#MANDELADAY’s 67mins Self-Defence Workshop

“Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was South Africa's first black chief executive, and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election.

…

Mandela was a controversial figure for much of his life. Denounced as a communist terrorist by critics, he nevertheless gained international acclaim for his activism, having received more than 250 honours, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Soviet Order of Lenin. He is held in deep respect within South Africa, where he is often referred to by his Xhosa clan name, Madiba, or as Tata ("Father"); he is often described as the "Father of the Nation"” 

-  Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela

On the 18 July, 2015, on what has now been known worldwide as “MandelaDay”, I will be doing a 67 mins Self-Defence Workshop for the local Chinese community, in spirit of what Mandela Day represents. The message behind Mandela Day is simple – each individual has the ability and the responsibility to change the world for the better. If each one of us heeded the call to simply do good every day, we would be living Nelson Mandela’s legacy and helping to build a country of our dreams. To me, this is a very heart-felt message as I deeply love my country of birth, South Africa. I had decided many years ago to not immigrate to the likes of Australia, Canada or the UK; as so many other South Africans have.  Furthermore, it encouraged me to take action against some of the problems we face in our society. Defence Unlimited was the embodiment of that love and desire to make a difference.

After coming across my advert on Facebook to promote the 67 mins Self-Defence Workshop, I was asked by a journalist from an international new agency the following questions:

1.         Why did you decide to celebrate Mandela Day that way?

WH: Nelson Mandela is one of my personal heroes whom I look up to for guidance and inspiration.  For me, he was a man of integrity, peace and understanding and is the embodiment of a true leader. I believe his ideals for humanity was truly inspirational, especially in his words, “umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu”, or “you must serve your fellow man”. It is only through this caring and serving each other will we be able to overcome all the adversity that we, as South Africans, currently face. Furthermore, his words of “It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it” really inspired me to step forward and take action to address some of the issues our country and my Chinese community faces, one of which is crime and the fear of crime. Being in the business that I am, I felt that my company, Defence Unlimited and I, could do this free workshop to the Chinese community, as well as make a small contribution to the Hong Ning Chinese Old Age Home.

2.         How have you celebrated the day in the previous years?

WH: Last year was the first initiative that Defence Unlimited offered free 67mins public self-defence presentation to the public.  It was held at the Rivonia Sports Club on a cold winter’s evening. Attendance was small, but respectable!  Read about the experience here: http://defence-unlimited.blogspot.com/2014/07/mandela-day-2014-67mins-of-self-defence.html

In previous years, I had been with a few corporate initiatives, including food packing and distribution for various communities.

3.         Do you think is still relevant and will continue to be relevant to the world?

WH: If you referring to Mandela Day, yes, absolutely! If anything, I think the spirit of Mandela Day is more relevant now than ever! In light of all the global turbulence and chaos, we need more positive ideals and action such as the ones that Mandela day encourages.  There is a saying from the Bible that says, “If good men do not act, evil will prevail”.  Therefore, it is the interest for everyone to do their bit, no matter how small it may be, in combating this evil around the world.

4.         What does Mandela mean to you?

WH: Well, as mentioned, he is a personal hero of mine. I’ve read a few books about his life and his leadership styles, as well as researched some of his public appearances and speeches. By doing so, I got to know what his ideals and aspirations were for ALL South Africans, and actually for humanity as a whole. It is these aspirations that really touched me and made me want to be a better person both for myself, my family and for society.  I should mention that I also got to meet him briefly right after his release from prison in 1990. It was at the Park Lane hospital and he was going for a check-up. I was quite young at the time, and didn’t know who this tall, African man was who was flanked by even two bigger African men (his body guards). There was a moment that he stopped, waved and smiled at my sister and I. All I can remember was how genuine and sincere his smile was, as how happy that made me feel - I could not help but smile back!

5.         What lessons can be learnt from Mandela's life?

WH: Just too many to mention! Just off the top of my head: Have integrity at all times; Be courageous; Be compassionate; Be a good leader; Have core principles that you abide to; listen intensely before making a response; don’t hurry – think, analyse then act;  and my personal favourite, “never let fear defeat you”.

I hope that Mandela Day inspires you to go out and make a difference in this world.

Till next time.

Get EDUCATED. Feel EMPOWERED. Live a FULLY-ENGAGED life. 

For more information on the workshop, please go to:

Website: http://www.defence-unlimited.com/get-engaged/mandela-day/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/326248007545473/

For more infomation on Mandela Day, please  go to:

http://www.mandeladay.com/

Looking For Kinks In My Self-Defence Armour

In the past few months, I had a number of occasions to discover some of the kinks in my self-defence armour that made me question just how vulnerable I am to an attack.

