Self-Defense Failure Zone – Rory Miller (Conflict Manager – MAY, 2016)

  Rory Writes: This was just going to be an example for the last article on reframing, but it grew into an article of it’s own. One aspect of self-defense that is rarely addressed are low level predators and creeping victimizations. The low-level predators are the ones who keep their victims uncomfortable, but never cross … [Read more…]

The Victim Personality – Rory Miller

I’ve used the term in writing and, judging from e-mail, haven’t ever adequately defined what I mean. If you’ve been victimized before, are you a victim personality? Victimized twice? Thrice? Ten times? Maybe. Maybe not. There are victim characteristics that all predators (and all aware humans) know. Distracted. Awkward in their physicality. Pleasers. People so … [Read more…]

Animal Farm – Rory Miller

Two observations, unrelated to each other except for the barnyard metaphors. 1) I have officially decided to quit making fun of the chi-meisters. You know, the guys who send their students spinning with a look or stun them with a gesture. The ones demonstrating and teaching no-touch knockouts. As some of you know, I’ve offered … [Read more…]

The Will – Rory Miller

I’m cribbing from an unknown author today. Somebody wrote something and I penciled it on a post-it note and it now hangs on the bathroom mirror. I didn’t write down who said it, and it deserves a lot of credit. Everyone has the will to win. When two people show up at a contest, both … [Read more…]

Feelings – Rory Miller

There’s a vocabulary to close combat that a lot of people lack. You need to be able to understand and identify touches, and that’s hard. Infighting is hard to learn verbally or visually anyway. The eyes and neocortex are too slow and you need to work a deeper part of your brain. That part works … [Read more…]

MindPlay – Rory Miller

  Part of this is about engaging the correct part of the brain…and paying respect to the parts that will be engaged despite your desires. One of the biggest lies in self-defense training is “You will fight the way you train.” No, you won’t. Not the first time. You will try and there might be … [Read more…]

One-Step – Rory Miller

The One-Step is the primary drill in most of my training. there are more, of course, and like any drills it has its flaws. No one goes to the hospital, so something about it is not right. A few posts back on my blog, things are getting a little heated up. That’s fine. everyone is … [Read more…]