You know what’s the difference between having or losing your front teeth? The half a second it takes for the attacker to punch you in the face. Or steal your bag, punch you in the stomach, stab you or God know what else. Violent crimes are not complicated combinations of skill and deceit- they’re just very quick acts of violence that will be very effective if you’re caught off guard. Thinking fast and responding fast are thus of the essence.

First thing first, conditioning is very important. Conditioning refers to practicing and acquiring reflexes for battle. The more you practice different moves, the more they will come naturally to you and will be performed correctly during the fight. Your brain will learn the move and will do it almost without you controlling it. This comes with a lot of practice, thus having a regime of training on a daily basis is essential.

Conditioning is not necessarily linked to your physical shape. True, people who are not in shape will tense harder and will thus get tired very quickly. However most violent encounters actually last only a few seconds. The build up to it takes a lot longer, but generally that doesn’t require physical effort.

Which in turn leads to the most important aspect of all: controlling your emotions. In any given scenario, it is the one who reacts faster who usually wins. And the one who reacts faster is the one who doesn’t care that much about the opponent. You must overcome your initial fear and reluctance to attack and go ahead with your instincts. Don’t think about the damage you’ll inflict and about what might happen next. If you’re in a situations that requires immediate response, the time for negotiations has long passed.

Fast reaction is an acquired skill. You’re not born with it. You’re born with your survival instinct, but social norms, rules and laws will erode it. However, if you train quick-response strikes and counterattack moves into your body’s muscle memory, you will be able to fight back without hesitation. Hesitation comes from unfamiliarity, but regular training will teach you to react to any scenario with confidence and efficiency.

Bottom line is: an effective fighter is not necessarily strong as it is in control of himself or herself. The point of no return, the point from which combat becomes inevitable, is when you want to move in full force “skipping” over the usual conflict buildup stages.