Self Defense Measures

Taking the time to learn defensive measures will make a big difference in your personal safety. Taking a practical approach and incorporating a few safety tactics can stop you from getting drawn into a harmful altercation. Learning and following some simple procedures will provide you with all the answers to stop a situation from getting to the point where you have to defend yourself.

In order for an attack to happen, the individual has to get close to initiate some type of contact. Knowing how to keep space and distance comes down to proper movement and paying attention to your surroundings. Always keep the assailant at arm's length and maintain a solid stance with feet shoulder width apart to enable quick mobility. Never let yourself be cornered and keep individuals from getting directly behind you. You need space in order to escape.

Being able to prevent an individual from controlling you with holds and grips is vital to stopping yourself from being put on the ground. Three ways someone will try to hold onto your are: with a bear hug, wrapping around your head (headlock), and controlling one or both of your wrists.

Breaking the wrist grip entails circling your own wrist towards the thumb or a palm strike on the wrist of the attackers gripping hand. Trying to pull your arm away without circling makes it a test of strength that can't be won. There is always the option to use a strike to distract the aggressor and break free of the grip.

The procedure to escape a headlock is to defend first and then break free of the hold. The aggressor can use the headlock to set up a strike (punch to the head) or they can choke you if it is secured around the neck. Your options are to strike a vital area (groin) if the attacker has a tight grip or to push the attackers elbow to create space and free your head.

A bear hug can be escaped by keeping a shoulder width stance with your knees slightly bent (level change), while working on breaking the aggressors grips with various types of strikes. If the attacker bear hugs over your arms, you'll need to change your level and turn your hips to the side to create space to escape or trip the attacker to the ground.

When you are performing striking techniques for self defense make sure to focus on strikes that avoid causing injury to you while inflicting as much pain as possible to the assailant. The palm strike and hammer fist are two highly effective types of strikes that will prevent injury to your hand when performed.

Push kicks (Teep) are the best types of kicks to perform for self defense while at the same time keeping an attacker at a safe distance. You should kick the kneecaps or groin area to hinder mobility and cause the maximum amount of damage.

All you need to remain safe in a dangerous situation is basic personal safety skills, common sense, and defensive tactics and strategies. Make sure that you do not turn a self defense situation into a fight, always be looking for a way to get away. Incorporate some type of self defense Martial arts training to provide the necessary skills to react instinctively in a violent situation.