Can You Really Gouge Out an Eye?

I have never shown the actual technique for gouging an eye in the WARSKYL blog. This article by Tim Larkin of Target Focus Training does not give the actual technique, either, but discusses something that is actually more important: "What is at stake?"

“You can't gouge my eye out. Go ahead, try”

He loudly proclaimed this to the assembled gaggle of men as he squeezed the lids of one eye as the other guy tried to “gouge it” …and he was right the other guy couldn’t do it.

The guy tried to get in there and gouge his eye out. I wouldn't say he was completely committed, but he was giving it a good effort but to no avail. They stopped after a couple of seconds and then the guy just pushed him away and arrogantly dismissed him.

Now people paid attention to this guy with the “inpeneratable eye” because he is a Tier One combat decorated operator. He’s from the US Army’s Delta Force and well known in the tactical training world.

Not a bad guy, but again, misinformed.

I've heard variations of this “you can’t gouge my eye in a real fight” for years. And this is not just limited to eye gouges.

The statements usually are crafted like this; combat sport practitioners say “You can't do x”, and the Reality Self Defense gurus will say, “Oh yes, you can!”

So who's right?

Well, my impulsive answer is they're both wrong, but to be fair, here's the answer.

It depends..

Because both sides rarely ask the correct foundational question:

“What are the stakes?”

When that Delta Force operator squeezed down on his eye, shutting his eye closed, and the other guy tried to get his thumb in there to no avail … everyone watching nodded their heads and agreed eye gouging doesn’t work. But noone asked….What were the stakes?

Was anybody's life on the line?

Was anybody devoid of choice?

The answer is to all of the above is…. NO!

In a training demo of course it won’t “work”, that is unless you're a functioning sociopath who would just take out another person's eye just to prove a point. But the dangerous problem is uniformed people look at a canned scenario like that and think, “See, eye gouges don’t work”.

Then you've got the guys that I'll kindly call “Reality Self Defense Experts” who sit there and say that combat sport practitioners are all vulnerable to their “deadly techniques”, but that they can't show their “deadly techniques” in the ring...which of course is a bunch of crap.

The reason you won't ever take anybody's eye in a “fight” is because a “fight” does not have high enough threat level. Whereas in a life or death, violent struggle, numerous examples exist where eyes came out, throats were crushed, joints were ripped apart, and all sorts of horrific acts of violence occurred.

So you constantly have to ask yourself, what are you training for?

Slow Motion Training

I have previously written about the value of training in ultra slow motion. (See here) Today, I want to share some material that corroborates this. It comes from an email I got from Tim Larkin's Target Focus Training.

Speed, it's the one training method in my business that is constantly misused by combat sport/self defense trainers.

They introduce speed way too early in the process.

What's interesting is to look at the best of the best performers/athletes across the board in many different sports/performance arts, the one constant training methodology that produces the top performers in all these disciplines use speed in a very different way.

Last night I was hanging out having dinner with my good friend, Steve Sims, concierge to the world’s ultra wealthy, author of “Bluefishing” an amazing guide to connect and have amazing people/experiences in your life.

Steve told me about a recent motorcycle racing course he did with some super bike and motocross experts.

What was interesting was the instructor took them to his training center in the middle of nowhere and ran their own course on motorbikes that wouldn't go any faster than 60 miles an hour.

Why?

Now Steve likes to go at 150 mph plus at the track on his super bikes. It fascinated me why he went to these experts who put him on a motor bike that only goes 60 miles an hour.

The answer he got from this world class motocross instructor was, “If I can teach you to ride fast on a slow bike, it's going to be so much easier when you get back on your super bike.”

The wisdom in that is amazing.

Steve told me that he can't wait to get back out on the track at full speed after spending the last couple of days doing slow work on the other bike.

He said his control and his ability to see the lines and hit apexes perfectly is so much better than before the course.

He can't believe by going slow how much he learned.

Steve paid a hefty fee to attend this motocross course to learn this info but you get the same critical principles….free!

If you take advantage of my free masterclass...

Module three of my masterclass deals specifically with this phenomenon.

Not only will you hear from motocross and superbike champs, but also other top performers in the music industry, baseball, soccer, tennis, all of them use a variation of this crucial methodology.

