The most critical points students must acquire and maintain as habit, as far as physical self-defense is concerned, are simple. Whenever combat skills, tools, tactics, and attitude are under consideration, you can rest assured that which is the most effective, reliable, and versatile, is that which is simplest. Acrobatics, exotic and dazzling displays of agility, and complicated movements are for the motion pictures and TV. They might also have a place in demonstrations… but, when demonstrations of fancy ways to defend oneself per se are presented, those demonstrations are misleading.
In this article, I want to impress upon you a most essential – yet simple – tactical imperative we teach our American Combato students in Lesson #1. It is called the “Relaxed-Ready Stance.”
The physical positioning for the stance can be learned within four or five minutes. But it is critical to appreciate how powerfully this easy-to-learn stance will contribute to your preparedness and also to your ability to avoid trouble.
The Relaxed-Ready Stance consists of:
- Off-angling yourself so you face anyone whom you do not know personally in a near half-turned (not fully side facing) position,
- Bringing your relaxed and open hands up to sternum level, keeping them close to your body, as you interface with any stranger,
- Keeping your eyes on the face of the person with whom you are interacting (taking all of him in with your peripheral vision),
- Maintaining a distance that keeps you outside of arms reach of the individual (also facilitating total observation of the person),
- Never allowing your mental state of readiness to drop below what we call “Condition Yellow” (i.e., alert, relaxed, cautious, paying attention, never dropping to a state of “Condition White,” which leaves you totally vulnerable if attacked, even if you are a tough, hard-training expert). Always going to “Condition Orange” (i.e., ready to preemptively attack, anticipating the probability of trouble, ready-to-go!) if you feel any threat or suspiciousness in the stranger’s demeanor.
- If you must step forward, do so with your forward foot, letting your rear foot follow. To step back, move your rear foot back first, allowing your lead foot to follow.
If you step to either side, lead with the foot congruent to that side (i.e., step first with your left foot, letting the right foot follow; step right with the right foot first, letting the left foot follow. This applies regardless of which foot is leading).
To pivot, always pivot off the lead foot. You will pivot when and if the individual whom you are facing moves around you. Pivot only enough to maintain that off-angled, half-turned position facing him. The idea here is to always remain in front of the stranger, and never allow him to move in front of you.
- Whenever possible, assume this stance as detailed above with your rearmost foot to the front of your rear shoulder – feet always approximately shoulder width apart. No fancy stances. No wide and deep positions. No exotic “one-legged” poses! Do not ever cross your feet or willingly face an unknown person head-on.
The above description may at first seem a bit complicated, but the actual stance is not, I assure you. Get into it once, and, even if you’re a slow learner, you’ll never forget it. The description explains why and how assuming this simple position takes care of so much. All of the components of the stance are innocent and nonsuspicious. You never use “fighting stances” per se.
In the Relaxed-Ready Stance, your vital target areas are denied to the person you are facing. You are solidly balanced and stable. You are ready in a split second to attack and neutralize any aggressive action taken by your assailant, should the person facing you prove to be an assailant. The stranger cannot step innocently closer to you in order to launch a sudden attack because if he does, you will READJUST and step back, reestablishing outside-arms-length distance. (If he moves to attack, of course, you will preempt him. Then his forward movement will result in increased impact with your attack, making your preemptive move even more effective).
You get aggressive only if he does. If he turns to leave, you take a quick step back, and, for a few seconds, make sure it is not his intention to spin around suddenly and come at you. Then you leave.
One of the most important things about this method of facing an unknown person (or possibly someone you know is a troublemaker) is that your DISTANCE forces him to show his hand if and when he attacks. Or, if he simply tries to step in closer or move around you, etc., IN ORDER TO ATTACK, you readjust your position naturally and easily, and he remains at a distance where he must telegraph any overt aggressive action.
Distance saves you.
Learn this stance, and make going into it a never-to-be broken habit whenever you are approached by someone you do not know.
Counterattacks become necessary only when you are caught off-guard and must evade, shield against, break holds, release grips or grabs, etc., of an attack that has caught you by surprise.
My admonition is NEVER ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE CAUGHT BY SURPRISE. (Admittedly, an ideal to strive for, not something to expect to be a realistic goal at all times.)
Supreme alertness – situational awareness – when made habitual will bring you close to being almost impossible to catch “off guard.” At least it will in time.
Question #1: “Suppose I’m in an elevator, hallway, or other space where maintaining that all-important distance just isn’t possible, and the stranger proceeds to crowd me but doesn’t yet attack. What should I do?”
Answer: Keep your hands open and innocently-poised while letting your glance drop to the person’s upper torso/shoulder area. This will enable you to see any attacking movement as it begins and react immediately to it.
Question 2: “Wouldn’t it seem less suspicious if I kept my hands down rather than holding them at sternum level?”
Answer: No! It only feels to you to be “suspicious” to hold your hands easily and relaxed at sternum level – at first. Once you get in the habit, it feels as natural as can be, and it looks natural to whomever you may be facing.
Here is why you must learn to do this: It brings your forearms into position where they stand a good chance of reflexively deflecting a sudden knife thrust or punch directed at your mid-section and it draws both your hands 50 percent closer to the other person’s face, neck, throat, and eyes than they would be if not so positioned.
Also, if necessary in an emergency, your hands can, in a pleading/begging action, move closer to the aggressor’s facial/neck area, thus making a sudden, powerful attack by you to a vital target a virtually guaranteed hit.
Remember, when you assume this very relaxed but ready stance (which is nothing like any “fighting stance”), you are as ready to attack as you would be in the most sophisticated karate, kung fu, or other “martial arts stance.” Thus, if, when you are so positioned, the other guy starts to get into a fighting stance, all you need do is attack him as he moves. You are already ready!
In the Relaxed-Ready Stance, you provoke, encourage, and agree to nothing combative whatsoever, so you are NOT agreeing to fight (which is illegal and warns the opposition).
Give some serious thought to this.
by Bradley J. Steiner