Bojuka Self Defense

Being a Realistic Bad Guy in Training

2010-02-16T09:47:00.021-05:00

One of the most overlooked and crucial components of training in martial arts for self defense is realistic behaviour and responses from "the bad guy". In most traditional based systems the bad guy executes his assault (usually in a traditional and formal way that you will never see in a street assault) and then stands perfectly still while the defender executes a barrage of skillfully executed techniques. While this allows the student to perform endless repetitions of a technique in a safe training mode, it is little better than doing the technique alone in the air.

Realistic training requires two things from the bad guy: realistic assaults and realistic behaviour.

REALISTIC ASSAULTS

Street thugs, robbers, rapists, and other scum of the earth don't use the cool karate moves they practiced at their local community centre to get what want from you. They don't step back with their right foot bringing their hands to a well crafted fighting position and then wait for you to signal them with a nod of your head before they launch into well balance and perfect reverse punch or step-through punch in a front stance or walking stance. Their strikes come from anywhere, they are looser and less predictable, and they will often wait until you are distracted before they strike.

Add these variables to your drills to increase your ability to read and respond to assaults more effectively in real situations:

Relax your body and allow your strikes to be wider and come at different angles: hooks, overhead strikes, hay makers, quick jabs, and sucker punches
Change your body position: switch your feet, vary the angle of attack (not everyone is going to be standing direction in front of your when they strike)
Change your distance: up-close and personal, charging distance, hand-shaking distance
Randomize your strikes (lefts, rights, high, low, fast, slow)
Add distractions: yelling and strike, turning as if to walk away and then strike, drop your hands and strike, push and strike, grab and strike, etc...
Strike at your partner: force a response by striking realistically and close enough you can actually make contact if he fails to defend. Punching in the air to the side of the face doesn't allow the same muscle memory programming to occur or the same fear to be experienced. You shouldn't feel safe while being attacked, there needs to be some risk.
Train with protective equipment from time to time so you can practise full force drills. Get some of Tony Blauer's High Gear if you are really serious about realistic force on force training.

By adding these components your training will be more realistic and you'll find out what techniques work best for you. It also allows you opportunities to experience doubt, fear and the effects of the adrenaline dump that are very real factors in a real life assault.
REALISTIC BEHAVIOUR
Believe it or not, when your hit someone for real, they will move. The bad guy isn't going to stand there and wait for you to hit him five more times and then let you take him to the ground. Every time you strike your assailant he (or she) will respond physically in a fairly predictable manner. The degree of this response may vary as will the recovery time (how long it takes for him to respond to your strike or counter-strike and launch another attack or flee). They also don't bow before the assault, release you when you tap-out or shake hands and hug when they've finished destroying you. They aren't polite. They will hurt you. They don't care.
Try adding some of these components to elevate the realism of your training:

Use good "pain reaction": if you get punched in the side of the head or face spin your head, shoulders and body away from the strike, groin strike - bend over, torso - cave into the strike, etc... If you aren't sure how to react, put on some protective equipment and let someone hit you.
Vary your degree of response: you won't always land the perfect strike with maximal power. Fights are dynamic and your target may move, you may be off balance etc... Sometimes respond a little, sometimes over exaggerate your response. It is important that you can adapt to these changes in real-time.
Don't always cooperate: it is important that if you take a good shot act like it. A hard hit will take some of the fight out of you, it may even stun you, knock you down or finish you. Likewise, a lighter hit or slightly off target may not slow you down. In that case, strike again, resist and even grapple.
Use fakes, misdirection, distractions and random assaults: even tell the defender you are going to do one thing and then do something else at the last moment.
Engage your body language: pushes, shoves, posturing, bumping, hand gestures, facial gestures and erratic behaviour are all realistic elements.
Use appropriate language: I mean SWEAR. Use every profanity you can think of and use it in a demeaning and aggressive tone. Again, street thugs are not going to be polite. They want to intimidate and victimize you. If you have never been cussed at and called horrible things with someone so close to your face you can smell what they ate yesterday, you need to.
Wear street clothes: It's not likely that you will be assaulted by someone wearing his white gi and green belt. Nor will you be wearing yours! You and your training partner should train in clothing that more closely resembles what you would wear when you leave your house. Jeans, dress shoes, jackets, skirts, heavy coats, business attire, a purse, and back-pack or gym back, brief case, sunglasses, etc... are all appropriate for realistic training. Use props, and your imagination. Add a piece of clothing that will help your training partner see you as a bad guy (just remember, not all criminals wear bandannas and leather, they may have a business suit, or appear professional).
Don't always attack: it is just as important to practice de-escalation tactics as it is to drill your defensive (and offensive) techniques. The first lines of defense are awareness and avoidance. If you can successfully talk down your aggressor you may be able to avoid getting physical altogether. Some people just want to be heard, some want a reaction from you. If they don't get the response they are expecting they may just move on.

