Watch any martial arts flicks where our here sees the bad guys, they see him, then they circle around him while he drops his weight, widens his stance, and puts up his dukes? See anything wrong with that? I do, and here's why:A stance should never be perceived as such before something happens. Don’t show your stuff before you have to, because surprise is the best weapon we have. Don’t stand like a wrestler, boxer, or kicker. If I was on the side of the perceived threat, in other words the potential assailant or his friends, if I saw someone drop down into a “kurotty” stance, I’d perceive that person as a greater threat than before, and shoot, stab, or gang-attack him. When you give up the element of surprise you've given up your best chance to get out of an attack or confrontation in one piece. One other point is that witnesses who aren't in earshot may perceive you as the instigator. Your stance and demeanor may be interpreted as threatening, then any attack by the bad guy(s) may be understood as defensive. You don't want to get in trouble.
The solution to all of this is to stand in a non-threatening, subtle, defensive stance. Raise your hands in front of you, palms out to show you mean no harm, and take a very small step back with the foot you like in the rear. Then, slightly bend your knees to facilitate an explosion forward or sidesteps to evade. This is the time to use your [verbal skills] to talk your way out of a situation, if possible. While talk, notice escape routes and environmental barriers, scan your new friend and others for potential weapons, and keep an eye on his body language to sense his intent. Last, I would try to position myself so that there is no one behind me. A wall, column, car, or desk is a good thing to have at your back in circumstances like this.
See previous posts (Joe Lewis on "the fastest technique") for some other ideas.
Thanks for reading. Email and comments are welcome.
UPDATE: Tony Blauer has a few words on this as well. Check it out.
No comments:
Post a Comment