Making Sense of Self-Defense with Strategy
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Making Sense of Self-Defense with Strategy
“Preparation leads to peace of mind.”
By Erik P. Kondo
Has all the commonly known and repeated tips and advice on self-defense left you a little confused?
By the time the average person reaches adulthood he or she has been exposed to a wide variety of tips and advice on self-defense. This information has come from a range of sources such as: parents, friends, police, news stories, books, magazine articles, martial artists, self-defense gurus, and more. Unfortunately, most of the self-defense advice has been reduced to mere sound bites of self-defense that are subject to misunderstanding and misinterpretation. What is missing is a method to interpret and digest the information and a plan of action to apply the sound bites to actual situations.
A side effect of this advice is the belief that martial arts or self-defense instruction will provide you with the right technique(s) to handle an attacker. The thinking is that self-defense involves simply the application of the correct technique in response to a particular attack.
But while it is comforting to believe that there is a “Heimlich Maneuver” for stopping an attacker or a method of “CPR” for surviving an assault, it is not true. The circumstances and persons involved in any self-defense situation are so widely diverse that there is no one size fits all technique of self-defense. Therefore, the most successful method of self-defense is to minimize physical actions and maximize the mental and emotional aspects of preparation and prevention.
The Strategy of DECIDE DETER DISRUPT DISENGAGE™ defines the four steps of self-defense. It provides a framework for conveying, comprehending, carrying out, communicating, and retaining all self-defense tips, advice, and concepts along with the emotional modes, mindsets, and body states that accompany them.
“What you do” in response to an assault is driven primarily by your emotional mode, not by “what you intellectually know”. Your emotional mode will be predetermined in part by your preparation and conditioning in the DECIDE step combined with the building of readiness of the DETER step of the Strategy.
Making sense of self-defense requires a realistic assessment and evaluation of your emotional mode in assault situations not simply instruction of what to do. It is your emotional mode that determines your ability to execute the actions of disrupting your attacker and thereby creating the opportunity to escape and disengage.
The entire spectrum of self-defense maybe divided into four time distinct stages. These stages are defined by the four steps of the Strategy of DECIDE DETER DISRUPT DISENGAGE™. The explanation of each step is as follows:
DECIDE is the preparation step. It is the foundation of self-defense. It is made up of education, acceptance, training, conditioning, avoidance, and strategy.
• Education means learning about crime, criminal behavior, and methods of self-defense.
• Acceptance means the realization that you are responsible for protecting yourself, and accepting the reality of the violence involved in self-defense.
• Training means learning and practicing techniques of verbal and physical self-defense
• Conditioning means subjecting your mind, body, and emotions to stress and adrenaline in order to acclimate them and pattern the proper response.
• Avoidance means abstaining from behaviors, actions, or situations that are potentially dangerous.
• Strategy means creating and rehearsing a plan of action
• Calm/Controlled emotional mode, conscious mindset, neutral body state
DETER is the prevention step. It begins when you leave an area of safety and continues until the moment of the actions of DISRUPT. It involves repelling all potential aggressors and building your readiness for a physical assault. It is characterized by awareness, intuition, attitude and appearance, assertiveness, body language, boundary setting, and deception.
• Awareness means knowing what is happening in your immediate external environment.
• Intuition means listening and responding to your inner voice.
• Attitude and Appearance means your outward projection of conviction and confidence.
• Body Language demonstrates to others your physical and emotional readiness.
• Assertiveness means the method by which you repel unwanted attention and actions.
• Boundary Setting means the method by which you determine Confirmation of Bad Intention and prepare for imminent attack.
• Deception means conveying misinformation to your attacker to gain advantage
• Calm/controlled-protective emotional mode, transitional mindset, and
neutral-adrenalized body state.
DISRUPT is the violent and most physical step of self-defense. Its sole purpose is to create the Opportunity to Escape. It begins with the Trigger to Act and involves the concept of attacking the attacker to surprise, shock, or cause injury to your attacker.
• Trigger to Act is the event that propels you into physical violence against your attacker.
• Attacking the Attacker means invoking violent mode and using any means available to disrupt and interrupt his plan.
• Opportunity to Escape means the moment when you transition from attacking to escaping your attacker.
• Violent emotional mode, subconscious mindset, and fight body state.
DISENGAGE is the goal of self-defense. It involves your complete commitment to get away from your attacker. Alternatively, it is sum of your actions that has caused your aggressor to discontinue the attack by his own intent. It is characterized by your flight to safety or the aggressor’s unwillingness or inability to continue his actions.
• Flight to Safety means getting to an area where your aggressor is no longer able to harm you.
• Aggressor’s Unwillingness means you have converted the aggressor’s motivation to do harm into his greater aversion to pain or injury or discovery.
• Aggressor’s Inability means your aggressor is no longer a threat. He is dead, unconscious, or injured in such a manner that he can not continue his actions.
• Protective emotional mode, transitional mindset, and flight body state.
DEBRIEF – Dealing with the aftermath of an attack is not covered in this article, but is the fifth stage of the Strategy.
Understanding Emotional Modes for Self-Defense
The calm/controlled mode is the optimal emotional mode for learning and practicing any type of physical technique. Examples are the instruction of a tennis or golf stroke, or attending a class. Most martial arts instruction and practice occurs in this mode. It corresponds to the DECIDE step and must end with the beginning of DETER.
The protective emotional mode is characterized by the feeling that the person must prevent him or herself from being injured. Examples are: walking on a slippery surface or close to a dangerous drop-off. Walking alone late at night should also invoke this emotional mode. This mode is the optimal mode for DETER must end with the Trigger to Act.
