I wrote this a while ago. The 18th of November to be precise. Okay, a long while ago…. Probably after one krav maga class. Not like I know much about it after 3. I thought I had copied it from my journal, but it seems like I haven’t. I’m sure that there is more to add to it, but I’m just going to post it and if I ever want to I can always change it… if you have anything to add please let me know!!

I wrote this when I had begun copying out a letter to myself – https://elizareasonstolive.com/letter-to-myself-15th-november-19/ – and found it interesting to see how the rules of krav maga apply to real life.

The first rule of krav maga is not to fight unless you have to.

Don’t engage. Don’t fight. Run away. Get away from the battlefield as fast as possible.

Taking preventative measures comes first. Be aware and avoid violence. You can prevent yourself from getting into a danger zone by keeping your eyes and ears open. If you see a problem around you, stay away. – Core principles krav maga

Don’t engage with the thoughts or desires. Don’t fight them. Run away. Get away from the battlefield as fast as possible. Don’t fight when you don’t need to. Whenever and wherever possible stay away from fighting.

Rule two of krav maga – distract

If you are facing the opponent and can’t get away without engaging at all, distract your opponent and use those seconds that you’ll have whilst the enemy is distracted to run away.

If you’re already engaged with the demons in your head, distract yourself. Don’t engage, and run away. Don’t entertain the thoughts or wonder if they’re real. Don’t rationalise it or think it through logically – I promise you can come up with 100 logical proofs why the demons in your head are correct. I know I always can! Maybe not a hundred. Distract with whatever works best for you. Call someone. Listen to music. Watch a movie. Scrapbook. Journal. Exercise.

Prevent yourself from getting in danger by keeping your eyes and ears open. You know your danger zones. You know when the monster in your head likes to take control. Prevent yourself from getting in contact by avoiding triggers. Keep your eyes and ears open. Stay aware at all times and don’t put yourself in situations that could be unsafe.

If you have to fight, knock your enemy down as fast as possible by hitting their weak spots. As soon as they’re down, run. If you have to engage with your demons, hit their weak spots, then run away. Don’t engage with them.

Don’t stay to kill or disarm the enemy. Just run. The enemy is stronger and the goal is safety. Don’t stay to destroy the demons. The demons may be stronger than you. Run to safety whilst you can.

Always face your enemy, know who they are, and be aware of any attacks they can carry out on you. Know what the monster in your head looks like. Be aware of the tricks it may play to engage with you and destroy you.

Keep both feet on the ground whenever possible so that you’re less likely to be unbalanced. When you’re walking or moving side step so that you have both feet on the ground at almost all times. When you have one foot in the air you don’t have the same balance. If someone pushes you when you’ve a foot in the air you’ll go flying. If someone pushes you when you’ve both feet on the ground you’ve a greater chance of remaining standing. Your chances of getting up from the ground and running are less than your chances of being able to run when you’re standing at all times. Keep yourself balanced as much as you can. Try not to put yourself in a position where someone or something can unbalance you easily.

Side note. Sometimes you can kill the enemy. You can use moves that will disable them or destroy them completely. You can destroy the demons. I was discussing this with someone, saying how I envisioned not opening the door, he wanted to know why I didn’t go one further, and envision destroying it. I couldn’t then. Sometimes one can.

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Even if no one reads through this, it helped me to write it, and the principles of it, of not engaging if you don’t need to, only engaging how much you have to in order to get away, have definitely helped me in my life. Which I’m grateful for.

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HAVE FUN!! That’s the most important principle of all.

Love, light, and glitter