A man's got to know his limitations.

I have to say that there is not much on television these days to get excited about but I really did enjoy the BBC 2 series 'Ultimate Hell Week'

Basically they took a group of would be recruits (29 in total from all walks of life) and put them through a grueling training program with several instructors from elite special forces units, it was always going to be tough from day one, and some of the challenges were just to brutal that six candidates had dropped out by nightfall.

Now in my youth I was always up for the doing a challenge, strong man competitions, charity runs, Arm Wrestling. I even took part in a charity bed push from Mansfield Town Center to Newstead Abbey and back, and always watched programs like 'Superstars and Gladiators that were very popular.

Brain Jacks achieved more national fame for winning the Superstars then he did for being the first person from Britain to ever win an Olympic medal in Judo.

The spit and sawdust Suprstars was replaced by the lights, camera, action Gladiators that ran for eight seasons and names like The Wolf, Saracen, Jet, and Lightning became household names and celebrities.

Yeah, I used to watch all those programs and say "I could do all that" I have never been one to turn down a challenge although I think the last one I did was swim around the Burg Al Arab in Dubai.

But lets get back to this Ultimate Hell Week, because I thought Ninja Warrior had raised the bar until I watched this, this stuff was a whole new ball game that consisted of hooded interrogation, sleep deprivation then digging a three ton vehicle out of a mud pit and push it 200m up a hill, then being woken in the middle of the night and put through a punishing night of stress positions only to be then dropped in the middle of the Welsh country side and chased by a hunter force.

One by one the instructors broke the recruits down to a final three for selection before they announced the winner, and I am in full agreement with there choice.

32 year old Dr Clare Miller, Yep a female who has my 100% respect. She delivered in a process that saw male male competitors drop out because they could not take the pace, and was determined to prove that women are not the weaker sex.

She was tough and could analyse problems in high stress situations, which is something that the Special Forces do.

Everything she did was executed with precision.



While I was watching this program something changed for me, probably during the episode with the Israeli’s elite counter terror unit or if not that one definitely the Russian special forces episode. And that was that I said to myself yeah, maybe in my youth I could have competed in Superstars and Gladiators, but on the best day ever got out of bed I could not do what she did.

Taking a quote from the 1973 film Magnum Force which was the well known the sequel to Dirty Harry in which Clint Eastwood as San Francisco Police Inspector Harry Callahan says ...

A man's got to know his limitations.

R E S P E C T

Become a Certified Self Defense Instructor

After completing the 10 Lesson Self Defense Course students often read the comment on there certificate that says "we hope you continue your practice and study"

My advice on that comment is two fold.

Take what you have learnt and commit to training 2 X 45 minute session every single week developing what you learnt, and adding speed, power and aggression to techniques.

And take a snoop around here

http://www.myselfdefensetraining.com



It's free to sign up, and there are loads of great things on there that I am sure you will find of interest, Specialty Programs - Library - Forums ect

The key is to use the modules, you will find them as a great source of reference if you interested in the other courses.



Grade 1: Escape and Evasion (SDTS Module 5)
Grade 2: Essential Self Defense (SDTS Module 1)
Grade 3: Advanced Methods of Striking (SDTS Module 2)
Grade 4: Grabs and Hold (SDTS Module 4)
Grade 5: Ground Fighting (SDTS Module 3)
Grade 6: Weapons Defensive Tactics (SDTS Module 8)
Grade 7: Weapons Offensive Tactics and Weapon Retention (SDTS Module 9, 11)
Grade 8: Methods of Arrest and Removal (SDTS 10, 12)
Grade 9: Weapon Retention (SDTS Module 11)

Instructor Ranks:

Level 1 consists of techniques from Grades 1, 2 and 3
Level 2 consists of techniques from Grades 4 and 5
Level 3 consists of techniques from Grades 6 and 7
Level 4 consists of techniques from Grade 8 and 9

Grades 1,2 and 3 are beginner ranks
Grades 4, 5 and 6 are intermediate ranks
Grade 7 is the advanced rank
Grades 8,and 9 are the elite ranks.



The Self Defense Company has the most comprehensive and intensive defensive tactics instructor training and certification program of any private, military or government organization. Each program includes training, support, certification and continuing education.

What! are you even serious?

Yes, in a moment of insanity (admittedly, one of many), I've decided to take several of my most popular personnel protection programs ... stir them together in a single pot ... and serve them up to you at one extremely tasty Ultimate Crash Course in Personnel Protection...and WHY would I do such a thing?

Well first of all because I can, but mainly because recent events over the last 18 months around the world have cemented my beliefs that true civilization is just an illusion, and it only works when people believe there are consequences for their actions!

