Posted on 08/14/2008 8:03:03 AM PDT by yankeedame
All of us want to learn kung fu. Who doesn’t want to kick like Chuck Norris and use nunchakus like Bruce Lee? Unfortunately, many of us are too busy to attend martial arts training sessions. You can buy a “how to” book of martial arts, but they usually have complicated instructions that you will likely forget during an actual attack. What you need are simple techniques that you can easily use during a fight.
1. To Survive, Accept the Fact That You May Die
Here’s a fact that is useful to remember when someone attacks you: you may get killed and panicking doesn’t reduce your chances of getting killed. Accept this fact because it should help you concentrate despite the surge of fear. Many people fear for their lives too much in dangerous situations, that they ultimately fail to save their lives. Rather than vehemently denying and fearing the fact that you could die, accept it. This is the only way to get it out of your mind and think of options before you – options that can save your life.
2. Attack When You’re Being Attacked
Your instincts are made to protect you. There is one instinct though that will most likely lead to your destruction when your attacker is near you: running away. Sure running away helps, but only when your attacker is a good distance away. Rather than retreating, advance. In a typical scenario where your attacker is the one who feels he is the predator and you’re the prey, he doesn’t expect you to fight back at all. If you react quick enough, you’ll be able to surprise him and open up opportunities to deliver damage.
3. Kick Only When Necessary
Here’s a tip direct from the dragon himself, Bruce Lee. Kicking is effective only at the right distance. Make sure that your attacker can be reached by your kick before you kick him. Also, always bring your hips with you when you kick. Kicking with your leg alone is not that powerful. According to Lee, it’s also very effective to target the body part that’s nearest to you. Remember that when your attacker gets close to you, he’s not only increasing his chance of hurting you, he’s also increasing his chance of hurting himself. If your attacker steps in your range, kick his body part that’s closest to you (usually his knees).
4. Use Your Head… Literally
Do you know that bashing your forehead into a thug’s nose once deals more damage than slamming your fist into his nose twice? The human skull is a powerful weapon. Notice that in boxing, a single headbutt is enough to open a cut in a boxer’s forehead than a flurry of punches. Your skull is hard and it’s also easy to move your head. By using your head, you can deal significant damage to your attacker using minimal effort. Headbutts are especially useful when someone grabs you from behind. Don’t waste your time and energy elbowing your attacker’s ribs or stepping on his toes. Instead, try bashing his face with the back of your head.
5. The Triangle Trick
Keep in mind that you don’t have to get hit during a fight. Imagine a vertical line dividing your body into two. Your attacker is going to attack some point along or around that line. Moving in a straight line forward or backward will change your distance from the attacker, but it doesn’t get your centerline out of the attack path. On the other hand, moving laterally left or right moves your centerline but it doesn’t change the distance between you and your attacker. The trick is to move along a triangle to change both the location of your centerline and your distance at the same time.
6. Everything Can Be a Weapon
Guns, knives, and pepper sprays are not the only weapons available to you. Anything harder than your knuckles and sharper than your fingers is a good weapon. That’s why it’s advisable to always carry something that can serve as a weapon, like an umbrella or a pen. Stones on the ground are also useful, especially if the aggressor is a good distance away. The one rule you should remember is that hard objects should be smashed against bone, while pointed objects stabbed into soft tissue.
7. Aim for All Those Weak Spots
Yes, just like the big boss in any video game, your attacker is full of weak spots however fearsome he might seem. Aim for the following body parts during a fight: eyes, nose, ears, throat, kneecaps, and groin. The groin is the most effective to hit because it sticks out, it’s at the center, and it’s very painful when hit.
Master all these tricks and you can pass up on those judo lessons your friend recommends to you. Always remember that you’re not a passive target, and you’re equally dangerous as your attacker.
No such thing as a fair fight outside the ring
Stay off the ground if at all possible
Keep your hands and arms up
Be unorthodox
If he can't see you, he can't hurt you
Distance is a good thing
I carry. Works great. Yes, I played in the arts for years but nothing beats a firearm when confronted by a mob or a gang other than making sure to stay out of those types of areas. Self defense techniques are for when you can’t get to your firearm. If you don’t need a firearm then you don’t neeed to fight. Walk away.
my thought exactly(except mine is a glock 19 9mm)...but, I do keep a phillips head screwdriver between my front seat and the console in my car (since I read most rapes/attacks occur in the front seat of a vehicle)
Another thing to remember (hat tip to my sensei) and especially to the women that might be depending on the groin kick:
More than once! Continue to kick the groin until the attacker is incapacitated; when he throws-up, kick him again!
Draw, point, shoot.
-bflv-
I would add one more step:
Draw, point, shoot, shoot again.
Just hang a bar of soap around your neck. That will scare them off.
A friend of mine got into a fight with some big guy, and got his nose broken in the process. He blew the blood into his hand and threw it in the big guy’s face, temporarily blinding him. My friend took advantage and beat Hell out of the guy.
Lesson One: Use ANYTHING you have in a fight.
Lesson Two: Don’t pick a fight with my friend.
You are much less likely to damage your hand doing this and you can knock a large man out by snapping his head back. As a bonus, he may have his tongue between his teeth when you strike and biting the end of your tongue off will take the fight out of most anybody.
Regards,
GtG
PS This is a "last ditch" tactic, save it for when things get "up close and personal", when you're close enough to smell him. He who resorts to fighting dirty first will win.
PPS Rule number one - There are no rules!
That's true. So what's the moral of the story. DON'T GET IN THE CAR. I've told my wife to never stop attacking until she is unable to do so before getting in the car. In other words, die trying because you are almost sure to die (or worse) if get in the car.
Should someone force their way into your car while you're in there have a knife handy (unless you have your firearm within reach - NOT in the glove box or under the seat). Stab inside the perps thigh and twist. You might get lucky and clip the femoral artery and your attacker will bleed to death. There are other spots with the same effect like inside the upper arm or jugular, but the thigh is a much larger target. If all else fails and you are driving crash the car or try to cause a crash if not. Otherwise you are dead meat.
They forgot the most important rule of self-defense: Do not enter situations where self-defense may be necessary. Ladies, don’t show skin or tight clothes in places where you will get unwanted attention (you know exactly what I mean, don’t play fashion with me). Men, don’t push conversations where someone is obviously looking for confrontation (come on, we are egocentric creatures).
If the aggressor(s) stand up, you sit down or back away. If they close, defend yourself. If they flash weapon(s) and close in on you, or follow you, pull your concealed .45ACP and empty your clip into the armed aggressor. Reload and retreat. The goal is escape, not to ‘kill em all.’. Hopefully, the unarmed aggressors will be sober and clear enough to not want to also be full of holes. Which would be good for you, since you only carry two full clips.
>>I would add one more step:
Draw, point, shoot, shoot again>>
I would add yet another two.
Draw, point, shoot until armed aggressor is down, reload, retreat, repeat for each armed aggressor as needed.
These suggestions - especially retreating on a diagonal - can buy you the time and opportnity to get out of alive and physically undamaged.
If you find yourself in the middle of a fair fight, your stategy and tactics suck.
> I do keep a phillips head screwdriver between my front seat and the console in my car (since I read most rapes/attacks occur in the front seat of a vehicle)<
#1 Drive with your doors locked. Does it have at least a six inch blade? If not trade it in for a larger one.
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