Training Tips

Self-defense is a skill.  The videos on Secure Living Online can help you learn these critical skills.  If this is your first time learning self-defense or if you have never used a video as an instructional resource, we recommend following these eight training tips.  They will make you more comfortable and successful in learning the techniques, and you will have

1.  Watch the Technique. 

Watch the video a few times before you begin to physically attempt the technique.  As you view the video, analyze it and try to perceive how the technique works.  This process is important because you will begin to visualize yourself performing the technique, and your mind will adapt this technique to your fit your own body structure.

2.  Practice without a Partner. 

Be aware that you can learn the fundamentals of the techniques without a partner.  Practicing without a partner means that you go through the technique with an imaginary partner, focusing on foot placement and body motions.  By “shadowing” the movements demonstrated in the video you begin to develop coordination, familiarity, and a mental image of how to perform the technique.

3.  Time is the Critical Factor. 

Time is a critical factor in learning anything.  Some people believe you can simply study something intensely for a single day and then know it.  However, in reality, if you want to be able to access knowledge or a technique in an instant on any given day, it must be fully integrated by practicing repeatedly over a period of time.

For instance, practice the technique without a partner for 10-15 minutes on Monday.  Then, don’t practice again until Wednesday.  This time allows you to “layer” new knowledge (such as life experiences or other information) on top of knowledge you acquired on Monday.

In order to repeat your exercise on Wednesday, your mind must “dig” through the information you acquired since your practice session on Monday.  This process of “digging” through information to find older information, results in you developing a thought process, a mental pathway to quickly retrieve this specific technique.

After this 10-15 minute practice session on Wednesday, don’t practice again until Friday.  This allows you time to learn more and repeat the process of sorting through that knowledge.  Through this method you are building a familiarity with the technique, and, in turn, developing the ability to easily recover it for use.

Remember, patience and repetition over time are vital components in any self-defense program and will make a noticeable difference in comfort and confidence in the technique.

4.  Find a Cooperative Partner. 

Once you develop the flow and familiarity of how your body moves with this technique, ask someone to assist you as a cooperative attack partner.  Cooperative is the pivotal term because they must allow the technique to work despite knowing how you are going react.  Self-defense is effective because it surprises the attacker.  Your training partner will not be surprised by the technique because of repeated practice.  This allows them to easily prevent the technique from working if they so choose.

A real-life attacker does expect you to react in manner you do, and the technique allows you to effectively defend yourself.  In addition, a real-life attacker does not grab you with their full strength.  Instead, they grab you with only a portion of their strength because their attention is divided among checking if anyone else is watching, observing your facial expression to see that you are complying, giving you verbal directions such as asking for your personal belongings, et cetera.

A practice partner may sometimes be tempted to grab you much more forcibly in an effort to simulate a “real-life” condition.  In doing so, they usually grab you much stronger than an actual attacker would.  The strength of this grab, coupled with their lack of surprise, will make the technique ineffective.  This is counter-productive.

Remember, the purpose of the practice partner is to build further familiarity, comfort, and self-confidence with the technique.  It is important to feel how the attacker’s body moves in response to the technique.  Feel how their muscular moves and their balance shifts.  Also feel their energy their body gives off as they enter “your personal space” and begin to become more aware of this.  Through repeated training and self-confidence, the technique will become effective.

Remember, a key element of self-defense is surprise, and your partner is not surprised.

A Special Note for Teaching Children:  If you are teaching techniques to a child it is important to remember that the effectiveness of their self-defense is largely determined by their self-confidence.  Therefore, be sure to use complements and encouragement regularly over criticism.  Be patient. Be enthusiastic; your own excitement will allow them to enjoy practicing, and this will improve their self-confidence and willingness to practice.  Finally, don’t allow them to strike you with one of the techniques.  Instead allow them to kick or strike a pillow or couch cushion.  If they can strike you without injuring you, they will subconsciously believe the technique can’t work.  What will make the technique effective will be the element of surprise at the child’s reaction. 

5.  Partner Body Types. 

Your partner can be male, female, shorter, or taller, and they will still lend a beneficial factor to your development and flow of the technique you are working on.  Different muscle structures and heights change how the body turns and twists; this will help you better understand and feel the technique.  Understand that not every technique will work on every person.  Your cooperative partner should allow the technique to work for you to learn the mechanics and flow of the technique.  However, remember that the effectiveness of self-defense depends, in part, on the technique chosen, the power applied, the height difference between the attacker and defender, and the clothing being worn.  Learn which techniques are effective for different situations.

Remember; do not hurt your partner.  Use control.  Enthusiasm is good, but a partner who is willing to work with you is better.

6.  Have the Technique Done to You. 

There is no substitute of experience.  If you are fortunate, your partner will be willing to learn this technique, and practicing using it to defend against you.  This allows you to feel how the technique works.  It allows you to identify the pressure and discomfort that your assailant might feel.  This personal insight will give you the confidence in the technique and its ability to work.  By feeling the effectiveness of the technique, your subconscious mind will be programmed to accept that it will work.

7.  Practice. 

Schedule time to practice each week, and you will find learning self-defense enjoyable and fulfilling.  The length of time you practice can vary, but we recommend that you minimally find 15 minutes in a day to practice your techniques, 3 times a week.  As you become skilled with a technique, learn new ones.  Continued learning will stimulate your mind to be able to react to a wider variety of situations, and will help you maintain the personal enjoyment that comes with self-defense training.  We recommend that you wear comfortable fitness clothes.

8.  Review. 

As you learn new techniques, don’t abandon old techniques.  At least once or twice a month, set aside time to go through all of the techniques you have acquired.  Knowing more techniques will better prepare you for a wider variety of situations.  Knowing more techniques will build a better understanding of how the body moves and help you develop flow.  Knowing more techniques will give you more self-confidence and personal enjoyment.  These are all benefits of training, but don’t forget to practice older techniques.  Through repetition they will become automatic and more effective.