Engaging the Enemy

Engaging the Enemy by Ari Bolden (Taken from my book Headlocks and Haymakers)

'We do not rise to the level of our expectations. We fall to the
level of our training.'
- Archilochus
(Ancient Greek soldier and poet)


I should point out two distinct forms of conflict: fighting and
combat. Some people fight and some people engage in combat with one
another. What's the difference? Fighting is closer to having a
'winning' mindset, much like when you are in the ring or cage. You need to
inflict just enough damage on your adversary to put him out of
commission or 'give up' because the fight is too much for him.
Combat is not about winning, it's about ending the situation as
quickly and fiercely as possible, making sure your enemy doesn't
get up for a long time.

Combat uses tricks and tools to injure, maim and even kill your adversary.
There are repercussions to combat, which is why so many people
engage in fights - haymakers, headlocks, kicks, and punches.
That is a 'fight'. Stomping your head, ripping your ear off, using
a weapon, all constitute 'combat' in my books.

If you find yourself in combat, assume that the other person is
trying to kill you. That means you need to protect yourself with
enough force to stop or prevent the attack from occurring.

I won't get into the legal issues regarding "self defense" but as a
general rule, it reads like this: everyone who is unlawfully
assaulted is justified in repelling force with force if the force
he uses is not intended to cause death or grievous bodily harm and
is no more than necessary to enable him to defend himself.

Obviously if someone is trying to kill you and you end up killing
them in the process, you probably have a good chance of staying out
of jail. Just make sure you can justify your actions to the police and or courts.

Most of the Street Fighters out there are engaging you on a "fight
level". They need to satisfy their ego, their friends, their
girlfriends or that drunken voice in their head. I know many
realists out there cringe at what I am saying. They insist that
assuming someone wants to fight instead of engage in combat with
you is putting yourself in grave danger. What I am trying to point
out here, however, is that most people are not trying to kill you.
Hurt you, maybe. Injure you, sometimes. But actually kill you? Not
really.

You have to remember the context in which your potential conflict
will occur. This isn't a war zone. If it were, I'd assume that
everyone was trying to kill me. On the streets, in front of bars, I
assume people want to fight me. See the difference?

It doesn't mean you can't change to combat mode if needs be, but
killing some idiot because he took a swing at you will land you in
jail for your excessive force option. Manslaughter or murder, it
really doesn't matter, because both will ruin your life.

Therefore, engaging the enemy with the right attitude is
all-important, but you've got to engage them with a level of force
they aren't willing to meet. Yes, fights can turn into combat, but
if you control the pace and dictate how you want to fight, you
won't have to go into combat mode.

Just some observations leaning in a door way for the past 15 years.
Be safe and educate yourself.

Ari Bolden