Awareness is the First Step in Self-Defense

I was just recently talking to my stepdaughter, who is now 18, about going out to nightclubs and what she needs to be aware of. The thing I emphasize the most to her is to be aware of the people around you and make sure they know you are aware of them. Look people in the eye, especially if someone is giving you unwanted attention. You have to be able to look them in the eye and let them know that when you say no, you mean it.

So many women make the mistake of telling an overly aggressive male that they are not interested in a passive, almost apologetic, manner. Many men will see that as weakness, or that you really mean yes because you looked away when you said no. This only leads to many men becoming more aggressive as they try to overcome the objection because the woman has not convinced him that they really mean no. Women tend to get to a ‘red light’ situation because they don’t pay attention to the warning signs (yellow light) or they didn’t want to be rude.

Plus, it’s important when you leave a club that you leave in a group or with a friend and as you leave, look around and see if anyone seems to take notice that you are leaving. If someone is following you out and is paying way too much attention to what you are doing, you should go back into the club and tell someone. The challenge is, how many people would ever be that aware or would doubt their gut feeling?

It has always surprised me just how oblivious most people are to their surroundings. Maybe because I’ve done martial arts practically my entire life, I’ve always made sure I was aware of what was going on around me. Plus, being World Kickboxing Champion, I always had to be aware of some young knuckleheads trying to make a name for themselves by taking on a world champion.

Be aware of what is around you. If you go into a convenience store, you should be aware of everyone in that store and follow your gut instincts. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t ignore it, get out of there. No matter where you are or what the situation is, listen to your gut feeling, it’s usually right.

But first you must be aware. The bad guy is looking to take advantage of someone who is oblivious to their surroundings. They look for a victim who is focused on trying to find their keys in their purse as they approach the car; not the person who already has their keys in hand and is looking around and seeing what is going on.

Does this mean I don’t recommend you take a self-defense course? Of course not, I do, but you need to find a program that is up to date on what is really happening in the streets.

There are many martial arts programs that are still teaching very old- styled martial arts techniques that might look cool but have lost their effectiveness in the modern arena of Mixed Martial Arts and other fighting styles seen on TV. “The criminal is getting smarter every day”, says Benjamin McBride, a police veteran of 25 years and an instructor of or Elite Martial arts at Jim Garden’s Cardio Karate Center. You have to make sure that what you are learning is proven to be effective today, not something that was taught 200 years ago.

Whether it’s for yourself or your child, find a program that will teach a modern and effective form of self-defense. Another good idea is to make punching and kicking a part of your workout routine. If you started running two or three time a week, in no time you’d become a much better runner. Why not take a UBC kickboxing class two or three times a week, preferably on a heavy bag, so in no time you will be able to kick and punch with authority?

It is important to find a class that is taught by someone who can help you get better. There are many kickboxing classes being taught by instructors who took a weekend course. All my kickboxing Instructors had to finish our 10-week UBC course to be qualified to take our 30-day instructor kickboxing certification course. Plus, most of my instructors are high ranking Elite members that have the skills and knowledge and know how to teach them.

Still, having the basic knowledge to always be aware of your surroundings and listen to your gut instincts will go a long way in being able to avoid a conflict before it ever begins. If you’re really good, you may never need to use your self-defense techniques!

Joe Lewis conducted a martial arts seminar at my school last Saturday and, as usual, he over delivered. You cannot be around Joe Lewis and not feel that you’re around a very special person.

I’m not just talking about his cutting edge martial arts instruction, which is by far the most enjoyable and engaging seminar you can take, but the part about his seminars that impresses me the most is that he doesn’t focus on just technique or how the body works.

Mr. Lewis gave incredible insight into why we should train and what should motivate us. He talked about how martial arts and fitness should be more about personal growth and that we need to analyze why we sometimes blow off workouts or don’t stay focused on our goals. Is it really fear that we feel or just an uneasy excitement? Are we confusing our mind’s desire to get fit with uneasiness about going to the martial arts school or the gym?

His point is the mind plays tricks on you and the feeling of uneasiness and fear could be a hidden desire to work out. But you will not know until you get to work, so get to work!

It made me think of the times when I really didn’t want to train. I would force myself to just walk into the school and start doing a little something. Then in a short period of time I’d realize how much I enjoyed training, how good it felt and how my feelings about working out had changed in just a matter of minutes.

I thought it was a brilliant analogy of how the mind plays a roll in our fitness or martial arts goals; how you have to work on conditioning the mind, not just the body, and how you can’t take for granted what your mind is telling you as the truth about how you really feel about training.

Joe Lewis very rarely gives you a simple answer to a question. Instead of giving you a pat answer, he goes deeper talking about the motivation behind the action or challenge. He doesn’t just give an easy solution. He makes you think and understand, not just act.

He gave some great insight into why he thinks so many people are having trouble with their bodies breaking down later in life. He feels one of the causes is that many people work out their bodies in an unbalanced manner. Failing to do strength exercises that not only strengthen the muscles but also the tendons and ligaments. Not focusing on the core strength exercises like dead lifts and squats, but preferring to work the ‘look good in the mirror’ muscles (biceps and chest). Or not doing any strength exercises at all.

I am a proud to say that Mr. Lewis strongly endorsed our Ultimate Body Challenge (UBC) program because it is a balanced program that focuses on all of the areas of conditioning; aerobic, anaerobic, strength training (upper and lower body) and flexibility.

