Fight Course - Day Fourteen

Fight Guide -- Part 14

“All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”
– Daniel Webster

To check out the previous day's issue... click here.

Dear Friend:

If I had an untrained friend who was five minutes away from a street fight I’d explain that he needed to 100% commit himself to hitting one after another of those seven high-value targets. I wouldn’t spend that five minutes teaching him techniques... or explaining some silly stance... or anything like that. I’d spend that time showing him exactly where to attack his adversaries “softest” targets.

Ask any Golden Gloves boxer and he’ll tell you that one of his primary targets is the side of the chin – and it’s NOT because he wants to break his opponent’s jaw. It’s because he knows that one good shot to the side of the chin will “snap” his opponent’s head and probably knock him out. He may not understand all the medical and physical reasons why this happens – but he does understand an unconscious opponent gurgling at his feet means victory.

So combining a well-selected open target (the side of the chin) with any number of effective tools (a right cross, an elbow, a rolled up magazine, etc) is the secret. It’s a powerful combination that’s hard to beat.

Now for me to fully cover the range of effective tools, and targets, available to you would be impossible within the scope of this book. I couldn’t possibly explain it all -- that’s where my over 70 different video packages come in. These “quick-learn” packages will teach you targeting AND specific fight techniques that anyone (of ANY size and strength) can use that same DAY if necessary. What’s exciting is that those who study the “Fight-Fast” packages often become a Black-Belt level fighter within 30-days – without all the fancy belts and years of bowing. Now that’s exciting!

Anyway, here’s a mental exercise that will help with your “targeting”. Make up a list of high value targets (you can use the above basic list that I’ve just provided you), then start playing your own “visualizing” game. Focus on the targets areas of innocent civilians on the street, at the bank, in the grocery store... wherever (though you may want to avoid focusing on anyone’s groin for too long). Consider how you’d attack those targets if you were suddenly forced into a confrontation.

Alright... this may sound like borderline paranoid behavior, but I’m not asking that you start attacking innocent people. Just get yourself used to the idea of roaming through a checklist of any individuals open targets. The reason is that when and if a confrontation ever does occur you’ve become accustomed to quickly checking available targets. It’s become second nature to you.

Creating “Decision Points”:

Let’s move on to one of the most critical skills to winning a fight – being able to act decisively while under pressure.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in a fight is to “deny” that you’re even in a fight. The confrontation doesn’t start with a punch to the nose, it starts when your intuition tells you “something’s wrong” (something called “combat awareness”). We already talked about allowing fear and intuition to work for you, so I won’t go into it again.

But here’s the problem: When you’ve got some pissed off 6’5” drunken rugby player yelling profanities in your face -- it’s difficult to make snap decisions. As we discussed in “Dealing With Fear” one of your body’s “automatic” responses during high stress is to drain blood away from the brain’s cortex (responsible for rational thinking), which guarantees a loss of “higher thinking” (the reason why many those flashy martial arts moves suddenly fly out the window).

The solution is to create clear “Decision Points” -- beforehand. This will help make decision-making more automated for you under stressful conditions.

The idea isn’t new. It’s something that fighter pilots (and private pilots as well) have been using for years. All pilots are trained to follow specific procedures when trouble hits. It’s a “map”, or formula, that guides them through proper decision making under stress. Why? Because when the wing’s on fire... with hydraulics failing... oil pressure falling rapidly... and passengers screaming in terror -- you want the pilot to be coolly involved in critical decision-making rather than getting caught up in unproductive panic. It’s the only thing that’ll possibly save the plane and passengers.

To accomplish this, the FAA has developed a simple, specific, and regimented “checklist” of step-by-step procedures that must be followed when specific kinds of trouble hit. There’s a certain security in having a procedure all worked out ahead of time.

“What’s that? Engine #3 is ablaze. No problem. Let me calmly finish my coffee, stretch a bit, then grab the ‘Engine On Fire’ procedure manual.”

