Learn street self defense #1 – Always and I mean always pay attention to the people, the place, and the environment you are in. If you get a gut feeling that something is wrong, by all means try to get away from the place, or people. If you see shady looking guys giving you a stare by all means walk away and get out of there. Listen to yourself. If you can avoid dangerous places or people by all means do it. Being able to avoid self defense situations is one of the biggest secrets of martial arts!

Learn street self defense #2 – Don’t wait for the bad guy to strike, grab or hit you first. You need to be the first person to initiate the fight. This will throw the scumbag off of his plan to attack first he has already rehearsed in his mind. Attack first with a finger to the eyes and stomp the shins and knee caps. Be sure that you continue to follow through with further strikes, grabs, chokes, throws, stomps, kicks basically whatever you can do throw a bad guy off of his game plan. This is why I always suggest you carry a self defense tool, because being able to attack your opponent with it before he mugs you, will put you that much more ahead of the game.

Learn street self defense #3 – After you have thrown the first few strikes keep on attacking. Unless if you are Mike Tyson, you probably don’t have a one punch knockout. So continue attacking as aggressively as possible. Attack areas like the groin, throat, neck, eyes, face, kneecaps, shins. You want to attack your opponent as hard as possible as fast as you possibly can. Don’t show any remorse or fear of your victim, just attack as hard as humanly possible. Don’t get scared of being hit, instead embrace being hit and let it teach you that you are alive. The more pain you feel, the more pain your opponent is probably feeling too, as long as you fight hard.

Follow these simple ways to improve your fighting skills and being able to learn street self defense even better!

Contrary to popular belief, a black belt in the martial arts has little to do with whether or not someone has the ability to protect themselves. This is not to say that the person wearing it can’t defend themselves against a real-world, street attacker.

But then, I would never say that a high school wrestler couldn’t defend themselves either!

The ability lies, not with the belt but, with the focus that went into getting it. If the person wearing a black belt has focused on sport martial arts all along, then the belt represents his or her proficiency in THAT area – not self protection.

Again, just as with the wrestler, this is not to say that they cannot defend themselves. It means that what they are studying and practicing – where they’ve set their priority – is not centered on self defense, but on winning a contest!

If you’re serious about mastering the ability to protect yourself against real world assailants – savagely attacking you with raw, animalistic brutality – then you must begin with awareness and clarity. Before you can do that, though, you must first shed the illusions and deluded beliefs, myths, and misconceptions that are getting talented black belt martial artists broken by street thugs every day.

Without this awareness – the clarity of understanding just what you’ll be up against inside a brutal attack scenario, as opposed to a rule-laden tournament – you risk not learning the lessons that will save your life.

Remember, in a real-world self defense situation, the only trophy you get for “winning” is the privilege to go home in one piece after it’s over!

I like to call it “Stun and Run,” others call it “Bash and Dash.” Whatever you call it, it works the same. You strike the opponent one time to give you enough time to run away. My instructor thought this would be all I was capable of doing. Whether I could do more or not doesn’t matter. It has served me well.

I never go for the groin. Men expect this, and it does not drop every man. I choose a more stunning place. I cannot say over the Internet my choices, as they are very dangerous and should only be used under the guidance of a trained martial arts teacher. Some self-defense techniques are just too dangerous to use in any situation other than life threatening.  

However, there are a few non-life threatening techniques I can share. First, box the ears. This works as a good stunning device. If you are tall enough, this causes dizziness and disorientation for a few seconds, just long enough for you to run away.

Second, kick the knee. This can break the knee or at least drop your attacker for a second. Kicking with your shin works better than kicking with your toes. This is effective no matter how tall you are.

Third, is the reverse head butt. This works particularly well for short people since attackers try to grab you from behind. Hang tight and wait for them to pull you off the ground. When they have pulled you up, throw your head back smacking them in the nose. If you throw your head back hard enough, you can break the nose and run away.

The best self-defense method is training. Find someone to teach you and then practice the moves. This way you will be ready if and when you are ever attacked.

Rule #1: Never be afraid of looking weird or losing a sale by being too safe.

Insist on meeting people at your office, preferably when someone else is there and it is clear that you have people who know where you’re going, with whom and for how long. Get the information of the person that you are showing a house to – driver’s license or other ID, name, address, etc. If you feel better knowing that your spouse or a friend is with you, take them along. This is one of the best ways to avoid problems, although it doesn’t mean that you can relax your guard. At Open Houses, when just about anybody can walk in and around, this can be a really important part of staying safe. Have pepper spray dangling from your key chain. If you have a concealed carry permit, by all means carry a firearm if you are well-trained and confident in its use.

Rule #2: Learn to defend yourself and others.

Carefully investigate self-defense courses and take some that have the best likelihood of giving you skills you can use as soon as possible. While karate, jiu-jitsu and other martial arts are very effective and valuable when one has been practicing them for a time, for people who are just starting out in self-defense, a quick-and-dirty course in basic holds, strikes, blocks and immobilizations is going to give more resources faster. If you are interested in self-defense as a long-term activity, see if your instructor also offers courses in quick self-defense techniques.

Rule# 3: Be aware of your surroundings.

You should always keep track of who is around you and what they are doing, and that goes double, triple, quadruple when you’re in a situation where you don’t know the people very well. Don’t let people get around you and trap you in rooms or in corners. You can do this without being too obvious. When hosting an Open House, be aware of how many people are going through the house. Thieves and worse have been known to target Open Houses, knowing that the owners are probably not around and the host is often alone.

Rule #4: Be assertive.

If someone is giving you trouble or a bad feeling, don’t be afraid of telling them, “No”. You don’t have to go down in the basement with them and you don’t need to accompany them into every room. Give yourself some breathing space and if someone violates it, tell them to back off. No sale is worth the risk of harm and any genuine buyer should respect your wishes in the matter. Don’t hesitate to call the police if someone is giving you trouble. The first tactic of many predators is intimidation, to see how much they can make you give.

Rule #5: Be ready and willing to fight back.

Many predators target people who look like they won’t give much trouble. Someone who fights back, screams and makes the predator’s life very uncomfortable has a better chance of avoiding injury and death. Even the knowledge and willingness to do so can make someone more confident and less of a target by predators. That being said, whether to fight back and how much to fight is a personal decision that the individual makes on their own and no one knows what they will do when in a life-threatening situation. Go with your instincts and most of all, try to get away rather than being a hero.

Accepting that there is danger in being a Realtor and that some people target Realtors is the most important part of staying safe. Many victims of crime never thought it could happen to them and didn’t take steps to minimize their risk. By accepting the danger, you will have taken the first step to defending yourself.

Now that we have looked at how to position your hand, lets consider the actual motion. All you have to do is throw your hand forward – being sure to lead with your fingers. It is not necessary to aim specifically for one of his eyes, just the part of his nose that rests between his two eyes. Some learners worry that not aiming specifically for an eye will cause the strike to not work, however, those experienced in martial arts know that aiming directly at the eyes is not necessary. When you do the strike, your fingers will naturally fan out and find your attackers eyes. Performing the technique like this actually gives you a better chance of success.

Having struck your attacker, you have an important decision to make. If you can escape, it is always best to escape while your attacker is disoriented and writhing in pain. Alternatively, you can immediately follow up with more strikes. For this, I recommend some ear slaps, elbows and, perhaps, some knees – if the situation calls for them. You should avoid using punches and kicks unless you you have been properly taught how to do them, as you risk hurting yourself if you do not do them properly. Whereas, knees, ear slaps and elbows cause maximum pain to your attacker without there being a risk of hurting yourself whilst doing them.

Now that you know how to do the strike, lets talk about when is the right time to do it. Properly timing the eye flick will make it more effective. I advise you to act pre-emptively and to not delay making your move until you are in a really desperate situation. As soon as it becomes clear that there is no escape from the confrontation, you need to strike. If you wait for them to strike you first, then you may become disorientated and not sufficiently recover to strike them back. However, you do need to ensure that you obey all the laws in your state regarding self defense before attempting a pre-emptive strike.

So, there you have it. By reading this article you now know how to perform an eye flick. It is a simple move, but a very powerful technique when applied effectively and, since I have shown you how to do the eye flick, you can feel confident that you will be safer in threatening situations.

So let me ask you this, do you have habits in regards to your safety or are you one of those people that think no harm will ever come your way because you are nice, and you smile and you live in a gated community?  Whatever the case may be, I would always think it is better of be prepared than not.  After all, you surely would not take a trip across country without having a spear tire in your trunk would you?  So why in the world would you not take some simple precautions and learn simple tools of self protection and make it a part of you like washing your face or brushing your teeth.

Let me just DE-mystify some the perception of self defense.  Self defense is not about learning years worth of complicated martial arts moves!  If you know how to clap your hand, you can use that same concept and apply the open hand to the bad guy’s ears to stun and disable so you can flee the scene.  Furthermore, self defense is more about knowledge of the human anatomy and the element of surprise rather than going toe to toe with someone like a prize fighter. 

 Lastly, train to become aware of your environment so you can recognize a potential dangerous situation before it arises by using your most powerful weapon–the mind.

This article is written with your safety in mind and although we are based in Queen Creek Arizona, we are mobile so let us know if you have any questions.  Remember to stay safe.

http://ICanDefendMyself.com

1. The groin kick

Obviously the groin is a sensitive area on the body, especially if your attacker is male.  Groin kicks are ideal if your attacker is coming at you.

Proper execution of a groin kick requires bringing the knee up to about hip level, then directly extending it in a sharp fast motion towards the attacker’s groin.  You want to propel the force of your hip into your leg for a more powerful, fast kick.

2. Throat strike

This is considered a “dirty” fighting tactic in martial arts but is a brutally effective self defense move.  The throat is actually even more sensitive than the groin in terms of lethality.  You can actually kill someone with a punch to the throat so it is better to practice this move on a training dummy than a live person.

To do a throat strike, start by making your hand into a fist with your thumb tucked tightly against your knuckles.  You are going to aim for the sensitive area of the throat right above the larynx, basically where air comes into the throat.

This technique needs to be performed quickly to be fully effective.  You will basically grab your attacker – if you can get his shirt that is best – pull your fist in line with your chest, and strike the sensitive area of the throat.

3. Eye gouge

Obviously the eyes are also a very sensitive area of the body.  A properly aimed eye gouge can debilitate your attacker long enough for you to run.  This is one of the most effective self defense techniques for women.

You can use your thumbs if you are really desperate, but to do a proper eye gouge strike you need to extend your index and middle finger, tuck your ring and pinky fingers down, and extend your thumb to balance.

With those fingers extended you are going to direct a fast strike at your attacker’s eyes. Don’t just expect to reach out and stab your thumbs at his eyes and dig around.  That is ineffective and in a real self defense situation you are not going to have time to do that.

With the economic downturn of today and personal attacks up, the average person needs a more definitive, realistic, and easy-to-apply answer that they can really rely on when dealing with personal attacks.  Fortunately, I have provided such an answer to my students for well over ten years.  This answer is in the form of what I call, “The -3- Goals of Self-Defense”.  With some training, these goals are easy to learn, easy to remember, and easy to apply.

The 1st Goal of Self-Defense is simple, “Avoid the Attack”.  What does that mean?  It simply means to “…have the attacker attack you where you WERE not where you are”.  Essentially, the attacker just ends up punching “air” instead of you.  You accomplish this basically by stepping to the side which is the attacker’s outside just as the attack begins but before the attacker hits the target  -  you.  Going to the attacker’s outside minimizes the chance of being punched at with the attacker’s other fist as well.  By using techniques taught in some martial arts like Ju-jitsu, this movement of stepping to the side can be easily learned and accomplished by many with just a little training.

Unless you have highly specialized training in blocking or counterattacking, it is very foolish to try to manage a “cruise missile”, like your opponent’s fist, when it is aimed directly towards your face in a very powerful manner.  There are three reasons why blocking can sometimes be simply ineffective.  What if your block is too late and does not block the arm in time that is punching you, or your block is completed too soon to where you block long before the punch even gets near you.  And finally, what if your block is well placed but it is simply ineffective and lacks any power in stopping the punch.  In all three examples of blocking, you are going to be hit and hit hard!

As a Karate instructor of several decades, I can attest that most styles of Karate or Tae-kwon-do teach the student to stand their ground with solid blocking techniques when being attacked.  This is then immediately followed by a strike, kick, or punch.  However, as we experienced in this article earlier, an ineffective block does not stop the punch.  And not only that, your ability to initiate a counterattack immediately will be dubious at best after being hit hard by this punch.

Please remember also that the Ancients have taught us that you should NOT meet a force head on – you should avoid it.  You do not stop force directly.  It is easier to redirect it.  This wisdom in dealing with attacks is applied by experienced Masters in many martial arts today, wisdom that we can ALL learn from.

In summary, when teaching others self-defense, please remember that meeting a force directly (using the Karate example) can sometimes be unwise, especially for someone new to self-defense training.  With decades of experience, many of us have learned that the wisdom of moving out of the way when being attacked can sometimes be much more effective than blocking with the power of breaking bones.  By adding redirection with this wisdom, we find that we can be extremely powerful in controlling our attacker.  Unfortunately, we are now getting into the 2nd Goal of Self-Defense, which is “Control the Attacker”.  Watch for it.  Until next time…