And yet very few people in the world outside the elite performers know of it. So take advantage of my masterclass as this is just one of the modules and I unlocked so much more.

This information is critical to your self protection and it's absolutely free.

BTW, I have taken the free course, and I think it's worthwhile. I have no financial connection to TFT, and this is not a blanket endorsement of every aspect of TFT training.

Principles of Personal Defense: Review of Ch 7

Surprise 

 “The unexpected is disconcerting. A disconcerted felon is momentarily less in charge of his own thoughts than the moment just before or just after.” (p. 41) In a speech, Cooper once related that just saying, “No,” to a felon’s orders induces a moment of confusion.

Sometimes, you can create surprise by cognitive dissonance. “Did they tell you your mother called?” Any such question that creates a mental disconnect with the current situation can provide the split-second distraction you need to act.

 A predator expects a victim he grabs will try to get away. It will surprise him when you step in and let him have it.

On this subject, the Colonel says, “. . . I can point out that in every single successful defense against violent attack that I know of -- and I have studied the matter for nearly three decades -- the was totally surprised when his victim did not wilt.” (p. 42)

I would add that if you display the traits of Alertness, Decisiveness and Aggressiveness, your defensive actions will necessarily embrace the element of surprise.

Kalah Knife Defense

Some time back, a reader with the username "Jaqueline Black" (really cool, right?) recommended that I look into the art she has trained in, called Kalah. It comes from Krav Maga, and I like what I've seen. I think maybe I'll write some future posts on the system, but today I want to show you a knife defense video.

Most martial arts knife defense techniques presuppose a committed, single stab. Real knife attacks do not happen like that. With that in mind, watch Idan Abolnik teach a more realistic approach.

Principles of Personal Defense: Review of Ch 6

Ruthlessness 

When you come under assault, you can’t rely on halfway measures. Your attacker intends to injure or kill you. You must do whatever it takes to stop him.

In this chapter, Colonel Cooper states what should be obvious: if you hold back because you’re afraid of hurting your attacker, you will just make him mad. A violent predator deserves no consideration.




When I was younger, I found myself the victim of frequent beatings by bullies. Rage helped fuel my aggressiveness, and I think it was indignation that taught me ruthlessness. Anyone who would take away my own dignity deserved no consideration in my sight.

To be sure, the law forbids you to continue your counterattack once the orc no longer presents a threat. However, until the point that you can escape or until you neutralize the threat, you pity him at your own peril. (I have written about the ethics of ruthlessness HERE.)

Principles of Personal Defense: Review of Ch 5

Coolness 

As you have seen, Jeff Cooper bases the aggressiveness of self defense on indignation, anger and rage. But he does not mean loss of control. He alludes to Kipling’s poem If.

    “If you can keep your head, when all about you are losing theirs
        And blaming it on you . . . ."

Coolness allows precision under attack. He illustrates with a story of a former student who faced a couple of killers armed with a shotgun and an automatic weapon. Precise shots from his handgun brought both of them down.

Cooper calls coolness “a matter of will" (p. 31), and he advocates playing team sports like football to develop it. However, he maintains hunting medium and big game as the best means to cultivate coolness.

Kelly McCann calls coolness “rage with reason”. (CLICK HERE to see him discuss it) For my comments on his video, CLICK HERE.

To me, remaining cool under attack requires that you control adrenaline stress. I have written about that HERE.

Principles of Personal Defense: Review of Chapter 4

Speed 

On this topic, Cooper quotes Napoleon, who said, “I may lose this battle, but I will never lose a minute.” The Colonel then makes the point that in self defense, one cannot afford to lose a second.
At one point, he mentions reaction time. If you move first, you have the advantage that action time beats reaction time. (For a video explaining this, CLICK HERE) In the movie, The Magnificent Seven, Chris uses this principle to discourage Chico, a young gunfighter. (To see, CLICK HERE)

Therefore, speed goes hand in hand with decisiveness. Once you have determined an attacker’s intentions, your quick action will put him on the defensive. After that, you must repeatedly follow up with further actions until you neutralize the threat.

Comparing it to a sports game, Cooper says that if you’re off-sides, there will be no referee to call it. He says, “The perfect fight is one that is over before the loser really understands what is going on.” (p. 26)