Self-Defense For Dummies

by Damian Ross

Get street-smart. Unleash your inner warrior.

Forget everything you thought you knew about self-defense. Those graceful martial arts moves that are so effective in the movies are likely to get you killed on the street. In fight-or-flight mode, you won’t have the calm thinking and fine motor skills to execute them. You need a simpler approach with a few fundamental moves that are easy to remember and perform yet devastating to an attacker. The solution? Self-Defense For Dummies, your guide to avoiding attacks, neutralizing attackers, and protecting yourself and your loved ones. In this book, you discover a self-defense system that works in the real world, where armed criminals target the most vulnerable and don’t fight fair.

Discover strategies to make yourself a hard target, as opposed to an easy one Heighten your awareness of your surroundings and potential threats Sharpen your self-defense instincts and respond proactively to impending danger Master hand-to-hand combat basics and defend against grabs and holds Learn how to use weapons and defend against them

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 11, 2023

About the author

Damian Ross is an instructor, coach, first responder, former bouncer and bodyguard, husband, father, founder of The Self Defense Company and inventor and patent holder of Bodyguard Bulletproof Backpacks and the Peacemaker CCW bulletproof Jacket. He's also the creator of The Self Defense Training System Combatives Program and a Pisces.

Below are a list of highlighted accomplishments:

Founder of The Self Defense Company

Inventor of Bodyguard Armored Backpacks and Jackets

Creator of The Self Defense Training System

Author of the Official “Self Defense for Dummies”

4th Degree Black Belt Tekken Ryu Jujutsu and Combatives under Carl Cestari

2nd Degree Black Belt Judo under Yoshisada Yonezuka

2nd Degree Black Belt Tae Kwon Do

Varsity Wrestling Lehigh University

2x National Runner Up Judo, Black Belt Masters

3rd Place Bando Nationals Kick Boxing Black Belt Division

New Jersey State Champion Judo – Black Belt Division

Former Bouncer and Bodyguard with NJ Conceal Carry Permit

Certified Coach and Trainer

Varsity Wrestling Coach Ridgewood High School, Ridgewood, New Jersey

Ridgewood High School Hall of Fame Football and Wrestling

Bachelor of Arts, Lehigh University

Certified Range Safety Officer

Fire Fighter

Cancer Survivor

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly would rate this higher if I was in the US because it has a lot of handy and useful tips, explains a lot of myths and is an all round good book. However the focus on weapons makes it risky advice for where I am in the world, because even when the author tells you to check the laws he assumes that one or more of the weapons he suggests will be OK. They are all illegal in the UK and I cannot stress that enough.

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

I disagree with every single thing said in the first two paragraphs of the introduction of this book.
"If you follow the news, or maybe just look out your window, you can tell that the world is an increasingly dangerous place. Nations are becoming more divided along political, social, and economic lines; incidents of senseless violence are skyrocketing; alcohol and drug abuse is on the rise; political and social protests are growing more violent; and human trafficking has become commonplace. At the same time, calls to de-fund the police are growing stronger, and more and more prosecutors are unwilling or limited in their ability to bring violent criminals to justice.

THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR: ALTHOUGH THREATS TO YOUR LIFE AND SAFETY, YOUR LOVED ONES, AND YOUR PROPERTY ARE ON THE RISE, YOU'RE INCREASINGLY ON YOUR OWN WHEN IT COMES TO PROTECTING THEM. UNFORTUNATELY, YOU PROBABLY LACK THE TRAINING AND EVEN THE TIME TO DEVELOP THE SKILLS REQUIRED TO DEFEND YOURSELF. YOU NEED A PRACTICAL, EFFECTIVE, AND AFFORDABLE SOLUTION. WELCOME TO SELF-DEFENSE FOR DUMMIES."

