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One of the main underlying concepts behind effective fighting is AWARENESS. You cannot defend against something if you have no idea that it is there. Concepts such as these are ignored by the vasty majority of self defence clubs, and this is one of the reasons why "Martial Artists Can't Fight".
Try this system to increase your awareness of the world. It is a colour coding system designed by a pistol shooter called Jeff Cooper. All you have to do is remember to "Code Up" whenever you go anywhere. With training it will become habit.
CODE WHITE - This is the day dream state of mind that most of us are in all day. This is exactly where you do NOT want to be. This is your greatest enemy, allowing muggers and other attackers to get you in their attacking range long before you have a clue what is going on. You must actively seek to start your day in CODE YELLOW. Never, ever, ever be in CODE WHITE.
CODE YELLOW - Here, you are "switched on". You have made a concious effort to note your surroundings, keeping a 360 degree awareness of what is going on around you. You cultivate knowledge about dangerous areas (staying clear of them) as well as have tactical knowledge of your immediate surroundings. For example, when walking down the street you do not hug the building line. You walk away from it, so that you get distance from and an early view of any doorways, alleys etc. On a strategic level you have knowledge of what fear and adrenalin can do both to you and for you in a fight, so that you are not unpleasantly surprised when they kick in during a confrontation. But you must cultivate the habit of putting yourself in CODE YELLOW to make it become automatic. Without CODE YELLOW you are easy pickings for any untrained moron who fancies kicking your backside. Easy easy meat, so go CODE YELLOW and protect yourself and your loved ones.
CODE ORANGE - You have percieved a threat, and now go onto evaluate, assess and plan for it. Are those two men looking at you as you approach? Could they be thinking of mounting an attack? Cross the street to see if they follow. If they do, you know the threat is escalating, if not there is nothing lost. CODE ORANGE is vital in planning your response or, even better, planning to avoid the chance of physical confrontation.
CODE RED - Here we go. Fight or flight. Forget your ego and take the flight option if it is viable. But, if you do need to fight, remember this - Hit First, Hit Fast, Hit Hard, Hit Last. Sounds corny? Maybe it is. But the guy who hits first usually wins. If you have gone from YELLOW to RED there are obviously good reasons to fight. Just make sure you win. If you are going to run, make sure you are prepared to run Olympic times to survive. If you are going to fight, make sure you will keep fighting until the threat is gone, or you are dead. No giving up. If you give up you could well have given up your life.
Just as there are practical rules about fighting (in CODE RED stage), there are practical rules for CODE YELLOW and CODE ORANGE. But I have never seen any great guide, you just have to pick them up as they go and cultivate your own knowledge. For example, good CODE YELLOW tactics are simple things, like not taking short cuts into dark alleys, sitting near the driver on a bus, sitting with your back to the wall in restaurants, noting where the emergency exits are in a building etc. CODE ORANGE gems could be doing an about turn and running off should someone be slowly following you in a car as you walk down the street, using the reflection in shop windows to assess a threat without them realising that you are looking at them etc.
BUT NONE OF THIS WORKS UNLESS YOU PUT YOURSELF IN CODE YELLOW IN THE FIRST PLACE.
Hands up who's martial arts teacher tells them about things like this? Not many, I bet. You must remain thoroughly aware of your surroundings. This is not to imply that you walk round like a nervous wreck. Far from it, awareness is relaxed common sense.
When the Police taught me their system of driving they had us do something called a "commentary". The were big on awareness, and had you talk out loud about the factors you were taking into account as you proceeded along the road. It got to quite an advanced level, from obvious "There is a car waiting to pull out from our near-side" to "People have their dust bins out for collection, so I expect to see a large Dust Cart Vehicle nearby, possibly with men running in and out of the road". So you can practice this commentary to develop CODE YELLOW when out and about (I mean nside your head... don't whitter away to yourself or everyone will be avoiding YOU, ha ha).
Phew. Lesson 1. Awareness. This will keep you alive with more certainty than a punch like Mike Tyson's.
