When I say “other guy or gal,” what am I talking about?

Imagine that your in a fantasy novel or maybe a world of the Game of Thrones.

In this world, people become what they are good at for their profession.

In a stereotypical fashion, the innkeepers are overweight, slow movers. The accountants
or people who work in the king’s treasury are wimpy, the scientists are lanky, and the warrior, army folk are muscular and very athletic.

If this were a perfect fantasy world, our warriors and peacekeepers, the strong athletes, would be completely moral, and they’d, well, protect the rest of us.

Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

In fact, if we flip to the modern world in which we actually live, there are some pretty strong dudes who could potentially harm us.

Note: If you add in all those who are not athletes, but also want to do us harm, it’s no wonder many of us turn to martial arts. We want to learn to protect ourselves.

So, we start studying martial arts and self-defense.

We enter the world of martial arts and find … that there are two kinds of people in this community:

* The natural athletes who take to this stuff like a University of Oregon student to rain … I mean ducks to water.

* The other guys and gals

I’m one of the other guys. I’m not a natural athlete.

Now, follow my logic:

If I were to do the same martial arts as everyone else, the same karate, the same tae kwon do, the same “whatever” — I’d have to defend myself against the warriors who are natural athletes, who almost intuitively learn all of this stuff.

In past articles, I’ve almost become like a “broken record” (smart phone with a glitch?) telling everyone to avoid playing your enemy’s game, and that there are no rules in a real self-defense situation.

Not this time … or not, quite yet.

If you would label yourself as “the other guy,” then I have a different piece of advice for you today….

If you aren’t the natural athlete, born to be a warrior, then you can get a distinct advantage by causing a … “What the Hell?!” response in your opponent.

You want them to be so surprised by your break from the stereotype that you cause them to wonder “what the hell,” as you barrel through and demolish them.

So, what is this coveted response?

It has to do with how others “expect you to move,” based on your body type:

* If you’re old, then you surprise your enemy by moving like someone half your age.

* If you’re scrawny, then you exhibit a ton more power than your body should be able to produce.

* If you’re short, then your range is incredible. You can dart in and
out faster than someone tall with long legs and a long-arm reach.

And …

* If you’re overweight, then you move with a speed that someone hefting your extra pounds couldn’t possibly exhibit. Wow.

By the way, I fit into the last category. Simply by moving my weapons first, and by knowing how to avoid telegraphing, I’m perceived as a lot faster than I actually am.

I leave people wondering how I can react and respond with such efficiency given the extra pounds that I carry.

This becomes your “ace in the hole.”

You have a distinct advantage, simply because your enemy won’t expect this, and will, at least at first, be taken by surprise.

If this were a real fight, then the “at first,” would be all you’d need.

The fight won’t last more than a second or two. So, that initial, “what the hell” surprise is all you need.

And then you add back in the fact that you aren’t fighting fair, AND you aren’t going to play the enemy’s game.

I mean, what’s your alternative?

You could do exactly what the natural-born warriors do. You can compete against their speed, power, prowess, and so on.

Or, you can learn to shock them, and get every advantage that you can.

Have a great week,

Keith