ARMOR

This right here is what is wrong with self-defence programs. I truly hope this is a joke. It especially worries me because apparently people have been calling this guy, which means that people view his stuff and might think it's worthwhile/useful. Wake up people! I'm not saying to trust people because of their pedigree, or their blackbelts but this guy is straight-up like the ninji-chop guy from Jerry Springer. Train hard friends...

Strength Tip Number 1 - Pulling Power (General Physical Prep/ Combat Specific)
General Physical Prep:
Many athletes from Crossfit to Bodybuilders alike are familiar with the importance of pullups for the health of the shoulders and back (or getting that huge V-cut for some). Many people however are only slightly aware of how to keep progressing in terms of pulling power, and ensuring their shoulders stay fluid and mobile (or in the case of tight people how to open them up). Enter Rope Climbing, used by Special Forces as a test of strength and mental fortitude, and gymnasts as a recovery tool. Even crossfit uses Rope Climbs due to its functional nature, yet beyond that in the typical globo-gym rope climbing is all but dead.
Why is Rope Climbing so useful when in our concrete jungles of today, we have no need to climb for our safety, or to explore?
First, when you look at the human body we have no straight lines in our body's. Why then, do we always train in straight lines? Think of when you Bench Press, barbell curl, or deadlift. All these motions are straight up and down. With rope climbing its different. Your shoulders are staggered creating instability which your body needs to compensate for. As you reach up hand over hand the motion is more arcing then straight up and down. Due to the unstable nature and nonlinear motion all your upper body is used to pull you up, helping you to create better shoulder blade stabilization. All of this forces your body to better activate and use the biceps, lats, brachialis (a deeper muscle of the bicep that is often underdeveloped), rhomboids, brachoradialis, and your finger/grip strength. So where to begin? First you need to be able to perform at least 5 perfect pullups before beginning your journey up the rope. From there you can move onto...
1 Arm Assisted Pullup: Grap onto the rope, one hand higher than the other. The lower hand's distance from the upper hand can range from right below, down to the elbow of the upper hand. Then pull up, ensuring shoulder blades get retracted and chin clears the upper fist. Lower down and repeat for reps, Then switch sides and repeat. Always make sure you begin with the weaker side, and perform the same amount of reps on the strong side as you did on the weakest side.
This is the first step to building up an Athletes General Physical Prep. Now onto more combat specific exercises.
Combat Specific
An interesting workout tool that is making a comeback are Indian Clubs or clubbells for strength/power training. Whereas Rope Climbing is great for overall general conditioning, clubs are great because they can be used to mimic empty-handed or weapons techniques under a load.
Take the Shield Cast for example. Many martial arts that teach the use of machetes utilize an around the head sweeping motion to parry and counterstrike, or in terms of empty-hand fighting, this helps teach hammerfist mechanics. By utilizing this under a load we can safely load the shoulder girdle and apply more torque to the core creating more tension while using the lats and, chest, biceps, and brachoradialis to powerfully pull the club over the shoulder and into a more "guard" position. Since torque is Force x Distance using a 25 lb club for 4 minutes getting 60 reps in 4 min you can apply 680.389 Newton/meters to your body.
Shield Cast:
Begin with the club in front you, one forearm across your chest, the other tight to ribs. The arms should be 90 degrees from each other. Push club diagonally over the opposite shoulder, and allow to swing across your back and explosively pull to the other side of your body. Repeat in the opposite direction. Inhale when the club gets pushed behind your back, and exhale as you pull it over your shoulder.
Now you may be thinking: I don't have a club! How can I try this strange exercises. First you can use a kettlebell as they are more common. Some people use sledgehammers which can be a more affordable option, but with some safety draw backs. The head can slide off and get lobbed into a wall, your body, or someone else. If you opt for this route....Please BE CAREFUL. Otherwise try looking for a kettlebell to experiment with.
Try these movements out with whatever you have available. Whether its kettlebell halos, or rope rows to start developing your overall strength. Just be safe and have fun!