Avoidance
Avoidance is the very first in a long list of tactical maneuvers aimed at 'not being there' when an attack is taking place. And it really is very simple, even obvious, but I find it is the 'simple' and 'obvious' stuff that usually gets overlooked and lands people in an affray that should never have occurred. These tactics are not to be read and stored, rather they are to be read and practiced over and over again until they are natural, everyday habits, like getting into the car and putting on...
Eye contact challenger
Firstly, In the case of the eye contact challenger, if you sense a rowdy individual s walk tall and hold yourself confidently. Even if you do feel daunted, act confidently -after all 'when ignorance is mutual, confidence is King'. Confident people are very rarely chosen as victims for attack. Whenever possible, avoid eye contact where you sense aggression, but do not bow your head, this can be seen as a sign of weakness and may draw the attacker in for the kill. The challenger's ritual can be...
The One in Ten Rule
One of my friends, a veteran street fighter used what he called the 'one in ten rule'. His theory and he made it work many times was that if you can find the leader of a gang of ten men, and control him, then you automatically controlled the other nine. He was a pub landlord and whenever he took over a new pub he'd find out over the first few weeks who the ring leader was, who played up, who was chancing their arm as it were. Once he knew he would choose the right moment and separate the one...
Verbal Dissuasion
When avoidance is gone and escape is no longer possible we are left with verbal dissuasion. Verbal dissuasion means talking the situation down. There is not a lot to say here that isn't obvious, other than the fact that you should never undertake mediation without some sort of protective shield, that shield is what I call 'the fence'. Now the fence is a whole subject in its own right and should be studied in-depth. For this I recommend that you read my book, or watch my video The Fence. I shall...
Pincer movement
If more than one assailant is involved, it is usual for one of them to deploy the victim with distracting dialogue whilst the others move to your off side. Whilst the victim is distracted by the questioner, his accomplices attack. This was one of the most common attacks in the nightclub when I worked as a doorman and is a common, though, unbelievably, innate, ploy of gang robbery or rapes. The reason that so many people seem to get glassed or stabbed in the side of the face or neck, is because...
Returning the verbal challenge
Retaliation, however justified, will be seen by your aggressor as an acceptance to fight. From my experience, if you do not make a hasty retreat at, 'actual challenge', especially if you do counter verbally, more threats and a possibly attack will result. A non-counter and immediate exit on the part of the victim usually results in the challenger aborting, perceiving the response, or lack thereof, to be an embryonic victory. Therefore, if a verbal challenge is thrown do not counter. If you are...