Security State of Mind for the 2010 World Cup

Well a lot has been written about the violence that tourists can expect. I heard a comment being made about xenophobic violence against foreigners. Travel advisories are being issued and I think to myself what the hell is going on. The rest of the world is gripped in a state of panic, too scared to come to South Africa be cause they are afraid that they might be killed. The Portuguese government is advising that anyone who is raped should receive medical treatment immediately,( as you would in any country), but they should also seek anti retro viral treatment.

I feel that a gross exaggeration is being perpetrated here. However I am a pragmatist. So that I don't sound like a nut I will explain my thinking. When in the UK especially London I carry a koga stick. When I am in Scandinavia because of the restrictions on what one can carry on ones person as a means of protection being very strict, carry a wooden Yawara stick. I carry these weapons in these countries not because I e expect violence but because I have experienced violence in these places before. I carry deterrents everywhere else because I don't believe in being unprepared. Many of the visitors coming to South Africa have never been here much less experienced any violence in South Africa.

Now facts being what they are, South Africa is not England. We have more crime here than in England and this is so for various reasons that we won't get into now. So how do you avoid becoming a victim of crime. Well it is true it is perhaps easier for South Africans to avoid this because we know areas to avoid. However simple things like trying to remember emergency numbers might be a good idea. I always find it easier t gauge the humanity of a nations when I have the opportunity to interact with a family. During the French World cup some friends and I made contact with French families in three cities, for the purpose of having locals that we could contact if we got into any trouble we could not get u out of. they were also handy for information of good places to eat and stuff that we could do between games. It was valuable to have their input on places that was safe to go to and at which times we could go there. This gave a no nonsense honest assessment of the local security and reasonable expectations of the country. I find that when Police and Tourism officials release statements about how safe and care free a place is it is not a true representation of what is really going on.

It was really easy to make contact. We worked through the French Alliance in South Africa. This way you can make contact from the comfort of your lounge via Facebook and Twitter. This method can be followed for any one going overseas not only the world cup.

Avoid contravening the law by carrying weapons especially weapons that you don't know how to use. The biggest crimes that tourist will be exposed to will not be violent crimes but confidence tricks, theft etc. Keep your valuables locked in the room safe or at reception. Try to avoid carrying cash or flashy jewels. If you are going to make purchases from jewellery stores or electronic stores try to do all your viewing via the internet so that you only have to pick your purchase up from the store after paying on line. This will protect you against criminals checking out these stores hoping to catch you off guard.

These are but a few things that can ne done to protect yourself against the opportunistic criminals out there.

Till next time.
Ray Sampson http://raysampson.wordpress.com Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

There is no weapon as noble as the blade

There is no weapon as noble as the blade

This quote was coined by Bretasaj a 12th century swordsman. What he left out is that the blade is messy and very personal. In Ghamjistu the knife features very strongly. The KNIFE is a very formidable weapon but it must be used correctly because as much as it is deadly to your opponent it can be very dangerous to you. You could end up cutting yourself with deadly consequences for you. Knife fighting is all about posture and aggression it thrives on mind games. If you cannot sell the fact that you know what you are doing then your opponent will take you apart. So you must know your blade, become familiar with the movements that will accompany your blade. I also believe for any stabbing attack you must adjust curl strikes, forward and side lunges. You must be aware of your surroundings. I am reminded of the guy who claimed to be an operator and was used as a contact for an Away Team the objective was to extract an asset from behind enemy lines. Because of overwhelming enemy number the rules of engagements where weapons locked which meant no shooting. The team went in with batons and 7 inch Kabar and Gerber knives. The team entered the building which appeared to be an active dwelling. This meant vases and picture frames all over the place. The guy in question did not observe the correct method for extended weapon proximity and knocked a vase from the table causing it to shatter on the ground and team was compromised. All because he did not know how to use the weapon. Moral of the story if you don’t know ask and learn and you will live longer.

