As soon as you become adulthood, you are saddled with a variety of duties that you do not desire. As a newly independent adult, you bear financial responsibility; you must learn to sustain yourself and, eventually, your family. Nonetheless, no one considers the only obligation you have to yourself and your own safety. One of the first lessons in preparing for adulthood should be learning a few self-defense methods. While you may never need to utilize these strategies in the actual world, possessing the information enables you to have greater confidence in your own abilities.
Unless you live on the summit of a mountain, you must interact with other people on a daily basis. You never know when a violent individual may cross your way or when a petty thief will begin eyeballing your bag. While we would like to believe we live in a civilized society, danger lurks in every shadow, and you may find yourself in an uncomfortable circumstance around every corner. Being prepared enables you to tackle a crisis on your own without having assistance.
While it is true that we have law enforcement agencies that perform their duties, do you really want to pin your hopes on someone who is hundreds of miles away when you are confronted by an attacker? This is when your newly acquired self-defense skills come in helpful. You get to overcome the person who is attempting to intimidate and dominate you and even give over the weapon to the authorities.
Another environment where you may encounter thugs and low-lifes is the outdoors. As difficult as it may seem, groups of robbers prowl the woods seeking for a lone kicker or a group that appears defenseless and simple to attack. They take advantage of the lack of assistance and steal your equipment (we understand it’s valuable) and whatever cash you have on you.
If you don’t know how to protect yourself, this is a really terrible situation! It’s not enough to be terrified and have your ego crushed; you’re also left to fend for yourself in the woods without food, drink, or tools. This is how a pleasant outdoor trip may devolve into a true nightmare.
Thus, despite what you may believe, you may find yourself in a confrontation with an assailant. Regardless of your size, prior training, or gender, there are various fundamental self-defense methods that can assist you in defeating your assailant.
Prevention is the most effective technique of self-defense
As previously said, while knowing how to defend oneself is beneficial, the most effective method to apply self-defense tactics is to avoid them entirely. You can avoid a direct confrontation if you do not appear to an attacker to be a suitable victim. The majority of low-lifes search for easy targets who are incapable or unwilling to fight back, so be aware of your surroundings and take all required security precautions. Several fundamental safety measures include the following:
- Always check around before approaching your door or your automobile to ensure that no one is nearby.
- When traveling alone, avoid wearing costly jewelry or handbags.
- Parking your car in a well-lit place and carrying your keys in your hand while walking to your car is always a good idea. If you come to a complete halt near the car and begin searching for your keys in your pocketbook, your attention will be diverted and you may miss someone sneaking up behind you. If you keep your keys in your hand, you’ll be able to rapidly open and enter your automobile.
- Avoid walking alone late at night in a dark alley. Darkness is the finest concealment for this type of person.
- Avoid being predictable! When walking home or to the supermarket, experiment with alternative routes. This is discouraging for someone seeking for a trend.
- Even if you take all reasonable measures, you may occasionally encounter an assailant in front of you. If this occurs, attempt to diffuse the situation if feasible. Even if you are terrified, your brain will still be able to make a fast assessment of the circumstance. The critical point is to avoid freezing.
Make an attempt to dissuade your assailant from assaulting you. An attacker who appears uncertain, shakes, or exhibits guilt may be amenable to conversation. Additionally, if they are simply after your possessions, it is preferable to surrender them rather than fight. If the assailant possesses a firearm, do not even consider it; immediately hand over the bag or wallet. Your life is unquestionably more valuable than whatever you own at the time.
If there is no way to escape this situation without physical combat (the assailant touches you or you are certain you will not survive), it is necessary to employ some basic self-defense skills. Do not be frightened by your attacker’s size. Even the strongest guy (or woman) has his flaws. The primary method of demonstrating to an attacker that you are not an easy target is to react swiftly. Allow them to surprise you; instead, attempt to surprise them.
Self Defense Techniques
The first method of self-defense is to become loud and push back. Shout “Back off!” as loudly as you can and push the aggressor away. Attempt to get as much of his face as possible. This will inform everyone around that you are being attacked, as well as demonstrating to your assailant that he is not dealing with an easy prey.
Additionally, you may ensure that you are always carrying an emergency whistle – they are quite loud and may catch the attacker off guard, especially if blasted close to his/her ear. You may read our evaluations of the top emergency whistles available to choose which device is the best match for you.
Of course, this will not always succeed, but in more than half of situations, the attacker will be startled. If your adversary does not retreat, you have only a few seconds to respond and swing the scales in your favor. Consider it not and show no mercy in your hits. You did not request to be assaulted, and once another individual enters your personal space, grabs you, and attempts to immobilize you, it’s hit or be hit.
The most effective defense is to attack the weak places. These are the spots on the head (eyes, nose, and ears), the side of the neck and throat, the middle of the body, the groin area, knees, and legs, regardless of who is in front of you. When under assault, rapidly analyze the situation and attack the strongest locations. Continue reading to learn how to attack each of these issues.
Everyone should be familiar with some basic self-defense techniques
It’s simple to envision yourself alone somewhere and a large person approaches you with the evident aim of injuring you. We’re portraying our assailant as a man for the time being to make it simpler to imagine, but be assured that women may assault you as well. Never believe that your mother told you never to strike a lady. It makes no difference who is in front of you if you are under assault.
There are a few fundamental areas on the head that you can attack:
- The eyes: an attack here will cause severe agony and will cause the attacker to become disoriented, allowing you to flee. Utilize your fingers or knuckles to poke or scrape them. Avoid hesitating and strike forcefully.