By acting out the role of the bad guy more realistically, your partner will benefit both physically and psychologically. Failures will help identify areas where more focused training is required and successes will increase self-confidence and help control fear and adrenaline.
If you train in a traditional school talk to your instructor about adding some of these element to your training regime. Many will resist changing their "centuries old traditions", but you may find out your instructor has the same concerns about the training as you do. For some schools, maybe this kind of training is suited for a special class once a week or once a month for those who are serious and have the maturity to handle the training. You may have to get together with some friends and train on your own time.
Or, find a reality based self defense school that embodies some or all of these training principals. To find a Bojuka Self Defense School near you please visit http://www.bojuka.ca/ or http://www.bojuka.com/.

How To Use Your Keys For Self Defense!

2008-10-07T09:41:00.007-04:00

I’ve written in previous articles about having your keys in your hands before you leave a building to go to your car, or before you exit the car. This will prevent you from having to having to dig around in your pockets or purse to find them when you need them. Remember, professional criminals are waiting for these types of distractions to make their move. In this article I will discuss another great reason for having your keys in your hands: using your keys as a weapon for self defense.

In order to effectively use your keys for self defense requires them to be in your hand and to be held in such a way that you can deliver strikes to vulnerable parts of your attacker’s anatomy. There is a right way and a wrong way to hold your keys for this purpose.

THE WRONG WAY TO HOLD YOUR KEYS
Let’s go over the wrong way to hold your keys first so we can clear up some misconceptions. I’ve seen martial arts and self defense instructors teaching this method for decades and it needs to come to an end. The method most often taught is to place individual keys between each of your fingers turning your ring of keys into pseudo brass knuckles. The concept in itself is not bad: you’ve added range to your fist, and the keys should rip, tear and puncture the flesh of your would-be assailant. In fact, you will probably effectively do all these things and more. Once your strike hits bone, muscle or heavy clothing the keys are going to twist and turn between your fingers causing a blooding and painful mess of your hand. You may have slowed down your attacker but you’ve also created open wounds filled with your blood and his. You’ve greatly increased your chances of contracting blood-borne pathogens (diseases) from your assailant. In addition, your keys may damage nerves or break the bones in your fingers as the keys compress together. What might have seemed like a good idea at first glance now proves to be painfully wrong.

THE RIGHT WAY TO HOLD YOUR KEYS
So, how do you effectively hold your keys for self defense while minimizing the risk of personal injury? First, go through your keys and select the one you deem to be the longest and strongest key you have. Now, hold that key firmly between your thumb and curled index finger. The key should be extended past your fist like an extension of your thumb. You can hold the remaining keys in your fist (see the picture below if you aren’t sure what I mean). Holding your keys in this manner will give you an effective poking and thrusting tool. Quite often, your largest key is also the key you use to open your car door so you will be that much more prepared to enter your vehicle without delay.

