One of Bruce Lee’s most interesting street-fighting discoveries — that is virtually unknown in the traditional and even the so-called "mixed" martial arts world — is what he called "trapping range."

What is trapping range?

Trapping range is the range of combat that is sort of in between grappling range (up close) and boxing range (within arm’s length). And what makes it so powerful is that it allows you to use your body’s own natural "weapons" — such as your elbows, knees and the top of your head — to attack a person’s "tender areas" — such as their face, groin or eyes.

This range is so effective it allows even small children and 65-year-old ladies riddled with arthritis to take down a 300-pound crazed lunatic almost instantly, with the guy on the ground howling in pain and screaming for medical attention.

In fact, when you know and understand trapping range, your attacker’s size, weight, height, and even skill don’t mean jack squat.

I don’t care if you’re fighting a 7 foot tall thug jacked up on drugs and ripped with muscle…or a multiple black belt martial arts master who has trained his entire life. It simply won’t make a lick of difference who you fight when you know and understand "trapping range."

And best of all:

Since it’s virtually unknown to 99.9% of the population…even in the martial arts world…chances are that anyone foolish enough to attack you will have no idea how to defend themselves against it when you use it on them.

Sifu Matt Numrich is one of only a few people in the world with Full Certification in Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do and the Filipino Martial Arts. He’s been published in Black Belt Magazine and his students include US Air Marshal instructors, the US Navy, and dozens of local, state, and federal law enforcement agents. For a free lesson on how to win brutal street-fights go to: http://jkdondvd.com

A few weeks ago, I decided to start martial arts training.

Big deal, eh?

Well, the big deal is that at 44, my body doesn’t work like it used to. And the sad truth is that when it comes to physical skills, my body hasn’t worked well at any age. Previous attempts to pursue martial arts have resulted in damaged shoulders, torn groin muscles, etc.

I’m a desk-jockey, not a fighter.

But here I am, 44, flirting with that mid-life thingy, and signing up for a martial arts class. (Sayoc Kali, if you must know. It’s the knife-fighting style featured in the movie The Hunted. When I saw the fight scenes, I was glued to the screen. This was something I had to learn!)

Based on the work I’ve been doing with a more knowledgeable friend, I’m doing something different this time. I’m making an effort to maintain The Beginner’s Mind, and keep the ego under control for a change. I’m trying to keep from over- analyzing the drills and skills, and to just “show up and do the work.”

My research and experience with enhanced awareness and accelerated learning indicates that the best learning takes place when the brain is in the alpha state. It can be a challenge to learn to access and maintain that state during physical activity, but it is possible.

Here’s what I’m doing: on the drive to class, I’m “heart breathing.”

I also have two other variations I do, but they’re minor, and have no real purpose other than to help keep me from driving into other folks who have the misfortune to be on the same road with me.

That gives me 35 minutes of heart breathing. Once I’m at class, I try to focus on my breathing as much as possible, but I’m still learning to make it a habit.

When I’m getting instruction, and when I’m going through the motions, I try to keep my eyes in “wide-angle vision.” This is the focus used in PhotoReading (PhotoFocus), in tracking (”splatter vision”), and also discussed in Musashi’s Book of 5 Rings.

I’m amazed at the results!

For the first time in my life, a physical skill is coming easily for me. I’m no prodigy, by any means, but if you consider the way these things usually work out for me, it’s astounding.

* I’m able to stay loose and relaxed through the entire class period.

* I can quickly learn and retain the drills and moves.

* I experience very little soreness during or after class.

Sayoc Kali is rather physical, and since I bruise rather easily, I had concerns about it, especially when I saw the rows of bruises on the instructor’s arms. But so far, the only bruise is from a knife tip that got past a block and hammered my ribs. But it was gone in a couple of days, instead of the 2 weeks that I would have considered “normal.”

The biggest challenge I’m facing is with my ego–these results are so abnormal that my ego keeps jumping in there with all sorts of pats on the back. I have to keep reminding him to go back to making sure I’m breathing properly.

Here’s my theory: the 30+ minutes of heart breathing before class is dropping me into the alpha state, and the combination of focus on breathing and wide-angle vision during class is helping to keep me in the alpha state for most of the class.

