PREVENT VIOLENCE VS. DO VIOLENCE: PART II

HWP1 Ultimate Concealed Carry
HWP2 Weapons And Vectors
HWP3 Arsenals And Assemblies

PREVENT VIOLENCE VS. DO VIOLENCE: PART II

Preventing Violence VS. Doing Violence, Continued…

 

The best way to prevent violence is to not be there.

tim-larkin-violenceThe second best way is to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, be calm, and go out of your way to make peace everywhere you go.

While on the surface it may seem like a good idea to be intimidating, you never know when this will bite you in the ass. The primary problem is that the people it works on, the ones who will see you coming and clear out, are not the ones you’re worried about.

The ones you are worried about, the criminal sociopath, will see your intimidation tactics as a challenge, or, indeed, as a threat that must be neutralized.

In other words, you’ll scare away harmless people while simultaneously attracting monsters.

It’s important to note that preventing violence has nothing to do with physical action, unless that action is running away. Otherwise, preventing violence is all about navigating everything that comes before violence. There’s nothing you can do once the violence has begun to prevent it. At that point, your only option is to be the one doing it.

 

DOING VIOLENCE

This is really simple. It’s taking eyes, crushing throats, and breaking legs. It’s being the successful person in the situation, kicking the man who’s down. Instead of worrying about how to prevent violence, you’re doing it.

You can see how this is at odds with the idea of preventing violence — doing violence does not prevent violence. This is not the same as attempting to thwart a knife-thrust or keep from getting kicked while down. This is you doing the things you wanted to prevent to the other man.

This is focusing on the right side of the equation, the winner’s side. And over here, it’s pure physical action.

Now you can see where our problem, as instructors, lies (and maybe even some problems of your own). When people see the man getting stabbed, they want to know how to stop that from happening to themselves, and they assume — wrongly — that there is some kind of physical action that can keep them safe from such things. So they are looking for physical training to prevent violence. And there is no such thing.

Because we are looking at different sides of the equation (they see the man getting stabbed, I see the man doing the stabbing), the answers don’t always fit the question. When someone asks, “What do I do if the man wants to stab me?” and I show them how to take his eye, crush his throat, and break his leg, they are usually aghast at the “severity” of the action, as well as being uncomfortable since I really didn’t do anything about the knife.

When they ask, “How can I prevent him from stabbing me?” and I launch into a discussion of social/anti-social/asocial and mention running away, using your words, letting him have the parking space, etc., they are even more puzzled. What they really want is a way to not get stabbed once the stabbing starts, and that’s impossible.

You can’t prevent violence once it’s on, and if all you want is to change someone’s behavior, violence can’t do that. All it does is break down the human body, and shut off the brain. While some of you may want to argue that technically you prevent violence with violence by shutting the other guy off, please remember that that occurs only as a side effect. The goal must be to break things inside of him and take him to nonfunctional. If the goal is to prevent him from stabbing you, you’re at odds with the goal that will actually get that done.

Understanding that what people really want is an easy, painless way of preventing violence from happening, rather than to learn how to be the one doing it, cleared up a lot of misunderstanding for me as an instructor. It’s much easier for me to communicate when I know this is the baseline assumption. From the other side, it’s important to make it clear that there is no physical action that makes you safe. Physical action is not the path to safety, it’s the path to ruin the other guy.

If you want to prevent violence, be smart and use your social skills. But once the violence starts, the only thing that’s going to change the situation in your favor is hurting him. Confuse the two at your own peril.

