Go to your Dark Side

I have read on the Web and have spoken to individuals that cringe at the thought of retaliating with some of the brutal combative techniques of Krav Maga when they have been attacked. If you feel the same way, this may help you with your dilemma. The following is a passage from Rory Miller’s book Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & Real World Violence:

If you are ever faced with extreme violence, you will have to make the decision to act. Make it now. You must decide what is worth fighting for, never forgetting that the question involves the risk of both dying and killing. You must decide now. Taking damage in the middle of a shitstorm of fists and boots is the wrong time to agonize over the moral dimension of conflict. There are things worth fighting for. List what they are.

Once you have made the list, these are your “Go” buttons. You must commit that if one of them happens you will act ruthlessly and decisively. You cannot second-guess yourself in the moment.

In his book, Surviving Armed Assaults, Lawrence A. Kane gives a list of scenarios to consider as possible triggers (“Go” buttons).

• You face an armed attacker and know that you are about to die if you do not act and possibly even if you do. You have nothing to lose by fighting back.
• You are faced with clear, present, and unavoidable danger of death, dismemberment, or significant harm to yourself.
• Your spouse is faced with clear and present danger and cannot escape without your intervention.
• Your child is faced with clear and present danger and cannot escape without your intervention.
• You discover a pregnant woman or small child who is faced with clear and present danger and cannot escape without your intervention.
• You are confronted with an aggressor who attempts to force you into his/her vehicle or otherwise take you to a secondary crime scene.
• You are about to be raped.
• You are about to be tied up or handcuffed by an aggressor.
• You are ordered to turn your back or are about to be blindfolded by a captor.
• You are taken captive by someone you believe is a vengeance seeker, terrorist extremist, fanatic or other hostage taker who sincerely intends to kill you.

Lastly, go to your Dark Side to aid you with your defense. The Dark Side draws energy from emotions such as hatred, rage and fear to create purely harmful energy. Focus that harmful energy on to your attacker.

“Give yourself to the Dark Side; it is the only way you can save your friends.” –Darth Vader