KNOWING WHERE TO STRIKE
Now that you are armed with your handy self defense weapon (one that you can carry anywhere without a concealed weapons permit or license) you need to know what areas of the body are vulnerable to attack. You need to shut down the assault as quickly as possible and create an opportunity to escape. Strikes to the meaty areas of the body like the chest, stomach, arms and legs will cause minimal pain and damage. If these are the only areas exposed to you, use strikes to these areas only to create a reaction that will expose more vulnerable targets.

Your primary targets should be the eyes or the throat. These areas are soft and filled with nerves. We are born with automatic responses to protect our eyes, throat and face in general. Even if your attacker is wearing glasses, a strike to this area will cause a reaction and may create the opportunity you need to RUN!!!

In the event that you are grabbed from behind you may be able to attack the back or your attackers hands and cause him to let go. The back of the hand is covered in nerves. Use your key to strike these nerves or press hard and grind back of his hands with the end of your key.

The fact is, if your strike someone in the eyes you are going to cause damage, you may even blind the person. Ask yourself what damage your assailant may have caused you if you didn’t fight back? Does he care about your well being? If he gets you into the truck of his car, do you really think he’s going to let you go unharmed? You need to make the decision for yourself right now that your life is the most precious thing your have. FIGHT FOR IT!!!

STAY SAFE!

You Will Fight Like You Train

2007-12-30T08:15:00.001-05:00

You've probably all heard this saying before at a self defense seminar somewhere. Maybe you heard it from me. This is one you can't get around.

YOU FIGHT LIKE YOU TRAIN
so...
TRAIN LIKE YOU FIGHT
Or, you can flip it around. Either way, it all comes down to a few simple thruths about your self defense training that you need to be aware of :

Practise makes permanent. The techniques you drill are the techniques you will use.
You need to practise with an opponent. They air won't attack you in the streets, people will.
The scenarios you train for need to be realistic.
You need to train for random and unexpected attacks or an ambush.
You absolutely must learn how to deal with armed assailants and multiple attackers.
Your training should regularly approach the intensity of a real violent encounter.

Keep those things in mind and look at your training methods. If self-defense is your priority then you need to incorporate these things into your regular training. If you can't do it in your dojo, then find a partner to train with at home, or find a school that will provide these opportunities.

Train Hard, Train Fast, Train Smart!

10 Holiday Safety Tips

2007-12-10T16:35:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays Everyone!

The busy Christmas season is upon us again... are you aware of the dangers around you? Not to put a damper on all the Christmas fun, but try to be careful how caught up in things you become. With everyone running about, trying to finish off the Christmas shopping, those last minute food items for dinner, and a run to the liquor store, people tend to pay a lot less attention to what's going on around them. This is a dream come true for criminals who want what you've got, or just want you!

While the following list of tips and tricks are valid all year, the holiday season is a great time to remind you what you should be doing to stay safe. Follow these tips and have a little more peace of mind:

1. SLOW DOWN! Don't rush around. Pay attention to what you are doing and where you are going. Be purposeful in your actions!

2. Don't leave presents and personal items in the car seats. Put them in the trunk and your car will be a less tempting target.

3. Your keys should always be in your hands before you leave the building. Rummaging through your pockets or purse while juggling five bags of Christmas presents is like wearing a giant "I'M AN EASY VICTIM" sign over your head. Having your keys ready will allow you to pay attention to what you are doing and what is going on around you. They also make a great personal weapon if you are force to defend yourself.

4. Your life is the most important possession you have! If you are confronted by a mugger, don’t hesitate to give him your bags, your purse, or your wallet. You safety should be your priority.

5. Avoid parking near vans or vehicles with dark windows! Criminals often wait for someone to park in a very specific spot so they can grab their victims quickly and avoid detection by other people or surveillance cameras.

6. Travel in groups! You are far less likely to be robbed or assaulted when you are with other people. Remember, these criminals are looking for victims. They intend to prevail, and to increase their chances they choose people and situations they think they can control. Three people are much more difficult to control than one.