A fixed blade knife is by far the best knife to use in my opinion. There is no chance of the blade closing on you. I however coming from a military background and in my line of work most of the time there was no need for concealment and a fixed blade would offer that very nicely. It might be different for you. Columbia River Knife makes a large range of virtual fix blade knives like the Special Forces S13 tactical folder. These knives are very strong and a better fit for me than the Cold Steel range with the exception of the Prolite Model and the Recon model. Large folders are usually a good choice because you can conceal it as easily as a cellphone in your pocket and when they open up you have a serious blade to persuade your attacker to rethink his plan.

How to use your knife.

I don’t believe in cutting. I believe you only get one first strike and if you make your first strike a cut without knowing how to do it correctly then you are in trouble. Your first strike communicates your intent and your level of aggression. In other words your first strike lets your opponent know exactly what the hell you came here for. In Ghamjitsu there is a method of stabbing known as Penzja. This method allows you to stab and to flick the wrist at the same time. It is also known as gutting. Penzja strikes are made at the soft fleshy parts of the body like the belly, the sides below the ribs, the genital area and the neck. These strikes are usually meant to fatally wound the opponent. Satra is a different stabbing method. It is more direct and it is design to penetrate deep into muscle tissue. The primary use for this stabbing method is to incapacitate the opponent. For example when an opponent makes a through strike in a punching motion toward your face you would guide the punch past you, allowing the attacker to move under his over extended momentum. You would then, depending on your position drive the blade into the back below the shoulder blade. You would then cut or hack at the lateral muscle cutting it away from the rib rendering that arm useless. You now have the physical advantage and you can break the attack off. This move is however a very last resort and in my book and is right up there with shooting a guy when you don’t really have to. Certain attacks can seem brutal but especially because it is with a knife and chances are you will also be covered in blood. If you know how to perform the attacks and defenses then you will know why we do it and you will be able to explain it. Being able to explain the method and the why goes a long way to proving that it was not a rage filled, emotional attack but a bonafide defensive move and designed to break off the attack as soon as possible. Nobody wants to see their own blood so any strike that draws blood will almost certainly break off the attack because your attacker will want to see the extent of the damage. He wants to save himself. A strike that I favour for women is a facial strike. It is one of the few cutting or slashing strikes I teach only because it is intended for bear skin. When you are attacked from the front and you have been able to get your knife out chances are that the attacker will try to grab you and subdue you. He will charge you and when he does you raise both your arms above your head keeping your arms straight up in the air. He will now have to grab you around your chest or waist. When he locks his arms around you drop your non knife arm under his chin forcing him to look up. This will make it impossible for him to tuck his chin in. He will not let go of you because he would be too busy trying to either squeeze or to look down. You ram that arm under his chin into his throat try to get him to gag. Then take the knife and put the blade just above the bone on the eye socket which marks the beginning of the forehead and with all your strength drag it across the forehead. There is a series of veins just under the skin that will allow for what might seem like phenomenal blood loss. The bleeding is superficial but to the attacker there is no way of telling this because he cannot see the wound. He can see the blood as it runs down his eyelashes and into his eyes and by this he assumes the worst. He will, more than likely break off the attack at this time.

Again this is the only cutting method I will teach because I think that forms like Amok are out dated and does not work in South Africa. I think AMOK is perfect in Asia because the humid weather encourages that light clothing be worn like sarongs and light cottons. In South Africa we wear denims and leathers and processed silks and triacetates these materials are not as easy to cut as light cottons so I think cutting is not a viable primary defense. Pyper and Ghamjitsu are indigenous to South Africa and very, very well tested over 200 years.

Cape Coloured gangs made the knife the most feared weapon even Police with handguns are afraid to confront a Cape Coloured Gangster. The motorcycle gang The Cape Coloured Bastards where responsible for 2379 stabbings between June of 1998 and January of 2000. This tells me that there are no other experts in knife violence with regard to South Africa than the Cape Coloured gangster. Understanding the violence and how it works and wanting to take that knowledge to learn how to use for you own survival does not make you violent. It makes you prepared and it says that you are not prepared to place your safety in the hands of the SAPS but that you take responsibility for that safety. Crime does not personally affect the SAPS because it is an organization with a mandate. It does not lay awake at night thinking about the poor lady down the road for was attacked in her home as she returned from church. It changes shift and hands over to a new group of individuals who are desensitized to the violence and senseless killing.

