Its purpose is to communicate neutrality, awareness and, assertiveness. This stance is designed to get them out of trouble.

Using Words Properly

Finally, your child will have to use their words. Simple phrases and commands said in an assertive voice will tell the bully that they will not be a victim. Simple commands like; “Stop, Back Off, Back Away!” Said in the right tone will stop the bully in his tracks!

Safe Self-Defense

Of course if none of the above works (and the truth is nothing works every time) then your child will have to defend themselves. But only if and when their safety is threatened.

Defeating the Cyber-Bully

Don’t Give Cyber-Bullies Ammunition

Text messaging and social network sites open up a whole new avenue for bullies. Sit down with your child and be sure they understand not to give the bullies any ammunition. Make them aware the minute they text someone or send an email those words can be taken out of context or used against them. Absolutely under no circumstances should your child ever send inappropriate photos of themselves or allow anyone else to take photos that go against good judgment.

Cyber-bullying can be stopped with confidence and respect just like physical bullying.

As you can see dealing with a bully has its challenges. There is no one way that works every time. However, when your child develops high levels of self-esteem and self-confidence a bully’s words or actions will role off them like water off a duck’s back.

Is your child being bullied?

Need help with your child’s self confidence?

Want your child to learn some self defense  and life skills?

Call Me at 254-247-4999 for a special offer. Ends October 15, 2010

Must Have Coffee!

If you’ve ever experienced a migraine headache, you have one more life goal than those who haven’t. That goal? To never have a migraine again. However, to meet that goal, you have to be well aware of the triggers that set you on the painful path to a migraine.

Since some of the most common triggers are those things you put in your mouth, you may want to keep reading to find out what foods and drinks you should avoid to keep migraines from getting inside your head.

Regular Stuff

In your day-to-day routine, you probably come across a lot of potential migraine triggers. From peanut butter and sour cream to raspberries and pizza, nearly every food can be a trigger. Some, however, are more common than others. In most cases, a food-induced migraine begins to rear its ugly head within 20 or 30 minutes of consuming the food or drink.

To avoid migraines, consider avoiding the following foods and drinks that are known to cause migraine headaches:

• coffee, tea, cola, chocolate, and other foods and drinks that contain caffeine
• extremely cold foods, such as ice cream, particularly when you’re hot due to weather or exercise
• alcoholic beverages, such as red wine, champagne, whiskey, and beer
• cheeses that have been aged to perfection and other foods containing tyramine (substance formed when foods age)
• foods that contain nitrates and various other additives, preservatives, or artificial sweeteners

Special Instances

In addition to specific food and drink, other diet-related issues can result in the mind-boggling pain of a migraine headache. Your body requires a healthy balance of vitamins and minerals to function properly, and your head comfort requires the same. Any time this balance is thrown off, you put yourself at risk for a headache.

One of the easiest headache-inducing dietary mistakes you can make is missing a meal. Life is busy, you’re always on the go, and sitting down to eat isn’t always possible. But when you opt out of mealtime, you’re upping your risk of a migraine substantially. Another simple way to mess up your diet and your head is through dehydration. Unless you are regularly drinking from a tall glass of water, you’re probably a little bit dehydrated. Decide to drink even less one day and your head could pay the price. A final cause of food-related migraines is fasting. Less common than the others, fasting from all sorts of food causes an immediate lack of everything your body needs to keep going strong.

Please welcome the new following fighters!

Jayden Grigley

Chase Smith

Look at this picture and tell me yes...

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. – Winston Churchill

Welcome Leke and Eli Rodriguez to the MAT RATZ!