Reactive Defense, During an Attack

How many times have you seen a demonstration on how to escape a wrist grab? The instructor will point out about 12 things to do depending on what kind of hold is on your wrist. Something along the lines of; “first establish a base, then spread out your pinky finger and thumb…thrust your wrist in an abrasive gesture upon the anatomically portioned rhythm of the attacker’s body mannerisms”…Whoa!  I’m not sure about you, but they lost me at “base”.

…Let us use that as an example: If an attacker grabs your wrist, it’s quite simple, the hand holding your wrist is attached to the attackers arm, and now that it is holding onto you, it’s eliminated from the immediate situation. How so? The odds are evened out, you do not have to worry about what “his” hand is doing, now spotlight your attack with your free hand directly to the bridge of “his” nose with your palm from the top of his nose, followed with finishing power to the top of his upper lip. Just like a downwards “high five” delivered to his beak.  The result, a momentary lack of balance, watery eyes, and likely both of “his” hands holding his face. This gives just enough time to react or run!…

Now we will examine the scenario and both explanations and which resolve is more effective to the student as well as the effect on the attacker. In the first suggestion, we are more focused on our self and how we should stand, what technique we have to drill, and how we are to move. While we are concerning ourselves with the absorption of remembering technique, the attacker is in turn, wrapping your throat with his other hand and dragging you into a van. The second suggestion we are more focused on using our reaction to deliver an effective blow with the ability to follow thru and get away. The end result should speak for itself, what do you typically do when a mosquito is biting you? Do you check the location of the blood sucking vampire, determine its size, adjust your stance, and then swat? Or, do you merely react by knowing that you are being bit and can confidently and simply swat the insect?

This is not to say that drilling technique and scenario training are bad and not helpful, but I am saying that all the awesome looking, flashy Hollywood escaping and fighting are going to be retro active during an intense moment that should rely on basic instinct, an innate instinct we all have inside of us. Almost every action has a reaction and these reactions should be quite simply “reactive”, and reactive training is all we should be drilling.