A direct one-on-one physical confrontation is the last resort in a commander's playbook, but if the circumstances are such that you perceive that a prospective opponent is putting you at a clear and present danger for a physical battering, or worse, there are two keys to dealing with the situation:
1) The element of complete surprise (your opponent doesn't even know that you are about to take action -- it is neither in your eyes nor in your physical posture), so he doesn't feel or prepare for the attack to come;
2) Use devastating and rapid force. A real fight doesn't last for five or ten minutes, as in a martial arts movie sequence. It lasts less than a minute, and the first move or moves makes/ make all of the difference.
The best example I've ever witnessed was when a fairly small, well-dressed fellow mistakenly walked into a biker bar to ask for directions (this occurred in the pre-GPS era) -- presumably.
He stood between bar stools and tried to get the bartender's attention, accidentally brushing ever so slightly against one of the seated fellows on his right. The seated fellow called the visitor a vulgar name and threatened to "do something" to him.
The visitor apologized, as if corrected and non-violent, and the seated fellow insulted him further and started to slowly rise from his bar stool.
Without any warning, and without any hesitation, the visitor used his right hand to push (propel, actually) the probable attacker's face, via the back of his head, directly down against the bar. I remember the sound to this day. I also remember that the visitor was smart enough to make a hasty (but not quite running) exit for the door while everybody at the bar was still in a state of shock. It was clearly the best example of personal self-defense that I had ever seen.
It was a complete surprise, and the amount of force, and speed with which it was applied, didn't give the would-be bully a chance to fight at all -- from where I was seated (at a booth with two friends) we watched in awe as the the tough-guy, fell down onto the floor -- momentarily unconscious, with a face that would likely need a great deal of reconstructive surgery.
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Physical action is a last resort for a commander. But where self-defense requires it, he or she must act quickly (without telegraphing any intent), and with fast and furious force -- the first move must be the last.
Douglas E. Castle for The Taking Command Blog
