Can You Prepare For The Random Nature of Violence?
Uncategorized | Written By: Andre Vatke
A single punch to the face landed 59 year old Tian Sheng Yu in the hospital and on life support. Mr. Yu was shopping with his adult son when they were attacked by two unarmed punks in broad daylight in a reputedly safe area of town. [
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Violence is random in that once attacked there are no rules, no set moves. It's chaotic and unplanned. Even in the selection of violence there's often no rhyme or reason. Last summer my neighbors 3 doors down were robbed at around 2 pm on a bright sunny day.
I was home that day and noticed the car with the 3 young men drive past. I live in the New Albany Country Club community on a circle, some things stand out as out of place. I assumed that they were landscaping contractors and went back to my business. What caused them to pick my neighbors house instead on mine is a mystery.
We tend to feel safe in familiar surroundings and in some sense we should. But thinking about the random nature of violence can leave you unsettled even in your own home. You don't need to feel like this...
One of the training elements we practice at the New Albany Dynamic Self Defense school is real life situations. Every Friday night the adult class provides scenario training. We look at real life events (or explore "what if" scenarios brought by students) and break them down to survivable events for students of all ranks - beginners to experts.
Looking at events allows students to experience the closest thing to the actual event in a safe injury free environment. It not only gets students past the morbid curiosity it allows them to test their skill set and principle strategy. What we find is that there are few situations that become actual challenges. I'm not saying that to be cocky, quite the opposite. Anyone can learn how to deal with the most common violent events with 100% confidence.
Situations like Mr. Yu are tragic and unnecessary. Even beginner DSD students would look at the story and find numerous places where the outcome could have been altered - even once punches were thrown. This involves awareness, reflexes and targeting - striking the right points on the body in the right order can literally shut down an attackers body leaving them unable to fight or flee. This type of defense is not dependent on body size which makes it perfect for anyone.
No other exercise program can help you build the skills and reflexes that may one day save your life.