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Do You Have Bad Intentions?

Welcome Back!

Jim West was recently at our studio to provide some expert instruction on a few new weapon projects. As expected, we had a great time. Jim has a way of tossing out nuggets of combat wisdom in passing that really stick with you. Here’s one thing he brought up that many of us don’t give enough thought to:

“Bad Intentions”

Jim pointed out that in a life or death self-defense situation, you MUST have bad intentions. If you aren’t mentally prepared to hurt your attacker, you are much less likely to survive. The survival mindset is an aggressive one.

For Jim, it’s about flipping the switch from polite citizen to “ass kicking” mode as quickly as possible. How fast can you make the switch? Seriously, think about that for a minute…

Most of us grew up being told we have to be kind to others… and we should. Most of us were scolded for hitting others at a young age… also a good thing. Because of our parent’s strong values and guidance we developed into kind and respectful citizens.

Here’s the Problem…

If kindness and respect are your norms, how do you “flip the switch?” For some, it’s very difficult and can take a second or two. For others, they just can’t seem to make the switch. Why is it so difficult for us? We are conditioned to be non-violent. Criminals expect good victims, and for the most part, people are. The criminal’s instinct is to take what they want through intimidation, deception, and violence. Ours is to earn what we want through honest, hard work.

In the critical few moments leading up to physical contact, most of us are looking for ways to de-escalate the situation, or are simply paralyzed by fear (or an ingrained hesitancy to hurt another human being). All this works to the criminal’s advantage.

So You MUST Be Proactive

If you wait for a life-threatening situation to decide what to do, you are leaving too much up to chance. You must decide ahead of time where your “line in the sand” is. And if it’s crossed, how far will you go?

Ask yourself the following questions:

  1. How dirty will you fight?
  2. Are you out for blood?
  3. Will you wait to be hit first?

Don’t Get Me Wrong

I’m not suggesting you fly off the handle at the slightest chance of a conflict. But when trouble comes knocking, you’d better be mentally prepared to take care of the problem and resolve yourself to do what you think is necessary.

Keep in mind hundreds, if not thousands of people have been killed with just one punch. So, as far as I’m concerned, there are no “little scuffles” in the street. This isn’t the playground. A grown man trying to hit me IS life threatening, every time. When you engage you must truly intend on hurting the person. You can’t fake it.

Aggression and self-preservation are basic animal instincts. Use them. If you are simply defending (as in, only using defensive moves) your attacker will likely keep at it, until he has worn you down. Your defense has to hurt him. It must have those bad intentions.

The Reality Is This

With the exception of a skilled counter-fighter, aggressors control the encounter. If you willingly let the attacker maintain his role as the leader in the encounter you are leaving too much up to chance. Hoping he’ll give up, hoping somebody will come to the rescue, hoping he won’t hurt you too bad, or hoping he’ll leave your family alone.

Don’t hope… ACT. We’ve talked about mindset before and this won’t be the last time we talk about it. But I think Jim West has a unique and valuable way of looking at this issue, that may resonate in a different way than some of our previous articles.

What Do You Think?

When trouble comes, will you have the strength to flip the switch? Let me know in the comments below!

For a safe life…

Dean Horine, Special Projects
FightFast/TRS

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696 thoughts on “Do You Have Bad Intentions?”

  1. That was a very good topic growing up my father always told me to never be a trouble maker and always try to be the bigger man and walk away, but he always ended with if my instinct and gut acknowledged that the person posed a real threat, then do whatever needs to be done to disable the threat,and take control of the situation.

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  4. Yesterday I was walking back from the store this guy infront of me kept looking over his shoulder to see how close I was
    I slowed down down becaus of my ankle hurting I have osteoarthritis so I had to really slow down and he slowed down I had my cane with me and thank God he finally gave up and kept going I’m just happy nobody got hurt but I was prepared to hurt him and hurting bad

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  5. My father also taught that one must expect to be hurt. To expect pain and to give it with any weapon available…brooms, coffee cups, ink pen, pencil anything. Yes, your mindset is your first weapon.

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  7. What can person do to change a mind set of not wanting to hurt someone, to a “Killer” in a second? I don’t want to freeze at a critical time? Adrenaline is a good thing, however it can freeze me too.

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  8. Insightful, as I travel a lot and it seems there are tardsout there with bad intentions… one must be prepared to act to save one self .

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  9. If your life is in real danger, sweet talk will not be of much help. You will have to act first.

