Go Home Safe To Your Family!

Feb 17th, 2010

Self Defense w/ Jiu Jitsu Martial Arts Training

No matter what your line of business, your number one job is to Go Home Safe to your family! I’m a paramedic in NYC who’s experienced more than one close shave; they scared me enough to want to pursue self defense training, which I believe has saved my life more than once in my, over ten year, 911 career. Details of my experience are noted in My Story.

Are you an EMT, Fire Fighter, Paramedic, Nurse, Social Worker, or just an ordinary Joe or Jane on the street, who’d like to have an added element of security, confidence, and control? Jiu Jitsu Martial Arts is one of the most effective tools in mastering Self Defense. Why? Because Jiu Jitsu doesn’t rely on size, strength or athletic ability, but on using an attacker’s energy against him.

I have specially designed classes to teach the basic elements of jiu jitsu self defense to the beginner, intermediate and advanced student. JOIN US by clicking on the >> Join Us << link, or on the “Classes” tab on the top right side of this page.

Or, if you have a question, or need a little more information, please >> Contact Us << at your earliest convenience.

Published by: Dave Heuthe, American Kobe Jiu Jitsu Federation Black Belt & Certified Instructor. Dave provides group personal defense classes where lessons are taught in various locations, privately, at Bob Malvagno’s School of Self Defense, and through in-house work programs (e.g. -Fire Department, employer, churches & synagogues, community centers, etc.) in the Nassau County and Sufflok County, Long Island (LI), NY area. Dave’s business is to provide programs that help his students (adults, seniors, teens & children) master self defense. BECOME A CLASS MEMBER TODAY!

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Posted in: Class Progression.
Tagged: personal safety

The Soul/Body connection in Martial Arts

Feb 21st, 2011

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People have many reasons for learning martial arts. Some students study to learn to defend themselves, others use it as a form of getting in shape or just as a way of meeting people. When it comes to children most parents sign their kids up to teach discipline. If you were to listen in on a children’s call in my Dojo you would hear me and other senseis telling the students the importance of discipline in school work, family chores as well as their Jiu Jitsu training. We also teach respect for parents, teachers and those in authority as well as the sensei’s.

Increasingly students are motivated by a desire for inner fulfillment, a spiritual component that is missing from their lives. People can feel an inner disconnect they feel segmented and they want to feel unified “at one” with themselves. Martial arts in uniquely suited to this quest because it acknowledges and promotes this idea. When we train we talk about being relaxed tension stops the flow of physical energy slows down both mental and physical actions. In our training we seek to be in a place where there is a flow. It is not thinking and doing there is only doing. The student’s goal is to become one with the the moment and one with himself. To embrace life as it presents itself to him at this particular time and place. You can see the same phenomenon in sports. You will hear people say they are “in the zone”. They will describe it as just without thinking they are doing everything right. There is just a kind of flow. There is a unification of will and execution, of mind and body, of soul and body. In our training we develop this ability through Ki breathing and repetition. Ki breathing is similar to relaxation techniques, we seek to concentrate on our mind controlling our breathing thereby linking mind and body. This unification increases speed and effectiveness in the execution of techniques in training and also real life situations. A side benefit of this is a feeling of inner peace. Why is this so?

This is because we were created to be unified. People are made up of two aspects, a spiritual(soul,spirit) and the physical(body). the Bible states that when GOD created man He made man’s body out of the dust of the ground and then breathed into to him the breath of life and man became a “living soul”. You can see that initially there is a unification in God’s creation of man. That is why there is a sense of fulfillment when this unification is reached. The danger of this however is that it can become a religion. this is a danger because in searching for this fulfillment and finding some of it in this unification we miss the ultimate fulfillment which is unification with God Himself. We where made to know and glorify God anything less than that will leave us unfulfilled. So the big question is: How do I become one with God? The Bible states the only way to God is through Jesus Christ ( St. John 14:6) Jesus says;”I am the way, the truth, the life no one comes to the Father but through Me” When Jesus came to earth he lived a perfect life and then was crucified and rose again to pay the price for our sin. When a person acknowledges he is a sinner (as we all truly are), turns to God submits to the Lordship of Christ and trusts in His death on the cross to pay for his sin he receives eternal life and a loving intimate relationship with God. So my instruction to all those who seek fulfillment though martial arts is don’t stop there true fulfillment can only come though Jesus Christ.

