In this series of articles we have been looking at ways to manage a potentially violent situation and how to stop a situation from spiralling out of control into a fully-fledged fight (or beating, depending who you are up against- and that’s the point, don’t forget, you never know who you’re up against). So far we have concluded that the two most effective ways to achieve this is firstly to use dialogue, either passive or aggressive, depending on the situation, and if that fails, to utilise a pre-emptive strike, and it is that last option that we are now going to examine in more detail.
The Pre-Emptive Strike
Taking the initiative and striking an opponent before they get a chance to attack you is one of the most effective self defense tactics there is, for two reasons. Firstly, taking the initiative gives you that vital element of surprise and secondly, by doing so you are creating a window of opportunity wherein you can make good your escape. Let’s look at these two advantages in more detail.
The Element of Surprise
Having the ability to successfully utilise the element of surprise in a confrontation is a skill that will greatly stack the odds in your favour when it comes to surviving any potential attack. There really is no point in waiting for your opponent to strike the first blow, as many of us have been taught to do over the years. Waiting to be attacked by someone and then trying to defend against that attack is not only very unwise, it’s madness.
Years of dojo training has lead many martial artists into a false sense of security in this respect because they believe they will be able to successfully defend themselves against an attack from another person if it happens. Now, I don’t care how skilled you are, the chances of you coming out on top after some determined opponent (probably fuelled by alcohol or drugs or just plain anger induced adrenalin) starts raining down on you are slim, very slim indeed. If you don’t believe me, then set up a situation in the dojo. Get someone to attack you, not in the formalised way that they have been taught, but in an animalistic street fighting way The attack doesn’t even have to be full force, a moderate attack will do. Now stand there and try to defend yourself as your opponent throws blow after blow at you. Are your blocks working? I doubt they are. Can you get a wrist lock, or even an arm lock? I doubt that as well.
Now imagine how you’d react if the same attack happened in a club or on the street, possibly when you’re half drunk and your adrenal response is making it hard for you to even think, never mind move. You get what I’m saying here? If you are as certain as you can be that you are going to be attacked, why wait for the inevitable to happen, why wait for the odds to be heavily stacked against you? Is it not better, if you know an attack is imminent, to strike while the odds are still in your favour?
Another very good reason for utilising the element of surprise is this. If you properly hit someone when they least expect it there is a better than average chance, especially if you hit them in the right place, that you will put them down. It is much harder to drop an opponent when they are expecting the attack because they are then ready for it and they will steel themselves accordingly. It is possible to drop the biggest of opponents by doing a surprise attack in this way, opponents who wouldn’t ordinarily flinch if they knew your attack was coming.
Now some people often ask, “How can you be sure you are going to be attacked?” This question is usually motivated by two things. Firstly, by a lack of experience in reading people and working out what they are going to do next and secondly, by a fear that if they hit first, they will only succeed in making their opponent angrier.
To address the first reason, it is usually not too hard to tell if someone is going to attack. The best way to tell if someone is going to make good on their threats is to feel them out with your fence. Once your fence is up and you create that gap, your opponent shouldn’t be trying to step into that gap. If your opponent keeps advancing forward, despite your fence, then you know they intend to attack. A good rule of thumb here is that if you feel your opponent make contact with your hands (fence) two times despite your warnings to stay back, then you can be pretty much certain that they intend to attack and it’s time for you to make your move.
The second reason why some people hesitate is down to plain fear. They get overwhelmed by the violent aggression coming from their opponent, the adrenal response kicks in and they begin to have doubts. “If I hit this guy he’s only get angrier and then he will beat the shit out of me.” If you don’t hit then you will definitely get the shit beaten out of you, it’s that simple. By not hitting, you’re not giving yourself a fighting chance.
The fear induced by a situation can indeed be overwhelming, but it is imperative that you try and keep a handle on it and do what’s best by you. Allowing yourself to be overwhelmed (at least to the point were you don’t act) won’t help matters. I’ve been in situations in the past were I have allowed the same fear to get to me, with the consequence that I didn’t act when I should have and ended up rolling round the floor with my attacker. This is far from being an ideal situation to be in.
You also have to think of the aftermath. Will you not feel better knowing you did your best to face down your attacker rather than stand there and take whatever violence they dish out? A lack of action can often result in post-attack rage and feelings of guilt for not acting when you should have. I have experienced such feelings myself and they are not pleasant and can often last for weeks, eating away at you. At least if you were proactive at the time you can console yourself with the knowledge that you did all you could to stand up for yourself.
