A.R.M.SELF DEFENSE INITIATIVE
AVOID
RESPOND
MINIMIZE

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WHAT IS THE A.R.M. SELF DEFENSE PHILOSOPHY?
 


SELF DEFENSE IS KNOWLEDGE
 

 

The Chinese calligraphy in our logo above means "to guard" or "to defend". In a nut-shell, the ARM methodology, first and foremost, in any given situation, is to "defend" ourselves from a possible altercation. It is only when every means of avoiding a potentially volatile confrontation through verbal and non-physical approach is extinguished, than we have no choice but to respond with reasonable and limited force in order for us to protect ourselves and move away to minimize injury and harm.

 

 


WHAT IS AWARENESS IN SELF DEFENSE?

 

 

A.R.M. STANDS FOR "AVOID", "RESPOND", "MINIMIZE".

Avoidance of a potential confrontation, life-threatening or otherwise (a possible mugging, rape, extortion, street fight, etc) demands location and situational awareness. External awareness of our surroundings and knowing what is going on around us will help us anticipate if something untoward is about to happen (someone hiding in the shadows, a noise in a dark alley, an unsavory looking character approaching you) and allow us to 'side-step' it. There is also an internal awareness. This is how we carry and feel about ourselves from the inside. If you walk with a slouch or poor posture that exudes low self confidence, you will become a prime target for predators.

To Respond is to defend yourself with verbal and/or physical force when all else fails and you know that you could possibly be hurt or even killed if you do not take action or fight back. In times like this, your body will release chemicals within you to prepare for 'fight' or 'flight'. The sudden influx of adrenaline will cause you to breathe short breaths, experience tunnel vision, lose cognitive thought and fine motor skills (like trying to thread a key through a keyhole). The problem with the adrenal rush is that it can also cause you to freeze in fear so much so that you will not be able to respond properly to a threat or attack. This is where you will learn simple, easy and effective gross motor movement-type self defense strikes against the weak points of the human anatomy that can bring down almost any assailant. Repetition in training will 'plant' these movements in your muscle memory so that you will be able to perform them automatically in life threatening situations. Verbally assert your demand for the assailant to back down immediately, failing which, apply these techniques quickly, powerfully, and without prejudice, in order to end the altercation within the shortest time possible.

Minimize injury to yourself by moving away once you have responded appropriately and reasonably to your attacker. As we have spoken earlier about awareness, being aware also plays a part in this instance, whereby prior to, or at the time of provocation, we will already have anticipated a plan of escape by mentally capturing 'snapshots' of possible escape routes, locating objects in and around us which can be used as weapons, and just basically being 'in tune' with our present environment and situation. Once you have temporarily diffused the situation (either by physical contact or verbal persuasion), extricated yourself immediately by running to the nearest public place or police station when you can get help. In this aspect, the most important thing to do is to move away to safety as soon as possible in order to minimize danger to yourself or your loved ones.
 




WHAT IS THE ADRENAL RUSH?
 

Some of the activities we have in class is role-playing (to get use to a threat and learn how to diffuse a situation with body language and words), control the adrenal rush so that you can resume bodily control and peripheral vision, learning the tools of attack and defense (how to punch, kick, sidestep, block), Simulate defense against knife attacks, multiple opponent attacks, ground attacks, etc. Students are also taught to use locks in order to subdue and control an assailant. From time to time, the instructor will utilize the Bulletman Suit (a 'head to toe' body armor) to allow students to go full force against an attacker. This is good training as it allows students to experience the 'adrenal rush' of an attack and to use impact strikes and find out how powerfully they can deliver a blow without hurting the instructor.

We believe that by the end of the first class, a newbie will have learned valuable insight into self protection and by the 3rd month of continual training, will have the necessary skills to defend themselves against a simple attack.

Can we guarantee you that you will always come out unscathed in a threatening confrontation?
No we can't, and I don't believe anyone can.
However, what we can guarantee you is a strong fighting chance in knowing how to handle yourself in such a situation.

 

 


The Bulletman Suit which we use in our
classes for full impact training


Using props like handbags are also incorporated in our training
to simulate real scenarios and offer the student a counter to the attack