Great stuff! And just another reason why Joe Lewis never stops impressing me and continues to make me realize how extremely fortunate I am to have him as my instructor, mentor and friend.

Jim Graden

Take a look at a some video footage of the seminar

My instructor, Joe Lewis, is one of only two men to have won both a World Karate and World Kickboxing Championship. He was voted by his peers, including Chuck Norris, as the greatest martial arts fighter of the 20th century as well as the only man to be inducted into Black Belt Magazine’s Hall of Fame as both a competitor and a teacher.
Mr. Lewis will be teaching a martial arts and kickboxing seminar this Saturday, June 19th, at noon at my school, the Cardio Karate Center in Seminole, Florida (call 727-392-3198). He will also be conducting a bonus Q&A health and fitness discussion at 2 p.m. following the seminar. Mr. Lewis, who trained with Bruce Lee, will be discussing his relationship with Bruce Lee and talking about how to stay healthy and fit as you age.
Mr. Lewis at 64 years old is a living example of what it means to stay healthy and fit your entire life. Don’t miss this opportunity to train with, and learn from, a true legend in the martial arts and fitness world.
Joe Lewis is not only an analytical giant who can teach anyone how to use kickboxing and martial arts techniques in the most effective manner, but he also represents what it is to be a true martial arts teacher.

What do I mean? I have known Joe Lewis for over 25 years. I have known him as a martial arts icon, a teacher, a coach and I am proud to say, a close friend.
I can honestly say I’ve never met anyone in the martial arts arena, or in any business arena for that matter, who has put his integrity and what he believes in above and beyond personal gain.
I’ll give you just one example that I personally experienced, even though, anyone who knows Joe Lewis for any length of time, has similar stories.
When I first started training with Joe Lewis, I was just a 21 year old kid. My brother John had just started working for Mr. Lewis, who had recently moved into the area, helping set up martial arts seminars in Florida.
Having The Joe Lewis in town was very exciting and I really wanted to train with this living legend. So I convinced a business partner of mine, who helped me open my first martial arts school, to pay Mr. Lewis so I could take private lessons from him. Believe me when I say the lessons were not cheap!
After just a few lessons, Mr. Lewis must have seen something in me that he liked, because he wanted to work with me more and more and when my business partner started to balk about the money, Mr. Lewis said, and I quote, “Forget about the money and let’s just work out.” I will never forget him saying, “Let’s just work out”, and from that point on I worked out with Mr. Lewis every chance I got.
Now you need to realize who Joe Lewis was to the martial arts world at the time. He had just stopped competing and was in his early forties. The only parallel I can draw would be if Joe Montana retired from football and said to an aspiring quarterback, “Lets work out together.”
The man was unbelievably generous with his time and knowledge. I can truly say I am only a martial artist champion because of Joe Lewis.

After working with him for just a short period of time, I became so far ahead of my peers that I had to start traveling with Joe to get enough quality sparring partners. When he moved to North Carolina I would go visit him for a week and stay at his house. We would go to the local boxing club during the day and then train into the wee hours of the night in his garage.
Those were special times I will never forget. Joe Lewis made me believe in myself and gave me the confidence and the forward thinking mindset that allowed me to win a world title, run a successful martial arts school, develop Cardio Karate and create the Ultimate Body Challenge (UBC).
None of that would have happened if it weren’t for Joe Lewis. Thank you Sir for everything you’ve done for me and I sure look forward to working with you again this Saturday.
Jim Graden

Ben McBride Tests For 3^rd Degree Black Belt

Congratulations Ben McBride on your 3rd Degree Black Belt test. Mr. McBride demonstrated why he is such a tremendous asset to our Elite Martial Arts program.

I have known Ben McBride for over 30 years. Ben and I came up together under the same instructor, Walt Bone, in the late 70’s. Ben and I were in the same kids class, taught by an instructor who worked for Mr. Bone, Hank Farrah. Mr. Farrah was a flamboyant instructor to say the least. He liked to give kids’ nicknames; my nickname was Big Jim and Ben’s was Gentle Ben, plus there was Tarzan and a not so good-looking kid nicknamed Face. Mr. Farrah used to say that Big Jim and Gentle Ben kicked Face’s face. That was in the late seventies so there wasn’t any political correctness in those days.

The point is, the name Mr. Farrah gave Ben still describes him to this day. You will not find a kinder, gentler person than Ben McBride. You would never know that he is a 25-year police veteran and worked as undercover narcotics agent in some of the worst parts of the Tampa Bay area. Mr. McBride has wrestled guns away from criminals, won shoot -outs (something you can’t lose) and has dealt with the worst of our society for over 25 years. He has been named Police Officer of the Year and has won the National and International Martial Arts Police Olympics multiple times.

Yet you would never know it when you meet this gentle man. Ben is a true hero in the most celebrated use of the word. He works to protect our families and then comes home to his own.

On his 3rd degree Black Belt test, Ben demonstrated the cutting edge, self-defense techniques that he brings into our Elite Martial Arts program. Plus he demonstrates some of the old Chung Da Kwon Tae Kwon Do Kata’s (forms) that he and I learned when we trained with Mr. Bone. His test was truly a demonstration o the old and the new.

Congratulations again Ben on your achievement and we are proud to have you as an instructor in the Elite Martial Arts System.

Jim Graden

Take a look at these film clips of Bens Test.

Don’t miss the Joe Lewis Seminar, June 19th at Jim Graden’s Cardio Karate Center                                                                                                Call 727-392-3198 for more information