Self Defense Means Hurting an Attacker!

I'm often asked at social gatherings, after someonewere able to badly injure him first!"
finds out that I teach combatives and defensiveThen I show them a couple of examples of efficient,
shooting for a living if there are a couple of "tricks"direct and brutal ways to hurt someone trying to kill
that I can teach them "real quick" to help themor cripple you and the interest turns to disgust.
subdue an attacker without hurting him, shouldThat's why mental training for aggression and killer
someone try to mug or rape them.instinct are so important. Effective self defense
These days, I've been asked often enough that Itraining isn't a subject to be taken lightly, suitable for
just laugh and then give an answer, but in thea coffee table book or a DVD that you watch with
beginning, I was amazed that someone would eventhe kids on a Saturday afternoon.
think of such a question.Maybe, the next time that I'm asked that question, I'll
Usually there is someone else there who thinks thatjust explain some nonsense about training for ten
he knows something about surviving street violenceyears to be able to catch a bullet in your teeth or
and he explains my laugh by saying something likedevelop abs of steel that even a knife blade won't
"There are no tricks and he can't teach you anythingpenetrate.
real quick. He's probably had to train for years toThat is, after all what most people want to hear and
learn what he knows."maybe the real reason why so few people teach self
Then I laugh again and say "Well, actually that's mydefense that can be even remotely described as
specialty--teaching people in a very short time topractical.
defend themselves, regardless of the situation orIt kind of reminds me of a scene from one of my
attacker. I'm just laughing because you're trying tofavorite moves, Club Paradise, where one guy says:
tell me that, if someone tried to mug or rape you,"So what you're saying is we're driving through the
your first concern would be not hurting the guyjungle in the middle of the night in a cab with some
trying to kill or cripple you?"guy we don't know who's wearing sunglasses in the
"Well, yeah. I mean, I don't want to get into trouble .dark. Good idea, why don't we just hand him our
. ."wallets and slit our own throats?"
"Listen, I'm an expert and you can believe me when IIt was a funny line, but what's not funny is the fact
say that, as soon as someone attacks and is seriousthat most people do exactly that when learning self
about hurting you, YOU'RE ALREADY IN TROUBLE!defense or while actually trying to defend
You don't need to wait until afterwards when youthemselves.
sue each other to be in trouble, you may very wellIf you're not willing and capable of hurting your
not survive the next 20 seconds! And, if someoneattacker, you might as well just go ahead and hand
really is serious about killing or crippling you, he won'thim your wallet and slit your own throat.
stop until he's either killed or crippled you or you