Citation-fucking-needed, oh wait, nope this book doesn't cite a single crime statistic, scientific paper, or even a study, survey, or internet poll for anything claimed or any of the times it uses the phrase "in this one study".
Especially considering the author himself says "Everyone lies", so, Damien, what are you lying about in this book?

This type of fear mongering, hyperbole, and sensationalism is the exact problem with "expert" "self-defense" "instructors".

It's just the typical "martial arts don't work on da streetz" "there are no rules in a street fight" "i'll teach you 100 different ways to end a man's life with your bare hands, 90 of which involve the testicles." "YOU HAVE TO KILL YOUR ATTACKER! NO MERCY!" "Bro, I see red and bodies drop." type of "self-defense" instruction.

Pg. 32 "That's it. You and your attacker can be in no other conceivable position/distance combination. The type of attack doesn't matter."
That's where you're wrong, Mr. Ross, it must be so hard for you, living in a 2 dimensional black and white world of dichotomies.
What about up and above?
What about crouched on the knees, one below you the other at 90 degrees in front, is that standing or on the ground?
What about hugging or clinging onto an affixed object like a metal pole or fence? The usual strategy if someone is attempting to abduct you, because of all that commonplace human trafficking you referred to in your introduction.

If you had studied and trained in the martial art of running away for real self-defense you would realize how easy and effective it is to simply scale or use an obstacle for both defensive and offensive purposes.
The fact that you couldn't conceive of these simple situations also adds doubt to your credibility as an expert.

The flight, flight, or FREEZE response, or sympathetic nervous system (SNS), fully activating is a BAD thing when it comes to survival and self-defense.
You get tunnel vision, you don't think clearly, you lose fine motor skills, and just tons of bad stuff that if untrained is a gamble if it will give you the edge over a trained or experienced attacker. That's all also if you don't FREEZE due to a lack of training that creates eustress and mental conditioning by being able to avoid or calm down when in this state, or the brain being in an observe orient loop due to shock and "why me" or "this isn't happening" thoughts.
Due to this I am also starting to doubt if the author has any real experience with actual violence or being assaulted, either unarmed or with weapons. If he had, he would know how shitty, useless, and counter-productive full SNS activation actually is, it's not like a video game power up, and its drawbacks are often worse than the benefits.


The use of the term "street fight" is used synonymously with self-defense or assaults, it's actually not.
A "street fight" is synonymous with "mutual combat", it is an avoidable fight which one has consented to be in. There are rules to them, such as no intent to injure or kill, and it does not involve the use of weapons, the introduction of either turns a consented to "street fight/mutual combat" into a criminal assault.
Then again, this author is likely a 'Merican, so lacks any understanding of law outside of their 2nd amendment shoot first ask questions later worldview.

"I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by six." For real?
https://youtu.be/MXSVcglNDqM?si=6jnsp...

Pg 105. One thing that infuriates me is Self-defense gurus who advise neck knives, the best evidence to prove that they've never trained to use one, nor deployed an edc neck knife in a real fight.
https://youtu.be/wMfr3SZEeNE?si=PxVbA...

Pg 118. Hory sheet. Do not do any of this. Concealing a weapon to stab someone multiple times without any provocation is definitely not self defense.
Talk to a lawyer before using ANYTHING taught in this book. Alternatively, just don't read this book.
Self defense and legal murder are not the same, this book is teaching you how to commit legal murder not self defense.

Pg 133 "The position of advantage puts you in a position to win the fight before the physical attack starts."
I'd say this guy is a BJJ guy who would pull guard because it is sure to make him win, but he probably doesn't do BJJ because it "doesn't work on da streetz! Never go to da ground in a streetz fight!!1one!11!eleven."

"Surprise is your friend. Signalling that you're trained..."
People who can tell if you're trained are people that are trained or otherwise experienced.
If you go into the interview stance, 100% I can tell you've done at least a weekend seminar, most criminals experienced enough would know that too.
If your rear hand is back, or just your fingers and palm is concealed in any way, 100% I assume you have a weapon. Without any training at all, EVERYONE IN THE WORLD has the intuition to instinctually know this too.

