Inexplicable Things Blog

The following is a blog post via my husband –

Bringing up the idea of self-defense to non-dedicated people or youth can be challenging. I have even had clients that have hired me to get them completely “ready” for what they believe is coming, and still back away from the idea of learning self-defense or hand-to-hand combat.

I recently watched a movie called ‘You’re Next’. In this suspense thriller, the heroine used little to no recognizable hand-to-hand combat moves, except for one.

I have completed, trained and been an instructor for martial arts for over 20 years. And in taking all that knowledge and trying to figure out the very best single moment, movement or strategy to teach someone in less than 5 minutes comes down to only one technique.

It doesn’t matter who you are. You could be a 13-year old girl walking home from school and a stranger tries to pull you into his unmarked van; a 72-year old woman walking down the street that is assaulted by a purse snatcher; a young freshman confronted by the senior class bully, or even a 16-year military veteran doing building clearing and having a weapons malfunction.

One motion, haphazard or perfect.

One target, whether struck or missed.

This technique always gets the attention of your attacker.

Boys and girls, if there was one thing that every person should know, it’s the ‘yoke to the throat’ move.

The steps to accomplishing this move are quite simple.

Step One:     Face your opponent

Step Two:      Put your hands up little more than chest height, palms facing your attacker

Step Three:   Look your aggressor in the eye

Step Four:     With your dominate hand, put your four fingers together and hold your thumb out.  This will form an “L” shape with your hand.

Step Five:  With all your might and fear, in a straight line from where your hand currently is, put the webbed part between your thumb and those fingers through your aggressor’s throat.

Step Six:   Quickly return that hand to its previous position.

Although results will vary, the minimum you will get is your aggressor flinching backwards, grasping for their throat in terror because they are unable to breath. If you executed this move correctly, you will have collapsed your aggressor’s throat, damaging it to the point that they can taste blood, reduced to coughing fits and truly unable to breathe. In MMA, there is one piece of advice every coach gives their competitors in some form or fashion… make your opponent taste blood.

At this point, your aggressor has been rendered a useless victim, giving you time to flee.

When the human body is struck and our mouth filled with the taste of our own blood, it activates the “fight or flight” mechanism in our brain. When we can’t breathe because there is something wrong with our throat, we panic, like someone drowning. I have never read a police report that used the words “fear” or “panic” to describe the attacker.

Until next time, Prepper brothers and sisters – stay vigilant in your quest.

The rest of you – try not to be turned into zombies!

As a side note:

I am pretty sure that Kelly came out of the womb with a K-bar and .45 in hand, ready for the zombie apocalypse!

He was born in 1972 and raised by a Vietnam era veteran. As a child and young adult, he was trained by another Vietnam Vet Navy Seal. Between these two individuals, as well as a host of other characters, his most impressionable years taught him to be prepared for most anything.

In 1993, he became the lead survival instructor for the Specialized Training Institute in northern California. Three years after that, he enlisted in the US Army infantry.

2002 saw him employed for the Department of Defense as a law enforcement officer and security instructor.

And finally, in 2008, he started his own private non-profit survival and prepper academy.