Most people are not really prepared or trained, physically or psychologically, for a physical encounter.

 

Posted by ADAM CARTER on JAN 10, 2024

Most people are not really prepared or trained, physically or psychologically, for a physical encounter.

 

My recent article about keeping your hands up in a guard in self-defense situations, featured several responses, some stating it works in MMA, or other sports.

You’re missing the point.

A guard IS applicable in consensual fights.

In self-protection, either, you are so close that BOTH HANDS SHOULD BE WORKING, or you are far enough apart from your assailant that you should be ESCAPING.

There is NO sparring with each other. There is NO waiting for an assailant to throw a strike while your hands are up.

If there is no option to escape, even then, the high static guard is still NOT the best option. (Another article coming)

The attacker may be ARMED with a knife, gun or other weapon, or have accomplices.

They may ask a question of you, be at close range, sucker punch distance, catching you off guard with an unexpected attack without warning.

A criminal wants something from you, regardless of their weapon of choice (fists, knives, blunt instruments, guns), the greater the distance between predator, angry drunk, or enraged motorist the better.

Real world attacks involve brutal realities and call for intelligent responses, starting with proper awareness of your situation, avoidance, de-escalation and deterrence skills, way before you stand there at a distance and raise your hands in a guard position.

The core of self-defense is about managing fear, avoidance strategies, escape, verbal dissuasion, posturing, understanding attack ritual and violent body language, and, if necessary – the preemptive strike.

Got the idea yet? Fighting is NOT the number 1 priority.

If you do decide to fight, can you protect your children or loved ones? Can you protect yourself from accomplices, or the onslaught from a heavy boot or weapon? Is standing there with you guard held high going to help with some of these scenarios? That guard won’t stop a blade or bullet!

Lets recap.

Real world attacks involve brutal realities and call for intelligent responses, way before you stand there at a distance and raise your hands in a guard position.

The high static guard – not the best idea unless you are agreeing to fight.

The realities of real world self-defense is that there are more important things to consider first, than putting “your dukes up” and fighting it out.

Still not convinced.

Imagine for a moment that the assailant has a huge age and weight advantage. A female (no discrimination intended) about 5’2 and weighs about 120lbs, perhaps middle aged, being attacked by a late teen or twenty something, 220lb, 6ft plus, male, a career criminal, wanting something they have.

Is she going to out fight him? When he begins attacking her is she going to be able to grapple with him in a realistic way that will allow her any advantage before he pounds her into submission?

If he has a weapon, or accomplices, or more, does putting her hands up in a guard sound like her smartest strategy?

NO – and this is why other methods are more important before; “you put your dukes up”.

Most people are not really prepared or trained, physically or psychologically, for a physical encounter, it’s best to concentrate on something that will work – beginning with avoidance.

Self-defense is about doing the minimum a situation will allow to ensure your own survival. Not standing there trading blows. That’s street fighting.

Be honest with yourself about what a real attack actually is: it is terrifying and violent, it is explosive, it is unpredictable, it is savage and it does not abide by any rules.

If you underestimate it, real violence can shatter you. Too many people in the martial arts grossly underestimate it.

And if you are teaching any martial art as self-defense, you have an obligation, to qualify the potency of everything you teach as self-defense, because someone’s life may one day depend on it.

Are we getting any closer to understanding yet?