Indecision can kill.
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Think about the last time you had to deal with a problem but couldn’t come up with a single possible solution…… Making any decision, even if it’s not the best, is better than freezing and making no decision. ** **Indecision kills.
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In real world self-defense, awareness and Information is an understanding of an attacker’s capabilities and likely courses of action. If you are unaware, you may inadvertently position yourself where there are few avenues of escape. If you lack effective positioning, you may limit your field of view of the surrounding area. Maintaining mobility can help you obtain a view of the big-picture, giving you access to more information. With more information, you can make better, more informed decisions.
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You need to carefully study and stay relevant with modern threats, and be aware that your attacker may decide to pull a knife or other concealable weapon if he realizes that a fight isn’t going in his favor. If he pulls a blade from his pocket while you are caught in a position on your back trying to secure an arm-bar (lack of mobility), you may not be able to avoid being stabbed a few times as you try to escape.
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These are not concerns in a sport system where a set of rules have been agreed upon for both the safety and cooperation of the contestants. But these are possibilities that ought to be accounted for if you claim to teach real self-defense.
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Your training drills should occasionally include surprises that disrupt your expectations** **and increase your awareness of what is possible in a conflict.
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Skills and abilities are naturally developed through training, offering more options as one learns more skills. The longer and more often you train, the more options you will have to resolve the conflict. If you are constantly trying to remember techniques during drills when under pressure, then quite simply, you have NOT TRAINED THEM ENOUGH.
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But this brings us to a very important consideration – one that doesn’t even need to be addressed in a sporting arena where victory is clearly outlined by the rules of the game. You need to constantly keep your goal in mind. What is the goal of self-defense? How do you define success? Once you have a clear objective, you can ensure that your drills and exercises support that goal.
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The training hall can pose a danger if you form a habit of thinking you have only “won” if the other person ‘taps out’. On the other hand if your definition of winning is to get home safely, you will have far more options available to you than if your goal is to defeat the other guy in physical combat.
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Experience has shown me that you will fight how you have trained. Under stress you will default to whatever actions you have spent the most time drilling in training.
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Furthermore, not only should you develop fighting skills, you should develop your fighting intuition.
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This is the ultimate exercise in adaptability and responsiveness. Creativity is key. Choices must be made in the moment – more like feeling the attacks than watching them. There isn’t enough time to sort through a mental catalogue of memorized techniques. You just have to flow with whatever happens. The Japanese have a saying; “Banpen Fugyō” (万変不驚) which maybe interpreted as; “To face uncertainty without surprise or fear”. 
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Train regularly, train often; “Be decisive. A wrong decision is generally less disastrous than indecision.“ – Bernhard Langer
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Photo Credit: Hendrik van Zeldenrust.
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