VIDEO LESSON: He Who Strikes First, Strikes Twice

He who strikes first, strikes twice.
-Proverb, Mexican



COMMENTARY:
This situation, while clearly not self-defense, begins with the combatants first attempting to deter the fight with the use of intimidation. Intimidation is not an effective means to prevent a fight. It does however, provide the opportunity to mentally prepare, and send adrenaline to the body for action.

The shorter attacker, reacts instantly to the trigger to act (in this situation, the trigger to act may have been nothing more than the blink of the eye of the opponent, or it may have been an internal a mental trigger) and lands a knockout blow. Given the closeness of the combatants, and the fact that they both had their hands down, either one had the ability to land a knockout blow.

An important point to keep in mind is that if you are the one who is struck first, then you should immediately expect an incoming followup strike from your opponent. If you are the one who strikes first, then you need to followup with additional strikes.

- E. Kondo