Questions To Help You Articulate Why You Defended Yourself

Fighting is illegal, but it is sometimes necessary. You already know that. And we also know that if you get into a physical altercation, you may have to justify your actions in court. The claim, “it was self-defense” is admitting you did something illegal (hurt someone, killed someone, etc.) but that you were justified in doing so.

It doesn’t matter if you are the good guy if you fail to articulate it properly. This is why having a good attorney is beneficial.

Another good thing to think about is this list of questions provided by Kris Wilder and Lawrence Kane in their book, “Dirty Ground: The Tricky Space Between Sport and Combat.” If you are in a court and claiming it was self-defense, you can expect to be asked questions like these.

Questions To Help You Articulate Why You Defended Yourself

• Why did you get involved?
• Did you escalate an otherwise avoidable conflict?
• Why did you choose the level of force you selected?
• Why did you use the technique you used?
• Why couldn’t you have resolved this without hurting anyone?
• Why didn’t you walk away?
• What the hell were you thinking?

Okay, maybe not that last one. But members of a jury are very likely wondering about that even if no one says it aloud. You need to be able to articulate exactly what the other guy did. How did you know that he had the intent, means, and opportunity to hurt you? And why couldn’t you have simply walked away?

“Knowing that there is a difference between submitting an opponent and disabling an enemy is not the same as practicing the difference, nor is it a guarantee that you can switch to the appropriate mindset at the right time.”

– Rory Miller