Founding my own self-defense art

Discussion in 'Other Styles' started by LilBunnyRabbit, Mar 16, 2012.

  1. LilBunnyRabbit

    LilBunnyRabbit Old One

    I've decided I'm going to develop my own art, and need to do some research.

    Now, I'm not talking about some sort of secret technique, or mixing different styles to create one super-style, or anything else. I'm going for a completely different philosophy - one inspired by parkour, but for those too lazy to run away.

    It's well known by anyone sane that the first response in any normal violent engagement should be to talk it down, (or avoid it in the first place). Parkour is sometimes referred to as the martial art of escape, but personally I think that's leaving it too late in the game.

    I want to develop an effective art of pre-emptive verbal strikes, banter, chatter, boody language, posture, and so on designed to prevent ever needing that escape route in the first place.

    This is mostly, of course, in jest but there is a serious element. I'm not interested in which physical art is the best, which technique has worked best for you, how you grappled someone before the fight kicked off or even how you ran away. I want to know how people have simply talked their way out of an incident ever occurring in the first place - or talked fast enough and well enough to stop one mid-way through.
     
  2. Dean Winchester

    Dean Winchester Valued Member

    Learning to listen properly to what is going on has helped and continually developing that skill.

    Not only to what's being said but what isn't being said.

    Giving someone a "loop hole" to use to avoid escalating a confrontation, so they can back off without seeming to have done so.

    Also learning to maintain a good and appropriate tone of voice.

    Not to mention actually calling someone out when they threatened to stomp my head in but that is entirely dependent on the situation, I was pretty confident he'd back down and he did.

    This leads on to other things I've been looking at about behaviour, gestures etc to gauge if someone is serious or just shouting their mouth off.

    Comes down to be able to judge the situation and act accordingly.
     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2012
  3. shootodog

    shootodog restless native

    something like this?

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gMoLRLZ-b8"]self defence english style. - YouTube[/ame]

    seriously, there are many techniques out there for verbal judo.
     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2012
  4. Dean Winchester

    Dean Winchester Valued Member

    Adrenaline can muck up all your well thought out words though.

    I remember one time when at first all I could get out my mouth was "what". Got stuck in a loop and it took a while to kick myself out of it.
     
  5. hardball

    hardball Valued Member

    Are you gonna make yourself 10th Dan?
     
  6. LilBunnyRabbit

    LilBunnyRabbit Old One

    Important one this, a careful balance in some situations where backing down yourself carries too much risk of provocation (or too high a price for other reasons), but trying to face up to the trouble carries the same risks.

    Yep. I'm looking for specifics though. It's for a sort-of-project I'm not quite working on at the moment.

    Not exactly. Kind of like that but with less actual hitting and more preventing it from getting to that point by blathering.

    Or worse - it can change your words from reasonable pleas for moderation to promises of serious violence if your brain isn't in charge. Seen that happen more than once - the right buttons pushed and the moderate party kicks off.
     
  7. LilBunnyRabbit

    LilBunnyRabbit Old One

    Absolutely.

    Actually I was thinking of doing a new ranking system, based entirely on tots.

    If you can talk your way out of violent aggression by someone's boyfriend after being a little overly friendly with them, after five shots of the good stuff, then you're a fifth tot. And so on.
     
  8. hardball

    hardball Valued Member

    Can't tell if you are serious or joking.........................
     
  9. LilBunnyRabbit

    LilBunnyRabbit Old One

    Yes, I am.
     
  10. Dean Winchester

    Dean Winchester Valued Member

    Apart from looking at the work of the usual suspects such as Thompson, Miller, McYoung etc you may find reading some of Desmond Morris and Paul Ekman's work of use and of course Gavin DeBecker if you haven't already.
     
  11. Dean Winchester

    Dean Winchester Valued Member

    He's completely serious.

    He's already named me successor to his system but as I'm still new I can't be a full Soke yet so I'm known as only half soked.
     
  12. LilBunnyRabbit

    LilBunnyRabbit Old One

    I'm also interested in how more fundamental psycho-social trickery might apply, rather than just directly trying to talk someone down. Making more use of observations.

    To give an outlandish example, people are just plain nicer to those they feel they have something in common with. Studies have shown that people will be twice as likely to help someone they think they share a birthday with. Playing on this it would seem even something like five minutes of research on the local football team might pay dividends on match day.

    Your pre-emptive strike might be as simple as asking the bunch of aggressive yobs looking for trouble if they saw the game. Obviously a stretched example but I think it shows one of the principles.
     
  13. John Titchen

    John Titchen Still Learning Supporter

    I think you've already made the big mistake. :)
     
  14. ROFL... I too am sure you are! :D:D


    Osu!
     
  15. Johnno

    Johnno Valued Member

    Have you come up with a name for this new art yet?
     
  16. LilBunnyRabbit

    LilBunnyRabbit Old One

    Trying to think up an appropriately punny one.
     
  17. Llamageddon

    Llamageddon MAP's weird cousin Supporter

    Self Abuse Avoidance System?

    "stay safe: don't give sass, learn sass!"
     
  18. LilBunnyRabbit

    LilBunnyRabbit Old One

    I like it and the name should appeal to the religious fundamentalist crowd.
     
  19. YouKnowWho

    YouKnowWho Valued Member

    You have to developed your MA skill first. After you have done that, you will have confidence in yourself. Your confidence will give you a calm mind, and your calm mind will help you to stay away from trouble.

    Most of the times, you get into fight just to prove that you are not a coward. If you have defeated many big and strong guy in tournaments, to beat up an average Joe in street won't prove you anything. That kind of thinking can be enough for you to walk away from trouble.
     
  20. LilBunnyRabbit

    LilBunnyRabbit Old One

    Thank you for this lecture. I can assure you that my confidence is far from lacking, many of the people I know would probably describe me as having (if anything) more than enough confidence. Some have even accused me of arrogance.

    I would rate myself as competent in terms of physical skills, though I have not pressure tested for some time (at least not with any combat skillset applicable to this century) and have absolutely no desire whatsoever to do so. I am confident that I would not let myself down, should I need to defend myself, but I am much, much more confident in my ability to talk, blather, banter, avoid, run away from or in other ways not get into a combat situation in the first place.

    Now the thing is, I like it that way, and I would like for it to stay that way. I have no desire to prove my martial skills are effective to anyone other than myself. The arts I still study seriously are not exactly designed for effective self-defense (or at least not in this century), and while I still practice others I am much, much more interested in trying to find ways not to be in a situation where I'll need them than in how to best apply them

    I can, with absolute certainty, say that I have never, ever got into any sort of fight to prove that I am not a coward. This is because I am (in point of fact) a self-admitted coward and do not like being hit, so in cases where I have got into a fight it was because I was simply too ignorant at the time to find another way out.

    I have not defeated many big, strong opponents in tournaments. Since my one and only aim is to not be hit (hard - sparring doesn't count) putting myself in a situation where people are deliberately trying to hit me is a little counter-productive.
     

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