Why Is Deception The Key To Defeating An Attacker?

From childhood on we are taught to be honest, polite, and to never hit first. This may be good advice for a small child, but if you still bring these ideals into the adult world of self defense you are putting yourself and your loved ones in danger.

The Fair Fight Is The Most Dangerous Deception

The whole ‘put up your dukes and have a fair fight’ is one of the biggest misconceptions about fighting and it gets people hurt. The only time you should be aiming for a fair fight is if you and your buddies decide to do a little backyard boxing or something like that (controlled environment).

If you are not in a controlled environment you are in a no rules street fight. There is no half way. You are either fighting recreationally in a controlled environment or you are in a life or death fight.

Once you understand this crucial point you can easily see why the over romanticized ‘put up your dukes’ kind of fight will get you hurt. In a street fight or self defense situation it is your sole job to defeat the attacker with whatever means are necessary. You do not stop until it is totally safe for you to flee the scene (you must decide what level of force is required).

The good news is… using deception can quickly boost your odds of winning a conflict.

4 Deceptive Self Defense Techniques

1. If you feel a conflict is eminent deceive your would be attacker into thinking you don’t want to fight then strike him first while he is not expecting it (the first person to hit is most likely to win).
2. Tell a guy who is intent on fighting you (once you realize there is no walking away) that you want to take it outside-once he starts walking towards the door attack him. There is no fair there is only a winner and a loser
3. Notice your attackers deceptive technique-we are all hardwired to deceive in these situations-he will often look off to one side of you right before he punches hoping you will look where he is looking and not see his right haymaker coming. Turn this against him by throwing in a quick jab.
4. Use the look off to the side technique on your attacker-it is a much more powerful tool if you use it consciously because you can keep him in your peripheral vision and watch for a strike.

This is just a short list of the deceptive techniques that can give you the upper hand a fight. These are self defense techniques that you must incorporate into your training. Self defense training is not all about focus mitts and heavy bags. The mental side of self defense is equally important. You can have the hardest hitting punches in the world, but if you are deceived and struck first you will likely lose the fight.

Remember, you cannot afford to lose a street fight. Your job is to survive the fight by using any and all tools at your disposal so don’t ignore this powerful mental tools.