Three Rules of Self-Defense

[marie curie]

Great thoughts!!!

[red dawn]

Wonderful post USCMAAI!

But I also stress yamesu's chaos theory. Nothing will ever go as planned. I guess you could almost count it as murphy's law.

[elbows_and_knees]

good post and thread, but I would consider those rules of engagement, not of self defense. IMO, the number one rule of self defense is awareness - looking around when you walk, walking a few feet away from corners so you can see around them before you get to them, looking under your car as you approach it, getting your keys ready BEFORE you get to the door, car, etc. This is what's important about self defense - the ability to avoid / predict a situation before it happens. When I teach self defense seminars, this is what I focus on.

[granmasterchen]

i've taught self defense courses for new female military members new to the area back when i was stationed in monterey california. One of the other things i taught them was that once you are attacked do the most vicious violent things you can think of and run screaming as soon as you get away. Two of the girls that i taught had been attacked on post and each one of them beat down their wouldbe attacker and ended up getting the individual arrested.

One of the girls used her keys on the guys face and hurt him VERY badly.

just remember that in a real life self defense situation there are no rules, do what ever you can to survive, because there are some people out there that will try to take your life after rape, kidnapping or stealing your money.

[bushido_man96]

This is a great thread. Sometimes the use of common sense is better than any technique you have practiced thousands of times.

I will keep these rules in mind the next time I talk about self-defense.

It isn't the techniqes so much, but the mindset that matters.

[GOM]

I have to agree with elbows and knees about the awarness. Self defense starts when you walk out of your front door and anyone, anybody, can be out to get you. Taking note of where you are, where the closest exit is, what you can use as a weapon (in my case my wife), etc.

The best self defense is not to allow yourself to get into a situation that can cause you harm.

[Blackbeltblonde]

One thing that was left out that we always teach is EXPECT TO GET CUT meaning if you are expecting to get hurt it won't come as a surprise and cause shock or a freak out in the middle..

And good job in teaching the women how to correctly defend themselves! That is always so hard because us women naturally don't want to hurt people.. and we forget when we're getting attacked the person attacking doesn't care about us.

~BBB

[elbows_and_knees]

One thing that was left out that we always teach is EXPECT TO GET CUT meaning if you are expecting to get hurt it won't come as a surprise and cause shock or a freak out in the middle..

And good job in teaching the women how to correctly defend themselves! That is always so hard because us women naturally don't want to hurt people.. and we forget when we're getting attacked the person attacking doesn't care about us.

~BBB

the thing is, getting cut doesn't always hurt that much. Best thing to teach them is to RUN if possible. If they can't, engage them and try to control the weapon wielding arm. I've known of people who were getting sliced by knives and box cutters and didn't even know it until the fight was over. After leaving the hospital, they were both badly scarred, and both say the same thing: "I didn't even know I was being cut. I saw their arm swinging and I just thought they were missing me."

Now, getting stabbed is something different. You WILL feel that, if there is any depth at all to the wound. I don't know that you can be prepared for that. I posted in another thread about my coworker who was stabbed a couple of weeks ago while we were putting someone out of the club - he felt it instantly. His first reaction was to tense up, which in this case was good - he had the guy in a loose choke, and the tensing made the attacker lose consciousness.

[elbows_and_knees]

This is a great thread. Sometimes the use of common sense is better than any technique you have practiced thousands of times.

I will keep these rules in mind the next time I talk about self-defense.

It isn't the techniqes so much, but the mindset that matters.

The problem with that is that there are so many people that simply cannot develop such a mindset. I would drill them repeatedly, and also teach them how to "look" confident. Oftentimes, this is the best deterrent, as I think has been said here already. There are many times in the club where I have ended confrontations simply by approaching the combatants. I have been told that they didn't want me to mess them up, so they calmed down, and as a result, nobody had to leave the club. Last fall, ten people were getting ready to scrap by one of our bars. I was the only bouncer there that night, but instead of panicking, I jumped right in the middle of them. ALL 10 OF THEM STOPPED IMMEDIATELY. afterward, one of them asked me if I was crazy, cuz they all could've stomped me. I just smiled.

confidence is a powerful thing. Criminals, bullies, etc all look for the same thing - an easy target. If you look like you will give them a fight, many will not bother you. Confidence can be taught to pretty much anyone. A killer's mindset cannot be.

[Blackbeltblonde]

elbows_and_knees, the thought process behind expecting to get cut is not to freak out when you do get hurt. Not that you are actually sitting there trying to feel it. Expecting to get cut also applies to getting stabbed. And of course the FIRST thing and the thing we stress the most is to get out of the situation in any manner possible.. including running, shouting (situation permitting) etc..etc.. Knowing the situation and being able to determine the correct path to take is one of the reasons I think it's more important to either not be trained at all.. or continue training for a long period of time (none of this couple week self defense junk).

But I definately hear what you're saying.

~BBB