It is not my effort or intention to proselytize you; rather it is my desire to convey viable information for personal survival in a combative format. What we are concerned with and covering are primal realities. Note these statistics, 1 in 3 women in her lifetime will be a victim of a sexual assault, 3 in 9 people will confront a situation with a mortal outcome.
As we have already surmised, the truth is that the world is a violent place. Boundaries are crossed and feelings are hurt. Victims become subject to prosecution and predators are acquitted; as a result predators of society resort to violence, sadistic behaviors and mayhem to accommodate, avenge or save face.
In an effort to increase ones survivability we will introduce some key principles within an expandable platform. All the information is based on “you bet your life” experiences. The material is derived from personal sources and experiences from the fields of WWII, to Korea to Vietnam to all the other dirty little wars. This also includes lessons learned in prisons, correctional facilities, force prevention, anti/counter-terrorist activities, and daily patrols. Information has been gathered from both sides of the fence as well, both predators/hunters and survived victims have contributed insight into the development of this curriculum.
Here is a synopsis, remember and reflect on this; encounters occur and end just as quickly as they started, with a violent fervor, and within 0 ft – 6 ft. This area shall be referred to as KOA (the kill zone). Note that within this distance, attacks by grouped individuals share mixed but educational results.
For example:
85% of gunshot victims survive, whereas 65% of knifing victims survive. Thus, in regard to knife attacks, you are looking at a 1 in 3 chance of survival. In that venue, the 1:3 scenarios are:
- The predator becomes a former resident of terra firma.
- The predator and hunter cease to exist.
- Sometimes you’re the hammer, and sometimes you’re the anvil; the predator continues to breathe and procreate.
Our first task then is to remain aware and alert and at the recognition of an assault maintain distance. Ideally the distance to keep the opponent at bay is 10’ ft. It is here where one needs to identify their position in space and time during the interim of interaction. Continually maintain zoning, while disrupting and disturbing your opponents’ game plan. Here too, we rely upon visual contact of intent, and verbal communication; being ever vigil of gambits. As we have discussed, leave nothing to chance. Predators do travel in packs, especially the cowardly, weak and insecure.
Learn It Right Before You Do It Fast
In learning and educating yourself in combatives you can, as you train, decrease response time by minimizing responses. You will actually learn and comprehend more quickly if you actually slow things down.
Meet it – Greet it – Beat it
It cannot be stressed enough the importance of meeting, greeting and beating the situation before you. You must accept the reality of what it will take to survive before you can train for it.
The confidence required is developed through the successive use of mental preparation and physical conditioning. You create the outcome by your mind set, a mind set that is realistic, poised and of absolute resolve. Be strategic in all approaches to any endeavor, train for the exception as well as the rule. Do not allow yourself to be taken off guard. Again it is preparedness not paranoia; but it is the lack of preparedness, environmental awareness and a lackless desire for survival that gets you – DEAD!
The combined physiological and psychological preparation/conditioning creates a set of guidelines for combating threat. This formula of attitude & knowledge, understanding & knowledge and skill & understanding are essential roles in personal combatives.
Let’s break it down a bit more. When we speak here of attitude & knowledge, we are largely referring to the mental elements which stem from: Doctrine & Training the preparation, conditioning and awareness. This consists of awareness, decisiveness, poise, and absolute resolve; in addition to drilling, training and exercising.
Understanding & Knowledge or Intelligence pertains to the education of the combatant. This involves the ability to deduce and analyze as well as apply the information given.
Then of course Operations which is our skill & understanding. Operations refer to one being able to not only comprehend the material, but have the ability to actively refine and adapt it to self and situation.
Again let us summarize our guidelines; they are as follows
- Doctrine & Training i.e. attitude & knowledge.
- Intelligence i.e. understanding & knowledge and
- Operations i.e. skill & understanding.
Many of the ideas conveyed here in this text are repetitive and interrelated with good reason, to learn them. These points are significant regardless of occupation or place in society. There are a few lessons which are expanded in the roles of LE, CO, MP, operators, grunts, shooters or spooks. There are also different rules of engagement and disengagement to consider as well. However, the focus of this text is survival; it is a basic but informative base for all readers.
Let us take an example from the studies of the New York Police Departments annual “Analysis of Police Combat Situations” reports. It reveals to us that less than a one percentile (1%) is victim of an assault without prior warning. So again based on real time, real world “you bet your life” material, we can learn that awareness is of foremost importance. From these insights we can deduce that surviving mortal attacks can be avoided or altered to our favorable outcome. Consider the evidence brought back from the field; when we come to comprehend the actions involved in threatening situations, we can survive. When we have properly applied the processes that were taught in analyzing and evaluating, we can survive. If we plan and have contingency plans worked out prior, we can survive. If we train in realistic scenarios, learn basic skills, refine them and apply them in a FoF environment, we can survive!
Let us redundantly state again, you must accept reality before you can train for it. When you begin to train, train realistically, progressively, and refine your techniques. All skills can be learned, and with appropriate training, all skills can be applied. These efforts may present themselves as initially callous, some lessons equally severe and in force on force the outcomes bleak, yet we endeavor to persevere; drive on and learn to live another day. As I tell my students too often, “it is better to learn from your errors here in training, than to die forever in the moment of truth.”
