The No Nonsense Self-Defense site  is huge. It not only covers a wide variety of topics, but does so in two basic fashions. One is 'quick-and-easy.' The other is more in-depth.

To help you find what you are looking for faster and easier, we suggest you give this page a quick read.

Page Feature
The mast at the top of the page is filled with links to the various subject hubs. Hubs are the center page of various topics. There you will find links to pages discussing different aspects of the subject.

In the upper left hand column are the words "In This Hub:". This is a list of other pages in that particular hub. You can jump from page to page in a particular hub using the "In This Hub" links.

Beneath those is the search engine. It's the Search the Site (Although, if you have a question on a topic -- and aren't sure of the answer you are looking for -- we suggest first looking at the Vague Questions page). Below the search engine is information about No Nonsense Self-defense.

In the center column, below the quote and the name of the page, are the words, 'On This Page:' These are the topics covered on a particular page.  These topics are bookmarked to where that information is on the page.

Although Webpage designers adamantly oppose their use, due to the complexity of many of the subjects, we have had to resort to using footnotes on some pages. These are indicated by (#) and bookmarked to bring you back to the same point in the text.

On the bottom of the page are additional links to specific subjects, either within a larger topic or phrased differently (Kind of like finding stuff in the phone book, what you're looking for is often listed under something else).

In the right hand column are available books, DVDs and CDs. The NNSD bookshelf link will take you to an organized by subject (e.g. crime prevention, home security, etc) listing of all the books/DVDs we carry. Below the Bookshelf banner are the titles germane to the subject being discussed on the page. Below that are a list of titles available at Amazon.com. These titles, while we recommend them, we don't carry.

What's With The * ?
As we said on the home page, criminal violence is simpler than interpersonal violence. That's because interpersonal violence is an extension of human interaction. And when that's the case, things do tend to get complicated.

Many people who are interested in the subject of self-defense come to the NNSD site thinking all they need is information about "You just do this...." They believe they understand crime and violence already and they don't need all this other stuff. They just want practical, how to information. Thank you very much.

If all you're interested in "How do I do....?" we've put * in the "On this page" listings. These are pages that go more into nuts and bolts, "this is what you do" answers.

While these pages give you nuts-and-bolts information, they have very little explanation as to 'why' it work or when it won't work.

We will still give you the information, but since interpersonal violence is NOT a simple problem, it may or may not be enough. For example, an underage girl who insists on getting drunk and passing out at a frat house party is likely to get raped or sexually molested no matter what combative women's self-defense training she's had or what someone has told her. (We wish we were making it up, but Marc when he pointed this out, once had an advocate in a rape crisis center tell him -- to his face -- that "A girl has a right to have fun."

In the same vein, talking to a criminal or a violent person in the same insulting and verbally abusive tone that you use to cow co-workers isn't going to have the desired results.

When we say this site is no nonsense, what we mean is that you can't do this kind of stuff and not expect to be physically assaulted or shot. This is unlike many organizations that are promoting the idea that if you use their system you can do whatever you want and not suffer any negative consequences because you have your rights and their deadly fighting system.

Organization and Layout
This Website is built around hubs. Each Hub focuses on a particular topic. The subject/hubs are listed at the top of the page (below NO NONSENSE SELF-DEFENSE). Once you are in that hub you will find different topics related to that subject. All links have mouse over explanations.

Shell pages are made up short, concise pointers about the subject. While they tell you either what's involved in the subject or what you can do about a problem, they don't tell you why it works (or why doing something else is a really bad idea). Shell pages are shorter, more concise and to the point. If you're looking for some fast pointers then you need to look no further.

Embedded in the text of the shell pages are links to pages that we refer to as 'bramble pages.' Bramble pages are what we are talking about in the Why Do We Get So Wordy page. There we get far more in-depth and explain the whys and wherefores of points we made on the shell pages.

Bramble pages also serve as crosslink pages to other topics. There's a lot of cross over between subjects. The same issue manifests differently under different circumstances. For example, the same home security protocols that keep out burglars become vital during stalking episodes.

Realize that eventually any in-depth research into a subject will take you into the complex, interconnected world of the bramble pages. When it comes to personal safety, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all answer. It doesn't matter if you are a civilian interested in avoiding violent crime, securing your property, a woman trying not to get raped, a martial artist, a prison guard or a SWAT team member doing high risk entry -- when it comes to staying safe, sooner or later it's going to get complex. The closer you are to the flame, the more complex it's going to get -- and the more dangerous. And the more you are going to have to know and be able to do. (This is why we are such big advocates of avoiding violence if at all possible -- it saves all kinds of problems.)

There is of course a search engine, in the left column. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that your search will put you on a hub, a shell or bramble page. (Sorry, that's the best we can do). Often the same keyword will get you to many different places. This is why, if you're not exactly sure what it is you're looking for, we have a Vague Questions page. This page is for when you have a situation that you're not sure what the right answer is, but you know a wrong one when you hear it (e.g. someone telling you to take martial arts to stop a stalker).

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