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CPR- what is it, why do I need it

Jan 31st, 2011

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Have you heard alot about CPR? Do you know what it is? Do you care, Should you?

CPR stands for Cardio Pulmonary Resusitation. It is the method for treating a person who is in Cardiac arrest,in other words they are dead. They are not breathing they have no pulse because their heart has stopped beating. Now let me ask you an important question. If that hapened to you would you want the person next to you to be trained in CPR? I thought so.

How does CPR work? CPR has two components, rescue breathing and chest compressions. Rescue breating is breathing for the person who cannot breath for himself. This can be accomplished by using your own breath, through a mask or other barrier device, or by use of a bag valve mask (BVM). The second component is chest compressions. The purpose of this is to do the work of the heart which is to keep the blood flowing to the body. This is accomplished by pressing on the chest with your hands. This compresses the heart which will pump the blood to the body.

There are manny reasons a person goes into cariac arrest so the purpose of CPR is to keep blood flowing to the vital organs until medical help arrives to identify and hopefully correct the cause.

You might think that this would take alot of training. well you would be wrong. The American Heart Association(AHA) Gives a training program called Heartsaver which trains people in CPR. The course is geared to the layperson and requires no medical training or knowledge. the course typicaly lasts 3 hours and includes hands on instruction with the uses of maniquines. The course is easy to learn and the binifits are encalculable. Think of an elderly loved one. I they went into cardiac arrest wouldn’t you want to be able to help them? I am a AHA certified instructor and am avalible for onsite classes. You can contact me thou this website. You could save someones life

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Posted in: Uncategorized.
Tagged: AHA · american heart · cardiac arrest · choke · choking · CPR · death · heart · heart attack

MMA and Self Defense: What’s the difference?

Sep 23rd, 2010

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Mixed Martial Arts & Self Defense are Different Animals

By Sensei Dave Heuthe

With the popularity of MMA and many schools promoting this style of training I felt it might be helpful to clarify the differences between MMA and Self Defense. The differences are; philosophy, method and goal.

The philosophy of MMA is one of aggression, looking to beat your opponent. In MMA you are looking to fight. When you listen to these fighters talk it’s all about ego. There is lots of trash talk. They talk about how they will destroy their opponent. This type of attitude is encouraged by their coaches and shown to the audience as the ultimate attitude to have in martial arts and the way of success in life as well as in the ring. This attitude produces as spirit of anger or even hatred towards the opponent. This may be helpful in the ring but in can be dangerous in real life. If you walk around with that attitude on the street you will end up looking for fights even provoking someone to show off your ability.

The philosophy of Self Defense is one of avoidance. The old adage of self defense is “we are not fighters we are self defense practitioners”. In a confrontational situation we look to avoid a fight. No challenge, No resistance, No injury to me, is our motto. We do not allow our ego to rule us, we allow wisdom to rule our actions. We don’t feel the need to prove ourselves to others. We are confident in our abilities and need only use them when we are in physical danger. This philosophy produces an attitude of respect and peace. Respect towards others and the pursuit of peace in the world.

The method of MMA is brutal training designed to toughen the fighter both mentally and physically. This is done to produce the aggressive violence that makes for a good fight and a good show. As far as the fight itself there are official rules that are to be followed to make the fight fair and avoid injury. These regulations consist of, weight, age and belt level classes, approved techniques and time limits these matches also have medical personnel that can stop the fight if one of the fighters is too injured to continue.

The method of Self Defense training is designed to train a person for real life. We physically train to be fit. We learn and practice techniques to be proficient. In the real world there are no rules. If you’re attacked it will be by someone who perceives themselves as bigger and stronger than you. They will do whatever they need to rob rape or even kill you; there is no one to stop them, except you. Therefore, you must be trained to do whatever it takes to survive.

The goal of MMA is to win a match or title.

The goal of Self Defense is to avoid or to survive an attack.

So you can see there are fundamental differences between MMA and Self Defense. My hope that you find this evaluation and comparison helpful in choosing what style of martial arts to train in.

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Martial Arts as an Evangelistic Tool

Feb 17th, 2010

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The Gospel & Martial Arts

By Dave Heuthe

In our society there are many options competing for people’s free time. One of the challenges of the church is how to find ways to share the gospel so that people will attend the event. Right off the bat let me say that I’m not talking about altering the gospel in any way.

