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Is it possible to instantly assess the dangerousness of an adversary?

In a self-defense scenario, is it possible to recognize the preparation level of a potential aggressor only looking at him / her (his / her stance, way of moving, etc.)? No. We cannot be sure. We can try to read some of the most common signals but we cannot (and we must not) be sure.

Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).

Before continuing it is important to stress that the difficulty to carry out a reliable analysis comes from various reasons:

An intelligent opponent hides / lower his real skills until they are completely necessary (in a true self-defense scenario we will rarely see, for example, a boxer assuming his guard position until it is strictly necessary); if we face (eg. during a quarrel) a person assuming immediately a declared guard stance without a real need, probably he simply has fear and he is not an expert, but this does not mean that he is not dangerous at all
A good fighter can be so sure of himself (a wrong attitude) to have the arrogance of exposing himself not showing immediately his combat settings (eg. provoking us without a guard, etc.); this does not mean at all that will be easy to defeat him (this could also be a trap)
The fact that we recognize for example a Judo stance, does not mean at all that the opponent knows only that martial art (with its approach, techniques, limits, strong points, etc.), it only means that it is possible that he knows something about it, nothing more
In addition to all of this, in such a moment of stress, it is not always easy to assess and cross logically so small details (it is a matter of mental training)
…

A note by Master Kongling – Let’s always accept the odds and reject certainties. In general, however, it is always better to assume that our adversary is much stronger than us.

Self-defense: the starting point

Personal defense: the S.A.F.E. method – This is the base of our self-defense strategy, from prevention to engagement
Best martial arts for self-defense – The unknown truth behind the failure of 90% of the classical superficial self-defense teachings
Why and when self-defense does not work – The 2 mistakes of most of the self-defense courses

How to evaluate the combat skills of an opponent

Self-defense: assess the dangerousness of an aggressor – How to understand if an adversary has dangerous martial skills
How to study an opponent – A deeper look at what a serious analysis should be made
The signals that identify an attacker who practice martial arts – What we can look at and why

In-depth video courses

Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu Exercises – A video course about the fundamental steps to build real martial skills
Self-defense basics: how to – Everything you basically need to protect yourself and who is with you
non violent
Self-defense: not violent self-preservation – Methods to solve Self-Defense scenarios without recurring to violence

In-depth articles

Forget everything you know about multiple opponents fighting [MINI-GUIDE] – How to address multiple opponents scenarios and why
The guide to the signals of aggression – A mini-guide to spot all the micro-signals that can warn us of an impending aggression

A note by Master Kongling – Here you can find our free guides index Free online Kung Fu mini-guides, we update them periodically.

If you want to ask for specific articles or give priority to one that is already scheduled, read Learn Kung Fu online: request a specific article.

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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