Techniques for Self-Defense

Foreword

excerpts modified from Nebraska Hapido Association Training

  1. Disclaimer: Nothing works all the time. None of this stuff is guaranteed. You make your own choices, and do what you decide. We're not telling you what to do. And if you practice with a friend full-force, what happens is YOUR fault. Don't be sorry. Be controlled. Think.
  2. This stuff works but:
    a) you need to know when to use it,
    b) you need to have the confidence to use it, and
    c) sometimes, it just isn't enough. People won't teach you to defend yourself in all situations. If you want to know how to do that, take a self-defense class, take a martial art -- but do something. Do NOT think that just because you read this (or anything, for that matter) that you can handle yourself in any situation.
  3. These techniques are for escape and evasion. There are other things you can do with them, but the main idea here is to give yourself some room to run, and some time to do it in. Simple as that.

    These are NOT for attack. These are nasty -- that's what makes them work. You do NOT walk up to someone and just do any of these. These are for defense.
  4. Finally, one tactical thought: Women, if a guy grabs you, where will you probably try to hit him first?

    I bet you said, "I'm going to kick him in the groin. Of course." Would like like to know the one place you should NEVER attempt to first strike a guy? The groin.

    Why? Simple. Every guy in the world has been kicked in the groin at least once -- and he KNOWS that if a female gets mad at him, that is the FIRST place she is going to try to hit. Plus, every self-defense class in the world trains people to kick the groin. And every guy out there knows it. It's a great target -- for the second or third shot. But not the first one -- he's expecting it.
Standard Targets

There are certain points on the human body where no matter how big you are, how strong you are, or whatever, it STILL hurts to get hit there. This is, of course, where we want to strike. Here is a diagram (a VERY basic diagram) of the human body. The red points are where you want to strike.
Strike Points:

The nice things about these is that you already know where they are, and what they do. You've known since grade school. (You may not admit this, but it's true.) If you poke someone in the eye, in the throat, hit them with a palm on the bridge of the nose, strike to the groin, kick them in the front or side of the knee -- these will all hurt, distract, whatever -- and it works on everyone. None of these points are covered by muscle, fat, whatever -- size and condition does not matter. The only thing that matters is how hard you strike.

Striking eyes and throat:
Put index and third finger together, curl others to palm. Do NOT hyper-extend your fingers, merely hold them rigid. Strike (think like a spear) straightforward into the eye or right above the hollow of the throat. Don't strike directly into the hollow -- strike about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch above it. (Note: you can also strike these points using only the thumb).

Bridge of the nose:
Hold out your hand, and spread your fingers wide. This tightens the hand, and pushes forward the palm side of the large knuckles. Feel how hard they are? Push your hand forward and strike with that area right below where the nose joins the brow ridge -- basically the center of the nose.

Groin areas:
Many ways you can strike here: Knees, feet, or hands.

KNEES:
If using a knee, simply bring it upward as hard as you can -- but think of the end of your knee as a point -- and drive that point into the groin. If your hands are free, before striking, grab the attacker's hips, and pull the attacker into the strike as your drive the knee.

FEET: Simple. Bring your instep up into your attackers groin. However, if you are too close for that, but too far to use a knee, kicking straight up and striking with the shinbone of your leg works just fine also.

HANDS: Swing your arm in a straight-arm upward strike into the groin, either using an open-hand palm strike, or a closed fist -- the closed fist strikes just the same as the open palm strike, except the fingers are curled -- still a straight-arm strike.

Striking the knees:

Striking the knee is something self-defense classes always teach, because it is a serious weak point on the human body. However, it can be harder than it sounds. If striking the front of the knee (the kneecap) drive your HEEL forward into the kneecap, and drive it far forwards -- just tapping it won't give you enough time to get away. If striking the side of the knee, there are a couple of different ways to do it, but the easiest (note: this is according to me) is to sweep the INSIDE of your foot in a circular motion, striking the side of the knee -- and strike hard, again. (That was for if you were standing in front of the attacker.) If you are standing beside the attacker, pick up your foot, and drive your heel sideways and downward (at about a 45 degree angle) into the side of his knee. Hard.