Hey, it's taken me well over 25 years to make personnel protection more effective for many others before you. Now, because of the data base that I have collected over the last eight years from people who requested information in the past I have the opportunity to reach out and ensure I DO get my methods into the hands of as many forward thinking people as possible.

So just what IS included here?

We begin with "Functional Jeet Kune Do" – Let’s not get this mixed up with Theatrical Jeet Kune Do, What you watched Bruce Lee do in the movies was not what I am teaching. High kicks are for Hollywood. We will stick with the core concept of simplicity, Direct and non classical approach.

"COMBAT+" – All right, it is no secret that I have been teaching Krav Maga, this was always going to be an issue when I lived in the United Arab Emirates because of its origin. I was going to call it Contact Combat, which is what the name Krav Maga translates to. However I felt at the time the Contact bit would put certain people off, but it was not long before people who were attending COMBAT+ classes were saying to me “hey, this is just like Krav Maga”

Even through some of the books shops in Dubai have started putting books about the subject on the shelve I am not convinced that would give me the green light to directly advertise it, but I continued to teach the basics of the system under the COMBAT+ banner.

"The Self Defense Training System" – This WW11 Combative system has stood the test of time. Easy to learn, easy to remember and totally devastating to whoever is on the receiving end of it. I was fortunate enough to be with Damian Ross and Pete Barry in New Jersey in 2012 and got first class tuition on the most up to date guardian tactics used by Military, Law Enforcement, Correctional Offices and Private Security Contractors who are working in some of the most war torn areas of the world were simply this stuff has to absolutely work.

...and what else?
In my youth I learned both Karate & Jiu Jitsu to Black Belt level. There is very little in those two traditional martial arts that I would or could call upon in a violent assault in today’s world. Traditional Martial arts have not evolved; they were all developed before people used guns. All traditional martial arts advocate that the teach self defense, however the truth is they only teach a very small percentage of it, you may not be too familiar with the likes of Judo, Karate or Tae Kwon Do, But almost everyone has heard or seen boxing, sure boxing is a combat sport and also teaches you how to look after yourself … Until you are on the floor!
Now, this is my point. It only teaches a very small percentage of personnel protection. In my professional opinion as a qualified World Boxing Council Referee, boxers on the floor are waiting for me to say seven … eight … nine … YOU ARE OUT!

I certainly don’t want to disrespect traditional martial arts, they are still popular and they are very good for building confidence and self esteem and they get people active and many other great things, but total self protection is not one of them. If you are invited to fight in one of those combat sports there are rules and regulations to what you can and can’t do. Just remember the rules and regulations are not understood and respected by another person who attacks you in the street. "All you need is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu" – Until you meet someone who is a better BJJ Practitioner than you. Grappling is not ground fighting.

Grappling is a skill that involves subtle maneuvering and positioning. It requires years of practice and a lot of dedication to become proficient. Ground fighting entails doing whatever it takes as fast as you can do it to end the fight or at least to improve your position.

Never choose the ground. It limits your mobility, it limits your striking power and ability and it leaves you vulnerable for getting stomped by friends of your attacker. If you get on a mat with one of these guys one of two things will happen. Either it will take all of you to contain all of him, or it will take all of him to contain all of you. What it does not do is stop someone else from sticking a screw driver in one of your ears and out of the other (sorry if that a bit too graphic for you at this hour of the day) oh did I mention that the ground hurts? Broken bottles, debris, rocks, stumps and just the hard ground or concrete itself will wreak havoc on your body. No to mention concealed weapons that can be pulled and used from any grappling position.

When you’re in a fight, the clock is ticking. It is in your best interest to end the fight as soon as possible. Methods that teach you to wait and look for an opening are not tactically sound.

Listen, methods like wrestling, judo, BJJ and MMA are great sports and will help you in self defense if trained you simply remember that in a real street fight there is no referee, judge, or doctor looking out for your well being. Make no mistake, you're primary job when on the ground is to either get off the ground or end the fight immediately.

So here's the deal: I have limited space in the timetable for one on one, private tuition at my home, so first come first served. My Fee is €60 per hour. Call me for details
Day Time Number 06 18 50 26 58
Evening Number (After 6pm) 06 22 35 95 25

Group classes will start a week on Sunday (11th January 2015) @ Halo Wellness Center, Laan Van Poot 363, 2566 DA Den Haag (11am – 12:30pm)

Personal Protection Seminar for up to 20 delegates – Daley Rate €1,000/- plus travel & accommodation with two hot meals. What to know more? stephend@theselfdefenseco.com

“Tough is not the way you act. Tough is the way you train!”

