Self-defense Tip: Become the Blender

If you are attacked in a tight spot and you are in close quarter's range of fighting it is important to become a human blender. Use your knees, elbows and head butts. Practice these over and over and over in the dojo in many different combinations and angles. Make them flow and you will become a human blender, slicing and dicing your way to safety.

Knees, elbows and head butts are your blades. When used properly, your opponent will feel like he has been dumped into a blender going full speed. He will feel pain, feel lost and be confused as he is being hit high, low and in between from many different levels, angles and positions.

Blenders are also loud. So should you be. Scream, Kiai, Yell...go berserk with loud noise like a blender's blades chopping chunks of ice. This will make your opponent's mind turn to gel and you will add further confusion and pain with knees, elbows and head butts. My students think I am nuts because when I kiai (karate spirit yell), I often am screaming, 'Die!' I call it a direct hypnotic suggestion.

In fact, when SWAT teams enter a home, they are loud and noisey and screaming, "Get down, get down." When the mind gets confused it tends to listen to what is being said and will follow with minimal effort....not always, but usually more than less.

Now this may all seem violent, especially for some of my peace loving readers, but it is part of training for yourself to understand how to receive some of this ...and to find that still and calm place within yourself. How do you respond to being in the blender?

Life many times can make us feel like we are being pureed, liquified and smoothied out. To learn how to stay calm, we need to learn how to create confusion and become the blender. The Dojo is the place for you to practice this safely and to learn how to not only 'be the blender', but to be in the blender and not be 'cut'. To become the blender and be able to bring yourself to this level of violent craziness can, with proper instruction, help you realize that calm and peaceful place within yourself.

This is the paradoxical Way of the Empty Hand: Karate-do.

Hands in Gassho,
Shinzen