Self-Defense Part 2

This time I will try to analyze a situation which is most likely to end with the physical altercation and discuss possible preparations for such an event. I want the information to be not only practical but also easy to remember. Hence, the repetitions in the article. It makes it easier to consolidate the knowledge and apply it when training.

Conscious self-defense is not only about combat techniques but also about planning the route, not showing off the fat wallet or wearing correct clothes

The main purpose of self-defense is getting away from a dangerous situation – let’s call it „returning home”. Luck is an integral part of the „returning home”. When we are lucky the police can surprisingly show up, member of the general public might intervene or the perp can simply trip or divide his attention.

If such a thing will happen is not predictable and we rely on chance here. Luckily, there is plenty of other factors that can influence our chances. Things like training, weather, surroundings, number of opponents and our own self-defense preparations play an important role and, in case of bad luck, can increase our chances of „returning home”.

To be efficient, training has to be real and reflect the most common situations we can encounter. Let’s remind the flowchart for the possible actions:

Let’s modify this a bit and change the „attempted robbery” to „dangerous encounter”. It could be anything like a verbal assault, entering a „bad neighborhood” or meeting an aggressive individual. Please remember that we are talking about a developing situation. It can start with „stare contest”, false accusations or an aggressive nudge. As to the surprise attacks, we will cover these in a separate article.

The surprise is usually the victim’s first reaction to a dangerous situation. The aggressor, on the other hand, usually feels strong, self-assured and utilizes verbal assault. At this very moment, a quick analysis has to be made, the attacker has to be observed and the following modifiers have to be assessed

• the attacker himself
• the potential co-attackers
• the incident’s location and the immediate surroundings
• the chances of finding an improvised defense weapons
• the possibility of calling for help
• the existence of an escape route

Starting from the most important issue: our potential opponent. Is he a common street thug, hardly standing due to drink or an experienced, strong bandit under drug influence? It’s best to use the 1-3 scale for such an assessment. Next comes his company. Is he alone or does he have some friends with him (nowadays, most attacks come from many assistants). If there are other threatening people how many are there and how far are they located. Are they only watching or getting ready to join the action? Surrounding assessment comes second. Is it a crowded place and is there any security personnel present? Are there any CCTV cameras visible or is it an empty park? Is there anywhere to put your back against, to avoid being attacked from behind? It is also important to look for any useful items and people that could hear your cry for help.

Situation’s analysis can be trained pretty much anywhere. Best place is somewhere we visit often. Next time, when at a party or out and about in the city, spend some time and observe people and their behavior. Try to identify who can be a potential threat. See if you can quickly locate an improvised defense weapon – chair, umbrella or even a stick. This will train and teach the skills of quick analysis. Another good method is to ask yourself questions and try to find the best answers in current situations. This could be, for example:
• How would I escape from here, which direction would I go, how long would it take me?
• I have 30 seconds to find a hiding spot. How do I do that?
• I have 30 seconds to find an item useful for self-defense. What can I see?

It’s called a „healthy paranoia” and teaches an instant assessment and solution-finding. After a few dozens of such scenarios, the mind will start doing this automatically

During the training try to imagine the worst possible scenario, such as an attack on the way to work or somewhere which has no easy escape routes. It will teach you to recognize the dangerous places. These places usually have things in common – like not adequate lighting or a single entrance point – and are popular attack spots due to reduced chances of effective self-defense.

The surprise is the victim’s first reaction to a dangerous situation. The aggressor is usually self-assured and presents a strong stance

Answering questions like the ones mentioned above is very helpful. It helps to regain self-assurance when we suddenly encounter a situation we trained for. It will lessen the stress and, after the surprise, the feeling of controlling the situation will return. The whole analysis has to be made rapidly and the attacker has to be closely watched. While assessing, the „passive guard” stance should be used.

There are few types of this position but there are commonalities between all types:

• open hands – a signal for trying to reach peaceful solution;
• maintaining distance, head protection – defense against surprising action by the opponent;
• body position which enables swift and decisive offensive action.

The passive guard gives the aggressor a feeling of control and domination on his side. Opened fists and non-combat stance hides our defense readiness. This is exactly what needs to be achieved. Bluffs, negotiations, playing for time are all in our favor. At the same time, we can react quickly. If we start with tight fists, in combat stance the attack can be immediate as we are signaling readiness and willingness for a fight.

Each guard will work a little different, depending on our attire, and has to be trained in various circumstances. For example, sports clothing will give you a full freedom of movement while jeans trousers make it difficult to rapidly step forward, Heavy, high boots affect the Achilles tendon – keystone for strong blows. Leather jacket prevents the use of correct boxing guard but enables the wearer to accept more punches..

Fighting stance with balled fists is a clear signal for a willingness to fight and might provoke the attacker immediately

Passive guard – one hand in front while the other simulates head scratching. This gives the assailant a feeling of initiative and domination

Passive guard – both hands in front. Both hands are open and the stance is not aggressive. This hides our defensive capabilities

Po przeanalizowaniu sytuacji i przyjęciu odpowiedniej postawy przychodzi czas na podjęcie decyzji, co robić dalej. Czy z naszych obserwacji wynika, że może się udać zakończyć całe zdarzenie na wymianie agresywnych odzywek, bez bójki? W jakim kierunku można uciec i czy dystans od przeciwnika na to pozwoli? Czy może jedyną opcją jest starcie fizyczne? Na pytanie o to, w jaki So, we analyzed the situation and put up the passive guard. Now comes the time for the decision – what to do next. Does our assessment indicates, that the whole situation can be resolved with some aggressive language, without an actual fight? Which way can we escape and is the distance to the attacker enough to facilitate a successful escape? Or is the physical fight the only way out of the situation? We can’t give you an answer when to fight and when to run. We can only describe the best course of action when the fight becomes unavoidable. But please remember the legal subjects we described in the previous part. For self-defense to be lawful, certain conditions have to be met.

Each version of the „passive guard” has to facilitate an attack option. When the decision to fight is made there is no way back. Our reaction has to be strong and aggressive and its efficiency is directly connected to the previous training. An example opening move is to attack the opponent’s face with an open hand. This will move the head and the upper half of his body backward, enabling us to strike the lower half with the other hand. This move should be trained, perfected and engraved in the muscle memory. Each trainee should have maximum 3 of these simple offensive combinations. This is important as at this stage our actions have to be automatic and the combat cannot be just stopped.

If we were successful in escaping or disabling the opponent, the first thing to do is to go the nearest Police station. When making our report, as a victim of the attempted attack, be precise about presenting the events. Such action can prevent us from being accused later of „attacking the attacker.”

When the decision to fight is made, the reaction has to be swift, strong and aggressive

An attack with an open hand on the opponents face is more about pushing the aggressor back than the strike itself

Three offensive actions are the maximum that can be efficiently trained for described situations. The moves have to be perfected and automated

Conscious self-defense is not only about the combat techniques. Efficiency in dangerous situations requires thinking about many different aspects. It starts with deciding which way to get home. If we know a safe route through a city, don’t use shortcuts. When out and about don’t flash a loaded wallet or don’t use a cash machine when there is a group of drunks loitering about. Details, such as right (or wrong) clothing, are important. The one about clothing is directed to ladies especially and does not concern provocative attire. Be practical. Running away on high-heels isn’t going to work. Consider a change of shoes when coming home from a party.

The beforementioned „healthy paranoia” is a great tool too. Situational awareness and trained responses will help to fight the surprise and enable decisive and automatic reaction in a dangerous situation.

This article was originally published on MILMAG 02/2018