What does this have to do with the extended mind? Simple. The alpha state is key to enhancing your awareness. When you’re in this state, you do your best work. You’re open to intuitive input. You notice more. You learn faster. And you react faster to incoming stimuli. In essence, you are experiencing one aspect of the extended mind.

In the martial arts example, the learning process is much easier for me because of my efforts to maintain the alpha state. By establishing the habit now in the beginning stages, I’m bypassing some of the “beginner’s frustration” and hopefully building a foundation to be even more effective as the physical skills progress.

You can learn more about heart breathing and the extended mind by visiting http://www.TheExtendedMind.com

Copyright 2006 by D. Sharpe Permission to use this article is granted as long as it remains unchanged and has the resource box attached.

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Tips, tools, and techniques to explore human potential, intuition, manifestation, and mastery at http://www.TheExtendedMind.com

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What is mma? Mma stands for mixed martial arts. Mixed martial arts is the blending of two or more fighting systems. The most common styles combined are striking and ground techniques. In the early days of mma competitions in the U.S., The ground fighters had an advantage because most of the stand up fighters were not prepared if the fight went to the ground. An interesting transformation took place. Stand up fighters began to train in submission fighting, ground fighters began to train in stand up, and a new breed of fighter was born into the world of mma in the U.S. It takes special kind of person to compete in this high demanding sport. Most of these famous fighters that you here of did not get there over night. Most of them competed for a long time in smaller amateur circuits.

There are several components to mma. Striking. This is where the fighter attempts to punch, kick, elbow, or knee his opponent into a K.O., submission, or referee stoppage. Submission. This is when a fighter forces his opponent to “tap-out” (give up) due to a joint manipulation technique such as an arm bar, or a strangulation technique like a rear naked choke. Ground and pound. A fighter takes down his opponent, mounts him, and pummels him with strikes until a K.O. or referee stoppage. Take down. When a fighter takes his opponent to the mat with intention of submission or ground and pound. Sprawl. A tactic used when an opponent shoots in for a take down. The defending opponent will place his hands on the shoulders of the attacker and sprawl his legs out behind him to prevent the take down. Shoot. To dive in on an opponent’s legs for a take down. There are many more components to mma, but these are the basics. More will be covered in following articles.

Mma Physical training. Along with their mma training, most fighters incorporate a rigorous Physical training program. Many fighters use weight training styles that increase muscle endurance, cardio styles that include rope skipping, sprints, and other high intensity activities. The goal of this training is to prepare the fighter to withstand several rounds and still have enough energy to fight efficiently.

Mma safety. To this day not one report of serious injury or death has been reported during a sanctioned mma fight. The same cannot be said for boxing. In mma events if you are knocked senseless you do not get a standing count to recover and get pummeled some more. The referees are very careful not to let a fighter get severely injured.

The recent popularity of mma has come to be due to the popularity of a certain reality show. Mma is a difficult sport to be involved in and requires a lot of physical and mental training. It also requires a lot of time to reach the level of the guys that you see on TV. Mma stars are not made over night. Most of them have spent a lot of time competing in smaller amateur circuits.

Mma events are exciting to watch and lets man get in touch with his inner self seeing modern day gladiators go toe to toe with respect in a modern day coliseum!

This article is meant for informational purposes only and is not instruction.

Shawn Sellen is the owner of the mixed martial arts website mmaarticles.com

If you are like me, you are looking to get in a little better shape. What better way to do that than to start taking up martial arts. There are literally hundreds of different types of martial arts styles, and you want to make sure that you are getting a good deal on your karate lessons. Karate studios vary in quality, and unless you know what you are doing it might not get the best deal available. There are hundreds if not hundreds of thousands of karate instructors and their quality varies widely. Let’s take a look at three different tips to keep in mind when shopping for a karate studio.

1. How long. This might not seem obvious at first, but the length of time that a karate studio has been in existence is more important than you would think? Why is that? Because many karate studios are like restaurants. People who open restaurants generally are good cooks, and maybe not the best business people. Just because you’re an Olympic athlete doesn’t mean you are a good business person. So what if a karate studio is brand new, the odds of its staying around for a long time, are fairly low. But if the karate studio has been around for a little while. You might be a lot safer, signing a long-term contract with them.

2. Instructor. Who is the instructor? Is he or she a well-known name? Is in a chain of karate studios? The instructor makes all the difference. Finding a good instructor is like finding a nugget of gold. The good ones are hard to find, but when you find them, you should really stick to them. Ask the instructor or what his qualifications are and how long he’s been practicing karate. A little legwork goes a long way.