Pg 137 "to destroy their balance you must attack their centre of gravity." No, to put them off balance you must destroy their base of support or sufficiently shift their centre of gravity off of their base of support.

Pg 150 "A heel hook or similar leg lock - a technique you don't need for self-defense and one I don't teach in this book."
Right, you're too busy teaching people how to conceal a knife and stab someone repeatedly in "self-defense." The audacity to put forth the idea that you don't need a non-lethal technique which will facilitate escape and make pursuit impossible, but do need to learn how to conceal a knife and stab someone with it repeatedly, would be laughable if it wasn't such horrendous self-defense advice.
Rather than get someone's blood on me and risk getting whatever they've got, drawing a knife which may stab/lacerate me as well or be disarmed from me, using lethal force when it's not needed and possibly living with the fact I committed MURDER... I would rather use leg entanglement to pop their ankle or knee and then immediately disengage and flee as I call emergency services.
Saying you "don't need" a technique like this for self-defense shows severe shortsightedness and lack of understanding of the multitude of different self-defense situations one can find themselves in, you also don't need any other multitude of attributes, skills, techniques or equipment gear & tools, until the one time that you do.

Ch 11 "Breaking free of grabs and holds."
Ignore this chapter, this is not something you can learn from a book, like with most martial arts, books can enhance your training but you're not going to get a friend and master counter-grabs/holds from descriptions and a picture or two.
Take classes in Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Sambo, Jujutsu, Sumo, Judo, or even a weekend 2 day seminar would be better. The whole "martial arts don't work on the street", is ridiculous.
If someone is bigger, stronger, and meaner, martial arts or not, they're going to whoop your ass. Taking the RIGHT martial arts, specifically ones that are combat sports and make you a competitive fighter with sound sparring and training practices, will give you an edge against such an opponent. Otherwise, your alternative is a weapon, such as an EDC, improvised weapon, weapon of opportunity, or obstacles in the environment.
"Expert" "self defense" "instructors" make it seem like being fitter/stronger/more athletic is unneeded for self defense, but then just as quickly talk about how a bigger, stronger, meaner attacker will make any martial arts technique irrelevant when it's needed to prop up their own special sauce ninja secrets.

Lift heavy, Run fast, Train often, Train hard.



Pg 291 "Start by calling the police and saying you were attacked and you're having chest pains. Doctors can't test for that condition, but they'll document that you reported having chest pains..."
...DON'T LIE. I can't believe that I actually have to say this, or that a "self-defense" "expert" is actually telling you to do this.
When it comes to legal situations, especially ones that will end up in court, NEVER lie.
Lying about anything screws your entire credibility when it's discovered.
So if you lie about having "chest pains", you could lose your case because of that lie creating reasonable doubt about your legal claim of self-defense.
With self-defense you're no longer innocent until proven guilty, as you're straight up admitting you committed assault but are saying "I committed assault, but it was in self-defense, prove it wasn't self-defense."
If you legally claim self-defense the process is then that there must be reasonable doubt created as to whether the assault you committed was actually done in self-defense or not.

"The defendant lied about their chest pains, so they're potentially lying about whether or not this actually was done in self-defense.
My client maintains that he and the defendant were having a heated discussion when he saw the defendant turn his body, putting his right arm back.
Which according to the experts interviewed is considered a pre-attack indicator.
My client then saw the defendant hide his arm behind him while holding something which he concealed against the back of his right thigh.
Which again according to the experts interviewed is another pre-attack indicator.
It was at this time that my client drew a firearm to defend himself due to believing that the defendant was about to attack him with lethal intent using a concealed weapon.
My client has shown that it was infact himself acting in self-defense against an imminent attack by the defendant, and not the other way around."

[Damian Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ummm...I wrote it, so of course I think it's good. :)

[Kara Rowley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting