The Basic Principles Of Self-Defense

The life is full of dangerous situations in which self-defense skills could potentially save us from a great danger. Yet, many people are unprepared for it and when confronted by attackers, they are clueless on what to do and how to behave. Being a krav maga expert would definitely help but not everyone have time to train in martial arts.

However, that doesn't mean that you should be ignorant of some basic principles of self-defense that could save you one day.

We gathered the most useful ones hoping you will learn them but hopefully never have to use them!

Prevention

The most obvious principle is that the violence should be avoided at all cost. This can be achieved in several ways such as walking only in well-lit areas, avoiding dark empty streets, changing whenever possible time of travel and attempting to defuse tense situation. Sometimes the violence cannot be avoided and this is when you should be aware of several principles that can be of great use.

Get quality help now

Writer Lyla

Verified writer

Proficient in: Protection

5 (876)

“ Have been using her for a while and please believe when I tell you, she never fail. Thanks Writer Lyla you are indeed awesome ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

Get loud and push back

If you are confronted by an attacker in a dark street, or if he or she tells you not to scream "or you will get killed", it is obvious that presence of other people would ruin their plan. That is why you need to push them back and loudly say "BACK OFF" and try to yell loudly. This is both the signal for help but also the signal that you are not an easy victim and will fight back.

Which body parts to hit

When confronted by an attacker, you will have a short period of time to react and hit back. When you do it, make sure you hit sensitive parts that will immobilize the attacker. Aim for the following parts of the body: the eyes, nose, neck, neck, groin, and knee. This is not a time to be civil or chivalric, but rather to inflict as much damage as possible and to try to finish the fight as soon as possible.

Eyes

Hitting eyes with fingers or fist will effectively immobilize the attacker for a short period of time allowing you to escape. It will cause the pain and even temporary loss of sight.

Nose

Once the attacker is close to you, try to hit nasal bones. The best way is to use the heel of your palm to hit up under his nose. Try to make this hit a strong one, and use the weight of your body to ensure that the attacker is in sufficient amount of pain to allow you to run away.

Neck

The carotid artery and jugular vein are both located in the neck making this body part an extremely sensitive area. Due to that, self-defense experts list neck as an area that you should strike and stun the attacker. Try to keep all your fingers firmly straight with thumb tucked and hit your attacker at the side of the neck. You could also simply hit the attacker with your fist in the front part of the neck.

Knee

It goes without saying that knee as a sensitive area is a potential target you should aim for in self-defense. Hit the side of the knee to injure the attacker and immobilize him.

How to fight

Use your fist, elbows, knees and the head as these parts are bony and can cause most damage. In addition to this, you can always keep something between your middle and ring finger such as a pencil, or some other weapon, that can be used against the attacker. You can also throw sand or dirt into the attacker's eyes or even spray perfume into his or her eyes. Use whatever you can to defend yourself.

Many people, especially women, buy different type of self-defense products such as alarms, a pepper spray, tactical pen, tactical knife etc. Check regulations in your country on how to acquire some of these weapons and make sure to own at least one of them. You never know when you'll need one.