subject: Everything I Need To Know In Life, I Learned From A Self Defense Video [print this page] I watched a self defense video a few years ago, and it has stuck with me like little else ever has. I learned a lot about self defense, but I also learned a few valuable lessons about life that were disguised as self defense tips.
Total Commitment
When you're stuck in a fight, you don't spar with your opponent -- you commit as utterly as you can to taking him down in as few moves as possible. You can't afford to let him hit you; not once, not ever. You have to hit him first, and end the fight before he gets to hit you back.
It took me a long time to realize that the same is true in any honest competition. If you want to win, you have to figure out what is going to win faster than the other guy does, and do it first, period. There's no time in a street fight for trying to ascertain the opponent's style and skill level - you just take him out and move on...and you do exactly the same thing when The Donald is going to fire either you or the other guy.
Alignment
It might seem silly to compare self defense videos with The Apprentice, but there are parallels that deserve attention. In a fight, alignment means two things on two different levels. First, it means your body is aligned properly so that when it impacts the other guy, nothing bends wrong or breaks. Your knuckles, wrist, elbow, and shoulder are aligned so that the impact of the punch is absorbed entirely by the enemy and not by your own joints.
More than that, however, it means aligning your actions with your intent. If you're going to try to escape from a mugger, you don't commit to an attack that's going to require you to stick around (i.e. no stepping side kicks; the recovery time is massive). Instead, you pick the fastest blinding or tripping attack you can muster, and then you run, because running is your actual goal. In real life, people spend lots of time on actions that don't further their real goals. They should watch a self defense video sometime.
Response
To every action, there is an equal an opposite reaction. A self defense video that is at all honest about this will show you what an actual opponent will do when hit. Will they stagger? Will they collapse? It's not always predictable, but what you shouldn't ever do is watch in surprise as your opponent trips over his own feet, lands on his butt, and then gets back up to stab you.
Back to that competition I mentioned earlier -- if you find the best tactic and implement it fast and hard, you might find that your competitors are more than a little upset. You need to know what will happen (or at least have a strong idea) before you commit to that course of action, even if that means going to the boss and telling her what you're about to do so that the others can't go "behind your back" and complain that what your doing shouldn't be allowed.
If you can follow those three steps -- Total Commitment, Alignment, and Response -- whether it's a street fight or planning a birthday party, the results are certain to be much more effective than if any of them are missing. That's the power of a good self defense video.
