This week in Life Defense, we’re talking about focus. Specifically the FOCUS that comes from an arm bar. 

The technique executed from a standing position after an attempt at a choke, leaves the defender’s throat exposed. The arm is hooked with both hands, stepping forward with maximum weight and pressure to release the arm, and extend the arm, applying pressure to the elbow with the shoulder. This pressure is called an arm bar. 

This technique will probably not break the elbow joint, however, the focused pressure applied to the elbow through the shoulder all the way to the hand to straighten the arm might be enough for an attacker to tap out, give up, or strain the arm enough to temporarily distract the attacker and escape. 

The reason an arm bar works in any position, whether standing, on the ground, on your back, or any other position it can be applied from, is the FOCUSED tension put on a joint that is not designed to twist in that particular direction. The tendons and ligaments, being stressed send a signal through pain receptors to the brain that communicates whatever is causing this must stop immediately before further damage occurs

Interestingly enough, the escape from the pain is an acceptance of the pain. Getting through the pain to the other side where your mind is not manipulated by the pain is where release occurs. Although counterintuitive as most Hapkido techniques are, the FOCUS facilitates the release. 

Although FOCUS alone will not stop a spiral break, the release requires FOCUS. In this case, reaching up and grabbing the elbow being stressed, at the point of pain, and pulling down releases the arm bar. 

In life and Life Defense, FOCUSING on the pain point, and manipulating a release at the pain point is a real thing. Instead of panic, screaming and dancing around it, FOCUS on the pain point, and do something about it. FOCUS…

#allenhughes #lifedefense #focus

Photo by Bahaa A. Shawqi: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-s-face-583437/

Some self-defense scenarios require more than ourselves to actually complete. To be effective in a situation where someone has gotten out of control, you both have fallen onto the ground, and you're holding them down to keep them from hurting you themselves, or other people, mount posting is a solution.

One of the common things that happen at social events, especially when alcohol is involved, is protecting a person from breaking things, hurting themselves, or hurting other people. Although they may not be a lethal threat, keeping your uncle Fred from smashing wedding cakes, ripping bridal gowns, or pushing someone's face into the punch ball is a real possibility.

From this mount position, you will look like the aggressor, and he will inevitably be struggling with all his alcohol induced might to turn you over get on top, perhaps  to show you who’s boss, or at least continue his aberrant behavior.

Atop the fallen aggressor you EXPAND, or reach out with arms and legs leveraging the ground to keep them from getting up. As they turn one way, you focus your posted arm and leg out to the opposite side to keep them from turning you over, getting up, and wreaking more havoc.

It always appears to the common onlooker that you are the aggressor. After all, aunt Susan turned around and saw uncle Fred on the bottom, struggling to get up, being controlled by you, with you on top of him, and the her first inclination might be to grab a folding chair and smash you over the back of the head, to save uncle Fred.

...EXPANDING by reaching out to leverage the ground with your arms and legs back-and-forth each time the actual aggressor attempts to turn you over and get up, that you speak to them, “Hey uncle Fred calm down. I gotcha, no problem I'll let you up in a minute. Just calm down, shhh it’s okay big fella.”

It  is also advisable to simultaneously address gathering crowd, “Somebody get some help. Somebody help me. I just wanna make sure he doesn't hurt himself. Can somebody please help me?”

EXPANDING out with more than your hands, and using your voice, then becomes paramount. EXPANDING out to communicate what is actually going on, the struggle that is actually happening, and what you'd like to do to resolve it, is powerful communication.

In life, and Life Defense, the act of EXPANDING beyond your own reach, and beyond what actually you can control, or do requires others to assist, and be part of the solution. In saving life, EXPANSION gives you ultimately all the power and abilities you need to do anything. Without EXPANDING, however, there is a good chance aunt Susan will take a folding chair to the back of your head.

