Professional Training (Conditioning) for Self-Defense (weaponless)

Caveat: This article is mine and mine alone. I the author of this article assure you, the reader, that any of the opinions expressed here are my own and are a result of the way in which my meandering mind interprets a particular situation and/or concept. The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of other martial arts and/or conflict/violence professionals or authors of source materials. It should be quite obvious that the sources I used herein have not approved, endorsed, embraced, friended, liked, tweeted or authorized this article. (Everything I think and write is true, within the limits of my knowledge and understanding.)



In an article posted by janine@bwss it was stated, “In the aftermath of a violent encounter, documentation of professional training could give your attorney ammunition she needs to stave off a prosecutor’s attempts to convince a jury that you are an ignorant, irresponsible, trigger-happy vigilante. Your textbook and any handouts your instructor gave you can be submitted as evidence on your behalf in either criminal or civil proceedings. Your certificate of completion not only demonstrates that you did your utmost to be responsibly armed, but it could help your defense attorney track down your instructor who can then testify that you were trained to stop a legitimate threat to a life, not to take a life.”

Now, in an attempt to relate that to martial arts used for self-defense, as an exercise in thinking toward a self-defense defense (regardless, you MUST always seek advice on this stuff from a qualified self-defense attorney). 

“In the aftermath of a violent encounter, documentation of professional training could give your attorney ammunition they need to stave off a prosecutor’s attempts to convince a jury that you are an ignorant, irresponsible, aggressive vigilante. Your textbook and any handouts your instructor gave you can be submitted as evidence on your behalf in either criminal or civil proceedings. Your certificate of completion not only demonstrates that you did your utmost to be responsible in your use of force, but it could help your defense attorney track down your instructor who can then testify that you were trained to stop a legitimate threat to a life or the threat of great bodily harm, not to take a life or to inflict great bodily harm.” (note: underlined are the changes I made)

First question, is this a legitimate, accurate and legally acceptable change? Second, is this actually relevant toward a legal defense of a self-defense situation? If yes, is this also possibly a means for a prosecutor to convict a person? Is this even reasonable and prudent toward a self-defense defense?

If this were even remotely viable that gives whole new meaning toward the how, when, where and what type of training and practice are provided by self-defense courses. I wrote articles about high ranks, etc. and how they may be perceived toward a higher level of standards toward application of self-defense and this occurred to me when reading the article, “Knowing What he Defendant Knew and The Necessity of Professional Defensive Firearms Training.” 

If your instructor actually took the time to learn the entire spectrum of the self-defense discipline would the materials and instruction provide the same benefits as discussed in the articles linked in this post? I mean, if they provide you, at a minimum, appropriate source references such as Marc MacYoung’s book, “In the Name of Self-Defense,” would those sources along with associated and inter-connected lessons in class and on the dojo floor actually hold the same value as those talked about in the linked articles? 

If you are asking these questions and if your instructor is also along with teaching them you may be in the right dojo. If not, maybe you should find some place that will do just that and if you are a gun owner and you expect it to be your self-defense weapon then go back to the linked articles and read on brother, read on!

Primary Bibliography of Self-Defense (Some titles have RBT drills included):
MacYoung, Marc. "In the Name of Self-Defense: What It Costs. When It’s Worth It." Marc MacYoung. 2014.
Miller, Rory Sgt. "Meditations of Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & Real World Violence" YMAA Publishing. 2008.

Bibliography Articles on Self-Defense/Conflict/Violence

The main page leading to the articles I have chosen as a starting point to attain knowledge of conflict, violence and self-defense is: http://ymaa.com/articles/society-and-self-defense where you can navigate to the below or you can simply find a title below and click for direct access to the articles. Most of these are actually introductions to the references written by the authors themselves. It is advisable to start here then move on to the more in-depth stuff in their publications. This section will get you a beginning understanding necessary in phase one of learning self-defense. 

