While some people train their entire lives to prepare for the day someone attacks them, others simply let adrenaline kick in and somehow manage to ward off the attacker and put an end to the encounter. What can make both of these scenarios successful is the fact that they are both willing to fight back and did so without hesitation.

One of the biggest keys to fighting back and winning against that surprise attack is your first counterstrike on the aggressive party. While they initially have the jump to surprise their victim giving them the edge this can be taken completely away with a good first strike. Most attackers do not expect their victim striking back, they simply feel that the shock will leave them immobile and make them easy prey. This attitude is what sets the tone for that first counterstrike that hopefully you learned in combat self defense training.

The first strike back if done effectively can completely turn the tide of the attack in your favor. By surprising them with an punch or kick they were not expecting you can gain the upper hand and continue on with moves and techniques learned from self defense videos to finish immobilizing them completely.

Many attackers are not trained in self defense and count on the weakness of their prey to make it easy on them to accomplish their goal. This is why a first counterstrike can set the tone and take back the situation to put the edge back in the hands of the victim to put an end to the attack without injury or becoming just another helpless victim of a crime that is becoming more and more prevalent.