I remember the early days in the Karate class were you would stand in front of your partner, adjust your distance accordingly and wait for that little nod of the head to show they are ready, a split second later he would lunge forward delivering a straight arm punch for you to step back and block, a split second later he would take another step forward delivering another straight arm punch for you to step back and block again, then he would come at you one more time, stepping forward and bringing a third straight arm punch, only this time you stepped off to one side, blocked the punch and then very swiftly delivered a counter strike your partner with a reverse punch to his kidneys ... KIAI, job done. I guess way back then many of the people who trained in that same class must have imagined things like this: they’re walking down a street late at night when a mugger jumps out of the nowhere and demands their money. Picturing himself as the hero, the Karate man remembers those very same karate sanbon kumite, and drops into his fighting stance, and blocking the attackers best punches before he counters and makes his attacker wish he had have picked on someone else.


The more likely scenario: our well-trained person is stumbling down a dark street, either drunk from a great night out, or just cold and distracted. He sees a shadowy figure step out from a shop doorway, but before he can even get his hands up, someone grabs him from behind. His legs are knocked out from under him and he wakes up on the street, battered and bruised after a good kicking, without his wallet or phone.


What is this all about?
They say knowledge is power, I for one don’t agree with that, I believe it is what you do with the knowledge that makes it powerful, I can only provide you with a comprehensive program to prepare you to survive an attack on the street. While being in the right kind of shape will certainly improve your odds of survival, actually taking time to practice self-defense strategies and techniques is essential, and the concepts in on this page are meant to support a self-defense program. In my experience, most self-defense classes tend to neglect the fitness of their participants. Combat sports are, as the name implies, sports, and thus physical conditioning is usually incorporated into the training. Self-defense, on the other hand, requires a deep and involved study of a much wider variety of situations and attacks, so time for fitness and conditioning is much more difficult to incorporate.



Self-Defense vs. Combat Sports
There are few similarities between a real street fight and any kind of combat sport. Thai Boxing, Judo, Mixed Martial Arts, Olympic Tae Kwon Do, all of these has the following traits in common when it comes to fighting:
a) You know who your attacker is, their size relative to you, and possibly even their fighting habits and experience
b) You know when the fight will happen, and you know the environment
c) You know the number of attackers
d) There are rules preventing serious injury or death
e) You are wearing protective gear, not just to avoid injury, but to allow you to hit harder without fear of breaking your hand.
f) Your attacker is not trying to kill you, or even to injure you. They are trying to win. (Tempers and egos do sometimes play a part in these fights)
g) Nobody else will get hurt during the fight.
h) You know the environment and the arena.
i) You know the duration of the fight.

In contrast, an attack on your way back to your car has none of these rules. In addition, there are certain assumptions you should always have regarding an attack:
a) The attacker wants your property, your body, or your life. They will threaten your safety accordingly.
b) Your attacker will have some advantage--size, numbers, a weapon--and/or you will be at a disadvantage--isolated, lost, confused, sick, drunk, and injured, etc.
c) You will most certainly be surprised.
d) You will be seriously injured, even if you win.

These assumptions don’t apply to social fights, like a good old night club fight, but even they can very quickly escalate. A common scenario is two guys ‘taking it outside’ to settle some difference, only to have the fight escalate to a lethal encounter when the loser won’t go down quietly and grabs a weapon or his friends jump in as tempers flare.



Please note, this isn’t meant to diminish the exceptional people out there who excel at combat sports, nor should it be taken to suggest that they can’t hold their own in a real attack. It is simply to point out that the fitness requirements of winning a boxing match and those of surviving an attack are very, very different, on the street and should be trained for with that in mind.

The Elements of an Attack
To get a better idea of what you need to accomplish to survive an attack on your property or your life, let’s look at the elements of this kind of scenario.

Timing
Most self-defense scenarios last only for a few seconds, from the initial contact to one of the combatants being incapacitated or escaping. However the flip side is that in very rare situations these fights can last up to a couple of minutes.

Combatants
The attacker always has the advantage. Since the attacker initiates the fight, they would not do so unless they perceived that they had an advantage. It is possible that they are mistaken - you may have a concealed weapon, but if an attacker makes a mistake in choosing a target (and survives it); they usually learn very quickly how to screen their future targets.


