Let's Talk About the Leveraging Arm ! | Active Self Protection Extra 

You just took me back thirty something years to when I was a brown belt in karate classes as a teen, I had good instructors, the way you teach reminds me of the way they taught.

this should be a mandatory high school class. great stuff

heard you mention "control the Leveraging Arm" countless times, so glad you demo/explain it thanks (kudos to ricky for helping out :)

You really impressed me! I watched at least 40 of your videos and i was impressed but now i am blown away. You collect incident videos, educate and NOW demonstrate how to increase your chances of survival! A+ Also, your sense of humor makes it more interesting to watch longer videos.

It works. But it takes a lot of practice and repetition so you dont waste time figuring it out in the moment. Thanks so much, John.

This was one of my requests on your 500k sub contest and feedback form! To see you show us the techniques you describe-- Dude, not only are your videos amazingly great 🙌🏻 but you somehow get even better! Thanks for covering Our ASP!!

Damn John !!! This is the very First time i've ever seen you in action ! I had No clue of the "Depth" of your knowledge of self defense ! And Ricky was it ? Was very attuned to your thoughts and actions. Hats off to "Both" of you for a Brilliant demonstration. Thanks for such a Powerful lesson ! And Also ? Remind me to "Never" piss you off .. Loved and Subscribed !!!

That is a great person to help you demonstrate. Usually when there's a second person when there's usually only one, the guest is usually just standing awkwardly. Great video

watched this video back two years ago shortly after I started following the channel, now after seeing hundreds of cases of the leveraging arm in practice youtube suggested I watch this video again, good review!

Thanks John. This is EXACTLY what I was thinking about so many times watching your videos. I am sure I'm not the only one. Thanks so much for covering this for us. Keep up the good work.

please keep these types of vids coming john. thanks

Fantastic teaching video. During a split second altercation, every action and reaction has Life ending or life saving potential.

The look on the young guy's face each time you went "off script" was hilarious. I always feel bad for the "test dummy" in any demonstration. Great job to the both of you. Stay safe & stay Ready!

"Guess what he's gonna do?" "He lights you up" !!!!!!

Dude, I love this channel! So much information transmitted with good humor.

John, gotta say that you are consistantly one of the most anylitical and practical instructors out there. I have been a serious student, and trainer for years. Good work. It is difficult to boil all the crap down to get to the plain, simple stuffthat works real world.

Priceless information.. Thanks John!

Don't know how I missed this. Well done. You should do more.

Great video...as a martial artist, it was really enlightening how you explained that sometimes you need to deflect to the inside instead of the outside.....we train so hard to deflect to the outside....this has made me think to train inside movement and not default to outside deflection when distance weapons are involved...

Hey john,this video is exactly what people need to see. Yes it's exactly like you say...one tool is a distance weapon and one is for close range attack.Two totally different reactions depending on what your defense and offense is.I will mention when someone is in a dangerous situation they forget about everything they have learned and I have heard you always mention being mentally and spiritually fit...and to never attack or defend yourself halfheartedly! Keep up the Great work John...your AWESOME!

Thanks John for discussing a subject that has been on my mind for some time now.

I think your most underrated video(s) is the one(s) about gripping the slide of a pistol or gripping the ejection port of a rifle. I don't care if someone is pro-firearms or against them, that information is life-saving, I wish everyone knew that info. I'm glad you mentioned it again in this video.

Good stuff. Analysis based on actual incident videos. In the happy dance, I wouldn't turn back to the inside. I would recommend a trip or better yet step on forward foot while spinning which should put him on the ground. (Hopefully with a broken ankle). Just my 2 cents. Love the idea of pressure testing everything.

38 yo, 31 of martial arts training here. Love your insight, simple and effective, greatly instructed. As you've said pratice is paramount, for motor learning and muscle memory, and it will help for emotional control and mental strength.

Thanks John this is the one we all been looking for ...

I did the happy dance once and it ended sadly.And I just made that story like most of your haters.God bless you brother.