7. Make plans and make them known! Let your family, friends and roommates know where you are going and when you plan to return. If your plans change, or you are going to be later than expected, make a phone call and let people know. If you are hurt or kidnapped your family and friends can let authorities know where you were and when.

8. If you are going to drink, then drink responsibly. Alcohol reduces your inhibitions and ability to reason. Don’t put yourself into a position that you can be taken advantage of. And as always….Don’t Drink and Drive!

9. Carry your cell phone on your person and keep it charged. If you are stranded you can call a cab. You can let your loved ones know if there is a problem. You can call the police or ambulance if you or someone else is hurt. Don’t wander around with it stuck to your ear. Again, back to #1, be purposeful in your actions and pay attention to what you are doing and what’s going on around you.

10. If you are threatened, make all the noise you can and run for your life. If you can’t escape, then FIGHT! FIGHT!! FIGHT!!! RUN! RUN!! RUN!!! When you a safe, call the police!

HAPPY HOLIDAY!! STAY SAFE!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Are you ready for mulitple attackers?

2007-11-02T09:10:00.000-04:00

Let’s face it: with the exception of the occasional bar fight, the days of one on one duelling are pretty much a thing of the past. Even if a fight starts with one two people, the moment one betters the other, the friends of the fallen jump in and team up on the would-be victor. In September, a grade 12 student in Calgary was killed with a pick-axe when 30 uninvited quests were asked to leave a small garage party (article: Calgary Herald). It has become painfully obvious that the level of violence is increasing and so are the chances of being assaulted by multiple attackers.

That being said, how does your training fit into the multiple assailant model? Do your techniques leave you vulnerable to additional attacks from your assailant’s friends? Do your techniques take too much time? Does your arsenal allow you to incapacitate an attacker so you can deal with others and not worry about the first one getting back up for more?

It is impossible to cover all the possibilities that could arise. There are no secret techniques for a surprise attack with a baseball bat to the back of the head. However, there are a few things you can do to help increase your chances of surviving an attack from more than one bad guy. Here are just a few:

Make sure that your self-defense techniques are short and get the job done.

If your techniques take more than 3 to 5 seconds to take control of your assailant, you are really going to have a problem when facing four attackers instead of one!

Your techniques should provide you with plenty of mobility.

When facing multiple attackers you want to be able to position yourself so you can see the other attackers, throw one bad guy into another or use one as a shield from subsequent attacks as you find your way to the door. Mobility will also allow you to actively scan your immediate environment for more dangers.

Use threat assessment.

Threat assessment is important in all situations, whether you are facing a single attacker who is armed or not, or facing multiple attackers. Once you have identified that there are more than one attacker the threat level has increased and you have to deal with it accordingly. This means that you will likely have to deliver more devastating strikes, causing more damage, and making sure that each assailant is no longer dangerous. Keeping this in mind, this does not necessarily mean that deadly force is required. Eye-gouging, knee breaks and knockouts may be required.

Move to a position of advantage.

By moving yourself to a position where you only have to fight one assailant at a time you can greatly increase your chances of surviving. For example, by positioning yourself just inside the door of a small room, like a bathroom, or a hallway you will force your assailants to funnel. If only one person can get through that doorway at a time then your only have to worry about fighting one guy. Now, instead of fighting five guys, you are fighting one guy five times which increase the your odds of success. If you are unable to escape or position yourself through a doorway, get your back against a wall to prevent surprise attacks from behind.

Avoid getting tangled up or going to the ground.

If your techniques tie you up so you don’t have access to your hands at all times, you will be at a huge disadvantage when that next strike comes in. Keep your techniques as simple as possible so you can quickly adapt. Also, avoid going to the ground. The importance of this cannot be stressed enough. You may be a competent wrestler of ground grappler, but that won’t do you a pinch of good when you face six guys kicking, punching, stabbing you with kitchen-ware, or breaking pool cues across your head. You need to know what to do if you get to the ground, but don’t make it your goal. Get back on your feet as fast as you can! Save ground fighting for the mats or the ring.

