The main purpose of “Self Defense” is to avoid a confrontation, for example in a bar, urban area or perhaps a street demonstration. During my service in the RAF in Malta, a group of us had gone to this restaurant in the center of Valletta, the capital of Malta. At the end of our meal we were ready to leave and as we did so we saw a very large and noisy group of anti-British protesters making their way towards us. Although we were not in uniform, we were still identified as British.
Well, needless to say, my friends and I made a quick retreat and luckily we were picked up at the other end of Valletta by a Military Police patrol in a Land Rover, who took us back to our base in Luqa.
Avoidance and awareness are a key component of self defense and; Many self-defense teachers I’ve met in the past have put a lot of emphasis on this with their students. Many students I have spoken with have also agreed on the critical role this plays in avoiding a confrontation. For example:
1) Always walk facing traffic. A person walking in the same direction as traffic can be followed from behind and grabbed and forced into a car.
two) When walking down the street, do not talk on the mobile. Focus on where you are and where you are going.
3) Check the area around an ATM at night before stopping and parking your car, and be on the lookout for anyone who approaches you.
4) Never let a stranger into your home; In an emergency, tell them you will call the emergency services.
Plus many more Avoidance and Awareness practices that you will be told about.
Goal “AND YES” has everything failed? What if he has taken all these precautions, but it still catches you off guard and you find yourself in a dangerous situation: you can’t run away from this sudden danger? In such a situation, he would be in a critically dangerous place and should fall back on self-defense techniques that require minimum effort to achieve maximum result: the same principles practiced in judo and bullfighting.
In Judo, when an opponent in a practice or competition is at that critical point of imbalance, it is at that exact moment that he can be successfully attacked and brought down. In self defense, you learn to use your opponent’s strength and momentum as tools for your own defense. In the bullfighter’s ring, the Matador deftly avoids the bull’s charge (the bull’s line of attack) and is prepared for his attack.
The two most common situations where you could avoid this are:
HAS) When the assailant or the hooded one has not tried to run towards you, but continues to approach and makes his demands as he approaches; therefore, there is still this space between you and him.
b) When he has already made physical contact with you, that is, he has hugged you from behind or grabbed your arm or part of your upper body.
These are just two of the many answers you could give:
meNo HAS) Keep this space between you and him (if necessary, take a step back) and, as he continues to approach you, yell in a very loud and authoritative voice: “STOP” – “BACK BACK” – “BACK BACK” (you are here to take command of the situation). If you continue to close in and try to grab or hit him, stop your outstretched arm or striking hand while moving out of his line of attack. Follow up with a kick to a vulnerable part of your lower body before running. These are moves that would take seconds, with minimal effort, followed by a hit or max hit that would stop him from chasing you. Here, you have successfully taken control of your action by getting out of his line of attack (avoiding the charging bull) and simultaneously hitting a vital part of his lower body (like the matador who would impale the bull with his sword). .
In this scenario, don’t try to hit him as he approaches you; he is alert and he WILL grab your arm or leg. When you hit him, after your parry, never kick above the knee; instead, use a quick kick to the kneecap.
meNo b) There’s no physical attack yet, he’s just grabbed you (but his intention is still to physically hurt you), so here you can step on his ankle, elbow him in the ribs or neck, break his grip, and then run. or walk away All of these movements would again take only a few seconds with minimal effort.
I don’t have space to go into more detailed scenarios and techniques in this article. My main goal in this article is to show you that you can, with minimal effort, parry a vicious attack and counter it with a very targeted hit that would stop it dead in its tracks as you walk away. The principle of minimum effort with maximum effect it also applies to elderly or other vulnerable people who use a spray can, a cane, an umbrella or a bunch of keys. You don’t have to be a Commando or 4th Dan Black Belt to defend yourself effectively.
In my next article, I will discuss some of the dangerous techniques taught in some martial arts dojos that could seriously injure or kill you.