Latest Articles by tact

A Quitter Never Wins & A Winner Never Quits

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0600

Bottom line that’s the difference in the mindset between a champion and just another fighter. The difference between winning and losing. This is the attitude you must have to overcome all the obstacles in your training and matches. Focus, hard work and commitment are some of the key factors in the making of a champion. Knowing the right way to train/condition your mind and body will increase your odds in becoming a champion. So how do you go about it? First it starts with your most powerful asset or weapon you have, your thoughts. We are all in control of our destiny because we control our thoughts. “WHAT THE MIND CAN BELIEVE THE MIND CAN ACHIEVE”

A lot of people do not like to hear this because it makes them responsible for where they are at in life, it takes away excuses for failing, not trying or giving up. It’s all about attitude that sets you apart from every one else. DO OR DIE that is the attitude you need to defeat your opponents in the ring or outside of it in the real world. When you don’t feel like training because you are to sore, tired from a long day at work or your hand hurts or there are other things you need to get done these are excuses that you put in the way so you don’t achieve your goal. You have to train and condition your mind to focus on your goal so you have a burning desire to obtain it.

If two opponents of equal strength and fighting ability step into the ring the man with the stronger mind will be victorious. Here are some ways to train your mind to have the edge over your opponent. Take time to visualize your match or techniques in your mind with a clear, detailed and realistic picture for 10-30 minutes twice a day once in the morning when you awake and before going to sleep. This will feed positive messages to your subconscious mind.

 Find a quiet place in your home sit or lay down whatever makes yourself comfortable and begin to visualize.
 Always visualize what YOU are going to do not what your opponent is going to do because you can only control yourself.
 Visualize yourself always moving quickly, effortlessly and being victorious, standing over your opponent holding your arms high up in the air with the championship belt around your waist.
 Visualize as if you have already obtained your goal, SMELL the scents of the arena. TASTE the salt from your sweat on your lips. HEAR the crowd chanting your name. FEEL and TOUCH the championship belt around your waist and the crowd’s energy as you put up your hands in victory.
 Surround yourself with positive people who push you to be your very best, believe in you and your goal and will help you achieve it. Having supportive people around will help deflect negative thinking and will rub off on you, we become who we hang out with.
 Read biographies of your idols on the obstacles they overcame to get to where they are today.

The key to visualization is to have 100% belief and faith that you WILL ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL and this is YOUR PURPOSE AND DESTINY. Push away any doubt you have when it comes into your mind or the negative thoughts will cancel out the positive message. After a little while it well becomes easier to believe what you are telling yourself. The mind can not tell what is real or imagined when you keep telling it something. You will subconsciously begin believing those messages. attracting people in your life that will help you reach your goal and you will begin ACTING, TRAINING and FIGHTING like a champion.

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Norm Bettencourt is the creator of TACT Self Defense which specializes in combat management tactics for mind, body & spirit. Visit www.tactselfdefense.com/

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

How To Make Your Self Defense Training More Effective

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0600

You take with you in combat all the good and bad habits that you learned in your training routine. If your tactics in your training consist of high fancy kicks, wide movements, which require you to have a lot of room you will instinctively do the same when your adrenaline kicks in a street confrontation. That will seriously hinder you if you are fighting for survival in a confined area with furniture around such as a living room or bedroom. Your training should also focus on the mind/spirit as well. Self defense is 90% mental it does not matter how effective your tactics are, if you don’t train your mind for combat you will freeze.

Condition stimulus training is about making your training as real as possible so when your instincts take over in a high adrenaline stressed situation you are ready to use your environment to your advantage and not be hindered by it. Your mind will also be familiar with the stimulus and you will not freeze. Many martial artists and practitioners of self defense programs become overwhelmed when their environment changes from a dojo setting to a small confined area. Being in a room filled with furniture gives a martial artist the feeling of being closed in on and makes them feel that they can not move, so they stiffen. Being in this type of environment changes the way you are going to move or perform a tactic. It is completely different from movement in a dojo where you a vast amount of space.

