I did a security training course some 20 years ago and Geoff Thompson was a guest instructor, he taught us trainees about the fence and described it as being so effective it was like having a loaded pistol on your belt.He told us to put up the fence and if the opponent advanced close enough that his chest touched the lead hand then you take a step back, if he still kept coming and his chest touched the lead hand a second time you must assume his intent is hostile and that's the trigger to deliver a ferocious punch to his jaw.

I remember when I was down on my arse 25 years back, and Geoff helped me out. God bless you Geoff

Tonight Geoff saved my life. He is a true saint!

Thank God there's someone who thinks right. I myself had to learn all this all my own. I never thought of calling it a fence, just common sense. Good work man.

Reading articles by Geoff has really helped me in real life situations that I never expected to come accross when I was reading his articles. The fence is simple yet excellent I now see why Geoff says its so important. Probably saved my life once and definitly saved me from getting a very very seriously beating. I thank God for people like Geoff Thompson

Geoff is the absolute master of real life self defence, having watched his videos for many years and read the books, i've used his stuff as a doorman over and over again with nothing but great success, Having also practiced martial arts for 35 years, what he teaches takes combat from the Dojo to the street with complete effectiveness. I have nothing but the utmost respect for the man. His lessons are those which we as instructors go back to for inspiration again and again.

Yeah Geoff is one of the original and in my opinion one of the best in reality based self defense. He's no-nonsense and doesn't advocate false bravado and ego. He also advocates hard work "If you only train recreationally you'll only get recreational results" Quote from Geoff Thompson.

i used to read all his columns in combat magazine for years. He is a gentleman and a legend!

The man is a legend. Since reading his bouncer books in the early 90s ive taken on board so much from the advice and help in his other books too, especially the Fear: friend to exceptional people book. Thanks Geoff.

Geoff is a ground breaking martial artist who's methods are totally practical : I've used them : when you're under immediate threat you need a PLAN - not a hundred techniques that 'logjam' in your head but a simple proactive plan that you follow and that you can trust. You can learn as many groovy kicks and punches as you like. Have fun. You can be Bruce Lee and the whole UFC, and if you ain't got a plan when the situation gets real... you're arse is grass.

People who say this would not work in a street fight have probably never been in a fight in the street in their lives I've been lucky enough to train with a lad who trained under Geoff when he was doing the animal days a what he says is the truth hit hard hit fast and be ferocious it's the only thing that works

I'd read about Geoff Thompson in an issue of Taekwondo Times some years back...He's been through a lot and yet continues to astound me with his humility and modesty and yet having tremendous strength of character. Thank you for putting this up. You may not realize who's life you may have saved just by posting this vid..

In the mid 90's Mr Thompson changed EVERYTHING for me! Met him many times and learned a wealth of information from his books and dvd's. For me The fence and 3 second fighter Where a revolution. A true gent and a man far ahead of his time, great post, weldone!

Geoff is n.1 in self protection. He is a real source of inspiration for all of us independently of what style we learn or teach. Great job.

Thanks for the video, this could even save one's life.

Geoff is a true hero of mine and I regret never training with him before moving the Australia. Dead or Alive is a must read for anybody who has the common sense to survive the streets. I was armed Forces for 8 years, a Doorman during a few years of that and done competitive martial arts for over 10 years and let me tell you, Geoff is the best!

One of the absolute best videos on practical applications during a pre-fight that I have seen! I'm an advanced martial artist and have taught many classes regarding the ability to manipulate your opponent prior to a physical altercation and this gentlemen is spot on! What an asset this teaching is to anyone looking to enhance their situational awareness.

he is such a legend

Bravo! I totaly agree with Mr. Thompson! I have never heard about him until today. Having bounced in bars and studying martial arts as well as being in and observing street fights. These tips are on the money in fact I have been saying the same things for years. Nice to know other well educated fighters agree with the same tips! Many thanks for posting this.

i red watch my back and he is a man that earns alll respest that i have.He looks just like a normal citizen but he's the guy you should be afraid of in a dark alley

everything he says is pure gold

clever man.speaks alot of sense and also very grounded..