Note: all of the knee attacks can be difficult without practice -- AND, you will be off balance more than if you were using a hand technique. So, they work -- but practice them. Don't try something and fall over. That's not a good thing.

Now, remember, the idea here is not to destroy your attacker, beat him up and drag him by his collar to the nearest police station. Your mission here is to ESCAPE UNHARMED. That is your goal. So, if you hit him once, and he's clutching his eyes and can't see, then run. No sense staying around and giving him time to recover, hmm?

You might have to hit him a couple of times, and do some serious damage -- but as soon as you have a chance, GET AWAY. That's your goal. Get away unharmed. Remember -- all you are doing is stopping this person from harming you. Do what is necessary, then escape.

Martial Arts for Self-defense
Martial arts for self-defense purposes, is a very specialized thing -- not all martial arts have strengths in this area. Many take years to master.

Now, in general, all martial arts will help you prepare to defend yourself, at least indirectly -- you will be in better shape, more flexible, more able to withstand punishment, and have more control over your body. These are all good things.

For a martial art to be a good self-defense art, it needs to do several things:

  • It must directly teach you simple, efficient ways of dealing with common attacks.
  • It needs to prepare you for eventualities -- meaning in class, you need to deal with the fact that in self-defense, no matter what you do, there is a chance (sometimes, a GOOD chance) that you are going to get hurt.
  • It needs to teach you when to react, when NOT to react, and when to attempt to de-escalate. (Some people might jump on me here -- but seriously folks, sometimes it is a complete waste of time to attempt to de-escalate.)
  • MOST IMPORTANTLY, it needs to teach you the correct mind set to stand up for yourself, be in control of yourself, and to have the self-confidence to know you are worth defending, which allows you to do so.
I highly recommend both Aikido and Tai Chi -- there are some VERY important things you can learn from them. However, immediate self-defense is not one of them.

Things to consider when choosing a class

When attempting to find a martial art that teaches self-defense, there are a couple of simple things to look for. Each martial art is different, and moreover, each instructor teaches their martial art differently -- so WTF Taekwondo at one place might be completely different than WTF TKD at another. You just have to go take a look.
  • Attend a class -- take a look. What do you see happening?
  • Are people practicing practical self-defense?
  • Are people practicing reactions to common self-defense situations?
    Or are they doing rote forms, practicing flying spin kicks, or using archaic weapons that you could never carry on the street? (Remember, your point here is self-defense -- you are not looking for instructions on how to use a halberd. If the art teaches that as well, fine, but that is not the primary goal of your search.)
  • Are the lower belts practicing simple, efficient ways to deal with attackers?
    Or is it just the higher belts who are working on self-defense? Yes, all beginners need to work on basics -- however, you should ALSO see them working self-defense techniques. After all, if you join, that is where you are going to be -- and you are here to learn to defend yourself.
  • Is the instructor teaching a mind set in addition to the moves?
    Can you see the instructor making sure the students are understanding that they aren't learning to beat up on people, they are learning to stop people from hurting them -- and that it is OK to do whatever is necessary to accomplish that? (I'm not talking only about being able to seriously damage someone here -- I'm also talking about the other end of the spectrum, so that people who are being harassed, manhandled, etc. -- but not directly VIOLENTLY attacked, know how to deal with the situation -- and are building the self-confidence to do so.)
  • Does the martial art (and the instructor) teach self-defense reactions in a way that makes sense to you?
    Meaning, the way that particular martial art reacts to an attack -- does that fit the way your mind works?
    Do the reactions make intuitive sense to you, in the style in which they work?
  • Does it fit the physical limitations of your body?
    F or certain techniques it doesn't matter how big or strong the other person is. Poke them in the eye, jab them in the throat, lock back the knee, etc. -- size won't matter.

