Here is another example of a fine job of parenting...

Both ways the bonehead holds the gun certainly could cause a problem for a clean defense (holding it down and back at his side, and holding it up near his ear...that one perplexes me but what do you expect when all his education is from tv or other boneheads?)
Added to that, he is pushing the intended victim with his non-gun hand. At Colorado Krav Maga, we train on these types of scenarios all the time and as you can see by the video even the other kids instinctive response ended up working well. I think the lessons to take away from this video is timing. When is go time? He could have been shot numerous times before he acted, but perhaps he didn't feel like it was imminent. He may have known his attacker (likely), so there was bound to be some banter or even monologuing going on.
When reading the boneheads body language, I think its apparent that had the intended victim just took off running away (beyond his first move back to his skateboard) the bonehead would likely have just started shooting, like a dog that only chases a cat once it starts running. It's obvious in this video that the boneheads only source of manliness was the gun (and it wasn't very big). They guy was a complete wimpy looser and got beat down by a smaller skater dude, how embarrassing for him.

Watch this video it's very disturbing. http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=164657074696&ref=mf
Forget that some asshole is simply recording the whole thing, but those who try to help have no clue how. This is why we do what we do. Krav Maga Students, let me list the response options for you....
#1-shoot the guy in the head...from 2 inches away.
#2-Fire extinguisher or similar object to the face at full force, swing for the bleachers American frckin Baseball style.
#3-round kick to the face at full force.
#4-third party protection defense vs. knife attacks.
The guy is so focused on killing this lady that all attempts to interact with him are completely ignored. Bystanders appear to be afraid of the knife! His single-mindedness is insane, the only way to stop this safely is to shut him down. I don't know if this lady survived, I hope so. But let's look at the most difficult option listed here, third party protection defense going hands on.
In a knife attack, it's a bad idea to tackle someone. If I even have to explain that to you then you should stop reading this blog now.
IF, and I mean IF, you have to go hands on in this scenario, you will need to control the knife hand quickly since you are putting yourself in range to be stabbed as well. Use the Krav Maga approach to defending against knife 'brandishing' and, from this position, a variation of hand-grenade takedown. You'll need to be ready to deliver some serious counter attacks right away. Forget about trying to "control" the attacker, it's way past that. Do some damage to him right away. His single mindedness should tell you right away that it's not controllable situation.

Panhandlers stab couple

OK, so Tony just had a run in with a panhandler in Denver on Monday, and on Tuesday a couple is approached on Colfax by a pair of panhandlers. The asked for money, the couple said no, and one of the beggars jumped the male. They went to the ground, when the second looser started stabbing the male victim. The male victims female companion tried to help out, but also got stabbed in the frey. Here's the story: http://www.9news.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=124513&catid=346

I don't have any more facts that what's posted on the story. When I hear more about how it went down I'll update everyone, but at least we can learn a few valuable lessons from this.

1. Of course there's no way to know for sure, but I'm fairly certain that the fact there were TWO of them working in tandem was a major factor. Every asshole is braver with a 2nd asshole nearby. They feed off of each others violence and aggressiveness. It's safe to say that if you are approached by panhandlers working together, alarm bells need to be ringing like mad.
2. Going to the ground should be avoided if possible. It may not have been possible in this case, I don't have all the facts, but if you already know there are more than 1 aggressor, your first priority is to stay on your feet and stay mobile.
3. If you are going to get involved in an altercation from the outside of the original fracas, use an entry tool that's likely to create space or do serious damage. You need to control the situation quickly and violently.

I recently posted a video online created by Daniel Carlini, one of our instructors, that has a little bit of footage of us training to engage as a 3rd party in an altercation. We've been training for several weeks on entering an altercation with a kick to make space against an aggressor and removing either a known or unknown person from the area. Great training, and an invaluable lesson on dealing with multiple problems.
I think that as long as the economy remains bad and the system offers less and less deterrence's, we will see more and more of these kinds of street criminals pairing up or even forming roaming mini street gangs (evidenced on 16th street mall lately).

We hope the two victims recover and the suspects are caught before it gets worse.

