The 8 Attributes of an Attacker
We need strong self defense: for physical attacks, work or social assaults, and for full-on, all-out, relentless, taking-no-prisoners “destroying the 99%” attacks.
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You are under attack
Your attackers know this. They absolutely know that they are attacking you.
Do you recognize the attack?
Remember, your attackers have three advantages: they know when, where and how.
A strong defense takes advantage of the attacker’s weaknesses
There is no need to confront an attacker with the truth. They know what they are doing. It’s obvious that they do. Because it’s what they’re doing.
Sun Tzu said: The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.” from The Art of War, 3:18.
Apple does this. They allow their competitors to enter the market with new products, innovations and advancing technologies. Then they study. They probe for weaknesses, and develop their responses. When their response finally comes, it is often devastating.
Don’t meet force head on
We do not meet our enemies in the field of battle where they have the advantage. We allow them to expose themselves, to hand us their vulnerabilities. The following tip from Jiu Jitsu demonstrates this on practical level:
A grab is a gift. Because once they grab us, we know where that hand is. The threat they think they are making by grabbing us is actually an act of neutralizing themselves to some extent.
The 8 Attributes of an Attacker
They are forearmed, and they pick their moment.
An attacker picks on someone they perceive as weaker. It is a hallmark of a bully. Bullies often bully because they get off on it. It’s a sadistic form of enjoyment and power — and always at someone else’s expense. We need to accept this. Because if we fight this, struggle with the ‘wrongness’ of this kind of behavior, then we are struggling within our self. If we are struggling within ourself, we are tense and at odds with the truth. This is not good strategy. Because struggling with the truth puts us at an even greater disadvantage. Accepting the truth, however, enhances good flow and smooth movement. We can all use more smoothness in our lives.
Pain and suffering: this is an important point. Attackers like to benefit from the pain, suffering, embarrassment, humiliation and loss of others. Their premise is - No benefit, No fun. If there’s no benefit, why attack? Given that attackers understand pain and suffering, it actually makes sense that there are times when we need to introduce pain to them to lead them to a better, more balanced state of being. In other words, we lead them to a better place utilizing something that they understand - pain and suffering.
Attackers are on the offense. We are on the defense. This is why we consider their behavior so offensive.
Defensiveness does not mean submissiveness. It simply means we are not out to be offensive — unless there is a defensive reason to do so. Jiu Jitsu is the most comprehensive of all defensive martial arts. This means that it has a full arsenal of weapons and doesn’t limit itself. With that perspective in mind we can start to realize that someone who is focused on self defense does not mean that they are handicapped.
The attacker has developed habits. People who physically attack others on the street do so because they have gained confidence through repetition, or because they are desperate. It is no different in non-physical confrontations. In everyday self defense applications, we study flow including the flow of habits. We come to understand that sound martial art strategies can help us redirect our attackers energy while we ourselves maintain good flow and a sense of balance and calmness.
The attacker seeks a position of strength. This includes the element of surprise or the use of overwhelming force. Powerful benefits can emerge in our confrontations with others when we have learned through everyday life practice to stay calm and relaxed. We are less likely to have the reflex reaction of being startled when someone surprises us with a ‘boo’ sort of attack.
Attackers often employ weapons. This can be accomplished by gaining some kind of strategic high ground. Strategic high ground can include things like humiliation and embarrassment. There are many tools or weapons in the arsenal of an everyday life attacker that are similar to the swords, firearms, bombs, missiles and warships of a more traditional attacker.