Crossing the Line and Putting Them Down

We’ve all heard that statistic about communication, that 10% of what someone “gets” is the spoken works the other 90% is the speaker’s body language.  Maybe it’s 20% and 80% or 30% and 70% but whatever the case, body language is vital to clear communication.

So what do you “say” with your body in a self defense situation?  Depends on what you want the results to be and what stage the situation is at.  Is the assailant simply delivering verbal abuse?  Is the assailant throwing punches?  Is the assailant shooting dirty looks across the room?

Today in class we dealt with the body language involved once the fight has begun.  The trouble with body language is that it can be just as vague as verbal communication.  So we tried to be as clear as possible in transmitting: “you have crossed a line and now I have to put you down”.  Nasty, perhaps but best for all parties involved.

What is “crossing the line?”  That’s for each individual to decide.  What is “putting someone down?”  That again, is up to the practitioner.  The training floor is the safe place to figure out both those things so that when things go bad and there’s no time to have a philosophical discussion, you merely enact what you have decided.