3. Location. Is the karate studio close your house? Is it easy to access? What are the hours? Find out all this before hand. You don’t want to be driving hours just to take a karate lesson here and there. While close is better, if a really good instructor is a little out-of-the-way, that might be a good way to go too

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Come by our site and learn all about karate today.

Want to learn about karate and more? Visit http://www.doublekarate.com/blog/index.php to learn about the latest karate and karate school.

A lot of people in the wrestling and jui-jitsu world don’t like to hear this…but the secret to winning ground fights has nothing to do with knowing the latest joint locks and manipulations.

Instead, and I know it sounds strange, winning a ground fight is almost entirely dependent upon your fingers…and your teeth.

And, if you do it right, it should never take more than 5 or 10 seconds to win. Even against someone who outweighs you by 300 pounds, and even against someone with a lifetime of ground fighting experience.

How is this possible?

The answer is simple:

Paul Vunak, one of the best (if not THE best) street-fighters in the world — who also happens to be the guy who trained me and a whole host of Navy SEALS, CIA, FBI and DEA agents — spent a lot of time figuring out how to win fights against advanced grapplers and ground fighters.

And he knew that trying to learn all the different grappling rolls, moves and techniques would not only take way too much time for the average guy to learn, but were not necessarily the best way to win on the ground anyway.

His solution:

He learned, mastered…and now teaches…the "art" of biting and eye gouging.

Think about it:

Someone has you pinned to the ground, what’s your fastest, most efficient option?

Is it:

1.) Trying to apply a complex grappling lock or joint manipulation technique that may or may not work?

or…

2.) Biting the guy’s neck or gouging his eyes with your fingers — which will, in 99% of cases, force a person to instinctively (he almost won’t have a choice) jump up and want to put as much distance as possible between you?

I think you will agree the answer is obvious.

And you know what?

This is just one of many examples of why, when it comes to fighting and martial arts, the whole key to winning — on the ground or standing up — is simplicity.

Sifu Matt Numrich is one of only a few people in the world with Full Certification in Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do and the Filipino Martial Arts. He’s been published in Black Belt Magazine and his students include US Air Marshal instructors, the US Navy, and dozens of local, state, and federal law enforcement agents. For a free lesson on how to win brutal street-fights go to: http://jkdondvd.com

Although saddened to read about the passing of Floyd Patterson, the boxing Champion of the 1950s and ’60s, I felt inspired as I recalled a chance encounter I had with this remarkable man 20 years ago.

I was enjoying summer in New York’s Hudson River Valley, living and working at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies. The day I met Mr. Patterson I was running some errands, and lost sight of the main road as I explored some of the neighborhoods in Kingston.

Meeting a Remarkable Man
As I decided to find my way back to the main road I saw a man up ahead, walking around in front of his house. I pulled up slowly and asked him for directions back to the highway. Then spontaneously I heard myself blurt out with astonishment: "You’re Floyd Patterson!" I felt my head bow slightly as I offered my hand to him in friendship and recognition — but on the inside, my ‘Being’ was focused on making physical contact with this man.

When I’m open I can receive.

I was completely surprised that I recognized him because I didn’t really know what Floyd Patterson looked like, nor did I know anything other than he was a ‘king’ in the pantheon of champion boxers, though one that had come and gone before my time. (I didn’t come of age until Cassius Clay — soon to become Mohammed Ali — fought Sonny Liston).

‘Chi’ is a concept only understood as a feeling.

The Transmission
With the slightly regal look of someone who at one time was recognized the world over, combined with a humble appreciation of being so well received decades past his prime, Mr. Patterson graciously wrapped his hand around mine. I felt my average-sized hand ensconced in his warm, soft grip. It felt like a mother’s hand, gently pulsing with tenderness; ironically, a hand that had battered and pummeled many an adversary into submission as he plied his warrior craft in the boxing ring. And then he pointed me in the right direction and I drove off, feeling exhilarated, calm, and fulfilled. I’ve recalled this meeting many times over the years, and each time I do, I re-feel the transmission of ‘Chi’ I ‘received’ from him.