- If you can reach the nose, go for the nasal bones. Strike upwards with the heel of your hand and your entire body. If the adversary is behind you, strike hard and fast with your elbow.
- The ears are also vulnerable spots in our body, even if we don’t realize it. Therefore, whenever you get the opportunity, do an ear clap. This implies that you strike your assailant directly in the ear, forcing him to tilt his head to the side, and then punch him with the other hand.
- Neck and throat: the side of the neck exposes the major veins (the jugular and the carotid). These are the primary routes for blood to get through the brain, and you can utilize an exposed side neck to immobilize your opponent. Strike him with your hand as if you were breaking a brick, using only the inner half of your palm. All of your fingers should be straight and securely clasped together, with your thumb tucked and slightly curved at the knuckle. The strike must be brief and powerful.
- If the throat is exposed, use your elbow and arm to strike him hard and choke him out by suffocating him. This will cause your opponent to retreat and hunch down in an attempt to regain his breath.
- Another area that you can effectively target is the torso’s center. It is located just above the stomach, beneath the ribs. If you’re dealing with a tall man, this is the simplest spot to reach. Make this strike with your elbow or fist and your full body.
- Men’s groin area is a well-known weak place, so take advantage of it if you get the chance! Kick him viciously and flee! The assailant will take time to recover after a good groin strike, giving you time to flee or seek assistance.
- Knees and legs: incapacitate your opponent with a well-placed kick to the knee or shin. These are regions where you can kick without fear of being seized by the attacker.
- Of course, you may combine these self-defense skills to thoroughly subdue your attacker.
Utilize all of your weapon-wielding body parts, including your head, elbows, and knees. These are inherently tough, and with the right amount of power, they may make excellent self-defense weapons. Additionally, do not hold back. Strike with the whole force of your body. You want to render the adversary immobile, not energise him.
Another excellent piece of self-defense advice from experts: be creative. We understand that it’s difficult to focus when you’re being attacked, but with enough calm and self-control, you’ll be able to conceive of an attack. Take hold of everything and everything you can and use it as a weapon. Your keys, too, can be utilized to inflict more pain.
Naturally, you may always carry an actual weapon with you, such as a knife or something similar.
Self defense techniques to get out of common holds
There are several typical holds that an assailant may use to immobilize you. Of course, there are a few standard self-defense methods that can help you escape these clutches and gain a position of superiority from which you can strike the aggressor.
Type #1 – wrist hold
In this instance, the assailant takes you by the wrist and holds you in place. The fundamental self-defense strategy for escaping this is to locate the grab’s weak place. The weakest place on this sort of grasp is between the thumb and the four fingers. Rotate your arm (you will be able to regardless of how tight the grasp is) in the direction of the narrowest section of your arm at the weak spot and then shove your hand in that direction to regain your freedom.
Attempting to pull, punch, or kick the person holding you will result in you losing your base and losing control of your position. Once you have regained your freedom, you can employ one of the fundamental self-defense tactics outlined previously.
To ensure that you learn the maneuver properly, here is a video demonstrating how to escape a wrist hold.
Type #2 – front and back choke
How are you to defend yourself if an assailant seizes your neck? The initial inclination will be to grasp his arms and attempt to untangle them from around your neck, but you will be unable to do so. His arms are firmly fixed in place, and you must approach the situation differently (literally). One of your hands should be placed directly on the guy’s esophagus, at the throat area, and pressed firmly.
Simultaneously with your arm extended, attempt to extricate your neck from the grasp. Ensure that you press firmly and forcefully on the throat with your fingers.
Type #3 – bear hug
This is a form of hold in which the assailant approaches you from behind and tightly grips your torso and arms. If possible, stomp his feet (particularly if you are a lady wearing high heels); if not, attempt to stomp his head with your elbows. Another effective strategy is for him to move his fingers towards the back of his hand, allowing him to release the grasp.
Of course, there are other effective self-defense tactics, but we’re going to let these two lads in the video above demonstrate how to win a bear hug.
Type #4 – mount position
This is one of the most difficult situations to escape. You don’t want to end yourself trapped to the ground, lying on your back, with a large man on top of you. This is also the position in which low-lifes commit rape, therefore you must understand how to avoid it and how to exit it. There are several fundamental self-defense tactics for escaping one of the worst possible positions, but we prefer the one demonstrated in this video instruction. Keep an eye on it and learn, since you never know what can happen tomorrow.
These are only a handful of the positions an assailant may attempt to put you in, but the strategies used to escape them may be useful in other circumstances. Assemble theoretical knowledge and then apply it in practice. Invite a buddy or a partner to assist you in practicing to ensure that you understand the technique correctly. Additionally, there are several variables that might swing the odds in either direction during a genuine battle, so you must be prepared to respond swiftly and intensely to any changes.
Remember: once you’ve subdued and incapacitated your attacker, do not continue striking or kicking him, as this is aggravated assault, for which you will face prosecution. Simply put him down, strike him a few times to ensure he does not pursue you, and flee as quickly as possible. Once you begin running, do not pause until you reach a safe area.
Additionally, you may want to read our post on women’s self-defense skills — an in-depth look at how to live in a world when women are viewed as weak.
Adults and children alike can benefit greatly from basic self-defense training. Attackers view youngsters as simple prey and will be startled when he or she defends themselves. Ensure that you teach and practice self-defense tactics with the entire family. Practice will prepare you to react appropriately in the event of an actual assault.