The Six S's of Combat

In the Tactical Self Defense System there are six important concepts or principles to combat which all start with the letter “S” that should be applied to every violent situation. By following these concepts and principles which have been taken from systems that the military, FBI, CIA use as well as what convicts and street fighters use will put momentum on your side to help take out your enemy.


The First “S” = Situational Awareness

By having situational awareness, you are never caught off guard so you can either avoid or deal with whatever situation comes your way all due to having time to respond because you are alert to your surroundings because you are in a “code yellow” condition. Most people walk around being in “code white” not paying attention to their environment, thinking about what they have to do throughout their day, such as picking up the dry cleaning, doing groceries and so on.

So how do you have situational awareness and be in “code yellow”? Here are some suggestions.


Use Reflections: Be in the present moment and while going about your day use reflections from windows of buildings and cars to see what is happening around you, this will give you a complete 360 degree view of your surroundings making it harder for you to be caught of guard.

Keep Your Distance: Take corners wide. This way if someone is waiting for you around the bend, you will have time to respond to the stimuli and not be caught off guard. When walking, keep your distance from people walking next to you or while walking near people seated at side walk cafes. As well when walking next to bushes and other objects you want to give yourself some distance away from these objects incase someone is hiding near them.


Shadows: Notice shadows that are coming up on you while walking. This gives you an indication that someone may be making their move. While walking to your car or doorway observe to see if there are shadows around.


Senses: Use your senses such as sight which we have already gone into but smells as well. Do you smell cigarette smoke, body odor, alcohol? What do you hear - foot steps, a group of people coming your way from behind or a car speeding up towards you? These are all things that can help you either to avoid a situation from happening or to prepare yourself to deal with that situation so you can catch your enemy off guard and take him out. Always trust your gut instinct if something doesn’t feel right. Listen to what your gut is telling you.


The Second “S” = Stance & Spacing

Whenever dealing with anyone, you want to keep at least five to ten feet away from your enemy this way you have more time to respond to the stimuli that comes your way. You want to stand at a 45 degree angle with your knees slightly bent, hands up chest level while always talking with your hands. Have your chin slightly tucked in, so you’re protected if your enemy tries sucker punching you, you won’t get knocked out. This stance as well makes you less of a target then standing directly in front of your enemy and allows you to move away from your enemy’s attack quickly. Keep in mind to never back yourself into a corner. Always have your back towards a door, and if you need to back up, take one step back then turn so your back is always facing an exit this way you always have a way out.

Note: There are situations where having your back towards a wall can be helpful such as using it as a support so you don’t fall to the ground or having your back against a wall so you don’t have to worry about someone coming up from behind you.



The Third “S”= Scanning

While using situational awareness, you want to scan your surroundings. By scanning you prevent tunnel vision which is a major problem for people in a confrontation because then you exclude stimuli that could be coming their way such as the friends of your enemy coming into the picture while in the heat of the moment, or afterwards when the fight is over. Note what you can use in your environment to take out your attacker, items such as garbage bins, bus stop benches while fighting out on the street. While fighting indoors items such as vases, pots, pans, chairs and tables are all things that will make your life easier and safer for you to take out your enemy, more on this in a later chapter. So begin making it a habit whenever you walk into a room or in any environment to scan and see what you can use as a weapon if crap hits the fan and you need to take someone out.

You want to scan your enemy’s body language for cues that will indicate that he may become violent. Most people usually don’t have a clue on what to look for when it comes to the enemy’s body language to tell what his true intentions are when both of you are at a stand off before the first strike is thrown. Body language says more than verbal communication and is 60% of how a message is communicated. So what are some of these body language cues to look out for that tells you that a person will attack?

- Is he making a fist?
- Tight lips or jaw line
- Clinching his teeth
- Exaggerated motions such as swinging his arms
- Red face (angry/drunk)
- Staring at you (more than 70% of the time)
- While looking into his eyes his stare changes or he quickly goes off some where in his mind (he has triggered himself)
- Trying to invade your personal space
- Sweat dripping of his face (possible drug use)
- Aggressive tone
- What do you smell on him (alcohol/drugs)
- Changes from being in your face to being nice to catch you off guard
- Ignores you when your speaking to them
- Suddenly holds his breath (is getting ready to strike)
- Has his hand in his pocket while being verbally threatening (usually has a weapon in his pocket ready to pull it out and use it on you)
- Is quiet (watch out for the quiet ones)

Whenever dealing with anyone you want to keep at least five to ten feet away from your enemy this way you have more time to respond to the stimuli that comes your way. As well when dealing with someone under the influence of alcohol or drugs there behavior will be unpredictable so stay alert. Always focus on your enemy’s’ shoulders for this will give away there movement before actually attacking.


The Fourth “S”= Surprise

By having and using the element of surprise you now place momentum on your side. Remember what I have stated earlier “There’s no such thing as a dirty fighter…only an educated one” So if someone calls you out and begins taking off his jacket as he is taking off his jacket–attack him then¬–and keep attacking till you know he won’t be getting up. Also if someone calls you outside to fight when he turns around to walk out the door, hit him with a chair while his back is towards you, or strike him using your favorite tactic. There’s no such thing as a dirty fighter and if people want to call you that, then they have no idea what street fighting is about.


If you are in a situation where you are minding your own business and someone approaches you in a threatening manner, play timid but in your mind you are tapping into your “killer instinct mindset” and getting ready to execute your “specialized sucker punch”. What is a specialized sucker punch? It is any tactic that you do to catch your enemy of guard without telegraphing your intentions, surprising him and overwhelming him with your assault.

It could be bringing your hands in surrender mode and talking with your hands while stating “I don’t want any tro…” before you finish your phrase, you attack in mid sentence catching him off guard with either a finger jab to the eyes or a palm upwards to your enemies chin, and continue your assault till your attacker can’t get up off the ground..

Another way of doing this would be if you have a drink in your hand. Play timid. State your phrase, and before finishing it, throw that drink in your enemies face. This tactic can also be done with dirt being thrown into your enemy’s eyes. This then puts momentum on your side and all your enemy can do is go into a defensive state.

The Fifth “S”= Speed

By using the element of surprise, you also put speed on your side because your enemy doesn’t see your attack coming until it’s too late. When you attack, it must be done quickly, violently and in a committed manner. There should be no mercy. Once you have thrown that first strike, you continue striking your enemy as fast as you can without stopping. Do not throw one blow and then stop, for you are allowing your enemy to respond and shift the momentum onto their side. You want keep the momentum on your side at all times and that’s where speed comes in.






The Sixth “S” = Slaughter

This is what we call “code black” when you attack, you must have no reservations and be fully committed in your ambush. You should not be thinking of legal consequences of your actions or thinking that you don’t want to hurt your enemy that you just want to control him. Like I stated in a previous chapter, it would be like going to a gun fight with a knife. You’re going to lose because your enemy has a more powerful weapon than you do. Remember your most powerful weapon in self defense situations is your mindset.



Remember there’s no such thing as a dirty fighter only an educated one.


Norm Bettencourt