“All’s you have to do is _____.”

One of our Phase B instructors, Pete Hardy of STW Krav Maga in San Antonio, derided and warned us against ever using the phrase “all’s you have to do is [fill in the blank]”. As in, “if someone tries to attack you, all’s you have to do is apply the Vulcan nerve pinch.”

Sounds ridiculous, right? Sure, my example uses a much-lampooned chop-saki-type move, but it’s not too far off from the reality of claims within the self-defense community. There are many “systems” and many “experts” out there that assert themselves as The Ultimate Self-Defense Solution in disabling an assailant with one technique for which there is no defense. Don’t get me wrong, I fully believe in the power of pressure points and strikes to sensitive areas. (A lot of the more esoteric George Dillman no-touch knockout stuff, however, is a leap a bit too far for me.) But anyone claiming that something of the sort is the singular key to walking confidently down a dark alley is selling you a bill of goods.

Krav Maga, for all its effectiveness, is not The Ultimate Self-Defense Solution either, but it has also never claimed to be. It is easy to learn and implement, but you still must constantly train. Its techniques are comprehensive and can be applied to multiple scenarios, but you must be able to see within the fight to the next “thing”. This is where most other systems fail, relying on one technique to end a fight.

Will a swift kick to the groin demolish the will of most attackers? Yes. But what if it doesn’t?

Will our rotating defense defeat a choke up against a wall? Yes. But what happens when the attacker pulls his arms free and throws a punch?

Fighting is dynamic. Don’t fall into the trap of believing that once you’ve learned a technique for a specific scenario that an altercation would immediately end upon the technique’s successful execution. Admittedly, this can be a slippery slope to 27 ninjas, but not if you stick to the see-within-the-fight concept and hard training.

I will offer one possible exception: In many instances “all’s you have to do is” have situational awareness. It must always be stressed that by being aware of your environment you can avoid most dangers. Being able to read a person’s body language and verbiage, you can hopefully avoid or deescalate a tense situation. Or at least surprise them with the Vulcan nerve pinch.