Open To Receive
This meeting/feeling was a milestone experience for me in that I felt ‘first hand’ the Chi or ‘Life Force’ of this Master of the Warrior Tradition. After many years of my own practice of Aikido and Tai Chi, I now know that this transfer of Chi was able to happen because I was open to receiving it; not that I decided at that moment that there was something for me to ‘take’; rather I was ready, able, and willing through an ongoing commitment I made to this ‘growth process.’ So, like a wireless computer that recognizes any ‘transmitter’ in its range, the Chi that Mr. Patterson emitted naturally passed into me, and because I cherish that feeling it nourishes and guides me to this day.

Guided by his perspective that "your life is your career," Michael Kessler offers you his unique skill-set for ‘meeting the challenges that meet you.’ By combining his business experience, martial arts wisdom, and basic street-savvy, Michael works with you to strategize the best ways to achieve the personal and professional goals you want to reach along your way. Contact Michael for a FREE consultation to discuss your needs and how to meet them, or subscribe to BIOM’s FREE newsletter.

People often send me emails asking me why I’m so hard on traditional martial arts — like karate, kung fu, aikido, etc.

Only problem is, I’m not hard on them.

In fact, I have nothing but respect for them — as did Bruce Lee and all the other street-fighting masters who have emerged in the past 30 years.

The street-fighting philosophy I teach literally has elements from some 30 different kinds of traditional martial arts. If I didn’t like or respect them, I wouldn’t be teaching them.

But at the same time…Bruce Lee had this saying: "absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own."

In other words, take a good look at what’s out there, extract what you can actually use in a street-fight — where there are no rules, regulations or referees — and leave all the fancy stuff out.

Like, for example, the much revered spinning high kick you see performed on TV and in the dojos all the time.

Totally useless in a real fight.

Don’t believe me?

Then go ahead and try it for yourself in a real fight.

Chances are you will either severely injure yourself, or leave yourself wide open to an attack.

Why?

Because unless you’re a phenomenal athlete, with an almost supernatural sense of balance, timing and power…and unless you perform your "super kick" at just the right angle and distance…you’ll fall flat on your face.

Happens all the time.

Reason why is because that particular kick — which is enormously popular in some of the traditional martial arts — was invented hundreds of years ago to kick people off their horses.

Not take out a thug in the back alley high on meth, with a knife in his hand.

You see, the violent criminals stalking our streets today are meaner, nastier and tougher than ever before in history. They have no sense of honor, fair play or morality whatsoever.

And to make matters worse, many of them also abuse mind-altering drugs and even steroids — making them almost immune to pain and pumped with an almost freakish kind of brute strength.

And so, to really defend yourself against these violent criminals you need fighting tactics that are "monkey simple" to learn, work almost automatically when you need them, and that can quickly do a lot of damage — whether you’re in shape, out of shape, or have any natural athletic ability whatsoever.

Bottom line:

When you’re in a violent altercation on the street, leave the fancy "Jackie Chan" moves and Van Dam roundhouse kicks for Hollywood where they belong.

Sifu Matt Numrich is one of only a few people in the world with Full Certification in Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do and the Filipino Martial Arts. He’s been published in Black Belt Magazine and his students include US Air Marshal instructors, the US Navy, and dozens of local, state, and federal law enforcement agents. For a free lesson on how to win brutal street-fights go to: http://jkdondvd.com

Believe it or not, there’s only 3 reasons why people lose fights:

1.) Wind

2.) Range

3.) The inability to "transition" from one area of combat to another

Let’s break this down:

Number one speaks for itself.

If you’re gasping for air because you’re out of shape, you’re probably not going to last long in a fight. And you’d better know how to take someone down fast.

Number two is also pretty simple.

A guy who only knows kick boxing will get his butt whipped if he ends up on the ground fighting with a grappler, and vice versa.

What about number three?

Well, think of it this way: Imagine two boxers punching it out. Then the instructor yells, "Okay, stop boxing and grab a weapon!"

Boxer A looks around and sees a bat on the floor and quickly grabs it. Boxer B, on the other hand, stops for a second, takes another few seconds to process this change in fighting, then identifies a nearby knife and picks it up.

Who would win?

Unless he trips or something, Boxer A wins all day long. He’d be on Boxer B like white on rice, and probably beat the tar out of him before he even picks the knife up.

The same holds true for any change in a fight. If you don’t know how to go from one situation to another — fluidly, without missing a beat — and your opponent does, you’re cooked.

