Hey, it’s Jimbo over here at Fight central.

While everyone else is under the bed hiding from a microscopic bug, (because it’s sooo hard to punch a virus in the face), I wanna talk about protecting yourself from something much, much bigger (like a gillion-times bigger)…

…bad guys.

So today I bring you amazing insight on creating “Decision Points” (a fancy way of saying you’re able to act automatically really-really fast and smart while under alot, alot of pressure).

Having pre-existing Decision Points neatly tucked away in the back of your brain is critical to winning a fight.

Because one of the biggest mistakes you can make in a fight is to “deny” that you’re even in a fight, (“No, no. I’m not in a fight. Go to your happy place… go to your happy place”).

Frankly, the confrontation starts when your intuition tells you “something’s wrong”, not after you’ve head stomped, (“hey my nose is bleeding. I think I gotta get ready to fight”).

So the trick is to create as many Decision Points upfront — before your brain is under extreme pressure. Give you an automated checklist for when crunch time hits, (almost like being first in line for the toilet paper).

This will help reduce the internal chatter and eliminate the need to “figure it out” at the beginning of a confrontation when the brain wants to freeze-up and slam into lock-down mode.

The idea is to eliminate hesitation by setting-up key decision points beforehand.

So… the big question is: Just how do you know ahead of time when trouble’s a-brewin’?

Well, there are THREE major signs.

• Body Language: What he’s saying without talking.
• Verbal: The words coming-up outta his mouth.
• Behavior: Actions that can predict the future, (Oooo).

Body Language:

Let me hear your body talk!

It’s not a coincidence that the same handful of players keep making it to the world series of poker.

Yes, poker is a game of probability and chance, so technically everyone should have the same odds of winning (or losing their shirt). The question is, why do these guys always win?

Well, they’ve simply become experts at recognizing their fellow poker players “tells” — or their non-verbal indicators.

So every time you get a good (or bad) hand you may scratch your nose, raise your eyebrows, or wiggle your ears. They are watching and taking notes.

Later they take your money. (My big “tell” is throwing-up on the table. But I didn’t think anyone noticed).

Same with fighting. There are a number of “tells” or non-verbal body language signals communicating that you are in imminent danger of attack.

Consider those signals to be gifts from your opponent, because they reveal that he’s about to feed you a knuckle sandwich, (a little followup gift).

Here are non-verbal cues, (this stuff is gold).

• The “Look-Away”: Just before that right haymaker is thrown an opponent will commonly look to one side. It’s a sort of distraction technique.

  As fighter Jim West says “If I’m in a confrontation with someone and they look to the side, it means they’re about to hit me – so I hit first”. (Note to self: So when chatting with West never to look off to the side).

• The “Finger Jab”: Someone poking you in the chest is also a big red flag. It’s a way that your opponent “tests the water” – but instead of testing with a toe, he’s using a finger, (because poking you with his toe would be awkward).

  He’s building up his confidence and resolve by violating your personal space. If you stand by and do nothing, it tells him, “the water’s fine… go ahead and attack this guy.”

  A poke in the chest or any violation of your personal space at the initial stages of a confrontation should trigger some kind of immediate response from you.

• The “Shove”: Yet another classic example of violating your personal space — except unlike the finger-poke, the shove is almost always immediately followed by a punch.

  You should expect very little time between the shove and the incoming blow – which of course means you need to act fast in this situation.

  Which is why this is a good place for you to create a “Decision Point”.

  Decide beforehand what you’ll automatically do in this type of situation because you’ll most likely have NO time to decide during a confrontation (which is the whole point of creating these “Decision Points”).

  People typically don’t push, then walk away.

• The “Target Gaze”: An opponent will naturally look at what he’s about to strike. Watch out for an adversary who changes his gaze to your chin (or perhaps another more embarrassing target).
• The “Chin Drop”: Another “cue” that should prompt you into a decision is seeing your opponent drop his chin.

  This is a subconscious action that protects the neck… and it almost always means trouble.

• Getting Hit: The biggest non-verbal cue is being struck. Okay… you’re probably laughing but this is one of the few times I’m not making a stupid joke.

  Many novice fighters who get sucker-punched are slow to realize what’s going on. They know something’s wrong, they may even suspect they’ve been hit by that angry-looking fellow — but somehow they just can’t bring themselves to believe it – until they get hit again.

  If you suspect you’ve been hit, do NOT stand around trying to figure it out. Take immediate action, whether it’s running away or dropping the guy in front of you, (oops… not that guy. The other guy).

How To Pick Locks. (Who Needs Keys?)

You may find this shocking, but picking open a standard "tumbler" lock, (like the one on your front door), is pretty damn easy when you know how it's done.

And in a "meltdown" survival situation, (once the smash-n-grab crowd has stolen everything not tied-down), the food and water and secure shelter will all be behind locked doors, (which explains why Special Forces are often trained in lock picking... and why they carry a set of lock pics with them).

