| The United States Marine Corps has a training | | | | not getting killed. |
| booklet called "Kill or Be Killed" that they use as part | | | | Every street fight, whether it's with bare fists, |
| of their self-defense and hand-to-hand combat | | | | knives, sticks, guns, chains, or whatever is about |
| training. In years of martial arts training in a dozen | | | | getting out of the fight alive. It's about winning in the |
| different styles under as many teachers and trainers, | | | | most fundamental way. It's about life or death. |
| I've never seen the truth of self-defense so | | | | As soon as I understood that and had verified it with |
| eloquently explained. | | | | all of the real street fighting experts possible, I began |
| Self-defense is not about knowing a special move or | | | | work on my own techniques of self-defense. I took |
| having a short repertoire of stances and techniques | | | | all of the martial arts that I've learned over nearly |
| for street fighting. Many so-called self-defense | | | | thirty years of training and whittled them down to |
| instructors are happy to sell you that idea, but they | | | | basic movements and forms. I removed everything |
| are not teaching you street fighting (real world | | | | but the very best, most effective forms for fast, |
| self-defense). | | | | brutal, "get it over with" fighting. |
| The USMC, however, has encapsulated the very | | | | I tested, re-tested, honed, and perfected those skills. |
| secret of street fighting technique into four simple | | | | Then I learned something else about fighting (and |
| words: Kill or Be Killed. | | | | winning) that I hadn't realized before, since it had |
| Those words drive home the plain fact that when | | | | always come naturally to me. I learned that physical |
| you're fighting in the street against thugs to defend | | | | fitness is as important as knowing the "right moves" |
| yourself and loved ones or friends from harm, there | | | | if you want to survive in a brutal street encounter. |
| is only one thing that matters: winning. You are quite | | | | So I further honed my teaching of self-defense to |
| literally fighting the good fight. Losing means serious | | | | include a holistic approach to true street fighting |
| injury, a crippled lifetime, or even death. | | | | self-defense. Today, I teach physical fitness as a |
| After studying over a dozen forms of martial art, I | | | | basic essential to self-defense. It's as basic as |
| realized that while they each had good points and | | | | technique and even more fundamental than |
| were useful in one way or another. This didn't mean | | | | everything but awareness. |
| that any of them, by themselves, were good enough | | | | If you are physically fit and aware of your |
| to save my life or the lives of my loved ones in a | | | | surroundings (the Marines call this "situational |
| real street brawl. | | | | awareness"), you have a leg up on 90% of the |
| So I began studying real street fighting. The real | | | | people on the street, including the thugs who might |
| stuff that happens every day in London, New York, | | | | attack you. With the proper techniques for |
| Bangkok, Sydney, and the world over. I spoke with | | | | fast-acting defense, you will be ahead of nearly |
| bar and club security ("bouncers") who throw | | | | every attacker you might face on the mean streets |
| themselves into fights almost every day. I talked to | | | | of the world. |
| police, military, cage fighters, and even street thugs | | | | It's all about wanting to be prepared and then acting |
| who've turned a new leaf. | | | | on that and learning to be prepared. It's about |
| Every one of them said the same basic thing: fancy | | | | understanding that it's Kill or Be Killed out there, |
| Kung Fu, karate, boxing, etc. are worthless if you | | | | whether you like it or not. |
| don't understand the reality of the fight: it is all about | | | | |