What’s the bottom line?

This: Practice fighting in such a way where you have to quickly — without warning — go from one area of combat to another, and you’ll be all but invincible in a fight against someone who doesn’t know how to do the same.

Sifu Matt Numrich is one of only a few people in the world with Full Certification in Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do and the Filipino Martial Arts. He’s been published in Black Belt Magazine and his students include US Air Marshal instructors, the US Navy, and dozens of local, state, and federal law enforcement agents. For a free lesson on how to win brutal street-fights go to: http://jkdondvd.com

How would you like to generate more power in your strikes when you’re in close with your opponent? You can, by developing the little known skill of Dropping Energy. Dropping Energy is perfect for fighting nose-to-nose, where the most mayhem occurs and where there’s no room to pull back and chamber a strike. It also delivers more energy in less time at any angle, and causes far more internal damage to the enemy without disrupting your relaxation, sensitivity, or balance; instead, it augments them.

Over the years I’ve probably gotten more letters on this single aspect of Guided Chaos (Ki Chuan Do) than anything else. So what I’m going to do here is reveal a very basic method for developing your Drop Hitting.

The One Inch Punch vs. The No Inch Punch

When people are first introduced to the concept of Drop Hitting it usually conjures up images of Bruce Lee’s famous "One Inch Punch," however, drop hitting is completely different. Unless you understand how the phenomenon works you’ll either perceive it to be some sort of magician’s trick in which the student and instructor are in on it, or, if you are so inclined, believe it’s some sort of mystical "force" or "energy" developed through years of meditation. In both cases you would be wrong. In fact, drop hitting is a very learnable skill that virtually anyone can employ to great effect. Drop-hitting is trained on a moving opponent since generally speaking, people usually don’t stand still waiting for you to throw a punch at them.

"In a boxing match you can win by points, in a real fight you have to knock people out"– Jack Dempsey

Probably no one knew this better than the legendary Jack Dempsey who was a master pugilist and a master at employing the Drop Punch or what became known as "The Dempsey Drop." The Drop Punch or Dempsey Drop is an extremely sudden penetration, which is very focused and localized as opposed to the One Inch Punch, which is more of a pushing-like motion in order to move people backwards. The problem with pushing people backwards (as anyone with real fighting experience can tell you) is that it generally makes them mad, allows them to come back and does not by any means end the fight. Remember that when people attack you on the street they mean business; rarely do they just walk up to you without at least trying to use some sort of subterfuge to get the drop on you.

Another difference between the Drop Punch and the One Inch Punch is that the Drop Punch can be employed at any range with any weapon including having your hand right against a person’s body ( a "no-inch punch"), so as long as the person you are striking is within your sphere of influence it can be used from literally any position.

Developing the Drop Punch

Let’s be honest, the Drop Punch is one of, if not the "coolest" technique we teach and until you’ve felt it for yourself you just would not believe how devastating a strike it is. I know that there are still people who will, even after reading this, remain skeptical. Those who have felt what it feels like to be on the receiving end of the Drop Punch can speak first hand to the power of the strike. About the only way to describe it is if you have ever played a contact sport where you got blindsided and the hit literally "rocks" your whole body, that’s the way it feels.

When hit with a body shot you feel for a second that you are going to go unconscious. You become nauseous and your organs feel like jelly as a wave of kinetic force penetrates your body.

Understand that such demonstrations of dropping power, while devastating, are not designed to cause permanent damage. Anything more than that could cause serious injury or death. This is why we do not Drop Strike when working with each other to the head or to the neck and other vital areas, nor do we drop with full power for all of the reasons stated above.

In Tai Chi and other internal arts this technique is called "Cold Power." All Cold Power is, is the ability to suddenly bring all of your body into the strike at the right moment with compete relaxation and all of the physics behind it. You’ve seen this a million times yet probably never knew what it was. The explosiveness of dropping is the same effect as a football player blasting someone into the next world with a devastating hit, a hockey player checking someone into the boards or hitting a slap shot. In sports they are allowed to over commit on their shots or as in the case of football give up their entire body, whereas in a fight this is unacceptable since it makes you vulnerable to possible counterstrikes.