It's a lot of fun learning this skill, (it doesn't take long)... and kinda nice to help out that buddy locked out of his house after the wife discovered what really happened on that "no money down" real estate seminar in Vegas.

>> Check Out "Lock Picking Kit" Here. <<

Verbal Threats:

So nice when he explains his intentions.

The second major indicator that trouble is at your doorstep is the verbal threat. There are two specific kinds to look out for:

Vocalizing The Threat: “I’m gonna zyx@%# you up!”

Okay… this may seem so obvious that it’s not worth mentioning. And I wouldn’t if my research didn’t show that MOST inexperienced fighters do nothing in the face of serious verbal threats.

Bad idea.

Here’s the thing: Even if you suspect you’re dealing with an Emotionally Hijacked individual (basically the volatile “man-child” I discussed in a previous Man Skills) and you’ve decided to just let him “blow off steam” you’ve still have analyzed the situation and took decisive action.

But a Bully or Emotionally Hijacked individual (rarely will you get a bold verbal threat from a sneaky Predator), will use the verbal threat as a way to “ramp up” confidence and emotions (much like the poke in the chest) meaning that things can escalate fast.

Point is, don’t ignore an open verbal threat, (“What? I thought he was kidding! And then I woke up in a dumpster”).

• The “Sudden Silent Treatment”: If your opponent has been talking, talking, and talking and then suddenly becomes very quiet, it means he’s entered into an internal dialog on what he’s about to do to you, (and it’s rarely nice stuff).

As FightFast instructor Demi Barbitos says: “Fighters don’t talk and swing at the same time”.

Analyzing Behavior:

Actions That Can Reveal The Future.

This is the third indicator of potential trouble. Judge people by what you see them doing and adjust yourself accordingly.

Here’s where your observation skills come in to play. You’ll want (for example) to avoid loud young men who’ve been drinking – especially if there are women accompanying them.

Bar bouncer (and cage fighter) Mike Serr points out that nearly ALL intoxicated men will react violently if they are confronted or slighted in front of a woman.

So a common tactic is to set up a “ploy” to separate the guy from his little “wolf pack” before confronting him.

If you’re a bouncer or a manager, it is more likely he’ll leave your establishment or follow direction as there’s no need for him to “save face”.

Because even a small guy with very little chance at winning will fight hard to avoid being humiliated in front of friends and women, (officially making testosterone the most dangerous of all drugs).

Ignoring reasonable requests:

So let’s say you’re pumping gas at a 24-hour station when a hooded man appears from the shadows and starts walking toward you.

In this situation when the suspect is 30 feet away or so you should recognize that this has the potential to go sideways.

Maybe your heart’s beating a little faster and your intuition is telling you that something’s wrong. Pay attention to these signals. (Like when my brother-in-law told his girl to “listen to your heart” and so she did… and promptly dumped him).

Now “action” doesn’t have to mean brutally attacking an opponent or running for your life. No. Action can mean holding up your hand and shouting “Stop right there. You don’t need to come any closer. What do you want?”

That’s a reasonable request.

Any normal person with good intentions would stop. If he doesn’t stop, you KNOW there’s something wrong.

You’ve just gained some critical information and bought some time and space to plan your next action — attack or escape.

Again, create “decision points” like this ahead of time.

What will you do if he doesn’t stop? This is not a legal decision, it’s a decision to protect yourself.

The sharper you can define the line, (if he does this, I’ll take that action… if he does that, I’ll take this action… etc), the more decisive your action and the better equipped you are.

Imagine different scenarios and decide what “line-crossing” will automatically “trigger” specific actions from you. There are a couple of good reasons to do this:

Good for emotional health:

Especially when “pride” is involved. You’ll never regret “backing away” from a fight if it didn’t fit your decision point.

It completely eliminates the laying in bed cursing yourself as a weakling (I should have said this… I should have done that…).

Automatic response:

There’s no longer a need to think about it.

If a certain “trigger” is tripped you don’t have to ponder long and hard. The decision’s already been made for you.

Some of your “triggers” may not hold up in court, (ie, killing the guy who took your Jello). But by defining your triggers, you also can define what’s NOT your trigger.

So you may reasonably decide that somebody accidentally bumping into you is not a trigger, (good choice). And if he then “flips you off” and calls you a “son of a #!*!” and keeps walking, let’s say that’s not a trigger for you either, (wow, another good choice).

You see, it allows you to make intelligent decisions under stress, (and avoid being emotionally hijacked yourself) while never regretting your decisions.

The most beautiful thing about a Decision Point is that it allows you to FULLY engage when the time comes.

No hesitation, no second-guessing because there is no other decision to make other than “am I willing to hurt this guy?” and of course… “what is my target?”.

Decision points and well thought out triggers mean you’re always locked and loaded and ready to rock n roll.

If you’re looking for more in-depth “rock n roll” techniques, check this out.

>> Simple (and brutal) ways to defend yourself HERE. <<

Stay Manly,

Jimbo, Editor
Man Skills

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