Eskrima Kombat

Most martial artists tend to think in terms of techniques: how to punch, kick, block, disarm, do a double leg takedown and so on. But tactics tend to be ignored, not consciously, but it’s often something that we as martial artists think of. We can think of tactics as a means of avoiding fighting or of gaining an advantage in a fight.

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Consider the recent incident where a motorcycle mob surrounded a family in an SUV. One motorcyclist intentionally slowed down in front of the SUV, only to get knocked down. When the other motorcyclists started threatening the SUV driver, who had a wife and infant in the vehicle with him, he took off, running over several motorcycles in the process. After a pursuit, the SUV got stuck in traffic. The cyclists bashed through his window, yanked him out of the car, and beat him up.

For those of you whose solution to every potentially violent confrontation is to call the cops, one of the cyclists assaulting the SUV was an undercover cop!

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First of all, you are not legally obligated to stop your vehicle after an accident if you feel you are in danger. Given the cyclists’ threatening behavior prior to the first “bump,” followed by them getting even more agitated after the first rider was knocked over, the driver had good reason to fear for his and his family’s safety.

The driver ran over three cyclists.  So be it. I suggest you prepare yourself to run people or animals over if necessary. I reakize that sounds horrible, but don’t let your squeamishness or good intentions get you killed.

My father, a retired California Highway Patrolman, told me of drivers who were killed when they swerved to avoid animals like cats and dogs. I decided I would not make that mistake.

One day as I was driving home from work a dog ran out into the middle of an intersection on a heavily-traveled road with a speed limit of 55 mph. For some bizarre reason, the dog proceeded to crap right in the middle of the road. I tried to brake, but I knew that I would not swerve. I wasn’t confused, thinking “Swerve? Don’t Swerve? Swerve? Don’t Swerve?” because swerving wasn’t an option. I hit the dog. I’m not happy about that, and I hope the dog turned out okay, but swerving and dying was not an option. If you leap out into the middle of the road to try to get me to stop, you can expect to get run over.

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There are intersections in high-crime neighborhoods where drivers regularly blow through stop signs, because they know that if they stop, thugs will emerge from the shadows and rip them off. The thugs will surround the car, counting on you not to have the guts to run them over. You need to decide in advance that you will violate traffic laws if necessary for your safety.

My sister-in-law was parked at a red light with her son in a car seat beside her. Some lunatic leaped out from the bushes in the island and swiped at her car door. She punched the gas and ran right through the intersection on a red light. Running red lights isn’t a good thing, but you’ve got to get your priorities straight and do what you need to do to protect yourself.

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Lastly, where is your weapon in your car? Stash a weapon or weapons in your car. A car window’s safety glass is designed to crumble on impact. As seen in the video above, your car door window is no real barrier against an assailant, so you need to be prepared. Any hand that comes through that window needs to get cut. When a mob smashes your windows in, that’s a good time to bring out the gun.