FASD Street Fighting Strategy

This is a direct excerpt from the book 'How To Street Fight'. First Action Self Defense Manual One.

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The key to fighting, like most things in life, is simplicity. You want to win the fight in the simplest possible way. Even strategy is not complicated. In a fight you do not want, or need to think hard about strategy. If you have been training for realism then it will be second nature, that is, you want your strategies to be instinctive so you don't lose time with thought.

1.301 Adopt The Correct Mindset

Know in yourself that you are going to win. Having the correct winners mindset is often enough on its own to win a fight, however, you need to keep it balanced. Never under or overestimate your opponent or yourself. Fight as best you can every time.

Treat every fight as if you're fighting for your life. Never give up and expect to be hit. It is the mindset of a warrior, or soldier at war. You can cultivate this mindset in training firstly by channelling your anger when Sparring. If you find it hard to channel your anger, or you're generally not an angry person, try repeating the mantra 'KILL KILL KILL' in your head as you attack. Some people don’t like doing this because they feel it will change them internally and they do not wish to have a killer mindset. This is not true. In fact, I have found that by releasing your anger in this way, you are more calm in your normal course of life. It is in fact a healthy release of emotion.

In the midst of all this, you must also keep calm. Your personal calmness can infect those around you which may be enough to make your attacker(s) leave you alone. More importantly, being calm makes you less likely to make poor decisions and enhances your awareness. Calmness and awareness can be instilled through meditation. Meditation is covered in the FASD Survival Fitness Manual.

1.302 Your Ultimate Aim In A Street Fight

To incapacitate your opponent in the fastest possible way, while incurring the least possible damage to yourself.

Note: Incurring the least damage to yourself is not limited to personal physical well-being. It also covers your emotional damage, damage to loved ones, property etc. and entails any legal ramifications that may follow. The amount of damage you inflict on your opponent should be 'capped' at what is needed to stop him/her/them from being a threat.

To incapacitate your opponent basically means to leave him on the ground for long enough for you to escape. This is achieved by using one or more of four basic strategies. They are presented in order of preference, which means that you should always think to apply strategy one first. If that is not possible, then move onto strategy two and so on. Moving through these strategies can happen extremly fast, and resorting back to any of them when the opporunity presents itself is what will give you the best chance of victory.

Basic Strategy One: Disable with a weapon

Basic Strategy Two: Disable from behind

Basic Strategy Three: Disable from the front

Basic Strategy Four: Disable on the ground

Whilst adapting these strategies you use what is known in FASD (First Action Self Defense) as Position and Disable. Position refers to adopting and keeping advantages positions in order to Disable. Once in Position, Disable techniques are used to incapacitate your enemy. Disable techniques are grouped into the following categories:

Choke. Choke your opponent until he's unconscious

KO (Knock Out). Strike your opponent to the point where he can't get up

Break. Incapacitate your opponent by breaking one or more of his bones

Eyes. Take out your opponents' vision either directly or indirectly

Ground And Finish. Put him to the ground and then incapacitate him there. The best way to finish is to KO him by stomping since you wont have to crouch over him, unless you take him down using a lock in which case you may as well take him out with a break. There are others ways also. To prevent being Taken Down, if he is on the ground and you want to attack, its best to come in from the side.

There any many different ways to Position, the preference of which is different depending on which strategy you are using. Likewise, the preference of which Disable you use is dependant on the Position you are using.

1.303 Go Hard And Don't Let Up

When you strike, hit hard, every time, and never let up or give him time to recover. Always be on the attack, and attack hard. Go 100% from your first strike until he is disabled. The fight should be finished in under 10 seconds, preferably in 3. Any more than this and your either on the floor grappling or you must use longer fighting strategies.

There is no room for compassion until after he has been disabled. It is true that if you give him 'time to breathe' and room to escape he may do so, but if he chooses not to then you have just allowed him time to recover. Also, it gives him the chance to escalate the situation eg pulling out a weapon, getting friends etc. People, like animals, are most dangerous when they feel cornered, so do not give him the chance to get more dangerous than you. Compassion is a wonderful thing in life, but there is no room for it in a life threatening situation. The risk is not worth it. Once you have disabled him you can show your compassion by calling him an ambulance or rendering him first aid.

Note: This does not mean that you are attacking your opponent until his life is threatened. In reality, you should not need to render him first aid or call him an ambulance. The word disabled in this context is to the point where he can not harm you. It is not to mean that you are actually beating him until he is disabled. He only need be disabled for a length of time for you to be able to get away safely. However, different situations will require different outcomes so it is up to you to make the decision of 'how far you go'.

1.304 The Element Of Surprise

Whenever possible, use the element of surprise. This is more commonly done at the very start of a fight, but can also be utilised during a fight. The most obvious form of this is to attack when he is not ready. This may mean attacking from behind or distracting your opponent the moment before you attack. The distraction can be caused by you e.g. screaming, spitting in his face, throwing something at him etc. or by taking advantage of situational distractions i.e. as soon as he shifts his attention to something other than you, even for a split second, attack. Taking opportunity to make the first effective attack will increase your chance of winning at multitude.

Methods of surprise while fighting are more indirect and can include things like getting behind him (be sure to protect your own back at all times) or altering his vision. You could drop under his line of sight, attack his blind spots, manoeuvre so objects and/or the sun blocks his sight, strike his nose (which will make his eyes water), throw something in his eyes eg sand (if throwing sand or similar, be aware of wind direction, you don't want it to blow back into you), knocking his glassed off, physically forcing his head down so he cant see, using his arm to block his view (trapping) etc. In contrast, you must discipline yourself not to get distracted. Never look away from him and always be mindful and alert.

All strategies, positions, disablers etc. are intertwined. You will use any number of them in an infinite number of combinations in order to achieve your ultimate aim during any single fight.

Training in how to do this is what the rest of this manual is focused on.

I presume this is your school?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXoNV4JsLbs&list=UUXCxUgsEo5Ntay4PBnk7cWQ&index=16

Just a word of advice.There are some very experienced guys on here,Nick Hughes,Dave Turton,Chris etc and you can learn a lot from them provided you leave your ego at home.

Hi Tony,

the reason I post these things is to get advice from you guys. I know my system needs improvement and I am a beleiver in constant improvement. I take comments and suggestions (those which I agree with) and adjust my literature/method

I also know that many people will disagree with my theories. That is fine. To each their own. If people have helpful comments I am open to learning.

Actually, I think Ill write a post explaining this.

That youtube channel is me, but it is very outdated and alot of it I dont agree with anymore.. i actually forgot about it until now.

Thanks for your comment

Hi FASD,

Firstly,I am a nobody in martial arts terms and have never instructed anyone,and for that matter,never intend to.For guys who feel the need to instruct the only fail safe way is to follow the system of someone who has done it for real.Even then its a hit and miss affair as you will be passing on someone elses fighting experience rather than your own.Talk to the top guys,pick their brains and give them credit for anything you use.Its hard for anyone with experience to be taken seriously in this game,even those with years of doorwork and military work are challenged about their views.It you don't have that kind of experience its bascially a non-starter.Tough I know,but I am afraid its just the nature of this business.