The world is becoming a more chaotic and dangerous place by the day. Because of the increasing uncertainty, the need for self-defence moves and skills is becoming more of a necessity than ever before.
The concepts I will detail here will give you a good overview of what you should know and learn to maximize your survivability in a violent exchange.
Situational Awareness
You can be a black belt in every martial art, but if you have poor situational awareness, all your skills will be rendered moot with one good swing of a baseball bat. Regardless of where you are, you need to be aware of your surroundings. Solid situational awareness will let you avoid most situations which may lead to you having to defend yourself.
One good way to improve your situational awareness is to use the OODA Loop. This technique was developed by a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot named John Boyd. It is an acronym which stands for Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act.
Observe – What is happening around me? This is the Who, what, and where of your surroundings.
Orient – How does what’s going on around me affect my safety? What are your capabilities, training, fitness, current condition, and assets available to you. What are the potential threats that I am facing?
Decide – What am I going to do about it? Is escape possible? Is violence inevitable? Is there help available?
Act – Take action to stay safe.
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Using the OODA loop as a part of your daily routine is the best way to make it second nature.
Regardless of where you are you should always have your head on a swivel and be assesing the situation around you.
Along with this, there are a few things you should always be doing:
- Do not walk around looking at your phone or with earbuds in.
- After parking your vehicle, do a 360-degree visual scan around the vehicle for threats.
- When pumping gas, keep your back to the car and your head on a swivel.
- Always trust your gut instincts. If something feels off, leave immediately.
- Don’t get drunk or high when out in public.
- Never walk into a room or building you don’t know how to run out of in an emergency.
- Be aware of what everyone around you is doing with their hands and feet. Watch for weapons, clenched fists, or shifting into a fighting stance.
- Always stay calm and polite regardless of the situation.
Good situational awareness is the best way to avoid having to defend yourself, but occasionally, there are times when you will be forced to act.
Legal Obligations
Before we continue and discuss defending oneself against attacks, you need to know and understand the laws that are in place in the jurisdiction that you live and work in. You also have an ethical and moral obligation to help anyone you hurt in the process of defending yourself.
Learning Martial Arts for Self-Defence
There are dozens of martial arts which you can learn to get the skills to defend yourself against an attacker.
Regardless of what you choose, you need to have a mix of grappling and striking.
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Grappling can include judo, jiu-jitsu, or wrestling while striking can include boxing, kickboxing, Krav Maga, or even taekwondo. The reason that you need both styles of martial arts is so that you can fight effectively standing and on the ground. There is a good reason why UFC fighters learn grappling and that is because real fights often end up in close quarters where striking is ineffective.
The problem with learning a martial art is that you must practice regularly to keep your skills fresh and effective. It is not enough to take a few classes and think you are good to go.
Techniques to Master
There are a few things that will make self-defence more effective. This is not an exhaustive list, it’s the techniques and moves that I find to be effective in my training.
Footwork
Kickboxing taught me how to use footwork to manage distance and move around my opponent. It is also a great way to avoid being punched or kicked. Most people that you are going to have to defend yourself against will not be trained fighters. They will often throw wild and telegraphed punches that, if you have good footwork, you can easily dodge and avoid.
Most people will gas out in seconds after a half dozen or so wild punches, giving you the option to either run away or take them to the ground and restrain them until the police arrive.
Blocking
Sometimes footwork isn’t enough, and a punch or kick finds its way towards you. In these cases, you need to have the ability to deflect or block these strikes. This takes practice and only through live sparring will you become effective at blocking.
Body Puches
Punching someone in the face presents a couple of problems. The first being the potential damage to your hands and the second is that if you score a one punch knockout, your attacker may fall and hit their head causing permanent damage or death. This lands you in legal trouble that you do not need.
Instead, practice punches to the body, especially the liver. These strikes are painful but cause less damage. Often, they will result in your attacker doubling over giving you the chance to take them to the ground or escape.
Takedowns
In a one-on-one fight that you can’t run away from, taking your attacker to the ground to control them is a great way to end the fight without hurting anyone.
Jiu-jitsu and judo teach a lot of takedowns, but you should find a couple that work for you and are appropriate to use on concrete.
