Using Effective Body Language To De-Escalate A Real-World Self Defense Situation

Are you trying to develop the ability to defend yourself in a real world self defense situation - against a real attacker who wants to do some serious damage to you? Well, you should because statistics show that there is an assault every 17 seconds!

This article focuses on a key ability in an effective self defense plan - one that involves using body language to de-escalate a potentially violent situation. If you are serious about really wanting to learn self defense, and not about becoming the next MMA fight champion, then you need to learn the lesson in this article!

You know... being a master of the martial arts or a self defense expert is very different than being a master or expert in any other endeavor. Do you know what I mean?

What I mean is that, any other master or expert has the luxury of scrapping whatever he or she is doing if it doesn't work out right. They have the ability to take a flawed attempt at something, re-work it, and go at it again.

But, you and I don't have this luxury. Because, in a self defense situation - in a real-world attack coming from a brutal assailant who wants to beat, break or kill you - there is no "do-over." If you don't get it right the first time - you may never get the chance to do anything ever again!

So, it is in your best interest to make sure that your training - your self defense "bag-of-tricks" - has more than just step-by-step self defense techniques in it. You need to make sure that you are skilled at doing those things which, if done right and used on the right types of attackers, can literally stop the attack before it ever gets physical.

And, one of these strategies is the effective use of body language to effect control of your assailant's perceptions, and therefor his or her decision-making.

Here's an example of what I'm "NOT" talking about. And it's best explained by way of a quick story about my own early days in my martial arts and self defense career. Maybe you can relate to this story on a personal level.

One of the first things that I was taught when I first began my training was that I needed to be ready all the time. Okay. Awareness. That makes sense.

Then I was taught to take up this "ready position," which looked like a fight position. You know, hands up - body bladed, legs bent.

Now, I can be a real smart-ass sometimes but I couldn't help thinking, "If I'm supposed to be ready all the time... am I supposed to walk around like this?! It would make it difficult to make friends, to say the least!"

Now, I know that's not what teachers meant. And, this wasn't an isolated incident either. It was taught almost the same way, with the exception of the "stance" details, practically everywhere I went to train.

But, the real clincher was when I was told to face my opponent and say these words...

"I don't want to fight!"

Now, whether or not you know that 55% of human communications is non-verbal - that it's about body language - you can still see the contradiction here, can't you?

Here I am - here you are - standing in a combat stance in front of somebody who's threatening to harm you...

And you say, "I don't want to fight!"

Bull$h!t!

He may hear the words that your uttering. But he can damned well see the message that your body is sending! And, it doesn't say, "I don't want to fight." No. It says...

"Bring it on!"

Which is NOT a self defense mindset!

The point here is that, when you are trying to master the realm of self defense, you need to make sure that your words and your actions match. Hell, that should be the Golden Rule for every part of your life.

If you want to have the greatest chance of controlling and neutralizing a self defense attack, you need to make sure that what your body is saying, matches what you want him to be "hearing."

This goes equally well for attack modes, as it does for defensive ones. If you're trying to de-escalate a situation, then stand in a position or manner that says, "I'm not a threat and I really don't want to fight." You can do this and still be able to pay attention and move if you need to.

Similarly, if you are trying to convey your willingness to give him the worst day of his life if he comes at you, your body language, facial expression, and "presence" should tell him that - without you having to utter a single word.

When you get a handle on controlling your own body language, you will also find that you have greater control and influence over the perceptions, decisions, and actions of those with whom you interact. And, no one is more important, and deserving of your mindful attention...than a violent attacker!

Effective self defense requires more than just a few "karate moves." It involves the ability to think strategically, and understand how to defend yourself with as little wear-and-tear on you as possible.

If you really want to know what most people don't know about how to master self defense and how to survive a real street attack, read my newest self defense book: "Fight Smarter - Not Harder!" It's available free at: http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com/street-fighting-self-defense-book.html

Jeffrey M. Miller SPS, DTI is an internationally-known self defense expert. Each month he teaches literally thousands of students through live seminars, corporate training events, and his online self defense courses, the lessons to be able to survive in Today's often dangerous world. Jeff says, "If you really want to learn how to protect and defend yourself against a violent attacker, then I can show you how to survive any attack - guaranteed!"