Alertness

Always be alert. "A commander may be forgiven for being wrong, but never for being surprised." Do not be surprised; always know what is behind you and pay particular attention to anything out of place, such as an unfamiliar car that stays too long or people hanging around with no purpose. Swing wide around corners, use window glass for rear views, and, when you stop walking, have something solid behind you. Eric Hartmann, a great fighter pilot of 1405 missions and 351 confirmed kills, felt he survived because of an "extremely sensitive back to his neck." Eighty percent of his victims never knew he was there.

Decisiveness

"To ponder is to perish." You must be able to take quick, decisive action to meet a violent attack at any time. "He who hesitates is lost." When under attack:

• Evaluate the situation
• Decide on a course of action
• Carry out the action with all the force you can bring to bear without delay
  

Speed

Napoleon said, "I may lose a battle, but I will never lose a minute." In the Old West, it was said "Do unto others as they would do unto you, but do it first." We cannot attack because we think someone might attack us, but when we know an aggressor intends to attack, then we must attack first, fast, and effectively. The stake in self-defense is your life. The perfect fight is one that is over before the loser realizes what is happening, so if attacked, retaliate immediately. Be fast, not fair.

Aggressiveness

"The best defense if a good offense." The best defense is an explosive counter attack. In a defensive environment, you cannot initiate violence; the attacker must strike, or attempt to strike, the first blow. The law says you should run from a fight, but, if that is not feasible—you must survive. Aggressiveness carries with it an incalculable mental edge. It is possible for a highly proficient and viciously aggressive person to overcome numerous attackers. 

Cultivate an aggressive response to evil. Build indignation by watching the news. Believe that there are bad people in the world who do not deserve your sympathy and who have no right to harm you. Get angry at evil acts. If attacked, your emotion should be anger, not fear. Be indignant! Be angry! Be aggressive!

 

Coolness and, if Firearms are used, Precision

• Keep your head; use controlled anger.
• Stay calm. If you know you can keep your head and that you must keep your head, then you will keep your head.
• When using firearms, keep cool and shoot with precision. When a trained police officer misses a shot at close range, it is due to a lack of concentration, not marksmanship. Even the best of hunters can get "buck fever" so train yourself to react with precision.
• The fear of failure in a sporting event is usually greater than the fear of death. A competitive shooter trains long hours at a shooting range to win a trophy, while a police officer has to be forced to go to the range to perfect techniques that may protect his or her life.
  

Ruthlessness

• Anyone who attacks you deserves no consideration. Criminals are savages and act like animals so be prepared for it. You must survive.
• Do not overreact to an attack; however, it is justifiable to value your life over the life of the attacker.
• The social background of the attacker, his or her motivations for the crime, or the injuries he or she may incur are things you may consider at some future date, not during an attack. Your concern is to stay alive, let the attacker worry about his or her life. The world is full of decent people; we do not need criminals.
• Do not continue to attack after the attacker is incapable of further action, but make sure you stop the attacker. You may not take revenge on the attacker, but you may take whatever action is reasonably necessary to stop the attack.
• Strike Hard

Some "experts" say not to resist an attacker. Seven Chicago nurses did not resist the frail Richard Speck in the 1960's that only had a knife when he tied each one of them up, they trusted him not to harm them. They are all dead. It is your social duty to resist and to resist to utmost of your ability. The first man to resist Starkweather in Texas, after his spree of eleven murders, overcame him easily and without injury. If that man had been the first one accosted, eleven people would be alive today.

If deadly force is justified, then killing is usually justified. Do not worry about the criminal’s feelings; it is your duty to protect life.

Do not get fancy. Go for power strikes to undefended areas.

 

Attack with the points of objects

Criminals must be taught to fear victims. Violent crime is only feasible if victims are cowards. The police chief of Washington D.C. once said, "The greatest real and immediate hazard that the holdup man faces is the possibility that his victim may be armed and might shoot him."

Do not be kind! Be harsh! Be tough! Be ruthless! After a violent fight, you may face legal action, but if you are alive, that is the most important thing.

Surprise

In a defense situation, the attacker must act first so the surprise element is technically unavailable. However, you may use tactical surprise by doing something the attacker least expects. In almost every successful defense against violent attack, the attacker was surprised when the victim fought back and did not wilt. Criminals are basically cowards and do not expect their prey to fight back. If a criminal chooses you to attack, then surprise him or her with a vicious counter-attack.