The violent emotional mode is characterized by the overwhelming desire to cause injury to another. It is exemplified by the emotions created when a mother sees her child abused. This is the optimal mode for executing the violence of DISRUPT. It is fueled by adrenaline. It corresponds with a dramatic decrease in technical ability and an increase in use of gross motor function. This mode begins with the Trigger to Act and must ends with the Opportunity to Escape. Ending violent mode and DISENGAGING at the first Opportunity to Escape is the goal of self-defense, not ending creates mutually agreed upon combat.
The submitted emotional mode is characterized by the feelings of defeat, hopelessness, and failure. It is induced by extreme stress or physical trauma. It is the end of the line. Once a person has entered this emotional mode, the possibility of actively controlling one’s own survival or destiny is remote. This mode is usually preceded by protective mode. But it may be actively prevented and overridden by violent mode. It may also prevented by the building of conviction and the will to survive during the DECIDE step.
Understanding Mindsets for Self-Defense
The conscious mindset is most common and well understood. It is the mindset that people are in the majority of the time. Examples are engaging in a conversation and attending an academic class.
The subconscious mindset is commonly associated with athletic performance by professional athletes or performers. It lasts for a limited period of time. Examples are gymnastics or dance routine. It is a highly desired state for the execution of trained technique.
The transitional mindset comes between conscious and subconscious. It represents the time period where the mind is moving towards a subconscious mindset but it still affected by conscious thoughts and actions. This is the optimal mindset for the building readiness of DETER and corresponds with protective mode.
Understanding Body States for Self-Defense
The neutral body state corresponds to a state in which the body is not stressed or executing a major action. Going for a stroll defines this state.
The adrenalized body state corresponds to the body after it has received a surge of adrenaline and is preparing for action.
The fight state corresponds to fighting actions such as kicking, striking, biting, yelling, etc.
The flight state corresponds to the actions of escaping such as running, rolling, evading, etc.
Putting it all Together with Example Scenarios
You are waiting for a friend outside a local convenience store. Suddenly you notice large man walking rapidly toward you. He is looking directly at you and his clothes are in disarray. You feel panic, but you force yourself to remain calm. Unfamiliar with the effects of adrenaline and uncertain what to do, you do nothing. The man steps right up to you. Before you have time to react, he grabs you by the throat, squeezes and demands your wallet. Unable to breathe or speak, you are barely able to comply. After pocketing your wallet the man departs. But not before he gives a final vicious squeeze that permanently damages your vocal cords.
In this situation, your mindset was conscious, your body state was adrenalized , and your emotional mode was calm/controlled. Since you had never DECIDED how you would handle this type of situation, you were completely unprepared. As a result you did not act to protect yourself and received a serious injury.
Application of the Strategy of
DECIDE DETER DISRUPT DISENGAGE
Same situation as previously described, but as the man approaches you look directly at him and state clearly "what do you want”? Responding to your voice he looks at you with a sinister smile. Immediately your intuition senses danger. You raise your hands forward and forcefully state “back off!” (DETER).
The man ignores you and you escalate your verbal intensity and yell “BACK OFF !!! The man continues to rapidly move toward you (you have now received confirmation of bad intention). Your mind becomes more instinctual (mindset is now in transitional mode) and your body is filled with a surge of fear and energy as it is charged with adrenaline invoked by your yelling (body is in adrenalized state).
You are filled with an overwhelming urge to protect yourself (emotions in protective mode). As the man reaches out (you have now received the trigger to act which transitions your mind to subconscious mindset, your body into fight state, and your emotions into violence mode) to grab you, your hand instantly shoots forward into his face, two fingers strike his eye.
Filled with the motivation to stop him from harming you, you strike him repeatedly with the heel of your palm in the bridge of his nose while continuing to yell. (DISRUPT). The man filled with pain and unable to see through teary eyes hesitates (you have now created the opportunity to escape). Sensing this opportunity (your mindset moves back to transitional, your body goes from fight to flight state, and your emotions go from violent to protective mode) you flee into the safety of the store (DISENGAGE).
In this situation you applied all four steps of the Strategy. The use of the verbal boundary setting in the DETER step provided you with confirmation of bad intention that the man was dangerous. Had the man not intended aggression, he would have responded and stopped upon hearing your verbal command of “BACK OFF!!”. Once your conscious mind had been convinced of the danger, your mind began the transition to subconscious mindset.
Your protective emotions sensing danger and the need for immediate action called upon your body for adrenaline putting your body into the adrenalized state. When the man reached out for you, he crossed your boundary and you received the trigger to act which transitioned your mind into subconscious mindset, your emotions into violent mode, and your body into fight state. You now have maximized your effectiveness to DISRUPT your attacker.
You used the strategic tactic of attacking the attacker and the physical tactic of using targeted unexpected focused explosive strikes to instantly and repeatedly strike the man in a sensitive area in order to create the opportunity to escape.
Most importantly, you had previously decided to not be a victim, and you had a complete strategy to prepare for aggression.
Copyright (c) 2008 by Erik P. Kondo. All rights reserved.
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Disclaimer: To gain proficiency at women's self defense you should also seek training at a live class. The owners of this website are not responsible for injuries inflicted or received as a result of practicing or attempting these techniques. The owners of this website do not claim to guarantee your safety. The views and opinions here do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the website owners. Physical techniques are dangerous and painful, they should only be used in self defense.