The best summary for protecting yourself is still:

  • THINK about potentially dangerous situations. Imagine yourself, and/or your family, in different kinds of situations and ask yourself "What would I do if...?" Your imagination should include situations in your home, at work, using public transit, travel scenarios, and vacations away from home.
  • TALK about these situations with your family, friends, colleagues and neighbors. Compare and contrast solutions.
  • PLAN how you might react using your verbal and non-verbal skills plus any physical techniques you feel comfortable using (eg. strong kick to the shins and then getting away). Take a self-defense program and then teach other family members or take a course together.
  • PRACTICE so that your mental reflexes are conditioned to respond rapidly and effectively. Your reaction time should be similar to how you would react if a child ran in front of your car.
Rape
  • Do you resist or not? There is no pat answer for this difficult question. A woman must decide for herself, in advance, whether or not she will resist and under which circumstances she will resist. The deciding factors may include:
  • whether other people's safety is at jeopardy,
  • your ability to physically defend yourself and your loved ones,
  • your personal attitude.
The self-protection options are:
  • choosing not to resist the attack if you fear for your own life and the lives of family members or others also held captive;
  • passive resistance by trying to talk to the rapist to calm him down and play for time;
  • active resistance -- be prepared and proficient to use verbal and physical forms of practical self-defense. If you are hesitant to hurt the man who is attempting the rape (eg. someone you know, someone you care about) then you may lose in your effort to defend yourself. You must act quickly, proficiently and without hesitation. It is vital that you learn a form of self-defense. Saying "I'd kill anyone who tried" is not enough.

How to Help Someone in Trouble
  • Other than physically intervening in an assault against someone else you can:
  • yell to the people involved that you have called the police (and then do so immediately),
  • in a bus or subway situation stay at the opposite end of the vehicle and yell to the people involved to stop -- this draws in the rest of the passengers; if there is an emergency call system, use it,
  • note down any details that may help police catch these people after they have run away.
Buddy System

If you live of work alone, try to establish a buddy system with friends or neighbors to do your shopping and laundry together if you feel the slightest uncertainty about doing it by yourself.

If you are about to go into a call and you are working alone - call your buddy leave a message with the info - locaion, name of client, time of call and then call back when you are out.

ID Game

This game develops your circle's skill in identifying people. Have people look at a magazine photo, or someone on the television or on the street for only a few seconds. Then have them verbally recite a description concentrating on the general features first, and then on their more specific features. Below is a checklist of items to look for from general features to more specific ones:

1. SEX
2. SKIN COLOR
3. APPROXIMATE AGE
4. APPROXIMATE HEIGHT
5. APPROXIMATE WEIGHT
6. BODY BUILD
7. HAIR COLOR
8. EYE COLOR
9. ANY SCARS?
10. ANY PHYSICAL ABNORMALITIES
11. SPEECH ACCENT OR PITCH
12. EXACT CONVERSATION
13. FACIAL HAIR
14. RIGHT OR LEFT HANDED
15. WEAPON USED
16. TEETH FORMATION AND COLOR
17. LICENSE PLATE NUMBER
18. CAR MAKE AND MODEL AND ORIGIN (eg. Province/State)

Items to Consider

Pepper Spray/mace – although some laws state pepper spray/mace is for use on animals only… you may find pepper spray at local camping supply stores.. we keep it in various places in the house.. for our protection.

Books:

Self-defense Deck: 50 Powerful Strategies For Staying Safe by Jennifer Lawler
SAS Self Defense: How to Deal with and Avoid Confrontation by Barry Davis
for the First Time Understand Realistic Self-defense by Ralph Haenel

DVDs:

Be Your Own Bodyguard for Women - Self Defense DVD ~ Robert Cabral
Urban Knockout: Self-Defense Exercise Program for Women
Fit to Defend: The Ultimate Home Self-Defense and Fitness Course, Vol. 2
Hapkido: Simple Self Defense for Men and Women, Vol. 1
Rapid Fire: A Revolutionary New Approach to Women's Self Defense