Before almost any physical altercation takes place there exists a segment of time known as the interview stage. The interview stage is when your potential attacker (BG, or Bad Guy, from here in) is sizing you up to determine whether or not you are easy enough game. This is also the time when the BG will try to intimidate you and perhaps set you up for a sucker punch. In terms of physical self defense skills there are three main phases of the interview stage that we should be concerned with:

• The Pre Contact phase
• The Attempted Contact phase
• The Contact Phase

The Pre Contact phase

            The Pre Contact phase is the part of the interview before the BG actually attempts to lays his hands (or feet for that matter) on you. This is not to say that he has not been aggressive yet. He can be very aggressive and not touch you. He could be attacking you verbally and making very clear that he is planning to harm you physically. Since he has not attacked you (physically) yet this is the best time for you to defend yourself because you can become the actor rather than the reactor. However, since he has not yet made a physical motion towards you, this is the shakiest ground to be on in legal terms. You must be positive that he intends to harm you and you have exhausted every opportunity for de- escalation. If you are not sure keep trying to de- escalate until you are certain and prepare for the next phase.

The Attempted Contact phase

            The Attempted Contact phase is the part of the interview when the BG attempts to touch you in a threatening or violent way. The most common examples of this are when the BG attempts to grab you or shove you. At this point he has made a clearly aggressive gesture but he hasn’t actually made contact yet. This is the last instant in which you can take action rather than having to react. It requires a quick head and some good reflexes for you are essentially acting at the same time as him and must be the first to land. This strategy is often called “beating him to the punch”. That is a bit of a misnomer because a punch happens much faster (usually) than a grab or shove although up here in Canada grabbing the shirt often happens just before a punch comes in (Picture a hockey fight).  It should also be noted that this phase is sometimes skipped and the altercation can move straight from the Pre-Contact phase to the Contact phase.

The Contact Phase

            The Contact phase is when the person has already made contact with you or is just about to. The point here is you are reacting to the BG’s attack and have to regain the initiative before you can react. Obviously this is the ideal ground to be on legally but it is also the worst from a personal protection point. Anyone who tells you that you have to wait for this phase before you can attack is wrong. There is no need, legally or morally, to allow yourself to be harmed before you can defend yourself. However, this phase can occur. It shouldn’t occur if your doing everything right but even though we plan for perfection we also have to prepare for disaster.

            Now that we have an understanding of the phases of a pre-altercation interview right up until the point when you are actually involved in a physical exchange, we need to have some strategies to deal with them. The obvious first step is not to get to that physical altercation. This requires you to be very proficient in de-escalation skills, which should include verbal as well as non- verbal communication skills. Not only will this help with de- escalating the situation it will help you know when de- escalation is not an option any longer.

            Once de-escalation is no longer an option your best bet is a pre- emptive strike. Every one has their favorites and it is hard to say which technique is best but I think in the least you should follow the “closest tool” rule. This means a lead hand (or leg) technique. The goal here is to strike with a maximum of speed and as much power as you can then follow up with more powerful techniques immediately. Remember once you attack do not stop until you are certain you are out of danger.

            During the next phase, if you haven’t acted yet already, you now have two things to do; you have to stop him from touching you while at the same time hitting him. While you can still use a pre-emptive strike at this point, you will have fewer margins for error and he could disrupt you before your strike landed. Another option is a parry and strike combination. Essentially you check, or parry, his reaching arm(s) and strike, again using the closest tool rule.

            If you haven’t acted before the third phase your life starts to get rough. You are now in pure reactor mode and must regain the initiative before counter-attacking. Luckily this is the phase in which most martial arts start to teach you responses. There are literally hundred of scenarios that could occur but regardless of the scenario any response must follow a few principles. First you must counter attack as soon as possible; you want to be in charge not the other way around. Second, don’t run; evade to the side or circle but don’t run straight back, it just delays the inevitable. Last, be strong; step forward and meet his attack with confidence. Sometimes going straight into your opponent is all the defense you need because it can throw his timing off and get you inside his power.

            The Pre- Altercation Interview is a dynamic event but in general it can be broken down in to three phases. With each phase you allow yourself to enter without attacking, you lower your chances of mounting a successful defense. Also by breaking down the interview stage in to phases you can give yourself a few more areas to concentrate on and develop strategies for the different types of assaults you may see in the different phases. Understanding the pre- altercation interview is one of the most important goals of true self defense training because if you understand them you can control them. In combat we should always be in control.