The Four Survival Rules to Live By

I am re-reading "Strong On Defense" by Sanford Strong and thought these 4 rules were crucial to surviving a violent attack.  I am passing them on as a public service and recommend this book to everyone.

"It's your decision:  accept victimization and whatever follows it as beyond your ability to stop, or demand of yourself escape and survival.  Whichever, it's a mind-set you alone set, you alone prepare yourself with.  The drive to survive must come from you.

The key elements that most benefit a violent criminal are time isolation and control.

The Four Rules work directly against all three.

The Four Rules are:

1)  React Immediately-your best chance to escape violence and minimize injury is in the first seconds.

2)  Resist-your only alternative is to submit;  both choices are lousy, but resisting gives you the best chance.

3)  Crime scene #2-always more isolated than the initial point of contact and always worse for you.

4)  Never, never give up-your attitude can keep you alive when you're badly injured.

Real courage and extraordinary action don't always come from highly trained, well-armed and physically conditioned professionals.  More often, they come from ordinary people faced with extraordinary situationss who face the fact that it's up to me to get myself out of this."

I am not affiliated with Mr. Strong, but agree with most of what he wrote in this book.  I don't believe in trusting the bad guy will not hurt you is you cooperate, but resisting violently.  After all, I named my system of self defense STRIKEBACK not SUBMIT.

"Rule #1:  REACT IMMEDIATELY

An armed stranger jumps you.  These first few seconds are as good as it's going to get.  With each second that passes, the more opportunity he has to hurt or kill you.  Time always works against the victim.  Expect the worst-statistics show that he's almost certainly a career criminal."

Sanford Strong-Strong on Defense 

"Rule #2:  RESIST

Submitting has consequences no less life-threatening than resisting.  Submitting volutarily places you under another's control.  During many interviews with victims of rape, I've (Strong) heard, "I submitted thinking that I would resist when I had a chance, but in a minute or two-it seemed like seconds-I was worse off."

Strong says you need to decide whether you fear most:  injury or being controlled.

"Fear of injury boxes you in and won't allow you to be full of savage animal rage."

Sanford Strong-Strong on Defense

 

Rule #3:  CRIME SCENE #2

"Murder is one thing, but torture, mayhem and savagery-it takes more time for these crimes.  Every torture case I have prosecuted involved a victim isolated and completely controlled."  Paul Pfingst

"You've read the stats on violent criminals.  If a guy is going to shoot or rape you in public, what will he do to you at crime scene #2?  As I said before, time only works against you and the place of first contact is as good as it's going to get.  You have options, chances, there.  But if you're moved from crime scene #1 (first contact), your options and chances disappear.  You may be moved only 5 feet from the sidewalk to the other side of some bushes, or fifteen feet down into a ravine.  You may be moved only a few feet, or miles.  The sole purpose in moving you is to get you out of sight and reduce the chance of intervention.  You wind up isolated and at the mercy of the merciless.  A crime scene #2 investigation usually involves murder, rape, sometimes sadism and torture.

Never allow the attacker to move you to a more isolated spot (behind the wall, over to the hedge).  If he's only a robberr, he doesn't need to move you.  A rapist and some killers are looking for isolation, seclusion.  Risk everything to stop a criminal from moving you to crime scene #2.  Risk injury.  Risk being shot.  Lousy options now are better than no options later." 

Sanford Strong-Strong on Defense

Rule #4-NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP

When everything is on the line, every man and woman has a storehouse of power available to use.  You only have to aim everything you have-mental and physical-at escape.  The power follows.  If you are ever the next target, your only chance to escape and maybe to survive, will depend on your resolve to never, never give up.  Attitude makes a helluva difference."

Sanford Strong-Strong on Defense

And of course, "Don't start no shit and there won't be no shit".

That only works with rational people though.

mikeblak...please explain how you would be rational with an armed robber, rapist or murderer.  I would like to hear your techniques.

To a violent criminal, you are just a four-letter word:  NEXT

Sanford Strong

RonaldMcDojo...it applies to rape and other violent crimes also.

Gary Hughes

For rape situation, I thought a girl’s best option was to submit, so it won’t hurt as much and cause internal damage? And also, so once the rapist is done, he won’t attempt to do anything more? (Resisting can make the rapist snap and thus do even worse things to you, like kill you). I never really studied the topic, but that’s just what I have always heard whenever the subject came up.

ttt, good post...

1) pull guard immediately
2) apply "Dim Mak"
3) apply knee on stomach
4) ask yourself,"What would Rickson Do?"

Chang...I believe that is horrible advice.  The goal of some rapists is to hurt and humiliate the woman.  It probably won't be just like having sex with someone they don't really like, it will probably be violent and possibly involve torture, mayhem and death.  I have read that many women have an easier time recovering psychologically if they resisted instead of submitted.  I have read stories where the only people who survived violent attackers with their lives were the ones who tried to escape at all costs.  If you were a woman, being taken away on the back of a motorcycle to be raped and tortured, would you be able to scratch out the eyes of the guy driving you, knowing you would crash and be injured?  If you were told to drive to a secluded location, would you crash the car immediately?  I have read stories of survivors who cooperated with their attackers.  When asked if they would cooperate again, most said they would try to kill the person who was attacking them or make the attack the hardest thing they would ever do.

Mental preparation is very important.  If you are going to resist, think about it and go through scenarios in your head. 

It's hard to civilized people to understand how some people can kill or violently assault someone with no remorse.

LOL @ "What would Rickson Do?"

 

HonkeyStyle...if only more crime victims knew how to switch into your Break Fool Mode, there would be much less crime.

WOW,Chang is way off mark!!!!

Chang where did you hear that terrible advice????

I've been teaching rape prevention for almost 15 years and I have never heard that!

Check out this website and tell these people they should not resist...

www.awsda.org

My thought is:

Submit only long enough to lull your attacker into a false sense of security and then "fight like you will never have a chance to fight again"!

"For rape situation, I thought a girl’s best option was to submit, so it won’t hurt as much and cause internal damage? And also, so once the rapist is done, he won’t attempt to do anything more? (Resisting can make the rapist snap and thus do even worse things to you, like kill you). I never really studied the topic, but that’s just what I have always heard whenever the subject came up."

i've heard that advice for muggings, not for rapes. there probably is some liberal fool preaching that and cooking his statistics till it sounds like a a good idea. it's not. it's a shitty idea. lets not forget HIV either.

another never mentioned benefit of the "fight like a maniac" school of thought - even if statisticly, resisting victims had more damage, in reality you often don't feel a thing. frightened for your life, fully adrenalized...fight like a maniac, adrenaline is the best pain killer out there. psychologically much healthier than lying down and taking it too.

lol Chang

GannonTheCannon posted:

"another never mentioned benefit of the "fight like a maniac" school of thought - even if statisticly, resisting victims had more damage, in reality you often don't feel a thing. frightened for your life, fully adrenalized...fight like a maniac, adrenaline is the best pain killer out there. psychologically much healthier than lying down and taking it too."

GannonTheCannon is correct, good info.

The only thing I will add is that you will almost certainly get hurt so you have to train to suppress that fear. The more training that you do the more confidence you will have and the better of the encounter will end up for you.

Gossamer is correct.