Journey of a confirmed skeptic

Part 1 – “I’d just run.”

By Dik Chance, FAST Combatives Lead Instructor, UK

I have issues. To those that know me closely, this comes as no surprise. One of my biggest issues is that I’m very skeptical of things people say to me. The more categorical the statement, the more I wonder just how sacred that cow actually is. Like pulling the thread on a sweater, only to find it unraveling in your hand.

In the self-defense world, when I hear instructors saying ‘If you do this, that will happen’, I find myself asking a couple of questions.
Firstly, can they make it work on me, and secondly will it work for most people, most of the time? I look for proof, and in this case, the burden of proof is on the person teaching it. If we are asking people to stake their lives on what we teach, they deserve to have it proven, don’t you think?

There are bunches of stuff in the self-defense world that I don’t think completely stand up to the close scrutiny that burden of proof brings. Not that they are completely false, just that they aren’t as cut and dried as they are made out to be.

In a short series of blog posts, I’m hoping to expand on some of these. And the first is a doozy. How many times have you heard someone say ‘Oh, I’d just run’?

Running away often seems to be touted as a universal panacea to self-defense questions that aren’t easily answered. Knife wielding maniac? – just run away. Multiple attackers? – just run away. Bigger, scarier opponent? – just run away.

Without thinking about the issues that this tactic brings, how can you be sure it’s correct? Here are some other things you might want to think about.

How do you know you can run faster than your attackers? Are you younger or fitter than they are? Do you have any injuries that prevent you running? Are you wearing clothing that is more optimal for running that your attacker? These are big questions. One of the worst beatings I ever got was from a gang of guys who chased me down and beat the snot out of me. I was young, fit and wearing shoes that no one could ever run in. I learned a huge lesson that day.

People will sometimes tell you that because you are full of adrenaline, you’ll have the advantage. Is your attacker immune to adrenaline then? Do gazelles never get caught by cheetahs?

Do you know where you are running to? Using the principle that you’ll rarely be attacked when the conditions are advantageous for you, perhaps you are in an area you know less well. Adrenaline rush makes rational decision making more difficult. You can equally find yourself running out in front of a bus; or jumping over a wall into a 50’ drop; or down a blind alley.

And now you are down this blind alley, you have to fight out of breath and closer to panic. This is exactly what happened to me. I was caught and beaten. The negative effect of being run down and caught on my ability to fight back was massive.

You can’t underestimate the prey response either. Multiple attacks in particular. There are some horrible examples like this.

http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news2/Shocking-broad-daylight-beating-.5097706.jp

(CCTV footage can be seen by pressing the green play button on the right. Warning – very nasty) Human beings have the in-built predator response that is triggered by the chase.

What about your family, your kids, your elderly relatives, your friends? Are you going to just leg it and leave them? We can’t assume that we’ll be alone when we’re attacked. Whilst one of my favorite bear jokes finishes ‘I don’t have to be faster than the bear, just faster than you’, it’s not a particularly great tactic.

Does this mean that running is a bad tactic? Absolutely not. But it is just one tactic in your arsenal. And in my opinion, it’s offered far too often as a solution without consideration of the other tactical implications. So if you are going to say it, make sure it’s within the confines of a layered defense strategy.

And as with anything, you need to practice it within the confines of good scenario training. Don’t just expect to roll it out when you need it.