Learn How To Act

© COPYRIGHT 2010 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Sword and Pen – February 2010 Issue

[Reprinted With Permission]

American Combato
Seattle Combatives


“BY means of deception thou shalt do war." That saying is the motto of Israel‘s secret intelligence and covert action service, Mossad.

"All warfare is based on deception." That simple statement comes from the oldest book in history on the subject of war: The Art Of War, by Sun Tzu.

Deception like every other principle of all-out war is wholly applicable to individual combat (“war”).

One of the greatest tools in the combatant‘s bag of tricks is the ability to deceive his enemy by pretending the exact opposite of his true intentions, and then — after distracting and taking that enemy off guard — attacking with relentless fury and mercilessly destroying that enemy.

The ability to ACT is, for the self-defense and close combat student, as important as it is for the spy!

Misleading an adversary is a skill. For example, if we had a son who were attending school and he were to ask us for a technique by which he could protect himself from that sort of vicious little crapbag known as a bully, when the bully shook our son‘s hand and attempted to inflict severe pain by squeezing his hand powerfully, we would say:

"Immediately wince as the scumbag squeezes your hand. Make a face, double over and with your left hand hold onto the bully‘s hand as it squeezes your right hand, as though you were literally paralyzed with pain and submissive fear. This will probably cause the bully to laugh; but regardless of his immediate response to your feigned agony and physical debilitation, SUDDENLY SEIZE HIS HAND POWERFULLY WITH YOUR FREE HAND, GROWL LIKE AN INSANE ANIMAL, AND KICK HIM WITH EVERY OUNCE OF STRENGTH YOU CAN MUSTER, IN HIS TESTICLES." We‘d advocate kicking him perhaps three or four more times — if necessary — and seeing to it that he was so badly injured that he FEARED to bother or even approach our son again.

The use of deception enables an intended victim to turn the tables in many instances and deliver the surprise of a lifetime to any troublemaker.
Another example:

A couple of punks approach you. They block your path and say "We gotta talk to you, dude. You got some money for us?"

Two or more assailants is always a deadly attack. This is a multiple assailant holdup situation.

You react by meekly halting and saying timidly: "Hey, no problem guys. No problem. You can have my money, just please, no trouble, okay?" You, acting shaken and scared, reach for your wallet, mumbling "Here‘s my money guys, just please . . . no trouble." With your free hand, you suddenly spin without warning and chop the punk who you were not looking directly at across his throat or neck. You then kick the second lout in his knee or testicles, and — unless you can escape at that point, to safety — you proceed to smash and bash each of the two pieces of sewer garbage repeatedly until each is so damaged that he has lost the capacity to be of any danger to you thereafter. Then you escape.

The trick is to be CONVINCING when you utilize this type of "psychological camouflage". Remember, street smart sewage is very aware of how subterfuge may be employed, and they are not stupid or naive regarding good combat tactics. However, if you are a good enough actor to make these bacteria specimens believe that you are a terrified, meek, compliant victim, and that you are all-too-eager to give them exactly that which they have demanded, you WILL be able to take them by complete surprise. Once that tactical imperative has been achieved, victory will almost certainly be yours PROVIDING YOU ATTACK WITHOUT MERCY OR SCRUPLES AND PROCEED TO DO THE ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM OF DAMAGE YOU ARE CAPABLE OF DOING — RIGHT AWAY.

Good tactics will avail you little benefit unless back up with decisive techniques!
During WWII the famous USMC Second Raider Battalion (led by Evans Carlson) had, in addition to its well-known motto, "Gung Ho!", another tactical motto. It was: “Always do the unexpected!”

Good acting better enables anyone to "do the unexpected" by enabling him to lead his enemy to expect the exact opposite of that which he intends to do.

Self-defense is WAR. It is neither sport nor aesthetic/classical personal cultivation training. War demands brutal, savage tactics, unfair and unscrupulous approaches to winning, and a foul, gutter attitude toward the opposition. CRUSH HIM NOW! BUT FIRST LET HIM BELIEVE THAT YOU’RE NO THREAT, WHATEVER.

Get a troublemaker sufficiently distracted by a good performance that convinces him you are no threat, and you will likely be able to untie his shoelaces before he realized that you are about to tear his larynx out!

