We say that a person is crouching when he remains hidden or hidden with the intention of surprising someone. Obviously, the person who is crouching is in this situation because he wants to prevent someone from seeing him or has the purpose of carrying out any criminal action, for example robbery or assault.
The surprise factor in the animal kingdom
The key to understanding the term is probably the surprise factor. In the animal world, predators look for their prey to feed and for this they have to implement an effective strategy. The predatory animal does not attack its prey directly but rather hides properly, that is, it remains semi-hidden and crouched until it finds the ideal opportunity to carry out the final attack. In other words, use the surprise factor.
This strategy of the animal kingdom is carried out by the intervention of instinct, the natural mechanism that allows the survival of a species. From the point of view of behavior, animals remain crouched in various ways: through their body's camouflage, hidden at night so as not to be seen by their prey, or by blending in with the natural environment. We could say that the different ways of being crouched in animals is what allows them to surprise their prey at the most appropriate moment.
The surprise factor among humans
Human beings have instincts but they are less decisive than those possessed by animals. Thus, we have a survival instinct like any other living being, but we can go against this instinct as a result of our personal convictions (think, for example, of an individual who goes on a hunger strike).
Human beings act effectively thanks to our intelligence and not through the intervention of instincts. Despite the differences between humans and animals, we also resort to the surprise factor in situations where there is a certain danger. If a thief wants to not be caught, he has to camouflage himself in some way, since it is dangerous for others to see him. In his strategy the thief lurks somewhere and, like the animals, remains on the prowl until it is time to carry out his criminal action.
In terms of human strategy we could speak of the following format:
1) stay low and lurk,
2) activate the surprise factor and
3) the definitive action.
This formulation is applicable to situations in which two armies face each other, to a football approach (there are teams that practice counterattack with this scheme) or to any situation in which we intend to achieve some kind of victory over an opponent.
Photos: Fotolia - kapuk