The gospel of God is that man is basically sinful, completely unable to save himself and so in desperate in need of a savior. God has graciously provided that savior in the person of His own Son Jesus Christ who died on the cross as a substitute for sinful man. When God opens a person’s eyes to see this and gives him faith he then repents and believes and is saved. That is the true Gospel. The method of communicating the gospel can vary as long as it doesn’t violate other principles found in God’s word.

Now when most people think of martial arts they think of fighting, monks and Bruce Lee kind of stuff, but I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about self-defense, learning how to be safe in a dangerous, sinful world.

We can serve the community that God has placed us in by helping them better deal with the world they live in. In this way the gospel and the concept of self-defense are compatible. The reason I can say this is because self-defense is all about staying safe. True self defense teaches you to avoid conflict whenever possible. The scripture states that we are to live at peace with all men as much as it lies with us. There are times however when conflict cannot be avoided.

By offering a community self-defense course you could draw people into your church that might never set foot there. You would offer them something they would see as of value to them and their family and weave the gospel into the course which could bring them the one thing they really need, salvation. This could be done as an after school program. You could teach the children and then have a graduation/demonstration program and end with a gospel presentation. You could do it as an Adult Ed program at night. Many school districts offer courses the difference would be you would be offering something far more valuable, the gospel.

The scripture teaches us that we are to serve people’s natural as well as the spiritual needs this type of program would do both.

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Posted in: Evangelism Tool.
Tagged: self defense

Can the sight impaired be taught martial arts?

Feb 11th, 2010

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Anyone Can Be Taught Jiu Jitsu Martial Arts Training

By Dave Heuthe

In the 70’s TV show Kung Fu one of the masters in the temple was blind. In fact he seemed to be Cane’s primary teacher and mentor. There was such a bond between the two that years after he left the temple Cane traveled to meet master Po for his birthday. There was also a TV show, Longstreet, in which the main character was blind. In one episode Bruce Lee was a guest star who taught Longstreet Kung Fu. Is this just TV hype or can a sight impaired person be taught and more importantly effectively perform martial arts. In my experience they can.

First of all let’s remember that being blind or sight impaired has a legal definition. The continuum is from those who are legally blind, in regards to driving a car, to those who have no sight at all. Given this span the degree of ability varies greatly, but with time, patience and properly tailored instruction they can be taught.

One concept is this: Every weakness is a strength, every strength a weakness. What does that mean? We all have strengths and weaknesses, that’s a fact. How we view them is just as important. For example, if you’re small someone might look at you as an easy mark. A strong attacker might drop his guard assuming you cannot defend yourself. If you can defend yourself he’s made a fatal mistake. He will be quite surprise as he looks up at you from the ground. In the same way a sight impaired person, who is trained, has an advantage because the attacker will assume that he can just walk up and assault or rob him.

How do you teach the sight impaired martial arts? First of all we must realistically look at the limitations of the student in choosing a style and understand, to be effective the sight impaired student must be in close contact with the attacker. Therefore, Jiu Jitsu with its combinations of infighting strikes locks and arm bars would be the most easily learned and most effective style.

Second what method of teaching do you use? The main challenge is that you cannot use visual cues. To say “Do this” or “move this way” doesn’t help the sight impaired because he can’t see what you’re doing. Like with any other skill it needs to be broken down into well described steps. Once you walk through the technique the student can begin to work off his other sense cues like touch once he acts out the movements with a partner. The more he practices the more natural the movements become and therefore the faster they are performed.

Thirdly, the student needs to how to rely on her other senses in jiu jitsu the same way she relies on them for the other situations in her daily life. It has been proven that the brain actually remaps itself using the portion that is normally used for sight and using it for other senses making them more acute. This is taught by testing the student’s senses and demonstrating to her how she connects with her environment.

Fourthly, like any other skill it takes practice. With all the instruction and work with the instructor if the student does not practice with a partner the newly taught skills will be lost. With diligent practice a sight impaired person can learn to defend herself in real life situations.

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Posted in: Personal Defense.
Tagged: personal safety

The 3 Pieces of the Self Defense Model

Jun 2nd, 2009

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What is Self Defense?

Many people tend to lump self defense and martial arts together, thinking they are one in the same. This however, is not true. There is a profound difference in philosophy and goal. Self defense is a subset of martial arts. The best way to show the difference is by going to the foundation of self defense. The model of self defense is divided into three parts: Heart, Mind and Body.

