A lot of people join Martial Arts classes in hopes of learning Self Defense techniques to use when violence strikes. Sadly, they are unaware of the most important rule: “Know thy enemy”.

More important than techniques and moves, it is vital to look into the criminal’s mind and understand what the bad guy(s) want(s).

To always “wrist lock and groin kick” or “jab cross uppercut” or “Thai kick, followed by a takedown, ground and pound” an opponent without knowing what he or she wants is to invite disaster.

If you know what the baddie wants, you can therefore manipulate him/ her in a manner that maximizes your survival rates, positions him/ her in a worse position, thus allowing you to evade, escape or fight back effectively.

The good news is that criminals’ wants are simple to categorize. We at Senshido believe that the bad guy usually wants one or more of the three following things: Valuables, Body, Life.

“Valuables” includes money, credit cards, clothing, shoes, cars, and anything else that can be obtained from the victim and sold or used by the criminal for his or her benefit.

“Body” basically means that the bad guy(s) wants to beat you up, torture you, rape you, or any other behavior targeting your body.

Finally, “Life” means that the opponet wants to kill you, snuff out your life.

A sadistic psychopath may kill for the thrill of it; in this case, your “Life” is also a “Valuable”. A mugger or home invader attacks his/ her victims for their “Valuables” but can often take advantage of the situation to rape (”Body”).