Some Simple Tips To Fend Off Someone

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Hi Lee

I have been on your web site many times and am fascinated by what you teach our police forces in self defense. For someone who knows absolutely nothing as to how to protect myself short of running (difficult with arthritic knees). Could you offer up a few simple suggestions in warding off some one who might accost me
 

RBFC

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Steve,

That's an excellent first question.

Almost all confrontations have 2 distinct stages: verbal and physical. Many confrontations can be managed by non-fighting means, so that actual physical conflict is not necessary. One of the greatest strengths of modern self-defense programs is their recognition of the importance of the pre-physical elements of a confrontation. While not as glamorous, these verbal "be a hard target" skills actually have more impact on the outcome of a street confrontation than merely depending upon physical attributes. Verbiage, demeanor, stance, posture, movement, and practiced confidence all contribute to "generalship" of the scenario.

In the next several days, I'll begin to outline how the average person can dramatically increase their odds by employing strategies based upon these skills. We'll also discuss how one can simultaneously prepare for physical conflict while engaged in this verbal "foreplay".

Lee
 

JackD201

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Looking forward to it as well Lee. I did Tae Kwon Do in high school. The winner was always the one who was more prepared mentally.
 

mep

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Steve,

That's an excellent first question.

Almost all confrontations have 2 distinct stages: verbal and physical. Many confrontations can be managed by non-fighting means, so that actual physical conflict is not necessary. One of the greatest strengths of modern self-defense programs is their recognition of the importance of the pre-physical elements of a confrontation. While not as glamorous, these verbal "be a hard target" skills actually have more impact on the outcome of a street confrontation than merely depending upon physical attributes. Verbiage, demeanor, stance, posture, movement, and practiced confidence all contribute to "generalship" of the scenario.

In the next several days, I'll begin to outline how the average person can dramatically increase their odds by employing strategies based upon these skills. We'll also discuss how one can simultaneously prepare for physical conflict while engaged in this verbal "foreplay".

Lee

Lee-While I agree with what you wrote above that I bolded, I think it's harder for someone of Steve's age and physical stature to pull those off unless they can come across as a Mr. Miyagi. Stance, posture, and movement all require a certain amount of training in order to give the appearance of someone who is trained and not afraid. You can't bluff those three characteristics, but you can learn them through practice.
 

Johnny Vinyl

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I'm getting up there as well, and I ain't no rock of confidence when it comes to a potential physical confrontation, so I'm looking forward to what Lee can teach us.
 

mep

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I'm getting up there as well, and I ain't no rock of confidence when it comes to a potential physical confrontation, so I'm looking forward to what Lee can teach us.

We are all "getting up there." When you are young, you tend to kick ass and take names. As you get older, you just take names. :mad:
 

RBFC

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The above are legitimate concerns. When viewed from a traditional position regarding martial arts, qualities such as stance, posture, etc. can be taken as technique-oriented and "studied". Closer looks at human predatory behavior reveal some simple, universal truths about the criminal "victim selection" process. The elements of stance and posture are highly tied to a criminal's observation (and subsequent decision to select you as a victim) by displaying primal cues that make you a "hard target".

Let's first talk about stance and posture as they affect the perception of the criminal. A confident walking stride (not necessarily fast) that keeps the head still while in motion displays balance and coordination. Watch people walk when you're out on a shopping trip, etc. and you will observe these primal movement and posture cues. The same can be said for one who stands or walks with a slumping posture. Another problem with slumping is the lack of peripheral perception and awareness.

Criminals in prison were shown short video clips of various individuals in a famous study by Grayson & Stein: http://www.scribd.com/doc/35330362/Attracting-Assault-Victims-Nonverbal-Cues-Grayson-Stein

This will provide a basic look at the elements that affect victim selection based on visual criteria.

Next time, I'll describe how certain behaviors we exhibit can influence our victim quotient.

Lee
 

RBFC

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Tonight, let's look at a prime "attractor" for criminal attention. This is a behavior that most all of us are guilty of performing. Task Fixation is the process by which we become so engrossed in what we are doing that we lose our awareness of our surroundings. Task fixation becomes a problem when we exhibit this behavior in a non-secure environment. For many, this means talking on our cell phone, texting, etc. A NYC Central Park wilding/mugging that made the news featured a victim wearing ear buds with their iPod, unable to hear the approach of the mugger(s). We can often see the shopper, in the parking lot of the store, balancing their checkbook or examining their new purchase without safely locking their car doors first. This behavior is equivalent to a lion observing a herd of gazelle at the watering hole and noticing that one never bothers to look around.... it's a high-value predation attractor.

As an exercise, critique your own daily routine and ask yourself how much you allow yourself to become unaware as you go about your business.

More later!

Lee
 

RBFC

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The FENCE

So, we've self-analyzed our behaviors and aren't allowing ourselves to lose awareness of our surroundings in "exposed" venues. However, here comes a stranger toward us and we have no idea what he wants!

