We cannot teach you Control Presence over the Web. However, what we can do is introduce you to some of the elements that make it work. These will make your job -- and life -- easier. It will reduce the number of use of force incidents you find yourself in, the amount of paperwork and your time in IA and court over such events. Better yet, it greatly reduces your anxiety about dealing with violent and out of control people. It does this by enlightening you of the incredible importance that tactical thinking and positioning have on whether or not you will be attacked.

For good or bad, what you say or do has major influence over whether you are attacked.  Unfortunately it also has a lot to do with whether you are successfully attacked or not.  If you take control of these elements, you can keep from giving the signals that

• Tell him you are safe to attack
• Tell him you are acting out of fear
• Tell him you are not sure you can handle him
• Tell him you are afraid of violence
• Tell him you are afraid to act because of administration and lawsuits
• Will insult or provoke him into going off on you
• Will tell him that physically assaulting you is a really BAD idea
• Will tell him that he can't trust you that it's safe to behave

In a very real sense, Control Presence sending a would-be attacker a message. A message that tells him he cannot succeed by using violence ... therefore, he's better off taking the other (more reasonable option) you are offering. At the same communicating to him that you aren't just confident in your ability to handle him, but you're ready to put him down if he gets stupid.

This is why you are polite and calmly smiling at him ... because you know you have superior firepower. You're so on top of it, you can afford to be polite, calm. reasonable and most importantly, helpful.

So How Does It Work?
Before we answer that question, let us ask you one: Why do people become violent?

Please, take the time to answer that to yourself before reading any further.

We've asked thousands of law enforcement officers that questions and they have all answered correctly ... even though they all answered differently. They usually come up with answers like 'anger, fear, pride, revenge, etc., etc..' Like we said all of these answer are right.

But they are all manifestations of a deeper answer (or if you prefer bigger umbrella answer). We've only had two officers give us the 'collective' right answer.

That is: People become violent because they want something.

And whether it is a momentary emotional choice, a life long pattern or an burst of intoxicated stupidity, violence seems to be the best way to get it. And that is why they will go off.

Control Presence works by identifying
   1) pre-attack signals and
   2) requirements for an attack
   3) what the motive for violence is

By knowing these an officer can not only identify when an attack is about to occur, but send the message that he/she is NOT safe to attack. By this we mean the officer is personally not safe to attack. This is over and above any institutional authority the officer represents.

An additional message is sent that violence won't work to get the criminal/ violent person what he wants. No matter what his goals are for using violence  he will be subdued with embarrassing speed and ease. Which is not an idle threat. The same actions that send the message that the officer isn't safe to attack, really do make that person difficult to attack. If the suspect does become violent, the officer can easily and effectively overwhelm him. This is because the officer is subtly controlling and limiting the perp's options for violence -- before (or hopefully without) ever physically engaging.

An experienced and dangerous fighter will recognize this and usually cease. For those situations that do become physical, t the attacker discovers too late that the "opening" that he thought would bring him easy victory is, in fact, a trap. This trap that allows you to easily defeat, control, restrain and remove his will to resist.

Shadow Dancing
Before you follow any other links on this page, start here. Shadow Dancing is an articulation of a skill that every cop two weeks out of the academy starts to develop ... but NOBODY ever talks about. That's because until now, nobody has had a name for it. And the best shadow dancers are those officers who for some reason the troublemakers just seem to calm down around when they walk in.