Blitz Attack - Some Hints

Caveat: This post is mine and mine alone. I the author of this blog assure you, the reader, that any of the opinions expressed here are my own and are a result of the way in which my meandering mind interprets a particular situation and or concept. The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of other martial arts and/or conflict/violence professionals or authors of source materials. It should be quite obvious that the sources I used herein have not approved, endorsed, embraced, friended, liked, tweeted or authorized this post. (Everything I think and write is true, within the limits of my knowledge and understanding.)

If you have been targeted for a blitz attack you will find yourself in the “losing column.” It is a full fledged head on assault with aggression, surprise, pain, fear, and it will be sudden, i.e., hard fast and close. It will NOT be like sparring no matter how hard or intense you spar and no matter how intense and hard any competitive match may seem. In all likelihood it will be way out of your comprehension. The following are taken from the book Scaling Force by Rory Miller just to give you an idea of what you are up against in the study of self-defense martial arts (emphasis added by me).

In the attack everything feels all wrong.

The adversary/attacker made sure to set things up so you would be at a disadvantage - big time or he would not have attacked.

He will be close and fast.

Pain and damage are coming in fast and furious.

Your brain will be locked/frozen in the OO bounce as the adversary hits you four times before your brain registers, decides and, hopefully, acts.

If attacked by someone with a weapon, the speed remains fast and furious but the damage just increased - a lot.

Your mobility will be hampered, the attack close.

All your self-defense strikes must be effective at that close range.

You just got blitz attack, in most cases, from the flank or rear. 

Your targets and power must be adaptable to different ranges and positions, you need to know how to damage someone behind you.

Expect your body to be controlled.

Expect it to happen in an enclosed space with bad footing and limited visibility.

This level of force is considered a desperate situation and the damage ugly.

You may have been shoved against a wall or vehicle, unbalanced, awkwardly twisted, or falling.

You may be reeling from a punch or kick.

You may be stabbed or shot.

In the end, your self-defense must be able to fight effectively in all the above conditions along with injuries, etc. This is what your self-defense training must address and consider this a short, terse, not comprehensive list of how an attack happens. Assume as well that all the above will also be compounded by your adrenal flooding with those physical effects to deal with as well. 

This is just one of the many reasons discussed in all the references provided herein, as a basic start, in order to train, practice and apply self-defense. Also consider that you have to use, during all this, the appropriate levels of force along with all the legal and civil ramifications that could follow. We are  not even considering the medical repercussions “if” you survive. While the attacker lives with no rules you have to live with societal restrictions, perceptions and perspectives of others who are in all likelihood not knowledgable and/or experienced in self-defense. The same folks who are going to do there very best to make your life after the attack as miserable, complicated and dangerous as the attack itself. 

How many self-defense guru’s tell you this and how many teach to this? Do you train and practice to live with this kind of situation? How much experience do you have with this kind of stuff? That is why I list all the below references with all of my self-defense posts because these authors lived, breathed and survived this type of thing - frequently and for their jobs.

Primary Bibliography of Self-Defense:

MacYoung, Marc. "In the Name of Self-Defense: What It Costs. When It’s Worth It." Marc MacYoung. 2014.

Miller, Rory Sgt. "Meditations of Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training & Real World Violence" YMAA Publishing. 2008.

Secondary Bibliography of Self-Defense:

Ayoob, Massad. “Deadly Force: Understanding Your Right to Self-Defense”Gun Digest Books. Krouse Publications. Wisconsin. 2014.

Goleman, Daniel. "Emotional Intelligence: 10th Anniversary Edition [Kindle Edition]." Bantam. January 11, 2012.

Miller, Rory. "ConCom: Conflict Communications A New Paradigm in Conscious Communication." Amazon Digital Services, Inc. 2014. 

Miller, Rory and Kane, Lawrence A. "Scaling Force: Dynamic Decision-making under Threat of Violence." YMAA Publisher. New Hampshire. 2012

Miller, Rory. "Force Decisions: A Citizen's Guide." YMAA Publications. NH. 2012.

Miller, Rory Sgt. "Facing Violence: Preparing for the Unexpected." YMAA Publishing. 2011.

Elgin, Suzette Haden, Ph.D. "More on the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense." Prentice Hall. New Jersey. 1983.

Elgin, Suzette. "The Last Word on the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense" Barnes & Noble. 1995

Morris, Desmond. “Manwatching: A Field Guide to Human Behavior.” Harry N. Abrams. April 1979.

Elgin, Suzette. "The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense" Barnes & Noble. 1993.

Elgin, Suzette. "The Gentle Art of Written Self-Defense" MJF Books. 1997.

Maffetone, Philip Dr. “The Maffetone Method: The Holistic, Low-stress, No-Pain Way to Exceptional Fitness.” McGraw Hill, New York. 2000

Strong, Sanford. “Strong on Defense_ Survival Rules to Protect you and your Family from Crime.” Pocket Books. New York. 1996.

and more … see blog bibliography.

Jahn, C. R. “FTW Self Defense.” iUniverse. Amazon Digital Services. 2012

Jahn, C. R. “Hardcore Self Defense.” iUniverse. Amazon Digital Services. 2002.

My Blog Bibliography

Chiron: http://chirontraining.blogspot.com

Cornered Cat (Scratching Post): http://www.corneredcat.com/scratching-post/

Kodokan Boston: http://kodokanboston.org

Mario McKenna (Kowakan): http://www.kowakan.com

Mokuren Dojo: http://www.mokurendojo.com

McYoung’s Musings: http://macyoungsmusings.blogspot.com

Martial Views: http://www.martialviews.com

Shinseidokan Dojo: http://shinseidokandojo.blogspot.com

The Classi Budoka: https://classicbudoka.wordpress.com

Wim Demeere’s Blog: http://www.wimsblog.com