Have you ever seen a set-up?
Here is how they happen:
A man is in a club or bar and says ‘hey mate why are you looking at me?’
You weren’t so you say that, and he is all forgiving and even starts to chat with you.
Eventually, you drink up and leave with your ‘new friends’, but as you walk out suddenly, they turn and strike you.
Your guard is down, you were relaxed, and as a result, you are now out cold on the concrete pavement.
A set up is one of the most damaging and devastating things that can happen to you, and in this article, we are going to look at how to deal with one
Ready? Let’s do this.
Your New Friends Are Not Your Friends
Ok so we gave a pretty direct example of a ‘set up’, but they can range, from the ‘silence of the lambs’ style abduction where the girl was asked for help to get a sofa into a van, to a girl getting into a ‘fake’ taxi on a night out.
The issue is not the scenario as this can differ, it is establishing some rules and tactics that will help you forever in all situations.
The first rule is that your new friends are not really your friends.
Anyone you meet in passing be it a group in a bar, a taxi driver or a person in the street is NOT your pal.
They are a complete stranger you do not know.
Therefore you treat them as so.
This means you do not consider these people as ‘safe’, you treat them as an unknown risk. In essence, you are with a person or group that you cannot ascertain the true intentions of.
As such you need to always consider your own safety with these people.
Avoid Transitions
When someone has harmful intentions towards you in a set up they will usually try to move you to another location.
The reason for this is two-fold.
First, it allows them to do something ‘unseen.’
The second is a fundamental fact; we are more vulnerable when in transition.
Think about it, when you are walking out of a venue how prepared are you for an attack?
When you are in the back of a taxi how much attention do you pay to the route your driver is taking you on?
The very act of movement forces us to relax and often our attention reduces.
So rather than switch off, remember this, if you are in motion around people you do not know, raise your awareness levels.
It is as simple as that.
So if we apply it to our bar/ pub situation, we have a guy who is walking out of a bar with his ‘new friends’. In this scenario, you should be thinking ‘I was looking to set up a person how would I do it?’
It could be suggesting you take a ‘shortcut’ to the next pub via an alleyway and then they would attack you.
It could be that they turn and attack you as you leave, or consider being pushed down the stairs (if there are any), or even struck with a bottle from behind as you walk out.
Once you become aware of these things, you will be able to take action if they happen.
It takes a split second to mentally run through the ‘what ifs’ and look at your options inline with your current training.
Listen To Your Gut
Your instincts have been developed over both your life and the thousands of years of humanity.
So why would you ignore your ‘gut’ feelings?
When you watch a film, and you see the victim going down the stairs into the cellar, and you are saying ‘don’t go there’. Well, that is because you know how these things work out and also because the scene is designed for you to be on the edge of your seat.
Your instincts are in overdrive.
You need to trust yours.
If you are with a group of people and you feel ‘uneasy’ around them, it is time to leave.
If the guy just asking to carry your bags up the stairs in your apartment block doesn’t seem ‘right’ or seems ‘too over nice’, and your alarm bells are ringing, be strong and say no thanks.
But what if they do strike?
Recovery From A Set-Up
If you failed to spot it or spotted it too late and you have just been attacked there is an answer.
Attack them as if your life depended on it.
Leave nothing in the gas tank, unleash hell, release your inner demon and send this person into a tornado of strikes that are so powerful they will make them hit the floor like an anvil.
Why?
Because this person has already shown they have cunning, they are not playing by your rules and who knows what they have in store.
They may have a knuckle duster, a knife or a gun on them.
Your aim is to make sure they enter the land of dreams via concussive blows!
Conclusion
A set-up is an incident designed to make your vulnerable, to give the attacker the edge and for you to be hurt.
If you turn the tables on them and unleash hell, you WILL be ok but only if you are able to.
Trust your instincts and avoid set-ups before they happen!
Thanks
Team DL