Force Continuum for the Civilian Martial Artist

bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

This post was originally published as an article in a dedicated KarateForums.com Articles section, which is no longer online. After the section was closed, this article was most to the most appropriate forum in our community.

KarateForums.com member Liver Punch started a thread titled "Is 'how much force to use' the wrong question?" This led to a discussion regarding to use of force that extended to questions like "how much force is allowed?," and "how much force should one use?"

While rehashing that great discussion is not the point of this article, that thread does serve to background as to the ideas I will bring forth here. What I gathered from the thread was the difference in ideas involving the use of force between law enforcement officers (LEOs) and civilian martial artists. I believe this stems from civilian martial arts instructors who teach techniques that can be lethal, and use blanket statements that over-generalize situations, such as, "if he threatens to kill you, you can defend your life with deadly force."

While at times this may be valid, I think what is lacking is the fact that no situation is stagnant, and as a scenario changes, so can the force options available to the martial artist. Liver Punch described getting "tunnel vision" in regards to a practitioner wanting to test out certain skills, and if a practitioner doesn't have a flexible force continuum to rely on, then this tunnel vision can set in.

That may lead to a martial artist making a decision that he or she may find tough to live with, or even end up putting them on the other end of the scenario in a court of law.

I think one of the major factors behind what Liver Punch described in his thread as "tunnel vision" is the lack of a use of force continuum being taught to civilian martial artists. Law enforcement officers are more fortunate in this regard, as they are exposed to it in the beginning of their training. In addition, departments usually maintain some form of policies or guidelines in regards to use of force, and conduct specialized training in use of force scenarios.

Many civilian martial arts instructors lack these models, and often times "defending one's life" is spoken of, but remains black and white. The goal of this article is to present some concepts that might be applied in the use of a force continuum for civilian martial artists.

The Force Continuum

I feel it is important from the outset to identify that a force continuum is a sliding scale upon which the person defending themselves will likely have to escalate or de-escalate in regards to how an incident unfolds. A common example of this is when an attacker is knocked to the ground. Kicking a downed man in the head can quickly turn bad for a defender, especially if the downed man is no longer a threat. The ability to identify and make these decisions is best honed through scenario training.

The civilian martial artist is not likely to have the array of tools available to him that a law enforcement officer has, so I don't think it viable to simply adopt a law enforcement continuum. I won't be laying out a continuum model in this article, but I will lay out some guidelines that will hopefully demonstrate how and when to decide to escalate or de-escalate along a force continuum.

The two big things to keep in mind when you make a force decision are justification and articulation. There will need to be a justifiable reason as to why you respond the way you do. Articulation is the tool that helps you put this justification into words, elaborating on why you responded the way you did, and what you responded to.

More often than not, the civilian martial artist will have his hands and feet to work with, and perhaps nothing else. Many people do carry pocket knives, which could be a viable defense option if necessary. The increasing popularity of conceal and carry permits may also offer another option in defense. Something a person will almost always have available to use in self defense is their voice. Knowing what to say and how to say it can be just as important during self defense as knowing when and how to punch, kick and choke. Like anything in the martial arts, the skill of using verbal commands and phrases is something that must be trained regularly in order for the skill to be usable on the street. Yelling out commands such as, "leave me alone," "stop hitting me," or "put the knife down," can be very helpful in helping yourself identify threat levels, and helping in the justification for your actions later on.

For the purpose of this article, I will use the above listed options in reference to the "scale" that the defender can slide up and down on. In regards to the scale, it is important to note that there is no hard and fast starting point or ending point that an incident must progress through. A self defense situation does not have to start with verbal commands and end with deadly force. Depending on the circumstances, the scenario may start out as being a deadly force situation. If this would end up being the case, then it is important to know that if the need to jump to the top of the scale and defend with deadly force is warranted, then to do so is justifiable.

