Our long-time associates José Garrido Shihan, Nancy Pester Shihan, and the members of their dojos will have been among those affected by Sandy's passage through the NYC area, as they either are right across the river in NJ or in the same overall area. They were hit hard by last year's hurricane, and Sandy will have been worse. Hoping that they were all able to make the necessary preparations and that their losses are minimal.

UPDATE (3:30 p.m. ET): Just heard from Garrido Shihan. They've been without power for two days and things up there are a mess - but we're glad he made it through.

JJDC on 10.30.12 @ 09:30 AM ET   [ link ] [ 0 comments ]

... because you WILL be assimilated.

Realizing there is resistance, however, means realizing that there is an opening. You just have to know how to find it and flow into it. Be "ju". Be supple, yielding. The willow bends in a strong wind, the oak breaks. The stick rolls with a push, the rope says "meh".

Please note: this post is NOT talking about not resisting an attack! It's about how to deal with the physical resistance you run into while doing a technique.    >>> read more 

JJDC on 10.28.12 @ 01:08 PM ET    [ 0 comments ]

Legos are building blocks. The square Lego can make a house or a car or a rocket ship. The wheel Lego makes a car - not a house or a rocket ship. The chimney one? House. You get the idea.

We train with "Legos".    >>> read more 

JJDC on 10.26.12 @ 06:37 AM ET    [ 1 comment ]

We did a demonstration last night, at an annual Family Night event at a local installation, and spoke with a number of people - not only to explain what was being demonstrated, but also just about self-defense in general. When starting to discuss the importance of awareness, one woman said straight out that she doesn't notice anything that goes on.

Yikes. We advised that she start practicing awareness just in a normal, general sense - the "while you're waiting at the ATM" sort of awareness, or the "you're going to your car after work/shopping/etc." sort. Making yourself be conscious of what goes on around you then becomes a habit that you don't have to think about, so that it runs more as a background process.

Other contrasts: two women, both using canes. One was smaller and more elderly, and said straight out that she was a target, because of her age and physical limitations. The other - a bit taller and a little younger - was very aware of her surroundings and how she presented herself, and was not to be trifled with!

We always talk about how you carry yourself can make you a target - or lessen the chance of being one. Here's a very interesting video on just that (also found on our links page here in the blog).

Watching people at malls and at events like this is always enlightening...

JJDC on 10.20.12 @ 05:22 PM ET   [ link ] [ 1 comment ]

Pretty much everybody agrees that the first strategic line of self defense is awareness. Herewith, some of the things we point out both in class and to attendees at our self-defense seminars. We'll be posting other entries on strategy in the near future.    >>> read more 

JJDC on 10.14.12 @ 11:42 AM ET    [ 0 comments ]