When All Hell Breaks Loose (87 page)

Diarrhea may be common after an emergency. There are two types of diarrhea, the less serious and more common "traveler's diarrhea" and the other, more invasive bacterial diarrhea. The latter is very serious and will require advanced medical care.

The replacement of fluids and electrolytes (sodium and potassium) is of prime importance to all victims of diarrhea
.

Antidiarrheal medications such as Pepto-Bismol, Imodium AD, or Lomotil should be used with discretion for controlling painful cramps or during circumstances that are far more dangerous or uncomfortable than the diarrhea itself.

Due to stress and an irregular diet, constipation is possible. Most constipation can be remedied with an adequate fluid intake coupled with consuming high-moisture (fruits) and high-fiber (bran cereal) foods. Calming down and relaxing can help as well. Although mostly unnecessary if the above is followed, the most effective and safest laxative is Milk of Magnesia.

Go to the bathroom when you need to, stay hydrated, and eat healthy to avoid fecal compaction.

Nausea and vomiting are common side effects from drinking nondisinfected water. The replacement of lost water and electrolytes are all-important to the healing process. When possible, feed the victim bland foods, preferably liquids such as soups, for the next day.

Serious blisters caused from repetitive rubbing can be very painful and impede foot travel. Stop the rubbing, keep feet dry, change socks, and deal with hot spots before they mature into blisters. Keep blisters clean and watch open blisters for possible infection.

All families should compile and have ready a portable first-aid kit. What you choose to carry in a first-aid kit is dependent upon your family, the duration of your emergency, cost, weight, volume, and other variables.

First-aid containers should be waterproof, highly visible, simple to open and use, and yet be rugged enough to protect their contents.

T
his book is based upon the virtues of taking responsibility for your actions and whether or not you choose to actively prepare for an emergency. Much like opinions about knives in a wilderness survival context (how big, how many, what type of steel for the blade, etc. ad nauseam), the very nature of "self-defense" has strong supporters on both sides of the fence. These beliefs are spawned by many circumstances and ideologies, from the teachings of various religious doctrines, or personal experiences, to political slants or views on life in general.

I have included this chapter for reasons that should be obvious at this time in our planet's consciousness. My responsibility is to give you the best possibility in surviving your family's crisis. What you do or don't do with the information presented in this book is your business. The more tasks that you are able to perform yourself, the better off you'll be, and the less drag you will be on emergency response personnel in times of chaos. Self-reliance in any particular skill or commodity, and the mind-set and actions that go with it, give you
options
. These options provide you with alternatives to mitigate or deal with problems when outside help and resources are not available.

My Interview with Professor Mark Bryans
of the American Combato System

As my expertise in "self-defense" is minimizing and combating risks to your life from nonphysical threats of violence, I wanted to talk with someone who specializes in personal and family self-defense. I have always had an interest in self-defense training, but I was not interested in walking on rice paper and catching a fly midair with my toes in order to be able and willing to defend myself in a hairy situation. Survival and self-defense scenarios are identical twins in that, at their core, both deal with potentially life-threatening emergencies under extreme stress. In the same vein, both arts have a few ego-saturated jerks who either willfully or out of ignorance distort the truth about what is and what is not important in dealing with these life-threatening emergencies. The myth is coddled and fed by producers and editors in film, television, magazines, newspapers, and online who have zero experience in the realities of either genre. At the viewer or reader's expense, they shamelessly tout information that often is more geared toward supporting ratings than delivering sound advice.

Mark Bryans is blunt, unflattering with the truth, uncompromising in his ideals of self-defense, has zero tolerance for the bullshit in his field, and is completely driven to be and teach the best practical, real-life self-defense possible to his students. In short, he walks his talk. Some of his answers will shock you, make you uncomfortable, and cause you to think. Be shocked now, and then prepare, long before some whacko charges at you with a butcher knife.

CODY:
Hi, Mark. Thanks for agreeing to do this interview on self-defense. I know there are a ton of different martial arts schools, so what is American Combato (Jen-Do-Tao
^™
) (ACJDT) and who created it?

PROFESSOR BRYANS:
Thanks for having me, Cody. ACJDT is a complete, comprehensive martial arts system focusing entirely on close-quarters combat and self-defense. Our students are trained mentally, physically, and tactically to defend themselves against deadly, unavoidable, and unprovoked attacks. The system was created by Bradley J. Steiner in 1975 and has absolutely no sporting or competitive application whatsoever. Professor Steiner combined his background and training in Eastern martial arts, western boxing, and wrestling with the immense knowledge and training programs taught to various operatives and soldiers during World War II. He also used his training in Taekwon-do, Ju-Jutsu, Indian varmannie, and Chinese-Hawaiian Kempo Karate, along with western boxing from the practical wartime methods of the Applegate system, Helson system, O'Neill system, Fairbairn system, Brown-Begala system, Sigward system, and the Biddle-Styers system.

CODY:
Wow, it sounds pretty comprehensive.

PROFESSOR BRYANS:
It is. Steiner also added miscellaneous modern Special Forces approaches, commando techniques, and the brutal tactics of rough-and-tumble "street," "prison," and "alley" fighting. He drew also upon his deep involvement in physical training and the art of progressive-resistance exercise and studies into the crafts of hypnosis, mind-control techniques, and other unusual philosophies as these things relate to combat arts, as well as his exposure to the world of secret intelligence. Cody, all methods of combat can be divided into offensive and defensive methods. ACJDT is the first martial-arts system in history to offer a comprehensive and in-depth syllabus of attack combinations and methods of planned aggression as well as "self-defense" techniques which we call counterattacks. The AC student is trained to be aware of an attacker before he attacks and to focus upon "attacking the attacker" once he perceives the beginning of the attacker's violent action or intention. We don't teach a student to react to the attacker's specific attack, whether it's a punch, grab, or weapon acquisition. We teach students to simply and destructively launch their own attack with nonstop destructive action to knock the attacker unconscious. The counterattack portion of the system prepares the student to "attack the attacker" if taken by surprise.

