When people think of Krav Maga, or even self-defence in general, they often fail to understand the complex nature and progression of violent situations. In the post on the use of force, a maze-like graph provides a visualization of how complex a situation can get from a second-to-second decision making perspective. Almost all violent attacks are because of a failure to be aware and avoid the situation. However, it is also possible that a situation, due to circumstances, was unavoidable, which means how we approach it will be fundamentally different.
There are two primary reasons that you were unable to foresee or avoid conflict.
- You were not paying attention and your awareness level was probably at white. (See post on Awareness Colour Code)
- The attacker had been planning it, and their tactics and approach were simply better.
While you may see variations of the model presented below, we offer a simplified version of the basic, four stages of progressing in a self-defence situation. Ideally, you should employ step one as often as possible, as you win 100% of fights you are not in. Remember, however, that at any point you may find yourself in any one of the stages, which means you must respond appropriately and progress in order.
Avoidance (A)
If you do not put yourself in a situation where conflict is required then you will not have conflict in the first place. Avoidance can mean many things. It could mean you identify a threat and run away, or that you ensure, through wise choices, that you rarely encounter situations requiring conflict. Perhaps it means not walking in that dark alley, at night, alone. This seems like common sense, but many people routinely make poor decisions that naturally put them in situations more conducive to conflict. Perhaps avoidance means NOT going to a party hosted by a person who doesn’t like you, knowing conflict will result if you go. Maybe it is deciding to leave a coffee shop after noticing someone acting strangely, or simply making yourself aware of them so that you are prepared if they do something. In the avoidance stage, the threat may not even be aware of you as a target. Of course, we recognize that avoidance is not always possible and as such we move down the progression scale.
Expansion on this Stage:
De-escalation (D)
At this point in a conflict, the threat has actively identified you. This is the stage to which many first world countries like to advocate; the moment to “talk it out.” This is essentially the diplomacy stage. In Canada, 9 times out of 10 you can talk your way out of a potentially dangerous situation. (In some countries, however, if a threat has identified you, like it or not, you will have no choice but to run, or skip to step 3 and/or 4). If you can talk your way out of a conflict do so, at the very least, you should talk as a distraction while you find your exit and run; either way, you will remain on the defensive. In this situation, you MUST be in semi-passive stance or something equivalent. Your hands MUST be up, non-aggressively, but ready to act should the threat decide talking is over and attack. If they attack first you will be jumping right to Reactive Self-defence. However, if in attempting de-escalation you assess, through observation of indicators, that they are becoming more and more aggressive, then we recommend you strike first, moving down the progression scale to a Preemptive Action strategy.
Expansion on this Stage:
Preemptive Self-defence (Preemptive Action (PE))
Sometimes the best defence is a good offence. This is a common saying that could not be truer in street self-defence scenarios. Because of the concept of action vs. reaction, it is always more beneficial to act first, as this means you will be one step ahead of the threat. We cannot tell you when or how to act first, as it is completely up to you to assess when it is required, but we can tell you that when you do strike you must strike hard, fast, and with retzef (relentless attacks meant to overwhelm). You must attack with the goal to stop the threat. If at any point you feel the threat is neutralized, you must assess and either detain the individual or run to safety.
Expansion on this Stage:
Reactive Self-defence (Reactive Action (RE))
If you are reacting to defend yourself (rather than acting), it means something has gone wrong. It means you failed to use steps 1-3; either you have grossly misread the entire situation, or the tactics the threat is using are simply better than yours. Regardless of why, you are now reacting to defend yourself and stop the threat from doing you harm. This is where the explosive, aggressive aspects of Krav Maga come in. It is not good enough to simply block, you must block AND attack, using retzef to escape or stop the attacker from wishing to continue.
Expansion on this Stage:
PODCAST EPISODE ON THIS TOPIC
*Topics under any principle category (Eg. Krav Maga Principles) may be updated from time to time. So check-in every few months to see if the posts have been updated.