What is the Essence of Defense?

What exactly is the essence of defense?  Suppose you took a martial art(s) and stripped it down to its core principles and functional movements to allow it to be employable with any tool whether it be empty-hand, blunt weapon, edged weapon, long weapon, hidden weapon, or improvised weapon?  What you would have is a fast, effective, no-nonsense approach to communicate years of martial arts training in a short span of time.  This approach would make self defense methods immediately accessible to people who may not want, or have time, to devote decades to becoming effective at defending themselves.  Suppose you want to have the confidence and ability to protect yourself and your family from sudden violence, but don’t want the trappings of tradition and the hours of perfecting forms and kata?  What if the essence of defense could be extracted by 2 highly experienced martial arts practitioners, refined, distilled, and communicated not over years, but in the course of a seminar?

Principles:

  • Get off the line of attack
  • Counter-attack
  • Intercept/destroy the attack
  • Unbalance the opponent
  • Continuous movement
  • Escape
  • Much more….

Movement:

  • Positioning
  • Footwork – angles, distancing
  • Safe space
  • 3 dimensional movement
  • Much more…

Tools:

  • Body weapons
  • Blunt objects
  • Edged weapons
  • Improvised weapons
  • Hidden weapons
  • Much more…

 

Who should attend The Essence of Defense seminar?

  • Military
  • Law Enforcement Officers
  • Anyone who wants a working knowledge of practical martial arts principles that allows them to create their own techniques in response to a specific threat of violence. 

When:  Saturday, September 8th from 11 AM to 4 PM

Where: Redemption Kettlebell Gym in Robbinsville, NJ

Cost: $65

Who:  Eric Chasko is a fully licensed instructor in Jeet Kune Do/Filipino Martial Arts with over 15 years experience.  

Jon Haas is a 9th dan in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu with over 30 years experience.

For more information and to sign up, please go to http://www.iwantredemption.com/

See you there!!

Everyone Needs a Coach!

The other day, I was working out with my good friend Eric Chasko at his studio, Redemption Kettlebell Gym in East Windsor, NJ.  After our training session, we were discussing the mechanics of a basic kettlebell swing and Eric had me demo a few swings.  As I began demonstrating the basic kettlebell swing that I had been taught almost 10 years ago, he noticed a hitch in my movement during the back swing.  Instead of keeping my back flat, I was raising it slightly as the bell moved into back position.  This was something I had never noticed previously.  Initially, it would not cause a problem, but over time, and with some serious volume, it would begin to stress my low back and contribute to pain in that area if not addressed. 

Eric picked up another kettlebell and showed me the difference between what I was doing on my back swing and how it should be done correctly.  We then worked on keeping my back flat while bringing the bell back and then driving with the hips to swing the bell upwards.  After a practicing for a couple repetitions, I got it.  As Eric is fond of saying, “Kettlebell swings are not bad for your back.  The way YOU are doing them is bad for your back!”   Unless you ask questions and talk to a knowledgeable professional, you never know what you don’t know!

So, although I have done kettlebell swings for years, I still had something to learn from a coach.  Never assume you already know how to do something, even something as basic as a kettlebell swing!

Kettlebell Swing #1 - Approach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kettlebell Swing #2 - Back Swing

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Kettlebell Swing #3 – Hip Drive!