Weapons Vs Targets

Gershon Ben Keren

Sun 29th Mar 2015

One of the most often asked questions when I am teaching striking is, “what are you aiming for?” Sometimes the question is aimed at trying to understand if a specific point is being targeted, such as when punching to the face; should you look to hit the nose, the chin etc. and sometimes it is more general e.g. upper torso, lower torso etc. As a martial artist, I like to think and believe, that I don’t just make attacks, but rather I target specific areas etc. However as somebody who teaches reality based self-defense, I have to acknowledge that aiming...Click To Read More

Treating Each Step towards Disaster as Normal

Gershon Ben Keren

Mon 23rd Mar 2015

I rarely write about violence within relationships, and relationship abuse, as it is an emotive subject for many people. However on Saturday in our free women’s class, we had a group of girls come from one of the High Schools, in Boston, and it reminded me of the fact that violence towards young women, by boyfriends and partners, is becoming looked on as something which is more and more normal and something which should be expected by young women involved in dating and/or intimate relationships. Violence and abuse within relationships can be categorized into 5 different types:

1. Psychological
2. Emotional
3. Physical
4. Sexual
5. Financial

The Post Conflict Phase of Violence

Gershon Ben Keren

Sun 15th Mar 2015

As optimistic individuals we often expect or believe our lives will follow the “happy path”, the route where everything goes to plan, and as expected. We also bring this optimism to our self-defense and martial arts training; that we will be successful in every conflict we have to engage in – after all we don’t train to fail. However reality, often doesn’t follow the happy path, exactly, if at all. If it did we wouldn’t need to think or care about self-defense in the first place. The reason we train and practice, is because we understand that despite all our...Click To Read More

Not Limiting Yourself By The Obvious

Gershon Ben Keren

Sun 8th Mar 2015

Sometimes we prevent ourselves from being effective because we are blinded by the obvious. Last week, I conducted a short seminar on offensive knife fighting, teaching a simple combative approach to using a knife – my belief is that if you are able to disarm someone of a weapon you should know how to use it/or at the least make it safe. If you decide, and are able, to take a knife away from someone, you should have some idea – even at just a basic level - about how to use it; a weapon in your hand which you...Click To Read More

Color Codes & The Timeline of Violence

Gershon Ben Keren

Sun 1st Mar 2015

Violence is a process; in most instances, an assailant has to, determine a motive, become emotionally ready to make an assault, and position themselves physically to do so. This process can off course take place in seconds, but it is a process nonetheless, and it takes place in time. How we experience and recognize this process also happens a long a timeline, and how quickly we recognize a potential threat depends upon our level(s) of situational awareness. The late Jeff Cooper, created a color code system of “Situational Awareness” that has long been taught to police officers, civilian and military personnel...Click To Read More