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| Kurt F. Suss |
You are about to get pummelled by a man twice your size who has nothing to lose!
This is where it gets serious, putting your planning and skills to the test. This is when effectiveness is determined through real-world response and application. This is where all your planning and training ends, and the challenge begins.
Nobody said it better than Mike Tyson: “Everybody has a plan, until they get punched in the face.”
Oksana Sazhnieva: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
A strong defensive position
A strong defensive position is key: both feet flat on the ground, literally grounding your stance. Feeling the ground with your toes, positioning your heals, not allowing yourself to go back on them for a moment, rolling on the balls of your feet. Can you pivot? Do you have room to sidestep?
The first thing a good boxing coach will tell you is, “Everything comes from the ground up.” Your prepared stance, a bladed stance so you can pivot, manoeuvre, move backward quickly. The assuredness of your stance is everything, and it will enable the ability to evade or fight if necessary.
Spontaneous actions, such as hands up and moving backwards without losing your balance, are key elements that should be practised. Practise moving backwards until you feel a level of confidence and proficiency. This will assist if you are pushed with a frontal attack and have to regain balance.
Block any attack to the best of your ability with anything you can, preferably with your hands up beside your chin or your temples, and elbows tucked to your side.
Everybody has a plan until they see the flash of a sharpened steel edge — then everything changes!
The fight through
If you can’t avoid an attack, you must accept that it is happening. Hopefully this mindset and pre-planning have prepared you for the moment. A little physical prep will greatly help you in this case. If you have any fight experience or training, this is great, and this is the time to fight hard. Preparing to fight through the attack should be your pre-planned strategy. Tell your brain: “This is it — it’s happening.”
Prepare, plan, practise
Understanding and preparing the brain is truly the beginning of the defence process. Being aware of the situations you may encounter will greatly assist the physical component of the three-foot rule. Engagement is realizing this is really happening — and am I going to get hurt or cut? Proper preparation, planning and practice will greatly assist in fighting through your attack, surviving, and recovering mentally and physically.
Most physical confrontations are usually quick bursts of violence lasting about 30 seconds. Individuals under the influence of drugs can last much longer. Subjects with a weapon tend to fight for longer periods of times.
Incorporate something every day
I truly suggest the basics: finding a good boxing coach will be an excellent base for you to get started. Personally, I have been boxing my entire life. I can’t tell you how many times it has assisted me in everything I do and is most certainly not limited to personal defence. Boxing has changed my world from a very early age.
Making time to incorporate a training regime is difficult for the average person. For the purpose of this writing, I am discussing individuals who are not committed to daily or weekly self-defence workouts. Ask yourself: Right now, if I had to run fast, could I? Could I run straight backwards for 10 steps? Can I get off the ground? Could I pivot off the line of a knife attack? Could I punch, slap, kick or push a heavy bag for two minutes? Could I fight for my life for one minute?
Three-foot rule self-awareness checks
Environmental check
Check your position where you are standing, sitting, leaning against a wall. Perhaps you are holding onto a handle on a city bus while it’s moving? Feel the back of the chair where you are sitting — did you check the person sitting behind you? Feel the ground beneath your feet — can I get out of this chair and move quickly? Is the traction good under my boots or shoes? Could I run in these flip-flops or heals right now? Where would I run? Is there an exit, is there cover if needed, are my hands free to fight?
Mental check
In the moment, ask, “What am I feeling? Is my head in the right space? Am I thinking about being safe or about the things I have to get done after work? Should I really be listening to music and checking Facebook, or should I appear like I am aware of my surroundings?”
Physical check
How am I physically? Do I feel okay? Could I run now if I had to? Do I have a purposeful gait? Do I have any ailments today that could make me appear vulnerable?
Equipment check
Are my items secure? Do I have everything I need? How am I carrying my purse or laptop? It can be as simple as checking your boot laces. I encourage you to have an “EDC” — an everyday carry that may assist your daily activities. This can vary greatly depending upon personal preference: from extra change and a small notepad to a pocketknife or multi-tool.
Try to incorporate physical and mental preparedness every day — it could be the best insurance policy you have ever had!
This is the final part of a three-part series: Part one: A veteran correctional officer’s take on personal self defence: The Kurt Suss three-foot rule. Part two: A veteran correctional officer’s take on personal self defence, part two: Developing the mindset.
Kurt F. Suss is a corrections officer with Correctional Service of Canada and a retired dog handler and trainer consultant. He is the author of Dogman: The Trials and Tribulations. He is currently at work on his second book Why Dogs Bite. He can be reached at isiscanine@hotmail.com.
The opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author’s firm, its clients, Law360 Canada, LexisNexis Canada or any of its or their respective affiliates. This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice.
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