Finishing the Fight - Formidable Fighter, #14

It ain't over until it's over, so, yes, you have to finish what you start. The key to finishing a fight is often in knowing how far to go. In competition, you abide by established rules. You stop when your opponent falls or the referee tells you to stop. In competition, you leave it up to another to tell you when to stop. On the street, you don't have the luxury of that other. You are your own judge, and you alone must decide when and how to finish the fight.
When attacking for survival, attack with the intent to finish the fight with the first technique. Plan to take your opponent out immediately with as much brutal force as possible. There should always be a follow-up technique to clean up what the first technique failed to accomplish, and to help ensure your survival. It's been said that a fighter wins a fight, but a martial artist does so with finesse.
But sometimes finishing and winning with finesse is not possible. Sometimes just finishing, regardless of how it is done, is your ultimate aim. Formidable Fighter: The Complete Series, a compilation of all 14 books in this series, is available in both electronic and print format.