Outstanding.

Best advice in a situation ever;)

Brilliant stuff!!!

I’ve sadly been involved in altercations with scars for my troubles and from my experience all of this works. Including striking along the jawline - first. It’s saved me in a very real sense so if you can take notice of the above and put it into your training please do. The only thing to be aware of is the rising risk of knives being used in London now. ‘Back in my day’, at most was a encounters with knuckle dusters. I took a shot from a duster just about my eye and only had bleeding to contend with but I landed my punch on their jawline and finished the fight as safe as could be. Hope the fighting days are over for me and those of you watching this who can’t help but remember the violence of older days 🙏🏼 brilliant advice on using the fence. Control the distance and strike first, hit really hard. One thing I’ve learned is to hit hard then body tackle to stop them falling and hitting their head on the ground.

I was recently almost in a fight. I managed to avoid violence without egos being hurt, but this was two or three days before Christmas and up to right now it still bothered me that I didn't do something, I kept replaying it in my mind, what could I have done better, what did I forget? BAM, this is it - I didn't put up a fence. I feel stupid now, but I did everything else well enough that nobody got hurt, but it goes to show, you gotta train under pressure or you won't do it when it counts.

I still have his book 'watch my back' from years ago. One type of fence I was taught was cradle one elbow with a hand and have the other forearm/hand free- your hand/arms are already up and ready to do something but the way you use your free arm can look emphatic also but can still be used for attack or defense.

A few years ago now I discovered quite by accident Geoffs book "3 second fighter" and I have to say it completely changed my life. My outlook on martial arts underwent a complete overhaul - for the best - thanks to this man, I have used the fence to great effect, people just do not see it and as I do wing chun it fits like a glove.The only thing I would change here is ; never actually use your fist to strike someone's head IT HURTS !! and can break your fingers. As a wing chun man I prefer to use an open palm strike, its much stronger and if preceded by a feint, it can be used effectively against the chin with other strikes such as an albow coming in behind.Much of what Geoff has to offer is serious insight into the whole violence mindset, there is a lot more going on than just physical techniques I have researchedd all this urban survival stuff and its truly truly fascinating as a martial artist I feel that I have now obtained a serious amount of knowledge that will help should I ever have to fight. What Geoffs book really did was make me look at myself and be honest with myself and I found a lot that I needed to change, once I achieved that my life got a little better.

Ever worked the door in Coventry when he did???? It was a nightmare.

avoid, escape, talk down, loophole, posture, don't be physical unless you have to, if you have to be physical be first and be furocious - words to live by

Fantastic technique. I worked the doors myself for years and the fence has worked time and time again for me and any of the Iads have seen use it correctly. The 'magic' of the fence, in my opinion, is the perceived passive nature of it. I use to practice in front of the mirror to a point where it looks like I am passively talking down/ attempting to defuse a situation which looks like that I am just speaking with hand gestures. Try it out 😊

I still have the 3 Black Belt mags from 1998-1999 in which Geoff Thompson had 3 Great Articles. I keep the 3 mags together and reread them from time to time. I favor the Staggered Fence and, I move Left or Right with it. left foot forward and, I move Left a few feet with Left open hand higher then the right. I reverse with the left foot forward. I move a few feet to the right. Squared up, I move to the Left. I have had people Walk In on me with Pointed Fingers and others that simply looked down and raced walked in. That Staggered Fence while moving Left or Right works for me and kept me out of Fights.-- THANKS TO GEOFF THOMPSON!!

14 years ago, 30 something tapes, I know they went to DVD, as back when, I got them. Now 2022, are those DVD's still available?

Verygood the fence is brilliant base.... would love to see it with judo

Geoff is the master of RBSD. He is also a gentleman.

geoff thompson is the man.

