I just finished a 16-minute instructional video on gun defenses and put it on the website at www.internalfightingarts.com. There are more than 600 video lessons on the site covering a wide range of training in Chen Taiji, Xingyiquan and Baguazhang.

The video posted here is a burst of short clips from that instruction, with music but minus the instruction. It's made up of highlights of different techniques that can be used if someone with a gun comes close enough to reach.

Defending against someone with a gun is one of the most frightening aspects of the real world. If the gunman is too far away to reach, you could be toast. If he gets close enough to reach, you must act quickly, with confidence, and without telegraphing.

I teach a series of techniques called Ko Shang Hai. These are "moments of vulnerability," during which an attacker has a slightly slower reaction time. Did you know that when you are speaking, your reaction time is slower because your mind is preoccupied with what you are saying?

It's true with an attacker, too. If you can get your attacker to speak, that's the instant to strike.

In our training, I will walk students through a technique, but as we practice, it's important to do it occasionally with a partner who is NOT cooperating. You need a cooperative partner to learn a technique, but once you learn it, you must learn how to do it against a partner who is not playing along. Some of the clips here show the technique happening as Colin Frye, my training partner, is asked to not cooperate.

I hope you enjoy these short clips that are strung together from the instruction. And I hope you -- or I -- never have to face this situation in real life.

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