The Clash asked the question in 1982. I ask it in every class I teach.
Because before any technique, before any strike, before any defense, there is one decision that shapes everything that follows: am I leaving, or am I staying?
That’s not a small question. It’s the first question. And most people have never asked it.
Going Is the Default
I call myself the most conservative Krav Maga instructor in the world. That means my priority is always the same: minimize risk, minimize time engaged, get home safe. The majority of the time, the answer to the question is go. Leave. Now. The exit is the best technique in your arsenal, and it doesn’t require a single day of training to use.
If you can walk away, walk away. If you can run, run. There is no trophy for staying. There is no scorecard. Nobody hands out points for winning a fight you didn’t need to have.
But Sometimes You Stay
Sometimes leaving isn’t an option.
You’re in an elevator. You’re in a stairwell with one door. You’re in a room with no easy way out. The environment has made the decision for you.
Or someone you love is standing next to you. Your kid. Your spouse. Your parent. You’re not leaving without them, and they can’t move as fast as you can. Now the math changes. Now you may have to stay and deal with the problem in front of you until you can all leave together.
Those are two very different situations. And they demand two very different responses.
Tactics Follow Strategy
Here’s the mistake I see all the time: people learn techniques as if every technique applies everywhere, all the time. It doesn’t work that way.
Not every self defense tactic applies in every situation. Tactics follow strategy. Strategy follows the objective. So the prepared student starts at the top: what is my objective right now?
If the objective is to leave, then every action serves the exit. Create distance. Create an opening. Move. The technique that helps you disengage is the right technique. The one that keeps you tangled up with an attacker for ten extra seconds is the wrong one, even if it looks impressive in a demo.
If the objective is to stay — because you’re trapped, or because you’re protecting someone — then your actions serve a different purpose. Control the threat. Shield the person behind you. End the danger as efficiently as possible so that everyone can get out.
Same student. Same training. Completely different decisions. The difference is knowing the objective first.
Ask the Question Before It Happens
The moment of an attack is the worst possible time to figure out your priorities. Adrenaline doesn’t make you smarter. It makes you faster at whatever you’ve already decided.
So decide now. Walk into a room and ask: where are the exits? Who am I with? If something happened right here, right now, is my answer stay or go?
Ninety-nine days out of a hundred, nothing happens, and the question costs you nothing. But on the day something does happen, you won’t be asking. You’ll already know.
Should I stay or should I go? Answer it before trouble asks it for you.