Always assume there are more attackers!

You must assume that your assailant is never acting alone. Be aware of your surroundings through active scanning taking advantage of your mobility and picking up motion in your peripheral vision. You must assess the threat first as a single attacker and adjust appropriately when you have identified additional threats.

As always, train smart, not just hard. Practice multiple assailant drills or have your training partners attack you at random when you are doing a one on one technique with another partner. See if you are prepared for that suprise attack from his buddies!

Self Defense Tip of the Week: Trust Your Instincts

2007-10-19T14:22:00.001-04:00

We've all been in a situation before where we just had that feeling that something was wrong. Maybe you were walking alone and thought that someone was following you or watching you. At a college party some guy may have started giving you the creeps. Maybe these things are nothing. Do you ignore those feelings and continue as if all is well? It could be paranoia. Then again, maybe someone is following you with intent to rob you, or maybe that guy at the party slipped something into your drink and is just waiting for you to pass out. Sometimes you can walk into your office and you just know from the atmosphere that your boss is having a bad day and everyone is on edge. You don’t have to think about it, you just know it.

Our brains are constantly calculating. They process everything we see, hear, taste, smell and feel whether we are conscious of the fact or not. We have some built in automatic responses, like pulling quickly away from touching a hot surface to avoid burns. This happens without a thought. The pain signals are registered in the brain and the brain recognizes the danger and responds to it for you. So why doesn’t your brain respond the same to that creepy feeling? Well, believe it or not, it already has! Your subconscious has recognized that there is a danger and has sent your conscious brain warning signs so that you can make some decisions. The warnings might come as an upset stomach, tightness in your upper back and neck, speeding up of the heart and breath, or in some cases panic. This is all part or our fight or flight response.

We have this response to allow us to assess and evaluate a threat and respond with the best possible actions for survival. The problem is that in today’s world everything is moving at the speed of thought. We are in the beginnings of the information age. With access to the Internet we now know more about what’s going on in foreign countries half way around the world than we do about what’s going on right around us. We’re all plugged in. Everyone owns a cell phone and everyone is walking around with MP3 players hard wired into their ears. We are programming ourselves to ignore pretty much anything except the very obvious. Or maybe we pass off those jittery feelings as mere paranoia? Or maybe it wouldn’t be socially acceptable if you left the party or the bar early?

Whatever the reasons are, we need to start paying more attention to the natural indicators we were born with. When you need oxygen, you breathe. When you are hungry, you find something to eat. When you get those icky, jitterbug, creepy feelings that something isn’t quite right, LEAVE! Don’t worry about looking foolish, or missing out on a few beers and some good gossip. Develop a plan to vacate, and execute that plan.

ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR INSTINCTS… THEY ONLY HAVE TO BE RIGHT ONCE!

Training clothes? Martial Arts Uniforms?

2007-10-15T10:40:00.000-04:00

Most martial arts schools require that students wear a martial arts uniform (gi, dobok, etc...). There are many merits to doing this, such as having dedicated clothing that are durable enough for your particular training style, and the feeling of belonging to something bigger when you look around at everyone around you dressed the same.

There is, however, a downside to training barefoot in your stylish martial arts uniform. How likely is it that you will be attacked, mugged, or raped while donning your karate gi? You wear it for the couple hours training each day and the rest of the day you'll be wearing something else, and so will your assailant.

Have you ever tried training in your street clothes or the suit you wear to the office or your high heels or your snow boots and long winter jacket? How did your techniques work for you?

The best way to train for street self defense is to train in something similar to what you might be wearing when you are attacked. Next time you decide to toss out that shirt, jacket, skirt, or footwear that's no longer "in style", think about keeping it a little longer and use it for training purposes. Find out if your techniques still work in that tight or baggy clothing. You may find high kicks to the head difficult wearing tight pants or a long coat. The extra padding of an insulated leather jacket might absorb some of the impact of your favourite body strike.

