BACK UP, MOTHERFUCKER!

or

BACK THE FUCK UP!

or

BACK UP!

or

Hey can you back up?

Is there a difference? Yes there is.

This past weekend I was assisting with classes at KR Training. One of the skills taught in Defensive Pistol 1 is issuing verbal commands. For instance, “STOP! DON’T MOVE!”. And yes, you must find your inner drill sergeant when you issue that command. The use of verbal commands is an attempt to control the situation as an alternative to and avoiding the use of deadly force. The issuance of commands isn’t black and white, there is a continuum.

You want to start out with the least amount of assertion, while still giving a firm command. “Hey, can you back up?” is an example. You’re telling the (potential) VCA what you want them to do, but you’re being reasonably polite about it. If they comply, great. The situation remains calm and they are doing what you want. If however they do not comply and the situation warrants, you may need to step up your command to gain compliance, perhaps yelling “BACK UP!”. Now you’re not asking, you’re telling, and with a louder, more commanding tone. One additional benefit of escalation is that of witnesses. Compare how it looks to uninvolved bystanders (potential witnesses) if you went from 0 to 100, especially if 100 didn’t balance out with the way the VCA was acting at the time, vs. if you went from 0 to 25 to 50 to 75 to 100, especially if the VCA’s actions were continued and non-compliant?

But this is where we get to the topic of profanity. It always happens in the DPS1 class, that someone will yell their flavor of command with a “fuck” or “fucker” or “motherfucker”. While we suggest something like “stop, don’t move”, in the end you need to find a command set that works best for you (and it may be more than one). So yes, people get creative as they work to figure it out the first time. In this particular class I was working the small range but came over to the main range to fetch a student. The class had just learned about verbal commands and students were back at the fumble tables reloading magazines, discussing, and joking about the use of profanity. I spoke about this with them, and figured it’d make something worth writing about. Hence. 🙂

The choice to use profanity is up to you. The use of profanity certainly adds a stronger tone. Compare “Back up!” to “Back the fuck up!”, and the latter is certainly a stronger command. As well, consider that criminal element likely understands and utilizes profanity themselves, so consider this in your choice. I personally will avoid the use of profanity, unless it escalates to a point where that additional emphasis is required.

If you choose to use profanity, you must be careful in your choice.

What’s the difference between “back the fuck up” and “back up motherfucker”? The first is a strong command, the second is an insult. The first just said what to do. In the second, you called the VCA a “motherfucker”… and now, you have escalated the situation, you have pissed him off more. I hope you can see how this could be a dangerous and bad thing.

Some may shrug that off as that you can’t control what comes out of your mouth when the flag flies. I won’t deny that. However, we can work to practice our scripts beforehand. Find the command set that works for you (I do like using “back up” and variants, thank you SouthNarc). When you are working on your dry fire practice, issue verbal commands. Work to find your script. Rehearse your script.

We all love working those hard-skills that involve throwing lead downrange, because that’s fun. But well-rounded self-defense should strive to avoid slinging lead as much as possible. There are other skills vital to learn, issuing commands is one of them. To use profanity in those commands can be an integral part of the command continuum, but you must be aware of the nuances and work accordingly.