It actually pisses me of that John only has 8k subscribers, he makes really good videos, he needs to get more famous so more people cover their ASP

John, I was robbed at gun point many years ago & over the many years that’s past I’ve analyzed the entire 60-90 second interaction, to learn from my mistakes & possibly missed opportunities, with that said I only had one incidence that lasted less than a second or two where he got closer, using his left arm to retrieve cash from my register, with the 38 revolver in his right hand (with finger on trigger)even at that time I briefly considered going for the gun, but similar to how you demonstrated, he pulled the weapon high & back up closer to his shoulder, basically out of my reach, if he’d moved it forward, my chance would have been there, But as it was, I recognize if I go for the gun, even with decent self defense skills, he has distance advantage, and he’s going to easily discharge a round or two before I can even get close. I made the split second decision, not to move, Again I’ve analyzed in my mind a thousand times & this was my only opportunity to even remotely consider, I think it was the right decision at the time. As it was , He was prepared to fire & more than prepared to kill, as about 5-10 seconds after I gave him the money, he moved about 5-6’ from me & fired his weapon anyway, multiple times.

a knife can be more dangerous in a melee fight than a gun, in a fight a gun is likely to go off but john brings up the point of fouling the gun.if the muzzle is away from u youll be alright the gun wont fire again, people think they can disarm in a knife fight, then often get cut badly, altho that is definitely better than being stabbed....

Great lesson John, I will go home and practice it with my teens and wife.

Really appreciate your advice, and approach. I watched a few ASP videos and really liked them all so far, so please continue your fine work.This channel is new to me (ASPExtra) and this is the first I have seen,but i hope there are or will be many more. The guy who called you fake seems really worried about competition with his channel,which is his opinion, but to tell people not to sub is cowardly.Everybody is entitled to their opinion no matter how self centered and stupid it may be. Thanks again.

Well demonstrated - thanks for scaring me such that I took a CWC class yesterday!!!

I came across your other channel recently and just stumbled across this.. I have been in martial arts for over 35 years and I can tell you you have a natural instinct for teaching and I hope people appreciate what you try teach on your videos and that you take time out of your life to do them. Ps your a great example of NEVER judge a book by its cover .. guarantee most people who see you in public would have no clue to the amount of skill and tools you carry ..lol

You've got a pretty good understanding of disarms, blocks, and how to get out of the "power box" of an attacker. Maybe you can become a self defense instructor some day. Congrats, John.

Such an important concept. I believe I read a statistic that stared 78 percent of knife attacks use a leveraging arm. Also the leveraging arm denies your escape which means serious injury and most likely death. Great work David.

I love how realistic this is, and how it really acknowledges how a realistic encounter would go down. It's good to make it clear that you won't have time to think like this; it took a 17 minute video to help you understand what would go down in a 5-second encounter. It's realistic, it's smart, and most importantly it's acknowledging that hocus-pocus kung fo skills might work in a ring but not in real life. Love what you do man. You're the only youtube channel that I've felt obligated to watch every video of, because each of your videos are spot-on. Don't ever stop.

Good thing to think about and try to figure out ways to defend yourself from random attackers. Thanks for the info.

Great teacher without the bravado BS- thanks for the videos (I'm a fan of ASP, too).

Note on the knife attack. He's using a leveraging arm to grab you, and the other hand to stab at you. I found when practicing that in a Judo/Jiujitsu class decades ago that I had two hands and arms free to work on his knife arm, and usually a free foot/leg to work on his feet and legs, and balance. The most successful approach for me was to redirect the stab across my body and use my hands to keep him from drawing it back for another stab. The knife became MY knife in his hand. I could usually "cut up" (rubber knife) his leveraging arm, and if I was able to trip him off balance enough, stab him in the torso with his own knife. Took plenty of practice but worked well even when my opponents were expecting it. We also worked the techniques you demonstrate here, but if he turned back in too quickly (because he was expecting me to try to get around his back) I could use his momentum to get control of the knife as I described.

Just found the extra channel. Howdy, folks.

Just discovered this now! OUTSTANDING!

John, another thought about breaking away and getting distance is the weakest point of a grip is the thumb. Push away from the thumb. If you grab you thumb and turn away from the thumb you can break the grip and make distance. Or bend the thumb back and move away at the same time.

great video brother... we would always trap the leveraging hand, move to the back and "roll" the arm to lock the elbow and take them down (at least bent over) to get away from the knife. Of course from there, you would still have to either create distance for your firearm or secure the the knife, whatever the situation may be... but removing that convenience of balance is always a good thing as long as you can remain in control of your own. That being said, every situation is dynamic and different and these demonstrations show how quickly that situation can change. Having the ability to make fast decisions means beans when you don't back it up with some sort of training. With realistic training, then the fast thinkers are more adequately prepared. Great job!

I just start singing you are my sunshine to the bad guy and he falls right to sleep in my arms everytime

John is flexing the Black belt. Congrats on the belt.

Amazing. I only realized I needed empty hand skills when I started watching your videos. After watching this I absolutely need to find this asap. Thank you Rickey and John.

Thank u blending martial arts and knife fighting in the same tier oss!