When striking people the Drop Punch feels like hitting a baseball on the sweet spot of the bat, or hitting a golf ball on the right spot of the club. In other words, when all of the physics and body unity come together upon contact the strike feels effortless yet the effect is extremely potent. In essence this is the purest application of Tai Chi "Fa Jing" and chi or as some books on the internal arts describe it "…the circulating point of finesse in the body."

How Do You Drop?

Simply put, Dropping Energy refers to a spasmodic lowering of the entire body weight into a current or new root. Whatever your body weight is, it becomes a formidable weapon when you get it moving all at once in accordance with gravity. The sensation of dropping is similar to having your legs kicked out from under you, stumbling off a curb, or falling asleep at the wheel of your car and then jerking awake. It resembles the effect when you sneeze: your diaphragm contracts violently and your whole body spasms and drops. The energy is explosive but involuntary. You want to be able to control it at will, directing it to any weapon. When fueled by your fear and permitted to flow by relaxation, the damage dished out by dropping can be substantial.

Dropping consists of two parts that happen simultaneously:

1. Stand with your knees slightly bent, then try to bend them more so quickly that for a split second your whole body becomes weightless, so that a slip of paper could actually be inserted between your feet and the ground. Most beginners make the mistake of actually jumping up first, which entirely misses the point. if you are a skier or play hockey, the sensation is similar to down-unweighting (the fastest way to change edges in a turn).

2. Halt the drop with a snap to start the shock wave of energy. You don’t want to drop more than a couple of inches at most. Think of it as snapping a wet dish towel or cracking a whip; you’re essentially trying to "catch the bounce" your body makes as it’s stopped. Your momentum bounces off the floor through your feet and back up your body to be channeled into whatever weapon you’re using, provided all your joints are perfectly aligned for maximum power generation from your foot all the way through your hand. Think of it this way: a whip will generate zero power if a) it’s grabbed in the middle just as it’s snapped or b) the timing is wrong gathering the entire length of the whip for a wave-like crack or c) the whip itself is dipped in water and rigidly frozen (this is akin to fighting in an external style using pure grunting muscular exertion). when you drop properly, all the loose flesh on your body shakes violently (you know what we mean…)

You can drop into one or both legs or from leg to leg, it doesn’t matter.

Advantages of Dropping as a Source of Power

* It requires no continuous muscle tension or great strength

* It requires no windup or chamber

* It’s perfect for fighting nose-to-nose, where the most mayhem occurs and where there’s no room to pull back and chamber a strike

* It delivers more energy in less time

* You can deliver it at any angle, including upward

* It causes far more internal damage to the enemy

* It doesn’t disrupt your relaxation, sensitivity, or balance; instead, it augments them

Seven Step Drop Program

Here’s a series of progressive exercises that you can practice on your own. Please note: In order to develop the ability to drop on your strikes the most important thing you must develop is your balance. Without balance you can do nothing, for you need to be able to "catch" and control your body as you strike, since the power emanates from your root through your center of gravity. As you drop you must land with your foot flat with your center of gravity rooted over the foot you drop on.

STEP ONE - stand with your hands out in front of your arms, shoulder height and slightly bent with your wrists relaxed. This position looks exactly like the first move in the Tai Chi form. As you drop and catch yourself, perform a palm heel strike, focusing on timing your strike with your drop. Your arms should feel the contraction of the muscles with the hands "snapping" into the palm heel strike. Your hands should strike outward in front of you with no more than three to four inches of movement.

Start off slow, focusing on developing the timing and then gradually pick up the speed.

Resist the temptation to "launch" with your legs by jumping up in the air first. This is a common mistake and will not add one iota of power to your strikes.

Upon dropping, ensure that all motion in your body ceases and hold your position for two full seconds. You should feel yourself rooting to the ground with each drop, knees bent, ensuring that you do not hop forward or lean in any one direction dropping straight down. This will ensure that as you strike you are able to do so with maximum contraction of the muscles and balance. Make sure as you recover for your next drop that, as you return to the original position, you are totally "relaxed" between each drop.

Repeat this over and over for two minutes or until the point of fatigue.

STEP TWO - repeating all of the steps in step one, upon dropping, ensure that all motion in your body ceases and hold your position for one full second. In doing so you will now begin to cut down on the amount of time it takes between your strikes while ensuring that as you strike you are able to do so with maximum contraction and balance.

Repeat this over and over for one minute or until the point of fatigue.

