One Style to rule them all

One style to Rule them all

A few years ago I stood in a backyard at a braai, (barbeque), listening to four accomplished martial artists from four very different styles claim that their style was the best and would disable any attack that was thrown at it. It is very important to note that all four of them worked in law enforcement and that they all got an opportunity to test this theory. The first gentleman was attacked in a public restroom and robbed of his own firearm with which he was shot and killed. The second escaped with his life after he had given up his firearm to enter into a one on one fight but ended up fighting three guys ending up in hospital for eighteen months. He had to learn how to walk again and lost his pension because he did not follow proper protocol. The third was stabbed in the throat and lost the use of his voice box permanently. The last guy joined the Israeli Defense Force and was killed in the West bank while off duty by and unarmed assailant.

There is no great unbeatable form or style. Simply because what is great in one part of the world cold be disastrous in another part of the world because we all move differently and we all speak differently and have different customs. Our language and the rhythm of that language have a great effect on how we move. All of this is determined by the governing factors of the society which one lives in. For example Japan was governed by the factor which created a sense of duty to the Emperor. The society could not function without honour and to achieve these two very important drivers in the society everything was aimed at efficiency. Women’s movements became smaller and softer and men moved in an abrupt and decisive manner. Their defensive arts also mimicked the need for efficiency for the time. When Japanese traders attempted to war with Aboriginal tribes they lost the engagements because in comparison to the Japanese movement the Aboriginal tribes moved in an erratic unpredictable manner. The Japanese style had become a regionally effective art form, in other words it had value beyond Japan as an art form but as a martial art it was forced to reform to remain credible, current and relevant. This is the fate of every style that has survived the fifty year mark.

South Africa is known to be a great testing ground for street fighting styles because our culture is so diverse and the Cape Flats is the ultimate testing ground. The Cape Flats is filled with so many different cultures from Malay and African to French, Native American and Cuban. The way Coloured people move renders many styles in effective and because we have our own knife and open hand style older styles suffer under this weight. This is why Ghamjitsu has been received so well.

I am not going to give away any pearls of wisdom because the integrity of Ghamjistu must be preserved at these pearls are only available to students. What I will reveal is defensive arts 101. Ghamjitsu is born out of brawling street fighting. There are no rules. Ghamjitsu will teach you that your attacker has spent his entire criminal career ,learning how to identify the soft target. He knows how to use the tools of his trade, knife, gun and blunt edged weapon he has mastered. Do not for one moment think that because you spend two days a week training in some style that you can out punch him. If your attacker has been to prison then he knows where to punch you and where to put his blade because violent criminals are taught this as soon as they travel into the world of the numbers gang. If your art is not teaching body mechanics and basic anatomy then you are wasting your money and playing with your life. The sheer brutality of the attack will jolt your sense of reality and morality unlike anything you will ever experience. Most people can never see themselves hurting someone else. Let me be blunt, if this is how you feel and you are attacked before you adjust your opinion then you will die. Most victims rely on the sense of humanity that we should all have hoping that the attack will stop after the attacker is satisfied that he has taken all he can.

The attacker will never be satisfied. The criminal will always want more and he will hold you responsible for not being able to provide him with more than what you have. He is anti-social, overly aggressive and cares nothing for your life or if he hurts you. This is not a game to him and he aims to remove your possessions from you by any means necessary. The sooner you realize this, the better. Now resign yourself to the fact that crying about the state of crime in this beautiful country will not make things better it will just make you sound like a nag and nobody likes a nag.

Now that we got that out of the way you must start thinking like a survivor. A survivor is always prepared start carrying a pen in your top pocket, it can be one of the most effective weapons you will ever have to carry. I favour any BIC fine point pen because they are sharp but if used correctly it can be stabbed into the soft flesh and the tip can be broken off so that the ink runs out this is very useful in marking your attacker which can help to identify the attacker when the memory fails you later.

You are going to have to be twice as violent as he is he must believe that you are willing to go that much farther. If he throws you to the ground get up as fast as you can and rip his eye from the socket. You must become a fighter. You must learn to be prepared always. The moto on the unit standard above the mess hall at the recon training camp read in omnia peratus,”IN ALL THINGS PREPARED” This is the readiness you must maintain to protect your family and yourself.

You first and foremost prepare yourself by making sure you avoid dodgy areas. Places where you know your safety is compromised. You do this because you know for a fact that inside you can only rely on yourself. Avoid going to places where you are not familiar with the geographical layout. Most modern suburbs no longer make use of the standard H configuration of streets. They run in lengthy curves and circles. It is very easy to get lost in them. Poorer communities have Electrical service boxes on street corners encased in fibre glass cases. It is very easy for criminals to sabotage street lights so that the area is dark. Try to be more aware of where you are going and where you are going to park your car. Also take note of what time of the year it is. In Winter it gets dark much faster and you don’t want to find yourself coming out of a venue in low light or after dark, having parked adjacent to a vacant lot with no street lights. Think proactive. Arrogance is your worst enemy, you should never under estimate the skill of your attacker For further questions of for specific information contact me on ray1@mtn.blackberry.com

Next we will discuss security in the home for both firearm and non firearm owners.