Great stuff, John. And outstanding uke work by Ricky.

I would love to see this at full speed! Pressure texted,bro. I like your logic. We call that control the elbow.

1:05 CoD hit sound haha

Black belt in jiu jitsu here 20 years in the game. Great stuff John wish I was there I have a few things I work on that would actually control that leveraging arm and snap it which I think is very important. Strikes to the face n stuff are also great options as you have shown however in a life n death encounter breaking limbs is essential.

John, more videos like this please! Great!

awesome video - this channel just keeps the punches coming. Thanks John!

Upward palm thrust to the nose, punch to the throat, or handclap to one or both ears are powerful stopping tools that can buy you precious time to mount a defensive counter attack.

I enjoyed your prevention of the material. I have only one issue. When you are fighting over a gun during a take away, there is a likelihood of the magazine release being bumped and the mag dropping part way out. When you took the gun away your prepped it by cycling the action without tapping the mag before racking. I know in a previous video you discussed your technique of not tapping the mag during a normal malfunction clearing because you are confident that you will not inadvertently release it, but I think this example shows that you will do the technique as you train, and in this case the suspect could have not fully seated the mag, or it could have been dislodged during the take away. That's why I think it is a good idea to tap always!

Thanks Ricky..good job..keep with marital Arts..its developed me well into many years in the Military as an Airborne Ranger

I did a knife class once where the knife was a magic marker. After the instruction we looked at where marker ink was. Those are the places the knife touched your skin. Its amazing how many incidental cuts you will get in a knife fight.

I practised martial arts for many years. And let me tell you, it's few or nothing that martial arts talk about the leveraging arm. Looks like this is pretty interesting info.

I legitimately fear getting stabbed more than I go getting shot. Knife attacks are so fast and personal. A great video that was very useful.

I must say, the acting really is the cherry on top! 😂😂🙌🏾

WOW! You are raising the bar John! Good stuff! I can't have a day with your uploads man!

Good, simple clear no BS.

Glad you covered how to deal with knives John, since knife crime is a real problem here in England.

Please do more of these videos!!

Top class teaching. Teaching to the audience - of average Joes. Like me. I went to so many seminars of defense which showed me ninja magic, but seldom got the LOGIC and REALITY. This makes sense. Well done

Thanks, great demonstration! Gotta gain distance to get the gun in the fight! Keep up the good work!!

We know in martial arts the „outside entry“ , the „inside entry“ and the „backside entry“ ( I hope my English translation is correct). Your explanation of when to choose which entrance I find excellent. Thanks for this great lesson John.

This is exceptional, John! Thanks for the video. More please!

I know everyone who knows you loves you..! Seems like a great person all around.!

Awesome video! 👍🏼

Great demonstration of the training I received years ago regarding fleeing a knife and charging a gun.

"volunteer" Well done kid!

Love what you are doing. Educated becomes the attitude. God bless

I have always been a fan of wrist leverage down and in transition into side heal kick to neck and head.

Can you provide any tips on what to look for in a self defense class or instructor? What should i avoid? I'm bare bone entry level with no fighting skills, what should i be looking for when it comes to self defense training?

Just watched your video today, RU-vid search leveraging arm... and here you are again! :)

The disarm also take some guts, if you trained, or have at least a plan, you may go for for it, this class is great and I have seen this scenarios in Krav Maga, Israel forces martial arts, I would like to stress not only the techniques using the hands but also the low kicks to the kneecaps, foot stomp, thighs kicks, groin, also little sharp weapons you can use in the leverage arm to cut where the veins are you can brake the arm or hand, the shock will give you even more time to go for the gun.

Great demonstration.

Very useful stuff. Hand to hand skills are at least as important as weapon skills, most attacks come from very close [ bad breath ] distance and are intended to catch the victim at an extreme disadvantage.