My most recent revelation was at the Intensive Krav Maga Instructor’s course that I attended with KMSA for 10 solid days (refer to http://defence-unlimited.blogspot.com/2015/07/krav-maga-explosive-aggressive.html ). During the 10 days, I was physically, mentally and emotionally challenged in a variety of ways!  There was kicking, punching, falling, grappling and intensive exercising for 8 hrs solid EVERY day. My body was tired, sore, and stiff in places I couldn’t even imagine. For instance, I had to take a risk the one day and not wear my groin protector as the skin on my inner thighs got so  chaffed from the cumulative days of training, that it resembled a gravel road in the hot, Kalahari desert. Murphy ’s Law dictates that it would be on those days I would be stuck multiple times in the groin by my training partners! On another occasion, one of my contact lenses got damaged and was irritating me so much that I had to remove it midway through training. Considering the contact lens was to compensate for my -8.0 vision in that one eye, I was pretty much blind. For those who do not wear contacts, having vision in one and non in the other can be very disorientating and nauseating. Worst still, I had to brave a 45 min drive back home, along which I would have to travel on one strip of road was notorious for being a hi-jacking hot spot. Keeping in mind that I do also live in one of the most crime-ridden countries in the world (as per the global stats), I knew I had to be extra vigilant and be ready for whatever action was necessary to preserve my life. I therefore took the decision to put the damaged contact lens back into my eye. As painful as it was to have it in, it was the only choice in my eyes (pun intended), considering the alternative - die in an accident trying to get home or die in a possible hi-jacking attempt because I was unable to see the danger around me. The best way to describe the pain was as if someone was poking my eye every 10 seconds with a fountain pen! For a 45 min journey, that was a lot of pokes! It was during these painful moments of my body and my weakened mental and emotional fortitude, that I realised that these were kinks in my self-defence armour - my moments of vulnerability and opportunities that the common criminal will look out for so as to take advantage of my pitiful state.

This brings me to self-defence 101, being self-aware. By understanding what I was or was not capably of in that state of body and mind, I could put a plan together to make myself a "hard target", or making it APPEAR that I am a hard target. The theory of being a "hard target" is to make it appear as if I am a person who is capable of handling myself in a situation, or to create sufficient barriers around me that will discourage a potential attacker from harming me. This may be as simple as the way I walk, or the way I observe (or not observe) the environment around me; to having an injury, illness or disability that may weaken my perceived defensive fortress, and having the ability to mask or subdue it. Then, there is also an understanding what "social-conditioning" has hampered my ability to defend myself, should I need to (more on social conditioning in a later blog).This is what I teach when referring to SELF-AWARENESS.

Secondly, being a hard target is also being aware of my immediate environment or the activities I undertake within this environment that may make me appear to have a "disadvantages" of any kind. For example, do I have a child with me, in which case I will be distracted or more concerned of their safety should something happen; am I being distracted by my phone and if so, I am leaving myself open to a possible surprise attacks); am I carrying too many groceries or paraphernalia that could hamper my getaway; am I showing a bit too much skin or bling in a not too savvy neighbourhood? This is what I refer to MICRO-AWARENESS and is the EASIEST of all three awareness to control and exact immediate changes to reduce these vulnerabilities in my micro-environment.

Lastly, which is the hardest to control, is the macro-environment, which is the environment or situation that falls outside my sphere of control or influence, or require a great effort to influence some kind of change. This could be your neighbourhood, city or country that I live in; the treacherous strip of road that is notorious for hijackings that I need to travel on as it is the ONLY road to get to and from work and home; specific rules or laws that prohibit me from carrying a weapon (and is strictly enforced). As mentioned, this is very difficult to control, however, just by being aware of what elements are in these environment that will get me to look at some creative ways to reduce some of these risks. (MACRO-AWARENESS)

To conclude, here are “10 Vulnerability Factors” to consider when evaluating what your chances of becoming a victim of crime is:

1. Injuries / Illnesses / Handicap

2. Gender

3. Age

4. General Health (Cardio, Strength, Stamina, Flexibility)  

5. Specific self-defence and safety mind-set

6. Social conditioning

7. Martial arts or combative training experience

8. Are the current activities I am undertaking making me vulnerable? (Micro-environment)

9. Overall macro-environmental risks (job, home, laws & rules, city, country)

10. My self-defence attitude!

Hopefully with this knowledge, you will take a closer look at where your kinks in your self-defence armour are and take the necessary actions to fill the gaps. Whether it's educating yourself with more knowledge of the topic of personal safety, or empowering yourself by taking up a self-defence or martial arts class or getting  fitter by going to the gym or taking up some other fitness activity, the ultimate objective is to live a good life of your choice, a FULLY-ENGAGED life.

Till next time.

Get EDUCATED. Feel EMPOWERED. Live a FULLY-ENGAGED life. 