@sild123: It does look quite a bit like wing chun and a lot of the principals are very simmilar. It's the psychological understanding behind Geoff's stuff and the way that it is trained that is really interesting. His book THE ART OF FIGHTING WITHOUT FIGHTING is a great read.

i learn wing chun. and we learn something like this too, what he called fence. exactly the same shape, concept, and application.

Great info. A basic principle to be sure - keep your hands up so as to be able to control approach, and jam any incoming strikes. But just because it is basic, doesn't mean it is commonly taught.

Brilliant, top notch stuff.

Great video , and at no point did I think ,yeah , but... This is good stuff

the fence has saved me lots of times, my pre emptive strike is a solids left scuff hook and stiff jab occasionaly .nice and simple

This is the best Martial Art technique, controlling the opponent and winning the fight before it starts...

I like the code yellow. So many people walking around headphones on. Or looking at phones when out. Its just being aware of whats around and being switched on. Same a cash machine

All the Geoff Thompson vids and any fences o my seem to use the right cross, my hardest punch is my left hook, can I use the hook off the fence?

Strait to the real shit. “They’re life-changing things.”

5:34 once you are already sold to the idea of the fence

I do the doors and have recently read watch my back and in this video Geoff seems very wing chun ish the way he talks about center line and punching

very knowledgeable

The Master

Geoff Thompson is an insperation!!!

Reality Based Self Defence

Straight truth

"Put a fuck off fence around your factory!" Spoken like a true Coventry lad

He is very inspirational i think mate :)

is this from the fence dvd?

agreed!!

They teach a similar thing in the security training for the SIA badge but not as detailed and they never tell you to hit anyone. This guy was teaching these things long before there was even licensing for security, definitely knows what hes doing.

Subtitles would be very helpful due to the sound quality...

I love the fact Geoff teaches and explains things in plain English. 6:46 being a prime example :D

what does he say at about the 9 minute mark?

Wise words if you are working doors. However a trained martial artist will never allow a threat to come within kicking or punching distance (Mr Thompson examines what happens at 18") before he reacts.

What is RBSD?

Mr. Thompson we've examined your videos in slow motion, with visual magnification, with freeze frames and can still not detect any procedural difference from your straight right rear punch and the conventional boxing rear hand power punch. I must have analyzed this more than the Zabruder film!

The fence is similar to the ManSao WuSao concept in WingChun.

havnt seen any up to date stuff where is he now?.

its mad this. a paradox. also I've reads Geoffs book "watch my back". even tho he got a black belt he still was insecure.. so he went into being a doorman in a war zone to confront all his own fears- and beat the hell out of many people. my point? all this stuff he trundles out now about "being non confrontational"- its fuckin politics!. he can afford to adopt this line now- he avoided long prison terms "miraculously" and overcame his fears by battering many bullies. all this non confrontational shit now - well back in his day if anyone upset him by dissing him they got one warning and an "opportunity" to apologize - and then bang bang sleepsville as he put it.

@mtbkbmt oh that explains why hes in so many fights

It's such a simple and effective thing but is more effective than any other gimmicky axe hand military combative stuff you see online. It's a brilliant method, all Geoff's material is worthwhile but you should all check out THE FENCE dvd/book combo!

This is gospel.

Now this is the Sh*t right here. GREAT Explanation of Non Violent Posturing.

Basically, this is known as kamae in Aikido.

the fence thing is sort of instrinctive anyway. iv always used that in confruntations. never knew i was using martial arts :)

I LOVE THIS VIDEO. TO GO ASIDE FROM THE SERIOUSNESS FOR A SECOND: "PUT A BIG F*CK OFF FENCE IN IT" ALWAYS MAKES ME SMILE. EXCUSE THE CAPS, CAPS LOCK IS BROKEN

#1 NEVER allow someone to get really close if you can prevent that which is not always possible i.e. headbutting distance. If close you cannot defend that fast due to reflex lag (even if you are fast and have good reflexes). #2 Use distractions - say something nonsensical as they go 'what' hit them, point behind them and say your friends are there as if talking to one of them, or fart in a violent manner that startles or distracts them. I've used flatulence before - guy was starting wanting to fight so I farted fiercely in a audible way and pointed behind him saying ''that dirty swine did it'' and he looked back to see if someone behind them who had done the flatulence, as he looked behind I attacked floored him and ran off.

