“The safety of children should be everyone’s concern.”
– Alain Burrese
Welcome to the July issue of Your Warrior’s Edge News. I really appreciate you being a part of this group, and I hope you find value in the things I provide. Please remember to let me know how I can help you better.
Also, please share this and my website and facebook pages with others who may also enjoy what I write and teach. Thank you!
IN THIS ISSUE:
Staying Safe, New Staying Safe Resource, Self-defense Safety Tip, Your Warrior’s Edge Blog Updates, Black Belt Communicator Tip, Just For Fun – Tough Guy Wisdom Quiz, Off To The Animal-List BBQ, Parting Thoughts
STAYING SAFE
I am sick of all the innocent men, women and especially children who are victims of crime. And while crime has been with us from time immemorial, it seems like many new forms have taken over in recent years. Electronic communications have brought identity theft, workplace and school shootings generate too much “Breaking News” and terrorism is a word that is much too common. And we still have all the old crimes that have been around for centuries…
I can’t personally protect everyone out there. I cannot even protect my family 24/7 because I am not always there. (The thing I hate most about going to teach seminars is leaving my family at home.) But I can help just about everyone, and that’s through the information I provide.
One thing I see, time and time again, when looking at reports about crime, is that people make crime too easy for criminals. We must educate ourselves on how to avoid scams and schemes, guard our personal information, and learn to recognize a physical threat when we see one. (And know what to do when we recognize it.)
So make a commitment right now to continue educating yourself, and your loved ones on how to stay safe. Through continued education and awareness, we can stay ahead of the predators out there, allowing us to live more confidently in a secure, protected environment.
And remember, I’m here to help you. Through my newsletters, websites, seminars and speeches, I’ll be providing the information you need to stay safe. Together, we really can make the world a safer place for ourselves and our children.
So be smart, be alert, protect yourself and Stay Safe!
“How often do we supply our enemies with the means of our own destruction. – Aesop
NEW STAYING SAFE RESOURCE
Because of my increased commitment to help people stay safe, defend themselves, and live powerfully through martial art and warrior teachings, I’ve started a new Staying Safe resource.
I will continue to add to this website regularly and make it a fantastic resource to help you stay safe. So far, you can see these here:
Situational Awareness – 4 videos teaching Situational Awareness, the number one principle for self-defense and keeping yourself safe.
Safe Parking Rules – Best practices for staying safe in parking lots and garages. Parts 1 and 2. (Also read about a parking lot set-up that happened to me.)
Door Safety Strategies – In this article you’ll learn the best practices to use when dealing with the doors in your house.
Safe Travel Packing Tips – Here are a few tips for packing with staying safe in mind.
Be Your child’s Bodyguard – Article on why you should take a proactive stance in protecting your child just as a bodyguard does to protect a client.
“To stand still is to regress.” – Gichin Funakoshi
SELF-DEFENSE SAFETY TIP
FOOTWORK
Proper basic footwork will enable you to move quickly and efficiently while attacking and defending. You won’t be dancing around like a professional boxer, but moving in quick while keeping your balance to get the job done, and then moving out just as fast. Remember that the quicker you end the fight the better.
There are three basic purposes of footwork. One is to move in on your opponent. The next is to move away from your opponent. And the last is to set your opponent up. Anything else is just a variation of one of these.
There are four basic directions you can go: forward, backward, to the left, and to the right. Then you have diagonals that are just variations or combinations of these. To have effective footwork, basically you need to follow this formula: when moving forward, the front foot move first; when moving backward, the rear foot moves first; when moving to the left, the left foot moves first; and when moving to the right, the right foot moves first.
I like to emphasize stepping and sliding. Step with your lead foot and then slide the other foot. This can be done very quickly and will aid you in remaining balanced and centered. Keep the distances moved symmetrical. In other words, if you step forward eight inches with your lead foot, slide your rear foot forward the same distance, eight inches. You want to keep the feet a consistent length apart.