For the most part, attackers are cautious. They risk arrest and serious injury if they choose the wrong target, which is one that will put up a fight, take too long to drop, or cause a loud and noticeable disturbance. If someone chooses to attack you, you should assume they have a very good chance of winning, and if there is no apparent reason for their confidence, you can bet there is something you don’t know. Their advantage can be in the form of back-up, a weapon, or size. This is why self-defense classes teach their students to always assume the attacker has a weapon, even if it’s not visible, and to always be looking out for the attacker’s friends. One notable exception to this is attackers who are on drugs or are drunk. In these cases, they are still a serious threat because certain drugs dampen or eliminate pain sensations.

Goal
Unlike a sport fight, the goal of a self-defense scenario is to protect your life and escape. It is not to defeat the attacker. That’s not to say taking your attacker down, or even killing him isn’t the most efficient and effective way to protect your own life, but it isn’t the primary goal. If the opportunity to run presents itself, you should always take it. In some cases, the safety of a loved one may also be at stake. Generally, property can be sacrificed, but some people may decide that risking their life for the contents of their wallet is worthwhile. That is a personal decision you will have to make for yourself, and which may vary depending on the situation.

Cost
You should always assume that you could die or be permanently injured. Even when an attacker doesn’t intend to kill you, they have little concern for your safety or well-being and might simply kill you accidentally. Considering how easy it is to crack your skull on a pavement, it doesn’t take much more than a bad fall to end things. If you are cut or shot and left unconscious, you could simply bleed to death. In short, you can die, and should assume it is a very real possibility.

Requirements for Surviving
Knowing all that, what do you need to be able to do to survive an attack?
You must be able to go all out for a least 30 seconds to 2 minutes. You don’t have to last twelve rounds, so the fight usually goes to the person who can inflict the most damage in the shortest amount of time. If you knock someone out cold in the first 5 seconds, which saves you 25 seconds in which you could have been killed.
You must be able to stay on your feet while being attacked. The quickest way to lose a fight is to end up on the ground. Remember the attacker’s mates? As soon as you’re down, they will be playing football with your head. Getting back up is very difficult under these circumstances.
You must be able to run. There is no substitute for this, absolutely none what so ever. You can do your cardio workouts in the gym on a rowing machine or a bike, but if you are training to protect your life, you need to be able to sprint 80m and then run a fairly fast half mile...after a fight.


In terms of fitness, here are the benchmarks:
1. Extremely intense cardio-activity for 30 seconds followed by an 80m sprint and 800m jog. You should be able to operate near or at your maximum heart rate for 1-2 minutes.
2. Good coordination and balance to stay on your feet, probably the best way to ensure your survival.
3. Muscles that can generate a lot of explosive power in short bursts. Think throwing or Olympic weightlifting instead of power lifting.
4. Exceptional core stability and strength to protect vital organs and postural integrity while your hands are protecting your head.
5. Durability in the form of supple joints and the ability to absorb shock, whether from falls or hits. Muscle helps here, but so does flexibility and mobility.
6. Ability to hit small targets accurately and quickly. Your targets in an attack are eyes, throat, and groin.

What you don’t need:
1. Endurance. Beyond the ability to run a short distance to escape, you won’t need to go for very long. Training intervals can be longer, but only if they assist short-term performance.
2. Strength beyond a certain point. Your attacker will almost certainly be stronger than you, and getting into a contest of strength is a sure-fire way to lose. Be strong enough to maintain your body’s integrity, and then focus on power and speed, and don’t ever rely on your strength to win a fight. A small woman can learn to generate enough explosive power that her strikes crush an attacker’s windpipe without being able to bench her bodyweight. It’s not about big strong muscles.

The basic training methods for strength and conditioning program designed to improve survivability in a self-defense scenario will follow the following criteria.
Mimic the real movements as closely as possible, your training should be as close to the actual requirements of the scenario as possible. This means that short circuits using kick shields and punching bags are a great way to improve cardiovascular capacity for a fight.


Training for Toughness
One of the distinguishing features of an effective self-defense conditioning program is that it takes into account the fighter’s toughness, both mental and physical. Mental toughness is the ability to perform well under less-than-ideal circumstances without losing focus or intensity. Physical toughness is also called resilience, and is simply the ability to absorb shock without sustaining permanent damage.

Training Techniques for Mental Toughness
Training for mental toughness requires that you train in uncomfortable situations. The classic example of this is from the movie Rocky IV. We see Rocky turn down state off the art training facilities for some log cabin in the middle of nowhere in despicable weather.