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  10. Yes i was attacked once by a party of 3 woul be killers ..cowardly bastards nearly killed me i didnt hit them back i was almost like being raped till i kiled the big granny beating bully……his last words to me as my bird gave me my 9mm was …That better be a repeclar sorry but it wasnt no more granny beating bully ….

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  11. I committed myself to extreme violence when my children were young, I never had to utilize that commitment in terms of physical violence but i did notice that my ‘vibe” became one people would walk around rather than approach me in close quarters. i know that if I see a threat, I look them square in the eye, not down or to the side, shoulders back, strong stride, keys weaponized between my fingers, hand in my bag already readying a weapon , this in itself announces you are not a victim, you are a fight…and so far, the person of concern looks away first, Most aggressors are not looking for a fight, they are looking for victims.
    i don’t even have time to think if I or someone I love is threatened, I act, I have been known to back down a full grown man at over 6 ft 5 inches, outweighing me by more than a hundred pounds from a mere 6 inches away, i think this is because my own aggression [only when absolutely necessary] surprises them and throws them off. i hope it never happens but I would not hesitate to use lethal force to defend myself or my loved ones. If I went down, it would be fighting hard with very bad intentions and they would not walk away unscathed. As a rule, I am a notoriously kind and gentle person, but learned decades ago that in the case of being a potential victim, that is useless and the wrong stance to present in the face of a threat . So I keep my warrior side in my pocket, not where it is inaccessible on a dime. i don’t know why I am sharing all this, except that perhaps it will be helpful for someone else should the occasion arise. I am female, 5ft 8 and 150 lbs, if I can do it, anyone can. dont be fearful, be fearless, that in itself, without lifting a finger, is a great tool..people can smell fear, and they can feel fearlessness.

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  13. I learned a long time ago it’s kill or be killed. Im not going to be anybody’s pounding post. Especially when there are so many a**holes out there waiting to take what I have worked hard for.
    I’m not going looking for a fight, but I’m not going to go down with out a fight either. That’s why I really like the advice on this blog.

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  14. The initial problem is that we don’t know the intentions of the other person. Even schoolyard fights which usually ended up in two kids, both fearful and full of the usual anxiety that occurs in school and among their peers, grappling and stumbling like two drunk fools, have become fights for blood. One kid feels he needs to “whop ass” and show his manliness or her “girl power” by hurting the other person.

    I would assume any attack or altercation on the street or in publicly visited places is either a mugging or some kind of dare or test and the looser deserves to be neutralized and put down. I assume my fear level would guide me as it would become more intense with the situation.

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  15. Jim,
    I’m not a person who will kill anything, down to a spider consciously, I relocate… I avoid as much as possible. I spent 7 years getting my butt handed to me daily as I WAS a battered wife… I would like to better skilled if and or when I should ever be attacked. I’m an EMT and the sometimes dealing with so many varieties of situations, I simply want to stop things as quickly as possible and secure the situation. I certainly don’t want to take any life but I want to protect myself and those I care about. No worries from me…..First do no harm If at all possible!!

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  17. You guys are thinking too much, don’t think act or avoid.99.9 percent of humans don’t want to have a fight, after 20 years of security from doors to personal protection trust me the right attitude is you f*** with me and I will rip your face off. 5.10 200lbs still got a straight nose but missing knuckles. Strike first strike hard. J uk

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  18. it all what you said is true but without a practice it usually not work in real situation ,specially with armed guy with knife

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  19. I have never been fair in a fight from school years until now! I am always out for blood when attacked. I was in law enforcement for half my life, that burned into my brain that a bad guy will hurt you and you do what’s necessary to prevent that from happening. I pay attention to my surroundings, what’s behind the bad guy? A parking meter, the sharp corner of a building, the corners of cars or trucks, even a door knob. I have ran them backwards into such things with all my might to hurt them quickly, once I start I don’t stop until the threat is nutrlized. I bite, eye gouge, kick, punch, stomp. I feel that once they threaten me or my family they deserve what ever happens to them after that. I don’t talk and I don’t warn other than to tell them to leave me alone, if they don’t take that advise then they have brought whatever happens on themselves.

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  20. I really like your blog,all through school I was a fighter because I was raped by seven boys in high school after that I got very defiant and its stand up for myself because nobody else will.
    Thxs, for the awesome advise!

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  21. I’m a none violent individual. Although I do believe in everyone’s right t not be placed in physical parell . No one should have to fear for their well being. I am interested in more details on switching on and off like a house light. When is the red flag giving you the okay to click on self preservation mode and the determining factor that it has become a life or death situation?