When you are threatened and your adrenaline kicks in you now unknowingly give 100% faith and trust to your self defense system that it will get you out of harms way. Remember you fight like how you trained if you have trained in traditional systems you will most likely not use your environment to your advantage to defend yourself instead you will be hindered. You will focus on how you can not move and get tied up with objects in a room such as furniture because your training hasn’t prepared you for that type of stimulus. What you wear while training is also a big factor when it comes to be prepared to move in the streets. Many self defense training systems get practitioners to wear loose fitting clothing when they practice tactics for the obvious reason of being able to move freely. The downside of this is that when you move on the street wearing boots, jeans and form fitting clothing your range of motion is restricted. You will move much slower and if you are a female wearing heels will be off balance performing tactics because you have not trained yourself to move with heels on

The benefit with training this way is obvious, you give yourself more options, weapons and exits. Your mind is prepared and conditioned for the stimulus that comes its way when violence is presented to it. The more the mind is shown a stimulus the more it is accustomed to it and unfazed it becomes “normal” just like any other everyday event it has experienced.

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Norm Bettencourt is the creator of TACT Self Defense which specializes in combat management tactics for mind, body & spirit. Visit www.tactselfdefense.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

Failure Or Temporary Defeat-You Decide

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0600

NOTHING IN THE WORLD CAN TAKE THE PLACE OF PERSISTENCE, TALENT WILL NOT, NOTHING IS MORE COMMON THAN UNSUCCESSFUL MEN WITH TALENT.

Charles Swindoll

Persistence is a state of mind and is a direct result of habit. Your are the master of your own fate. Persistence is the key to your success in the ring and in life in general. Nothing beats persistence. The most common cause of failure is the habit of quitting when you are overtaken by “temporary defeat”. Most people quit just steps away towards obtaining there goal, not realizing how close there where if they just hung in there. You are in control of your destiny because you control your thoughts. You choose all the thoughts that enter your mind. So when you think you can’t revisit a former victory that you had. Every obstacle is just a stepping stone towards your success in the ring and outside in the real world, if you choose to learn from your mistakes and persist. Ask yourself honestly how bad you want to achieve that goal i.e. title belt. Here are some tips on gaining persistence in your life.

 Knowing what you want is the first and most important step.
 Have a strong motive and remind yourself of it everyday.
 Have an intense desire to obtain your goal.
 Believe in yourself that you WILL achieve your goal.
 Gain knowledge from your team members such as coaches and conditioners who will help and push you to become the best fighter you can be.
“I AM THE MASTER OF MY FATE, I AM THE CAPTAIN OF MY SOUL.”

William Henley

Take an honest look at where you stand with persistence in your fight career and what you need to do to be the best MMA fighter you can be. Talk to people who have gone through those same obstacles and overcame them and ask how they did it. Read biographies on your favorite fighter’s and their obstacles to put perspective on the fact that everyone goes through “temporary defeat”. Remember it’s only temporary it’s your choice if you want to give up and make it into a failure.

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Norm Bettencourt is the creator of TACT Self Defense which specializes in combat management tactics for mind, body & spirit. Visit www.tactselfdefense.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

A False Sense Of Security

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0600

Working my usual weekend gig as a bouncer in a night club an attractive blond approaches me and asks if I can walk her though the club because 15 minutes before a male grabbed her arm a told her that she had to dance with him. She refused and pulled away; the male grabbed her harder then pulling her to the dance floor, lucky for her another bouncer spotted this and took care of her problem. I decide to give her my business card TACT SELF DEFENSE it reads, she tells me that she as a brown belt in the martial arts but everything she’s learned, she couldn’t remember and just blanked out. I tell her that this is normal, it is the effects of adrenaline. Most self defense programs do not think about these effects when training some one that is why 95% of self defense programs do not work and will get you hurt or killed. I proceed to tell her most of my clients are martial artists or had some type of self-defense training in the past, she nods in agreement, understanding what I mean. The next day she gives me a call for self-defense training.

That is a very high percentage and considering many people still believe in these systems, thinking they are effective, this also includes “reality based systems” or “no holds barred” people need to be educated. It is amazing what is being taught out there in self defense schools, joint locks, cross legged arm bars which require you to go on the ground. I have seen self defense instructors teach students to kick to the head or grapple with an attacker, step here, turn this way, twist his wrist that way. Bottom line to many movements to remember, which are to complicated to work for ANYONE in a high stress situation of a violent street attack.