Admittedly we’re not teaching you how to deal with air disasters. But believe it or not facing a dangerous confrontation on the streets is very similar. Why? Because once again you’re dealing with a brain under extreme pressure. You’ve GOT to have a series of decision points – an automated checklist if you will – that reduces internal chatter, and eliminates the need to “figure it out” at a time when your higher thought processes are in lock-down.

The idea is to simplify your decision making process.

Alright, here are a couple of decision points you should set up beforehand:

Know when the “fight is on”. This is a big one. Because a lot of guys choose to put-off making this decision until it’s too late, then later (perhaps mumbling from a hospital bed) explain that they had no idea what that “mean guy” was up to. In reality, there are often THREE major signs that trouble is brewing.
- Body language:These are non-verbal signals. It’s typical for the average guy to ignore these, but learn to become attuned to them. It’s not a coincidence (for example), that the same handful of poker players keep making it to the million-dollar play-off matches. Yes, poker is a game of probability and chance, so technically everyone should have the same odds of winning. The question is, why do these guys always win? What makes them different? Well, they’ve simply become experts at discovering and reading their fellow poker players “tells”– i.e. the non-verbal indicators that reveal their fellow player’s hand.
  
  Every time you get a good (or bad) hand you may scratch your nose, raise your eyebrows, or wiggle your ears. They are watching and taking notes. Later they take your money.
  
  Same with fighting. There’s a number of “tells” or non-verbal body language signals that indicate an imminent attack on you. These are like gifts from your opponents telling you “you’re about a second or two away from me striking.” Some of these we already talked about.
  
  Here’s a few more.
  - The “Looking Away” – Just before that right haymaker is thrown an opponent will commonly look to one side. It’s a sort of distraction technique. As fighter Jim West says “If I’m in a confrontation with someone and they look to the side, it means they’re about to hit me – so I hit first”.
  - The “Finger Jab” – Someone poking you in the chest is also a big red flag. It’s a way that your opponent “tests the water” – but instead of testing with a toe, he’s using a finger. He’s building up his confidence and resolve, by violating your personal space. If you stand by and do nothing, it tells him, “the water’s fine... go ahead and attack this guy.”
    
    A poke in the chest, or any violation of your personal space at the initial stages of a confrontation should trigger some kind of immediate response from you.
  - The “Shove” – Yet another classic example of violating your personal space -- except this move is almost always immediately followed by a punch. You should expect very little time between the shove and when you can expect the incoming blow – which of course means you need to act fast in this situation. Decide beforehand what you’ll automatically do in this type of a situation, because you’ll most likely have NO time to decide during a confrontation (which is the whole point of creating these “Decision Points”). People typically don’t push then walk away.
  - The “Target Gaze” -- An opponent will naturally look at what he’s about to strike. Watch out for an adversary who changes his gaze to your chin or some other obvious target
  - The "Chin Drop”: Another “cue” that should prompt you into a decision is seeing your opponent drop his chin. This is a fairly consistent, and subconscious act of protecting the neck ... it almost always means trouble.
  - Getting Hit: The biggest non-verbal cue is being struck. This isn’t a joke, so hear me out. Many novice fighters can get “blind-sided” and are slow to realize what’s going on. They know something’s wrong, they may even suspect they’ve been hit by that angry looking fellow -- but somehow they just can’t bring themselves to believe it – until they get hit again. If you suspect you’ve been hit, do NOT stand around trying to figure it out. Take immediate action, whether it’s running away or dropping the guy in front of you.
- Verbal – This is the second major indicator that trouble is at your doorstep. Here are two specific verbal cues that you should look out for:
  - The Threat: “I’m gonna zyx@%# you up!” Okay... this may seem so obvious that it’s not worth mentioning. And I wouldn’t mention it if my research didn’t show that MOST inexperienced fighters do nothing in the face of serious verbal threats. They often stand by and take NO action. Even if you suspect you’re dealing with an Emotionally Hijacked individual (as discussed in Part One), and decided to allow him to simply “blow off steam” you’ve still have analyzed the situation and took decisive action. But a Bully or Emotionally Hijacked individual (rarely will you get open verbal threats from a Predator), often uses the verbal threat as a way to “ramp up” his confidence and emotions (much like the poke in the chest) meaning that things can escalate fast. Think through various scenarios and what would trigger you into decisive action.
  - The “Sudden Silent Treatment”: If your opponent has been talking, talking, and talking and then suddenly becomes quiet, it means he’s entered into an internal dialog on what he’s about to do to you. As FightFast instructor Demi Barbitos says: “Fighters don’t talk and swing at the same time”.
- Previous behavior: This is the third indicator of potential trouble. Judge people by what you see them doing and adjust yourself according. This is where your powers of observation come in. You’ll want (for example) to avoid loud young men who’ve been drinking – especially if there are women accompanying them. Bar bouncer (and cage fighter) Mike Serr points out that nearly ALL intoxicated men will react violently if they are confronted or slighted in front of a woman.
  
