Rules of Self Defense (Revisited)

The Rules of Self Defense

The rules define the game. Judo rules, create the sport of Judo, MMA rules create the MMA the sport and martial arts have a style and etiquette all their own, based on their culture of origin. These rules are designed to balance entertainment with participant safety or pay homage to their native land. While technically in self defense there are "no rules ", there does exist a specific set of tactical factors to which you must abide.

The “Rules” of Self Defense

1. Your techniques must be simple, gross motor skills.
When you experience fight or flight stress, millions of years of evolution kick in and prepare you for battle. You will experience dozens of perceptual changes from tunnel vision to loss of hearing, your heart rate increases and your blood will flow from your extremities to your vital organs and major muscle groups. There is no amount of mediation or stress inoculation that will reverse these effects. Your only choice is to train to operate within those conditions. You will only to be able to perform gross movements of the legs and arms. Finite skills that involve subtle movement of the fingers, wrist, small precise movements and tactics that require cognitive planning and strategy will be impossible. You'll only be able to perform a handful (3 to 5) of simple skills. LtCol Grossman’s Book “On Combat” gives an excellent analysis of this physiological and psychological experience.

2. You will be attacked when you are vulnerable.
Injured, tired and older or distracted, criminals, like predators, choose targets of opportunity. If you appear weak, you will be a target. The most effective defensive tactics enable you to perform under any possible physical restriction. This includes the use of weapons. The rule is simple, if you can leave your home, you better be able to protect yourself. Methods that require athleticism and coordination are not recommended. Instead you need techniques that are simple and easy to perform.

3. Your assailant is armed.
Criminals will stack the odds in their favor. Career criminals who know that using a weapon carries a heavier sentence, may try to strong arm you instead of using a weapon during the first contact. After you survive the first attack and offer some resistance, he may then decide to use a weapon. According to the 2005 study by the Bureau of justice http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=70 in approximately 70% of violent crime arrests there was a weapon present. This very real possibility demands that you dispatch of your threat as quickly as possible.

Another scenario is an attack under in low light. In a dark parking lot, how can you tell if that punch isn't a stab? Therefore you must assume every attack is a weapon attack. Methods that require you to first identify the weapon and then shift gears to use a different set of techniques have an extremely low success rate. Hick’s Law proves this as fact. Hick’s Law describes the time it takes for a person to make a decision as a result of the possible choices he or she has. The more choices you have, the slower your reaction time. You need one common denominator reaction for a multitude of assaults.

4. Your attacker is larger and stronger than you.
In the street, intimidation is a big factor. Larger people with bad intent will choose smaller, weaker victims. Nothing has changed since grammar school. Knowing this, methods that require you to overpower your enemy should be avoided. While grappling is a worth while endeavor, it is not a primary form of defense since it requires a great deal of skill, power and endurance to subdue a much larger attacker. Striking is and always will be the preferred and most efficient means of first line, empty hand defense. Weapons of course trump all empty hand defenses.

5. Your assailant will have friends.
Criminals need an edge. It could be a weapon, it could be size or it could be accomplices. Most times you won't even know it's a multiple attacker scenario until it's too late. Smart street fighters will have friends waiting in the background. The idea of having different tactics for single and multiple attackers is ludicrous for two reasons. First, every attack is a multiple attacker scenario regardless of what you see initially. Second, you can only fight what ‘s directly in front of you. Once you engage, your mind will only allow you to focus on one act, one target and one direction. (See Rule number 1) To ensure a high success rate you must train to eliminate the first target as fast as possible and move forward from there. This includes maintaining a forward drive and taking ground. Besides keeping your primary target off balance, moving forward will make you a moving target to the other threats. This is why it is extremely critical that you train in a way that keeps you moving forward. Practicing defensive tactics while you’re standing toe to toe is ill-advised.

6. You must consider every environment.
Attacks happen where you work and live. Through the course of your day and depending on the season, your environment is constantly changing from icy parking lot to carpeted floor. You can’t move 10 feet in any direction without running into a wall, a piece of furniture or a change of elevation. Sliding foot work that looks good in the gym or dojo is impractical under real world conditions. Even your footwork must be “pre-programmed” to handle any terrain.

7. You must use techniques that cause maximum injury to your attacker and minimum injury to you.
This is the name of the game. The person who wins is the one with the least amount of injury. From weapons to empty hand, everything thing you do must cause more damage to your target at a faster rate than you ‘re being injured.

8. Your attacker has intent on killing or injuring you.
Anyone who is willing to threaten you or use force on you has no regard for your safety. In order to maximize your survivability you must assume this to be true and react accordingly. That means doing whatever you need to survive without any regard for your attacker’s safety. Anything less will leave you vulnerable.

What makes a good self defense system?
An effective means of self defense only needs to consider the factors of distance, position, momentum and balance. Distance: where you are in relation to the target. Position: how you are and your target is situated. Momentum: increase yours by injuring him and moving through him. Injuring him more and more with each attack until he can no longer counter attack. Finally, balance, maintain yours, and disrupt his.
The techniques must attack his most vital areas, consist of gross motor movements and cause the maximum damage to your target and minimum damage to yourself.

These criteria for self defense are purely tactical. There’s no mention of style or system. These are common denominator, common sense factors. Along with good fitness, the right system and an "assume the worst and hope for the best" attitude. You will be able to survive and win most any situation.
Train Honestly,
Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company

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