Krav Maga… Explosive, Aggressive, Effective… My Thoughts & Views

Before I begin, I must state that I am by no means pro- or anti- Israel and am merely reporting on my experience of this combative system. I am looking at the product rather than the history and process by which this system came to be.

Well, what can I say other that I was thoroughly impressed with this course! Not only was it professionally conducted by Sensei Brett Clarke (Director of Krav Maga South Africa (KMSA), the only institution affiliated to the Wingate Institute in Israel), but the material was actually very good too! What impressed me most was its structured approach that covered a wide array of armed and unarmed threat neutralization. 

As for Krav Maga itself, it is ALMOST the epitome of what my self-defence journey has been leading me to and the philosophy that I had adapted a long time ago that started me on this path of self-defence discovery, namely “to devise/develop/discover a self-defence system that will be relevant and effective for anyone and everyone." Krav Maga meets 2 of the 3 criteria – relevant and effective. I will discuss its “perceived shortcomings” in the 3^rd category a bit later. However, let me elaborate a bit more on the 1^st 2 criteria – relevant and effective. Krav Maga is a self-defence system that was developed by the Israeli Military in the 1900’s and has become a global system that anyone can now use as an effective means of protecting themselves.  Krav Maga encourages students to avoid confrontation; however, if it is not possible or unsafe to do so, it promotes finishing a fight as quickly as possible. Its focus is on real-world situations and is extremely efficient due to its aggressive and explosive techniques. With that said, the 3^rd criteria of it being able to be used by “anyone and everyone” may only be one of its few shortcomings. The techniques require a certain amount of fitness, strength and speed to be able to be performed effectively. Therefore, this might exclude those who are physically weaker, sickly or disadvantaged in any other way. However, with that said, Krav Maga might be the activity for those who wish to both increase their fitness prowess as well as their self-defence skills – Something that I am a strong supporter of!

To give a little more insight into the course, I was exposed to 10 days of being punched, kicked, elbowed, kneed, thrown, grappled, stabbed, slashed and threatened by gunpoint at! The system covers the full array of threats that a normal civilian could be subjected to, and how to neutralise those threats.  Again, the emphasis was on an effective and aggressive response to those threats. Although their techniques may seem haphazard and messy to a bystander, there is a lot of logic that goes behind each move. The key is being able to apply that logic to each move when under pressure and with accuracy, speed and strength. By day 10, my group of fellow instructors had to undergo such pressure-testing and all I can say was that it was challenging! Although I have done a few short Krav Maga courses in the past, never had I been subjected to 10 days of continually high-intensity training such as this course! It was both exhausting and exhilarating!

Fortunately, my skills in Krav Maga were relatively easy to acquire due to the many black belts that I had already accomplished in the past. It was just a matter of tweaking a few skills and a change in mind-set. However, a bigger revelation was that because I had not practised my arts every day, those past skill and attributes that collectively make up that skill, had diminish over time.  My body felt the effects of these diminished skills by day 4 with all the kicks and break-falls that we had to do over and over again - so much for being a 4^th dan In Taekwondo and a 2^nd dan in Hapkido. The way I was kicking, one could have mistaken me for a pirate with wooden stumps for legs trying to play English premier league football!

A passing comment made by a long-time Krav Maga practitioner left me with quite a positive impression of this system. Basically he said was that some techniques had changed since the time he first started doing Krav Maga. What this indicates to me is that the system is willing to change and adapt its techniques to be more efficient and relevant for modern society’s threats – something that some of the traditional martial arts would frown upon.

On a more personal note - after 10 days of sharing blood, sweat and injuries with a group of strangers, one cannot but form a bond that can best be described as a brotherhood with them. There is a certain type of character that gets attracted to such sadistic activities and it is through this shared experience that I can honestly say, I know and trust these people more than I would some blood relatives. A wise man once said, “Blood doesn’t make family – loyalty does.” Thank you my fellow brothers and sister for sharing this journey with me.

Krav Maga definitely ranks up there with my list of effective self-defence systems. Improving on this system would be hard, but not impossible, as I definitely think there are some areas that I would like to elaborate on or explore further. My journey in Krav Maga may have just started, but will by no means be solely defined by it. My self-defence journey continues.

To conclude, what did I learn? Besides the obvious self-defence skills, I also learned how to be a better teacher.  As a teacher, one is always striving to find better ways in which to impart the skills and knowledge to a student. As a student, it's all about personal development and being able to accept and apply the instructions of his/her teacher. It's a constant cycle of duality and is one that I hope to continue being on for a very long time.

Till next time.

Get EDUCATED. Feel EMPOWERED. Live a FULLY-ENGAGED life. 

"Some action pics from one of the days!"

For more information on Defence Unlimited's Krav Maga Classes, please refer to the www.defence-unlimited.com website.