# Self Defense Tips



## SensibleManiac (Sep 22, 2009)

Hi, I'd like to try something a little different here.

Since this forum is great for sharing and discussing ideas, I would like us to compile a series of ideas, facts, techniques, skills, etc... for self defense.

Anything that you have found useful and applicable to making you safer would be welcomed.

Let's brainstorm and see what we can come up with.


----------



## Decker (Sep 23, 2009)

I'd personally think "self-defense" goes beyond just getting out of a physical confrontation. Conflict prevention/avoidance would most definitely be much better and safer than conflict resolution, no?

Conflict prevention would include stuff like not engaging in high-risk behaviour, knowing the difference between emotional and rational behaviour and when to disregard emotions and act rationally, etc.

Basically I'm just regurgitating stuff from www.nononsenseselfdefense.com.
I find it a great website - lots of information; reminds the greenhorns that there's more to self-defense than the physical component.


----------



## Carol (Sep 23, 2009)

Don't flex your beer muscles or bad things can happen


----------



## morph4me (Sep 23, 2009)

Be aware of what's going on around you and trust your gut.


----------



## Joab (Sep 23, 2009)

Awareness of your surroundings is very important. Learning how to verbally de-escalate a situation is very important, "verbal judo" is good for learning this. If all else fails and you can't run, look for something to pick up and hit him with, kick low, hit high, use hard parts of your body and impact them against soft parts of the attackers body and disengage and run if the situation allows it. 

Living in a low crime rate area helps, as well as working in one.


----------



## MBuzzy (Sep 23, 2009)

Don't put yourself in dangerous situations.

Go for the eyes, knees, and groin!


----------



## still learning (Sep 23, 2009)

Hello, Learning to trust your "instincts"!     ...and learn to  Keep your "ego's in check...!

Prevention is better than cure ...awareness and avoidness...(learn this well)

Know your state laws...on self-defense and things you can do and NOT allow..

Off course: proper verbal languages and learn about body languages for you and aggressors'...(one should learn a peaceful stance-yet ready for any attack!)

Physcial fitness....the number one key in Martial arts....If one is fit..one can run, fight back and last...(research this futher..

Aloha,


----------



## celtic_crippler (Sep 23, 2009)

From a flyer we handed out at a self-defense seminar:



> Ø First and foremost, *be aware of your surroundings*.
> Ø Avoid doing things that are distracting such as talking on your cell phone or wearing headphones when you run or take a walk.
> Ø Have your car keys ready when you exit a building to avoid having to rummage through your purse/pockets when you arrive at your vehicle.
> Ø Lock your car doors immediately once you get inside the vehicle.
> ...


----------



## Omar B (Sep 23, 2009)

Situational awareness is the best thing you can work on to keep you out of a fight.  Sit, close your eyes and reach out with your sences one at a time.  Learn to probe the room you are in, then the next, then outside with your ears, and nose, try to feel movement in the room through how the air moves over your skin.  With practise you should be able to notice things you would have usually missed.  Use your eyes to identify the objects and people within a space with just one sweep of your yes, note their position in relation to the space and you.  Sweep the room again with the eyes and see what's changed.

You gotta learn to notice everything, meditate, learn to feel a room/space.  I had the luck as a child to have a grand-uncle who was deaf.  You could never sneak up on the guy, nor could you get anything past him.


----------



## BLACK LION (Sep 23, 2009)

Principles are paramount... 

What is most basic is the most absolute.  

Know the difference between social and asocial. 

Know what violence is avoidable and what violence is not... act accordingly. 

In order to successfully use violence as a tool it must be habituated.

Understand that fear is a tool and controlled anger is a virtue.  

Targeting specific areas and causing specific trauma is essential in any confrontation. 

The goal in combat is to interrupt or completely stop either the brain and/or body from functioning. 

All humans are equal in the realm of injury... bigger, stronger, faster only prevails when there are rules. 

You do not fight fire with fire... you drop an ocean on it... 

Always be prepared to be as unfair as possible...Your true worst case scenario is a fair fight.   


of course there is more but I dont want to get carried away with a bunch of random rambles


----------



## SensibleManiac (Sep 23, 2009)

Great ideas so far, but how about we elaborate and further discuss some of them.

Black Lion, you wrote, "Understand that fear is a tool and controlled anger is a virtue."

I understand but in what ways can we use fear as a tool, and controlled anger and purpose is a great motivator for defending ourselves but in what ways can we summon it in ourselves and control it to keep it from simply becoming a mindless rage.


----------



## Daniel Sullivan (Sep 24, 2009)

Do not hang out with stupid people, go to stupid places, and engage in stupid things.  

Daniel


----------



## blindsage (Sep 24, 2009)

Wolfman's got nards.


----------



## Daniel Sullivan (Sep 24, 2009)

SensibleManiac said:


> Great ideas so far, but how about we elaborate and further discuss some of them.
> 
> Black Lion, you wrote, "Understand that fear is a tool and controlled anger is a virtue."
> 
> I understand but in what ways can we use fear as a tool, and controlled anger and purpose is a great motivator for defending ourselves but in what ways can we summon it in ourselves and control it to keep it from simply becoming a mindless rage.