You are being lied to, ripped off of your hard-earned money and given a false sense of security. What is being taught is to complicated to even work for a seasoned martial artist. It’s like going to culinary school and your instructor has never cooked or even turned on an oven before, how is he supposed to know how to make the meal, let alone teach you. Unfortunately people who have trained in these self-defense programs learn in horror after being assaulted the hard truth. Most self-defense instructors also do not understand the effects of adrenaline and how it affects the mind, or motor skill performance. Top it off most instructors have not even been in a violent street confrontation so how would they know what to do?

Many systems use joint locks and pressure points that require years of training to properly execute. Some techniques even when applied properly to someone who has an unusual amount of joint flexibility or high pain tolerance such as someone high on drugs will not work. A lot of self defense techniques also have to be altered to work if environments change such as being in a small space or if there is snow on the ground causing slippery conditions. Think someone is going to remember all that while they are being attacked. I don’t think so.

Here are some tips on finding a realistic self defense program

 Pick an instructor who is average or small in build they will focus on leverage techniques not on there strength, that is important if you are small or a woman.
 Make sure you check your instructor’s credentials, ask to see his black belt certificate it will state what federation he is under and when he got it. If the instructor says he doesn’t have one than he’s a fake. There are a lot of people who will watch self defense instructional tapes or train in the martial arts get an orange belt and start up a school. Anyone can go to a store a buy a black belt.
 Do you wear loose clothing and are barefoot when you train and wear protective gear? Conditions completely different from the streets. If you answered yes find a new self-defense program. Training should be as real as possible or be condition stimulus training. While training wear clothing that you wear when you go out, not gym pants, this includes shoes or boots. This will give you a realistic feel on how to move.
 Do you train under situation specific scenarios, do they have to change if your attacker does something different or if he does this than do that? And then you ask what if he does this question making everything to hard to remember and confusing
 Do methods consider every type of enviroment? Street, bus, rain, living room in confined spaces.
 Can you perform these techniques even if you are injured?
 Do these self defense methods require constant practice and you have to separate techniques for empty hand, weapons or multiple attackers. Bottom line techniques should be quick and easy to remember.
 Training should be focused equally in physical techniques and mindset conditioning.

How you train is how you will respond in the real world, training should be as real as possible so you can get out alive.

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Norm Bettencourt is the creator of TACT Self Defense which specializes in combat management tactics for mind, body & spirit. Visit www.tactselfdefense.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

How You Train Is How You React

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0600

How you train is how you will respond and react in the real deal. Self-defense is about survival and nothing else. It is not about fighting fair, clean or being honorable. It’s about doing what you have to do to go home and see your loved ones once again. You don’t know how a thug is going to react when you connect your first blow to him so make sure you mean it when you attack. He could back off (flight) or become enraged (fight), plane and simple combat is about doing whatever needs to be done so you get out alive. Lie, con, manipulate so you can catch him off guard and administer a tactic. Release the idea from your mind the image of a “DIRTY FIGHTER” there is now such thing. He is actually a smart fighter who knows how to use violence to his advantage. Free your mind of that idea, could mean the difference between life and death, it will subconsciously hamper your actions. You have the right to protect yourself and kill when your life is in jeopardy. When in combative mode your thoughts and actions should be as vile, vicious and violent as possible. Thoughts of legal or moral consequences of your actions should not even cross or enter your mind. If they do it will subconsciously hold you back in giving 100% in your attack and that could mean your kids or loved ones not seeing you again. The importance of training realistically or condition stimulus training could mean the difference between life and death. Training the mind to be accustomed to stimuli that is violent and vile you mean not freezing in violent situations.

