Only Has to Work Once

Some self-defense "experts" defend their techniques by saying the techniques may seem complicated or useless but that they "Only have to work once." This is misleading. I would say that they "Have to work the first time." A super-modified 44 magnum semi auto pistol using exploding rounds is useless if it occasionally misfires. If you were a police officer, would you rather carry a 22 caliber revolver that fires every time it is used or carry a 45 caliber pistol that sometimes jams on the first shot. You do not need "deadly" techniques that may or may not work depending on the circumstances, you need reliable techniques that always work to some extent under any circumstance.

Look at the classic battle of the cobra and the mongoose. The cobra has one deadly technique that only has to make contact once and the mongoose will be dead. However, the mongoose has four legs and feet, front paws that act as hands, sharp teeth, high maneuverability, and numerous offensive and defensive tactics. The cobra has no legs, limited maneuverability, and few offensive and defensive choices. In a fight, the cobra only has to bite once to win, but all the mongoose has to do is avoid the bite, while the snake must avoid numerous types of bites, strikes, grabs, etc.

No Rules!

Some say there are no rules when it comes to self-defense. Like other simplistic statements, this sounds true at first, but is it really true. When we fight in organized tournaments, there are rules. Disobey the rules and you lose. When gang members fight on the street, there are rules. Disobey the rules and the other gang members will "discuss" the problem with you. When you are accosted in a parking lot by a mugger, there are also rules. There are the criminal and civil laws that you must face after the confrontation and there are personal and societal moral and religious consequences you must deal with after the confrontation. If these rules are not on your mind while you are in a self-defense situation, then the aftereffects of your winning the confrontation may be worse than the consequences of your losing the confrontation, even to the point of your being killed. For a deeply religious, moral person there are fates worse than death. Dishonor and disgrace have drove many warriors to suicide. Is winning a fight at any consequence worth spending the rest of your life in disgrace or in prison or being sued for everything you have? These are questions you must ask yourself before a self-defense situation occurs and things you must evaluate during a self-defense situation. You are responsible for your actions, even while being attacked.

Muggers

Muggers are generally of four types:

• Snatch and run. The mugger who literally rips your bag/briefcase from your hand and runs away.

• Blind-side. The mugger who suddenly appears and attacks without any apparent warning.

• Defiant. The mugger who attacks without ritual or fear of the law or consequences, usually because you have walked onto his or her territory.

• Professional. The mugger who plans his or her attacks and uses deception to get inside your defenses.

Awareness is the best way to avoid the first three, but a thorough understanding of attack ritual is the only real way of avoiding the fourth. Most muggings are not random acts; there is usually a ritual that precedes attack. The attacker selects his or her victim, usually someone that is daydreaming or isolated. Often the victim will be stalked for a time before the attack. Many professional muggers approach their victims before attack and ask a distracting/disarming question such as "Have you got the time?" or "I’m lost, can you give me directions?" This is done to engage your brain before the attack. Once you are engaged, the mugger goes to work.

Many muggers prefer to threaten attack to scare you without having to resort to physical violence, frequently backing the threat with a weapon or an accomplice, or both. They often employ the "false promise," threatening not to hurt you if you are compliant. Do not believe them, muggers lie. Of course some muggers attack first; it is easier to riffle you pockets while you are unconscious or dead.

This type of "hooker" is not a street walker. In the old carnival days of wrestling, a "hooker" was an experienced wrestler who was used to ensure that a match and bets were not lost on some skilled local athlete who accepted the challenge to fight the carnival's fighter. The local fighter thought he was fighting a rube, while he was actually being drawn into a fight with an expert. In the fighting world, the term "Don't hook with a hooker" is used to illustrate that a smart fighter should not be suckered into fighting "the fight" of the opponent. Do not let person draw you into a fight that you are destined to lose because you will be out numbered or out skilled.