Ambush attackers to deprive them use of their weapons
In the previous self-defense tip, Knocking Out or Otherwise Incapacitating Assailants, I wrote that the “majority of the most reliable tactics could be called ‘ambushes’” and that someday I will write more about ambushes. Today is that day.
In essence, an ambush is an attack done from a setup that deprives the target use of his weapons. The original meaning of the word is derived from “bush” (actually an Old Frankish word, boscu, which means bush or woods) — like lying in wait in the bushes to rush at the enemies before they can draw their weapons. But being able to position yourself so your opponent’s weapons can’t reach you while yours can reach him, or having a hidden capability, such as a weapon or a skill, amounts to the same thing. You are not springing from the woods, but you spring a surprise nevertheless.
The better trained you are, the more opportunities you will have for ambushing your assailant. Simply put, the assailant may try to set you up, but if you practice right, he ends up “getting you exactly where you want him” — because the better trained you are, the better you are able to turn an opponent’s setup to your advantage with an ambush, and the greater the variety of setups that suit you well.
Self-defense tip from Thomas Kurz, co-author of Basic Instincts of Self-Defense and author of Science of Sports Training, Stretching Scientifically, and Flexibility Express.
Self-Defense Moves
To learn how your natural reactions can instantly defeat any unarmed attack, see the video Basic Instincts of Self-Defense.
Defend Against Weapons
To learn how the typical street weapons (club, knife, razor) are used by an experienced streetfighter and how to practice with them, see the video Self-Defense: Tools of Attack — Club, Hatchet, Blackjack, Knife, Straight Razor.
Mental Toughness
To learn mental techniques that let you calmly face any threat and act rationally in the heat of a fight, click here.
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