Environmental Stress
I love training outdoors; some of the best classes I have ever conducted have been in local parks, low lighting, and uneven ground along with unpredictable weather. It’s just perfect, no mugger it will ever attack you in your gym so he won’t hurt himself on the four inch mats. If at all possible, commit to training at an outdoor location on a regular basis. Simply going for a jog, rain or shine, can do wonders for your ability to tolerate environmental stress. You will be subjected to rain, mud, snow, sleet, cold, heat, and variations of all of those. The important thing is to learn to function when the environment dose not wan't to cooperate. Also, try to train on surfaces other than flat. Even a grassy field has lumps and divots and worse traction to challenge your balance and foot placement. The ability to adjust for unusual terrain can save you in a fight.

Social Stress

In my Combat training we made use of a special kind of exercise called a stress drill or sometime known as the pressure drill. These were not especially physically taxing, but were socially uncomfortable because they involved other people trying to touch you or even grabbing you. If you have access to a training group, consider implementing these into your training:
Example Drill: Several people surround you making a circle, the instructor gives each person a number, except the one in the middle, and the object of the exercise is to be aware of your surroundings and your personnel space. The instructor calls out random numbers in quick fire succession, example one, four, three, five, eight, each time the student on the outer cycle hears there number they walk forward in a straight line and try and touch the person in the middle, If you the one in the middle your job is to be aware of someone entering your personnel space, and avoid any contact by side stepping there approach. More advanced versions allow a successful attacker to grab the player in the middle, who must then use a defense technique to force an escape.

Balance
Balance is the ability to control your center of gravity. It is essential for surviving a fight because the surest way to lose a real fight is to end up on the ground where your attackers can easily surround you and play football with your head.

Many fighters will disagree with this claim, citing a commonly heard statistic that 90% of fights go to ground anyway, so you might as well be the one to take it there.


The statistic is often cited as a reason to master grappling technique and forgo stand-up fight training. This number is a myth. Nowadays, we have a generation of people raised on MMA as the dominant combat sport, in which many fights do go to ground, because in MMA, you can safely drag your opponent to the ground without making things worse for you if you know how to grapple. In real life, even a skilled grappler would want to avoid going to ground in the street because they would be rolling on concrete, often with uneven terrain and debris, there is no rule against striking (or biting), and you cannot effectively control spacing or arrangement of multiple attackers. If you’re on the ground, it means you can’t run when the chance presents itself.

Balance helps you stay off the ground because it allows you to manage your center of gravity effectively, even when you are in compromising positions. It encompasses more than just the ability to walk across a narrow or unstable surface, but also includes the ability to move over and around obstacles while maintaining control of your center of gravity, to rise from the ground or maneuver low to the ground without actually falling, and recovering stable footing when you are tripped or fall over.
Balance is also essential for force transfer. By keeping your center of gravity where you want it, you make sure all the power of your legs goes into your strikes rather than keeping your on your feet.

Hand-eye Coordination

Hand-eye coordination is especially useful for fighters because we use our hands to defend ourselves and respond with attacks. Martial artists have always known the value of fast hands, and have developed numerous drills to develop this skill. The boxing speed bag is the classic and perhaps the best for the specific conditioning fighters benefit from.
Throwing/catching

Throwing and catching drills are great for hand eye coordination.

Basic: Simply toss and catch and object between you and one or more partners. The object can be anything, but unusual objects provide more of a challenge. Objects that require you to adjust your grip to catch it in a specific way, sticks or poles, training knives that could spin in the air or pieces of cloth are examples of these. Catch with one or both hands.

Power

In the context of a fight, power means the ability to generate a lot of force in a very short amount of time, as opposed to maximal force generation. Think about the difference between a short, powerful punch as opposed to a slow push. The push may have more weight (force) behind it, but it is delivered slowly and so causes no damage. The punch, on the other hand, might just be a jab with very little bodyweight behind it, but if it is done fast, it will still hurt and might break a nose.
Power is important because most street fights are over as soon as one party gets a good solid hit in, causing the other fighter to stagger or leave an opening that allows a finishing attack (if the initial hit wasn’t) or an escape. Real fights don’t allow for long drawn out exchanges of blows. Conserving energy is useless.
Power obviously relies somewhat on sheer strength, aka muscle tension, but it is more reliant on neurological activation. For this reason, power training is different than strength training. The classic illustration is once again the difference between power lifting and Olympic weightlifting.

Non-weight-bearing exercises for power development include jumps for height or distance, and depth jumps. Since power in a fight is transmitted from the hips to the arms, drills to develop power in the arms should be focused on this hip-to-extremity transfer; clapping pushups are not as useful as heavy push presses or medicine ball throws.
The ideal training methods that emphasize this hip-to-extremity power development are Olympic lifting and kettle bell. Olympic lifting, allowing for higher weights on a barbell held by both hands, develops a deeper foundation of power development, and kettle bells allow you to train unilaterally, the way you’d use your limbs in a fight: one at a time.
Pretty much any of the traditional kettle bell movements will be applicable here, but the Primary movement pattern is the clean and press.


