Toughen Up Self-Defense Training Tips

In a self-defense encounter, there are essentially FIVE response strategies available to you in dealing with a violent or volatile situation.   Far too often, self-defense advice comes in the form of “tactics” or specific things that you should do to bring about a certain outcome.  The problem with a “tactical approach” is that the tactic may not necessesariliy produce the result you want. 

Any self-defense system should begin with a clear “doctrine” or an overall mission or philosophy about what you want to accomplish in a volatile situation.  Before you can select the most appropriate “tactics” to apply, you need a broader undstanding of the strategies you are trying to implement. 

I define a strategy as: a general game plan based on principles, rules and concepts that affect your ability to produce a desired result.

Before we get too deeply into the discussion of self-defense response strategies, it’s probably a good idea to give you an overview of what they are.

In one set of circumstances, a specific strategy might be your best bet at dealing effectively with a situation.  In other circumstances, that same stratey could backfire big time and make matters much worse.  Its important to know when and when not to apply a given strategy.

For now though, I’ll just give you a list to keep in mind when we’re exploring response options in more detail.

1. Compliance

Compliance is simply giving in or cooperating to the predatory demands of your assailant.  Some things in life aren’t worth fighting for. Property for example is seldom worth the risk of being killed or sustaining a serious injury trying to protect it.

2. Escape

Escape is simple putting as much distance between yourself and your assailant(s) as possible. Sometimes, the solution to a self-defense situation is a simple matter of running like you’ve never run before and keep running until you are out of harms way.

3. De-escalation

De-escalation is the use of communication to lower the intensity of a situation that has not yet turned violent.  It involves defusing an emotionally charged situation before it escalates to the point of a fight.

4. Defiance

Defiance is based on the fact that predators seek out a potential victim that they believe is unable or unwilling to resist.  They are looking for an “inferior victim” who they feel that they can dominate and control.  Defiance is the act of projecting a strong, defiant and even aggressive demeanor to call the assailant’s bluff and send him looking for a more cooperative victim.

5. Fighting

Fighting back is what most people think of when they think about self-defense.  In actuality, fighting is a small part of dealing with volatile situations but it is a very, very important part. The more competent you are at physically dealing with a violent situation the safer you will be.

It is important however that you realize that there are different degrees of physical response options to deal with a resistive of violent situation and bring it under control.  You need a range of physical response options from restraining someone, netralizing his ability to fight without inflicting a serious injury or, in worste case scenarios, resorting to methods that could seriously injure or even kill your attacker.

I’ll leave it at that for now.  Later, I will get into the circumstances that will point you in the direction of one response strategy over another. I’ll also tell you when each strategy is a bad idea that can backfire and make matters worse and provide you with guidelines and instructions to carry out each strategy for maximum effect.

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