Being Combative by Dave Spaulding

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Being Combative

by Dave Spaulding

Throughout the Paladin library, you will see many listings for unarmed “combatives” or “combative” skills. Often, these are references to open-hand skills, many of which originated with W.E. Fairbairn and E.A. Sykes in the streets and alleys of Shanghai, China, in the 1930s and while training commandos during World War II.

It would be wise for anyone interested in his personal security to research these topics and be able to use open-hand skills in the event of a personal attack. Being skilled with a knife or gun is not enough, as reality has shown that you are much more likely to be assaulted with a pair of fists than a weapon. The use of a gun against an unarmed attacker is generally viewed as an unreasonable use of force unless some victim/attacker circumstance skews the situation (e.g., an 80-year-old woman attacked by 21-year-old man).

As important as combative skills are, however, they are not as important as “being combative.” What I am talking about is having the right state of mind to engage in combat. My friend Kelly McCann once told me, “Fighting is 10 percent skill and 90 percent mental. If you don’t have the mental aspects, no amount of skill will help.” He is correct, of course, and developing a strong will to win is critical. Webster’s Dictionary defines the word combative as “ready and willing to fight,” while the word mindset is “a previous decision, a set course of action determined beforehand based on reason and intellect.” Having a combative mindset is essential, as having made the previous decision to fight if attacked removes a very serious hurdle to your personal security.

                               

It doesn’t take much reason and intellect to know we live in perilous times. If violence comes your way, be ready and willing to fight !

Dave Spaulding is a retired lieutenant from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office in Dayton, Ohio, where he worked in all facets of law enforcement, including SWAT, training, crime-scene investigation, undercover operations, and violent crime investigations. He is a graduate of most of the better-known shooting schools and the author of more than 1,000 articles in firearm and law enforcement publications. He is the author of the two best-selling books Defensive Living and Handgun Combatives

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