Martial Arts - 5 Phases Of An Effective Self-defense Strategy
How do you make sense out of the chaos that is a fight or self-defense situation
? Some would have you believe that all you have to do is to memorize some karate moves known as kata. Others would have you believe that you can just make it up as you go with no preset strategy or goal in mind except to win. This article outlines a formula for successful self-defense that takes the middle path and focuses, not on technique, but on the strategic-thinking used by master commanders.
Have you ever wondered how you know which technique to use when an attacker is coming at you with murderous rage? Have you ever read the newspaper or a magazine story and seen that a police officer, security professional, or other person trained in self-defense, was injured or killed by an untrained attacker?
Of course you have. And so have I.
Within the world of martial arts and self-defense, there are two vastly different schools of thought for dealing with a violent confrontation. They are what we might call...
1. The Kata Approach - which involves the student learning a series of preset - predetermined set of movements that have been passed down from teacher-to-student. The student is to master these technique-strings called kata or "forms", through solo training, practice drills, and sparring sessions, until they can execute them at full-speed against an attacker. And...
2. The Free-Response Approach - which involves the student being thrown into the pool, so-to-speak, and then being coached into different ways to attack or counter the attacker by "feel" and intuitive response. The student continues and, in essence, develops his or her own style or "way" to handle situations.
While both of these systems have merit and I use elements of both to train my own students, each system leaves much to be desired in-an-of-itself. Where the kata student has a structure from which to work and can duplicate sets of moves to easily isolate and correct errors, he or she is left to their own devices when it comes to intuitively "figuring out" what comes next.
And, where the "free-response" adherent is left to develop his or her own sense of what's appropriate and what fits, they are generally guided without the benefit of "success-models" developed by generations of past masters who have used what they passed on successfully, time and again.
Self-Defense Strategy
There is a level of proficiency beyond technique that both the kata practitioner and the free-response students will naturally progress to. It is the level of strategic application, or being "results oriented," rather than focusing only on technique or "gaining the upper hand" through trickery or force.
However, instead of waiting for only those intuitive enough to "figure it out," there is a formula that can be learned that will take a student through the natural flow of a fight. This formula, unlike many theories being passed on in the world of martial arts and self-defense, is not based on my "ideas," but rather it develops when one is able to step back and look at how a fight begins, escalates, progresses, and is controlled by true experts.
The truth is that, every real expert at personal self-defense uses this formula, whether he or she knows it or not. They may not call it the same thing or think of it as such, but they have developed a way to make sense of the chaos, respond to what their assailant is attempting to do, and then go on to controlling their attacker's options, perceptions, and ability to get at and do them harm.
The 5 Phases of An Effective Self-Defense Strategy
1. OBSERVE Here we pay attention as our assailant attempts to move in against us. With experience and training, we can see if he appears to be setting up for grabbing or striking. If he's already on us, this stage is about discerning where he is trying to take us with regards to balance, control, and direction.
2. AVOID At this stage, we shouldn't be concerned about hurting him as much as not getting beaten by his first move. Here, we avoid or evade incoming strikes, or maneuver to regain balance and neutralize the effects of what he's doing if he has already grabbed us.
3. UNBALANCE Only after we have avoided his initial attacks and realize that we have a sense of control of the situation, can we actually start to "enter" in against him. We're still not worried about beating him yet - only making it difficult for him to continue with his strategy. At this stage, we work to take and control our opponent's balance. We can do this physically, mentally, emotionally, or a combination of the three. The point here is to make it increasingly difficult for our attacker to get at us. In fact, we direct our intentions and techniques toward boxing him in and locking him up.
4. TAKE DOWN When we have taken our assailant's balance, he will find it very difficult to attack us. In fact, he may even find it very difficult to stay on his feet. Now, and only now, should we take the fight to the attacker. At this point, if we have successfully moved through to phase four, our attacker will not be able to get at us, nor get away from us. Literally, at this stage of the game, we have choice. And choice equals freedom. We choose the techniques or skills that will take the attacker to the ground or knock him away from us, depending on what we need and whether he was grabbing, punching, or both.
5. OBSERVE No, this is not a misprint. We have come full circle after dealing with the initial onslaught of our opponent and dealt him a blow of our own. Now, we return to the observation stage (not that we ever lost it) to see what he will do next. We don't turn our back on him nor begin celebrating our victory. We watch. We watch to see if he is down and out, if he has conceded and is running away, or if he's preparing to try something else.
These 5 phases should not be seen as steps. They are not five things "to do," but rather 5 stages or areas of control, that flow naturally from each other as we enter, engage, and direct our attacker's energies, intentions, and techniques away from us.
by: Jeffrey Miller
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