Before we cover aggression we first cover awareness, and avoidance. When awareness, and avoidance, become ingrained in your lifestyle, the need for aggression very low. The good thing is that when their is no other choice, you know in your mind that you have everything to prevent it, and that allows you to act more swiftly.

The number one thing that strikes me about interpersonal combat is distance, and the ability to use it during dynamic situations. We use visual cues in training, in the beginning of class we have every one first hide a training gun on them, and then from a position with their hands in the middle of their chest draw it. Then we do the same thing with a knife. Everyone who watches sees what furtive movement looks like. In the beginning they find it hard to process what is happening until they see the weapon. Then with more practice they begin to respond to the slightest preparatory moment. Whenever someone is trying to use a weapon, good guy, or bad guy, the hard part is the deployment. This makes it the best time to launch your counter attack if you are in a position to do so. The hurdle for most people is that this requires closing the distance, which seems counter intuitive.

We teach several ways to accomplish this. They all involve moving in, and over whelming the Central Nervous System, and Structural Systems of the body. Remember, at this point you are using open hand combatives to defend against what you have been trained to recognize as a an attacker deploying a deadly force option. The idea is to make them forget what they were trying to get out, and instinctively try to defend against your counter attack. The only thing more psychologically shocking than being attack, is being attacked when you thought you were the attacker.- George