Suggest to your instructor that you have one day a month when everyone can wear their regular clothing to class. Maybe make it a special bonus class! If your instructor isn't open to the idea see if a few of your fellow classmates are interested and get together to practise.

Be prepared now! Don't be surprised when you can't afford to be!

Does your self defense training include Threat Assessment?

2007-10-09T11:50:00.001-04:00

Threat assessment is an important part of reality based self defense training. While your reflex moves will stop the initial attack, your reaction moves (or follow-up moves) must consider the threat level at hand.

This means that your techniques and your training has to allow you to shift gears from a potentially high threat level to a low threat level situation or the other way around.

For example, if the initial assault was a knife thrust you may be trained to stop the attack and break a knee. However, what happens if the assailant drops the knife before you go for the knee break? Is the knee break still necessary? Does your skill-set allow you to shift to a response for an unarmed attacker?

Or, another example, maybe someone grabs you with one hand and waves the other hand in your face. This might seem like a lower threat, but what if he suddenly reaches for a knife or a gun. Can you switch modes and cause enough damage to stop the more serious assault?

What we are looking at here is the ability to injure to degree according to the perceived level of danger. Your techniques need to be kept simple to allow you to move easily between one mode and another.

Integrating threat assessment into your training will ensure that you are responding appropriately to save your life. You will force yourself to deal with the person, the complete and dynamic threat, not just that right punch coming at you. It will also ensure that you are adhering to use of force laws by always using reasonable force.

Women's Self Defense: Breaking His Balls

2007-10-04T05:43:00.002-04:00

The groin strike is an all time favourite line of defense for women the world over.. It's a great target for knees, kicks and grabs. The pain from a strike here can be crippling to an assailant. There are however a few things that you need to know about this target that could save your life.

For several reasons the groin should be considered a secondary target unless it's the only target available to you:

First of all, men are used to being struck there and have built in defenses to protect their "family jewels". They will close their legs, pop their hips back and get their hands down as a shield at the first indication there may be danger.

Secondly, under normal conditions it takes about 5 to 8 seconds for the pain from a strike to the testicles to register in the brain. I know what you are thinking: "when I knee someone in the balls they go down right away". What you are seeing is the body's natural reaction to any impact in preparation for the pain to come. This is part of every human being's natural survival mechanism. If you hit your leg on the corner of a table you will instictively bend at your knees and hold the point of impact with your hands. The testicles are no different.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, under the influence of alcohol, some drugs, and adrenaline the nerves carrying the pain signal from his package up to the brain can be numbed or turned off altogether. That's right, that big obnoxious drunk at the bar who won't take his hands off you probably won't feel a strike to the groin at all. The damage is certainly done and he will wake in a world of pain and bruising in the morning but in the moment the best you've done is made him angry.

For these reasons, try practicing the groin shots as a second or third hit. When you need to get out of a bad situation concentrate on strikes, pokes and gouges to the eyes and throat. Strikes to these areas will often cause sufficient enough damage for him to release his grip on you and bring his hands up to this face, opening the door to groin strikes and escapes. When you can, RUN!!

Of course, if your hands are pinned down and you can't reach him to bite, strike that groin as hard as you can. It may cause him to change positions or shift his weight opening up other opportunities.

HELPFUL TIP: If you can't get a clean shot at the groin, the insides of the upper legs are vulnerable to kicks, knees, hand strikes and pinches or grabs!

Training Tip of the Week: Gross Motor Skills

2007-10-03T14:44:00.001-04:00

This is an area where most martial arts and self defense systems can make improvements. A lot of classical martial arts moves require fine motor skills to be executed with perfection. These fine motor skills can certainly enhance your techniques by adding additional pain and compliance through joint locks and nerve manipulations. However, the core movements that stop a would-be attack need to be based on gross motor skills in order to be called upon under stressful conditions.