Shooting in for a double leg takedown on concrete will only give you damaged knees, but a head snap takedown will take your attacker down, is easy to do, and will give you a position of control.
Chokes
When defending ourselves we should not be aiming to permanently damage our attacker. Instead, we must have the intention of subduing them without harm.
Cardioid artery chokes such as a rear naked choke are great ways to render your attacker unconscious without causing any damage to them. They are easy to do, and very effective. Choking someone unconscious also allows you to get to a position of control on them while waiting for the police.
Joint Locks
To control someone, it helps to know a few joint locks to use pain compliance to keep them subdued. I personally like using a Kimura or a wristlock to hold someone in position through pain compliance.
Having to defend yourself with violence is a rare occurrence, but knowing how to defend yourself will allow you to go through life with confidence that if a bad situation arises, you can handle yourself. Above all else you must practice regularly and seek professional training if you are to be truly effective.
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Your idiotic comment about an obligation of any kind to your opponent is without a doubt the most stupid remark I have ever seen on any website. That is when I quit reading the post.
@Luke, While you clearly believe the author’s point about not seriously injuring an attacker is unwise, merely labeling it with pejoratives is unhelpful and reflects poorly on yourself. Please clearly reference the exact statement you disagree with, explain why it is “stupid”, and then tell us a better alternative. That would be much more helpful.
The author did point out that if you kill or seriously injure your attacker, you can get yourself into legal trouble. This happened not long ago to a driver in Austin, TX, who turned his vehicle down the wrong street and ended up in the middle of a protest. One of the protesters pointed an AK-47 at the driver, who drew his own self-defense firearm and fatally shot the protester. The leftist attorney general charged the driver with murder and successfully prosecuted and imprisoned the driver. Fortunately, the Governor of Texas pardoned him. That shouldn’t have been necessary, but we live in an insane world. The author’s point about not killing or injuring your attacker is not as “stupid” as you think.
Time to start the great purge of illegals who are rapist, criminals, terrorist, gang members, drug dealers that cause most of the violence in the streets and home invasion.
It is good to have a couple moves that are age specific to our age groups and whether you are male or female as dojo strip mall martial arts don’t work on the streets for most most average Americans.
Close the open border and give incentives to former military as a secondary backup to the border patrol and ice as we transition into a safe and protected border wall.
America land of the legally free and home of the brave, not the home of illegal freeloaders and sanctuary states as seen today run by elected weak liberals.
God bless America!
If U have a threat you take the threat out by any means & under SHTF you always kill your opponent never wound as he might come back later. Any competent fight instructor will tell you to take out the treat if you off him that’s his problem not yours especially if you are in a strong stand your ground state. Forget the belt system it is just based on extending training to charge more.In the military you don’t have months or years to master combat fighting you have a few weeks so don’t be fooled by the belt system and costly useless training.Most training is what’s called studio kung fu it’s what you see in the movies it’s not the real thing.
You are never invincible superman either keep that in mind…Always choose your battles carefully you stand a better chance of winning that way.Let the opponent start it with you first & you have a valid reason for defending yourself. Defend your home from the inside don’t go outside as your chances of loosing increases.
There is also a Progressive – Conditional – Escalating: Color Code System of “Awareness”- that I “Live By” – Everywhere.
5 Levels – “White, Yellow, Orange, Red, Black.”
Especially “in public”.
CONDITION:
WHITE – Relaxed Unaware – You are Sitting at home, no threats can get- to-you, etc. At Home.
YELLOW – Always Observing, Always Aware “in Public”- Of what is around you or coming near/toward you ie You have noticed a potential threat in your area or coming toward you. My hand is “ON my gun” – But Not “Drawn” “yet”.
ORANGE – A potential threat “IS COMING” at you or planning to do you harm. MY Gun is “Drawn”. And On-Target, But NOT FIRED – Yet.
RED – A threat is upon me and about to attack me. My GUN is “OUT” and On Target.
A Verbal warning to the threat – “STOP – OR – I “WILL” SHOOT YOU”.
BLACK – I AM being attacked or About to be. And I AM SHOOTING IN SELF DEFENSE.
I grew up around the Texas street fighting/street racing scene in the 60’s, sadly I never met a streetfighter who would stop fighting when the opponent was down. My older brother used to say, “I always want to draw blood.”
