How do you protect soft spots in a fight?

[drop bear]

1. If you get stomped on your foot, it hurts a whole lot, even if you're wearing shoes. I know from experience.
2. A push kick in the knee side can damage it permanently. I read it in Martin Dougherty's book: 'How to defend yourself, unarmed combat skills that work'.

Also, to answer some other posts, just because it does not occur to many people to attack you there in a fight does not mean I want to rely on that.

A good stance will make that shot painful but manageable. From someone who does kick at knees and kicks at calves.

Nobody is getting that ankle sweep to work on you.

 

[Danny T]

Yeah man...we do a lot of kicks to the calf, ankle, and achilles.

 

[jobo]

The front foot is totally unprotected in a fighting stance. It's so easy to just stomp on it that it surprises me no one thinks of it.

because it's only going to annoy them, not stop them, and if you daft enough to leave you foot there whilst someone stamps on it, you deserve it

 

[JowGaWolf]

What I am trying to say is that the knee is a good and legitimate target in a self-defense situation, but I just haven't seen it used much, either in attack or defense.

It actually takes technique and skill to attack the knee and there aren't many people who actually want to learn those techniques or even how to be effective with them.

Gaining the skill to attack the legs takes a long time to learn. Those who do know how to attack the legs like that are usually people who have a passion for learning techniques in general. For me personally, that' good news. That means I have less thing to worry about being attacked with.

 

[Buka]

All my spots are soft. I prefer the Python Parry to protect them.

 

[amateur]

because it's only going to annoy them, not stop them, and if you daft enough to leave you foot there whilst someone stamps on it, you deserve it

If you stomp with your heel, it's going to be far more than a nuisance. I was stomped like that last June and it still hurts when the weather is wet.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

If you stomp with your heel, it's going to be far more than a nuisance. I was stomped like that last June and it still hurts when the weather is wet.

It's a very different thing during a fight when your adrenaline is going. The only way it's going to have a significant impact is if you have very heavy boots, or something on them that will deal extra damage. And even if a normal foot stomp might, it's not consistent enough to rely on it, or spend your time worrying about it.

 

[dvcochran]

It's a very different thing during a fight when your adrenaline is going. The only way it's going to have a significant impact is if you have very heavy boots, or something on them that will deal extra damage. And even if a normal foot stomp might, it's not consistent enough to rely on it, or spend your time worrying about it.

I'm not saying it will end a confrontation, I am saying it will at the very least be a distraction. More likely a deterrent though.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I'm not saying it will end a confrontation, I am saying it will at the very least be a distraction. More likely a deterrent though.

I agree fully with what you said. heavy boots/work boots will have an impact. a normal (barefoot or tennis shoes) foot stomp probably wont.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

The front foot is totally unprotected in a fighting stance. It's so easy to just stomp on it that it surprises me no one thinks of it.

With all due respect, you haven't been in many real fights.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Good point. Having experienced both, I would even say that a bruised rib hurts as much or more than a broken one. That will take the fight out of you with a quickness.

I can't speak to broken ribs, but I've bruised a few in the past. Yeah, that hurt. Not sure what it would have meant in a fight, though. I've played sports with some injuries that I'd have expected to be fight-stoppers.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

With regard to stomps, whilst again I have never really seen them in an actual self-defense situation, we practice stomps a bit differently, such that the 'stomp' part is at the end of the attack; raking the shin all the way down is first, as a free lunch along the way. Our fumikomi is a cross-over stomp that can be delivered in a variety of ways and to a variety of targets besides just shins/feet. But nope, never did it and never saw it done in anything resembling an actual fight. Doubt I'd have the presence of mind to really try it myself.

The knee, I absolutely agree with you. We attack with the knee; it's very strong in the directions it was intended to bend. Taken at other angles it can damage tissue, bring someone to the ground, etc. It's really neglected as an attack and also in defense because it is so seldom considered. And again, haven't seen it done in an actual altercation. The few times I've seen knees damaged that was it was purely accidental or a side-effect of something else.

My training has included stomps, as well (including as you described). I think the reason it rarely shows up in actual use is that you have to take a foot high off the ground for it. If someone's close enough for a stomp, they're probably making contact, which makes that sacrifice of structure undesirable.

 

[JR 137]

My training has included stomps, as well (including as you described). I think the reason it rarely shows up in actual use is that you have to take a foot high off the ground for it. If someone's close enough for a stomp, they're probably making contact, which makes that sacrifice of structure undesirable.

I was about to say something along those lines...

If someone’s close enough to stomp on my foot*, they’re certainly close enough to get punched. Most likely close enough to get elbowed, thrown, etc. Stomping someone’s foot is going to happen in the clinch or similar.

*Stomping someone’s foot with any power or weight behind it. In order for it to have any real potential to do actual damage, their weight has to be over their stomping foot. The only way they might be out of range to get hit is if they’re leaning back pretty far. Leaning backwards and stomping forward isn’t going to have any power behind it.

