Probably many folks reading this are current or former military, for those that are not I will attempt explain Preparatory Command/ and Command of Execution. When you are marching and the person calling cadence says something like "Right" that is to alert you that prepare you that a command is coming. When they say "Face" that is the Command of Execution and when you hear "Face" you turn "Right".

My point is that I use that to teach self-defense. Picture your training partner standing with their feet about shoulder width apart but on the same plane. You are standing at a 45-degree angle to them at their at approx. their 2 O’clock position.

In most cases for them to throw a right handed lunge punch or a roundhouse they are going to have to step back with their right foot before throwing the punch. That is the Preparatory Movement before the attack. When they step back is when you should counter attack. Not when they are throwing the punch which is the Execution Movement.

Another example would be when somebody reaches for a fixed blade worn on the belt in a sheath. That is the Preparatory Movement. Drawing the knife is the Execution Movement. If you attack the attack and smother it you have done two important things. You have kept the knife in the sheath and probably identified the person’s strong hand.

Of course in most attacks there are several Preparatory Movements. Learn to respond to them instead of the Execution Movements.