The “face-off” was happening, and even though George didn’t want anything to do with Doug he was right there all of a sudden in his space, standing almost nose to nose. “Did his breath always smell this bad or was it just today?” Then it happened. Doug brought his arms out wide and away from his body, half shouted and half spit out the words, “common you f*****g…!” and all at once Doug went for the shove.
George had been waiting for this typical macho display, and expected a shove before anything actually happened. From the shove, George stepped off-line, hooked Doug’s elbow and REPLACED Doug’s center and momentum for where he’d just been standing, looking like some sort of powerful square dance move. George had been a wrestler since he could remember, and the ‘arm drag’ was just something he did, and had done thousands of times.
With Doug helplessly past him, George circled around, locked Doug’s arms, and REPLACED his center of balance with his own, basically sitting down backwards, and driving Doug’s face into the grass.
Within a few seconds, security had been alerted and George just held Doug in place, face down until they came. Of course the campus police were confused and cuffed them both till it was all sorted out.
REPLACING center, balance, and position is common in wrestling, judo and jujitsu. In life, and Life Defense, the PRINCIPLE of REPLACE also applies. When there is conflict, pressure, or force being exerted, and we REPLACE, balance in motion is established by REPLACING the “nothing” with something.
In life there are no vacuums. Emptiness is filled. A “bad habit” eliminated is REPLACED by something. A harmful relationship is eliminated only to be REPLACED by another of a similar kind if nothing else REPLACES it.
Just as the wrestler must REPLACE the position, weight and balance of their opponent to maintain control of themselves, so it occurs in life. Always.
When something, someone or some activity in a conflict threatens, REPLACE it with something that works, otherwise it will be replaced with something… REPLACE!
Allen Hughes Life Defense Coach
#lifedefense #replace #allenhughes