We all from time to time fail to communicate in life what is actually going on with us, the struggles we are having, and ask for the assistance required to resolve issues in our life, and our jobs, in the projects that we have at hand, including but not limited to our children. How many times have we wished for more assistance when it comes to our children thinking perhaps we are the only ones doing this, no one understands, and no one is coming to help. When in fact, many people are standing around, confused, and bewildered about how, who, or when to help. 

In my life I’m as much at fault as anyone. Being a man, I have trouble asking directions when my GPS goes bonkers, let alone asking for help in a personal situation, getting assistance in a conflict, or asking for understanding when dealing with a wayward child.  Writing and producing this podcast is always a humbling experience for me as I am the one that gets the most from each episode. 

It is therefore my resolution to EXPAND my reach, not just before being taken out by a folding chair welded by aunt Susan. Rather long before, when the struggle is just starting, that I might be understood, assisted, and survive….

#allenhughes #expand #lifedefense

Photo by Julia Larson : https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-coach-reaching-hand-to-woman-6456303/

In self-defense we must always consider that an attacker is larger, faster, more skilled, and more aggressive than the defender. This week in Life Defense, and in our self-defense programs, we are studying the attack from a tackle. This attack when applied by someone who possesses these attributes can be devastating for a smaller, lighter, less skilled defender. Unless, they understand the simple principle of ALLOWING. 

Many of the defenses we use are counterintuitive. This is one of them. The first inclination of a defender who is untrained defending against a larger, more powerful opponent is to stop them. Meaning, blocking their pathway in the case of say a full frontal football, or wrestling style tackle. This almost inevitably goes poorly for the defender. Caught off guard, and back on their heels by a larger attacker thrusting forward intent on driving them to the ground. 

The counter intuitive defense that we suggest from a front tackle is to ALLOW the attackers energy to come forward, while pushing their legs back, removing the targeted legs and pressing weight on the head, neck and upper back of the attacker. This simple motion drives the attacker downward by using all of their body weight to drive the attacker face first to the ground as the motion of the tackle proceeds forward. 

In self-defense, and Life Defense, we call this principle ALLOWING. This counter intuitive technique ALLOWS the attacker to drive forward with all their might, all their speed, and all their weight. This utilizes their attack against themselves, typically driving their face to the ground with the defender’s weight reinforcing that motion.

In Life Defense, we can see this demonstrated as people drive forward in an all out attack on our belief systems, our political stance, or anything we hold dear. The intuitive reaction to a direct attack is to stop the attack, push back from the attack, or fight off the attack. We see this every day in social media, in public forums, and legacy media.

As the attacker drives in full force attacking what they believe are the core values of their intended victim, prepared with every counter argument that could arise, the defenders are caught back on their heels, and off balanced. As the verbally skilled, powerful attacker drives forward with their arguments, the defender loses balance, loses the ability to react, and just like a physical tackle is driven to the proverbial concrete, where their head bounces off the sidewalk, and unable to respond, are left defeated, and demoralized. 

The ALLOWING that happens in Life Defense might be a question rather than a response, a curiosity rather than a defense, or a pause, rather than an immediate knee-jerk response. These techniques allow for time, space, and contemplation, and require the attacker to actually defend their position over and over again. This over extension is not unlike the overextension of a body as it drives towards its intended target, overextended, and off-balance.

It is not hard to see how this overextended off balanced attacker may end up face into the proverbial concrete as an overextended attack often does. All of this, because the defender was able to ALLOW the attacker to overextend themselves, to shoot all of their bullets at once, and  become off-balanced. 

In life, and Life Defense, I choose to allow, and overaggressive attacker to overextend themselves, to drive forward with as much speed and aggression as possible, allowing them to seal their own fate, rather than fight, or attempt to stop their advance. In essence, when confronted on the field of battle, consider “stop, stopping and just ALLOW…”

#allenhughes #allow #lifedefense

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/mad-formal-executive-man-yelling-at-camera-3760790/

RE-PLACE with Truth

In self-defense we learn of, and train in RE-PLACING energy of an attack with our “center.” This RE-PLACEMENT, like the technique of an arm drag, allows a push to have little or no effect and redistributes our momentum, and balance into our control.