Totality of Circumstances

This is a popular phrase in law enforcement circles, and is applicable to civilian self defense as well. As I alluded to earlier, not every situation is black and white, and there are variables that can cause escalation or de-escalation along the force continuum. Things like relative size/strength/age of the attacker in comparison to your own, gender difference, being outnumbered, any knowledge of training acquired by the attacker, fatigue or overall general health issues, and the environment can all impact what level of force you use.

Being outnumbered with your back to a wall may constitute escalation in force, and likely a justifiable use of a weapon. A drunk, 115 pound female waving a broken beer bottle while stumbling and vomiting on herself may not present a lethal force threat at all. Being aware of the totality of the circumstances in a given situation can help in making proper force decisions. Here again I would advise that scenario training is the martial artist's best friend.

There are three things to consider when evaluating what level of force to use: ability, opportunity and jeopardy. Does the attacker(s) have the ability to cause you severe bodily harm, or even death? Does the attacker(s) have the opportunity to do so? Are you in jeopardy of being harmed? In our outnumbered scenario, with our back to the wall, we can easily justify ability and opportunity by the attackers, and you can likely convey a sense of being in jeopardy at that time. However, with our drunken female friend (or ex-friend...), based on her inebriated state, honestly determining her opportunity or ability to cause harm must be taken into consideration, as well as what kind of jeopardy you feel you are in. True, she has a weapon, but if she is really falling down and vomiting, do you feel in jeopardy of being harmed? Perhaps not, but if you so choose to harm this person, can you justify it?

Other Considerations

When to use force is rarely difficult to identify. However, when to stop using force can be. Turning the switch off can be tough, but it has to be trained, too. A civilian martial artist doesn't want to cross that line and become the attacker. If a threat becomes neutralized, then it's time to re-evaluate force options. Can you safely escape or detain the attacker until help arrives? Do you feel safe doing so? Is there anyone else in the area that puts you in further danger? It is also important to realize that upon the culmination of a life-threatening event, the blood can boil. It is important to never use force as punishment or retribution. This is a sure way to turn the tables on yourself, going from victim to perpetrator, and all just to "teach them a lesson." Along similar lines, when weapons are brought into play, you want to be sure you can safely and effectively use them without putting the safety of other innocent people at risk, especially with a firearm.

The final point I would like to touch on in regards to use of force is the ability to articulate why you did what you did in self defense. After the physical fight, there is always the probability that you will have to speak with the authorities about what happened. As I mentioned earlier, it is important to be able to justify your actions through competent articulation. Explain the feeling of fear you had. Describe the attacker's words and actions toward you. Describe how you tried to defuse the situation. If you pulled a weapon, explain why you felt the need to do so in regards to the attacker's actions. These skills can be honed by debriefing your training scenarios, and choosing proper vocabulary to describe actions taken.

Conclusion

I hope this article has presented some ideas and concepts for civilian martial artists, both students and instructors alike, to use in training scenarios in regards to various levels of force in self defense. In everything that a martial artist does during their studies, it's important for them to learn that just because one can fight, doesn't necessarily mean one should fight. By implementing the concepts of a force continuum, civilian martial artists can learn not only when it becomes necessary to act, but also how to act, and to what level it is necessary to go to.
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Patrick · KF Administrator

Thank you for the article, Brian. I enjoyed reading it.

Patrick
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bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

Thanks, Patrick. I hope it was helpful.
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CredoTe · Red Belt

Great article and insight. What are some books or websites you could recommend to look into these things further, and maybe even get some civilian training in these areas?
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sensei8 · KF Sensei

Now, that's a very solid article!! I enjoyed quite a lot across the board.

When it comes to defending myself, do I worry about what's proper and acceptable force and the like, or, do I just defend myself?? This is a personal question, imho.

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DWx · Black Belt

This is a great article Brian, I'm going to save it to read again later

I'm fortunate to have never been involved in a physical altercation as have managed to avoid and deescalate so far. But I always wonder how I'd react if my back was really to the wall.
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Wastelander · KF Sensei

Very important stuff--thanks for sharing!
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bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

CredoTe · Red Belt

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