The importance of kamae (posture) is often overlooked in relation to self defence. Through the effective use of kamae it is possible to either avoid the confrontation escalating to violence in the first place, or if that option is lost, you are able to put yourself in a strategically superior position to that of your opponent, giving you a better chance of coming out victorious.
In my opinon there are 3 different types of kamae relating specifically to unarmed self defence;
1. Making yourself appear physically stronger, mentally tougher, and more capable of winning than the opponent, in an effort to psyche him out.
2. Making yourself appear weaker and more frightened than the opponent in order to lull them into a false sense of security.
3. Adopting a posture which leaves open a particular target so that you can anticipate the opponents most likely option of attack. Also adopting a posture which allows you to exploit the opponents most vulnerable area for attack.
Options 1 & 2 can be likened to Go and Ju, hard and soft. By appearing hard against a soft opponent, or soft against a hard opponent you are often able to secure victory without having to resort to physical confrontation.
Option 3 would be more relavant against a trained opponent. Many koryu schools of bujutsu teach tactics where you will intentionally leave a target open. The rationale for this being that if you are better able to predict the opponents attack, you will be more capable of explioting it. This has to be used with extreme care in unarmed self defence situations, as it is important to seize the initiative at the earliest opportunity. By allowing the opponent to move first, you may lose the initiative and be unable to regain it.
In my line of work I have had the chance to experiment with options 1 & 2 on many occasions. Some opponents will say things such as ‘you only think your tough because you wear a stab vest’. I will respond to this by taking off my vest and throwing it at their feet. The majority of the time, the opponent will no longer be a problem, and will be defeated by this simple action of using a Go mentality against a ju spirited opponent. This will only work against opponents who do not really want to fight, and are trying to appear tough in front of their peers.
This will not work on opponents who are intent on fighting you. Some opponents who may be high on drugs, alcohol, or may have mental health problems will not be psyched out easily, and if anything, taking this action may make things worse.
On such occasions it will be necessary to use option 2. Appearing weak or scared against an aggressive opponent may be enough to convince him that you are not worth bothering with. He may think that you are an easy touch, and switch off to a certain extent. This allows you the perfect opportunity for a pre-emptive strike when he least expects it. Taking the opponent out of the fight in the safest way.
How well you understand the application of kamae in self defence may have a significant impact on whether you win or lose.
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