It is this RE-PLACEMENT of “center” that puts our life back into our realm of beliefs, values, and purpose. Without RE-PLACEMENT not only do we lose balance, we also lose the bearing of our life. 

In life and Life Defense RE-PLACEMENT is the way we take back our balance and bearing. To me this means who we believe we truly are, where we believe we’ve come from, and where we are going. Balance without bearing is an uprighted ship in the storm of life without rudder, un-steerable. 

In self-defense this could mean death. In life, the longer we wait to RE-PLACE our center where it belongs, steering our ship, to our destination, the more “life” according to our definition is lost. 

How many years, and how many people been driven by false narratives, by people who do not believe the way they might? Taking our center means disruption that off balances us, from our center. This is an assault, make no mistake.

No matter what your belief, if someone intentionally takes your center, it is an attack. Perhaps the deadliest kind. This attack may affect generations of both the living and unborn. Beliefs your ancestors may have died for are disrupted as your center is taken in the context of a more enlightened view. 

Agreed, we might never stop learning, growing, and developing as humans, and some of this learning, growing and developing moves us forward as people. Much does not. Especially when core beliefs are ridiculed, and truth becomes whimsical and unimportant. 

As a true warrior of life consider your center to be yours, and be willing to look at new ideas and concepts from your center, not for the off balancing effect of a popular agenda. When attacked RE-PLACE your center first, and then look at who, what and why someone is trying to RE-PLACE it. Then RE-PLACE it with your center, and your truth. 

Learning is always best accomplished from center. RE-PLACE…

#allenhughes #replace #lifedefense

“Life ELEVATED” is the Utah brand/ tag line, so I might be in some sort of copyright issue, and what the heck…ELEVATE Life, specifically, “your life” is the topic of this week’s Life Defense. 

I’m not a native of Utah, and I’ve lived here for almost 25 years. That might mean I’ve got altitude sickness, and eaten way too much green Jello. Both of those terminologies and my fascination with fry sauce may identify me as a Utahn and so I’m going to borrow it anyway.

ELEVATION has everything to do with perspective right? A catsup bottle might look like a skyscraper to and ant and a condiment to a human. In our self-defense training this week were defending from a kick with a body block, and immediate leg dump. The leg dump technique is basically catching their leg and ELEVATING it while stepping into their center to throw the would be attacker. This technique works best against mid to high kicks.

I was training some people earlier today and asked them about kicks. We talked about the difference between a highly unlikely, flashy head kick, and a lackluster low, practical  kick to the knee which might work most of the time. 

The head kick, popularized in Hollywood, is where the agile, fit, hot actress or actor does some CG spinning head kick and knocks their opponent out immediately, does a variation of this to few more bad guys, mixed with neck breaking head twists, before defusing the bomb. I can never remember, is it the red or blue wire you’re supposed to cut with the mandatory 1 second left on the clock? 

In the case of jump spinning head kicks, and all else that follows, it’s fake, most people with sense know it, and the few with actual training for sure know it. Which part is fake you ask…? All of it. That’s why they call it acting. Interesting fact, the word origin for actor is “liar.”

What does this have to do with ELEVATED Life? Everything.

We are living in a Hollywood movie! That’s why our perspective is all screwed up. The amount of pure fiction we consume each, and every day of our life is staggering. It’s a wonder we survive at all. 

What if, in life we consider the precious few truths, and stop sweating the jump spinning head kicks? They hardly ever land on target anyway. 

I think of all the fake news, fake social media and fake pop culture, that I can live without. In fact, I can live much longer and better without all that stuff!

For me, I’m going to focus on the truth, and sort of ignore most of the rest. How about you? After all, it’s all in your perspective anyway…

#allenhughes #elevate #lifedefense

Photo by Paul Deetman: https://www.pexels.com/photo/hollywood-sign-2695679/

CONTROL of who, or what is our PRINCIPLE topic of conversation today. “Get control, keep control, control yourself, control your thoughts, control the meeting, control the situation, whatever you do it seems that this topic of control is way out of…CONTROL!

