Fighting an Unseen Killer

A deadly snake inside his posh office? He never imagined it could happen.

Now that they let the killer virus in and still tracing the people who came in contact with the patient or carrier confirmed as Covid positive, what do we do? Some people act carefree, as if the virus threat is nothing. But don't let it fool you. Precautions after you contract the lethal virus is useless if you're in your last breaths--and almost useless when intubated. Remember that. Of course, there's always hope after falling into trouble. But prevention is always the best, and better than cure--better than making a game plan after danger has set in. 

Image above by Duncan Sanchez, Unsplash.

Same with street crimes. People are shocked to immobility once they find themselves falling victim to a sudden crime. Why? They never thought it would happen to them. This naive street outlook is what gets people in big trouble and become easy prey. They think the city is a paradise where only good people reside. Or, danger can strike everybody else except them. "It can never happen to me!" So they put down their guards and live carefree. They think serious precautions are OA (overacting) and paranoia--until danger hits them. Then it's too late.

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Invisible Killers

Street attackers are, in a sense, "unseen killers." You won't see them until it's too late. Or at least, you won't see their real intention or the weapons they'd use on you. You're not suppose to. These guys are not stupid. They won't announce their presence or appear obvious or scary. They're invisible. They'd try to look as low profile as possible. As innocent-looking as they could. But don't get them wrong--they have one thing in mind, and that is to hurt or kill if things go wrong. They think deadly from the start of day.

And what about you? If their mindset is "kill," what's your mindset each time you get out of the house? Do you also think deadly? Nope, you think like how a regular victim would--you think nothing bad would happen to you. Especially if you're religious or think you're nice or spiritual or have no enemies. People think their spirituality will keep attackers away from them. If you're like that, you do not live in the real world. You live in your own make-believe world where you and your loved ones live happily ever after. That's your daily mindset, 24 hours a day.

And then bang! Danger strikes. You meet danger face-to-face. You're caught off-guard and freeze. You couldn't believe it's happening to you. This is why many people get victimized so easily--over and over again. They're so naïve and carefree. They're not aware of reality. Being absorbed with their gadgets while in the streets makes things worse. These are conditions that crooks want you to be in. And you willingly cooperate without intending to.

I strongly believe in prayers and how God protects believers supernaturally. I believe in angelic protection. But that doesn't mean we just walk straight in the path of danger mindlessly even if we know how fatal it is. I've heard religious people take risks in stride because they have faith in God. Well, God's warriors in the Old Testament all took serious precautions in the face of danger. Even God himself tells us to do so.

A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. [Proverbs 27.12]

Stay Alert

I have trained myself to be in full red alert anywhere I am. I'm enjoying life and often a jolly, relaxed person--I'm known for being a cool and easy-going individual--but in my mind, I stay fully alert. I'm always aware of my surroundings, though often pretend I'm not. I'm ready to spring into action for any eventuality. I'm sincerely friendly and courteous but I closely watch every person, near or far. Most nice-looking folks have crooked ideas in their minds. I've proven that many times. They may appear affectionate now and then betray the next moment.

Even the "righteous" and "godly" are not exempt. And you'd be surprised to find that even supposedly smart or intelligent persons do stupid things when real danger is present or death is imminent due to a sure killer out in the streets. You've seen in thriller movies what type of people get killed first? Well, in real life, there are such people. Amazing.

Like in the present Covid crisis. I never take anything lightly. Only idiots and smart Alecks do--those who think they live in paradise. They never take wearing masks or shields seriously. Some even claim face shields are useless. They laugh at you if you're too careful. I stay out of people like that because they're apt to cause you trouble. They serve as breaches, cracks or entry points to your defenses. Immature amateurs. They don't know a thing about street safety.

I stay out of danger zones and always protect myself, no matter how safe places seem to be. I don't give danger a chance or a foothold. You give criminals or Covid one chance and that's it. There's no known cure for Covid as of press time. China released a news item showing patients getting well from the deadly disease. Well and good if it's true. But in chaotic times, we can never trust governments to tell us the real score. We may listen to news items and consider, but we must apply careful discernment.

Don't be naïve.

The Safest Place

I hear lots of folks say this or that place is safe for me because there is no crime incidence there. Good if it's true, but I don't take things at face value. Crime is no respecter of places or persons. Even Jesus suffered violence he didn't deserve--though he knew about it and was all part of the plan. It's different if it's meant to be. But being careless and mindless to danger as a lifestyle is not meant to be. It's useless to suffer if it's not God's will, if it's all due to carelessness. Anything can happen out there. So I always get ready.

