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I previously wrote about my friend Lam and an encounter he had with a would be attacker half a foot taller than him and literally twice his weight.  The fight was avoided by a simple "flick" to the throat, and no more ever came of it.

Was it the finger flick that did it?  Well, that was the tool.  Lam used a physically strong tool to attack a physically weak target.  

He "won" that encounter not by being stronger (he wasn't), or by knowing more "techniques" (though he did).  He won because he remained calm in the face of danger.  By remaining calm, he saw his opportunity and was able to take it.  Of course, if he had panicked, it would have been different.


 
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Hollywood rarely gets it right.  Action movies in the vein of "The Transporter" are more like cartoons than anything else.  TAKEN with Liam Neeson is an action movie that gets it right.

There are movie contrivances to be sure, but underlying all of that is a very realistic and practical worldview. 

 
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The modern martial arts owe a lot to Bruce Lee.  He pioneered the use of the training equipment seen in every martial arts gym in America.  He researched and tested ideas from martial arts from all over the world.  He even fought - literally - for the right to teach non-Chinese people martial arts.


 
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Now we come to the end of this famous battle, and the 4th part of this "mini-series"

The last bit is often forgotten as we tell the story to children.  David took advantage of his opponent's moment of weakness and followed through.  He took Goliath's own sword and cut his head off with it.

I guess I understand why we rarely tell that to the kiddies, and why women recoil from it.  There is a tremendous lesson there though.


 
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In Part 1, we covered the role of faith and clear mindedness.

In part 2, we saw how it is best to have more than one plan, in case of inevitable problems.

Now we continue to explore how David actually engaged the giant.


 
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Part one began with David approaching the battle with unshakable faith and a clear mind.  What else did David bring with him?

When David was preparing for battle, he picked up 5 smooth stones.  Why five?  If he had faith, why not 1?  For that matter, why bring any weapon? 


 
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The idea of being attacked by a larger, stronger person worries both men and women.  Many - especially women - fear that fighting back will only make things worse. 

Forget for the moment that studies show that 80% of rapists will give up if they meet with resistance. 

What can anyone do against a physically overpowering foe?


 
I don't know the people at MKG West, but I like their approach.

I'll tell you right off that the beginning looked promising if flawed.
Later, I saw good application of relatively straightforward techniques that are more or less in line with my own experience with the blind.
Is this exactly what I would have done?  No.  Then again, I get the impression this is their first time out.  I'd like to see what they are doing now.

Take a look at this video and let me know what you think.
 
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Can blind people REALLY protect themselves with A Personal Defense? 

The truth is, being blind is a major disadvantage - of course.  You can't see who is there or how many of them there are, or even assess the terrain.

The key to personal defense for the blind is to start with what they have rather than what they do not.  Assuming a sound body, they have the same hands and feet.  They can feel and think and respond as well as anyone.  By paying attention to their other senses, they are more aware than most of sounds and smells and physical touch.


 
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"Faced with the choice of socking your opponent in the head or poking him in the eyes, you go for the eyes every time." ~ Bruce Lee

Did you ever attend a self-defense class, or see self-defense videos somewhere that start with the "someone grabs your wrist" scenario?  Usually, there is a 2-5 step response to the "attack" that ends in some kind of control hold.  Sometimes, punching is involved. 

I have trained in many such responses myself, and they are useful to understand leverage and weak spots, but they often ignore the obvious - poke him in the eye!