Everyone Has a Plan Until They Get Ambushed
… and everyone is a master in the ring, but not in the streets.
Author: Steve Hanafi (Silat Sharaf Practitioner, Malaysia)
In the dueling position/stance, fighting seems doable. But have you actually tried fighting from a position of disadvantage? Where your opponent has already flanked you or has a position of advantage, or where the opponent is standing and you're lying on the ground. Fighting from there becomes a lot harder. Rarely does one train starting from the positions mentioned, but that's the reality.
Looks safe, but danger await
That's where reality hits and bitch slaps you right in the face, that's when you'll realize that there's no such thing as dueling in the street. Before we go even further, let's understand first the difference between aggression and violence. Aggression is usually two people trying to gain a position or state of dominance, such as bar fights, or bullies fighting over territories, or just two dudes fighting over something. Violence, on the other hand, is where one party wants to win and dominate without the other party (usually the victim) having even a chance to fight back. A drive-by, someone coming from the back and slashing the throat of a victim and walks away like nothing happened, these are just a few examples.
To demonstrate the difference between aggression and violence, let's look at catfights and how hawks hunt their victims. Aggression is two cats fighting with each other, it's very loud, scratching and hitting one another, but at the end of the day both walk away. But when a hawk hunts for its victim, say, a rabbit, there is no sound, the rabbit does not see it coming, and by the time the rabbit realizes what's happening, it's too late. The hawk comes out unscathed and the rabbit, dead.
In reality, both of these can happen to you or the people around you. Aggression is the one that you CAN ALWAYS and SHOULD ALWAYS walk away from, it has high risk yet low reward, not worth the time, the energy and the risk. Violence is also one that you SHOULD NEVER get into, but if you do get stuck in one, you should be prepared for it.
Waiting to strike
During a violent encounter, for example, someone striking you from the back using a baseball bat, or a knife, you won't be having the luxury of having a "fair fight" where you can start in a duelling stance, facing one another, both hands up, ready to have an honourable duel with the other person. It might happen in Hollywood movies or in official matches, but not in the streets.
A person who's attacking you, who has intent on hurting or taking you down, will try their best to make sure that it's only a fair fight for them (well, if they're not dumb enough). They will strike at places where you're least aware, and surely, they will put you in a position of disadvantage. (This is why I'd emphasize to train like you fight). When all of this happens, it all boils down to how aware you are during the confrontation, how prepared you are, and your will and intent to fight and survive.
Our lessons and training are not for those who want to engage in fights to show who's stronger, who's got bigger muscles or better fight moves, we're not here for that. We at Total Urban Survival focus and dedicate our curriculum for those moments when violence is imminent when your life depends on the knowledge and skill that you have. We are here for those moments when a hawk comes pouncing on us thinking that we're rabbits, those who think that we're victims, but we are fighters, survivors.