One of the most common questions I get when teaching self-defense, is the “what if” question. This can be a frustrating question to an instructor who is wanting to keep a class focused, and on-track, with a particular point or technique that they are teaching. However the “what if” question, can give an instructor a great insight, into the mindset of the student who is asking it, and what particular needs that have to be addressed in their training to make them truly effective in a real-life situation.

Firstly “what if” questions shouldn’t be discouraged; in fact no student questions should ever be discouraged. I believe people learn best when they understand what they are learning, and the reasons behind it, rather than simply being told what to do without any explanation – and if you do explain the reasons behind a particular solution you are teaching you will get students asking questions, along with the “what if” ones e.g. but what if the gun you’ve just disarmed isn’t loaded? As an instructor you should have asked yourself a lot of these “what if” questions, before you teach or explain a situation or technique, and cover the most pertinent ones in your teaching e.g. what to do after a disarm regardless of whether the gun is loaded or not etc. Covering that point, also covers every point as to whether the firearm is operable or not.

One of the most dangerous places a “what if” question comes from, is where the student is looking at every reason why a technique or solution won’t work, and every reason why they shouldn’t perform that technique, and why they would be safer not acting in a situation rather than acting. This tends to happen with novice students and beginners rather than more experienced ones. It is possible to create a million and one reasons not to do something, whether it is doing your laundry, postponing doing a piece of work, or not attempting to disarm somebody of a knife or gun etc. Finding objections to doing something is extremely easy, and as “lazy” human beings we are expert at it. If I had a dollar for everybody who has told me that they believe it isn’t worth their time learning how to defend themselves because there are certain situations that are impossible to deal with e.g. a team of fifteen ISIS supporters, armed to the teeth, stealthily breaking into your house in the middle of night, and then waking you up at gun point etc. I might not be able to retire, but I’d be able to buy myself a top of the range GI. We can always create “what if” scenarios, in which everything we try and do, wouldn’t work or be prevented from working, however the more important question is why does someone want to create such a situation or scenario? I’m all for covering bases but this should be designed to empower me and convince me that I have a workable solution not the other way round.

For some people however, if they can “what if” a solution to the point where it doesn’t work, regardless of whether it is realistic or not, they have the excuse not to devote the time and effort to learning what they are being taught. When a beginner starts training their understanding of reality is usually pretty limited, being restricted to news reports, conversations with friends, and although people always deny it when pointed out, depictions of violence on TV shows and in films. This is not a good basis on which to create informed decisions, and ask “what if”, questions. A good example of this is assailants passing weapons from one hand to another, when their weapon hand/arm is controlled. Although I believe any solution should take this possibility into account, in reality few people do pass their weapon from one hand to another (unless they’ve had a certain level of training); most aggressors when attacking with a weapon are so weapon-centric, and in such an emotional state, that they are unable to consider moving the weapon to another hand – I have seen this with knives on more than one occasion; where somebody being attacked has managed to get control of the person’s arm, with both hands, and keep the knife away from them, whilst their attacker never thinks to pass the knife to their free hand etc. A student looking at how somebody might be able to change weapon hands, may ask a valid “what if” concerning this, without realizing that in an actual real-life situation, it is unlikely that when a technique is performed at speed, that puts pressure on the attacker (they are being punched, choked out, thrown etc.), and that deals with a weapon-centric attacker, it is unlikely and improbable that the weapon will be changed from one hand to the other. A demonstration of a technique in a studio, might not convey all of these things, and so the “what if” question although valid in that setting, is not valid for reality.

“What if”, questions if they come from the perspective of a person who doesn’t understand reality, and who wants to be given every excuse not to act in a particular situation are a dangerous thing. I always tell students that if they are in a situation where they are asking a lot of “what if” questions, they are more than likely fighting their fear system’s urge and desire for action, rather than just covering bases e.g. if somebody points a gun at you in a mugging scenario, and stays after you have handed over your wallet, there are probably not many “what if” questions to ask, as it is now time to be decisive and act. “What if” questions, when answered from a realistic perspective are great for erasing peripheral doubts, which is turn give students a confidence in the techniques and solutions that they are taught; which should make them more decisive.