John you're a good instructer

Some good thoughts. I just see one big problem: having contact allows you to feel intent, or rather small movements before the eyes can pick up on them. This means as soon as you change your distance, or start twisting your torso, he'll feel it! If he's good, he can shoot you without looking at you, before you get anywhere! Thus the move shown in the video is a VERY high risk move. IMHO going to the outside would still be very risky, but has a shorter window of opportunity for the assailant (since pushing the elbow tends to turn the torso away from you, especially if he tightens up). The problem is that you can't go for the gun from there, but have to deal with him in the conventional way. Regarding knives, I have a few tips: 1) if you have any grappling skill, use it before the attack happens (even if you haven't noticed his weapon yet). That will most likely safe your life. 2) you can hit his elbow from the outside. If he doesn't let loose, he'll hyperextend his elbow. Moreover, that move is bound to turn him a bit away from you. Lastly, if you can go to the outside, he risks stabbing his off-arm, which you can use to your advantage. Most will try to avoid reaching over their other arm and crossing the arms. If they do, they'll impede themselves and even as someone without Silat background, I could think of at least 4 techniques that could be done from there... 3) since your leg is probably longer than their reach, you could kick them under the leverage arm and push him away. If he struggles to hold onto you, it will do even more damage to him. The risk however, is that he can push or pull you out of balance way to easy, thus I would rather go for 2) 4) If you don't quite reach to block the weapon arm by hitting the bizep as shown in the video, you could probably still reach it with a leopard-punch. This has a good chance of him dropping the knife. In order to perform this move correctly, you need to strengthen your fingers and wrist. This doesn't require much Kongfu-training, just doing fancy push-ups (after being able to do the regular ones, start doing them on your fists and from then transition to leopard fists; maybe even asymmetric with one hand flat like in a regular pushup and the other in the leopard fist.) Note: the leopard fist is like a half unrolled fist. It's basically folding your fingers such that the tips touch their own base. It's not a punch suited for any hard target, but biceps, throat and stomach are safe targets. If you ever tried to punch through several layers of cardboard, you will have failed with a regular punch, but with the leopard fist, you can actually do it, which gives you a rough idea what it can do to soft tissue...

Thanks John

thank you for this presentation, a big help in understanding self protection.

This is great John. Thanks

I have studied aikido on the mat for about ten years, and I like what I saw here. I also prefer to go to the rear, and with the grab OR the distancing arm, would have tried a technique called ikkyo ura, where the hand of the same side (he's extended his left arm, so you use your right) is placed under his elbow and the elbow is lifted and cranked counterclockwise and down to the attacker's front, and then the defender slides his left foot back in a circular movement to step behind the attacker's left foot and the defender rotates on his vertical axis to stay behind the knife wielder. Then the defender, holding the attacker's grasping arm, reaches with his right over the attackers arm to clamp it to his own side, and falls right shoulder first to drive the attacker's left shoulder or face into the ground, where his right arm and hand (and the knife he's holding) are useless to him. (This finish only benefits the defender against a single attacker and where the defender can rely on allies to help him contain and detain the attacker until law enforcement arrives. The advantage is that AT WORST, the attacker suffers temporary injury, none of which are likely to be fatal. If the situation is otherwise, the defender might have to do serious damage to the attacker to end the threat.

Hey ricky when john has that knife try to stand still. Nice video thanks guys

Awesome lesson!! Thank you!

I think once you have that gun pinned a head butt would be the best distraction because it’s a powerful strike but it also gives you dominant head position when it becomes a grappling situation.

Muuuuuuch more informative than watching an off duty Brazilian cop smoking some bad guys lol Please keep up the good content!

Against multiple attackers with weapons, you rarely can do much. Compliance might be the only choice initially. John always talks about "wait your turn". I have been in 3 armed robberies in my life, twice as a convenience store clerk and once I walked in on one at a convenience store. Not in all three cases did I comply at all. I never got hurt either, and 3 people are in prison.They came in and I always had a gun, so I saw them before they could even point a gun at me and had it pointed at their head a slight distance just as they started to draw. They complied. I was jumped also on 2 occasions. Simple, I was able to strike and get away. Side kick to the gut in one case and face palm heel with the other. Grappling is dangerous because you can't fight anyone else and there may be others you don't know about. Striking is very important.

Very good stuff, keep it up bro

When im at work- and i contemplate situations, people talk about grabbing scissors or whatever, but the only thing i think i would want in my hands in my keys even though carry a pocket knife at work. -janitor in a school. I feel like not only do the keys make a fair amount of sound when moving quickly, they're easy to drop and allow me into every hall and room there is, so i could hide kids at least. Its not something i dwell on, but i think id rather be empty handed vs a gun or knife if i cant have a firearm aswell.

john's a bjj black belt!? awesome john!

Cold piece of work here

didn't realise how funny you are!

That was a great demonstration very informative thank you

the happy dance, lol

One of the jiu-jitsu instructors I had a few years ago was also a cop. During one of our knife classes he said something that has (no pun intended) stuck with me "Even if you win the a knife fight you're going to be stabbed."

Good stuff. I had to revisit the Goshin jutsu form after watching this because I thought that one of the techniques deal with a leveraging arm for the gun. It doesn't.

Yes teacher. Good very good. Thank you.