From time to time people ask me about self-defense. When thinking about defending your personal safety, there are a number of approaches that are important for you to consider.  Self-defense instructors will most commonly talk about the physical side of self-defense techniques.  While studying how to use your body to protect yourself from a violent attack can be very effective in keeping you safe, it's also important to be aware of another side of self-defense: the non-physical techniques that you can use to keep an attacker from attacking you in the first place.

Physical 1.  There are some weekend workshops that you could attend, and hopefully remember the techniques if that dreaded situation occurs where you need to physically defend yourself.

Physical 2. Another approach is long term training.  I teach an old Japanese martial art where I have my new students on a six to seven month introductory course that is geared toward modern self-defense scenarios.  After that period we not only practice those modern applications, but also go into great depth into our old martial tradition.

With both of the physical approaches you'll likely learn to bite, eye gouge and kick people in the groin.  Many classes won't concentrate on these approaches, but will focus on the sorts of escaping movements you might need if someone is trying to hold you in place, pin you to the ground, or bring you somewhere you don't want to go.


Voice approach

Here is an alternative way of looking at your own self defense.  The use of voice.  I'd like you to imagine a situation where you are walking along the street, it's not too crowded, but someone you hardly noticed is suddenly near you.  He seems to bump into you and then says, "Hey, watch it!"

You never intended to bump into anyone.  You might even think to yourself, "I think he bumped into me."  You say, "Sorry."  Maybe at that point he escalates with, "Why are you disrespecting me?"

This sort of situation is something you can learn to recognize now, and for the rest of your life.  This person is setting you up and trying to confuse you and distract you with words.  These words will sometimes have no baring on what is happening in reality.  The person in the above scenario is trying to get you to feel confused, intimidated and off balance.  From there they will have an easier target to rob, or worse.

Hints

• When you hear someone using uncalled for words, stay centered.  Avoid concentrating on the specifics of what they are saying.

• Remember, if someone tells you to do something, or asks you a question, you don't have to obey or answer them directly.

• • If you hear, "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" from a bad guy, you can get away and look for help.
  • If you hear, "Don't walk away from me!" or "Don't turn your back on me!" you can run away and call the police.  You don't have to obey that person.
  • If you hear, "Come with me," you never go with them.  Never go with a bad guy to a secondary location, they just want a better location do do worse things.

• You can use words to your advantage too.  Someone gives you a bad command, you can say something in a calm voice that is nonsensical just as you run or call for help.  These can be foolish or silly, normal or weird.  Just be creative and use them as way to create time and space between you and the bad guy.

• • He says something to distract you and you can say, "ok, just let me pull the puppy dog out of my billfold."
  • "I have angina on my left wrist, here are my washed dishes to stop polishing."
  • "My twin cousin from Philly just came in, what time is it?"

Remember, you are just using your voice in an unpredictable way, so be creative and get away from the potentially bad situation as quickly as possible.

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