All Latest Posts

  1. WHATS MISSING IN ALL SELF PROTECTION TRAINING & WHY THE MEDIA LIKES IT THAT WAY
  2. SELF-DEFENSE AND FIGHT SCIENCE
  3. PREVENT VIOLENCE VS. DO VIOLENCE: PART I
  4. PREVENT VIOLENCE VS. DO VIOLENCE: PART II
  5. SELF DEFENSE TRAINING: KILLING WITH RULES
  6. SELF-DEFENSE: STOP FIGHTING AND DELIVER A BEATING
  7. SELF PROTECTION QUESTION: HOW CAN I JUSTIFY THE USE OF VIOLENCE?
  8. SELF-PROTECTION MENTALITY: I WAS PREOCCUPIED WITH WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO TO HIM
  9. FIRST STRIKE: HOW AND WHY YOU SHOULD LAND IT
  10. INTIMIDATION DURING SELF PROTECTION IS A SUCKER’S GAME
  11. ANTISOCIAL CONFRONTATION: AGGRESSIVE, BADASS OR DEADLY?
  12. DEBILITATING INJURY: HOW TO TAKE A PUNCH
  13. TARGET FOCUS TRAINING PRINCIPLES IN A NUTSHELL
  14. SELF PROTECTION LESSON: MOVE WITH THE INJURED MAN
  15. SELF-DEFENSE CLASSES: WHO HAS THE REAL KOOL-AID?
  16. THE “NUCLEAR OPTION” OF LIFE OR DEATH SELF-DEFENSE
  17. INJURY IS THE ONLY GOAL OF VIOLENCE
  18. WHEN IS IT TIME TO LEARN SELF-DEFENSE TECHNIQUE?
  19. La guía de autodefensa de un teleadicto y otras historias
  20. Ein Couch-Potato-Leitfaden zur Selbstverteidigung und andere Geschichten
  21. SELF DEFENSE FACT: FIGHTING IS HARD. HURTING PEOPLE IS EASY.
  22. THE OL’ ONE-TWO
  23. ANTI-SOCIAL AGGRESSION AND TRAGEDY ARE AVOIDABLE
  24. PERSONAL SELF-DEFENSE: THERE ARE NO “EASY” TARGETS
  25. SELF-DEFENSE LESSONS: YOU CAN’T WAVE AN INVISIBLE GUN
  26. ARE YOU AGGRESSIVE, BADASS, OR DEADLY?
  27. THE TARGET FOCUS TRAINING EXPERIENCE
  28. SELF-DEFENSE Q&A: WHERE DOES TFT FIT INTO LAW ENFORCEMENT?
  29. IS LETHAL FORCE SELF-DEFENSE USEFUL IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE?
  30. “But I Don’t Want to Kill Anyone!”
  31. “But What If He Flinches?”
  32. A Couch Potato’s Guide To Self Defense and Other Stories
  33. Why Not Just Buy a Gun?
  34. It’s a Nice Idea–But Does It Really Work?
  35. There’s only one way to train
  36. The Beating, the Breaking, or the Fall from a Great Height?
  37. Speed: The Last Thing You Need For Self-Defense
  38. Fighting Through Injury
  39. Targeting: Secret To Self Defense Success?
  40. Are You Learning To Fight… Or To Dance?
  41. Generación de máxima potencia
  42. Maximale Leistung erzeugen
  43. What Color Crayon Should I Use For A Ruptured Spleen?
  44. INJURY – The Only Goal Of Violence
  45. Violence as a Survival Tool
  46. Generating Maximum Power
  47. Social Confrontation vs Asocial Violence – Part 3
  48. Social Confrontation vs Asocial Violence – Part 2
  49. Social Confrontation vs Asocial Violence – Part 1
  50. Striking… TFT Style
  51. The Final Word in Context: MURDER
  52. Scenario Based Training Vs. The Hard Knot
  53. Time to Stop Lying to Yourself
  54. The Mindset to Survive and the Will to Win
  55. Training to “Wait and See”
  56. Access the Meat: Choosing the Level of Interaction in Violent Conflict
  57. Why Self-Defense is NOT Enough…
  58. SOCIAL OR ASOCIAL VIOLENCE – WHY BOTHER?
  59. THE ULTIMATE SELF-DEFENSE FIGHTING TECHNIQUE