Speed
Running is a necessary skill. You can’t get around this. In most fitness training regimens, running is lumped in with biking, jump rope, or swimming as generic cardio, but from a self-defense standpoint, running is treated as a specific skill that needs to be developed.
This is because the primary goal of a self-defense situation is to escape danger and it is easier to run from danger than to neutralize it with violence. The best strategy in a fight is to run away from it, and if you can run fast enough, your attacker may never even lay a hand on you.
Failing that, protect your vitals, fight back enough to create space, and then run away. Unless you are the attacker with the goal of killing or injuring your target, sticking around to “finish the job” is a waste of your energy, brings down legal culpability, and increases the risk of further serious injury.
So learn how to run and how to run fast.
Luckily, running in the context of self-defense is very short-duration. Half a mile is the longest you’d ever have to run in most cases to reach the safety of a populated and well-lit area or to simply lose an attacker.

Sprints
The beginning stage of your escape from danger will take the form of a sprint as you seek to put as much distance between your attacker and yourself.
Singles (40-80 yards): Set up a marker 40-80 yards out and run as hard and as fast as you can to it. Rest for 60-90 seconds, and repeat 3-10 times.
Intervals (400m, 800m, or distance with interspersed sprints): Interval training is a staple of effective conditioning programs because it teaches the body to maintain a high output of energy for a defined time period, recover quickly, and then do it again. This closely mimics the cardiovascular demands of a fight, in which you will go all out for 30 seconds to 2 minutes and then run away.
Measure out your distance (400m or 800m. A running track is 400m long). There are two ways to run intervals: pick a pace and try to maintain it over all the intervals you are planning to run, or try to run each interval as fast as possible. Both are useful. Do 3-10 intervals with 60-120 seconds of rest.

Intervals
Interval training is a popular form of programming because it allows trainees to get a lot of movements into a short workout. It is useful for real-world self-defense as well because it trains the body to transition from one kind of activity to another with minimal rest in between.
A good example of interval training would be 30 seconds each of five exercises, with the whole cycle repeated five times, with no rest between individual exercises. Variations might include rest after each cycle is completed.
Scenario simulations
An effective self-defense program should utilize scenario training to allow the trainee to exercise his skills in the context of a complex situation. That is different from scenario simulations in the context of a conditioning program.
Most fights contain a series of complex movement patterns performed in a kind of sequence. You might encounter an attacker, wrestle for a moment, sprint away, become cornered, fight with strikes, and then run and escape.

Simulating the fitness demands in that kind of scenario might look something like this:

1. Medicine Ball pick up & drop
2. 30 seconds of sit ups with striking into focus mitts
3. 30 second cover & fight drill
4. 50m sprint
5. 30 free style striking into kick shield or focus mitts
6. 400m run





Training Programs & Basic Structure

The basic structure of a fight conditioning program follows the general rules of any good exercise program. It starts with a warm-up meant to prepare the body for exertion by priming the muscles and nervous system, transitions into the main phase of the workout, and finishes with a cool down, stretch, or rehab session to aid recovery. The main phase of the workout is itself divided into three parts: a technical part, a strength/power skill, and a conditioning segment, done in that order to allow you to get the most out of body systems before performance tapers off. Fine motor control fatigues first, followed by maximal muscle activation, and followed by actual muscle fatigue.

Beginner
The beginner workout published on the older posts is ideal for the new student or someone who is returning to physical activity after a long period of inactivity. It can also be used as a pre-training workout before a martial arts class.
It is can be performed in a more controlled environment, such as a gym, or home workout area, however taking it all outdoors where terrain and climate change would add an additional challenge.

We now have a Network, and your invited to be in it.

"The new Insider Training Network from the Self Defense Company offers its members expert training at an affordable price. With on demand video instruction, a robust social network and even live one-on-one training, everything you ever wanted to know about self defense and close combat is literally only one click away. Train side by side with students and instructors from around the world without ever leaving your own home. For a limited time you can try our training for free, just by clicking now."





www.myselfdefensetraining.com

MBC Morning Show

Lets make 2008 Great.

So what is your ‘New Years Resolution’ this year?

No I’m not talking about 2007, I am talking about 2008

Why that’s a long way off, well yes if you consider 100 days to be a long time, but how long on average does your New Year resolution last, is it a week, maybe ten days?

Year after year people see in the New Year with good intentions that don’t last.

The reason they don’t last is because they are not supported by the right mental preparation that is required and so you’re simply not able to accomplish them.

