How many structures are there in a conflict?
There is a lot to be aware of in the middle of chaos. Situational awareness is a primary tool is self defence and one of the things you need to be aware of is how “structure” plays into the basic seven structures that enter a conflict.
The environment presents a structure that can work for or against you. You need to be aware of it to avoid it working against you and you need to be aware of it to make use of it and have it work for you.
Your structure and the bad guy’s are ones you need to train to immediately be aware of or opportunities are lost and weaknesses are exposed.
The Seven Basic Structures:
1. Mine.
2. The bad guy’ s (could be multiple).
3. The environment.
4. Mine and the bad guy’s combined.
5. Mine and the environment.
6. The bad guy’s and the environment.
7. Mine, the bad guy’s and the environment combined.
1. Mine: My last blog when into all kinds of detail on how I want my structure.
2. The bad guy’s: I’m looking at how well structured he is, what imbalances he has and what can be used in my favour.
3. The environment: What are we fighting on, because that will affect how we interact with the structures we are facing. Knowing you are being attacked right beside a busy road, the subway tracks or even the edge of a drop off on a hiking trail are all need to know information.
4. Mine and the bad guy’s combine: Once we come into contact I need to break his structure and maintain mine. This is instantaneous, there is no time to figure it out you need to have trained to “know.”
5. Mine and the environment: What obstacles are there, what opportunities are there, what weapons are there? I don’t want to trip over something, but I don’t mind if he does. I need to know where exits (escape routes) are. I need to know what barriers I can put between us. What can I use as an impact weapon when legally reasonable to use (picked up or dropping the Aggressor onto it). Is there a corner of a table? Is there a rock? Is there a bottle? So many things that can be used by you and against you.
6. The bad guy’s and the environment: He can use it too but I may want/need to place a barrier between me and the guy with the knife so how he combines with the environment is important to me. I maybe do not want him moving close to the pile of metal pipes.
7. Mine, the bad guy’s and the environment combined: I look at this one just a little different than the other two combinations in that structure of the environment can be used to enhance your own structure or theirs when you combine with it. Once we connect are we in a corner, against a wall, this is how the environment can be used as a brace to enhance structure or to inhibit structure. So many ways they combine.