“Talking with the hands” is one way of implementing
this in a relaxed fashion. In short, you keep your hands
in motion in front of your body. You express your words
using your hands and arms. By filling the space thusly,
you establish a guard.
While talking with the hands, keep your palms toward
yourself most of the time. This looks less threatening and
enables you to fill the space without appearing ready to
strike. It doesn’t even look like you’re ready to push the
person away — but, of course, you can.
A few relevant gestures will need practice. An “I don’t
know” gesture is commonly done with the hands to the
sides. This opens your centerline and gives an opponent
an easy path to attack. Instead, shrug your shoulders and
raise your palms just as
you naturally do, but keep
your hands in front of you
rather than at your sides.
When you gesture
toward yourself, keep one
hand away from your body.
A “who me?” gesture is
sometimes done with both
hands touching your chest.
Make gestures like this
with one or both hands
far enough away from
your torso to be useful for
defense.
Keep your hands out
where you can use them. If
an akimbo stance (hands
on your hips, elbows out)
would be natural, use only
one hand for it. Keep your
front hand moving as you
talk. Make sure your hand
and arm are always ready
to move.The 3D2 System
The name stands for three
ways to double de-escalate.
Those three ways and the
doubles are as follows:
CHAT — TALK: The first
double de-escalation
entails maintaining casual
verbal engagement. The
name chat cover reminds you that you should be chat-
ting. Talking with the hands reminds you that you
should only be talking. You use those as ceilings for your
encounter. Just chat. Just talk.
The physical movements help keep you relaxed and
aware. The “doesn’t look like a fighting stance” posture
helps you feel safer without agitating your opponent. As
you feel safer, you will be more relaxed, and as you know,
relaxed means ready.
COVER — HANDS: The second double de-escalation is to
protect yourself physically at two levels. First, it puts you
in a fighting stance so you’re ready to attack or defend.
Second and even more important, it puts your arms inReady Without Looking Like
You’re Ready
A fighting stance that looks like a fighting stance can
inflame a situation. Nevertheless, you need to be ready
to fight just in case. The challenge is to be ready with-
out looking like you’re ready. The solution is called
“chat cover.”
When you use chat cover, it looks like all you’re
doing is standing there, listening and chatting in a
casual manner. Your front hand is at chin level or just
under it, and your rear hand is resting near your ribs.
One foot is forward, and the other is back, where it sup-
ports most of your weight. The posture is similar to a
cat stance.
FIRST KEY: Make certain
your feet are not lined up
like you’re walking a tight-
rope. You want to be able
to, if you get pushed back-
ward, slide your front foot
back to recover your base.
SECOND KEY: Ensure that
your lower hand is free to
move. It should be able
to snap straight forward
to attack.
With a slight adjust-
ment, this stance can
become a fighting stance.
Specifically, move your
front hand forward, shift
your rear hand away from
your ribs, and make your
stance longer and deeper.
That means that chat
cover is basically a fight-
ing stance that’s been
pulled in close and made
to look relaxed — as if all
you’re doing is chatting.
Your front hand still pro-
tects your face and body.
Your lower hand protects
your ribs and groin. Both
hands can attack or block.
Your front foot is light on
the ground but still flat
so you’re ready to kick
without looking like you’re
ready to kick.
Plan to assume this posture whenever a situation gets
tense. It will prepare you in case things turn physical.
You don’t look like you’re getting ready to fight — which
could make things worse — but you are ready.Defending Without Looking Like
You’re Defending
When you protect yourself, you establish a guard
between your body and your opponent’s. You occupy the
space between the two of you and take reasonable efforts
to keep him from grabbing your hands.Ph
oto
Co
urt
esy
of
Sc
ot^
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nw
ay
The chat cover
morphs into a
fighting stance.64 BLACKBELTMAG.COM OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019