Master Joseph Stricker is the owner and head instructor of Martial Arts Connection. He is one out of 24 outside of Japan to have a license from the ministry of Japan and 1 out of 15 in the US. He is also certified as a Sifu (teacher) from Hong Kong in Wing Chun Kung Fu. His certifying instructor is Ip Ching whose father is Ip Man — the trainer of Bruce Lee. He has also taught many law enforcement agencies and self defense classes throughout Michigan.
Since professional criminals generally attack only people they think they can defeat, a criminal will pick someone smaller, weaker, and someone who they feel will not fight back.
There are many tools you can purchase such as impact weapons, knives, pepper gas and CS sprays, body alarms and many more. All of which should have some training behind them before you attempt to carry them for protection. In this section we will cover two of these.
Pepper Gas Defense Spray: I like to call this non lethal defense spray “the equalizer”. They are legal to carry in most states so you must check with your local, state, and federal laws to see what restrictions apply where you live. There are over 100 personal defense sprays on the market. Some are good, having a near-zero failure-to-control rate with trained use, and some not as good with up to 50% failure-to-control rate. How can you tell which are good and which are not so good? Without testing in the field it is hard to know for sure, but most major manufactures of personal defense sprays for law enforcement also make civilian versions. It is very important that if you plan to carry pepper gas spray you take training from a professional. There are many types of pepper gas defense sprays on the market (streamers, foggers, burst sprays) and if not done right you can put yourself in a more serious situation.
Martial Arts: Although many of us think martial arts is for self defense that is not always true. In many cases the martial art is taught as a sport and will not work in a violent confrontation. Tae Kwon Do, Judo, Brazilian Ju-Jitsu these are all sports and are very good to give your kids something to do, but they are not very good at teaching them how to protect themselves in the street. To be honest, many instructors have never been in a life or death situation to even know if they themselves would be able to win. But yet many of them will be the first to say, “This is what you do,” without knowing. That is why it is important to find a martial arts instructor who has experience and one who teaches an art that can be applied in a street situation. Japanese Karate, and some Kung Fu arts are great for this because they were invented to win in a life and death situation, not to simply win a trophy or medal.
At Martial Arts Connection we are certified to teach pepper gas control and have taught hundreds on how to properly use this self-defense spray. Also at Martial Arts Connection our head instructor Master Joseph Stricker is certified through Japan and Hong Kong to teach the arts that can be used for street protection. Not only that, but he has years of United States Marine service and has done personal bodyguard protection for many executives and musicians.
If you have any questions you would like answered in this series, or if you would like a Self Defense class held in your area or workplace please feel free to contact Master Joseph Stricker at 989-992-9007 or email him at [email protected]. “Stay Fit And Be Safe”
Positive self talk
“I have the tools needed to protect myself”
By Master Joseph Stricker