EXTREME FIGHTING

How far are you prepared to go in a real fight to maintain your personal safety? What would you class as appropriate action, if your life, or that of your loved ones, was at risk? Could you take another human beings life in order to preserve your own? These questions pose a very intense moral dilemma.

At first glance of this title you would be forgiven for thinking that the topic of deliberation would, in some way, be connected with a kind of 'Ultimate Fighting Challenge'. In a diverse way it is. For many, the decision of just how far to go, in a physical encounter, is a personal 'ultimate challenge', after all, the consequences can have a catastrophic effect on a persons life.

Anyone involved in martial arts, practices potentially lethal techniques nearly every time they train (although most don't look at it in that way). Out of the many thousands of people who do train, there is probably only a small percentage of those, who appreciate the mortality of what they are actually doing. From that small group, there is likely to be a smaller percentage still, who have used their skill to precise effect, executing just the right amount of effort, in a real situation, to bring things to a quick and 'safe' conclusion.

A question I have offered on many occasion is, 'Could you take another human being's life if it appeared to be your only choice?' More often than not, people reply with a confident 'Yes'. I must admit that I find this little hard to believe. Some people seem to give the reply as if it were the expected answer, having given the question very little or no thought what- so-ever. Surely, taking anther persons life must be considered the greatest extreme to go to in a fight. Those very same people, who give the impression they possess the moral ability to kill, display expressions of disgust or shock when I tell of some of the incidents I have been involved in and the extremes I have had to go to, in order to secure my well being. This attitude is more than a little contradictory. Forcing a finger into someone's eye socket. To bite someone's face, to stamp on someone's head are all examples of the extremes I have been 'forced' to use, dictated to me by the serious circumstances surrounding the incident. In all cases I have felt it justified and totally necessary to execute such methods, for these were not normal rational minded people I have had to deal with, they were all members of a sinister and deplorable element of society. If the proverbial boot were on the other foot as it were, then I have no doubt that it would have been embedded, with ferocious intent, into my own head. A clear case of 'you or them'. Bear in mind the demeanour of the modern day predator. The nature of this beast is heinous and merciless. The commitment to their cause is relentless and they are prepared to go to sickening extremes to achieve success. As a result of these facts its blatantly obvious that an 'extreme' measure of 'correctional and defensive therapy' needs to be applied to contain a confrontation against such an assailant. When the hand of violence taps you on the shoulder, then there is little, or no alternatives to survive it's cruel intrusion into your world. Only very wise and skilled people possess the knowledge and ability to defuse or avoid a violent incident without physical engagement.

You may be thinking that from what you have read, that I advocate violence as the initial remedy to a confrontation. In circumstances, where my perception of the situation leaves me in no doubt, that physical intervention of a violent kind is going to be the only way to bring the matter to a secure end, then I shall employ the degree of violence that I deem necessary. At such times, my past experience and knowledge, accompanied with my skills afford me an unfair advantage over most. I fully understand my abilities, the context of the situation and the psychology of my assailant. Because of this, I can quickly diagnose the problem and bring it to a timely end, with, in most cases, a degree of force 'reasonable in the circumstances'. But shoving a digit into someone's eye or stamping on someone's head is a touch extreme, I hear you say. To the uninitiated I can appreciate your concern. Being given just limited facts about the incidents, its easy to jump to conclusions. Allow me to explain in a little more detail. The 'finger in the eye' situation involved an unprovoked attack by fifteen men against myself and five other doormen. The youth in question had already 'cheap-shotted' me with a makeshift knuckle duster (in the form of a fist-full of rings). Also it soon became apparent that he was heavily under the influence of drugs. This person was also notorious for executing violence against others. The time I stamped on the head of an 'enemy' was the resulting actions of a fight with a person reputed for carrying a knife and the fact that he had threatened, on more than one occasion to 'stab' or 'cut' me. In the often vulnerable position I found myself (working in a busy club), I could not afford to let the situation fester, a quick resolve would bring the predicament to an end, sooner rather than later. I think it fair to say that in those circumstances, that was another potentially dangerous incident.

With both these incidents, and many more besides, I have, due to the complex circumstance, and serious nature of the altercations, been forced to exert such extremes. Still not convinced? Let me put it another way. Had I not administered such measures, then rest assured my aggressors would have delivered a greater level of violence for what would have been no reason at all. Both of these incidents carried the potential of becoming life threatening. I don't know about you, but I call that extreme. Remember, they engaged me. Had they not entered my world, I would never had reason to 'clash' with them. I felt both necessity and justification, enabling me to retain a clear moral conscience.

With society plagued by violence, it is imperative that you consider how you would deal with a predator, a person who is adamant in their pursuit to inflict pain and suffering. In an ideal world you should be able decline the 'offer' of having your face kicked to pieces. But, as I, and others like me, have mentioned before, the world we live in is a far cry from the peace and tranquillity of a perfect world. If you don't realise the harsh reality now, you may never recover should you ever receive a 'wake-up call'.

A great number of people (trained and untrained) that I have spoken to, are unsure on what action to employ in a real situation. This alone, signals to me that the person has a very poor quality of awareness. One of the few options, that even the most naive of 'victims' have, is the ability to recognise potential problems. Just in the same way that I, in my position as a doorman, notice 'problems' and apply preventative tactics by removing or warning the implicated parties, then the very same signals of trouble are displayed for all and sundry to see. This should allow anyone, with a little knowledge to avoid the majority of situations they may ordinarily encounter. The majority of people are attacked because of their victim status (being switched off), therefore they must share some of the blame. By not utilising a degree of awareness, a person is guilty of personal negligence, which, in extreme cases can have fatal results.

A grave fact with regard to violence in today's society, is that when all other methods are either exhausted or inappropriate, then the employ of violence to varying extremes is inevitable. How much of an extreme will be the result of the individuals perception of the risk and accompanying circumstances. Please bear in mind that not everyone's perception may be the same as yours, so try not to condemn someone else's actions as a result of an opinion based on limited knowledge (as illustrated above). One thing is for sure. If you underestimate a confrontation it will prove costly. If the incident develops into a life threatening one, then you are going to have to use drastic action to survive. It is better to accept these facts, and mentally prepare, than to close your mind of it, or adopt an attitude of ignorance. I have heard people say "I can't imagine anyone gouging someone's eyes out of their head", or "I couldn't believe it possible for someone to force a broken bottle into someone else's face." The mere fact that they, a rational thinking person, have contemplated these thoughts, proves that another human being is capable of executing such atrocities.

If violence is your last resort, what do you do when you encounter someone whose only resort is violence? At times like this all other options are taken from you, and you have got no choice but to administer extreme measures. What is extreme to you is normal to someone else. Now, more than ever, the degree of inflicted violence used in just petty crime, is reaching ridiculous proportions. Scary, isn't it? The reasons for this are not important (with regard to the context of this subject), the fact that extreme violence is being administered with such random disregard, creates a very real possibility that you could be the next casualty of an uncompromising act of violence. This type of person is not restricted to a certain set of circumstances, or specific haunts, you are at as much risk as the next person of encountering such a creature. So, if you haven't yet considered how you would deal with such dire behaviour, then take my advice, think about it, - seriously. The fact that you weren't even prepared, will constitute in you becoming a more serious 'class' of victim. Be warned, be prepared, and ultimately, be safe.

Dave Briggs - MSMA, is a B.C.A. Instructor with over twenty years Martial Arts experience, in addition to this he also has ten years front-line door security work behind him.