The Combative Mindset

I live a defensive lifestyle. My primary lines of defense are software or mental skills such as awareness, avoidance and escape, plus physical boundary setting and verbal diffusion. This defensive mindset is the foundation of my training and preparation. Sadly, I often find myself not utilizing these soft skills due to the minutiae of daily life that occupy my thoughts: family and job obligations, sickness, schedules, finances … the list goes on. These common daily distractions occur far more often than being attacked, and so I sometimes allow my soft skills and defenses to drop unintentionally.

Similar to paying for car insurance, I train in personal protection so that if my soft skills fail and I am involved in a critical life-threatening incident, I have coverage. Unfortunately, like car accidents, we don’t always get to choose when that incident may happen. Because of the proximity or distance associated with robbery, rape, kidnapping, assault and the tactics criminals utilize to enact such offenses, we will most often be reacting to a criminal’s action against us. If this happens, my defensive skills have failed or been circumvented, and I need to regain control of the situation immediately or risk losing more than my possessions.

Combative Software

Regaining control or retaking initiative while being assaulted (the third F, Fight) is extremely difficult. I need to have in place a mindset that addresses this situation — a combative, winning mindset. If awareness has broken down and I am under attack, the time for acting defensively has passed. If the situation dictates that I go for a handgun, edged tool, impact tool or utilize empty-hand skills, then I need to do so without hesitation or fear. My goal must be singularly focused upon winning the fight as rapidly as possible.

Unfortunately, most of us are not born and raised with a combative mindset. We are raised to be good people wanting the best for ourselves, our family and others. An admirable mindset and life goals, however somewhat unrealistic for the world we now live in. A combative mindset must be cultivated, developed and trained. It requires an understanding of interpersonal conflict and knowledge of ourselves, how our bodies will react to stress (the four Fs), what we are capable of, and how far we are willing to go.

Develop a Combative Mindset

Similar to how it is impossible to acquire new hard skills (the ability to shoot, cut, punch or kick effectively) in the middle of a fight, it will be very difficult to develop a combative mindset during a life- threatening incident. Like hard skills (which the vast majority of personal protection training focuses on), combative software needs to be developed and trained effectively and consistently.

To develop an effective combative mindset, you first need to realize and admit to these facts:

• 1) Extreme violence CAN happen to me and my family anywhere, anytime.
• 2) The police and/or help won’t ALWAYS be there for me.
• 3) My home, neighborhood and city are NOT immune to crime and violence, no matter how safe they may appear.

Consider the above and ask:

If necessary to protect myself or my family, am I willing and able to take another human being’s life with whatever means are available to me, e.g., gun, knife, rock, pen, fingers, teeth?

Does my faith or belief system allow me to harm another and possibly take a life?

Do I have the willpower to persevere and continue fighting when fatigued or injured, perhaps mortally?

Can I continue fighting in the face of extreme mental stress, such as seeing a loved one, child, partner or friend wounded or killed?

Do I have the willpower to do the things my mind tells me I can’t?

Consider these facts and questions. Think about them carefully. Most won’t be able to answer all of the questions and some people may still deny the three stated facts. And if you think you know the answers, you probably don’t, unless you have already experienced conflict and had to fight, persevere and win.