But I don’t want to turn this into a blog to complain about the lack of ability within the Police because I also believe that they have their own cross to carry.

What I am a very strong proponent of is fighting back. When enough of us fight back more criminals will rethink their position in the food chain. We have to learn to become predatory again.

In the next blog I want to talk about the development of organised gang structures in South Africa and their place in South African History and society.

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.

Just a note

Hi all this is just a little note to let you know that this will be a weekly blog. What that means is that I will post every Friday.

setting the record straight

Clearing up some far fetched claims by some very confused people


There have been some claims made in the past few weeks by certain instructors in the knifing community. Outrageous claims that they have been training elements of the Special Forces Community as well as the South African Police Services. When I mentioned this at a braai in my backyard attended by active N.A.T.O. Quick Response Force operators; former members of the training provider Seal Team 6 and members of the SAPS among others it was very hard to hear myself over the laughter.

So let’s set the record straight as I am sure next month we will have to do it again as someone else claims something else ridiculous.

We’ll start with the claim that they are training the SAPS. The South Africa Police Service has had its mandate revised from purely a crime fighting organisation to a service provider and community organisation. The SAPS wants the public to feel that SAPS is approachable and no longer the iron fist of the government. They had to relook at what force was acceptable for an officer to use without seeming barbaric and violent and more importantly disproportionate to the crime or offence. One of the major changes was to deem pepper spray and the very handy Tonfa Baton illegal. It was easier to outlaw these tools than to train officers how to identify at which point during the escalation to stop speaking and to whip out the Swat spray or the Tonfa and spray and irate man or woman in the face or whack them on the head. The Tonfa takes mastery and extensive training to enable to use it effectively without hurting yourself never mind someone else. There are just too many strikes that can kill someone without really meaning to do so. The task of teaching recruits coming out of the sausage machine how to use this otherwise non lethal tool was too great. I think more worrying was that you would have to trust an officer to use his discression when engaging a suspect with the tool. It is for this very reason that when officers started carrying knives without an official rit on it, a very speedy end was made of the practice. A debate then opened up with the motivation that what would happen if an officer has to cut an accident victim from a car. This argument did obvious not fly because officers must offer as much assistance as possible but should not move accident victims so no real cutting required. It was decided that the risk of even the Victorinox used in a manner other than intended was too great so knives were outlawed for officers. An officer can argue in a court of law his right to use his sidearm and the Police act makes provision for this. However society will never stand for pictures in their beloved Sunday newspaper of an officer covered in blood with a knife in his hand standing over the body of a suspect that he had to put down.

An engagement with a knife is very risky and messy. 90% of the time and untrained attacker or defender cuts him or herself. Training an officer how to engage his firearm takes 7 months. There is a culture attached in using a firearm can you imagine the time it would take to teach a recruit how to correctly use a blade. So that being said SAPS is not being trained in edged weapon defense.

Now the military can use a knife because the military is expected to somewhere in its duties to take a life and a knife is a very effective killing tool. So effective that Special Forces units have since 1996 used a method for sensitive target illumination. This method is called slinking. When we speak of slinking it is important to remember that the primary weapon is a 7 inch Bowie like fixed blade knife. The method was devised by Israeli military that would sometimes have to send an operator into an area without a firearm. They would have to use a knife to assassinate members of Hamaas’ armed brigade. They found that it was much more effective to send one man with a recovery team into enemy territory than to send an entire battalion. The Job of a Slinker is to shadow his target until he is alone then to make movement to confront the target. The aim is to make the target aware that his death is imminent and to make this death the most terrifying thing this man or woman has ever experienced. It’s a personal message to him and his comrades that there is nowhere to hide. The Slinker took his time with his victim. This is the face of revenge warfare. The Slinker then meets up with his recovery team and they supervise the extraction usually under heavy artillery bombardment. This method was extensively used in the Balkans. One of the requirements for teaching edged weapon assault is that the instructor must be and active member with combat experience. He can also be semi retired as long as he has had a baptism of fire. This is so that the instructor can relate to his students and so that his students can respect him. These are a very special group of man who were their opinions on their sleeve. A civilian will never ever be allowed to teach any branch of the military how to kill because they lack the experience. No will they teach soldiers how to defend themselves because this is part of their SOP training which they should receive at basic. A knife in the military context is used as a utility tool and most importantly it is used to kill and there are very specific ways in which this is done.

