How you train is how you will respond and react in the real deal. Self-defense is about survival and nothing else. It is not about fighting fair, clean or being honorable. It's about doing what you have to do to go home and see your loved ones once again. You don't know how a thug is going to react when you connect your first blow to him so make sure you mean it when you attack. He could back off (flight) or become enraged (fight), plane and simple combat is about doing whatever needs to be done so you get out alive. Lie, con, manipulate so you can catch him off guard and administer a tactic. Release the idea from your mind the image of a ?DIRTY FIGHTER? there is now such thing only a fighter who survived an attack. Free your mind of that idea could mean the difference between life and death, it will subconsciously hamper your actions. You have the right to protect yourself and kill when your life is in jeopardy. When in combative mode your thoughts and actions should be as vile, vicious and violent as possible. Thoughts of legal or moral consequences of your actions should not even cross or enter your mind. If they do it will subconsciously hold you back in giving 100% in your attack and that could mean your kids or loved ones not seeing you again. The importance of training realistically or condition stimulus training could mean the difference between life and death. Training the mind to be accustomed to stimuli that is violent and vile you mean not freezing in violent situations.

Here are some tips and dirty tricks

* HIT FIRST, HIT HARD, KEEP HITTING

* Always attack in mid word, phase or sentence i.e.? I will do anything you say, please don't hur? ATTACK NOW. The element of surprise is on your side he is not expecting you to do anything.

* Practice saying your trigger sentence, phase or word and cueing yourself to attack when you say it. Make sure your speech is smooth and that you are not telegraphing your words or actions before attacking.

* If you are a woman use the power of ?sweet talk? get him to believe that you will do as he says, then turn the tables when he least expects it.

* When speaking use your hands to help you speak, set them up to deflect or to position them closer to the target area you want to attack.

*Use your surroundings, push your attacker into an object so he trips or falls. Giving you time to run off or to follow up with a more devastating tactic to immobilize him.

* Gouge, spit, throw dirt or sand in his eyes to temporarily blind him to give you those vital seconds to get away.

* Make your training as real as possible have your training partner grab you, swear, yell at you and rehearse what you are going to say before you attack

*Remember your ?TRIGGER WORD? to give you the signal to attack.

Norm Bettencourt is the founder of TACT Self Defense which specializes in crime prevention, self defense education & combat tactics for mind, body & spirit. For more information go to