If a crook dwells his thoughts on doing violence or killing his victims so that he starts his day focusing on this--and If I do the same, I dwell on preparedness and readiness to face danger in deadly ways--who do you think would get the shock of his life when we meet in the streets? Remember, there's no such thing as "a nice person without enemies" in the streets because you can always be a victim of mistaken identity. And criminals just choose any victim, particularly the mindless. 

Where's the safest place to be? Anywhere God is and where you're alert and prepared.

This is how I prepare myself everyday:

1. I pray and study God's Word.
2. I workout, focusing on shadow boxing, honing fast execution of practical but deadly techniques.
3. I keep on talking to God in the streets, asking for protection, discernment and guidance.
4. I take note of everyone in the streets--where they are, what they're doing, their eye and hand movements.
5. I relax and enjoy while in deadly combat mode. Yup, it's possible to be relaxed and enjoying life while in ready combat mode.

Train yourself to be like this. There's no guarantee you'd always be safe if you do, but you have a better fighting or escaping chance than if you are carefree, gullible, mindless and stupid.

Straight Jab: Fastest Self Defense in the Streets

Youtube

If you want immediate effect and has 90 percent effectiveness in the streets, perfect your jab. Make it an accurate and fast jab. When an attacker comes and starts to grab or punch you, you should preempt that attack. Make your straight jab land first. But make sure you know how to throw a jab fast and accurate, in the right form to avoid injury.

I remember reading somewhere how Bruce Lee used to practice fast jabs from time to time, anywhere he was. He would suddenly throw jabs to any direction from various positions or activity---walking, running, standing, sitting, etc. And at any angle. He said you should be able to throw jabs any time, if need be, whatever you're doing.

Simple and Direct

From that time on, I always practiced jabbing. I imagine an attacker suddenly attacking me from various directions and I'd preempt it with a fast jab. Since then, I noted that I could land my jab faster than anyone during sparring sessions. My favorite is to launch a lightning-fast jab as soon as the opponent tries to throw his. His tendency is to open up to release his jab. That's when I quickly go in. Wham! Simple and direct!

You should also have enough courage to launch a counter which is a defense-offense attack. Often, the best defense is a good offensive. But this is stalled or prevented when you lose courage to quickly counter and hope that the attacker would just pity you or change his mind. Your first enemy when sudden attack happens is your hesitance or double-mindedness, and that's when you lose courage to counter or attack first. This e-book should help you understand how to be brave.

Click the image above for more information.

You need to keep practicing your jabs until they're fast, accurate and solid enough, like a sledge hammer thrown at the enemy with great speed. A quick, unexpected straight jab to the face can stop any fight pronto, especially if you hit with your knuckles, not with a flat fist, and hit a soft spot on the face, like the nose or eyes. When I had a job, I used to do this in the restroom or conference room when it's not used and I was all alone there. I even practiced my kicks and push-ups there.

A good, fast kick is a good defense-offense if you can manage it, but I still prefer a straight jab. It's simpler and easier to execute in a split second if you know how and trained well. A wrong kick can be dangerous if your opponent manages to catch it and trap you, unless you're Tony Jaa or Scott Adkins. With a jab, you can always counter-trap easily. I'll probably demo this in a video, if I have time.

Below is a demo of a simple jab. When I finally arrange for a good cam and schedule, I'd post my own training videos here.

Or click here to see the video.

Quick Escape 

A successful jab landed on the attacker's face or neck shocks him to immobility. If his neck is hit, he needs time to recover from the stabbing choke and difficult breathing. If on his face--especially on the nose--it will cause temporary dizziness similar to vertigo or even a near knockout. That will give you enough time to follow up a bit and then go. Fast combinations to the head (on the eyes, lips and nose area) can send an attacker to the ground needing a long time to recover--if you deliver your jab combinations properly. Train yourself to deliver 4 successive solid jabs in 1 or 2 seconds.

Put Power in the Jab

If done with the right form, speed and accuracy, a jab is usually powerful. But it's imperative that you practice your jabs on heavy bags and mitts. If you're a beginner, practice your punches first, hitting the heavy bag lightly initially and see how it affects your wrist. The same with using mitts. Avoid getting your wrist injured. It's the last thing you want. As you train, add more power to your punches as you hit the bag. Do it slowly. You don't need to be in a hurry. 

Do other punching styles later. Master the straight jab and punch first.

Do light jabs for a week. Make sure your form is correct and the wrists do not bend under pressure. Then add power the next week, and so on. The wrists should stay intact upon impact, not bending outward or inward. So you need to have strong wrists. One way of strengthening your wrists is doing regular push-ups. Do them first with an open hand (touching the floor). Later, with clenched fists.