Fear is something is often either ignored or paralyzing.  

Some people do things that they should not be doing because they ignore their fear and either stay in situations that they should leave or go into things that shey should not.

Some people are so afraid in general that their fear paralyzes them and they cannot live an enjoyable life because they are afraid of the consequenses of even inconsequential actions.

As for anger, anger uncontroled blinds us and makes us act thoughtlessly.  Controled anger focusus us and sharpens us, enabling us to overcome thigns that may otherwise cause us to dispair.

Daniel


----------



## Touch Of Death (Sep 24, 2009)

Attitude is everything!


----------



## Touch Of Death (Sep 24, 2009)

Daniel Sullivan said:


> Do not hang out with stupid people, go to stupid places, and engage in stupid things.
> 
> Daniel


Accept for Karaoke. Its gets a pass.
Sean


----------



## Shotgun Buddha (Sep 25, 2009)

As a young boy, its very unwise to walk down the train tracks with three of your friends.

The best defence against strike is to not be there when it happens. Instead be in the nice pub with nice people in the nice part of town. Drinking a sensible amount.

Fights are about survival not winning. You're looking to get out of there not stand upon a pile of your slain enemies with patriotic music in the background.

Survival is about more than just surviving that moment. It means also ensuring you don't have pesky consequences like a prison sentence and the romantic opportunities therein.

Pride is only of use if you're not at its beck and call.

Avoid those who who seem eager to fall prey to the Dark Lord Darwins victim selection process.
Seriously. Stupid people will get you killed.


----------



## Josh Oakley (Sep 25, 2009)

Daniel Sullivan said:


> Do not hang out with stupid people, go to stupid places, and engage in stupid things.
> 
> Daniel


 
The three stupids rule: a concept I have shamelessly stolen and drilled into my own students with great success.


----------



## BLACK LION (Sep 25, 2009)

For ease of absorbtion and retention, I break FEAR down into the "triple Fs" ... To find out how to utilize fear as a tool and turn it into controlled anger we must first understand what fear is and in what ways it effects the body. 

Fear is a natural survival instinct that cannot be turned off or eliminated...it was set in place to warn us of impending danger and provide us with the ability to get out of it through the natural chemical concoction of "adrenaline"(dopeamine, cortisol etc)... 
Blood is taken from irrelevant places and focused on large muscle groups hence the reason why gross motor skills are far more important and superior than fine motor skills... 
Anger is the exact opposite of fear and the only solution for harnessing it and wringing out fears full potential... 

Understanding the response to fear is of equal importance and here is where the "triple Fs" were born... Previously, in most material I referenced there were only two response... I took the liberty of assing a third since it is seemingly the most prevelant, yet most ignored... 

Fight= active, assertive, agression (Triple A's)

Flight= evasion, escape, egression(Triple E's)

Fright= actively frozen, immobile, confused or awestruck from the effects of Fear. 

Basically you will do one of these 3 things... either becuase of training or lack of training... Just becuase you are trained doesnt mean you are trained right and just becuase you are not trained doesnt mean you cant "fight" or take "flight"... 

The "triple F's" bing forth the "triple A's" and "triple E's" in our training...  these are the options we base our trainig off of...  controlled anger is the fuel...  


In the end...once you understand whay fear is and why it is there... you understand that unbridled agression is its exact counterpart and the only solution to the effects of fear if protection and preservation is your mission.


----------



## K-man (Sep 25, 2009)

About the first thing that happens when you first realise you are in trouble is the adrenalin dump. If you do have some time, take a few deep breaths to bring your breathing under control. You will then be able to reduce any panic and think more clearly. :asian:


----------



## BLACK LION (Sep 26, 2009)

sorry guys..I had some bad typos that I didnt catch before the edit window closed


----------



## James Kovacich (Sep 26, 2009)

No what you can and can't do in public. I once carried my CRKT M1 in Europe and found out when I got back it was illegal to do so. Differant cities have differant laws for differant reasons. 

It's real easy to break the law. Be careful.


----------



## sgtmac_46 (Sep 27, 2009)

James Kovacich said:


> No what you can and can't do in public. I once carried my CRKT M1 in Europe and found out when I got back it was illegal to do so. Differant cities have differant laws for differant reasons.
> 
> It's real easy to break the law. Be careful.



I'd add to that the fact that in training, especially if one is going to be traveling to places were virtually every 'weapon' is illegal, one needs to learn how to improvise and use makeshift weapons.

For example, a bar of soap and a pair of wool socks is perfectly acceptable as airplane carry-on, and is perfectly legal anywhere on the planet separately.......TOGETHER they make a quite excellent sap.

In fact, one can carry a spare pair of socks in one's pocket, and scoop up a handful of rocks, a billiard ball, or a large variety of other objects, in mere moments of preparation and have an extremely effective short range weapon, that would get through virtually any metal detector and search on the planet.


----------



## KirkhamsEbooks.com (Oct 1, 2009)

Whether driving or walking assume everyone in a car is blind and trying to kill you

Rick


----------



## Hudson69 (Oct 8, 2009)

This discussion resonates with the following video, be warned there is some cussing in it and it is meant to be funny.


----------

