Sunday, July 11, 2010

How to Defend Yourself in a Fight at School

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, someone may try to attack you. Even without martial arts or self-defense training, you can still defend yourself.

Steps

  1. Walk or run away if you can. At school, you need to yell for a teacher. Your reputation isn't worth being put in the hospital. If you are out on the street, find a busy building to get into, for you WON'T be kidnapped. But always remember that teachers will definitely always help you. If they don't, that is a problem you need to take to an administrator.
  2. Try to talk them down. Don't respond to their taunts or personal attacks. Try saying something like "Okay, we are about to fight over something stupid" or "I'm sure we can work this out". Make it sound cool, but not offensive as to provoke them even more.
  3. Turn to the side to make yourself a smaller target if there is no where to go or you can't get away. Do not raise your hands yet; you want to be defensive, not aggressive. Try to keep your opponent well away from you, because chances are if they get within a few feet of you, you will be attacked.
  4. If they start to swing at you, raise your hands in a defensive posture. Put your leading arm (same side as your front foot) in front of your face and head, with your fist about 2 inches below your forehead. Use your other arm to cover the center of your chest and stomach.
  5. Shout "NO!", "Stop!" and/or "Don't!" loudly and with a lot of force. Shouting forcefully can often stop attackers in their tracks, and they don't expect it, and may give you time to get away.
  6. Dodge. Weave, duck, and bob. There's a reason boxers learn to do it. Air is more effective at taking punches than you are.
  7. Try to get away again. Move around your attacker; don't let them back you into a wall or corner. If you can, back them into a corner.
  8. With your back to the wall, but not touching it, you only have to worry about 180 degrees of multiple attackers. With sharp tight pivots, you can use the wall as a resting place for an attacker's face. Move, move, move!!!!
  9. Resist the temptation to punch them in the face. Unless you get really lucky, all that you will do is anger your attacker and provoke them to further attack and act agressive towards you.
  10. If you find yourself in a situation where you absolutely must defend yourself with physical force, the best place to attack someone is their solar plexus; a spot in the center of the torso just between the ribs. This will confuse their nerves and cause them to have difficulty breathing for a few minutes, but will have no severe or lasting effects.
  11. If you find yourself in a situation where you absolutely must defend yourself -- Alternate method (should only be attempted if you have been trained to do so): Non-aggressively raise both of your hands to head level with your fists open and palms facing the aggressor. Try to talk the person who wants to fight you out of it one last time. If they make any sudden movements towards you, with your dominant hand reach past the opposing side of your head (as if you are going to grab your ear) while raising your stance with your toes. Then strike downward at a 35-45 degree angle towards the aggressor's neck with the back of your hand -Palm Open. Drop your stance and twist your shoulders into the strike to increase the power. If done correctly this will either temporarily shut down half of the assailant's body or knock them out. Do not strike with the edge of your hand! There are two reasons why doing so is a bad idea. First and foremost, striking with the edge of your hand displaces only one vertebra. It could permanently disable them and land you in jail. Second, unless you know what you are doing you will most likely break your hand while failing to hit them with enough force to render them a non-threat. After this strike, even if they are just dazed, get away. It is unlawful to continue a fight once you have a chance to escape.
  12. Punching the face will probably break your hand. There are too many great soft spots that can take the fight out of most aggressors. Put your whole body weight and "english" into each strike to make it count. One is all it takes.
  13. Forget about fighting fair. This step is only if you are in serious danger! Stamp on their feet, kick them in the groin (it works on women too), scratch and bite (bite with your side teeth, gnash, grind, shake), and pull their hair. Try to avoid kicking in a street fight unless you know how to correctly execute one. Don't forget the joints, especially knees (you don't have to cripple the attacker, you can kick him to the ground and run like the wind), elbows (you can't throw a punch with half your arm in a pain of sprain)and the shoulders.
  14. Run! Hopefully you incapacitated them for a few seconds, which should give you enough time to sprint to safety.
  15. Call your local emergency number report the assault. The sooner you call, the better your chances of your actions being reported as self-defense.
  16. If you are in a fight, I would recommend a backup plan just in case things go wrong.
  17. Scream and run.
  18. Stomp on their feet/foot and run through the surrounding crowd.
  19. Dodge all their punches.
  20. Call for help from a teacher or another authority.
  21. Try not to walk in places where there are drunk people walking around. Don't go down alleyways, or through gas station stores for no reason. Keep yourself safe. That's the most important thing.
  22. If you are at school people usually punch to the face. This is what I like to call the "Step'n Stab".
  23. Make yourself narrow.
  24. Once done take your front foot in your narrow stance and step over so your face is out of their reach.(DONT STEP TO THE SIDE!)in other words,you are in a front stance or your foot is almost beside theirs but back in a safe distance.it will be in an intermediate direction like north west,southwest ect.
  25. Take your fist and drive it into their solar plexus.
  26. DON'T JAB, KEEP GOING!Dont jab the punch to the solar plexus,keep driving your fist in it.This works best in a wall.
  27. Take your back leg and step up with your fist in their solar plexus. Now the stance should be switched with your opponent stunned.

