How can you get your hands up to a close-quarters combat level without tipping a suspect that you’re preparing for defensive or preemptive action? Try scratching, suggests Stephen Cliffe, founder and chief instructor of Imminent Threat Defense Systems www.itdsystems.com in Ransomville, NY.
“Try to use deception whenever you can in getting ready to be pro-active or reactive,” Cliffe told Police1 after a presentation at the latest ILEETA training conference. “You want the suspect not to be thinking that you’re ready for imminent contact. You want to be prepared but not appear threatening or alarming to him.
“Let’s say his hands are up and he’s animated and agitated and you want to shave off some reaction time if there’s trouble.
“With one hand you could be scratching your ear or your chin or your chest or your neck, while the other hand fidgets with your mic cord or plays with your shirt buttons or your name plate.
“To the suspect, scratching looks perfectly natural and conveys that you’re not intensely engaged in the encounter. But with both hands up, you can more readily deliver elbow strikes, forearm stuns, hammer-fist blows, or control maneuvers — or intersect his physical aggression — if you’re within contact range or can quickly step into it.”
