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Self Defense/Personal Safety

If i am attacked, apart from the three below, how can i protect myself?
- Using a door key
- Putting my fingers in the attackers eyes
- pressing on their neck arteries until they're unconscious

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Running?

Run away.
Take self defense courses like martial arts etc.
Dont be stupid and walk down dark alleyways at night etc

Reply 3

henryt

Shouting 'Fire!' rather than 'Help!' often attracts more attention... It can also confuse your attacker. Running is good too. :smile:

Reply 4

DenkMit

Throw your keys in his face. He'll raise his hands to his face (basic human response). THen you kick him really hard in the groin.

Reply 5

Ang|ophi|e

A good kick in the groin isn't a bad either. :p:

Reply 6

ch0c0h01ic

Terry J

If i am attacked, apart from the three below, how can i protect myself?
- Using a door key
- Putting my fingers in the attackers eyes
- pressing on their neck arteries until they're unconscious

1. Be streetwise, don't put yourself in situations where you're likely to be made a victim or at a danger to your personal safety. Don't walk home on your larry in a deserted area late at night while heavily under the influence. Equally don't flash the cash. Be confident, be in a state whereby you can get yourself home safely and/or be able to defend yourself if needs be.
2. Avoid the confrontation altogether, even if it means apologising, buying someone a drink, forgetting what he called your mother, running away, whatever, it really isn't worth the hassle or a life. The vast vast majority of fights can be avoided this way, very few attacks are completely random and unprovoked no matter what the media keeps highlighting.
3. Take up a striking art like boxing, Muay Thai, etc, learn how to punch and kick properly without damaging yourself as well as learning the correct technique to employ the most strength and power.
4. Train so that you have the speed and endurance to run away if your have to, but also the strength and power to do a lot of damage if needs be.
5. Concentrate on one or two basic strikes, learn and practice them until you can employ them effectively in a stressful situation. In a time of stress most complex techniques go out of the window with your co-ordination, thought patterns, etc, you are best concentrating on the basics like knee to groin or head, a few basic punches , a few kicks (front kick = very good defensively in keeping someone with a weapon away from you), etc.

Punching or hitting someone with door keys is pretty ineffective but it is still something highlighted as the best thing to do. You stand a very good chance of breaking your hand, then you're out of the fight, but also you need to be able to punch well first for it to be particularly effective.

Again, eye gouging can be good but to get that close you make yourself vulnerable, ditto on the carotid front. Any 'good' fighter isn't going to let you get close to them unless it is so that they can put their knee in your groin or head, or an elbow through your jaw. Plus, as said already, when the adrenaline kicks in, your co-ordination goes and it may sound stupid now, but you will very likely miss or press in the wrong place.

Reply 7

Valbonne92

If it's a bloke then kick them in the nuts and screaaaaaaaaaaaaaam! :smile:

Reply 8

Transatlanticdrawl_

Run away

But OP believe me there are things you can do which most attackers wouldn't even dream possible, go for the dirtiest in the books

I mean, dont just kick in the *******s, grab them and TWIST them.
Don't just poke eyes, FORCE your thumbs into them
and above all else, bite bite bite, bite the most cringeworthy places that you only see in films (i'm thinking kill bill here :P).
Unleash the hannibal lecter within, who needs martial arts when you've got a mind that is psychologically off the scale filled with cannibalistic thoughts, and a pair of sharp nashers

Reply 9

jabed786

if its a guy kick him in the balls =]

and run!

Reply 10

Revd. Mike

Seriously, despite the old adage, the best defence is simply not getting into a confrontation in the first place. Do everything in your power to avoid a physical fight.

If it does come to it, don't try things like eye gouging or punhcing with keys, and most certainly don't attempt pressing on neck arteries. If possible, attract help by shouting, using a whistle or personal alarm. Adopt a defensive stance, try and get a good blow in and get away. Don't stay and finish the fight, you're far more likely to survive/avoid serious injury if you punch them and use the opportunity to run away than try and beat them into submission.

Ch0c0h01ic offers good advice.

Reply 11

ILILILILIL

If you're going to punch them to get away, hit them in either the solarplex (winds them) or the nose (stuns them if you do it hard enough due to the intense pain)

You can also push on the bone under the eyes, do it to yourself, even with less than firm force it'll hurt a lot.

The chances of being that close in a street fight are slim though. They tend to be the kind where you're just really close doing whatever. Headlock with a few knees to the face.

..and adrenaline kicks in and you forget what to do unless it's like in your muscle memory.

Reply 12

01rorlin

I wouldn't actually suggest kicking them in the balls, in a high adrenaline situation this can actually have very little effect. Sure it'll hurt later, but it does little to defend you. Face and torso, keep laying in those punches, and knees, and elbows. Eye gouging can be good, especially if you've got them in a headlock. Also, if you get the oppurtunity try and get their back against the wall or fence or whatever, it leaves you in a much stronger position.

Reply 13

steelmole

I recommend the book "Streetwise: The Complete Manual of Personal Security and Self Defence". What might surprise you is there is very little on actual self defence techniques, there's much more about avoiding these situations, which is infinitely preferrable in my opinion.

Reply 14

jaw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3K-mrlYG7Y

'nuff said :laugh:

I get hessitant to defend myself nowadays, what with the amount of people carrying knives; yet theres nothing you can really carry beyond knowledge and wisdom that can protect you from fools with tools..

Reply 15

steelmole

jaw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3K-mrlYG7Y

'nuff said :laugh:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2REG3-Wb5gM

You can carry a gun. Well, not in this country anyway...

Reply 16

Jeppaloth

Simple solution is to get yourself a bubble, live in it.

Reply 17

Muppety_Kid

Assuming you're actually confronted by an attacker, there are a variety of things you can do. I learned this from a self-defence thing I did a few years ago, so I'm not sure how much of this is accurate. :s-smilie:

Don't go straight for the groin - that's where they'll expect you to aim. If you throw a punch and they start bleeding, try and get some in their eyes, they'll think they've gone blind (now it's time for the swift kick to the crotch :wink:

).

If they've got a knife, put your hands up (not right above your head, but enough to show you're submitting). Make a quarter turn so you're sideways on (so the knife would slide past your back if they tried to stab you), and hook your elbow over the top of the blade. Turn back towards them, and the leverage will pull the knife out of their hands. If you're lucky, you'll still have hold of it and you can use it against them, or at least scare them enough to give you chance to escape.

If they get you on the floor with their hands on your shoulders, loop your arm through theirs (over, under, over kinda thing), put your hands together like you're praying and roll over. It should get them off. There's also a move called the Rice Pail throw (I think our teacher also did Ju-Jitsu) which can crack their head open...

Reply 18

Revd. Mike

Seriously bad advice! Unless you're well trained and actually know what you're doing, under no circumstances should you engage or attempt to disarm an armed assailant.

Reply 19

Muppety_Kid

Revd. Mike

Seriously bad advice! Unless you're well trained and actually know what you're doing, under no circumstances should you engage or attempt to disarm an armed assailant.

I did say "assuming you're actually confronted by an attacker" - it's only intended to disable them long enough for you to get away. If your back's to the wall (literally), there's not much else to do.

Obviously if they want your money, you give it to them, but there might be some cases (I don't know, rape?) when it's possible to escape, so provided you can see they're not carrying a weapon, it's worth taking the risk.

I wouldn't try and disarm anyone with a gun since I can't outrun a bullet, but unless they came running at me with a knife...I don't know...all I'm saying is it is possible to overcome them.