STEP THREE - upon dropping, ensure that all motion in your body ceases and hold your position for one half a second cutting down even more on the amount of time it takes between your strikes to gather yourself, again focusing on striking with maximum contraction and balance.

STEP FOUR - stand with your hands out in front of your arms, shoulder height and slightly bent with your wrists relaxed. As you drop and catch yourself, perform a side chop or "shuto" strike focusing on timing your strike with your drop. Your arms should feel the contraction of the muscles with the hands "snapping" into the strike. Again your hands should strike outward in front of you with no more that three to four inches of movement.

Ensure that the hands are already in the proper position to make the strike work as if you were striking for real, focusing on hitting with the side of the hand, not the fingers. Now, you want to drop and strike as fast as you can, making sure you remain balanced as you strike and relaxed in between strikes.

Again do not lean forward or hop as you strike. Make sure that you are striking as you catch yourself when dropping.

STEP FIVE - repeat step four only now, drop on one leg, alternating the feet, and begin to develop the dropping on one leg. Do not lean forward or to the side and do not hop as you strike. Make sure that you are striking as you catch yourself when dropping, ensuring that your center of gravity is directly over the rooted leg. Once you gain proficiency at this, begin dropping employing various strikes, hitting within your sphere of influence with every possible weapon you can imagine.

STEP SIX - repeat step five, striking and moving in every possible direction, striking with every possible weapon within your sphere of influence. Ensure that as you step you maintain your body unity. Then begin the Guided Chaos exercise Polishing the Sphere (see Attackproof: the Ultimate Guide to Personal Protection), intermixing it with drop hitting.

STEP SEVEN - drop until you can’t drop anymore and repeat several times a week until it is infused into every fiber of your being. You should mostly feel this in your legs, later you will want to do this against a heavy bag, then on the wobble board, then on the board against the heavy bag, on one leg etc…

These are simply beginner drills. There are many more advanced drills to develop Dropping Energy and apply it to dynamic combat under chaotic conditions.

Al Ridenhour is a Lieutenent Colonel in the United States Marine Corps Reserves, and is a veteran of the Persian Gulf War-Operation Desert Storm, where he commanded an infantry unit and served as an instructor in unarmed combat for his Marine unit and for the battalion’s Scout Sniper platoon. He has been training in the martial arts since 1985 and is a sixth-degree black belt (Master) in Ki Chuan Do, the adaptive, free-form internal art created by former forensic homicide investigator John Perkins. Ridenhour is also co-author of Attack Proof: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Protection. See http://attackproof.com/ More articles and DVDs can be found at http://www.attackproof.com/FREE-self-defense-NEWSLETTER.html

One frightening truth about the world is that there are really, really, REALLY bad people in it.

In fact, one harvard psychologist has documented that 1 out of 23 people in the world — or 4% of the population — is what’s called a "sociopath".

What exactly is a sociopath?

A sociopath is simply someone who has no conscience. Someone who doesn’t have the ability to bond with another person or even know what it’s like to care about another human being.

It’s sort of like people who are color blind.

They know there’s a color called "red", because people have told them there is. But they have never actually seen it and can’t even imagine what it looks like.

And that’s how it is with sociopaths when it comes to caring about other people. Their minds simply aren’t "wired" to feel compassion.

Why am I telling you this?

Because I dealt with and studied many of these people while getting my masters degree in psychology. And I’m telling you right now, if you’ve never had an experience with one then you have no idea how dangerous they are.

In fact, if you don’t understand how bad and widespread this problem is on all levels of society (including business, politics, law, education, and other seats of power and influence) — and what they are capable of and and how to identify them…you’re in serious danger if you encounter one on the street some day.

Why?

Because robbing, hurting, torturing even killing another human being — even a family member — is as easy and "routine" to them as ordering a hamburger at McDonalds. They have no pity or remorse. They have no idea what compassion, guilt or love feels like.

They neither recongnize or follow society’s "rules." And if you aren’t well versed in self defense (specifically "street fighting" self defense) you will be in serious danger if you should ever encounter a violent sociopath on the street some day.

Sifu Matt Numrich is one of only a few people in the world with Full Certification in Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do and the Filipino Martial Arts. He’s been published in Black Belt Magazine and his students include US Air Marshal instructors, the US Navy, and dozens of local, state, and federal law enforcement agents. For a free lesson on how to win brutal street-fights go to: http://jkdondvd.com