"Remember those schoolyard fights that started as name calling, then shoving, and finally an almost real fight. They never escalated too far for fear of really hurting the other guy. Then there is the movies, where a fight scene can go on for 30 minutes or more with the characters beating the hell out of each other the whole time. In reality, a fight never goes for more than a few minutes. To fight longer requires top physical conditioning and extreme mental preparation.
Given these facts, what makes a great street fighter that is able to put down adversaries in seconds? Violence of action. When someone puts their hands on you with the intent of doing you physical harm, it's not time for a shoving or shouting match. A great fighter knows that it is the time for maximum violent force against the opponent. The victor is always the one who strikes the hardest and the "mostest". Physical conditioning also dictates that about all of us will run out of wind about a minute into a physical altercation, further requiring a quick and decisive end to the fray. Never allow an altercation to proceed as far as a shoving match, because you are running down the clock on your stamina. When a violent altercation starts, it is time to hit back with maximum power, and hit areas with the maximum damage potential such as the throat, groin, and the base of the neck. When someone has the intent to do you bodily harm, there is never any rules and never any playing fair. The US Military finally discovered that "Shock and Awe" was an effective strategy to win a war. You should use the same philosophy when dealing with someone who means you harm.
In the past when teaching unarmed self defense, there was always the "what-ifs". My favorite was what if it is a cop, or the person has a gun, or a knife? Let me address that:
Cops are always on yellow alert, but if they have no reason to believe you intend them harm, they can be taken down easily. Violence of action beats the super-cop bat-utility belt every time, and I would demonstrate how even the smallest in our classes could easily overpower a dressed out police office with extreme violence. All it ever took was the mental determination to succeed, and once demonstrated, no one had a problem putting down our "officer" before he had a chance to use pepper spray or draw his weapon.
If someone has a gun already drawn, your chances are not as good, but if the person does not have the mental mindset to pull the trigger without hesitation, they are an easy target as well.
A knife is a different story. Most folks view knives as less-than-lethal and are quick to use them. If you prepare yourself mentally that you are probably going to get cut, you still have the upper hand when executing violence of action.
There are no classes, no special moves, and no special knowledge required. If you commit to total expenditure of all the force you have within you to destroy your opponent, you will win. You will likely get hit, probably get hurt, and may even bleed a little. If you apply violence of action and without hesitation employ every method at your disposal to hurt, cripple and even kill your opponent you will be victorious. So prepare your mindset today, be absolute in your resolve to win, commit to maximum force and maximum damage, and you will win almost any altercation.
Now, as a final closing thought: Don't go in like a windmill, blindly flailing away. I will block 99% of your efforts and allow you time to start running out of wind before I destroy you. You must make effective strikes. You must grab me by the throat as you knee me in the groin. You may want to sink your finger in my eye until you feel brains on the other side, then wiggle it for good measure. You may even want to bite a chunk out of my neck and sever my carotid artery so I bleed out. Make yourself mentally able to do all of this and more, before I do it to you. There is never a second place in a street battle, only first and dead.."
stanceforfreedom.com VIOLENCE OF ACTION