What would you do if you found yourself in a dead end at three in the morning in the middle of a gang neighborhood and surrounded by a dozen armed men? This is the kind of question you hear so often in martial arts schools these days and what the questioner usually wants to know is how to rip someone’s head off. The current trend is to judge a martial art based on its value for street combat. This growing need to know what will work on the streets has spawned numerous schools, from Russian Spetznaz and Navy Seal Training, to styles invented by bouncers, bodyguards, and bikers. Students of these styles can be sure that what they are learning will really work on the street. The problem with this approach is that it implies that the only response martial arts has to offer to conflict is to resolve it with violence. But is this what martial arts were designed for? For traditionalists, martial arts are intended to teach, in addition to physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, basic survival. Man as a species rose to the top of the food chain as a result of his ingenuity, an observation that was not lost on the ancient generals of ancient China. For the astute, engaging an enemy in open engagement would be a fourth-rate solution for someone who has already made three serious mistakes: not knowing the territory, not moving in secret, and not evading a direct attack. Only when all your strategies and tactics have failed do you resort to ripping someone’s head off. The following will correlate crime prevention and street intelligence with the writings of East Asian military strategists to show that the ancient battlefield and the modern urban jungle are not so different after all.
Know your terrain
We are in no condition to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country and its terrain. We cannot take advantage of the natural terrain unless you use local guides.
sun tzu
The most important tip is to always know where you are going and what the local terrain will be. Every time you go on vacation, visit friends, attend a new school, or travel to unfamiliar areas, find out what the neighborhood is like. Ask locals such as waitresses, bartenders, taxi drivers, police officers, tourists, and travel agents questions like: is the area known for street crime? Is there a lot of gang activity? Do buses and taxis go there after dark? Is it an area you should avoid going into? If so, then don’t go there. It’s that easy.
stay alert
In social and professional relationships, the attitude is the same as that of the warrior, even when there is no discord. Mindfulness to observe the dynamics of situations, even in a group, is the art of war.
Yagyu Munenori, The Book of Family Traditions in the Art of War.
Stay alert, walk with purpose, be aware of your surroundings, and mentally prepare for an attack. Think of a plan of action that you would follow if you were attacked. Consider where you might go for help, such as the nearest police or fire station. When entering social situations, scan the crowd for troublemakers, the loud and obnoxious, the drunkards, and the brooding loners. Look at the exits, looting and always sit facing the entrance.
Expect the unexpected
It is a doctrine of war not to assume that the enemy will not come, but to trust in one’s preparation to face it; not to presume that he will not attack, but to make himself invincible.
sun tzu
When you plan to walk a considerable distance, wear shoes and clothing that are comfortable and allow you to move quickly. Don’t overload yourself with bulky packages. Take only the essentials. If for any reason you must travel through territory known for street violence, then you should be well prepared: travel with friends, carry a cell phone with speed dial set to 911, pack a decoy wallet, carry a legally concealable weapon .
move quietly
Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night.
sun tzu
Play ‘Grey Man’, which means going unnoticed while blending into the background. Dress like the locals, the more different one is, the easier it is to stand out. Do not display large sums of cash in public or wear highly visible and expensive clothing or jewelry. If you are standing alone at a bus stop at night, avoid standing directly under the light, doing so makes it easier for anyone to see that you are alone. Instead, stay in the shadows away from the light so your silhouette doesn’t stand out. This makes it more difficult to detect from a distance or from passing cars.
move quickly
Do not stay in isolated areas. On difficult terrain keep moving.
sun tzu
Don’t let strangers stop you on the street to talk, give directions, or light a cigarette. These are delaying techniques used to prepare an attack. Walk facing oncoming traffic while walking close to the sidewalk away from dark alleys and driveways.
Avoid containment
He who excels as a warrior does not appear formidable; he who excels in defeating the enemy does not join the issue. This is known as the virtue of non-containment.
lao zi
If you’re up against a mugger or a gang, be cooperative. Listen to what they say and always answer in the affirmative in a calm, calm voice. He is courteous, although he may feel angry and believe that he could overpower the thief, however, it is essential that he pretend to be intimidated. This will allow the thief to drop his guard, then if you feel you have no choice but to attack, you can use your meek appearance to launch a surprise attack. Acting with hostility and outrage can encourage the criminal to use a weapon that may or may not be visible. Personal safety is more important than material things. Resist only to protect yourself from harm, not to protect your belongings.
hide your intentions
When the Sage is about to move, he will certainly show a stupid countenance.
The Six Secret Teachings of Tai
Gong Another alternative to a group of attackers is to play dumb. Say little or nothing and continually nod your head. Pretending to be mentally unbalanced. Act like you have no idea what’s going on, drool a little and let the mucus run out of your nose. Most ignorant people are a bit afraid of ‘madmen’, as if madness is contagious. In a street gang confrontation, humiliating a jerk only brings little faces and hopefully they’ll get fed up and leave. The important thing is to survive. Don’t be fooled by the stories of martial arts heroes defeating multiple attackers one after another, the odds are too much against you.
use distractions
In single combat too, sixteen chances, and use various tricks: Fake punches and thrusts and make your opponent think you’re going to hit him. When you have induced a state of confusion in the opponent in this way, take advantage of it and win. Miyamoto Musashi
If the demand is for money, take out your cash and hold it up for the attacker to see. Then throw it to the ground between you and the assailant as you back up. When he bends down to pick up the money, run away. If you’re traveling through high-risk areas, carry a decoy wad—that is, a wallet that has a real money bill on the outside but play money or cut-to-size paper on the inside. You can include credit cards that look official but actually have fake names and addresses (cut out credit card ads from a magazine and tape them to cardboard). The lure should look valuable, then if you are attacked or robbed, you can cast the lure in one direction while carefully and quickly leaving in the opposite direction. If the attacker is really only after your money, they will go after the lure instead of you.
escape and evade
When you’re overwhelmed, you don’t fight; you give up, compromise or run. Surrender is complete defeat, compromise is half defeat, flight is not defeat. As long as you are not defeated, you have another chance to win.
The Thirty-Six Strategies
If you get the chance, run. Try to get a good lead on your assailant and run towards bright, crowded areas. Try to make the terrain between you and the attackers more difficult to cross. Knock things over while running like trash cans, mailboxes, signs, tables, chairs, lamps, broken bottles. If you can’t seem to get away, attract attention by throwing something heavy out the window of a house if it’s in a residential area or the storefront of a commercial area. The sound of breaking glass is different and always arouses the interest to see what is breaking. In a store window, this will trigger an alarm that will attract attention and the police.
Choose the location of the battle
It is an advantage to choose the time and place for the battle. This way you know when and where the battle will take place, while your enemy does not.
The Thirty-Six Strategies
Never let the attacker take you somewhere else. If his purpose is to rob you, he will be satisfied with the thrown money. If he tries to take you somewhere else, there is usually an ulterior motive. As a general rule of thumb, any time someone wants to take you somewhere else it’s because they’ll have a greater advantage and you’ll have less chance of being rescued. If you’re going to have to fight, do it before the odds are more in the attacker’s favor.
Conclusion
Everyone has heard the old saying; live by the sword, die by the sword. If you are taught that aggression is best resolved with more aggression, you will only lose in the end. After all, no matter how strong and fast you are, you will grow old one day, so what do you do? There is also another old saying; patience and cunning win out over youth and energy.