The heart is concerned with motive. Why do we do what we do? This is the core of self defense. The how and what of our actions flow from the why. In self defense our motive is survival. Our attitude in a confrontation is to avoid a fight.

This is done by having a proper heart attitude. We must remove ego from the equation. We don’t have to prove how tough we are. We don’t have to show off. The other motivating factor is emotions, because the heart is the seat of emotions. If you respond in fear, anger or hatred, you will be tense and ridged. You will not be able to flow. You may over react, over commit. You may over think a situation rather than let the technique “happen”. In self defense we don’t look to destroy an attacker we look to neutralize him. We look to do the least harm we need to to be safe.

Let’s look at an example. Most confrontations start with a verbal exchange. Let’s say you accidentally bump into someone. He confronts you. Apologize. Put your ego in your pocket. What if he’s a jerk and he doesn’t let it go? Think about when you’ve been a jerk. Give him some grace. Think,” there but by the grace of God go I ”. You’re not perfect, don’t expect others to be. Stay calm. Remember you are trained; you can defend yourself if you need to. Now let’s look at the second piece of the self defense foundation.

The mind is the connection between the heart and the body, the non-physical and the physical. As you are dealing with your heart you can also begin to employ your mind. As you assess the situation and how the person is responding to you, look around. Where is the nearest escape route? Is the area deserted or crowded with witnesses? Is he alone or does he have friends that might join in? Does he look to be much bigger or stronger than you? Is getting increasingly aggressive? Do you need to back away? How far? Can you just walk away? So let’s say you’ve done all that and he is getting more aggressive. This is where the third piece of the self defense model is applied.

The physical aspect is usually the first part of the martial arts equation people think of but as you can see with self defense it is the last. After you’ve done all you can do to avoid a physical altercation you can only control yourself. If he really wants to fight there’s not a lot you can do to avoid it. You can run, remember pocket your ego. If you can’t, what can you do? This depends on how he attacks you. As you blend your heart and mind, your attitudes and the information you have gleaned, solutions will begin to reveal themselves. As you relax your heart, mind and now your body begin to flow together. Without thinking your subconscious begins to put things together. The attack comes, you almost automatically respond, blending the heart, mind and body into the appropriate technique. You have kept yourself and possibly your loved ones safe.

This 3 piece approach to self defense is not natural. It actually goes against our nature. We want to attack. We want to prove we can win. We want to show off our martial arts skills. Only through realizing our tendencies and disciplining our heart, mind and body can we be an effective self defense practitioner and be safe in an unsafe world.

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Posted in: Self Defense Education.
Tagged: self defense li

Women’s Self Defense LI

Jun 2nd, 2009

by admin.

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Women’s Safety on Long Island

Women don’t need to be unprepared, or the victim of an assault. They can learn simple self defense techniques to fight back.

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Posted in: JiuJitsu Videos, Women & Safety.
Tagged: self defense li

How to Fight if You Need to Defend Yourself

May 25th, 2009

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How to Defend Yourself

Often times we find ourselves in need of defense. Is it over something trivial? Then walk away. If you really are in a sticky situation, run or yell for help. If all other options fail then follow these steps.

Steps

Yell for help first if you are confronted by an attacker.
Run if possible.
If you must fight, get into a low stance with legs bent.
Be aware of your surroundings, watch the attackers center of gravity, be able to Know when and at what direction he will attack.
Block punches with your forearm or open hand, block kicks the same. If possible simply dodge the strike.
Attack when they are off balance. After an attacker strikes, they usually are not totally balanced and can be caught off guard. A sharp kick to the side or legs can cause lots of damage. Punch to the side of the face or use an elbow. If you punch someone squarely you could break your hand.
Knees and Elbows work best close range.
Don’t kick to the head unless you have a good opportunity or are trained to do so.
Many attackers try to take you to the ground and so try to stay on top of your attacker.
If you can’t overpower them, then return to a standing position or try to hit an attackers pressure point. i.e. neck, ribs, or biceps.
Once the attacker has been weakened or injured run for it. Try to find a policeman or call 911.

Tips

Most importantly always report that you have been attacked. It is vital to be able to claim self-defense in court.
Always try to talk or bargain your way out of a situation before it occurs.
Even the strongest opponent can have bones broken and can have pressure points used against them.
Pressure points can be found anywhere a bone attaches to muscle or where joints are connected as well as nerves.
To learn more take a self-defense class.