The Pre-Strike Distraction
Before you actually proceed with any pre-emptive attack it is often best to distract your opponent in some way before you do so. The best way to do this is to ask them a question just before you strike. Asking questions will engage your opponent’s brain and force them to think about something else other than attacking you. You don’t have to be aggressive about it. In fact the less aggressive the question the more it will throw your attacker. “How’s your mother doing?” or “I know your father/brother/cousin don’t I?” Asking these kinds of questions will cause your opponent to stop and think, even if they don’t want to. It’s like an involuntary reaction. When someone asks you a question your
Should I Follow Up The First Strike With Another?
The short answer to that question is no, not usually. The point of the first strike is to create a window of opportunity for you to make good your escape. There is no point in hanging round for more, especially if there is a chance that your opponent’s mates could come on the scene. There is also the danger that if you do move in to finish, your opponent could grab you from the ground and pull you down there with him, which isn’t somewhere you want to be. If that happens (and I’ve seen it happen before) then you have wasted the opportunity that you worked so hard to create and you’ve given back control to your opponent. So always run as soon as you’ve made your first attack. Your first goal should always be self-preservation, not to punish your opponent or give your ego a workout.
What Strike Should I Use?
In the case of pre-emptive striking it is best to find a technique you are comfortable with and stick with it. Like most people, I prefer to use the hands as my main weapon, simply because they are already in place to attack thanks to your fence and also because punches are the most reliable and probably the most effective technique to use for this purpose. A good right cross or hook of the back hand is very effective, especially if you are able to accurately target your opponents jaw. It is possible to knock an opponent out with a single strike to the jaw, or if not knock them out at least distract them enough so you can escape.
Practice your striking with heavy bag by Everlast.
Just remember that you will usually have only one chance to get it right, so make your strike a good one. After that first strike everything else becomes spontaneous and you won’t have the same opportunity to target accurately or hit with the same power. A moving target is much harder to hit as you probably already know. Trying to hit a bobbing head could lead to you connecting with teeth (not good, hygiene wise) or breaking your hand on an opponent’s skull (also not good).
Practice your single strike on the focus pads as often as you can. Look for maximum power and focus in every punch when you practice and remember that you are going for a knock out blow. Also practice the punch from different positions, from the ground, while your back is against the wall, awkward positions that you may find yourself in while in a live situation. The idea is to be able to generate power from any position.
What If The First Strike Fails?
If, after making your pre-emptive attack, you are unable to escape for whatever reason and your opponent is still determined to continue with the assault then you should put your fence back up and try to talk your opponent down from their rage by using dialogue. If you can’t appease them this way and the assault continues then your only option is to attack them with everything you have until you can either escape or until your opponent has had enough and they back down.
Pre-Emptive Striking and the Law
Many people are unsure about where they stand in relation to the law and this issue. The law often tells us to only strike if you are attacked first and even then, to only do so with reasonable force. Many martial artists have also been brainwashed into thinking that they must not attack first because it goes against the code of ethics that supposedly govern the martial arts, that they have to wait for an opponent to attack them first before they can defend.
The fact of the matter is this. The law is quite open these days to the concept of pre-emptive striking for street self defense purposes. If you can show that an attack on your person was imminent and that you did all you could to prevent it from happening through initial dialogue (witnesses should back this up) then your situation will be looked favourably upon. Indeed, most police officers will tell you that pre-emptive striking is a valid response to a threat on your person, despite what it says in the statute books. So keep that in mind the next time you have doubts regarding this issue.
A Final Word…
I hope you can now see how important it is have some kind of grounding in conflict management. Self defense is not all about standing there waiting for someone to attack you before you take any action. Real self defense is about managing the situation, through use of dialogue and pre-emptive striking, before it spirals out of control. Obviously things don’t always go according to plan and sometimes you will have to fight your way out of situation and this is were your martial arts training will hopefully hold you in good stead. Whatever the outcome, your attitude should always be one of intelligently taking control from the start and not allowing yourself to be bullied or become overwhelmed by fear. This can be achieved by constant training (the right training) and having a good understanding of the adrenal response and how it affects a person.
Practice using the fence in the dojo, practice using dialogue to engage your opponent and learn to hit as hard as you can. Master these three elements and you will have the best chance of surviving any violent confrontation.
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