Archive for March, 2010

MikeKanarek: “You Can Only Beat One Of Yourself, So If You Face 2 Attackers, Make Sure You Line Them Up In One Line So You Fight Them One At A Time”

Multiple attackers is always something you have to consider in your training if you want to be prepared for Real Self Defense training.

Often facing one attacker in the street escelades to facing two attackers or even more…multiple attacker training is complex and it involves putting “single attacker street scenarios” together with another one and with all the tactical considerations involved with the combined two scenarios. First let me start by saying this type of training should not happen with students in their first FIGHT rotation. The students should have a Solid understanding with a fluent execution of the regular single street scenarios before putting them together as a multiple attack scenario. Also, the level of control between the 3 students working on the scenario should be good enough to be intense but without sacrificing safety. The amount of contact should be firm but with total control.

On the first level, it should be two empty hand attacks scenarios, giving the student the chance to build up emotionally with 2 attackers coming at him/her at the same time or in a planned sequence of attack. This will allow the student to learn how to read body language first before scanning for weapons. If the student learns how to read the body language of the attackers good at this stage, the student will learn to detect the ignition of the two attackers. That will help in the next stage…the stage of adding a weapon to one of the attackers.

Only after enough repetitions was practiced at the “2 attackers at empty hand stage”, should the FIGHT Instructor move his students up to the next stage. The stage of one attacker un-armed and one with a knife!

At this stage , every little mistake will be amplified to a fatal cut or stab. This stage is Very important in nature and infuses a harsh reality. First this stage should be practice without marking on the training knife, let the student build the proper mechanics and technical skills involved in the drill. Then to elevate stress,  introduce marking on the training blade. After the scenario is done, then the Instructor can evaluate the marking, or the none marking , on the defending student.

This week is “Defense From An Under Stab” on the rotation schedule, here at the National Headquarters in Davie FL, we will work this technique as part of a multiple attacker scenario. First without the marking….building up to drilling it with marking.

Its going to be a Gooooooood week of training!!!

” Be Lev Leebo Shel Ha Koshee, Neemtzet Ha Heezdamnout “

MikeKanarek: From UK : Great Post

THIS was posted on my www.fight2survive.com forum by my representive in England.  GREAT post Darren, keep up the good work in between those Tea and Cookies breaks ;-) HaganaH Knife Defences: The Best Model For Survivability   
In the course of promoting HaganaH in the UK, I’ve been drawn into several discussions with practitioners of other systems, who have questioned the effectiveness & validity of our knife defences. In the spirit of our system, to remain proactive, I carried out some supplementary intelligence gathering based on actual data available on knife attacks from LEO, Medical and Coroners reports, I will come on to that in a moment.One of the most common criticisms levelled is that our straight stab defence is entirely reliant on an attacker making a single lunging /stabbing motion to the torso or abdomen, which it is alleged, is un-realistic in a real-life encounter.This criticism seems to be based entirely on a belief being promoted in many systems that, in reality, a straight, forward stabbing attack will come as a series of fast repeated (& frenzied) thrusts with the intent of inflicting multiple wounds, rather than a single straight forward lunge.On face value, this concept appears entirely feasible when demonstrated, particularly when both attacks are sold to the un-initiated with the choice, “Which do you think is more likely”.

However, a fundamental misunderstanding of the dynamics of this type of attack, together with an ignorance of what is proven to happen, appears to be sending many systems back to the old practice of teaching what they would “Like to think” would happen rather than what factual data proves. As a result, many systems have gone full circle in their hypothesis, back into the realms of fantasy. Whilst the prospect of a frenzied and repeated stabbing attack should not be entirely ruled out, it is generally a method far more common amongst prison inmates. Wound data collated from medical & coroners reports confirms this is not the most common type of knife attack which generally occurs in the street.

In a 2006 study conducted by the FBI entitled, “Edged weapons: traditional and emerging threats to law enforcement”. By L. Frank Thompson and Charlie Mesloh, Ph.D. the following conclusions were made.

1) The average number of wounds sustained in a knife attack is 1

2) In one study, 50% of all single wound assaults were fatal.

3) If you are male, you are almost twice as likely to sustain multiple stab wounds from a female attacker than a male attacker. (No jokes about ex-wives & them being in the back please gentlemen!)

4) In the vast majority of fatal stabbings, a single stab wound to the chest/torso area directly into the heart or heart/lungs was the cause of death.

In the first 5 months of 2009 there were almost 20 fatal stabbings in London. In virtually all of these cases, death was caused by a single stab wound to the torso/abdomen. On a personal note, just 3 weeks ago a good friend (& work colleague on my watch) whilst off duty, rendered first aid to a member of public fatally stabbed in the street. The individual subsequently died from…you’ve guessed it…a single stab wound to the chest.

The purpose of this post was to confirm to any doubters, that the knife defences that Mike has incorporated into the HaganaH system are in complete accord with factual data regarding the most common types of attack & on a tactical level represent the best possible model for survivability.

For those interested in reading the full study it can be found here:

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Edged+weapons:+traditional+and+emerging+threats+to+law+enforcement-a0144096212

Train Smart, Train HaganaH!

Regards

Darren Le Fevre
Head Instructor
HaganaH UK
ATC UK – 0109

Mike Kanarek: Defense Against Side Choke With A Push

tonight in the FIGHT class we covered side choke with a push.