The step can be quickened by springing off the opposite foot. So if you are moving forward, you spring off the rear foot when you initiate the step and then the rear foot slides up. If you are retreating, you spring off your front foot as you step back with your rear foot. Then you slide the front foot back.
Practice moving around like this until you can move about gracefully. You want to be able to attain the smoothest and most coordinated movement between your feet. This will only come with practice.
A very good activity to increase your mobility skills is dancing. My dad used to always tell me I should learn different dances and dance more. It develops balance, coordination, agility, and footwork. I didn’t listen too well and am not a very good dancer yet, but I’m learning some now. When Marc MacYoung asked me if I danced, I told him not much, but that my dad had always told me I should. Animal’s reply was, “You should have listened to him.” Besides helping with your footwork, it’s a great way to meet women. My buddy Dave is an excellent dancer, and he never has any trouble finding someone to jitterbug with. All the women want to get out there and be twisted, spun, and flipped by him, and often he’s the star of the dance floor when we go out. Dancing hurts a lot less than fighting, not to mention it doesn’t get you in near the trouble. Wouldn’t you rather go home with some cutie after a night of dancing instead of going home with a broken nose after a night of fisticuffs?
Adapted from Hard-Won Wisdom From The School Of Hard Knocks: How To Avoid A Fight And Things To Do When You Can’t Or Don’t Want To (Revised and Expanded) to be released this summer.
“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
YOUR WARRIOR’S EDGE BLOG
Recent Blog Posts You Might Have Missed Include:
Book review of “The Compassionate Samurai” by Brian Klemmer
Self-Defense – choose a Safe City to Live and 10 Most Dangerous Cities
Warriors Focus On What They Want To Accomplish
DVD review of Qigong For Women with Lisa B. O’Shea
Self-Defense Against Home Invasions – Home Defense Tactics
Self-Defense for Devices – Prevent Cell Phone Theft
Safety Habits Stack The Deck For Your Survival – Asiana Airlines Crash
Loren W. Christensen Gives Restraint, Control & Come-A-Long Techniques 5 Stars
Nude Swimmer Distracts Man While Husband Robs Him
Restraint, Control & Come-A-Long Techniques Gets Another 5 Star Review
DVD review of the six disc set: Mastering Krav Maga vol. 1 with David Kahn
“Don’t appear just; be just.” – Aechylus
BLACK BELT COMMUNICATOR TIP
Planning communication is important for reasons beyond public relations. It can also provide clarity in decision making. The very process of considering likely reactions to proposed communications can reveal failures of planning in the actual business decision making. In other words, communication planning serves as a leading indicator that something is amiss, and the need to explain something often calls attention to some inconsistency in a leader’s thought process.
– Helio Fred Garcia, “The Power Of Communication”
JUST FOR FUN
Please like the Tough Guy Wisdom Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tough-Guy-Wisdom/190175647790200
50% off coupon for signed Tough Guy Wisdom books to anyone who hits reply and tells me who said this quote and what movie it is from:
When told that he’s probably basically a violent man, who replies:
“No, I’m not. I’m just good at it.”
OFF TO THE ANIMAL-LIST BBQ
Next weekend I’ll be teaching at the Animal List BBQ at Marc “Animal” MacYoung’s in Castle Rock, CO. This event is a weekend of martial arts, self-defense, eating, drinking, story telling and most of all camaraderie among an electric group that includes the likes of Peyton Quinn, Bob Orlando, and Marc MacYoung to name a few. Looking forward to seeing everyone again, and teaching one of the classes. Hope to see you there!
PARTING THOUGHTS
“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
– Dr. Seuss
As you can tell from above, I am working at adding new videos and pages to www.yourwarriorsedge.com If you have not visited the site in awhile, please stop by and take a look around. Remember, I work on this for you, so please let me know how I can help you better.
Wishing you all the best on your journey as you live with the Warrior’s Edge.
Take Care and Stay Safe.
Alain