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  22. You must conquer fear in situations. Nothing to fear but fear itself is a very true saying. Think of most situations you have been fearful in…in the majority of cases your fear of what was going to happen was actually worse than what did happen. There is however horrible things that have happened and horrible people in this world. No matter your personality you have to realise that Wether or not you survive in this world depends on flicking your switch. I have always taught my children that you must go for vulnerable areas and cause as much pain as possible… fingers, eyes, ears, nose and genitals etc. If you are out gunned physically you must pick vulnerable areas and go full tilt to hurt as much as possible, break fingers bite nose ears etc etc to at least give yourself the chance of escape. Remember no matter if you’re a gentle person you must be prepared to flick to that side of yourself that we all have hardwired in us no matter how deep down. We are all programmed to want to survive and it is this instinct we must tap into to survive. If you spend time thinking about what you would do to an attacker you will be far more likely to do it if faced with that situation. Be prepared- be fierce- be safe.

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  23. If I am threatened with harm or aware of impending harm to other innocents or vulnerable people – I will always intend to eliminate the threat without warning and without limitations..

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  24. In a situation as you described I can throw that switch the way I can tell when it’s going to happen my knees shake a little and the adrenaline starts flowing then I know it’s game on

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  25. Yo I Just like your thoughts and all your skillful techniques. The battleground is not just a childhood play or something else.. It’s a act of madness where anyone could get hurt till death…. We should be kind for the the kindness and be cruel for the madness . Right?

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  26. Re defending yourself when a person throws a punch. I have martial arts experience but not street fighting experience.
    Most of the defense moves shown start with “me” blocking the other person’s arm from the inside and then hitting the
    throat etc. I find it very hard to be quick enough to block the coming-punch from the inside. tips? Tom Mills, Dallas

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  28. You are so right. After my daughter knocked me out and stopped on my stomach fractured my jaw blacked my eye and broke my glasses. I too had to learn how to throw the switch. I had foot prints where no one should. She started it and a young cop asked her if she wanted to press charges. I didn’t throw a punch! So my flip is now throwned on

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  29. Retired from 43 years of Law Enforcement, no one in my family has ever seen my “rage moment” and I’d prefer they don’t. However, if it time to “get to it”, I become a totally different person. If acting first is necessary, so be it. In the end, I’ll be standing and the threat will terminate-totally. That’s just the way it has to be.

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  30. My right arm and leg are partially crippled from a fall I had when I was one and half yrs. old.I used to be right handed, but since the fall, I have grown up left handed. It is hard to fight, but I have gotten into a few scraps in my life. The question is, do you have any dvd’s on how to fight,and still win while using one hand? Truthfully, it’s seems as if my right arm just gets in the way. It seems to me that attack the legs, with my feet have served me well so far.

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  31. The key to survival is being able to go off or zap out. Sometimes fear can be a great tool. I once saw a little guy defeat a man twice his size because of fear. My motto is don’t f&#k with me and i won’t f*&k with you. So when i sense a threat to me my chi comes out. I literally loose it. In this day and age you must strike first whenever threatened. Show no mercy, use whatever tools available to you. That means do whatever it takes to survive. I once met the late great Ed Parker and he told me a fight is about survival not ethics. So if you can avoid a conflict do, but if you can’t avoid a conflict than strike first, fast and without regard for the other persons life. Remember the saying i’d rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6. F&#k your enemy show no mercy, your life depends on it.

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  32. Here in South Africa (Gauteng) where ANYTHING could happen in a blink of an eye, YOU HAVE TO BE READY TO PROTECT YOURSELF! I am not a violent person, but when threatening with violence from somebody else, even if you haven’t done anything to start a conflict, the situation changes. Then you have to choose if you want to be a victim. I have martial art experience and have been in situations where two or more persons tried to rob or hurt me, but was it not for acting first, I would have been the victim. Although I have no street fighting experience, the mindset is to get out of the situation as quick as possible, using the knowledge you have. I rather think of it as a “survival instinct”. There are many people walking away without martial art knowledge because they acted so fast and “aggressive” that the attackers thought they were the persons in trouble! It boils down to ACT FAST! It must always be the mindset, should a situation arise that “forces” you to act in order to defend yourself. That is why I like your products of Fight Fast!

