The Nature of Violence
Everything in life follows its own inherent nature. We just have to go back to the jungle analogy to see that. Violence is no different. At the very basic level, violence occurs because the predator wants something. However; there are different types of violence and sometimes you can be lucky enough to avoid it by diffusing a situation..And sometimes you can’t.
There were two couples leaving a club in Southern California. The two men were walking slightly ahead of their dates, as the two women were chatting away behind them (clearly, not using situational awareness in a very public place). Here you have a mixture of bad brewing. Two ladies dressed for a night on the town; possibly had a few drinks in them, walking behind their men just enough to attract the attention of a group of men outside.
The group of men began talking with the women, uninvited and unappreciated. Calmly, their dates moved back to them to escort them away from the situation and on to the rest of their night. These men did what they thought they could to diffuse the situation. No trash talking was being doled out, no challenges being given.
However, upon walking away (hint: don’t turn your back to an aggressor); one of the men glanced over his shoulder, having a bad feeling. This was all it took for the aggressor to then become predatorial. The trash talking began and the aggressor and his buddies were then ready for a fight. The couples meant no threat to the group, but the simple glance over the shoulder was seen as provocation. It can be that simple folks.
When you engage in hand to hand combat training, one of the first things you would learn is to never turn your back on an aggressor. Sure, there are times when someone may come at you from behind; however, combat self defense says that you keep your back clear whenever possible by standing up against a wall or other object. Because the couples turned to leave doesn’t mean they deserved to be attacked; it just means that it gave the opening.
Luckily, the main target of the attack had trained in mixed martial arts; a form of combat self defense. His hand to hand combat training came in handy and was effective at stopping the group of men before they got out of control. As soon as he took one of them out, the others thought it best to walk away.
This is the hope for you; that you will take the time to learn effective combat self defense. What this man did to thwart his attackers was not based on martial arts training; but on hand to hand combat training. One effective strike and one broken nose later, the fight was off and the couples were able to get to safety. This was not luck, it was preparedness.
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Hey Capt. Chris,
I got some of your dvd’s and i like some of your philosophies. I’ve trained in Kali and other FMA for about 7 years now, and I do agree that simplicity is often the best approach to dangerous situations.
One thing I have been taught that I do believe is important for anybody is to always be aware of your surroundings as an attack can happen at any time or any place. You’re right, there are no rules when it comes to personal safety. One should always take the necessary steps to protect what’s important, because you may never get it back.
By the way, I found a link on youtube from the first Rambo movie that shows some Close Combat in action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLDVfl3OJb8
If the link doesn’t show, for whatever reason, just look up “Rambo vs Cops” and you’ll see what I’m talking about. It was a vicious Tiger Claw . . .
Take care.