Coach Tony Torres says that the biggest problem in Control Tactics is that people try to exert Control too soon in the confrontation timeline.  In our 9 attitudes methodology from Functional Edge System, we understand that the key phases of any physical confrontation are:
1) Survival (staying conscious, upright and ‘with it’)
2) Reversal (slowing or stopping the cadence and progress of the assailant’s actions)
and only then
3) Engagement (causing dysfunction to the assailant which will lead to options for resolution)
These Attitudes will only ever become necessary when Alertness and Preventative attitudes have failed – where words and behaviour alone have failed to remove the threat from a situation.
Without a fundamental level of skill in Survival and Reversal tactics, which then give us some proper and real opportunities to Engage, the confrontation will have a high risk of injury and a low likelihood of rapid control.
Tony Torres, based in Arizona,  is the Functional Edge System founder and he is the master-trainer for Dynamis’ unique self-protection trainer programme in the UK, www.dynamis.training/self-protection-trainer
To read more about the 9 Attitudes, please read the 9 Attitudes outline document here.
