Wael Abdelgawad / Sabeel Combatives

Things that do NOT work in a street fight / self-defense situation:

1. Standing still, not moving your feet, especially when facing multiple attackers. It’s critical in this situation to work constantly for a superior position.

2. Deliberately taking a fight to the ground. This is a bad idea if there are any other people around. Someone will invariably step in to kick you in the head or smash a bottle on your scalp. Happens all the time. Save the ground grappling for situations where you’ve been taken down against your will. And forget about submissions. Your focus should be to escape the position and recover to your feet ASAP.

3. Failing to adapt. Thinking, “I will do a-b-c.” You must be able to think on the fly and deal with the reality in front of you, not what you have in your head.

4. Trying to talk your way out of an active conflict. There’s a time to negotiate, and a time to walk away. However if you’re already under attack, that’s the time to fight.

5. Closing your eyes, turning your back, pleading with the attacker to stop, curling up in a ball, or waiting for someone else to intervene. Maybe someone will help, maybe not. You have to fight as if no one in the world will help you.

6. Looking for a joint lock. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Hapkido practitioner and a huge fan of joint locks, but locks are techniques of opportunity. You take what is presented. You don’t go looking for it. And if it doesn’t work you abandon it instantly and flow into something else. It’s a good idea, by the way, to build failure into your training. Take a technique and have your partner counter it at various points, then see what you can do.

7. Over committing to any technique. Of course, every technique should be done with energy and follow through. But if it doesn’t work, don’t keep trying. Flow, move, attack in other ways.

8. Defending only and not counter-attacking. You cannot win by defending alone. Sooner or later the attacker will penetrate your defenses and wreck you. You must turn the tables and take the fight to him.

9. Not managing your fear. It’s critical in self-defense to channel your fear into action. Turn it into forward pressure. Become a maniac. This is what animals do when they are cornered. They stop cowering and attack instead. In martial arts this happens through training.

10. Using hands only. Not understanding that the entire body is a weapon. Elbows, knees, shoulders, head, teeth, fingers, these are all weapons.

11. Forgetting to kick. Kicks are a hugely important and effective tool. You can use them to create distance, take out the other guy’s legs, and bridge the gap.

12. Relying only on muscular strength, especially upper body strength. ALL POWER in martial arts comes from three things: body rotation, body weight and footwork.

13. Forgetting to monitor for weapons. Don’t assume the other guy is unarmed. He might pull a knife and stab you before you know what happened. Always monitor both his hands.

In life, be the man or woman you dream of being. Strive to be your best self. In war, be something no one expects. Be the nightmare they never even knew they had until they met you.

Also see my Youtube channel, Sabeel Combatives