According to Guido, the Spectator today has this little tale from Tory speechwriter Danny Kruger
My wife and I were coming out of a house in Camden where we had been viewing a flat to rent. Standing on the steps with us, the owner of the flat suddenly saw the retreating rear of his moped, two boys aboard and half a dozen of their friends pelting along behind.
Like the pair of prats we were, the owner and I tackled youth crime. When we caught up with the pedestrians, we received between us a black eye (owner) and cut lip (me), and no moped.
My main memory of this incident is rather horrid: the spit-filled mouth of the little rat-faced boy who punched me. Short, white, in a grey hooded tracksuit, he shouted at me with all the rage of Cain: the most astonishing indignation.
Whilst it is a shame that he got hurt, his experience does provide a lesson. Dealing with physical aggression is hard. It is not nice, but sometimes it is required. Some prior thought, either about for what it is worth risking his life, and some planning and practice in dealing with these kind of situations. I’m not saying not to go chasing thieves, although I wonder how many of us would, considering the question dispassionately, risk our lives for a moped belonging to a stranger? It may be that you would, but the time to first consider that decision is not when it happens. Consider now your limits. Visualise the situation and think - is this something that is worth not going for?. If not then be prepared to resist that impulse to jump in. If it is, then jump with a clear mind, free of the burden of this particular decision. Dealing with a feral hoody is not a good time to have that voice in your back of your head saying ‘I wish I had just stepped back’.
The concept of making decisions prior to having to implement them is central to strategy, and especially to Boyd’s OODA Loop concept. It also has the advantage of removing some of the negative thoughts that can rob one of resolve. Both of which I shall discuss in later posts.
June 27th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Good post, James. I think making self-protection decisions ahead of time is something that isn’t focused on enough. Most martial arts courses deal with what happens in an actual fight. They don’t address simple, everyday, preparedness ideas like packing a first aid kit wherever you go, or a zombie bag like yours.
And to a certain extent, situational awareness goes hand in hand with this pre-decision making process. Chances are, when you’re in trouble on the street, it will be somewhere you’ve been before. Most people have routines, and if you’re accosted going about your daily routine, that means you’re in a routine location. Maybe it’s good to take time out of your busy schedule to make sure you have the exits in your office building memorized in case of a fire or other emergency. Make sure you know which streets are well-lit at night, if you walk a lot. Making the decision of which route to take ahead of time can’t hurt. That kind of preparedness really ought to be dealt with more frequently, so good job on tackling a piece of it today.