Tips

  • The most commonly thrown opening punch is the right hook, watch out for this, if you see it coming duck under it and counter.
  • Easiest way to start and end a fight at the same time is left jab, left jab, right cross (unless your a lefty then it is the right right left). If they block those, try a kick to the kneecap. Then run.
  • Confusion many times saves you. Blocks, full out punches, shutos, palm strikes to soft areas (neck, diaphragm, jaw, etc. mixed in with kicks to knee, outside/inside thigh, foot stomps, etc. Overwhelm him with fierce variety.
  • The easiest way to defend yourself in a fight is to not be in one. Be polite and courteous, and try not to cause trouble with people that you know want to pick a fight with you. Make it very public and audible. If you can't get clear of a fight then at least you'll have witnesses to back you up in court!
  • If you have to fight, try to use their own momentum against them. if they punch, try to dodge to one side and "help them on their way" with a push to the back, or a punch to the attackers ribs/ back. this should wind them and give you a chance to escape

Warnings

  • Don't try to start a fight.
  • Only engage in combat as a last resort.
  • If using a weapon, don't let the attempting attacker get it! Actually use it!
  • Remember, if you hit back at your attacker, you may be brought to court (no matter how young you are). Make sure you're aware of the laws in your area surrounding assault.
  • Don't encourage your opponent to fight.
  • The legal and moral definition of self-defense only extends so far. There have been numerous cases where the original attacker has won a civil or criminal case against his victim because the so-called victim used excess force. However, if your attacker verbally threatens not only your safety but your life, or if he contacts your throat, the law specifically cites that your life has been threatened, and you may use whatever force is necessary.
  • Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to defuse the conflict, your attacker will keep coming; at this point it is simple - knock them out before they knock you out!
  • Defend the back of your neck with your life. The parts of your brain that control breathing and pulse are in a cavity at the back of your head. If these get damaged you're down for good.

How to Save Power on a Laptop

So you want to save some juice on your laptop... find out how!

Steps

  1. Be sure to make the brightness of your computer to the lowest setting that is comfortable. To do this, look for a purple "fn" button on the keyboard(usually next to the left ctrl key, sometimes the key has blue lettering instead of purple). After you've found the "fn" button, quickly search for another key with a purple or blue sun with an up or down arrow(usually on the arrow keys or on one of the F1-F12 keys). Now while holding "fn" press the button with the purple/blue sun and a down arrow.
  2. Turn off all background programs that are not needed because they take up processor space which will use more battery.
  3. Check that bluetooth and/or wireless adapter is off (if it's built in).
  4. Be sure to eject any discs out of your CD or DVD drive if you do not need them. The disc will still be spinning inside and consumes a ton of energy.
  5. If you are running very low on power, or are watching a DVD, your laptop may have a way to turn off the LED lights (Power light, hard drive activity light, etc.). Check your owners manual to see how.
  6. Unplug any USB devices you are not using (iPods, Flash Drives, External USB mice, etc.). Many of these devices draw power from your USB port, up to 500 mA (about a half an Amp) and 5 volts. It adds up quickly depending on how many you have plugged in.
  7. When you are not going to use your laptop for a short time, put it into standby or sleep mode. This will only leave dire essential components in the computer running such as the memory. And allow you to resume working on your computer quickly.
  8. When you are not going to be using your laptop for a even longer time, put it into hibernate(Shift+Standby Button) mode. It will have the same effect as turning the computer off, but it will allow you to go back to working on your laptop just like in standby and uses little to no power from the battery.