It seems humans want to control everything. And yet, what do we really control? 

In our self-defense course this week we are studying upper body defenses. In this study, the very first technique is a “CONTROLLING” move based on a boxing clench. The idea of a boxing clench is that the attacker is a striker, comes in punching at your face and head with his fists, and your reaction is to grab a hold of the attacker’s arms in a sort of controlling hug to keep them from hitting your face, breaking your nose, blackening your eyes, or damaging your brain. It's what you see in boxing rings when a fighter is tired, or doesn't want to be punched anymore, and wants to gain CONTROL of the situation.

Recently we noticed that smaller defenders have difficulty clenching, or CONTROLLING, effectively larger attackers. On the other hand, if the defender CONTROLS, only their own body weight by hanging on the arms of the attacker and making the attacker, hold them up, they succeed. 

Additionally, asymmetrically focusing/ CONTROLLING their weight on one arm, or the other in a given instance tips the larger attacker off-balance, and makes striking effectively difficult. Even lifting their arms enough to get a swing at the defender is nearly impossible. 

In essence, the much smaller defender CONTROLS their own weight, and body positioning, and affects the much larger opponent. In a word, the defender controls themselves, and affects the much larger opponents, balance, and ability to attack.

In life and Life Defense, the control we talk about most is the control of self. Really, do we have control of anything else? I can request that a tree grows rapidly, I can exert pressure for a child to not touch a hot stove, I can will my friends and relatives to agree with me on political issues, and still they have their choice, and I CONTROL them not at all. 

This month we are studying the book The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk. Van der Kolk is an expert, and leading authority on trauma. At the very most base level, a defender who has been violently attacked seeks to control their experience. They may shut down, they may go into flight or fight, and whatever they do a loss or sense of loss of CONTROL of the situation affects them drastically.

In years that follow, these survivors make sense of their world through reenactments, dangerous activities, or by shutting down. Clearly, they are CONTROLLING the only thing they can CONTROL over and over again. Themselves.

I am not a psychologist, this is Life Defense and observations we've made in self-defense situation's that pertain to life. In the end either before, during, or after an attack successful defense requires taking CONTROL of self. This CONTROL of ourselves is key.

We cannot control a dangerous situation, and we might control where we go, and who goes with us. We cannot stop someone from attacking us, and we may be able to control our awareness of dangerous threats in our environment. We cannot control the ultimate outcome of a confrontation, and we can control how we train for that outcome. We cannot control damage form a violent attack, and we can control what it means to us, and what we do, or do not do to resolve and heal.

Coming back from trauma land into most peoples existence, we see through these extreme cases how much we actually CONTROL. How much? Ultimately, we control only ourselves, and ironically, consider that that may be enough… 

#allenhughes #control #lifedefense

In self-defense we speak of healing often. Just today I was coaching a friend of mine on how to keep his hands up when someone comes after him fists violently launched at his head.

My friend is special. Although he’s an adult he is socially different. This has him in a program with other adults with similar conditions.

As he looked up at me timidly, through very thick glasses, I could still see the yellow, brown and black hematomas surrounding both eyes. He was healing from an attack just 2 weeks earlier.

We see a lot of healing from the physical and emotional attacks our participants go through, some decades prior to us knowing us. The one thing that I have noticed that PREVENTS healing, is us. 

To be more specific, it’s our faith, or lack thereof that gets in the way. Whether you have religious faith, faith in humanity, or some other belief, faith is a real thing.

In the Bible Jesus heals people and almost always qualifies that because of their faith they are healed. Science actually proves this concept again and again. Each time they do a study of a new life saving wonder drug they have a control group that receives a placebo. Time and time again a very measurable portion of this control group is healed. 

Although this phenomenon may frustrate some scientists, and pharmaceutical companies , the real science is that faith heals. However, faith is a two way street, and the belief side is up to us.

