“Studying violence. What is most important for the civilian combatant to learn? Well…If you don’t want to get your ass kicked…it’s also smart to avoid being stupid.” – Breach-Bang-Clear
Studying Violence
There are a few things you might ought to do.
Some conversations I’ve been in recently on social media have brought up the question of what’re the most important things to study and train in order to become a proficient civilian combatant—in other words, what should people prioritize if they want to avoid getting their asses kicked in the event of a fight. After some thought, I came up with the following list of seven items. I’ve ordered them deliberately, to some extent the order I’d recommend someone brand new to the field approach and prioritize them. Of course, there’s plenty of room for debate on that subject, and I don’t at all claim this is the definitive list. For example, I left off medical training, which I do consider essential to being a good armed citizen, specifically because that’s for dealing with the effects of a fight rather than helping you during the fight itself. But the list was designed to spark thought and conversation.
So without further ado:
1. If You Don’t Want To Get Your Ass Kicked | Fitness
Three components to this. First, you need a decent enough conditioning level so you’re not gassing out 10 seconds into a fight. Whether or not you can keep going is one of the most decisive factors in an entangled engagement of any sort. Plus it helps when you decide discretion is the better part of valor and it’s time to run away.
Second, you don’t have to be the strongest guy/gal in the world, but stronger is better, especially relative to your opponent. Yes, technique is a thing, but strength can overcome a LOT of shortcomings in technique so long as you’ve got at least SOME technique. A recent article at jiujitsubrotherhood.com pointed out what the author called “the biggest lie in jiu jitsu,” the idea that technique overcomes everything. In fact, a strong fighter with decent technique will generally overcome a weak fighter with excellent technique.
