With the world the way it is today, it is very important to know how to defend yourself. Whether you are in a fight, either verbal or physical, or if you are being attacked, you must be able to defend yourself. Your main goal should be getting away from the situation unscathed.
How To Defend Yourself Verbally
When you are in the middle of a heated argument, you do not necessarily need to know how to fight. However, there are ways that you can defend yourself verbally without the altercation becoming physical.
Most fistfights do not start without the two parties arguing. If you are involved in an argument and do not want it to escalate, the first thing that you should do is lower your voice. When two people are arguing, and you both continue yelling over each other, things can easily escalate into an all-out fistfight.
By lowering your voice, the person you are arguing with will no longer feel the need to continue yelling. You can make statements such as, “calm down and talk to me” or “I don’t want to fight with you” to diffuse the situation. When the person you are fighting with has calmed down, they may be ready to discuss the problem calmly.
How To Defend Yourself In a Fight
If you tried unsuccessfully to stop a fight using words, and the aggressor still wants to fight, you must be able to defend yourself. If you know even a little bit about self-defence, you have a chance of getting away uninjured. These basic self-defence moves do work.
- Stand with a wide base: When you are about to fight, it is best to stand with your legs diagonal from each other. This will give you a stronger stance, preventing you from being knocked over. You have a much better chance of walking away from a fight uninjured if you stay off the ground.
If you do fall on the ground, try to fall on top of your opponent. When you fall, you should try to use your weight to your advantage. Try to land on your opponent with your knees or elbow. This can cause your opponent some pain.
- Guard your face: When in a fight, the place your opposition will first try to hit you is in the face. To protect yourself from being hit in the face, you should put your arms in a defensive position. By bending your arms at the elbow and putting your fists in front of your face, you can protect not only your face but your ribs as well. By keeping your hands in a fist, you can take a shot at your opponent if necessary.
- Offensive move: To get away from a fight uninjured, you may need to injure your opponent first. The best places to go for being the eyes and the nose. These are the most sensitive spots on your opponent’s face.
- Using the hardest part of your forehead, right along your hairline, smash your opponent’s nose. To do this, you need to tense your neck and drive your forehead straight to the nose. This will typically knock your opponent to the ground, and it will be difficult for your opponent to recover quickly.
How To Defend Yourself Against an Attacker
Defending yourself against an attacker can be much scarier than defending yourself against a person that you had a verbal argument before it turned violent. You do not know why this person is attacking you.
You are not sure if they are hoping to rob you, rape you, or kill you. When it is a person that you do not know, anything is possible. However, knowing a few self-defence techniques can save your life.
- Run: When you are being attacked, one of the first personal defence methods is to run. Even if you cannot outrun your attacker, you can get to a more public area where someone can help you. In most cases, if you run up to a busy street or a crowded area, your attacker will be scared off.
- Assess your attacker: If possible, try to get a look at your attacker’s hands and pockets. It is important to know if they are carrying or concealing a weapon. If you think that they are, it is even more necessary to get away as soon as possible. If your attacker has a weapon and demands your purse, wallet, or jewellery, the best way to get away safely is to give them what they want. Your life is not worth a few dollars or a ring.
- Go for the groin: If your attacker is a male, the best place to attack to get away is the groin. You can either kick your attacker in the groin or grab and twist. Either method should keep your attacker down long enough, allowing you to getaway.
- Go for the knees: Kicking your attacker in the knees is a great way to hurt him enough so that you can get away. Using the instep of your foot, you should kick your attacker either directly in front of the kneecap or on the outer knee cap. It only takes between 12 and 16 pounds of pressure to break a knee. While your attacker is down, you can run.
- Go for the eyes: It is very difficult to defend yourself against an eye poke. If you are tall enough, either poke your attacker in the eye or dig your thumbs into your attacker’s eyes.
- Defending yourself from behind: If your attacker runs up and tries to pick you up from behind, sit down. If you sit hard enough and drop your hips violently and quickly, it will make it difficult for your attacker to lift you off the ground. If your attacker tries to choke you from behind, push his forearm into your collarbone. This can hurt him enough where he will loosen up, giving you a chance to getaway.
- Stomp on your attacker’s feet: If you use all of your weight and jump on your attacker’s feet, it can stun him enough so that you can get away.
How To Be Prepared For an Attack
Many people walk around with a false sense of security, thinking that they would never be victims of an attack. These people are unprepared. If you want to get away from an attacker uninjured and unscathed, it is important to be prepared.
- Avoid walking alone: if possible, you should not walk alone at night. Most attackers will not strike a group. If you must walk at night, you should walk in busy, well-lit areas. While the back roads may be the fastest way to get to your destination, it is also the most dangerous.
- Carry pepper spray: If you carry pepper spray, you can easily fight off an attacker in the first few seconds of the attack. It is best to keep it handy when you are walking. Your attacker will not give you a chance to dig through your pockets or bag to find the pepper spray.
- Wear a “rape whistle”: Wearing a rape whistle around your neck is a great way of scaring off an attacker. When you are being attacked and blow the whistle, it can alert others to your attack and scare the attacker off. Blowing the whistle in your attacker’s ear will also disorient them for a moment, giving you a chance to run away.
- Be aware of your surroundings: When you are walking, you may want to put in your earbuds and enjoy your favourite song. This is not a good idea. When you are listening to music, you will not hear an attacker coming up behind you. It is also a good idea to keep your phone in your hand, but avoid using it while walking. If you are reading a text message or updating your social network status, you cannot pay attention to those around you.
Being able to defend yourself is very important. There will not always be someone around who can save you if you are bullied by someone you know or attacked by a stranger. Knowing how to avoid being attacked or defending yourself when attacked can essentially be saving your own life.
Also Read: How To Protect And Defend Yourself In A Frivolous Personal Injury Lawsuit
