Don’t Put Yourself In Unnecessary Danger

It does not matter what type of weapons or combative system you choose to use for self-defense. There are certain irrefutable concepts, truths if you will, about a self-defense encounter that you have to take into consideration and plan for if you want to survive. If you decide to ignore even one of the concepts I am about to share with you, you could be putting yourself in unnecessary danger.

The Basics

Let’s get started with these basic, but very important concepts. Take note that I used the words “basic” and “important” in the same sentence. People often think the basics are things you need to learn before you get to the “good stuff,” but in reality, the basics are the “good stuff,” and probably ALL you will need to deal with most situations…

…without them, you wouldn’t be able to do anything else!

If you’re new to the topic of real-world self-defense, I want you to take the time to burn these concepts into your brain and never forget them. If you are an old veteran like me or an advanced student, you might still want to check these out just to make sure that you have not missed anything important in your training.

Self-Defense Concepts You Should NEVER Forget

Self-Defense Concept #1 – You Are Your Own First-Line of Self-Defense

In most situations where an attack occurs you are by yourself. Most attackers won’t want to risk attacking more than one person unless they have a weapon. But most likely they are looking for an easy target. There could possibly be multiple attackers, though. So be vigilant.

In most situations, the police cannot save you during an attack. They will likely show up AFTER the attack has occurred. Also, you should not depend on bystanders to help you either. If attacked, you either will be ready or not. That means that it will be up to you, and only you, to do what is necessary to survive until you either neutralize the threat, or help, back-up, or whatever, arrives.

By the way, that even goes for those of you reading this who has some training, and know how to defend yourself. I recently talked to a female law enforcement officer who told me that she went into a store and saw that it was being robbed. She had on sweats and was actually wearing her bulletproof vest underneath; however, she left her gun in her car.

She started to back out of the store so she could retrieve her weapon, but a voice behind her told her to stop and get down on the floor. The robber had an accomplice. I told her had she had her gun on her and pulled it out the accomplice would likely have killed her. This was probably a rare situation, but this stuff is serious folks.

Now despite what happened to this woman, I advise that if you’re going to train yourself and carry a weapon make sure that, not only is it WITH you when you need it but that if possible, it’s IN your HAND!

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Self-Defense Concept #2 – Keep It Short and Simple

Guys and ladies I know who practice sport martial art kill me sometimes with their way of thinking. This is because many feel like they are prepared for any situation they may encounter on the street, and this attitude is what leaves me shaking my head in confusion and disbelief.

Anyone who’s ever been in a real-world encounter like I have, where they were fighting for life and limb, knows that seconds can feel like an eternity… SECONDS. In fact, the average self-defense encounter is over in 6 to 10 seconds. Not minutes.

I remember when going through defensive tactics training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, we would have what was called “3-minute wars” where we had to battle fellow agents for 3 minutes nonstop. We would go all out, and at the end of the battle we were both exhausted and could hardly move, and then had to do it again with the next agent. It was a humbling experience.

So much for the long climactic fight scenes at the end of a movie, huh? Where the hero takes on the arch-villain for 20 minutes or so. Sorry, real life just does not work that way. In fact, you only store enough glycogen (a type of sugar) in your muscles for fight-or-flight work for about 7 to 11 seconds of full-out work. After that, your body must hold out for another 7 to 11 seconds to produce enough of that magic “juice” to go at it again.

The fact that many of the old school karate tournaments (and maybe even new school, I have not been to any in a while) set things up with a two-minute time frame on average is proof that sports fighting is not geared towards self-defense. Of course, all the rules that are nonexistent on the street help a little in the ring (no timeouts or tap outs in the street).

If you’ve ever been attacked, you probably know that it was over long before two minutes were up. Unless you’re running and hiding or pulling the school-yard-fight thing where it looks like a boxing match, you can’t physically keep going for longer than your muscles have fuel for.

In addition to this, a self-defense situation is NOT the time nor the place to be showing off your fancy karate moves, you know, jump flying sidekicks, spinning back kicks, etc. The attacker doesn’t care and, quite frankly, that kind of foolishness is just going piss him off and make him fight HARDER!

If you want to win – if you want to survive – if you want to wake up tomorrow on THIS side of the grass, you have got to keep your defensive moves simple and to the point. Do what you have to do to get him to stop – and do it fast! Period.

Self-Defense Concept #3 – There’s a Difference Between a Fight and a Self-Defense Situation

Again, you have to know why you’re there.

• Are you trying to prove something?
• Do you need to be right?
• Are you trying to make a point?
• Are you keeping from losing something that belongs to you?

If you are, then you’re in a fight – you’re fighting! It’s not self-defense, although you might be trying to defend yourself while simultaneously trying to inflict your damage on him. But, a self-defense situation is very different.

What’s The Difference?

What is the difference between a fight and a self-defense situation? I mean, both people are attacking each other, right? Well, not exactly. And, if you’ve ever been in either or both, you already know the answer.

Basically, a fight has two or more combatants who are willing participants in the fight. They WANT to be there. However, in a self-defense encounter there may be two or more combatants, however, at least one of the combatants, the victim – the target of the assault – does NOT want to be there.

Do You See The Difference?

While a self-defense situation and a fight might APPEAR to be the same thing, they are in reality, very different. Bottom line is that you have to lose any thoughts, fears, or aversions to fighting.

I don’t like to fight either (well actually, yes I do, LOL,) But I have become very good at fighting skills and dealing with a person who wants to fight or attack me. There is a big difference.

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Final Thoughts

In Today’s world of violence, street crime, spousal and child abuse, and terrorism, it is no longer possible to live in denial. It seems that every day, more and more people are waking up to the realization that violence in some form has touched either them or someone they know. They end up finding out that self-defense training is no longer a choice – it’s a responsibility!

So, take these 3 concepts I have just shared with you and remember them. Don”t be surprised when it comes to defending yourself.

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