punched, you need to stop too.
Be mentally and physically prepared to fight or continue a fight at a moment’s notice, however, always keeping your opponent in sight until you can escape to safety. Even if your blow knocks an adversary to the ground, remain alert for a possible continuation of his attack. Remember that most fistfights end when one guy gives up rather than when he can no longer physically continue.
No matter what, you must be prepared to fight until it stops. For example, on January 1, 2008 Meredith Emerson, a 24-year-old University of Georgia graduate, managed to fend off both a knife and a baton attack, holding her own until her assailant tricked her into giving up. Gary Michael Hilton, a burly 61-year-old drifter, subsequently tied her up and carried her to a remote location where he raped and eventually killed her three days later.
Hilton reportedly told police interrogators that his petite victim nearly overpowered him when he first accosted her on an Appalachian hiking trail. According to published reports, Hilton stalked the 5 foot 4 inch tall, 120 -pound woman on the trail but was unable to keep up so he laid in wait and intercepted her on her way back down. He pulled a military-style knife and demanded her ATM card. Emerson recognized the threat and immediately fought back.
“The bayonet is probably still up there,” Hilton told investigators. “I lost control, and she fought. And as I read in the paper, she’s a martial artist.” Emerson, who held middle
“I had to hand-fight her,” Hilton said. “She wouldn’t stop fighting and yelling at the same time so I needed to both control her and silence her.” He kept punching her, blackening her eyes, fracturing her nose, and breaking his own hand in the process. He figured that he had worn her down as they moved farther off the trail, but suddenly she began fighting again. He finally got her to stop by telling her that all he wanted was her credit card and PIN number.
Once she relaxed her guard, he restrained her hands with a zip tie, took her to a remote location, and tied her to a tree. He kept her captive in the wilderness for three terrifying days before telling her that he was ready to let her go. Then he beat her to death with a car-jack handle and cut off her head.
Hilton made a plea deal with prosecutors, leading investigators to his victim’s remains so that they would not seek the death penalty for his crimes. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
Never believe anything an assailant tells you. His actions have already demonstrated beyond any doubt that he’s a bad guy. Do not relax your guard and get caught by surprise; that is a good way to die. If the other guy thinks that he’s losing, he might be more inclined to play possum or pull out a weapon in order to cheat to win. Worse yet, street attacks often involve multiple assailants many of whom are seasoned fighters who know how to take a blow and shrug off the pain. Be mindful of additional assailants and be prepared to continue your defense as long as necessary. Once you have removed yourself from the danger and are absolutely certain that you are no longer under threat, you can safely begin to relax your guard.
Be mentally and physically prepared to fight or continue a fight at a moment’s notice, always keeping your opponent in sight until you can escape to safety.
Dealing with multiple attackers is extraordinarily challenging. Avoidance is obviously the best and most preferable alternative. If you are forced to fight, you can realistically engage only one opponent at a time. Once the first adversary has been defeated, you may have a chance to flee successfully or you may have to move on to defeat the next attacker, and then get away.
Unfortunately, despite what you may have seen in the movies, the other guys won’t line up and wait for you to attack each one in turn. They’re going to swarm and overrun, so you are very likely to get hit… a lot. Defense against a large group is generally handled by strategically engaging one person at a time in a manner that confounds the other’s ability to reach you. Without a lot of training that’s very tough to pull off effectively.
Your response is a form of triage, striking for the greatest impact or taking on the most dangerous threat first. If you can instantaneously and dramatically disable someone, blowing out his knee, shattering his nose, gouging out his eye, or otherwise leaving him huddled in a pool of his own blood, the psychological advantage will be enormous.
If you show no fear in the face of overwhelming odds, your attackers may hesitate giving you the few seconds you need to disengage and escape. If all your adversaries are equally dangerous, take out the easiest target first. This might be the nearest aggressor, smallest guy, or the person with no cover. Once you get away, do not relax your guard until you are absolutely sure you are safe. After all, they could easily change their minds and decide to come after you.
Remain vigilant until you are absolutely certain that your adversary is no longer a threat and that no one else is prepared to take up the battle on his behalf. Once you have escaped to safety, you can relax your guard. As the Chinese proverb states, “Dead tigers kill the most hunters.” Be prepared to fight until you are certain that it has stopped.
When You Stop, He Won’t Stop
Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may be succeeded by content… But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.
In my strategy, the training for killing enemies is by way of many contests, fighting for survival, discovering the meaning of life and death, learning the Way of the sword, judging the strength of attacks and understanding the Way of the “edge and ridge” of the sword.
When you stop, there is no guarantee that the other guy will too. You are taking a monumental risk if you roll up into a ball on the ground and assume that your submission will end the fight. This may be taken as nothing more than a green light for the other guy to stomp and kick you… a lot. In fact, you can pretty much count on it.
The only way you can stop a fight when you are losing is to escape. Run away as fast and as far as you can. Do not stop; do not look behind you, at least not right away, just run. It is really tough to capture someone who is bound and determined to get away. Use this to your advantage.
Breaking off your attack, in and of itself, is probably not going to end the fight, particularly if the other guy wants to be in control. His goal is complete and utter dominance over you, supremacy for all to see. You may agree with Musashi’s missive above that killing or beating down a person unnecessarily is not honorable, not “the way.” But, as Sun Tzu so aptly points out, once something has been destroyed it is over. What’s done is done.
You cannot count on honor, ethics, or mercy from an adversary. If you depend on his good nature, you are bound to lose the fight in a very bad way. It is smart to show honor yourself, yet prudent to expect none from your opponent.
If you are thinking “fight” and he is thinking “combat,” you are in for a world of hurt. A fight implies a rules- based event, something like a boxing match or mixed martial arts competition. In a fight you might punch, kick, and/or throw each other down, but you are not likely to kick the other guy’s head in or stomp on his throat once he has fallen. Combat, on the other hand, is a no-holds-barred struggle for survival. That’s where weapons come into play, eyes are gouged out, ears are bitten off, and serious, life-altering repercussions can be expected.
As the Chinese proverb states, “Dead tigers kill the most hunters.” Remain vigilant during any pause in the fight. You may be facing multiple assailants, an adversary who pulls a weapon in the middle of a fight, or an