Test subjects must believe that they got the wonder drug, and when they do,  many are healed. I would call this faith. 

If this is true, then the inverse is also true. If we don’t believe, or have faith, we PREVENT our healing. 

To take it one step further, without faith we PREVENT more than healing, we PREVENT life and living. If we do not have faith that we can defend ourselves the next time we are violently attacked, we won’t. If we lack faith about getting and keeping that next job, we won’t even try. If asking someone out is done without faith…well I wouldn’t bet on it!

In life and Life Defense faith could be the key to healing, opportunity, and creating our life day to day. Why are video games, role playing, and movies so entrancing and addictive? 

Consider that these popular forms of entertainment are based on weak faith. Meaning just enough faith to believe that a fantasy world exists out there, and we can live vicariously in it. There is a chance at failure, however, the failure is momentary in games, and non-existent in movies. 

Faith is as real as anything you can imagine. I have a favorite saying, “Placebo is the ultimate reality.” In fact the measure of all accomplishment from our first step, to our final breath is a exercise in faith.  

Looking into my special friends eyes as his sidewards glances, hopeful smile and nodding head conveyed his faith in an alternate reality, I reflected that he was healing. Faith will heal him.

Fact, faith heals. Whether it’s your belief in God, humanity, the universe, science, or just Life Defense, consider that you may be the only obstacle to your healing, and if so perhaps it is just you that is PREVENTING your healing, and ultimately everything in your life…

#allenhughes #prevent #lifedefense

This week the principle of POSITION is demonstrated in the world of WONJIN Hapkido from a “Guard Position.” The Guard is a seemingly weak position as the person doing it is laying on their back, legs apart, while the attacker is either attempting to “pass the defender’s Guard” by fully straddling them, or the defender finds themselves in a typical position of sexual assault.

Most of the world prior to Brazilian Jiujitsu saw this POSITION as submissive, and weak. Even in wrestling holding, or Judo throwing, an opponent to their back is counted as an immediate win.

Our Brazilian counterparts took it upon themselves to make this position strong, and in fact, in certain circumstances deadly. Although traditional Jiujitsu Masters obviously knew how to use this technique, it has been most successfully implemented by Brazilian Jiujitsu Professors, and fighters.

Treating the Guard position as being an advantage was perhaps one of the most enlightening events in self-defense history. They obviously saw the isolation of their opponents lower body, and control of their opponent’s center as powerful, and became extremely comfortable fighting from that POSITION. Additionally, they considered this common defensive POSITION as powerful, as they were able to isolate 70% of their attackers weapons, feet and hands, from this unassuming POSITION.

That brings us to our Life Defense moment. In this case, the PRINCIPLE of POSITION is a matter of perspective. In self-defense we may find ourselves in less desirable POSITIONS, and our defense is all based on that presentment or POSITION.

Example, we find ourselves flat on our back, with a much stronger attacker aggressively moving in. In this case our POSITION is strong, and with the right perspective our POSITION is powerful.

Armed with training to fight from the Guard, you relax and neutralize the threat. As you leave the scene, with the unconscious attacker slowly reviving as you drive off, and dial 911, you might think, “That’s wasn’t so bad…That guy is lucky, and will live his next few years in prison, thinking about turning his life around, instead of six feet underground.

In life, how many times do we bemoan our POSITION. “If only I was richer, had a better job, didn’t have to put up with my jerk of a coworker, won the lottery, or weighed 30 pounds less.”POSITION is just a moment in time. What you do with that moment makes all the difference.

Consider all the advantage you have in your life now, at this time in history, and relax. You’ve got this. POSITION…

#allenhughes #position #lifedefense

Photo by SHVETS production: https://www.pexels.com/photo/smiling-black-man-balancing-on-leg-in-studio-6974955/

This week our PRINCIPLE of Life Defense is UNIFY. The technique we will be practicing with participants from the Black Sea, to South America, Asia, and the US is defending from an opponent’s rear grab.