Here is a crucial tip that you should bear in mind when training to react to an armed kidnap attempt: If your attacker orders you to "get in the car" or to "get down on the ground", etc., be convincing and always react in a shaky voice expressing fear and compliance as you turn your head in the direction that you have been ordered to go. Human beings first look where they are about to go. Before you get down on the ground, for example, you will look at the ground. Before you go into that vehicle, you will look in the direction of that vehicle. Etcetera.

As your attacker "registers" that you are complying, SUDDENLY SHOUT AS LOUDLY AND FIERCELY AS YOU ARE ABLE, WHILE SMASHING ASIDE HIS WEAPON (IF HE IS OBVIOUSLY ARMED) AND GOING AFTER HIM WITH FORCE TO KILL.

Unpleasant? "Un-martial-artsy"? Too dirty? TOO DAMN BAD! This is the stuff that works, that saves lives, that you and that nearly anyone can effectively employ when the chips are down, to stand an excellent chance of getting the enemy before he gets you!

Although our students are nearly entirely male, we occasionally get one or two female students. One of the tactics we teach them is to feign compliance, cooperation, and even enthusiastic arousal when threatened by some predatory male. "Smile softly, move in close to him,gently embrace his face with your hands, and even kiss him," we advise. Then, DRIVE BOTH THUMBS VICIOUSLY INTO HIS EYES, AND PLANT YOUR MIDDLE FINGERS IN HIS EARS, THUS LOCKING ONTO HIM IN A BLINDING ATTACK. NOW DRIVE YOUR KNEE REPEATEDLY INTO HIS TESTICLES WHILE GOUGING DEEPLY UNTIL YOU’VE RIPPED HIS EYES OUT OF HIS HEAD. ALTERNATIVELY — OR ADDITIONALLY — SINK YOUR TEETH INTO HIS FACE AND BITE A PIECE OF HIS FACE OFF WHILE GOUGING AND KNEEING LIKE A WILD ANIMAL.

No dangerous male is going to be even slightly discouraged by some female‘s "bold, assertive" voice, and her "demand" that he "back off, or else . . .". In fact, such conduct will almost certainly cause her attacker to become more ferocious, dangerous, and violent. However, if a female ACTS compliant, her tormentor has no reason to hit her or otherwise feel concern, and he is SET UP for a powerful, decisive counterattack.

Women, by and large, do not like to hear that which we tell them, or to practice that which we advocate they make their own. That‘s too bad. They only cheat themselves. Their "female self-defense courses", in which they learn how to die, teach them what they WANT, and tell them that which they LIKE to hear; but as is always the case, the measure of that which is true is not to be gauged by the degree to which one finds it "palatable".

Cé la vie.

Self-defense situations are not, in our opinion, paralleled by "cage fighting", MMA, or UFC. Let those who enjoy these events continue to do so. Same thing goes for those (in our opinion much saner) people who gravitate toward judo, karate, kick boxing, etc. Do what you like. We couldn‘t care less. However. . . if you want to really be able to defend yourself, handle a dangerous attack by one or more savages, and deal with unprovoked violence at the hands of troublemakers and other examples of human debris that unfortunately pollute our society today, then cultivate those combat skills that have been proven to work in war, and master those tactics (like acting and the use of deceit and deception) that enable you to take another by complete surprise, and disable, maim, or kill him, before he can do that to you or to someone you love.

Here are some suggestions to guide your utilization of the suggestions we are making here:—

• Develop the ability to feign illness (dizziness, a need to take medicine, etc.) — then attack like a wild animal

• Learn some phrases in some obscure foreign language (cynics might suggest that English is a good choice) and speak them — looking completely puzzled — at the troublemaker‘s approach — then kick him in the testicles as he attempts to reply

• Plead with a troublemaker about just having had surgery and being completely unable to stand any violence — then drive into him like a madman, screaming at the top of your lungs

• Look at the troublemaker and smile. Say "Hey, man, don‘t you remember me?" in the most sincerely friendly tone and with the most cordial expression imaginable. When he begins to reply (no matter what he says) lash out with a side kick and break his leg, or smash into his throat, gouge his eyes, etc.

• When confronted by a punk who intends trouble, face him meekly and throw a quick glance behind him, then return your attention to his face. Say nothing. Let him wonder if you saw someone approaching him from behind. Then tell him: "Gee, I really don‘t want any trouble." Then ATTACK!

• Get creative! Come up with your own little "skits" and "performances". Build strategies for all sorts of situations, and master a convincing delivery.

* To master expressions and convincing gestures, practice in front of a mirror. Get feedback from training partners. If it looks really — really real — to a practice partner, it will fool a criminal.