If you look like food, you'll get eaten.

[TGO David]

Copied from Shooting Wire

Tip From Tiger: SURPRISE

By Tiger McKee

The main reason some people attack other people - barring mental instability - is because they think they can get away with it. As Clint Smith says, "if you look like food, you'll get eaten." We volunteer to be food by not being aware of our surroundings, and telling predators through nonverbal communication, body language, that are an easy victim. To avoid being a 'target' we present body language that says we're confident and prepared, plus maintain awareness, using our senses to monitor our environment. If forced to fight we counterattack using speed and aggressive actions. We win the fight by forcing our opponent(s) to decide that we're not the victims they expected, or by gaining compliance through gunfire, inflicting enough physical damage that they can't continue to fight.

Body language is critical to not appearing as food. Keep your spine erect, shoulders back, eyes up, and walk with confidence. Shuffling along with your head down, shoulders drooping, and feet scuffing the ground, tells predators you are already beaten, you're just looking for someone to finish you off. When it comes to body language, speak confidently.

Use your senses to maintain awareness of your environment. Keep your eyes up, constantly scanning. While scanning, don't look to make sure everything is alright. This will cause you to miss something important. Get into the habit looking for something out of place, a sign that something is not right. I see possible trouble, and begin formulating my response in advance. Pay attention to your other senses as well. Being visually oriented creatures, we sometimes fail to pay attention to our other senses. You're walking in a parking lot at night when you hear someone running behind you. Look to see who it is and what they are doing. Don't let yourself be surprised you something you should have noticed.

When forced to fight, we immediately respond with aggressive actions. Remember, the attacker isn't expecting you to fight back. Speed, aggression, and surprise are important tactics. "I knew this could happen," you say to yourself, "and I have the skills to solve this problem." There is no time to freeze up or hesitate, and submitting is not an option. By fighting back you may be injured, but we know from recent events that curling up in the fetal position and hoping nothing happens doesn't work out well.

A couple words of advice: Don't overestimate your abilities, and never underestimate your threat(s). These two things will put you in the hurt locker quickly. Practice and improve your skills, planning for the worst case scenario. Stay alert. Judge people on what their capabilities may be, not what you think their intentions are. When it's time to fight, think, and make a decision, and respond immediately with aggressive actions. Make the threat(s) respond to your actions, instead of constantly responding to what's being done to you. Think about it this way - once the fight starts, you become the predator. Surprise!

--Tiger McKee

Tiger is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy, located in northern Alabama, author of The Book of Two Guns (Book of Two Guns) , a staff member of several firearms/tactical publications, and an adjunct instructor for the F.B.I. You can reach Tiger at (256) 582-4777 or learn more about his outstanding instruction at Shootrite Firearms Academy.

[Cruel Hand Luke]

Most fights are won before any blows are exchanged. Just like the analogy I use in class....."When does a boxing match start? At the first punch or at the bell? At the bell. If you were a deaf boxing fan and could not hear the bell ring, how would you know the fight had started? You'd see the fighters manuevering toward each other trying to get advantagous position....criminals do the same thing on the street."

If we pay attention to our surroundings, present ourselves as a hard target and not an easy target,do not rationalize away things that make you feel uncomfortable and learn to recognize the universal cues of impending attack, we can probably avoid 99.9% of fights. And those that we cannot avoid, we will be so far ahead in the OODA process that we will be able to act decisively before our opponent exects any resistance.

[Punisher84]

Excellent post David. Luke I really like your analogy as well.

When I started training my officers at work one of the first things I always ask for is their fighting/boxing/martial arts background. I like to judge their level of confidence, then ask them who they would be more afraid of the 300 pound linebacker or the 180 pound psych patient. The ones that answer the psych patient usually do well, the others get their ass kicked and end up on the stretcher in the next room lol

Underestimating an opponent is the WORST thing imaginable. I was watching military channel last night and it was covering Alpha Co. working road checkpoints in Iraq. The Staff Sgt. said "You can't go from 0 to 100 and win. You can't be complacent. You have to be at 100 and go down from there as needed" Something to that effect, but I thought it was pretty good.

[Guest Todd@CIS]

Although I've never met Tiger McKee, I highly recommend his book and enjoy his articles in SWAT magazine.

BTW, I could be wrong, but I don't think he has ever been an adjunct instructor for the FBI.

[BigPoppa]

Although I've never met Tiger McKee, I highly recommend his book and enjoy his articles in SWAT magazine.

BTW, I could be wrong, but I don't think he has ever been an adjunct instructor for the FBI.

Dude......how many times have I told you....... ? If it's on the internet, it's true !

[TGO David]

The adjunct instructor bit was just part of the whole copy n' paste.