It was a late evening and I was walking in my mother's building when I noticed a man hidden behind the steps of the ground floor. I walked to the first floor when suddenly he appeared behind me with a knife around my neck, asking for money.
I became frightened but was able to control my fear by speaking in a mild tune. I asked him to take the knife away from my neck so that I can look into my pocketbook for the money.
As he backed away and lowered the knife towards my stomach I made sure he was standing in the direction of the long line of stairs. I suddenly threw my bag aside and yelled as I had been taught in class.
At this point the man became nervous and tried to plunge the knife into my stomach. I escaped the attack by stepping aside and proceeded with basic defense. The attacker seemed to resist my move so I proceeded by kicking him in his groin.
He relaxed for that moment due to the extreme pain. I then continued the basic defense and threw him down the flight of stairs causing severe damage to his head. Realizing he was hurt and bleeding profusely from his head, he cried out, got up, and ran out of the building.
Lydia Alvarez
Nurse, New York, USA
I was a college student and had been practicing Miyama Ryu for a short time. I attended an apartment party that turned ugly.
I got into a verbal altercation with a guy over the fact that I had spoken to a particular woman at the party. The guy walked away and I went back to mingling.
A moment later I heard some commotion and turned to see that the guy I had been arguing with was coming at me with a steak knife that he had retrieved from the kitchen.
The guy attempted to thrust the knife into my stomach. I performed a rear oblique step with a butterfly block. The tip of the blade did slightly cut my stomach (later requiring 5 stitches), but I secured the guys wrist andperformed a pivot with wrist break.
As his wrist snapped he fell to the floor and I struck him in the face, breaking his nose and driving his head into the floor.
John Sandford
College Student, Illinois, USA
I was teaching a "Secure Your Child" class at a very prestigious school called "The Town School" in Manhattan, N.Y. On the way to class I spotted a vendor on the corner of 94th St. selling Avon products.
Me, never being able to resist a good bargain, quickly double parked and jumped out of my car. On the corner I made my purchases, and put them in my knapsack. I walked back to my car, and just as I was putting the key in the door I felt someone pull at my knapsack.
I quickly held on to it with my left hand, and turned to see who was pulling my bag, when I turned I saw that I didn't know this guy, and he wasn't one of the guys from "The Dojo" pulling a prank, (like we do to each other sometimes, catching each other unawares in the street) just as quick I elbowed him so hard that he fell down on the street.
I was gonna kick him on the ground, but I remembered what the Shinan always said about "Overkill". He used to say " If the man is already down why continue to beat him? That is 'Overkill'".
I also noticed from the corner of my eye (adrenaline makes everything seem like it's moving in slow motion, and you see everything) another guy crossing the street towards us. I didn't know if this guy was the guy on the floor's partner or a good Samaritan coming to help, so I quickly jumped in the car and took off.
Later, I was angry at myself because I knew it had been my mistake taking money out of my purse in public. I had placed myself in that position. But I was glad because I had managed to escape that situation easily, thanks to "Miyama Ryu Combat Jujutsu".
Candy Soto
Master Instructor of Miyama Ryu
More testimonials can be found in the Miyama Ryu books.