The problem with the choke restraint is that it is dangerous to the victim. Hold it a minute too long and you could easily end up like Daniel Penny.
Life used to be better, back in the 60s and 70s brawling was a Class C disorderly conduct charge which meant a night in jail to sober up and a 32.50 fine. Back when jail was a cheap date.
Of course, now you need to multiply that $32.50 by about ten, to cover inflation.
I am an old gray haired woman, and I feel most vulnerable when I am loading a lot of groceries in the trunk, so I always keep a handgun in the trunk for quick access.
Good for you – “Being Armed”. BUT I would feel better if you developed a way to “Conceal Carry” that gun. If not 3 o’clock – Hip Carry – Maybe a “Belly Band” Carry. I know a Female Sharp-shooter who carries that way. Everywhere. But it takes Practice. Also advise – Always – when leaving a store or any building, car etc – 1st STOP – Scan the area for any guys just lingering around “Anywhere”, maybe lurking – looking for vulnerable, unaware women. ie “Leroy the Thug” maybe in the shadows trying to “LOOK” Innocent. Many of them are smart, young, and really fast and can cover 30ft in say 3 seconds. ME ? TN State & DHS Certified Defensive Pistol Instr, +. Also – 10 yr Combat-Competiton Shooter. And Real-Life experience. PRACTICE – Can you Draw and Get your gun – “On Target” in 3 SEC or less, with say 2-3 shots on target – 8in circle on high chest area. ? Practice just “Draw & Present, Grip, Alignment, etc” – at home. Start with say 300 reps. You can do this while sitting on your couch, gun unloaded. Aim at a picture frame corner or some object/spot on the wall. That is how I started – Many yrs ago.
Ya’ll are so scared.
If and when you face an attack, I hope you won’t be scared.
@Lisa, being prepared is not the same as being scared.
I carry a gun “Everywhere” I go. A few have asked me “What are you afraid of” ?
My answer “Not a Dam Thing”.
Other then taking 1-5 to successfully employ any of the arts suggested above, you have to be in good physical condition.
The best defense is run.
use the tools around you
use the items for your defense
back off slowly so you dont provoke the opponent s ego
Think 1st , react later
start simple , little training , one step at a time
Dont let pride, ego arragance get in the way
Never disrespect or this escalate s the situation
One thing is forsure : this set s off a lot of people
Plan Prepare, perfect your art
Thru training, professionals , practice
True , lots of good stuff in this article
but location , location , location this is what makes the threat imminent
the setting around you and the enviornment around you
ganster, mobster , city or flatlander , Hick or plain old simple person
Truth is YOU will never know . you can prepare so you know your opponent
Make the assessment , Know your surroundings, set the stage for your response
and Fight or Flight if traveling thru areas be alert , look , listen to your gut feelings
Prey or opponent what are you Ego or Proud arrigant Fool what are you
Better to stop before it starts then to enter into the areana of dispair with others
keep your distance , speak your opponent away , keep your stance ready
Pray , Pray , Pray God is listening and hears the prayers of a Believing person and will provide a way of escape , if you cry out to God , Trust God, Believe God , Obey God
Read His word , the Bible , Memorize scripture , bind the commandment s on your heart so when the time is near you can escape . Evil is all around in the hearts of those who hate truth , hate God , serve self , are Rebels on thier way to distruction , that is why you have to stay out of thier way while the destroy thier life and blame others for thier actions .
ANON, you are correct !
color system is DESIGNED to keep people seeing improvement, NOT getting discouraged, and keep the wallet open.
35 yrs ago my friend Kevin F taught me a sliver of a glimpse into Shotokan karate, three belts ONLY! No 14th degree purple belt with bronze points. In polite society you AVOID.
a Master, in an unavoidable situation vs a fool, can consider letting them off easy.
in a REAL SHTF world, the DA is just not a thing to consider, breathing 10 minutes into the future is ! Now, you are better to de escalate, avoid, hide etc – you dont know where his machine gun toting friends and big brothers are. But if you cant avoid, swift, quiet, and resolved is what you want. Should you have a good 40 minute pepper spray solution, use it and flee – as long as you reasonably expect NOT to see that individual EVER again. They will hold a grudge and there will be no DA or something more useful like a sheriff around to care.