Modern Self Defense Training
Among the western pioneers of “self defense,” William E Fairbairn stands tall. Fairbairn was a British Royal Marine and police officer who developed hand-to-hand combat methods for the Shanghai Municipal Police (SMP) during the interwar period, and for allied special forces during World War II. He also created his own fighting system known as “Defendu”. Among his source material was most certainly pre-war Judo, along with boxing, wrestling and Savate. Of course, many focus on his years with the Shanghai Municipal Police (SMP) where of course he was exposed to Chinese martial arts as well.
A number of things made Fairbairn unique, but among them were both his vast practical experience and his scientific approach to the subject of fighting. He observed and recorded actual conflicts, noting meticulously what was actually used and the outcomes. His methods were not supposition, they were statistically derived.
When it comes to real conflict, there are no guarantees. Ideally, a person should be training in a real martial art for both their fitness / wellness AND self defense. Yet there will be people who are not going to pursue that sort of ongoing training. And those people also need “self defense,” increasingly so in this world!
In keeping with the above observation that no amount of training offers any guarantee, Sifu David Ross still created “Ross Defensive Methods” to offer realistic and practical training for the average person who is only going to do casual training.
Ross Defensive Methods Basic Outline
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- The Defensive Stance
- Retreat Strategies
- Striking
- Escapes
- Throws / Takedowns
- The Ground