  So a common tactic is to set up a “ploy” to separate the guy from his pack before confronting him. It is more likely he’ll leave or follow direction as there’s no need to “save face”. Because even a small guy with very little chance at winning will fight furiously to avoid being humiliated in front of friends and women.
  
  It’s important to keep in mind that loud behavior with friends and women present can create a volatile situation.
Decision point #2 is: What will trigger you to action (fight or flight)? You can define this in a couple ways:
- Space: You’re pumping gas at a 24 hour station when a hooded man walks toward you. Just how close will you allow him to get before you take some kind of action?
  
  Surprisingly, under these circumstances, most people will take NO action whatsoever. In this situation, for example, when the suspect is 30 feet away or so you should recognize that this could turn ugly. The heart’s beating a little faster and your intuition is probably telling you that something’s wrong. Listen to these signals.
  
  Now “action” doesn’t have to mean brutally attacking an opponent or running for your life. No. Action can mean simply holding up your hand and shouting “Stop right there. You don’t need to come any closer. What do you want?”
  
  Any normal person with good intentions would stop. If he doesn’t, you KNOW there’s something wrong. You’ve just gained some critical information and bought some time and space to plan your next action -- attack or escape.
- Crossing Lines: This does not necessarily refer to a physical line crossing (what will I do when he’s 7 feet away?), but more about what you’d do if (for example) the hooded man didn’t listen to you and simply kept approaching. You need to think about that. What would you do?..Now what? This is not a legal decision, it’s a decision to protect yourself. I mean it’s possible this apparent thug doesn’t stop and so you nail him in the knee with a well placed kick. Turns out the guy’s a homeless deaf mute who’ll now be living in YOUR home.
  
  Yes, that is possible. But once again, you’ve got to make decisions to protect yourself physically, first, while being legally defensible.
  
  So the sharper you can define the line, (if he does this, I’ll take that action... if he does that, I’ll take this action... etc), the more decisive your action and the better equipped you are. Imagine different scenarios and decide what “line-crossing” will automatically “trigger” specific actions from you.
  
  There are a couple good reasons to do this:
  - Good for emotional health – especially when “pride” is involved. You’ll never regret “backing away” from a fight if it didn’t fit your, earlier decided, decision point. It completely eliminates the laying in bed cursing yourself as a weakling (I should have said this... I should have done that...). Self reflection will be easier.
  - Automatic response -- There’s no longer a need to think about it. If a certain “trigger” is tripped you don’t have to ponder long and hard. The decision’s already been made for you.

Like I said, some of your “triggers” may not hold up in court. But by defining your triggers, you also can define what’s NOT your trigger. Someone accidentally bumping into me is not a trigger -- for me. And if he then “flips me off” and calls me a “son of a #!*!” and keeps walking, that’s not a trigger for me either. You see, it allows you to make intelligent decisions under stress (and avoid being emotionally hijacked yourself) and never regret those decisions.

The most beautiful thing about a trigger is that it allows you to FULLY engage when the time comes. No hesitation, no second guessing because there is no other decision to make other than “am I willing to hurt this guy?” and “what is my target?”. You’re locked in and ready to rock n roll.

Til next time...

Bob Pierce
Head Honcho, TRS/FightFast

“They’ve got us surrounded again, the poor bastards.”
– General C. W. Abrams

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