You see you wont accomplish any new goal with the same part of your brain that you first thought of them with, it takes about 30 days of everyday mental training to re train the brain if you want to change a long time habit into permanent change, if you do not re-train the non conscious side of your brain at the same time you make that all important life changing decision you will in a very short time return back to your old habits.

Once a habit is ingrained in your brain you search out and behave automatically with everything that resonates with that internal image.

If you keep doing the same thing you will get the same results, if you don’t like the results your getting you must break those old patterns and old conditioning that is causing them.

Most people do not have the slightest idea how there brain functions and as a result they don’t follow through on there new years resolutions.

Let me tell you using will power and persistence to achieve new goals won’t work either because they are managed by your conscious mind which controls about 5% of your daily actions.

Your non-conscious habits have ultimate control over your will power and this is why it always feels like your losing the battle very quickly.

The vast majority of new years resolutions come under some sort of financial or health heading (Weight loss, quit smoking, earn more money)

Without getting to technical I will just tell you that the set point conditioned deep in your brain that controls your heartbeat, breathing and other body function that we don’t need to think much about day to day is also responsible for maintaining your income or your weight.

There is a ‘cybernetic trigger’ in your brain that detects any change from your current situation, no matter what it is and it overrides your will power and forces you to behave the way you are used to and the same result repeat themselves.

To put it real simple think of your ‘cybernetic trigger’ working the same as a thermostat in your home or office, the thermostat picks up any change in room temperature and makes corrections.

This cybernetic trigger causes you to rationalize why you are not sticking to your new income plan or new diet and forces you to revert back to your old habits patterns and comfort zones.

Now those of you who have attended my Human Technology Seminar will have come across the word ‘Rationalize’ and will remember when it is broken into two words it really means “Rational – Lies”

That internal self-talk you catch yourself doing is automatic and a result of the system doing its job to keep you at your ‘comfort zone even though it is not what you really want.

Your income and your body is only an expression of the internal image you have at a very deep rooted level in your brain, it you want to see permanent changes on the outside you must re-train the mental image on the inside first.

Now the good part, you don’t have to wait a 100 days until the new year to make change.

If you are serious about living your dreams and you actually want to start achieving your goals you need to start right now by ignoring that load negative voice in your head, you know the voice I am talking about, it is the one that is even butting in now while your reading this, yes that one, the voice in your head that tells you can’t and gives you every reason why you wont.

The quicker you come to the realization that the voice in your head is a direct result of past conditioning.

The voice in your head “IS NOT A MAGICAL FORTUNE TELLER”

Let me help you become immune to that annoying negative know it all voice for the permanent success you want and deserve.

The more you retain your cybernetic trigger the faster you will get the results, tell the voice in your head that no you wont get such a thing as a brain hernia if you over do it

But I promise you will manifest positive results that will make these new years resolutions a reality. .



If you want to know more details just drop me a quick email requesting more information and let me show you how we can make 2008 GREAT.

Kind regards

Steve
drake_base@hotmail.com

An important note to all parents …

Dubai is relatively crime-free and considered to be one of the safest cities in the world. Women and children have peace of mind to be out and about in the city, with no concern for their safety, as crimes against people are considered rare.

Nice thought, but if history has taught us anything it has certainly taught us that when a population grows so does the crime rate.

Let me be perfectly blunt with you. 95% of today’s martial arts is totally useless, yes it looks very good, but does not work in today’s world, what your child needs to learn is the 5% that matters most if ever needed.

I want to help educate the children of Dubai and anywhere else if need be into being streetwise and how to react when and if a predator should ever approach them.

Over 200 children have attended this years e sports summer camp at Wellington International School and took part in my induction to ‘Streetwise Self Defense’

















This course is not about kitting kids out in expensive suits, colored belts and signing up for grading.

Traditionalists are usually only concerned with the discipline and structure of their training, but incorporating fun games involving proper techniques were added to the value of the training to keep the children very interested.

The children were taught awareness and avoidance of trouble, and how to make themselves a tough target, not a victim while educating them to understand how to set boundaries for there safety and how to play the percentages of working smart rather than working hard in order to deliver a strong physical response if ever needed.

The children also responded well to physical training on quick maneuvers and get-away techniques (Role Play).

This type of Self Defense training can be fun for children just by incorporating the techniques and skills into activities and games to build there confidence.




















Lots of the advise out there today is common knowledge, mixed with a bit of common sense, let me show you how to make it all common practice.

Parents can now enroll there child for September 2007.

Please email drake_base@hotmail.com for more details today.

Learn or Burn … The fire walk experience .