I.M.O.P. Principle—Intent, Means, Opportunity and Preclusion http://ymaa.com/articles/2014/10/imop-principle-intent-means-opportunity-and-preclusion
Introduction to Violence: Scale of Force Options http://ymaa.com/articles/introduction-to-violence-scale-of-force-options
Facing Violence: The Unconscious Stuff-Finding Your Glitches http://ymaa.com/articles/facing-violence-the-unconscious-stuff
Violence: What Everyone Needs to Know About Fighting http://ymaa.com/articles/violence-what-everyone-needs-to-know-about-fighting

Secondary Bibliography of Self-Defense (Some titles have RBT drills included):
Ayoob, Massad. “Deadly Force: Understanding Your Right to Self-Defense”Gun Digest Books. Krouse Publications. Wisconsin. 2014.
Goleman, Daniel. "Emotional Intelligence: 10th Anniversary Edition [Kindle Edition]." Bantam. January 11, 2012.
Miller, Rory. "ConCom: Conflict Communications A New Paradigm in Conscious Communication." Amazon Digital Services, Inc. 2014. 
Miller, Rory and Kane, Lawrence A. "Scaling Force: Dynamic Decision-making under Threat of Violence." YMAA Publisher. New Hampshire. 2012
Miller, Rory. "Force Decisions: A Citizen's Guide." YMAA Publications. NH. 2012.
Miller, Rory Sgt. "Facing Violence: Preparing for the Unexpected." YMAA Publishing. 2011.
Elgin, Suzette Haden, Ph.D. "More on the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense." Prentice Hall. New Jersey. 1983.
Elgin, Suzette. "The Last Word on the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense" Barnes & Noble. 1995
Morris, Desmond. “Manwatching: A Field Guide to Human Behavior.” Harry N. Abrams. April 1979.
MacYoung, Marc. “Writing Violence #1: Getting Shot.” NNSD. Amazon Digital. 2014.
MacYoung, Marc. “Writing Violence #2: Getting Stabbed.”  NNSD. Amazon Digital. 2015.
Elgin, Suzette. "The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense" Barnes & Noble. 1993.
Elgin, Suzette. "The Gentle Art of Written Self-Defense" MJF Books. 1997.
Maffetone, Philip Dr. “The Maffetone Method: The Holistic, Low-stress, No-Pain Way to Exceptional Fitness.” McGraw Hill, New York. 2000
Strong, Sanford. “Strong on Defense_ Survival Rules to Protect you and your Family from Crime.” Pocket Books. New York. 1996.
and more … see blog bibliography.
Jahn, C. R. “FTW Self Defense.” iUniverse. Amazon Digital Services. 2012
Jahn, C. R. “Hardcore Self Defense.” iUniverse. Amazon Digital Services. 2002.

Bibliography of RBT Drills (Some titles have RBT drills included):
MacYoung, Marc. "In the Name of Self-Defense: What It Costs. When It’s Worth It." Marc MacYoung. 2014.
MacYoung, Marc (Animal). “Taking It to the Street: Making Your Martial Art Street Effective.” Paladin Press. Boulder, Colorado. 1999.
MacYoung, Marc. "A Professional's Guide to Ending Violence Quickly: How Bouncers, Bodyguards, and Other Security Professionals Handle Ugly Situations." Paladin Press. Boulder, Colorado. 1996.
Miller, Rory. “Drills: Training for the Sudden Violence.” Amazon Digital Services, inc. Smashwords. 2011.
Quinn, Peyton. “Real Fighting: Adrenaline Stress Training Through Scenario-Based Training.” Paladin Press. Amazon Digital Services, inc. 1996

My Blog Bibliography
Cornered Cat (Scratching Post): http://www.corneredcat.com/scratching-post/
Kodokan Boston: http://kodokanboston.org
Mario McKenna (Kowakan): http://www.kowakan.com
Wim Demeere’s Blog: http://www.wimsblog.com

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