IT'S A FACT: adrenal stress causes fine motor skills to diminish significantly!

Your self defense techniques and tactics should be based on the reflexive gross motor skills that your body will respond with to protect itself. We all operate basically the same at the reflexive level. We all instinctively flinch, bring our hands up to protect our face and body, and we all move our bodies out of danger without thinking. Harness these automatic responses into your training and let your learned skill-set take over from there.

Train SMART, not just HARD!

Willing to Survive?

2007-10-01T09:03:00.000-04:00

Sometimes when I teach self defense techniques for situations that involve a higher level of threat such as an assault at knife point, chokes, or attempted rape, I will hear "I couldn't do that to a person" or "I don't want to hurt him permanently"! This is when I have to get into a discussion on the willingness to survive. It's also an opportunity to discuss the "rules of self defense". So here is the list...

Rules of an assault:

There are NO RULES

That's right... your assailant is not fighting "fair". Someone attacking you is not what you would consider a "reasonable person". They will be WILLING to hurt you, cut you, poke you, tear your, break you, poke out your eyes, burn you, beat you, drown you, rape you, piss on you, and kill you. So now that we understand the rules the assailant will be playing by, what rules are you going to go by? Are you willing to do what it takes to stop or prevent this morally twisted individual from harming you or your loved ones?

Are you willing to break his bones, poke out his eyes, strike or cut him with a weapon or opportunity, bite, kick, punch, or drive his head or body into an obstacle?

By nature humans don't want to cause anyone undue harm. I'm not advocating that you punish or brutally destroy anyone who attacks you. But are you willing to be as brutal as is neccessary to escape the situation and contact the authorities?

Are you WILLING TO SURVIVE?

Training Tip of the Week: Retraction Theory

2007-09-28T10:01:00.000-04:00

It is important that you train to retract your strikes back to point of origin as fast as you executed the strike. One punch or strike may not stop the assault or finish the fight. You must dominate your assailant!

It's not how fast you can hit your assailant, but how fast you can hit him AGAIN!!!

Use of Force - Know The Law

2007-09-25T14:48:00.000-04:00

It is important that your understand your legal rights and obligations when using force to defend yourself. It is equally important that your training incorporates the use of reasonable force according to the threat level at hand.

Click here for more information about the use of force and how it applies to the Canadian Criminal Code (Sections 34-37).

Congratulations for Black Belt Promotions

2007-09-25T12:00:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to the following students on their promotion to 1st Degree Black Belt in Unarmed Combat, and certification as Reality Based Self Defense Instructors:

Josh Jaques
Jake Jubenville
Jason Malott
Steve Malott

A complete article and photos will be available soon at www.bojuka.ca

Self Defense Against a Knife Attack

2007-09-15T18:48:00.000-04:00

In today's world (and most of yesterday's) it seems that everyone is carrying a knife of one sort or another. It is important to be able to protect yourself against a bladed assault at anytime and from any direction. The Bojuka Self Defense System offers some "simple" and effective ways to protect yourself against an armed assailant. The video below is just one example of how to deal with this sort of life threatening situation. Please use caution when training and remember that training by video cannot replace one on one instruction with an expert instructor.

For instruction in the Bojuka Self Defense System please visit the links at the side of this blog.

See video, step by step photos, and downloadable PDF at Bojuka Canada.

Welcome...

2007-09-10T06:42:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Bojuka Self Defense Blog.

Here, you will soon find information relating to the Bojuka Self Defense System and Reality Based Self Defense topics in general. Please stay tuned for articles on personal protection tactics, striking techniques, rape and sexual assualt survival, pressure point and vital point targeting, and much more.

See you soon!

Chad Barry
Reality Based Self Defense Instructor
Bojuka Skill Level Four
http://www.bojuka.ca/