But none of this works unless you are in CODE YELLOW in the first place. BE YOUR OWN BODYGUARD.
Try this system to increase your awareness of the world. It is a colour coding system designed by a pistol shooter called Jeff Cooper. All you have to do is remember to "Code Up" whenever you go anywhere. With training it will become habit.
CODE WHITE - This is the day dream state of mind that most of us are in all day. This is exactly where you do NOT want to be. This is your greatest enemy, allowing muggers and other attackers to get you in their attacking range long before you have a clue what is going on. You must actively seek to start your day in CODE YELLOW. Never, ever, ever be in CODE WHITE.
CODE YELLOW - Here, you are "switched on". You have made a concious effort to note your surroundings, keeping a 360 degree awareness of what is going on around you. You cultivate knowledge about dangerous areas (staying clear of them) as well as have tactical knowledge of your immediate surroundings. For example, when walking down the street you do not hug the building line. You walk away from it, so that you get distance from and an early view of any doorways, alleys etc. On a strategic level you have knowledge of what fear and adrenalin can do both to you and for you in a fight, so that you are not unpleasantly surprised when they kick in during a confrontation. But you must cultivate the habit of putting yourself in CODE YELLOW to make it become automatic. Without CODE YELLOW you are easy pickings for any untrained moron who fancies kicking your backside. Easy easy meat, so go CODE YELLOW and protect yourself and your loved ones.
CODE ORANGE - You have percieved a threat, and now go onto evaluate, assess and plan for it. Are those two men looking at you as you approach? Could they be thinking of mounting an attack? Cross the street to see if they follow. If they do, you know the threat is escalating, if not there is nothing lost. CODE ORANGE is vital in planning your response or, even better, planning to avoid the chance of physical confrontation.
CODE RED - Here we go. Fight or flight. Forget your ego and take the flight option if it is viable. But, if you do need to fight, remember this - Hit First, Hit Fast, Hit Hard, Hit Last. Sounds corny? Maybe it is. But the guy who hits first usually wins. If you have gone from YELLOW to RED there are obviously good reasons to fight. Just make sure you win. If you are going to run, make sure you are prepared to run Olympic times to survive. If you are going to fight, make sure you will keep fighting until the threat is gone, or you are dead. No giving up. If you give up you could well have given up your life.
Just as there are practical rules about fighting (in CODE RED stage), there are practical rules for CODE YELLOW and CODE ORANGE. But I have never seen any great guide, you just have to pick them up as they go and cultivate your own knowledge. For example, good CODE YELLOW tactics are simple things, like not taking short cuts into dark alleys, sitting near the driver on a bus, sitting with your back to the wall in restaurants, noting where the emergency exits are in a building etc. CODE ORANGE gems could be doing an about turn and running off should someone be slowly following you in a car as you walk down the street, using the reflection in shop windows to assess a threat without them realising that you are looking at them etc.
BUT NONE OF THIS WORKS UNLESS YOU PUT YOURSELF IN CODE YELLOW IN THE FIRST PLACE.
Hands up who's martial arts teacher tells them about things like this? Not many, I bet. You must remain thoroughly aware of your surroundings. This is not to imply that you walk round like a nervous wreck. Far from it, awareness is relaxed common sense.
When the Police taught me their system of driving they had us do something called a "commentary". The were big on awareness, and had you talk out loud about the factors you were taking into account as you proceeded along the road. It got to quite an advanced level, from obvious "There is a car waiting to pull out from our near-side" to "People have their dust bins out for collection, so I expect to see a large Dust Cart Vehicle nearby, possibly with men running in and out of the road". So you can practice this commentary to develop CODE YELLOW when out and about (I mean nside your head... don't whitter away to yourself or everyone will be avoiding YOU, ha ha).
Phew. Lesson 1. Awareness. This will keep you alive with more certainty than a punch like Mike Tyson's.
But none of this works unless you are in CODE YELLOW in the first place. BE YOUR OWN BODYGUARD.
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