what verbal diffussions skills do you need for this

http://youtu.be/auiYBtx-Vxw


Views on how this should be handled. Good training clip.

MOD Note. Caution, extreme language which some may find offensive.

 

I think the big lad was doing a decent job. He didn't back down, he made it clear that he wasn't scared of her but calmly explained to her that people were just trying to make their way home on the train and weren't interested in her nonsense.

Yes, summary execution would have been the ideal solution, but in reality, the big chap seemed to have the right idea.

 

Without seeing what caused the initial outburst from her (other than people laughing at her intoxicated state) it is difficult to see whether this could have been resolved in a quieter manner in a shorter amount of time.

My only observations are
1. Potentially silence would have caused her to run out of steam earlier. The odds on keeping a whole carriage of silent responses are pretty slim.
2. There was no real empathy from the bystanders, only laughter, which fed her feelings of resentment. While no guarantee of success, an apology or a 'how can I make it up to you' might have calmed her quicker.

 

Pull the emergency cord. Talk to a conductor/guard and get the police involved. Maybe call the cops and try to get them waiting at the next station.
She'd already committed assault (slapping the lad sitting), was drunk and disorderly, verbally abusive and threatening.

Failing that the person filming should have leant over and hoiked her tracky bots down and stood on them and get everyone to laugh at her.

 

Trains are an awkward place for an encounter because you are all boxed and can't get passed a dozy chav like this one and you can't easily wait and evade an attack from miss chav, so some destructive encounter may be necessary, but Im not sure about the law in situations like this.

 

Although she did strike someone, there wasn't an instant physical response in return, so further physical response would have been hard to justify. Any physical intervention could only be made on the justification that it was your honest belief that she posed a danger to herself, you or others.

With only a small clip and the info that the tirade lasted 20 mins you cannot be sure how long it might have been before police assistance became available. You can't be sure how many friends she had in the carriage. You can't be certain whether if you had hit or restrained her in the belief you were defending yourself that you would have had the full support of the carriage, that you wouldn't have invited people defending her and a greater escalation of violence. While such people may seem to invite a physical response it is not necessarily a legal or practical solution.

 

Oh god I *actually* wanted to reach through my screen and choke her.

 

What are your views on how this should be handled?

As a male with martial arts training dealing with a verbally and physically aggressive female, what would your approach be?

 

An informative answer John.

I think you could reasonably stand on the seat to gain a position of advantage - without striking or restraining. I doubt her slaps would do that much i.e. one could just parry continuously her drunken slaps and only restrain/push her away when she fully entered your space - but you would have to find some room to manoeuvre to do so - which is not simple from a slumped sitting position - and you would have to stay cool.

The situation is a really awkward one. Have you tried ones like this in your escalation encounter classes John?
If this were a sober male, I would be a lot more concerned.

On the face of it, she is just a gobby nothing seeking attention, but you never know.

At this kind of distance and situational orientation, a Geoff Thompson fence posture isn't effective (IMHO).

The slaps could be very nasty if she had a semi-concealed blade.

 

I don't normally do such a trivial provocation, but we have done similar awkward spaces.

A fence of some kind is always useful. It doesn't necessarily look like a guard though.

 

Yeah like the big guy hitting her back. He took it very calmly and I was impressed.

If you don't give people like that anything to feed off of they'll generally go away. Just politely say "goodnight" and turn away like you're going to sleep.

 

The provocation isn't the issue for me (but its easy to get riled by such silliness) - its the enclosed space of the train seat that bothers me. Even in a crowded pub, ones mobility is not as constrained as in an enclosed train seat.

In real-life encounters there are basically 4 situations that bother me.

In no particular order:-

1. More than one potential opponent.
2. Armed opponent(s).
3. Enclosed space - public transport and the associated hubs being good examples. I have had to get out of messes like this on a few occasions - fortunately all without major trouble or escalation (touch wood.)
4. Against someone who's body language (and not their verbal language - definitely not miss chav) quickly indicates that they are capable and are motivated to beat the bejazus out of you i.e. they want your money/wallet/phone/jacket/laptop/girl-friend/whatever.

About 12 years ago I did encounter s street gang of screaming female hyenas, but got out without too much aggro.

In the absence of 1-4 or combos of, and some space for mobility, I stay reasonably out of trouble - which I try to maintain.

 

Trivial perhaps the wrong word. In training I generally give students a bit more meat to get their teeth into with regard to the verbal interplay and stimulus.

Ultimately the training I provide depends on the clients.

 

If you ever get bored, you know where we are. In the meantime- have you tried working in enclosed spaces slowly with training partners?

 

I am rarely bored - just worn out sometimes but at 53, my travelling lifestyle is getting much, much harder - right now I am back home and working on my diet big time as my last cholesterol tests were not great - Belgian food is not good for you.

However when I am next around Buckinghamshire (most likely in London), I will definitely pass by.

I try to get all my training buddies interested in this type of work (with varying levels of success/interest), as my basic instincts are naturally evasive and I am still reasonably supple i.e. a minor Harry Hudini.