So there are no civilian contractors teaching any Military branch to kill with a knife.

Next we will get back on track and discuss what I believe to be an integral part of your self defensive survival. Threat assessment. This is the ability to see the attack happen before it actually does. Knowing when you are in danger before there are any blatant signs I think is very important and will save your life.

The Stuka

The Stuka

The Stuka was a short piece of wood that is kept in the palm of the hand allowing for an end to protrude on each end of the hand. Essentially you would make a fist holding the stuka in the palm of the hand. Primarily the design took into consideration the fact that if the primary form of attack was going to be by knife then you would have to get inside the attackers personal space to launch and effective counter attack. It is a common misconception that to keep a knife wielding attacker at bay you must have a longer weapon. In actual fact the best way to keep a knife wielding attacker at bay is by running away. We had a saying before receiving a deployment order, “just not the desert because there is no place to hide”. A knife attack is very much the same, without a superior weapon or superior training there is no effective way to repel or defend against a knife attack. Knife movements are fast and erratic. There is no way to predicting its path. Cutting motions are a lot easier to predict. Western stabbing methods are also easier to predict. Western stabbing and cutting methods have delayed movements that are a lot more thought through and deliberate. It has a more standardized delivery and recovery.

The Stuka gets its name from an improvised hammer. This is exactly what the stuka is used for, to jab and strike or to apply pressure it can only be used effectively in close quarters situations. When using the stuka we try to never move in a linear fashion. Move left or right then forward. Defense is also done off the centrifugal axis. This done by suing a method called redirecting. By using the attackers own momentum you can redirect attacks away from you much like Aikido or Tai Chi. It becomes very effective in conjunction with the stuka.

The stuka was carried by the Jchoster. He was an underhanded fighter, he always had a trick up his sleeve, and this is very much like the malicia we find in capoeira. The stuka was beneath the Skull Busters and they would never carry in them. Skull Busters considered themselves honourable fighters. They were up front about everything they did. They made the brazen attitude work for them. No 3 or 4 men would ever dare attack a single Skull Buster, they would always try to get more fighters to help them.

The Stuka was made from a length of round wood three fingers longer than the palm. It was molded by way of witling. Most Stuka’s had a round ball on both ends looking like a knob. It was common and later the norm to make them from broom stick handles. Many cultures use this very effective weapon. There is a Japanese version known as a yawari stick or a pummel stick. Cold steel has recently brought a compound plastic version to market called a Koga stick.

It is interesting to note that when the wood of a stuka became brittle and it was no longer good to use as a weapon, the Jchoster would burn it to make charcoal and use the grinded charcoal as ink for tattoos. In the 80’s the word Stuka became popular again to mean GANG TATTOO.

Next we have to dispel with a myth that civilian contractors are training elements of the SAPS and Special Operational Forces. We will also look at the Bicycle chain and odometer cable as weapons. If anyone in the Johannesburg area is interested in a method of self defense training please contact me on my email address or leave a message for me on Face book.

Thanks Ray

More to tell about how Blood is let

There are many words and phrases that have become important to the art form but none as important as the physical attributes that defines it. Ghamjitsu begs of the practitioner to accept that all in his environment is a given and it cannot be changed so the practitioner must work with what is given to him. For example I have no gun so I must retaliate with the knife, I have no knife so I must retaliate with a stick or broken bottle, I have no weapons so I must become the weapon. Resourcefulness is of ultimate importance. This was always evident in the way the gham fighter carried himself. He was master of his world but a rock will always be a rock in his world and he could not change that but if he had to move it he would do so by any means necessary and nothing would stop him. Within the Special Forces ethos this is known as the mission above all else. He would never give up until the fight was won and he would not allow himself to be taken down without a fight because he would have to walk the street tomorrow or his memory would be that of a coward. The weapon does not make the fighter rather the situation and the outcome of the confrontation will define the fighter. Fighting holds glory and honour in high regard and although self defense is movement two in any confrontation as movement one is the initiation of the attack, Ghamjitsu teaches that we must make our defensive action movement one. Know enough about your surroundings and the people you are with to be confident that you will see the attack happening before it happens allowing you the time to take defensive actions rather than reactions.

