Context is everything -- Both bullying and sexual assault situations typically tend to be crimes of opportunity. (We talk about that in the classes we teach.) Stalking or straight-up "battle" situations are a completely different dynamic, and isn't some we teach to in the Basic courses.
For bullying and typical sexual assault scenarios, you win by avoiding being selected in the first place.
You don't *have* to be a more totally wicked bada3 than your potential attacker (although there's certainly nothing wrong with that if you can do it) --You just have to bed more trouble/work than he's willing to deal with.
We talk in class about how a full-grown, adult male grizzly bear will go out of its way to avoid an angry badger. No question at all about who would win the fight if there was one. But the bear says, "You know, maybe I'll just go this other way over here instead." The badger's just more pain than he's willing to accept.
That's all you have to do -- By look, posture, attitude, just be more work than they want to mess with. And I don't mean be a belligerent, antagonistic butthead.
Just be calm in the certainty of your skills, and let them see the promise of what's waiting for them if they go there.
You can be polite, even nice, without giving up that promise.
:-) |