Here are some tips and dirty tricks

 HIT FIRST, HIT HARD, KEEP HITTING
 Always attack in mid word or sentence i.e.” I will do anything you say, please don’t hur” ATTACK NOW. The element of surprise is on your side he is not expecting you to do anything.
 Practice saying your trigger sentence or word and cueing yourself to attack when you say it. Make sure your speech is smooth and that you are not telegraphing your words or actions before attacking.
 If you are a woman use the power of “sweet talk” get him to believe that you will do as he says, then turn the tables when he least expects it.
 When speaking use your hands to help you speak, set them up to deflect or to position them closer to the target area you want to attack.
 Use your surroundings, push your attacker into an object so he trips or falls. Giving you time to run off or to follow up with a more devastating tactic to immobilize him.
 Gouge, spit, throw dirt or sand in his eyes to temporarily blind him to give you those vital seconds to get away.
 Make your training as real as possible have your training partner grab you, swear, yell at you and rehearse what you are going to say before you attack
 Remember your “ TRIGGER WORD” to give you the signal to attack.

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Norm Bettencourt is the creator of TACT Self Defense which specializes in combat management tactics for mind, body & spirit. Visit www.tactselfdefense.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

No One Achieves Greatness Alone

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0600

Take a look at all of your fighting idols each one of them has a team of trainers, role models and idols that they respect, look up to on there team pushing them to be there very best. We are a direct reflection of our idols, peer group or team. If your fight team is filled with unfocused, unsupportive people with negative attitudes that do not give you the discipline or support you need, you will unconsciously take on the same attitude and get no where in your fighting career. You will not believe in yourself, be motivated to train and will not become the best you can be inside and outside of the ring. Choosing your idols, role models and fight team members should be taken seriously. We take on the attitudes of those we look up to, respect and interact with. Choose your fight team wisely in regards to everyone on your team being positive and supportive so that you can achieve your goal. Each member should push you to your limits that you thought you could never rise to because they give you strength and encouragement when you feel like giving up and you feel that you can not go any further.

“IF YOU CAN TELL ME WHO YOUR HERO’S ARE I CAN TELL YOU HOW YOU’RE GOING TO TURN OUT IN LIFE” Warren Buffett

This quote hit the nail right on the head, we take on the attitudes and beliefs of our peers and hero’s. That is why it is important to have focused, positive and supportive people around us and to rid ourselves of anyone who brings us down. That is how to achieve and obtain a high level of success in our fight careers and in life in general. Champions are made up by a team/group who contribute their knowledge and effort for the attainment of a definite goal or purpose “ THE TITLE BELT” It’s important and essential that your team is this way for you to be a champion. Choose to associate with people who share common goals and have a strong desire to contribute to the overall effort. Trail and error is part of the process. Sort out what strengths and weakness’ you have when it comes to your fight game, look for individuals to help you eliminate your weakness’. Sort out each team member’s strength’s and weakness’ and in fine tuning your plans each team member should have a specific purpose or responsibility to make you a better fighter and bring out the best in you and your abilities in the ring and outside of it.

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Norm Bettencourt is the creator of TACT Self Defense which specializes in combat management tactics for mind, body & spirit. Visit www.tactselfdefense.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

Is Martial Arts Street Effective?

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0600

The topic of how effective traditional martial arts is in today’s world as a way of protecting oneself is still a very sensitive issue to a lot of martial artists. What is even more sensitive is the issue of how realistic and street effective is the newer styles that have come out since UFC/PRIDE have come into the picture. I am a Registered Black Belt & have nothing against the martial arts and have also studied styles such as Pankration. I know that the techniques I have learned in the dojo should stay in the dojo because they will only work there, that also goes with styles such as the “modern day or reality based systems” they are for sport only.

I work as a bouncer/bodyguard & also teach tactical self defense. Many of my students are black belts or have trained under reality based systems & have learned the hard way that what they learned in the ring or dojo is not street effective. Their common question is why didn’t their system work? Part of the reason is that if a rule or law is applied to a system it will subconsciously hinder you when your adrenaline takes over in combat. There are no rules in the streets your mind should not have to sensor or think can I do this to beat this person? We respond exactly the same way that we train.

There is no time to switch gears from sport to tactical. If you are training and your coach or sensei says can’t hit their or no contact to the eyes your mind will remember that and store it for future reference. Your self defense system should take into account your environment as well. Can you kick your attacker in the small space your in? Can you balance yourself while performing a technique on the icy sidewalk? If you grapple with him what if he has friends coming around, what do you do then? Street fighting or tactical self-defense should be in the simplest form of fighting. You don’t have time to play a chess game, like you would see in a UFC match. Time is not on your side in a street confrontation nor are rules or morals. What we can learn from the UFC or mixed martial arts events when it comes to reality fighting is if it has rules of what not to do, do those things in a street fight because its got to be effective.

