How does a person know if he should attack first

Many people who take up martial arts
classes tend to BELIEVE that their
skills should best be used for defense.

The problem is that REAL street fights
escalate VERY quickly and in the
majority of cases an attack is the
best defense.

If you suspect the person to be a
real threat and see him charging towards
you, then it PROBABLY isn't the best
idea to wait for a jab in your face and
try to deflect it. If your guts tell you
that the situation will soon turn out
VERY dirty, then it is in your best
interests to disarm the opponent as soon
as possible.

Attacking first will achieve two things.
First of all, you get a chance to knock
out your opponent cold, that way stopping
the fight and ending the conflict right
there and then.

Secondly, the opponent will IMMEDIATLY
see that you are serious, aggressive and
have no fear. This will give second
thoughts when it comes to retaliation.

Your opponent MIGHT back down.

However, there might be times when you
are not sure if the guy coming at you
will just do some pushing or is he really
trying to attack you. It is unwise to let
someone hostile in your personal space,
even if he is not attacking at the moment,
this position makes you vulnerable.

To avoid this, push with your open hand at the
charging person's eyes and aggressively
yell: "Stand back!"