I have been engaged in long term love affair with the martial arts for more than fifty years. The thoughts and skills of the ancient and modern warrior have fascinated me practically all my life. I have had the privilege of training with some of the world’s most eminent martial arts masters as well as specialists in self-defence, personal protection and close quarter combat. I have trained hard and I think I may have accrued some skills along the way, but for me the accumulation of knowledge is significantly more important and more useful than physical prowess. I have written books and articles, created the Survival Files, published my own magazine and delivered training to both the private and public sectors all over the world, and I believe my work helps to keep people safe. However, I would be the first to admit that I don’t deem myself to be some sort of bogus 21st century warrior; and that over inflated ego that is intrinsic to all martial artists was knocked out of me many years ago. I believe that out of knowledge comes strength and safety, and if any of the knowledge I have acquired over my fifty year expedition can go some way to helping someone else either stay out or get out of danger, then I’m satisfied that it has not been a wasted journey.
The dedication in my original R.E.A.C.T book, Think Safe, Act Safe, Stay Safe, with R.E.A.C.T reads as follows:
Dedicated to all those people who have successfully defended themselves or others without ever having taken a self-defence lesson or reading a book like this. To those who recognised their enemy’s weaknesses, were empowered by their own strengths, and took control.
You are an inspiration to us all.
Every town and city across the globe has seen a rapid decline in people’s respect for their fellow man, resulting in selfishness, aggression and violence. Huge numbers of citizens are living in constant fear of attack. There are people out there who were never endowed with a social conscience; the only pain they acknowledge is their own. They are society’s predators and they will always prey on the weak, or what they perceive to be a ‘soft’ target. The behaviour of these types can range from the manipulator, whose sole purpose is self-gratification at the expense and pain of their victim, to the extremes of the serial killer and international terrorist. Their primary characteristics are that they have no regard for anyone, other than what they can take from them, and that can only be your property, your body, your life or all three. We must all accept that at some time in our life, we will probably be faced with a situation that could potentially put us in harm’s way. Furthermore, in all probability you’ll be on your own the day it happens and it’s doubtful that anyone will come to your rescue, the responsibility for your safety will rest firmly on your shoulders and yours alone.
Every day thousands of people are faced with the cruel reality of a physical attack and have little to no concept of how to deal with it. Even today people still think they have to learn martial arts such as judo or karate in order to defend themselves. NOT TRUE. As I said in my dedication many people have successfully defended themselves without ever having learnt a martial art or taken a self-defence lesson in their lives. I have loved every minute of my martial arts career and wouldn’t have missed the experience for the world. However, in truth, out of the thousands of techniques and combinations taught, the strikes, kicks, punches, projections, pins, chokes, throws, and locks, very few are relevant in a real-life street situation. Being a martial artist even at Dan grade level does not automatically denote an ability to defend oneself. Over my many years of training I have witnessed countless numbers of what I call ‘dojo dancers’. The self-assured, supremely fit martial artists who perform their techniques brilliantly with consenting opponents in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust. Sadly many of them would stare ignominious defeat squarely in the face if placed in the company of a confident and experienced street fighter.
As you already know my R.E.A.C.T Survival Files are dedicated to the ethos of STANDING TALL IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY. An understanding that with a little knowledge there are always options. Although everything may appear to be dreadfully black, by giving yourself permission to take control, the sudden realisation that you’re not necessarily looking defeat in the face will empower you to carry on.
I have set up a new group, I’ve called it ‘Neko chi Seikatsu Ren’ (Cat with a thousand lives group) They say a cat has nine lives, well, our groups cat has a thousand lives, because there’s a thousand stories out there of ordinary people who have had the terrifying experience of descending into the dark pit of despair and pain at the hands of physical brutality. Nevertheless and against all the odds they were able to draw on some inner strength, utilise some skill or knowledge that empowered them to STAND TALL IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY and take back control of their destiny. To live another life in the knowledge that they stood tall and said, “NO! I will not be a victim today”.
The Japanese word ‘Seikatsu’ means life, living or one’s daily existence. I believe that no one should ever have to submit to being victim of a physical attack at any time in their daily existence. Neko chi Seikatsu Ren is a group for those people who believe these words to be true.
JOIN the group if you have a story to tell. I want other people’s success stories to inspire those that read them.
JOIN the group and tell the stories of people you have trained and how your training worked for them outside the dojo in the real world.
JOIN the group if you have never had a self defence in lesson your life, but you stood tall in the face of adversity and won the day.
JOIN the group if you think you have a story that will motivate others into believing that they too have options, and don’t need to concede to a victim state.
My story
I am going to start the ball rolling with one of my own stories. I believe this tale illustrates that no matter how good and switched on you think you are, how many black belts you have, how many boards you can break, how many pushups you can do or how massif your biceps are. It can happen to you, and when it does you’ll need more than all of the above put together, if you hope to walk away.
This happened to me a few Christmases ago.
It was a damp, bitter cold and pitch black December night. The time was around 9.30 pm and I was still working at my office. Tired and hungry I decided that enough was enough and I was going to go home. I was reminded of something an old friend use to say to me. “You never see a grave stone with the inscription I WISH I HAD SPENT MORE TIME AT THE OFFICE”. How true.
So off I went on my weary way. I park my car at the rear of my building, it’s very dark and very secluded but I’ve parked there for many years and I’m used to it. I think thats another way of saying I’m complacent. (Mistake No1)
I walked to my car opened the door, got in, put my key in the ignition and strapped myself into the seat. (Mistake No2)
So far so good but just at the point when I reached for the door handle to close it, something went horribly wrong. One second I was minding my own business and the next I had company, vicious, terrifying company. There he was, and dressed to kill. Black balaclava, heavy black leather coat and gloves, the full terrorization regalia.
In less than a heartbeat he had pushed me back into my seat and pressed a Stanley knife (box cutter) against my throat and announced in no uncertain terms that unless I gave him all my cash and credit cards he would, and I quote…
…“Cut your fucking eyes out”. And I believe he would have done just that and without a second thought.
This guy could have opened me up from ear to ear in a blink of an eye and there was absolutely nothing I could have done to stop it at that point.
However, and fortunately for me he only wanted my money that night and not my life. It was that very fact that gave me time to compose myself and start the thought process of, what the f*** am I going to do now. My brain was racing at a million miles an hour – REACT, REACT, REACT. Come on Steve you teach this stuff, you write books and give people advice on what to do when shit like this happens – REACT, REACT, REACT. Although all this happened in just a few breathless seconds it seemed like an eternity .
Despite what you may think or not think about knife defence, the difference between the stylish techniques performed with pinpoint accuracy and elegance in the training hall and the real thing is staggering, believe me. Just remember one simple thing, put a knife in the hands of a eight year old kid with violent intent, or an eighty year old grandmother who thinks you are going to harm her grandchild and you have a problem that could snatch the life out of you in the blink of an eye, no matter how good you think you are.
Going back to my new friend for a moment, and to cut a long story short, training and experience eventually kicked in. The result of which was him going to prison for four years and me being here to tell the tale.
What did I do? … What does it matter?
There is however one thing I can assure you of. It wasn’t like a scene from a Stephen Segal movie, and my new coat was covered in blood (thankfully his not mine) and to say the least I was lucky, very, very lucky, unlike the roof lining of my car which was slashed to ribbons.
Join the Neko chi Seikatsu Ren and share your experiences, they may help others to…
… STANDING TALL IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY.
Dedicated to Debbie Coleman
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