It’s probably the most important decision you could ever be faced with.  In that moment, when your attacker intends to knife, shoot, or otherwise harm you.  This is no shoving match, or drunken brawl — this is real.

What are you going to do?  Try to disarm him, then run like hell?  If you’re like most people, this seems like the most sane option.  The guys at Target Focus Training see things very differently.

From their website:

Because if you try to keep yourself from being stabbed – you’ll get stabbed.

Try to avoid being shot – and you’ll get shot.

When facing violence on the street today, the only thing guaranteed to get you out alive is injuring your assailant.

They argue that it’s easier to disarm someone who is writhing in pain, and advocate an offensive approach, with intent to inflict maximum damage on your attacker.  No complicated holds, disarming moves, or throws; just a direct path to injury, like gouging out an eye or crushing their windpipe.  Interesting to note that they regard most forms of aggression to be social — for example, brawling to assert social dominance.  The Target Focus techniques are taught specifically for asocial situations, when dealing with a true sociopath.

I must admit, I’ve been intrigued by this program ever since coming across it, and hearing Jason Fried of 37signals endorse them at a recent conference (he trained with them) further spiked my interest.  What do you think of their kill-or-be-killed philosophy?  Too extreme?  Or is maximum violence really the best strategy?

• manpacks.com ken

  Read more about the difference between social aggression and asocial violence here.

• Dan Smith

  If a person or persons intend to do harm to myself or those i love, I will do whatever is nescessary to end that threat. I hold my Concealed Weapons Permit in my state and while I do not revel in the idea of ending someone’s life, if they start it, I intend to finish it.

  Don’t start none, won’t be none.