Assumption is often treated as a four letter word.
It’s not.
In fact, it is an absolute necessity.
We almost never have all the facts.
…But we must act anyway.
And so we make the best assumptions we can with what little we know.
There are a couple tricks to making this work for us instead of against us.
1) Know when you’re making assumptions.
2) Make the right assumptions.
So let’s talk about the second one.
How many attackers will attack you?
There’s no reliable way to know the answer.
…but whether we realize it or not any training we do is preparing us for a specific number of attackers. So first we must make that assumption for ourselves instead of letting it happen for us.
Next we have to make the right one.
There are a few options:
- A single attacker
- A small group (2 – 4)
- A large group / Zombie Horde (5 – 8+)
We could train for a single attacker, but then we’re screwed if we’re attacked by a group (or a horde.)
We could train for all of them, but there are two problems:
1) That requires our training time is split among more things and so it’s less effective.
2) It means we make another assumption. The assumption that we will be able to determine how many people are attacking us and do it quickly enough to choose the right skillset before it’s too late.
Fortunately there’s a third option.
Techniques and strategies that work against a group will also work against a single person.
So if we assume there’s a large group, and train for it, then if we’re wrong we’re still good and if we’re right it’s what we trained for.
That may sound like common sense. …but we all know how often people use common sense.
So, here are the seven assumptions you must make to ensure that your expectations of self defense meet or exceed the reality.
THE SEVEN MARTIAL ASSUMPTIONS:
- There are Multiple Attackers.
- The Attack is Unexpected.
- The Attackers are Armed.
- The Attackers are Faster.
- The Attackers are Stronger.
- You are Old & Out of Shape.
- You have unforeseen limitations.
EVERY single martial artist is making assumptions on each of these points.
You have NO choice.
Either you train for a single attacker or you train for a group of attackers.
You can assume the attackers are unarmed or you can assume they have weapons.
You can assume the attackers are stronger or you can assume they are weaker.
There is no middle ground.
You CAN be aware of these assumptions.
And if you’re aware of them you can make a conscious, ‘educated assumption.’
The Clear Defense Method will teach you how to train for all these issues with clear and direct skillsets you can implement right away.
Learn this method directly from Sigung Clear at the Clear Defense Instructor Certification Workshop in July.
Early Bird registration ends on April 21st.
If you can’t make the workshop, you can get the Clear Defense DVD package on sale April 19 – 21.
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