A Tip From Josey Wales

© COPYRIGHT 2010 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

[Reprinted With Permission]

American Combato
Seattle Combatives

RECALL the following, in that classic Western with Clint Eastwood (Outlaw Josey Wales)? …

“NOW REMEMBER, THINGS LOOK BAD AND IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE NOT GONNA MAKE IT, THEN YOU GOTTA GET MEAN. I MEAN PLUMB, MAD-DOG MEAN. CAUSE IF YOU LOSE YOUR HEAD AND YOU GIVE UP THEN YOU NEITHER LIVE NOR WIN. THAT‟S JUST THE WAY IT IS.”

Every now and again we find something in fiction that makes excellent, practical sense. Rarely do we ever hear anything in the classical/traditional ("flowing robe set", as Rex Applegate used to call it) martial arts school that makes as much sense as Josey Wales‘ screen admonition.

YES! When the chips are down and you have no choice but to get him or he will get you, then go animal! Determine to go berserk with killing, murderous, insane fury. Make up your mind to die killing your attacker, if necessary — but that you WILL NOT go down to this scum who is attacking you! SET YOUR MIND: YOUR ATTACKER WILL NOT SURVIVE!

Sometimes it comes down to that. Who has the more determined will to prevail? You already have a tremendous advantage in a self-defense situation, since it is almost certain that your assailant believes that you are easy to take (or he would not be making the attack). He has no way of knowing either how you feel or what you believe. He cannot assess your skills, and he is — as he moves on you — focusing on his own actions and objectives. So . . . if you will determine to explode like a frenzied, murderous madman, and simply rip, claw, pound, bite, gouge, spit, hack, kick, and in every manner open to you, strive to destroy that monster who is attacking you, you‘ll probably not lose. Most especially is this so if such an attitude, will, and mindset is behind combat proven, war-tested, reliable, no-nonsense destructive hand-to-hand battle skills!

In her very excellent book, What Cops Know, Connie Fletcher discussed something that a seasoned Chicago police officer told her about street sewage: Punks and violent trash do not attack anyone who appears to be crazy. Why not? It certainly isn't because they have compassion for the mentally disturbed. It is because mentally unbalanced (“crazy”) people are 100% unpredictable, and they just might not give a damn who is attacking them, or how their attacker is conducting the assault. A crazy person MIGHT ATTACK HIS ATTACKER — PRECISELY BECAUSE HE IS CRAZY, AND THERE'S NO TELLING WHAT KIND OF DAMAGE SUCH A MENTAL CASE MIGHT BE CAPABLE OF INFLICTING AND BE WILLING TO INFLICT — WITHOUT MERCY, AND IN A HEARTBEAT!

Getting the message?

Combat is no game. We would always prefer to avoid trouble of any kind if at all possible. However, our life and the lives of those dear to us is the paramount value. Anyone — anyone — posing a threat to that value will either be destroyed before he can do damage, or we BOTH will perish as he strives against us. But — one way or the other — any violent attacker IS COMMITTING INADVERTENT SUICIDE, AND TO HELL WITH POLITICAL CORRECTNESS, PUBLIC OPINION, SOCIOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY, THE OPINIONS OF DO-GOODERS, ETC.

The violent offender must and will be STOPPED.

Dear reader, there is so much to be said for possessing the capacity to be "plumb, mad-dog mean" when the need to defend yourself arises, that we hope you‘ll cultivate the mindset to be so!

Take it from Josey Wales!