Today a new book hits shelves which should be helpful for your typical “makes a fist and tucks in their thumbs” geek.
Like me.
It’s called How To Win A Fight and it’s author, Kris Wilder, is a self-defense expert—who also happens to be a Franciscan monk and heads the largest dojo in Seattle, which he has operated for almost twenty years.
The book is filled with everything from identifying warning signs in perpetrators to defending oneself when outnumbered and out-weaponed as well as secrets of surviving and preventing violent encounters from A to Z
Fully illustrated with charts and comic style illustrations by Friend of FOG! Matt Haley, Kris addresses practically every fighting scenario.
Which might be of use if you plan on being a real life vigilante or just a helpful guide to defusing potentially bad, real-life situations.
After the jump check out some excerpts from the book.
There is a huge difference between sparring, fighting, and combat. Think of it this way. If you are going to face former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson in a match next Tuesday, you can approach it three ways—sporting competition, street fight, or combat.
- If you are thinking sports competition, you show up on time, weigh in, strap on the gloves, and go as many as twelve rounds until one of you is knocked out, the judges make a decision, or your manager throws in the towel.
- If you are thinking street fight, on the other hand, you show up at his house that morning with a dozen friends, jump him as he walks out the door, and beat him to a bloody pulp. Then you kick him a few more times while he’s down, trample his flower beds for good measure, and drive away.
- If you are thinking combat, you wait outside his house Monday night and put a .50-caliber BMG bullet through his head with a Barrett sniper rifle from half a mile away.
A bit of disparity between those scenarios, huh? Street fights are much more like combat than sports competition. Slickly choreographed Hollywood films only feed the fantasy of what true violence entails. Beware these misconceptions. Don’t confuse sports with combat or misconstrue entertainment as reality.
What you say during a tense encounter can determine whether you can walk away or whether you have to fight your way out of it. On the one hand, you might be able to verbally de-escalate a tense situation, while on the other you can just as easily set the other guy off if you are not careful. Consequently, while sticks and stones may break your bones, your words can actually kill you.
Try not to insult or embarrass the other person in any way, particularly in public. Giving someone a face-saving way out affords him the opportunity to back down gracefully. Put his back up against the metaphorical wall, on the other hand, and he will feel forced to lash out at you, striking back (from his perspective) to save his dignity and honor.
Even if you are in the right, it is sometimes prudent to pretend otherwise. Do not let your ego overrule your common sense. Giving your vehicle to a carjacker, your wallet to a robber, or your apology to someone who tries to start a fight hurts a lot less than eating a blade or a bullet.
Even if you cannot de-escalate a situation simply by talking, clever words may enable you to stall until help arrives or the attacker changes his mind and leaves. You can also use conversation as a psychological weapon to increase your chances of surviving or to create openings for your physical defenses. Deception, for example, is but one of the tactics you might choose to employ. Any convincing distraction you can create will be to your advantage, such as shouting for nonexistent friends. There is strength in numbers and in making an aggressor believe you are not alone.
- Don’t Kick Above the Waist
- Don’t Play Tank
- Don’t Hit with a Closed Fist
- Don’t Forget to Use Your Mouth, Too
- Don’t Play the Other Guy’s Game
- Don’t Use the Wrong Technique for the Situation
- Don’t Go to the Ground
For more information, click HERE!