Posted from a note from Tony Cummings, KM Instructor

Monday Night, 2 of our instructors had the opportunity to experience Downtown Denver at it’s best. While stopped at a gas station, out of necessity, they were “confronted” by one of Denver’s finer citizens. While putting air in a tire, this fine citizen began walking across the parking lot toward both the cars. About half way, he began to yell that he wanted some change to get on the bus. Normally we blow this stuff off, but this guy struck them as different. It brought to mind Mike’s post and his suggestion to read The Gift of Fear. Below are some indicators that I noticed which are included in deBecker book:

Forced Teaming – “Do you guys have change,”

Charming/Niceness – “I’m stuck hear and need some change to get on the bus,”

To Many Details – See above and “I’m trying to get on the bus stop across the street,”

Now while these are just a few of the indicators, subconsciously they knew this guy wanted something more. You can account this to many factors, one of which I’m sure was the fact that he saw a young female standing “alone” in a dark corner of a parking lot. As he got closer Tony (Instructor 1) lost sight of Jessica (Instructor 2) although she was standing right next to him (after moving around her car). It was one of a few psychological reactions to a stressor:

Auditory Exclusion – “Although we were about 5 feet from a busy highway with cars flying by, I could not hear anything but the sound of this guy and his loud voice,”

Tunnel Vision – ‘I totally lost sight of Jessica although she was right next to me and all my focus was on this guy; looking at his hands, his body language, his demeanor,’



Automatic Pilot – “My first reaction was to go immediately to the threat, after obviously “taking some precautions.” Now while I don’t advocate getting in a physical confrontation, sometimes you have no choice; it’s merely a by-product of the situation.”

Mike’s post drives home a valid point; you just never now. You can do everything right and still end up in a bad situations through no fault of your own. While this incident is minor compared to his, it still has to make you wonder; do you fight or do you run? While fighting should always be the last option, sometimes it’s the one that can be the difference between life and death. It must be a mindset and you must be pre-programmed to just react if a confrontation is unavoidable. Additionally, it is important to realize how your body will react until real time stress. It still amazes me that although I have been in many bad situations, my body still tells me something is just not right. Never chose to be assaulted while you stand still, the first time you are a victim, the second time you are a volunteer.

Thinking in "Plan Bs"

I’ve looked at different postings on different forums and such. I’ve seen some great accolades from our students. The ones that catch me are those that mention how the instructors really seem to care and how they seem to have a passion for what they are doing. Well, let me tell you. You have no idea how much we care. What we do and what we are preparing you for is real. Let me tell you a story, unfortunately this one is also real.

Last week a 19 year old girl was raped. Sadly, not an uncommon headline but an almost unheard of occurance in this community. 10:00 pm, along a heavily traveled street, in a very safe community. This evening was not unlike any other in her life. She often took a walk in the evening. As she was walking she saw a man ahead of her. Nothing particular or strange about him but an overwhelming feeling inside her told her something was wrong. SIDE NOTE - REQUIRED READING: The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker. She crossed the street to avoid his approaching path of travel. She lost sight of him but still had an uneasy feeling so she decided to walk to the nearest public place. It was closed. So she continued on to the next public place that she knew was open. Moments later she was attacked from behind in a bar arm choke. He pulled her down into a deep drainage ditch that runs along the side walk. She struggled and escaped. He grabbed her in a bear hug and pulled her back. She tries to punch him. He punches her in the mouth. He drags her into some trees and sits on top of her and begins to strangle her. During the assault he whispers in her ear.

Now let me be the first to say that I will never judge someone by how they respond under this type of stress. But count the ways and opportunities there were for her to effectively defend herself and escape. 1. Bar arm choke. 2. Bear hug from behind/arms free. 3. Inside defense. 4. Combatives. 5. Choke from the front while in mount. 6.Guard escape. It makes me crazy mad to think that this assault could have possibly been stopped with any one of six ways.

We all must be thinking in “Plan Bs”. This young woman had a self defense text book “Plan A”. She was aware of her surroundings; she avoided a potentially dangerous encounter; she sought out safety in a public place.

She had no Plan B.

Please come to class. Please have fun. And please, in some part of your brain, remember the seriousness of what we are doing on that floor. We are fiercely and relentlessly preparing “Plan B”.

The physical manifestation of stress and nervousness

All I can say is "I called it!" When I saw Zazi live on the news saying he has no ties to terrorists, I said to my wife "He's lying!" Not because I'm racist, not because I think all muslims are terrorists, but because he could NOT keep his eyes looking forward when answering those tough questions!
I am no expert on lie detection, but Zasi is no expert on deception. I am, however, an expert on the physical manifestation of stress. In Krav Maga, we purposely and methodically formulate ways to create stress in training every single day of the week. In our own training, we constantly work on creating stress and then finding ways to overcome it or, better yet, train in ways that solve the problems DESPITE the stress.
Now, here's what YOU should know and how I think YOU can help. When you are at large public events, mass transit locations, chemical or ammunition wholesalers, or schools and churches; BE ALERT! More importantly though, you need to know what to look for, and if you're not in uniform or obviously someone who could cause them a problem, then they may not show your their hand. So how do you look for it? Look like you ARE someone who is in charge! Walk with a purpose, be alert of your surroundings, and make eye contact with everyone. Imagine seeing someone talking to a friend. Now imagine that same person talking to a friend, but looking around and making eye contact with everyone walking nearby at the same time, and standing tall and alert. What would you think of that person? Someone who is up to something will be worried about being caught. The will PHYSICALLY MANIFEST that stress and nervousness by way of avoiding eye (and any) contact with authority figures. They will seem overly prepared for casual questions or contact, but may have to think way too hard about questions that they should answer easily....Not questions like "why are you here" but questions like "Oh, I know everyone here, who are you visiting?" And just so you know, any sentance starting with "uhhhhhh" is universal language for "I'm about to lie to you..."