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  33. I have zero problem with taking a life that is intent on taking mine. I am a woman and I have no illusions of being able to overpower a man in close combat situations just by sheer strength alone. I am always carrying a gun but I don’t let that give me a false sense of security. Watching your surroundings and being smart enough to not put yourself in certain situations is a big plus, but unfortunately in these days that’s not always enough the fight seems to come to you. I really appreciate and enjoy reading the comments and getting a Feeling for other people’s thoughts and tactics when dealing with certain situations.

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  34. ESTOY DE ACUERDO CON EL CONSEJO YA QUE SI TENEMOS LAS INTENCIONES DE NO LASTIMAR TERMINAREMOS POR SER DERROTADOS Y NO ESTARIAMOS CUMPLIENDO NUESTRO VERDADERO PROPOSITO QUE ES DEFENDERNOS

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  35. I’m real quick to flip the switch and like the sound of people’s bones breaking in my hands when messing with me and mine

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  36. As a ex-pro fighter, my hands are registered with the state and I have had my share of arrests. But this solidifies that all that must instantly go out the window in a street situation. If I didn’t start it, there must be no time lapse from 0 to 100 in order to win, especially with protecting family.

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  37. I agree whole heartily, my last encounter had me questioning the level of attack/defence I would engage due to the ages involved. I’m 45yrs young, they were fresh faced little turds who thought strength in numbers would cut it. Wron,g but so was I, play’n with them opposed to flogg’n them was my mistake. I copped more hits to the head than needed before I reacted appropriately.
    Don’t wait, eliminate…..!

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  38. I agree 100% I’m not a troublemaker nor do I look for trouble growing up in Brooklyn trouble always seem to find you but being the one to always strike first I’ve always had the upper hand in a street fight.

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  39. A lot going on personally. I’m trying to follow and keep up.
    We are all moving into an era of needing to understand self defense and not ending up the victim.

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  40. Very good article. When I was younger I’d fight at the drop of a hat. Now that I’m older it takes a lot to provoke me to anger, which is a very bad thing if accosted on the street.

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  41. Great job as always.When i was a young boy,my father told me and instructed me to always stop things before they even get started.You must be ready to flip the switch in an instant to terminate an attacker and stop things before they even start.And especially, always protect your face and never ever let it be struck, ever! Stay Safe!

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  42. Hi Dean.. To start off with(you may find interesting), I am a 65 year old man that lives and works in Campbell CA. my job and I love it so,is head of security or is more commonly refered to as a bouncer. I am 6’1 and weigh 235lbs small in comparison to most gentleman in this profession I’ve never had any formal training in the arts but I’m sure you can figure that there’s no time like the present to learn a little sumthing to help out in those dicey situations that happen now and then. I normally feel that I have a great advantage in most situations because I’m not impaired but as we all know sometimes no matter how hard you try you just can’t put or keep them down. So in essence I feel with your help and guidance I can prevent any mishaps like getting my teeth knocked out or the like of that . I will be looking forward to your response to this email..Thank You from the oldest bouncer in Santa Clara County …william

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  44. I raised my kids pretty much the same way I was raised. Don’t rough house to hurt or break arms, necks, legs, etc. I also spent enough time in training (Military) and private security to inset in my kids heads to know when rough housing ends and when a fight begins. Unfortunately, my kids learned better and faster than me, and haven’t ever lost a fight. My time as a youth was different than what my kids went thru, and I’m confident in their abilities to “Flip that Switch”. It took me a major conflict to learn it. But today I feel that ALL of my family are well informed on when it’s time for “It to get Real”! Partially because of this Fight fast group! Take the time to make it clear in your mind when it’s time to Defend yourself with violence and Self Preservation… That line is vitality important to you walking away or being carried away.
    Thanks Fight Fast!!

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  45. yes I totally agree I am nearly 70 years of age and I work out every day , so I am able to look after myself and those around me , you have to be ready to come off the defensive back foot when the situation arises .

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  48. I totally agree! I’ve had my share of fights in the street and understand exactly what you are saying. My problem is that I am always alone and out numbered! I am a convicted felon so carrying a firearm is a right I no longer have by law. I’m fed up with the thugs on the street who sometimes test me. Maybe you really can help me…???

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  49. Really good advice on all that you said always look for the end definitely end the fight they start it we finish it. I was in the Army and we chanted kill kill kill without mercy.

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  50. Maybe a little off subject but in the same sence just a quick note from one fighter to another and coming from a very recent incident never underestimate someone in fear of losing their life I made this mistake and found myself on the business end of a blade never again will I sell anyone short of protecting their life

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