Understanding some basic self defense tips will make your life much safer and less stressful. In this article, I address some fundamental considerations that will empower you to better protect yourself if the need arises.
1) Awareness – This is the most important aspect of your self defense training strategy. Always be aware of your external environment and avoid potentially dangerous areas and situations. Above all, be smart, know your limitations, and always err on the side of caution when your safety is at stake: if something doesn’t feel right, avoid it.
2) External appearance: Behave and always behave in an authoritative, assertive and confident manner. Attackers, like all predators, look for easy victims or prey that will cause them the least amount of trouble. Walk purposefully, keeping your head up, shoulders back, and chest out. Maintain a steady breathing rate, along with a relaxed firmness in your posture.
3) When getting out of your car, after parking it, check your rear view mirrors and the external environment to make sure there is no danger. In case of doubt; park elsewhere. When you approach your car, approach so that you can see around you. Have your keys ready; avoid getting to the car and then trying to find your bag. Always check the back seat of the car before getting into the car.
4) Always carry a cell phone with you that has its charge maintained. Carry it on your person, not in your bag or briefcase where it can be stolen or hard to find. Encode the numbers of the emergency services and those of your partner and closest friends into the one-touch call buttons.
5) Carry self defense weapons such as pepper spray, if legally permitted. If you are restricted from carrying self-defense weapons, learn how to use the everyday items you carry with you as weapons, such as; pens, umbrellas, combs, stilettos, car keys and key chains, etc. Carry a personal safety alarm.
6) If you notice or feel that you are being followed, either in your car or when you are walking, move to a more populated area. Avoid driving directly home. If you are approached, yell for help but direct the call to someone specific as it has been observed that if you just ask for help most people will not help as they do not want to be involved. If you direct your request to someone specific, you are more likely to get a response.
7) If you are threatened and an attack is imminent, one of the most important attributes to acquire is the ability to keep your distance from the attacker. One of the biggest mistakes most people make is letting an attacker get too close. Raise your hands to form a barrier between you and the attacker. A basic position with the hands up at chest height, as if pushing something. Learn to shout firmly and authoritatively with a simple command like “Back off!” or “Go!” or “Leave me alone!”. Develop the use of one of these commands as a “broken record”: do not engage in conversation with a potential attacker. If someone attacks you, take charge right then and there, don’t let them take you to second place, as most cases end with serious injury or death.
8) If someone is armed and wants your wallet or bag, just give it to them with a minimum of fuss, don’t abuse the thief, just give them what they want and let them go. Only resort to attacking them on defense if it’s clear they’ll hurt you more and you don’t have any recourse.
9) If it comes to having to fight, do so with a fully committed and determined brutal survival mindset. You must develop a survival mindset, whatever the cost, and carry out your defensive attacks with a continuous, relentless, full-force attack. Attack with the most powerful weapons at your disposal, eye washes, face palms, forearm chokes to the throat, elbows to the head, shin kicks and groin knees, knee joint stomps (or to the head if the attacker leaves). down). If you can find something to hit the attacker with, use it. Use whatever is available, and once the job is done, get out of there, run and get help. Remember that it is your life, you only have one and it is right to protect it. And no one else has the right to take it away from you.
10) When you feel the adrenal fear response kick in, relax, focus on your survival intent and on your breathing. When you feel the attack is imminent, just do it. A favorite mental strategy that I teach is to have my self-defense students imagine that the attacker is about to kill or rape one of their children or murder their mother right in front of them and imagine themselves attacking and destroying. attacking the attacker with unstoppable force. Will.
11) Learn a good self defense course. You should deal with all of the above tips; the actual techniques taught must be simple, brutal, and easy to execute under the stress of adrenal rush. Look for a course that addresses the adrenal fight/flight/freeze response. Also, develop a mindset that activates when necessary, as it is the mind that is the most important factor in your ability to respond quickly, efficiently and effectively.
These basic self-defense tips will give you a solid foundation for self-protection. Be smart, use your common sense, and stay safe.