CODY:
Now that you've filled us in on the system itself, what's your background?

PROFESSOR BRYANS:
I've been studying American Combato with Professor Steiner since 1979. I was the first individual to achieve black belt ranking in ACJDT, and am currently the highest-ranking instructor in the system outside of Professor Steiner himself. My current ranking is sixth-degree black belt whereupon I was awarded the title of professor in the system. I've been operating my own school since 1992 where I teach all types of people from private citizens to the military and the police. The majority of my students are, and will continue to be, private citizens. I also work with individuals and groups in all aspects of mental and physical conditioning, including drilling of offensive and defensive combat methods, progressive-resistance training (i.e. weights), and mind-set development.

CODY:
Exactly what does it take to defend yourself and what are the qualities an individual will need?

PROFESSOR BRYANS:
By far, the most important attribute is the combative mind-set. This is not the attitude of the "tough guy" or of the paranoid. It is simply the deeply held conviction of self-respect and understanding that no one has the right to initiate force against another, that force is to be used
only
in retaliation against unavoidable, unprovoked attack and only against those who initiate its use. As I've heard Professor Steiner say, "Any rational person prefers peace over violence and that all such individuals are pacifists until they are attacked." If you should find yourself under criminal attack and escape is not possible, then you should proceed without hesitation to viciously destroy your attacker by launching your own attack. All students learn during their first lesson to "attack the attacker." The individual seeking defensive, protective capability must know, subconsciously, that the attacker is wrong and that what the attacker is doing is evil and that any action and damage that the defender MUST inflict upon the attacker is right and necessary. Realize that the defender's motive is always defense, but the means is
offense
. The defender must master a few, simple, direct offensive attack combinations, and commit to relentless, brutal follow-up to their initial attack until the attacker is rendered harmless. Now, the attacker is harmless when he is unconscious, if he flees—don't pursue him—or if the defender can safely escape. Realize also that the defender must absolutely expect to be hurt, perhaps seriously injured, during any self-defense encounter and this is true even for an expert.

These attributes must be coupled with a
relaxed alertness
that does not allow a surprise attack. When one realizes attack is imminent, one will instantly "attack the attacker" with total surprise. Never should anyone show any aggression prior to being attacked. Don't agree to fight, don't argue, leave the area if possible, or apologize, even if you don't actually feel that way if it will make the peace. But, if you are about to be injured, or an innocent loved one is about to be injured, explode into the assailant or assailants with all the destructive fury you can muster.

CODY:
You mentioned the importance of fostering a combative mind-set, and the need to "attack the attacker," but how does one develop those abilities in today's world?

PROFESSOR BRYANS:
Good question. First, cultivate righteous indignation by questioning the nonsense that is being programmed into all of us through the mainstream channels. When you read a story or hear in the news about an innocent person or family being attacked by the all-too-common scum that are allowed to roam free, anger and rage should be your reaction. If you think that such a response is inappropriate, you just proved that such programming has been successful. Why isn't rage appropriate when horrors occur daily such as abduction, sexual assault, the murder of children, home invasions, and attacks on the elderly?. . .and on and on the list goes. These serious crimes are almost invariably committed by repeat offenders who are let loose on the good and innocent people of our nation. Cultivate the combative mind-set, which is prerequisite to any effective self-defense action to be done.

Second, hook up with a good self-defense school that teaches and drills students in simple, adaptive, retainable skills that blind, disrupt the breathing, break bones, rupture internal organs, and create trauma to the monster who attacks the innocent. These simple procedures must be
overlearned
by repetitive training against an imagined adversary and training dummies and targets until they become second nature if one should ever need them. Developing a few things really well breeds confidence. The need to overlearn the techniques is essential to gaining competence and having an automatic retaliatory attack response if or when the need arises.

CODY:
Are these techniques difficult to learn and develop?

PROFESSOR BRYANS:
No. Techniques in self-defense have to be simple and direct. If the techniques cannot be understood and learned in a short amount of time they won't be available in an emergency. Once the techniques are learned they must be
practiced repeatedly
until they become automatic and reflexive.

Let's go through some of the things Combato students learn in their first private lesson. First, the students must learn how to stand and position themselves when dealing with unknown individuals. Your position should be balanced with one foot back and to the front of the rear shoulder, lead foot slightly turned in with the body at an angle to the potential threat. The
relaxed ready
position should be learned from both the right and left position to enable you to attack from either side. Next, the hands should be up, mid-chest level or higher, in any configuration that doesn't look aggressive or tie up your hands. Keep your eyes on the individual who has approached, letting your gaze rest easily on the head and shoulder triangle area; and always be aware of the individual's hands. Don't allow the person to crowd you and keep him just out of arm's reach. This way, if the individual were to attack, he would have to step in, therefore telegraphing his movement, and you can attack the attacker where he has left himself open. From this relaxed ready position, you, the defender, will be able to avoid many circumstances in the first place by being aware, and go to all lengths to avoid physical confrontation. If the attacker should attack, you will have the element of surprise by unexpectedly launching your own preemptive strike. If two or more individuals approach, always step to the outside. Learn to interact in all circumstances without diverting eye placement, and whatever your hands are doing, let them remain unencumbered at mid-chest level or higher (in any configuration that doesn't look aggressive). For example, someone asks you for the time, show him your watch, but don't look down at your watch. Never put your hands in your pockets. If a person asks directions, keep your eyes on him and point him in the right direction without turning your back to him.