Starting this off with, everything that follows is based on my opinion, things I have read, heard/misheard, and/or the available research at the time which may or may not be skewed one way or the other.
Years ago I came across an article by Meredith Gold, Black Belt’s 2003 Woman of the Year, www.blackbeltmag.com. The title, 10 Self-Defense Strategies Everyone Needs to Know to Survive. In this first blog, I’m going to stick closely to the contents in this article and break it down from how I see it.
The article starts out stating the best techniques are the ones that work equally well for both men and women. I was pleasantly surprised to hear this and I fully agree. It then goes on to claim, from what I can find, a little inaccurate about the number of men vs. women who are victims of violent crime stating Women really need to know self-defense because they are attacked more than men. In a survey of victims of violent crimes spanning from 2005-2022 https://www.statista.com/statistics/423245/us-violent-crime-victims-by-gender/ some years more men are attacked and other years it’s more women, but seem to be pretty close. Though I’m not sure of the date of the article, perhaps that year it was true.
The article comes right back to a pleasant surprise stating you’ll hear it’s always better to steer away from a potential attack and the importance of preventing a physical altercation before it starts. I couldn’t agree more and I say this in my classes all the time. The article further stated, the following tips are simple and basic, but during an adrenaline filled attack simple and effective is exactly what you need because that’s what works. Now we can get into the strategies.
Tip 1 - Trust Your Instincts
YES! This is by far one of the best self-defense tips instructors should be telling their students. At every intro class or seminar with people new to self-defense I say this. The best thing you can do is stay out of dangerous places/situations. If you find yourself in a dangerous situation, do what you can to remove yourself from it. If you are unable to do that, know in your head it may be time to fight. If you have to fight, commit.
Often I’ve used the example of pulling into a gas station and something doesn’t look or feel right. If that’s the case, you’re probably right. It doesn’t hurt driving to the next gas station and you’ll never have to find out if your feeling was right or wrong, but at least you’re still safe.
Tip 2 - Practice Target Denial
I have to fully agree with this as well. It’s basically what I wrote in the above paragraph. Don’t let yourself be an easy target. Keep your eyes open and your head on a swivel. As I said above, trust your instincts and when something feels a little off, remove yourself from the situation. If you weren’t expecting the cable guy and you’ve got someone knocking at the door claiming to be just that. You don’t have to answer that door and you can always call the police to come check things out.
Tip 3 - Present Yourself With Confidence
I will give this tip a 9/10. The article states you should present yourself with confidence, walk with your head up, and look around rather than having your head down. While I absolutely agree with this because most attackers are looking for convenience and an easy target that isn’t paying attention, the article states attackers aren’t trying to bait their victims (then contradicts this in tip 4). Yes, most attackers are looking for the easy grab of the purse, the unlocked door, the rolled down window. However, in many cases an attacker will use tactics such as being charming, acting like they need help, disguising themselves in a company uniform attempting to gain access to a home. Always go back to trusting your instincts.
Tip 4 - Set Strong Verbal Boundaries
While I definitely agree with this, it makes me wonder why the author contradicts herself in tip 3. The article states when some attackers engage in conversation they are actually “interviewing” the potential victim to get a sense of how easy a target they are and by using strong verbal skills it could make the attacker decide on an easier target. I’m not sure if I like the term “interviewing” however, I do believe some attackers will use tactics, written above, to gain trust and/or feel out a situation before deciding to attack.
Having good situational awareness and being very clear and direct with someone making you uncomfortable is important. It may not always thwart off an attack, but it will raise a big red flag letting you know in your head you may need to remove yourself from the situation or have to defend yourself soon. Normal people don’t want to make others feel uncomfortable. If you clearly tell someone you don’t want them close to you, or say to them they are making you uncomfortable, a normal person would feel bad and stop whatever it is that’s making you feel that way. If a person doesn’t, they’re probably up to no good.
Tip 5 - Maintain a Non-confrontational Stance
I fully agree with this as well. A stance that clearly shows a non-verbal, don’t get any closer to me, is important for several reasons. It should show the universal sign of “back off” to clearly show your meaning. It is also a non-aggressive posture and gives you the upper hand with the element of surprise. Further, having your feet planted and your hands up allows you to block incoming strikes as well as delivering powerful well placed strikes when you decide to fight.
Tip 6 - Keep a Safe Distance
Yes, of course distance can be beneficial. I might reword it by saying keep a proper distance. It is important to already know in your head how close you’ll let someone get before you start delivering strikes. Know in your head exactly where the imaginary line is, when crossed, you go off like a bomb and don’t stop until that threat is no longer a threat. Keeping in mind you may need to close the distance and start striking if you see the attacker pulling out a weapon. You wouldn’t want to allow them to take out a weapon and do nothing just because they hadn’t crossed that line yet.
Tip 7 - Use the element of surprise
This too is another solid tip. You don’t want to let your attacker know you’re about to strike. Telling them wouldn’t make much of a difference anyway. If they thought there was a chance of you getting the better hand, they would’ve picked a different target. Having the element of surprise may be what gives you the advantage of landing that first strike.
Tip 8 - Keep techniques simple
100% yes. There are many fun to learn, cool looking, fancy techniques out there, but the reality is, simple works because it’s easy. During an adrenaline dump your fine motor skills tend to get lost. Stick with the four major strikes, punches, elbows, kicks, and knees. A good ‘ol eye gouge will do the trick as well.
Tip 9 - Don’t panic if you get knocked down
While I do agree with this tip, I think it’s unrealistic to expect someone to not panic at least some if they’re being attacked and have to fight someone off. What I would say is, remember your training and stick to the basics. Use your strikes to do damage and get yourself up as quickly as possible. We should always keep in mind it may not always be just one attacker. We have to consider the option of having to fight off multiple attackers.
Tip 10 - Follow Through
This is a must. I mentioned this early. Don’t stop until the threat no longer exists. My coach used to say, “Don’t be a one hit wonder” meaning don’t hit once and wonder if it worked. Keep throwing strikes overwhelming the attacker with as much violence as you can until you know the threat is no longer there.