Imagine a flaming fire fading to burning hot charcoal. Now imagine walking on it barefoot, the length of a fifteen foot path. In the cold light of day, this is not an activity that many would attempt.

Steve Drake, takes the you through a series of exercises and activities in group work, self-belief, controlling imagination and focusing energy. These exercises culminate in the firewalk itself which is followed with an analysis of the experience as well as an understanding of how such an experience can be put to practical use within real-life situations.

Recently staff at a Bahrain company have literally been walking on fire in their quest to be the best

Forty-one staff at the Elite Group - Luxury Apartments and Hotels braved
the unusual challenge at a training programme at the Elite Suites Hotel,
Sanabis.

The aim was to transform staff into more productive, self believing and
confident individuals, said group training manager Ravi Kapila, who
co-ordinated the programme.

The programme gears them to overcome fear and take on any challenge to
achieve a personal or an organisational goal, he added.

Personal Peak Performance Coach

Steve believes that your success and quality of life is directly linked to your ability to influence, or more importantly your ability to influence yourself.

Most people know what to do, the secret is to get people to do what they know and form positive habits that influence you toward action.

Steve's Peak Performance Coaching ™ is a 90-day focused coaching period that introduces the powerful art and science of effective communication and influence.

This coaching teaches a set of actions that when adopted will empower you to maximize and shape your future with outrageous results

Come join us for this interactive and empowering experience that will guide you in applying 'Peak Performance' employed by the greatest and most successful minds in the world today.

Accumulated from over twenty five years of experience and exploration, Steve Drake will show how to invoke the power of personal and professional influence to produce positive transformations while attracting your desired results now!

I know, it sounds too good to be true.

I realize I'm making some big claims here. 99% of the time, if something sounds too good to be true, it is. But once in a while, amazing things are created or discovered. Think about the amazing things that we take for granted today, yet were considered "too good to be true" before they became widely known and accepted. Consider: the internet, mobile phones, email, computers, electricity, cars, airplanes, space travel, antibiotics, open-heart surgery, and this is just to name a few.

Now, I understand if you're skeptical... because the Internet is filled with scam artists, dishonest tricksters, and fly-by-night operations.

“Let Me Assure You"

HERE'S 2 REASONS THAT PROVE I'M NOT ONE OF THOSE UNETHICAL PEOPLE...

First: I don't hide behind a fake email address or any other address. My phone number is 00971 50 244 7590 and I DO return phone calls (as time permits). And I answer my email.

Second: My goal is really very straight forward. To help you achieve yours. To provide you with actionable training strategies that you can use to grow you or your business beyond anything you ever expected. I've certainly been very fortunate in my life to have worked with, and even become friends with, some of the leading companies in the business world and now here’s your chance to benefit.


One final note. I wish I was in your people’s shoes right now. Back when I was getting my career together, I scrambled night and day to find anything that would advance my success, and there was precious little, honest stuff available. Personal private coaching like this would have just changed my world and I sincerely believe it will change yours!

Plan for the future because that's where you are going to spend the rest of your life.

Subject: Steve Rocked!!!

From: Twiggy Shmeissany
Subject: Steve Rocked!!!

Dear All,

Steve sure rocked at FINE !!! These people are going to talk about this
workshop for a long time... that's for sure





BRAVO BONUS STEVE

Your biggest asset is your people

Steve Drake believes that “When your biggest asset is your people, it pays to investigate what factors make them the best.”

Steve is now based in Dubai for and has taken a wealth of sophisticated employment techniques to a region that has 70 different nationalities in the workforce. He knows that if you want to be successful in business you need to surround yourself with successful people, and discovering who they are is vital to any business. He is a specialist in assessing and motivating staff, and this can start as early as the interview.


“A behavioral assessment can play an important role in confirming an interviewer’s instinct and providing detailed information as to a person’s strength and weakness,” he says.


Delivered with authority and humour, his direct style of say what you mean, and mean what you say served him very well in over 20 years in the entertainment management business.


His own journey has seen him collecting many national awards for his work, as well as appearing on local radio and T.V. and contributing to industry press and publications. He now shares this success through public speaking at management conferences and industry seminars and exhibitions.


Steve also has a Martial arts background. While he admits his quest in Karate was more about winning tournaments than learning the art and discipline, his drive still led him to join the Professional Karate Association as a successful instructor, while training with the National Squad.

Today his recent workshops have helped many individuals, like you, realize
The confidence and potential they didn't know they had using martial arts
disciplines with a spectrum of exercises on Fear, Transformation Linguistics, Nero
Linguistic Programming and SPM (Statistical Parametric Mapping).