Note: I was initially thinking about it in a striking range attack and closing in attack. Looking at it as an attack while in the clinch, I guess it could be useful. More so as a distraction/softening/unbalancing thing than anything else though. Stomping the foot and trapping it there could be effective for a takedown. In wrestling, we’d occasionally step on someone’s front foot and drive forward in a tie-up, tripping them up. Happened to me once. Once.

 

[jobo]

If you stomp with your heel, it's going to be far more than a nuisance. I was stomped like that last June and it still hurts when the weather is wet.

Errrr, the idea in a fight is to win, there and then, giving them a toe injury that aches 6 months later , is only a bonus if you won the fight.

Some one stamped on my toe whilst playing soccer, really hard, it hurt like hell and my toe nail fell of and never recocered properly, that only caused me to punch him on the nose, very very hard, only professional soccer player fall to the ground screaming after a toe stamp,

 

[pdg]

If you stomp with your heel, it's going to be far more than a nuisance. I was stomped like that last June and it still hurts when the weather is wet.

I suppose it depends on how you react to a nuisance...

When I was much younger I had a girlfriend who kept horses.

I was giving her a hand with the stables, she was in with one horse and I with another (much older and calmer).

Something fell over in the yard with a huge bang - the horse I was with had a bit of moment but calmed quite quickly.

The one she was with, that was much more flighty anyway, had a much worse reaction, jumped and bucked around and took a good while for her to calm it.

It wasn't until afterwards that we/she noticed the damage to her boot where the horse stamped on her foot, and apparently it didn't hurt much until she saw blood...



So yeah, stamping on someone's foot?

If they're really interested in the fight, it might annoy them a little, it might do nothing.

 

[dvcochran]

I agree fully with what you said. heavy boots/work boots will have an impact. a normal (barefoot or tennis shoes) foot stomp probably wont.

A person has already messed up if they get in this position, but we practice different drills where you are in a rear bear hug or something close. Most of them center around sinking so that they have your weight. Especially if you have a hard sole or a heavy shoe/boot on a hard scrap down the shin will at least get their attention. A good position to work on the foot also. As @Dirty Dog said, I have my doubts that anything you can do with a stomp would require an ER trip. Someone mentioned chronic pain after receiving a stomp. I imagine they have the dreaded soft tissue injury. Seems to linger forever.
That said, it is a pretty unrealistic position to be in unless you are clowning around with friends.

 

[Headhunter]

1. If you get stomped on your foot, it hurts a whole lot, even if you're wearing shoes. I know from experience.
2. A push kick in the knee side can damage it permanently. I read it in Martin Dougherty's book: 'How to defend yourself, unarmed combat skills that work'.

Also, to answer some other posts, just because it does not occur to many people to attack you there in a fight does not mean I want to rely on that.

Will it hurt a bit? Yeah probably but shouldn't stop you dead unless you have 0 pain tollerance....yes a push kick to the knee can damage but it could also totally miss and do nothing. I could go to the shop right now and get shot dead...but I'm not going to cry at home about it.

My point is if you're attacked your going to probably get hurt a bit...you'll get a bit roughed up....suck it up basically it's a fight that's what happens. You can train a foot stomp defence for 10 years and your defence could still fail. There's really 0 point worrying about this stuff....just train (do you train? Genuine question) to the best of your ability and if your attacked deal with it the best you can.

 

[Buka]

I can't speak to broken ribs, but I've bruised a few in the past. Yeah, that hurt. Not sure what it would have meant in a fight, though. I've played sports with some injuries that I'd have expected to be fight-stoppers.

I seemed to suffer broken ribs every ten years or so. It's just plain awful. Severity and symptoms vary depending on how many are broken, but forget about doing much for six weeks or so.

And I'll tell you what if you ever break some......you will never be so fricken scared to sneeze in your life.

 

[JR 137]

I seemed to suffer broken ribs every ten years or so. It's just plain awful. Severity and symptoms vary depending on how many are broken, but forget about doing much for six weeks or so.

And I'll tell you what if you ever break some......you will never be so fricken scared to sneeze in your life.

I never broke a rib, but I’ve damaged the cartilage that attaches to them and keeps them together. I’ve been told it’s the same feeling. Yup, really sucks. Mine didn’t bother me as much while sneezing. Definitely bothered me but it was tolerable. Picking up my daughters and putting them into car seats really, really sucked. One time I was contemplating just letting one of them climb into the front passenger seat and buckling her seatbelt instead. For about half a second anyway.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I seemed to suffer broken ribs every ten years or so. It's just plain awful. Severity and symptoms vary depending on how many are broken, but forget about doing much for six weeks or so.

And I'll tell you what if you ever break some......you will never be so fricken scared to sneeze in your life.

And people who know you have a broken rib and try to make you laugh are just sadists who want to be damaged.