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Norm Bettencourt is the creator of TACT Self Defense which specializes in combat management tactics for mind, body & spirit. Visit www.tactselfdefense.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

The Three Horsemen

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0600

Self doubt, indecision, & fear the three horsemen that destroy your chances for success. If you have one of these feelings the other two are nearby. If you have doubt in your abilities as a fighter or are incisive on how you are going to fight your opponent, fear will automatically kick in & take over. Your chances of being victorious before even entering the ring will be knocked out. These emotions will effect your performance due to the mind / body connection. You will hesitate on fully committing to your techniques & combinations while fighting. You will telegraph your movements due to indecision and your speed of your techniques will slow down due to being stiff & rigid.

Like animals, which sense fear, humans are no different. The vibrations of fear pass from one mind to another just as quickly & surely as a human voice. Your opponent across the ring will sense your fear & use it to his advantage. The three horsemen need to be mastered before claiming your title in or outside of the ring.

Here are some tips

1. Think from your opponents mind, what would he do?
2. Watch & analyze your opponents fights to get a sense of his game plan
3. Focus & remind yourself of your strengths as a fighter.
4. At night before going to sleep rehearse your fight plan in your mind & what you will do to counter attacks
5. Have a flexible fight plan ready in your mind & stick to it

“IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE VICTORY YOU MUST PLACE YOURSELF IN YOUR OPPONENT’S SKIN.IF YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND YOURSELF, YOU WILL LOSE 100% OF THE TIME.IF YOU UNDERSTAND YOURSELF YOU WILL WIN 50% OF THE TIME.
IF YOU UNDERSTAND YOURSELF & YOUR OPPONENT YOU WILL WIN 100% OF THE TIME.”

Tsutomu Oshima

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Norm Bettencourt is the creator of TACT Self Defense which specializes in combat management tactics for mind, body & spirit. Visit www.tactselfdefense.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com

Your Habits Will Determine Your Future

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0600

We all have dreams, desires, goals and it’s great to daydream about what it would be like holding that title belt high in the air feeling the energy of the crowd cheering you on. Back to reality now and here’s a question for you. How much time do you put into a day to make that dream come true? The time you spend training or doing something productive to get closer to your goal or dream, compared to sitting on your couch watching TV. Don’t get me wrong daydreaming can be productive if you know how to creatively visualize. Realize that your habits will determine your future. Successful people have successful habits, unsuccessful people don’t. To get your dream to materialize you need a plan to structure your time into productive slots. All successful people have a plan, follow it, and gauge their progress by it. Work towards making the majority of your time being productive towards your goal, i.e. training and conditioning, read and view material that is going to help you become a better fighter such as viewing video of your fights and your opponents to see what you need to work on.

IT’S ALL ABOUT WERE YOU PUT YOUR FOCUS

Ninety percent of your focus and energy should be directed at your fight plan and career if you want to succeed in the MMA world or in any goal in life. Instead of coming home from a long day at work kicking back with a beer and watching the game, put on an instructional dvd to help you learn new techniques or improve on your speed or power. Go to the gym left weights, do cardio, strength train or work on techniques with your sparring partner. During work or on your way home visualize yourself in a match performing a technique you have recently learned, so it becomes ingrained in your subconscious and is in your arsenal. Build on your strengths, not on your weakness. There are three kinds of people, people that make things happen, people that watch things happen and people who say what just happened. Which one are you? So if you keep asking yourself why your fight career isn’t happening take an honest inventory of yourself because it’s about were we put the focus in our life that determines were we are going. If you keep on doing what you always done you’ll keep getting what you always got. Making your dreams become reality is not about luck, or “if it’s meant to be it will happen”. It’s not hocus-pocus; it’s all about were you put your focus.

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Norm Bettencourt is the creator of TACT Self Defense which specializes in combat management tactics for Mind, body & spirit. Visit www.tactselfdefense.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com