The Little Black Book of Violence

tough you are if you never see the other guy coming. Good situational awareness, on the other hand, can keep you safe.

Since not fighting is so important, that’s what the first section of this book is all about—becoming aware of and learning how to avoid violent confrontations. It explains some of the brutal realities of violence so that, perhaps, you won’t want to fight either. You will learn about important concepts such as escalato (the “game” whereby events escalate into violence), victim interviews, predatory positioning, cutting from the herd, verbal self- defense, understanding your adversary, knowing when he’s eager to attack, understanding gang culture, and identifying weapons before they can be deployed against you, among other things.

Unfortunately, there are instances when you have no choice but to fight and others where it is prudent to do so. If so, you need to know how to do it effectively. The second section of this book is about what actually happens during a violent encounter, helping you understand smart things you might want to try and dumb things you should attempt to avoid during a fight. It teaches important principles that help you know when you can legally get away with going physical and identifies appropriate levels of force that you might be able to employ while keeping yourself out of jail whenever you have to get hands on.

The last section covers the aftermath of violence, showing that it’s almost never over when it’s over. Surviving the fight is just the beginning. There is a host of other consequences to address, including first aid, legal issues, managing witnesses, finding a good attorney, dealing with the press, interacting with law enforcement, and dealing with psychological trauma.

The book is laid out as a series of vignettes within each section, each describing a different aspect of what happens before, during, or after violence. You will find quotes from legendary warriors Sun Tzu (The Art of War) and Miyamoto Musashi (The Book of Five Rings) at the beginning of each vignette, demonstrating that these concepts have been around for a very long time.

Sun Tzu (544-496 B.C.) is an honorific that means “Master Sun.” According to historians, his given name was Wu. His mastery of military strategy was so exceptional that he supposedly transformed 180 courtesans into trained soldiers in a single session in order to secure a generalship with King Ho-Lu. Whether that particular episode is true or not, it is well known King Ho-Lu, with Sun Tzu at his side, defeated the powerful Chinese Ch’u state in 506 B.C., capturing their capital city of Ying. He then headed north and subdued the states of Ch’i and Chin to forge his empire. Sun Tzu recorded his winning strategies in a book titled The Art of War. It was the first and most revered volume of its type, one that is still referenced by military and business leaders throughout the world today.

Aggression doesn’t have to make sense at the time, and often won’t. Whenever the face of violence is glaring at you with that cold, hard stare, however, you must deal with it effectively in order to survive. The brutal reality of a violent encounter is that if you are knocked out, severely busted up, or otherwise placed in a position where you can no longer defend yourself during a fight, you are completely at the other guy’s mercy. There is only a thin veneer of civilization, laws written on paper and enforced by folks who are much too far away to intervene right here, right now, standing between you and his wrath.

Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645) was born Shinmen Takezo. He grew up in the Harima Province of Japan. Arguably, the greatest swordsman who ever lived, Musashi slew his first opponent, Arima Kihei, at the age of 13. Considered Kensei, the sword saint of Japan, Musashi killed more than sixty trained samurai warriors in fights or duals during the feudal period where even a minor battle injury could lead to infection and death. He was the founder of the Hyoho Niten Ichi-Ryu style of swordsmanship, which translates as “two heavens as one” or “two sword style.” Like most samurai, he was skilled in the peaceful arts as well, an exceptional poet, calligrapher, and artist. Two years before he died, Musashi retired to a life of seclusion in a cave where he codified his winning strategy in the famous Go Rin No Sho which, in English, means The Book of Five Rings.

Violence is almost never over when it’s ‘over.’ There are a host of consequences to deal with including recovering from physical and/or psychological trauma as well as navigating the legal system, among others.

Each chapter in this book begins with a poem penned by a samurai warrior or haiku poet on the verge of death. These perspectives are fascinating and, we think, worth your consideration. In the interest of making this book as useful for the reader as possible, however, we have attempted to limit our philosophical commentary in favor of real-life examples and practical advice, using actual people and situations from which you can learn.

A key aspect of this book is the checklist in Appendix A. If you have not already done so as directed in the preface, stop reading the book now, flip to the back, and fill in your answers. This exercise is designed to make you think, putting the information you are about to read into a context that will be meaningful and real for you when you must make decisions under pressure or threat out in the real world. Once you have finished reading the book, go back and do the exercise again. See what you have learned, evaluate if and how your attitude has changed, and reflect on what you might do next time you run across aggressive or violent behavior on the street.

Self-defense really isn’t about fighting; it’s primarily about not being there when the other guy wants to fight. Knowledge and good sense are your main weapons for self-defense.

Our goal is to help you put things into perspective and give you the tools necessary to navigate the world of violence without running into any insurmountable rocks, pitfalls, or traps along your way. It’s a serious topic, yet we have tried to make it interesting, meaningful and, most of all, thought provoking. After all, knowledge and good sense are your main weapons of self-defense.

SECTION ONE Before Violence Occurs

When autumn winds blow not one leaf remains the way it was.

- Togyu (1705-1749)[4]

Rule number one of self-defense is, “Don’t get hit.” Sounds simple at first blush but it’s really more complicated than that. At best, it’s about avoiding situations or locations where violence is most likely to occur. Sadly, we often don’t think about such things or we blow them off as irrelevant, stuff that happens to other guys. Juanita Watkins, a friend of Marc MacYoung’s, summed it up best when she sagely wrote, “Just because something is dangerous doesn’t automatically mean that you are going to get hurt if you do it. I have noticed that the young, inexperienced—or simply imagination impaired—take this to mean there is no danger at all.”

Let’s face it; we all do dumb stuff from time to time. Oftentimes nothing bad happens. When there are no adverse consequences for our behavior, it’s easy to keep on taking risks. Heck, risks can be fun. That doesn’t mean, however, that it’s a good idea to keep pushing the envelope. Traveling through the wrong neighborhoods, hanging out with the wrong people, or frequenting the wrong night spots will have consequences sooner or later, especially if you act out inappropriately while you are there.