If you watch the video you’ll see how defenders grabbed from behind step out, in one swift and powerful motion. They become one, dropping their entire body weight 6-8” essentially UNIFYING themselves with the earth through gravity. Gravity is a real thing, and is inescapable. So is the fact that the largest body on the earth is “the earth.”

Additionally, it’s easy to explain to even the most casual observer how this technique works, and anyone who’s attempted to lift a small child that doesn’t want to be lifted will understand. UNIFICATION to the earth is powerful.

When you think of this basic PRINCIPLE of life it’s self explanatory, UNIFYING forces with someone or something more powerful than yourself allows us to borrow their mass, weight, strength, in essence their energy, to save our life. This is literal.

Last night I attended an AA meeting in support of an adult son who is turning his life around from addiction like others at the meeting. Their stories shared were inspirational and authentic.

If you ever want to experience truth, raw honesty and courage walk in, and sit down in an AA meeting. To me it’s humbling. Every one of these people has experienced life in a way we may never know. During each of my visits I’ve learned of one overarching theme. Connection, or UNIFICATION with a higher power.

Each participant shares their personal story of failure, success and living, attributing their very survival to God, or this higher power. Although Alcoholics Anonymous is not religious, their acute awareness to UNIFICATION with someone or something bigger than themselves has been proven in the battlefield of life.

The success of Alcoholics Anonymous is well documented with millions of lives saved. Fact, there is no program, rehab, therapy, drug or treatment with was much success as AA, and AA recognizes UNIFICATION with a higher power.

In life if all else fails, or even before failure, consider that the PRINCIPLE of UNIFICATION to something greater than yourself works. We, the warriors of self, and Life Defense always refer to what actually works. We are ever searching for a better technique, because better techniques save life.

In my battle life, I will always UNIFY with a greater power. Why? Because it works…

#allenhughes #unify #lifedefense

In life and in self-defense we’ve found SYNERGY to be so obvious, and essential a PRINCIPLE, and at the same time overused in the world of business coaching and pop psychology. We will not attempt to explain the overuse and of the word. Needless to say, the world has enough “falling backward team trust demonstrations” and leadership development ropes courses to provide its own level of amusement and discussion. Instead, we’ll focus on why, and more importantly how SYNERGY works.

SYNERGY of power seems logical right? The more and better we SYNERGIZE with team mates, loved ones, and good friends the more, and the easier it becomes to accomplish anything. After all 2 heads are better than 1 right?

Yet, especially in the US we view our world through the eyes of rugged individualistic, pioneer spirit. We have countless examples of those that obviously went it alone, braving the wind, sleet and snow to build their dreams all on their own. Or did they?

Where would Apple Computer be today without both Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak? It turns out probably no where. At our very core even being born is done with two parents. No one accomplished anything without SYNERGY.

After all SYNERGY defined is:

The interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects. Google

Today, let’s look at SYNERGY applied from attacks of aggressive outside forces. This week we are studying defense from a front grab. Realize first, no one grabs without force either to slam their opponent into a wall or drag them into a van. Assuming the attacker is almost always stronger, and larger, “resistance is futile.” However, unlike the Borg from Star Trek, the outcome is not usually gradual assimilation. Rather, violence within the conflict.

We easily experience at least as much opportunity for conflict, as we do cooperative SYNERGY each and every day. This “conflict SYNERGY” ironically is as beneficial to us as “cooperative SYNERGY.”

As in the case of the grab, the opponent pushes or pulls, and the defender “goes with” the energy given, and in doing so multiplies the energy of their attacker with their own. Although this SYNERGY is counter intuitive both in self defense and life, what if we could “go with” the energy of conflict, allow the giver of the energy to gift their energy to us and spend less time struggling in conversations, business interactions and political discussions?

For me, this “gifting of energy” is at least worth consideration, and perhaps SYNERGY will be discovered in the process…

#allenhughes #synergy #lifedefense

Photo by Jopwell: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-wearing-teal-dress-sitting-on-chair-talking-to-man-2422280/