There are both verbal and physical tactics that come into play. What is of EXTREME importance is that we develop a process by which we universally handle all of these confrontations. By having a rehearsed, well-understood routine that we employ in these situations, we eliminate the need to make critical decisions in a very limited time. The last thing we want to ask ourself when confronted by a potential aggressor is, "What am I going to do now?" Professionals in many fields can be separated from amateurs by the way they handle situations that aren't simple and straightforward. Regardless of how complex the situation appears, it is always best handled by using a binary "flow-chart" decision-tree model. So, we simplify our decision-making by filtering down the stimuli of a scenario and leaving only the relevant data that pertains to our survival. Ever notice how your cat dashes for safety every time there's a loud noise? The cat doesn't wait around to see what caused the noise, it simply knows that running away from a scare is highly linked to its survival. Same thing happens when you're driving and you see the red lights appear on the back of the car ahead of you.... your foot immediately goes to the brake pedal. Why? You subconsciously know that this behavior is linked to your survival. (* This was a two sentence short course in the "reptilian brain" and amygdala-hijacking of your higher brain functions during high-stress situations).

Hopefully, I've shown how using a pre-planned response to the approach of a stranger relieves us of the stress of decision-making under stress. We'll be scared enough that we don't need to add any more load right now!

The "fence" is the universally-understood pose of putting up both hands in front of you: Hold it right there! Back off! Not so close! This gesture is recognized by all, regardless of language, and is extremely valuable when we attach some other tactics along with it. You simply hold both hands up, with fingertips at eye level, arms comfortably bent (not too close to your face or stretched too far out). Imagine how you'd talk with your hands when trying to calm somebody down.... The "fence" creates an unseen barrier (both physical and psychological) that is virtually universal in its meaning. We can learn to take advantage of this simple tool!

We've been sequentially building a very-proven skillset that will greatly improve our safety when handling confrontations with strangers. Awareness, coupled with good use of the fence, allows us to enforce a "personal space" in all but the most dire situations. A solid system does not leave any gaps, where a criminal could gain an advantage, while providing for escalation or de-escalation of the situation. The fence should segue seamlessly into application of force if the situation goes bad, while it should also provide a non-aggressive appearance which leaves the possibility of settling the confrontation without violence. We'll examine this concept much more thoroughly.

Next, we'll look at best-practice verbal and physical tactics for handling an incoming stranger.

Lee
 
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RBFC

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The FENCE

Here's Geoff Thompson, the man responsible for codifying the use of the "fence", demonstrating how it works. The fence should be considered as a non-aggressive, totally-prepared launching platform for a large variety of physical techniques:




Lee
 
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flez007

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I read the attached document by Lee and makes a lot of sense to me, I also think that eye-catching goods carried such as wrist watch, camera and jewelry plays a major role when an offender is evaluating options.
 

mep

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Lee-While I agree that the "fence" technique is good, I don't see it being practical with anyone who does not have training. They will lack the skill and confidence to pull that move off. It would be no different if I showed someone how to do a front snap kick, a side kick, or a back kick. It takes practice to perform any of those moves with skill and power to be effective. Being aware of your surroundings and not making yourself an easy target is great advice. Placing your hands on another person is prelude to combat and you better be ready and trained. It's all about who gets there first with the most.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Lee-While I agree that the "fence" technique is good, I don't see it being practical with anyone who does not have training. They will lack the skill and confidence to pull that move off. It would be no different if I showed someone how to do a front snap kick, a side kick, or a back kick. It takes practice to perform any of those moves with skill and power to be effective. Being aware of your surroundings and not making yourself an easy target is great advice. Placing your hands on another person is prelude to combat and you better be ready and trained. It's all about who gets there first with the most.


I agree as well only as it applies to myself. It's how to deliver that lightening fast huevos kick that allows me enough time to run away or at least gain some distance.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
anyone remember the Indiana Jones movie (I think the first) where he is in the market in some middle eastern country and a big muscular dude with a huge sword 20 yards away approaches Indie to behead him. Indie shrugs, takes out his revolver and shoots the guy dead.

There's a moral to that story
 

RBFC

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Lee-While I agree that the "fence" technique is good, I don't see it being practical with anyone who does not have training. They will lack the skill and confidence to pull that move off. It would be no different if I showed someone how to do a front snap kick, a side kick, or a back kick. It takes practice to perform any of those moves with skill and power to be effective. Being aware of your surroundings and not making yourself an easy target is great advice. Placing your hands on another person is prelude to combat and you better be ready and trained. It's all about who gets there first with the most.

Geoff Thompson is a former doorman in English pubs. While he demonstrates the fence as a non-violent posture to provide both protection and a launching platform, I did not place that video up to show anything but the fence. His use of the fence was typically under a certain type of circumstances, and he frames his presentation in that light. There are far simpler and less-athletic things that can be done from the fence. I understand that most folks have no interest in putting in massive amounts of training time, but it's the purpose of this forum to discuss the least complicated/intensive solutions to common self-protection scenarios.

One of the most iconic Zen comments in martial arts circles is used when a student resists absorbing information. And now, I pose that question to you:

"Your cup is already overflowing, how can it hold any more?"

I'd ask for patience as we move slowly toward some more reasonable tactics. Please consider the average training level of our members.....

Lee
 

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