Tips

  • You can always buy extra batteries for your computer!
  • The best way, though not effective for travel, is to use your power cord.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

How to Be Good in Sports

If you are not THE sports person of your class and you want to improve yourself, this article is for you to read.

Steps

  1. 1
    Find your favorite sport. You don't need to excell at all sports, right now your favorite one will do fine.
  2. Engage yourself and decide how many time you are going to practice this sport. If you have the will you can make it, a little hard work should do the trick.
  3. Join a club. Seeing other people practicing with you should give you enthousiasme to continue.
  4. Join competitions. Even if you are at a low level, competition teaches you to have sports spirit and patience.
  5. Try to train your resistance and speed. For those two caracteristcs help with ALL kinds of sports
  6. Have fun while training, palying and enduring

Tips

  • If you form a group and practice together it would be more fun
  • Have encouragements from your environment
  • Practice every single day!

Warnings

  • Don't exhaust yourself
  • Have supervision for safety
  • Always obey safety conditions
  • The most two important things are PRACTICE and PATIENCE

Friday, June 11, 2010

How to Build Muscle

Your body builds muscle naturally in response to strenuous activity. But if your daily routine doesn't involve challenging your muscles to grow, how do you trigger the muscle-building process? It doesn't happen overnight (as any bodybuilder can tell you) but you'll be well on your way to "bulking up" if you follow these steps consistently.

Steps

  1. Develop a program. Decide which exercises you'll do on which days. Some exercises focus on a specific muscle (e.g. bicep curl) while other exercises call upon several muscles at once (e.g. squat). The important thing is to make sure each muscle gets a chance to rest for at least a full day before using it again. For example, you can do a full-body weight training routine every other day (with cardio in between, if you want) or you can alternate muscle groups (arms on Monday, legs on Tuesday, upper back and chest on Wednesday, etc.)Do Calisthenics or Compound Exercises . Push-ups, Pull-ups, Dips, Pistols, Reverse Crunches, etc. These exercises are functional and encourage your body to use primary muscle groups, secondary muscle groups, stabilizing muscles as well as your core. Add weight when these exercises get easy.
    • Muscles grow during rest, not during training. If you don't give a muscle adequate time to recover, you'll actually interfere with the muscle building process. When you lift weight, you're supposed to stress the muscle to the extent that it breaks down at the cellular level, resulting in increased protein synthesis, which produces thicker muscle fibers. This process begins 2-4 hours after the workout and lasts 24 hours (although some researchers suggest that muscles worked to exhaustion need 36-48 hours to rebuild). If you stress the muscle again before the process is complete, you'll break down the muscle fibers before they've had a chance to rebuild.
    • To build volume rather than strength, design your program around lots of repetitions (8 to 12), three to five sets, and short (30- to 90-second) rest periods between sets. Athletes looking for power and strength, on the other hand, will favor a program with reps that max out at around six and sets ranging from two to six, with a long rest period (two to five minutes) to promote better recovery between sets.
  2. Practice good form. Learn how to do each exercise properly (full extension of movement, proper stance and posture, etc.) or else you'll not only reduce the effectiveness of the movement, but you'll also be increasing the risk of injury. To master each exercise, learn to do it slowly with light weight. Your form will improve with practice. Even though you might feel more accomplished when you move quickly, you're depending on momentum to do some of the work for you, instead of your muscles. Do each rep slowly, in a controlled and steady fashion. More advanced lifters are able to benefit to a significant extent through explosive repetitions, but since this also compounds the risk of injury in novice athletes, it is solely recommended for more advanced athletes.
  3. Lift to fatigue. As mentioned earlier, in order to trigger the muscle building process, you need to stress the muscle. By the final rep of your final set, your muscle should be exhausted. That should be the last rep you can do with perfect form. If you start losing form before then because your muscles are too tired, you're using too much weight. If you find that you can add in one or more reps in good form, you need to add on some weight.