I'm certainly not advocating taking any action, but do report anything you feel out of place to authorities immediately. It's not a crime to be wrong, but what if you're right? Zazi and his cohorts planned on killing hundreds of people, and paralyzing an entire city and mass transit around the country. The FBI did a great job, and we need to thank them all for saving our lives. But they can't be everywhere. There are no less than 9 more known cells in Denver. Do your part by simply walking tall and being a force to reckon with.

Terror in Denver

Don't think it can't or won't happen in Denver. A New York connection, this guy was on the news last night denying any terrorist ties, and today the FBI finds boxes of bomb making materials in his apartment. I don't know about you, but if I'm a Japanese American living in Denver during WWII, among the list of things I WOULDN'T have in my home is bomb making materials.
But let's get down to it. It doesn't matter that THIS GUY was caught or even if THIS GUY ends up being guilty or not, there are more right here in Denver that are real and guilty. Be aware, be vigilant, be safe. If something doesn't look right, TRUST YOUR GUT! Report it and let the officials sort it out.
It doesn't matter how well trained you are at hand to hand combat, combat shooting, martial arts, knife fighting, stick fighting, MMA, or anything. You can't defend against a car bomb that you don't know is coming. The only way to defend against that is to not be there when it happens, and we can't give in to terrorists and live our lives that way. So how do we defend? Observe and report. Everything at any time and all the time. No one can operate in complete isolation. There are clues.
Educate yourself and get to know your neighbors. Make your block or your floor a group banded together in common interest of self defense and survival.
Enough bomb making material was found today in 2 locations to blow up several homes the news says, but COME ON PEOPLE, who the hell believes they would blow up houses? Schools, churches and malls. These bastards will go after our kids people. Any doubt about my analysis? Google "Beslan". B-E-S-L-A-N.
OK, here is where to go and what to do, thanks to a client of ours, Katherine OConnor:
For citizens who would like to get involved, see http://www.citizencorps.gov/ or contact your local emergency management office and ask about Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training and Creating Vigilant, Prepared Communities (CVPR) training. A few local contacts:Stephanie Hackett shackett@auroragov.org Office of Emergency Management. Carolyn Bluhm carolyn.bluhm@denvergov.org Denver Office of Emergency Management.

Two women successfully fight off knife attack

On Sunday morning while hiking west of Fort Collins, CO, 2 women were attacked by a man with a knife. The women were able to fight off the attacker using a walking stick. One of the women sustained some wounds on her hands and arms (defensive wounds, no doubt).
This story is awesome. Stories of successful defenses against a knife attack are hard to come by. Think about how it transpired and the situation and environment...in the wilderness, no witnesses, not hiding his identity, very willing to use the knife, 2 victims. This would almost certainly have ended badly for these girls had they not fought back! Using the stick was probably instinctive but a great choice nonetheless. The stick gives you reach, which can nullify the advantage of an edged weapon. The only way this could've ended even better than it did is if the 2nd girl had a gun, then the predator would not now likely be able to attack anyone again.
When using a stick to defend your self against an edged weapon, use both hands and strike for whatever is nearest to you to start. Don't 'over commit' in case you miss you don't want your back turned. keep moving laterally as you strike, making yourself a hard, moving target. If you are trained, use the stick in conjunction with your legs to keep distance and do extra damage.
Good guys 2, bad guy 0.

Random Attacks in Denver

At Colorado Krav Maga, most of our time spent in training drills are to mimic random attacks. Not because they are the most common, but because they are generally the most difficult to deal with.Now comes the really hard part, dealing with the pyschological reality of a truly random attack. Most people will first go through the denial process. It is, after all, difficult to believe that someone we don't know, whom we didn't provoke at all, would simply walk up to us and attack us! However, this has been happening in Denver for a few weeks now.How long will you be in denial and when will your reactions kick in if ever? After the first 'hit'? After you've been grabbed? Or will you wait until you are are actually hurt?We train defending random attacks so that you can react immediately to them, even if your emotions are still in denial. Getting punched before you 'wake up' to the attack is one thing, getting stabbed is another thing entirely.