Understanding which state of readiness to be in is one of the first and foremost lessons to learn. You must learn how to react when alone. For example knowing that your friends will help you when you are attacked is invaluable information and will help you to decide up until which point to pursue teh defensive action. Now if you think that the group of people you are with are more inclined to run even when all the odds require them to turn and fight is even more important because this information could save your life. What is more dangerous is to be around untrained individuals who allow emotion to determine the rules of the engagement. The gangs use someone in a gang fight known as the Ougatjie which is pronounced die ougaachi. His job is to sych the opposing gang out to get them so worked up that they will forget their battle plan and attack with raw emotion. This works very well for them but not in a defensive situation.

You want to strive for relevant, appropriate action in the shortest amount of time. You want to stay as calm as possible because as much as adrenalin is your friend it is also your enemy. It goes hand in hand with tunnel vision, auditory exclusion, time laps syndrome etc. The physical effects are even worse. Tightening of the muscles, dry mouth, irregular breathing patterns, problems with depth perception and irregular distribution of oxygen to the muscles which can cause dizziness or a lack of will power to see the engagement through after it is too late to run. Your first decision should be to cross the street, turn around or to run away this is called evasion and if this is not an option and you decide to stay and see the engagement through then you must be prepared to go the distance.

I will talk a little bit more about that tomorrow. First a little history. In the mid seventies we saw the proliferation of a new breed of gangster who was more into organized crime this was the way of the Hard Living Kids but the Americans who had walk a line of fire by way of the Skull Busters, with a break away called the Yanks with and a breakaway called the Stars and Stripes with a further split to form the New York Yanks, the Young Americans and the Ugly Americans who all later became known as Atchas. Now the names and adoption of North American Nomenclature was a natural progression because it was a way of paying homage to the first Skull Busters who were seven brothers who lived in Bloeme Flats District six and they were of Native American descent. The Skull Busters found it hard to change with the times and when workers from the Karoo came to work in Cape Town they started a new trend and a new enemt for the Skull Busters. People from further inland but not as far as the Free State were called Booee Jongens which is slang for a Boer Jong a Coloured version of a boy, (regardless of how old the person was). These people were obsessed with looking good and dressing nice because in their pre Cape Town Lives they had nothing. They started wearing the dress shirts with the silk scarf around the neck and the original golf hat known then as the sewe naat aya because the hat had seven points on it which all had very definite meanings. These meaning read from left to right, loyalty, understanding, brotherhood, respect and discipline, station in life which later became the number with the advent of the numbers gangs, and blood. They brought the swagger stick to Cape Town. They always walked with their Kirrie as it was known and they carried a very distinctive Tiger land Jacket either in RED or Black. The jacket would be rapped around the left arm like a shield and the silk scarf around that hand to protect against cuts. It is for this very reason that the Skull Busters stopped using Kalp which essentially was to scalp but came to be known as to cut, as a method of attack and started using stabbing and gutting because they found that sharp blades could not penetrate the silk material. This was the defining moment for the Skull Busters, this is when they became Atchas or Apaches. They even gave their new enemy a name. In slang the word joss means to make beautiful. To look Jchos was to be dressed nice. Because the Booee Jongens always went out of their way to look good they became known as the Jchosters. This brought a new era of the gentleman gangster very different to the Atchas and the Globe Gang.

One thing does become evident as I dig into the history of the Cape Coloured Soldaat, there was a very good reason for the police and the uninitiated to be scared to go into district six.

Thank you to Araminta De Clermont and Preik for the images you are trully helping to document a very scattered difficult history.