And for the people who think the fence is wing chun don't know what Geoff is talking about the fence is your own natural way of shutting the space down between you and your opponent

Have personally used this technique working in a prison

I revere Geoff Thompson as pioneer of the fence; he makes absolute sense to me. Though I'd rather slap than punch the other person in the face.

most (a lot) of self defense and martial arts classes are taught by people who have never been in a fight. They've never been exposed to REAL violence. What did you learn for 12 years??

u would make a good italian:)..something to learn there??thanks geoff

Or wrestling ..go for head control

@MrBudgieman1 Temper temper

My fence has got creosote.

My limited experience says do not hit with a closed fist, the risk of breaking you thumb or pinky is high.

i see your point, but the fence is not an attack. if it was me and someone put their hands up or on me i would attack in an instant. the control needs to come verbally or with physically. no one would let you put their hands on them. i have watched much of geoffs videos and have a lot of respect for him and his knowledge. its just a point of view.

Watch this video to see the 3Secondfighter (which Geoff talks about in this video) in action. watch?v=Aj9VgnQCBfA

I border on awareness and paranoia , mostly paranoia lol

5:30

lee morrisons version is good i think he ak knolleges this dude tho its kinda refined versioion its seems like hes your mate having a chat his hand gestrues shrugs ect look so natural but fence is still there and if you touch it twice ....well goodnight check his vids if you find this interesting.

To bring your hands up during a confrontation makes sense, but to reach and tough the other guy is questionable. And if he knows something about aikido or jujitsu, he is going to grab your hand and throw you.

Anyone ever thought that like every good seller he's only telling us the pros about this "fence" technique ? But let's think of some cons: if someone is squaring up to you and really determined to hit you, all you're doing by putting your "fence" up is pissing him off and making him explode, because touching him will f*ck him right off. I think all you're doing with this is delaying the start of the fight by 4-5 seconds. Also with your bent arms on his chest/shoulders you're putting yourself in striking range. If he explodes and strikes you with great speed, you will probably not be able to react (push him away) in good time before that strike lands. There's other valid points i can make but i'm not gonna achieve anything other than shortening my beauty sleep.

@MrBudgieman1 sour grapes?

I was in benidorm a couple of months ago and sum big lad tried to start on me after he bulled my mates this fence got me out the shit this is a must know for anyone who is looking to be a bit more than a average fighter

Is that a giant water punching bag in the background?!

i dunno where this bloke lives but ive never came into a fight and dont think i ever will i think he should move area

How the hell will someone with more than half a brain not know they are "being controlled" [actually just being threatened and smothered] when you put your hands over their arms, on their chest? I am sure many thugs will correctly perceive this fence as an attempt to control them, see it as a challenge, feel threatened, and some will therefore increase their aggression, often attacking. A fight caused unnecessarily when a fence with hands up in a placating posture is almost as effective and clearly shows you to not be an aggressor.

@MrBudgieman1 I'm very surprised that a man of your background indulges in online bickering and character assassination of this guy. If you read his books he comes across as a good man.

That assumes that he wouldn't move. Geoff makes the point again and again about being proactive. The time it would take him to successfully grab your wrists, you've already elbowed him square in the face or moved away.

Interesting... Although this is just a basic kung fu principle is it not? Hold your hands in front of you in a non-threatening manner, try to let a gap open so you can bait your opponent, etc... It's great for beginners but I like my opponent coming at me through the front door.