    • Ask someone to "spot" you, so that you can safely push your muscles to the point where they fail. Your spotter can then help you with the weight just enough so that you can complete the motion. Having a spotter for exercises like bench press is normal and expected, so don't be shy to ask someone. And if you can't find a spotter, don't lift to failure on any exercise where a dropped weight could injure you.
  4. Change your eating habits. You can't build muscle unless you give your body the proper building blocks to do so (and stop giving it junk). There are also plenty of supplements which can give you energy and aid in muscle recovery and repair, but remember, they are supplements, which means they only work in conjunction with a good, consistently followed exercise regimen and a proper diet.

    • Incorporate complex carbs and protein into your diet. Focus on lean protein like egg whites and low fat yogurt, and whole grain carbs like oatmeal and whole-wheat toast. Avoid sugary, white processed foods; they interfere with your glucose levels and immune system.
    • Eat small meals throughout the day. This gives your body a steady supply of fuel to build muscle. Eating in "spurts" (2-3 large meals per day) should be avoided because it hinders muscle growth during the stretches between meals. You should eat 5 to 6 small meals a day.
    • Since creatine provides energy, take this supplement about 45 minutes before a workout. Look for products that pair creatine with carbs, as this combination increases the rate at which the creatine is absorbed by your muscles. Consuming creatine with a glass of juice will have the same effect.
    • Drink sports drinks during your workout. Look for drinks that contain carbs and protein. This combination reduces muscle damage and hastens recovery.
    • Get a carb-loaded drink or snack (1.5g of carbs for each 2.2 lbs that you weigh) within 30 minutes of your workout to stimulate an enzyme that helps the body produce glycogen.
    • Have a whey protein drink within 30 minutes of your workout to help your body repair and rebuild lean muscle tissue.
  5. Change your routine every four to six weeks. As your body adapts to stress, you'll hit a plateau where the benefits of weight training will begin to diminish. The only way to prevent this from happening is to change things up, such as by increasing weight and changing exercises.

Tips

  • Do cardio! Your body needs 15-30 minutes of cardio a day at least, do 15 minutes a day on your training days and at least 30 minutes a day on your recovery days. Remember that ripped does not always mean strong, it means low bodyfat. Most strong men of the world are not ripped but are actually stocky, a bodybuilder counters this by eating 5-6 planned out meals a day, if you find yourself overeating then extra cardio is a must to stay ripped and build muscle. If you do an excessive amount of cardio daily then you may be able to have a bit of breathing room and eat a bit more, if you do more than 90 minutes of cardio daily find out how many calories you are burning and consume them in excess to replace them so that your body will burn fat and not muscle.
  • Eating correctly costs a lot of money. If you have a limited budget, spend your money on your needed weekly food before spending it on supplements. Creatine works for many people but is a waste if you are not eating enough of the proper food to build muscle.
  • To continue building more and more muscle, increase the difficulty of your exercise routine.
  • Train to complete failure. This means you should do as many repetitions as physically possible on each set. This will ensure the most muscle tearing, and allow them to grow back bigger.
  • Choose a weight that will allow you to do about 8-12 reps per set.
  • Always take off or reduce your intensity/volume by at least 50% every 5 weeks to avoid over training, and to keep making gains.

    Warnings

    • Many people you will encounter in a gym have misguided ideas about physiology and proper athletic programming. There's a lot of "gym mythology" floating around. Take others' suggestions with a grain of salt, and always ask for sources (like the ones provided below).
    • Know your limit for exercise. Trying to be macho and doing too much can hurt you.
    • Don't be intimidated or make assumptions when you see someone using a different amount of weight than you. James Beckett can't even lift 1kg. They may be on a program where they're doing less reps with more weight, or vice versa.