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Ninja Fighting Techniques. Stephen K. Hayes
Читать онлайн.Название Ninja Fighting Techniques
Год выпуска 0
isbn 9781462921522
Автор произведения Stephen K. Hayes
Издательство Ingram
Here are some ideas that might help in a typical street confrontation. On the street, these become important considerations. See how many you can identify with.
The Body informs. The way a person carries themselves gives us insight as to how they could become a threat. Body language shows subconscious and pre-conscious intentions through posture, facial expression, eye direction, hand positions, and movement. As a student practitioner of self protection skills, you come to realize that body language gives us advance warning—actions a person is about to take—and gives a glimpse into his mind—tells us his current thought state. Is he outwardly hostile? Is he trying to act noncommittal to get closer to us? Is he bluffing, testing us? Is he trying to conceal his true intentions? Is he huffing and puffing but with no real intention to fight?
The Face is the most expressive body part. It is also the most easily manipulated. Experienced attackers may control their facial expressions so as to be unreadable. The inexperienced might crack nervous grins, adopt frowns, dart their eyes, or display facial twitches. It is important to look past the signs that can be controlled and manipulated, and focus on those that cannot:
• Pupil dilation: The human fight or flight reaction is something few people can control. The brain signals the body to dump adrenaline into the bloodstream, raising the heart rate and making the pupils larger. As the pupils dilate, the peripheral vision narrows. It is a mechanism designed to bring us face to face with the threat directly. People about to act aggressively or perform a violent act will usually find their pupils dilated.
• Pulse: As aggressive impulse builds, the heart rate increases along with blood pressure. This can result in a pounding pulse visible in the neck and temples. This is difficult or impossible for most people to control.
• Sweat: An increased heart rate causes involuntary perspiration, which most aggressors cannot control well.
• Mouth: Besides obvious expressions, an open mouth often occurs when a person is breathing rapidly and can’t get enough air from just their nose.
• Upper Torso: A person who is about to charge in will often telegraph his intention by the way he carries himself. The upper torso reveals two important tips. The first clue is the shoulders. Are the shoulders hanging naturally in a relaxed pose? Or are they tight and raised? The second clue is the upper chest area. What does his respiration tell you? Do you see a rapid chest rise and fall as evidence of breathing hard? When the action amps up, an aggressor tends to breathe shallowly from high in the chest.
• Hands and Arms: It’s important to watch the hands closely at all times. Hands hovering around the waistband might represent a threat. At any moment, he could produce a weapon. Also, while balled fists are an obvious sign of aggression, keep in mind that many attacks come from the time-biding position of tightly crossed arms, or hands forcefully shoved into pockets.
• Legs and Feet: Is he moving, darting here and there nervously? Is he standing planted in place? Is he inching forward? Is he holding ground but leaning in with his upper body? We are looking for stance. Sometimes people blade themselves towards a perceived threat. Blading refers to a combat stance, where the dominant foot is behind the non-dominant foot and about shoulder width apart. Blading can also serve another purpose – most people carrying a concealed weapon will subconsciously pull the weapon side away from the threat, to protect it, conceal it, or cover a draw into action..
• The Whole Package: Look for movement warning signs, nervous twitches that signal that the person is about to act. Two common signs of impending action are pacing and standing on the balls of the feet. Many attacks begin with pacing back and forth and then launching an attack at the midpoint. Many flights or escapes begin with the person getting up on the balls of their feet, much as a runner would before the starting gun goes off.
• Violating your personal space by moving in and out of what is an apparent danger zone can be a way of intimidating you or testing you out. If you realize an aggressor is doing this to you, you can make a statement in a calm, slow, but firm voice, careful to not display any fear, unease, or anger. “I’m cool talking with you about this, but I need you to step back. You are way too close.”
Humor and out of place familiarity work to let street scammers and muggers distract you. Watch for the too-friendly stranger, smiling big and talking on and on with cheerful questions thrown at you. Their goal is to get close enough for a knockout punch or incapacitating grab to start their assault. Often these guys are big and could damage you even without the subterfuge. But this way they get off without your defense or a risk to themselves. If you can touch the other person, they are too close. They can touch you too. Most street criminals will not give you warning signs. They will distract you and move in close to sucker punch you and follow up with punches, kicks, and throws.
Here are some things to consider:
Your name—If they overhear your name, they can use it to get closer. Hearing your name throws you off guard. You are distracted momentarily wondering how this person knows you. They gain a way to get that much closer to you.
Tricky tactics—Be wary of a person who is overly nice and talkative and tries to lure you in. Too much chatter with too many details and questions can be an attempt to get your guard down. Also watch out for the “man in trouble” and the stranger helping and trying to get you to help. Both men are scammers trying to trick you. Marauders in some airports have learned to target rental car drivers. They tap them with a rear bumper “accident.” When the confused and out of place person gets out to see what happened, it turns into an attack. And of course a panhandler using a request for money is a classic ruse to get close enough to test you out and see if you are worthy of an attack.
Paying attention to your surroundings—Do not walk around with headphones on, ear buds in, or your eyes glued to a cellphone screen. This leaves you unaware and more of a target. So many are alarmingly ignorant with their head down and their life inside a bubble. They are easy prey. They feel secure in their own world and do not realize how attractive and easy they appear as a victim.
There are more than one—Especially near public transportation stations you might find teams working as a pack. These are often youths. They never attack one on one, but instead mount group assaults against singular victims. They communicate with a series of glances and head nods to reach consensus of whom the target should be and when to initiate the attack. Often one will act as the “mouth,” confronting you or asking probing questions while the others surreptitiously position behind and beside you before an attack starts.
Assault Is Not Imminent, but Highly Possible…
If you end up confronted by a person who presents the following signs, your awareness and self protection strategies should go on alert. By all means, create distance. Body language should be grounded, confident, and assertive, but not threatening. And realistically, perhaps you might be ready to let the person vent verbally. You are the bigger, happier, more advanced person. You look down and have pity on them. Theirs is a troubled life, a life of lack. Maybe letting them spout off will be enough to satisfy them, as long as they use up energy (and not build up energy). Be sure they are not increasing in volume and rage. A fight might be avoided.
• Head, neck, and shoulders go back; person makes himself look bigger
• Face is dark red, splotchy, twitching as blood rushes up
• Lips are pushed