Let's forget for a moment the sporting aspect of martial arts: the gloves, the protections, the rings, the coach, the referee, the warm-up, the initial greeting; let us return to the archaic origins of the martial arts: self-defense, where it is not allowed to hesitate, where the stakes are high and it is not possible to choose the conditions of the battle, to say it with Sun Tzu and his Art of War.
Everything happens suddenly and there is no possibility to take off the shoulder bag, shoes with high heels, trousers uncomfortable, or to warm up to kick high with the head to target.
We will then discover how important a specific type of training is in this aspect of martial arts, training for an immediate and effective reaction, without pyrotechnic effects taken from Bruce Lee's films.
When and how to use self-defense techniques
Self-defense applies in cases of serious danger, when all other possibilities to avoid confrontation have vanished and protecting oneself is the only thing that matters. At this point it is no longer possible to distinguish between allowed and unauthorized strokes and, unlike sports competitions, the objectives of self-defense attacks are eyes, neck, nose, chin, solar plexus, liver, knees, fingers, genitals ... all targets not normally not allowed .
When you make a certain type of attack to defend yourself, you cannot hesitate and risk failing : determined and well-aimed blows must aim to stun the aggressor or make him temporarily unable to continue further with the aggression.
In cases of extrema ratio, blows to the throat, neck and temple should also be taken into consideration. Taking a look at the statistics we will discover that the attackers have a great nose and do not accidentally attack: they know how to recognize the "victims", that is the apparently weak people, who express insecurity already with body language, who hesitate in their gestures, extremely also undecided in simple social exchanges. This is the profile of the ideal victim and that's exactly what we need to break up with training.
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Simultaneous attack and defense
Defense and attack are often considered two separate phases of martial disciplines and not all martial arts prepare the practitioner for the theory and practice of contemporary defense and attack .
In reality, during an attack, the assailant exposes himself and opens a space on his weak points : that is exactly the moment in which to react and hit in our turn, without giving the time to finish the attack and be ready for the defense .
Case Studies
Hardly the aggressors (whether we talk about robbery, rape or simple bullying) act alone; generally they work in pairs or in groups, but as in predatory schools, it is the alpha male that directs the attack and gives courage to the rest of the gang, which initially acts as a pole and then intervenes later.
Reacting successfully against the alpha male generally alarms accomplices who usually give it to their knees: an alpha male put down by a woman does not deserve to be respected and rescued, according to this psychology.
To do this, since we generally talk about very short distances and sudden situations, the best shots are the headers, the elbows in the face, the knees to the intimate parts and the microlever to the fingers, all highly painful and debilitating:
- the headboards are excellent in case you get stuck on your wrists or tight from behind,
- knees when clinging in front, as well as elbows;
- the strokes of the hand should be pulled with an open hand, using the wrist and not the closed fist: in this way more force and more damage is generated.
Collateral actions and final evaluations
Here are other side actions that should be implemented to defend oneself:
- Never be put on the corner or with your back to the wall,
- never focus all the attention on a stranger who is approplinqua but keep focused on what surrounds us (accomplices),
- not to be attracted only by the face but to observe the hands (identifying for example any hidden knives),
- shout and ask for help to increase the possibility of making the attackers escape,
- avoid heroic gestures,
- to be more attentive to what we communicate: continuously without paying attention we say that we possess values to steal, or to be easily affordable or awkward and defenseless.
- never provoke and in the event of avoiding confrontation it is impossible, never hesitate, look around, shout and look for escape routes, or support people, or any improvised defense tools: in 95% of cases of thwarted aggression this is what helped .
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