self defense

[zalexia]

ok after goofing around w/ my husband last night i realized, that if i was attacked by a man of his size, the chances of a punch or kick actually moving someone would be slim to none. now we were just goofing and playing around obviously wouldnt attack him but i'm 130 lbs, and if ur fighting a man lets say 200-230 lbs thats solid and firm the idea of any of the skills being affective are gonna be situational.

is it highly feasible for a girl to go through a 200 lb man? i mean w/o throwing ur self in another worse situation. its just hypothetical of course.

[Wolfman08]

Three attacks for that situation: Rake the eyes, kick the outside of the knee, kick the groin. In addition, knowing how to grapple might not be a bad idea (ie, in a rape situation). Or just being able to run away.

[GeoGiant]

Sure. Like you said, you were just fooling around. It doesn't take much force to snap someone's knee, collapse a windpipe or blow out an eardrum and thats without fighting dirty. If its a life or death situation, you could stick your fingers in someone's eyes, throw something at them and attack, bite a "chunk" out of someone, rip hair out or etc.

My advice to anyone going up against a larger opponent is the moment you know you have to fight, strike first and fight dirty. You need to do something to take away your opponents advantage. Throwing drink or a hand full of dirty can give you the moment to attack... this assumes that you can't run. Let's face it, getting out of a situation is the best option.

[KarateGeorge]

If you're in a street situation, size is something you have to take into account. If you're outclassed by an attacker on size, you can't just rely on brute force to fight back an attacker and defend yourself. In reality, any person assaulting someone is generally only going to do so if they feel they have the upper hand, whether that be a size difference, multiple attackers, a weapon(s), the element of surprise, or something else. But nonetheless, if they didn't believe they had the advantage, they would likely not be targeting you. So in any self-defense situation, you have to be prepared to be on the perceived weaker side.

As for size difference, you're right, as a 130 woman, you're not likely to throw a punch or kick that's going to substantially knock a 200+ pound man back. So what do you do? You have to fight smart, and that means, you have to think about things you can do that won't be affected by their size. A solid kick to the knees or groin, raking your fingers across their face, etc. There are still plenty of options open to you to defend yourself if it was needed.

Edited January 28, 2011 by KarateGeorge

[Wolfman08]

bite a "chunk" out of someone

I would advise against biting and anything where you are contacting with an open wound. You don't know what kind of blood-born disease your attacker might have, after all. Or he might enjoy it, which open a whole new can of worms in an attack.

[zalexia]

Three attacks for that situation: Rake the eyes, kick the outside of the knee, kick the groin. In addition, knowing how to grapple might not be a bad idea (ie, in a rape situation). Or just being able to run away.

what is grappling not something my instructors mentioned i can ask him too but...

[KarateGeorge]

what is grappling not something my instructors mentioned i can ask him too but...

Grappling is simply ground-fighting...think along the lines of wrestling type techniques. Judo, Juijitsu, Greco-Roman wrestling, etc. are a few examples of grappling-oriented styles.

[sensei8]

Three attacks for that situation: Rake the eyes, kick the outside of the knee, kick the groin. In addition, knowing how to grapple might not be a bad idea (ie, in a rape situation). Or just being able to run away.

For a beginner of the MA, it's difficult for them to remember that THEY KNOW HOW to do any said technique(s).

[Wastelander]

Eyes, ears, throat, groin, and joints are all viable targets in self defense, especially when there is such a disparity of force. Eyes are squishy, eardrums can burst and mess up the equilibrium with just a good slap, the throat can be crushed pretty easily, the groin is a very sensitive target but some men just get mad or feel pleasure from being hit there so it isn't the end-all-be-all of self defense, and joints that aren't being protected (fingers and knees are good options) can be seriously damaged by pushing them the wrong way. I highly recommend grappling for womens' self defense because in a rape situation you are more likely to be dragged or pushed to the ground then in a typical fight.

[Wolfman08]

For a beginner of the MA, it's difficult for them to remember that THEY KNOW HOW to do any said technique(s).

True enough. But if you're major concern is self defense, that should be your technique base.