  60. STRIKING – TFT STYLE
  61. ACCESS THE MEAT: CHOOSING THE LEVEL OF INTERACTION IN VIOLENT CONFLICT
  62. SELF DEFENSE IS NOT ENOUGH
  63. LEARN SELF DEFENSE: SHUT UP AND HURT HIM
  64. WINNING VIOLENCE: WOULD IT MATTER TO A SERIAL KILLER?
  65. DO SELF DEFENSE LESSONS LIKE TFT REALLY WORK?
  66. SELF-DEFENSE FACT: INJURY IS WHAT WORKS IN VIOLENCE
  67. SELF-DEFENSE TRUTH: WORRYING ABOUT LOSING WON’T MAKE YOU WIN
  68. LEARNING SELF-DEFENSE IS NOT ENOUGH
  69. PROTECT YOURSELF: BUILD A BETTER MONSTER
  70. LEARN SELF DEFENSE: THE DEFINITION OF VIOLENCE
  71. SELF DEFENSE QUESTION: ARE THERE ANY DOWNSIDES TO LIVING IN THE CAUSE STATE?
  72. A SELF DEFENSE TOOL IS JUST A TOOL
  73. SURVIVING THE AFTERMATH OF SELF-DEFENSE
  74. MULTIPLE ATTACKERS SELF-DEFENSE: PART THREE
  75. SELF PROTECTION: NATURE OR NURTURE?
  76. SELF DEFENSE AND YOUR EXPECTATIONS
  77. UNDERSTANDING VIOLENCE: FOUR LEVELS OF HUMAN INTERACTION
  78. WHY DO WE TEACH LETHAL SELF DEFENSE?
  79. SELF DEFENSE MINDSET: WHAT IS YOUR LIFE WORTH?
  80. BUT I DON’T WANT TO KILL ANYONE!
  81. SELF DEFENSE TRAINING VS. MMA TRAINING
  82. MULTIPLE ATTACKERS SELF DEFENSE: PART TWO
  83. ES IST EINE MÄNNER WELT… ODER WARUM ICH ES HASSE, FRAUEN ZU TRAINIEREN
  84. IMPACTANTE ESTUDIO REVELA QUE LA CONDICIÓN FÍSICA NO ES UN FACTOR CUANDO LUCHA POR SU VIDA
  85. CUANDO TU VIDA ESTÁ EN JUEGO, AQUÍ ES CÓMO JUGAR SEGÚN LAS REGLAS
  86. SCHOCKIERENDE STUDIE ZEIGT, DASS FITNESS KEIN FAKTOR IST, WENN UM IHR LEBEN KÄMPFT
  87. WENN IHR LEBEN AUF DEM SPIEL STEHT, SO SPIELEN SIE NACH DEN REGELN
  88. MANIOBRAS CORPORAL PARA EMPRESARIOS
  89. KÖRPERMANÖVER FÜR GESCHÄFTSLEUTE
  90. ES UN MUNDO DE HOMBRES… O POR QUÉ ODIO ENTRENAR MUJERES
  91. USING VIOLENCE: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES
  92. MULTIPLE ATTACKERS SELF DEFENSE: PART ONE
  93. SLOW YOUR SELF PROTECTION TRAINING DOWN
  94. SELF DEFENSE TECHNIQUE: BUILD YOUR TARGET MAP
  95. SELF DEFENSE MOVES: KNOW HOW TO BREAK A NECK
  96. VIOLENCE & KISS (OR KILL IT SIMPLY, STUPID)
  97. SELF DEFENSE IS A SHAM • PART 2
  98. PRACTICING SELF DEFENSE: CAN BIGGER-STRONGER-FASTER MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
  99. THE BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS IN USING VIOLENCE
  100. SELF DEFENSE IS A SHAM • PART 1
  101. VIOLENCE STARTS AND ENDS WITH YOU
  102. FORGET FIGHTING. DELIVER AN INJURY.
  103. A FIREARM ISN’T EVERYTHING
  104. NAILING DOWN INTENT
  105. THE ANATOMY OF A SELF DEFENSE SEMINAR
  106. THE SELF DEFENSE PARADOX: IF YOU WANT A TRULY PEACEFUL LIFE, THEN TRAIN VIOLENCE.
  107. WHEN YOUR LIFE IS ON THE LINE, HERE’S HOW YOU PLAY BY THE RULES
  108. SHOCKING STUDY REVEALS FITNESS NOT A FACTOR WHEN FIGHTING FOR YOUR LIFE
  109. BODY MANEUVERS FOR BUSINESSMEN
  110. ITS A MAN’S WORLD… OR WHY I HATE TRAINING WOMEN

Stay up to date and receive exclusive self-protection tips & resources.

Books by Tim Larkin

Scroll to Top

Search

Search for anything regarding on the site here:

Login To Your Account

Create Free Account