Warnings

Anyone can be hurt in a fight.
Always know that you can go to jail for hurting somebody if it isn’t for self-defense.
It cannot be stressed enough that the best thing to do if confronted by an attacker is to run.

Article Source: Wiki-How – How to Defend Yourself

Republished by: Dave Heuthe, American Kobe Jiu Jitsu Federation Black Belt & Certified Instructor. Dave provides group personal defense classes where lessons are taught in various locations, privately, at Bob Malvagno’s School of Self Defense, and through in-house work programs (e.g. -Fire Department, employer, churches & synagogues, community centers, etc.) in the Nassau County and Sufflok County, Long Island (LI), NY area. Dave’s business is to provide programs that help his students (adults, seniors, teens & children) master self defense. BECOME A CLASS MEMBER TODAY!

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Posted in: Definitions, Men & Safety, Personal Defense, Uncategorized, Violent Assault, Women & Safety.
Tagged: self defense

Walk Safe in the Jungle

May 13th, 2009

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Another Self Defense Article by Dave Heuthe

What jungle you ask? We live in a dangerous world. We could be the prey of a human predator the same way an impala might be the prey of a tiger. What can we learn from creation? What do animals know that humans don’t? What strategies can we adopt from the animal world that will help us be safe?

We humans are still animals. Don’t believe me? Look at a hungry teenager at lunch, his mother at a sale or his father at a little league game. We are more intelligent and we are more aware of our motives and moral implications of those motives, but we are still animals. We are still responsible for our actions. Our intelligence and conscience give us an inherent sense of right and wrong. The predator ignores that sense. That’s what makes him dangerous.

We can be fooled into thinking that we live in a safe world. It doesn’t look like a jungle, there are too many buildings, and we have sidewalks and paved streets not paths and trails. What really confuses us though is that everyone looks so nice. They would never hurt us. Let’s see the real picture. What is this society really like? Street attacks that seem random may be well planned. Studies have shown that the vast majority of attacks are planned. How are they planned? What criteria do they use? Could knowing that help us to be safe?

The predator always has three advantages. He chooses the where, when and how of an attack. He has a plan. We don’t. Or do we? Let’s go back to the animal world and see what we can learn.

We have all seen nature shows about Africa and how the animals interact. What is the motive and intent of the predator? How does that shape his decisions and actions?

The predator has one goal, EAT. He’s not fighting for honor, country or a philosophy. He is hungry. When he looks for a victim he is looking for an easy mark, one that will give the least resistance. He looks for the young, weak, injured. He looks for the lost and isolated. He picks the straggler, because there is less risk more reward. How does that relate to us?

The human predator actually has the same goals as his animal counterpart. He wants to eat. In our case that means robbery. He also doesn’t want to be injured or captured. So who will he pick as his victim? He will pick the old or young. The weak or handicapped. The distracted or alone. How does this help us to stay safe?

Here are some proven strategies.

- - - Walk with confidence. Walk with your head up, shoulders back. If you look strong he’ll look for someone else.
    - Walk aware. Look up not down keep checking your surroundings. If he can’t sneak up on you he’ll move on.
    - Walk with someone. Don’t go into a deserted area alone. There is safety in numbers.

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Posted in: Self Defense Education, Uncategorized.
Tagged: self defense li

Personal Defense Martial Arts

Go Home Safe To Your Family!

Self Defense w/ Jiu Jitsu Martial Arts Training

The Soul/Body connection in Martial Arts

CPR- what is it, why do I need it

MMA and Self Defense: What’s the difference?

Mixed Martial Arts & Self Defense are Different Animals

Martial Arts as an Evangelistic Tool

The Gospel & Martial Arts

Can the sight impaired be taught martial arts?

Anyone Can Be Taught Jiu Jitsu Martial Arts Training

The 3 Pieces of the Self Defense Model

What is Self Defense?

Women’s Self Defense LI

Women’s Safety on Long Island

How to Fight if You Need to Defend Yourself

How to Defend Yourself

Steps

Tips

Warnings

Walk Safe in the Jungle

Another Self Defense Article by Dave Heuthe

Dave Heuthe – JiuJitsu Author

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Martial Arts Forum

Womens Counter Offensive

News Long Island

Self Defense in the News Video

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