Some of the students were experiencing a challenge with the technique because they would move their hand before moving their feet…with this technique you have to regain your balance by going with the push fisrt into a solid base and only then ignite your hand to un-plug the choke. If you move your feet first everything else will fall into place…

Mike Kanarek: Angle 3 and Angle 4 Knife Defenses Class at the National HaganaH Headquarters tonight

tonight in the FIGHT class at the National HaganaH Headquarters we covered Angle 3 and Angle 4 Knife Defenses and went into  2 drills with the techniques.  First in the angle 3 knife defense I had to clean up a few of the more beginners in the class with the concept of catching the attacking hand , the hand holding the knife, with a proper “Battery Concept” grip. This is a common mistake beginners do, but I tend to be Very picky with this concept from the beginning of a programing of my students so they build good entries from the very beginning. If the grip is not establish in a “Battery Concept” the attacker will be able to free his hand easily and change his angle of attack…further, if the grip is improper and the attacker doesn’t yank his hand free , the overlap going into the Point Of Reference (POR) will be completely incorrect and the grip on the attackers arm will be of two positives or two negatives rendering that hold completely ineffective!

After cleaning up the grips we moved on to angle 4 knife defense and covered the “By-Pass” into the POR…aggressive entries were emphasized to establish proper smothering on the “By-Pass” so the control would be tight and completely secured at the end of  it overlapping into a completely secured POR.

then we began with the first drill…attacker either attacked Angle 3 or Angle 4 , that forced the defender into “Reading” the in-coming angle of attack, learning to detect the negative outside of the body silhouette motion of the blade to ignite the proper direction footwork. As the footwork was fired, the students then went into total muscle memory of what they did in the class prior to the drill. You could see on some of the students faces the ” Holly Shit, I can actually do this”….then I gave them a reality check and put the entire class room in a circle formation putting one student in the middle and told the students in the circle to attack the defender one by one choosing to attack with either Angle 3 or Angle 4 attack. This is where things got tricky…student in the middle went from one attacker to the next thinking she was doing good on all attacks, while in reality she got  killed in 40% of the attacks. The best part of the class was that the students in the circle were actually realizing when she was getting killed. At the end of the drill I pointed out where she had been killed and how, she said : “on that one , afterward , I actually knew I messed up but it was too late” . Under stress all mistakes get amplified and all correct techniques get more effective! An improper POR because of a failed “Battery Concept” entry ends up being a fatal mistake. Lesson learned by all that attended the class…it was a Great Class!

this is a simple , but yet very effective format to teach these 2 knife defenses, that any FIGHT Instructor out there can easily implement on his/her mat. Have a Blast with it

***I have no doubt the next time that student does the drill she will perform better and pick up her survival rate to a higher percentage…

Tran’s Muay Thai Post Workout Review

Original Post by John Clarke – www.haganaheast.com

By: John Clarke

On Friday March 5, 2010, AJ Held, JB Glossinger, and I had the opportunity to train with Master Hung Tran and Vu Tran in Tran’s Muay Thai.  I had met Master Tran through my friend, trainer, and mentor Mike Lee Kanarek, at the 5th Annual HaganaH Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada in January 2010 http://www.fight2survive.com/.  I have been biting at the bit since, to experience Tran’s Muay Thai System.

The short wait was over, when the opportunity and invitation was extended to us to train at the Martial Arts University International’s Warriors Weekend 16http://www.mauinternational.com/.  Master Tran was the showcase instructor for an intense workout amongst martial arts school owners from all over the country.  We were fortunate to train at MAUI’s extraordinary facility, located at 5800 North Federal Highway Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33334.  I would like to thank Kyoshi Steve LaVallee for his welcoming and hospitality.

Master Tran’s mix of physical fitness drills and his curriculum approach to Muay Thai made this a kickass workout session.  I was definitely glad that I ate light that afternoon.  He covered all the fundamentals of Tran’s Muay Thai as he tested our mind, body, and warrior spirit.  I was especially excited that some of these fundamentals were put to use in pro sparring the following morning at HaganaH East with Team Scratchline.  I am eager to immediately adopt these Muay Thai fundamentals into everyday drills in preparation for my next fight.

Master Tran certifies instructors to teach his system in martial art academies all across the country.  For more information on instructor certifications, visit Tran’s Kickboxing website: http://www.transkickboxing.com/

Combat Fitness rocking it hard at HaganaH HQ Davie Florida!

Last night it was a rocking Combat Fitness at the HaganaH Davie HQ’s! The night group got started at 7:30 and rocked it till about 8:45. The workout a combination of fighting drills, running, circuit and cardiovascular was just at the right pace.

Everyone is getting ready for the Combat Fitness Coaching certification coming up in April! Diet, Nutrition and working hard is a large part of combat fitness. It is a true overall fitness experience!

Here are a few pictures from last night.

Bag work at HaganaH Combat Fitness

HaganaH Combat Fitness

Combat Fitness

John Clarke Discusses the proper single leg – HaganaH Combat Wrestling

Submitted by HaganaH East to see the full article click here

Leg in between the legs, outside, or across?

By: John Clarke

In training for my last fight, a debate came to my attention about leg placement for defending a single leg attempt.  Some Brazilian Jui Jitsu and wrestling camps teach leg outside, some teach across, and some in between the legs.  Through my training and experience I have found the best choice is in between the legs, but with your instep in the groin.

The reasons for this vary, but most importantly would be to limit your opponent’s offense.  The most dangerous takedown that you are open for with your leg in between is if your opponent runs the pipe (hikes the football for us Florida boys).  This is a great technique; however it is not pulled off easily.  Even if done perfectly, it can still be countered with excellent balance.  When you add a whizzer or a sprawl to your defense it becomes even more difficult to execute.

With your leg across, you open up an array of offensive takedowns.  The position also puts you at a balance disadvantage and makes you an easier target for trips.

Your leg outside, in my opinion, is the worst.  You leave yourself wide open for a blast double leg takedown and a variety of trips.  In sport or reality fighting, the force alone of a blast double can end the fight.  You can also give up side control very easily (a fan favorite for a ground and pound specialist).  I’ll attach a video to bring these points home.

Return top