Self Defense

Hey y'all! So with this post I'm going to be writing about something a little different to the usual philosophy, ethics type thing. I'm going to be talking about self defense! Exciting isn't it? Basically I'm going to go over what self defense martial arts training has taught me, what I think is important to take away from it and I might throw in some handy hints I've picked up that could help you in a pickle (I have so wanted to use that phrase and I've finally found a good place for it!). I'm sure a lot of people who will read this will either already know the stuff I am going to go over or will be thinking "Well duh! That's just plain obvious!" and to you I say I don't care. It's my blog dammit and I do what I want. So anyway lets crack on!

Now I think a lot of you who read this will know already but I am actually a Black Belt (Does it need capitals? Well it looks cooler...) in a little-known Korean (the good Korea) martial art Choi Kwang-Do. It's a fairly new martial art compared to say karate or judo only being developed in 1987. You might think of this as a draw back but due to the fact it is new, it is based much more on modern research into biomechanics and emphasizes fluid motions to prevent stress and strain on the joints unlike older martial arts which focus on straight line movement which can jar and cause damage to your joints. Another plus of Choi Kwang-Do over other arts is that it is constantly changing and adapting. If something isn't working or could be done better then it is adapted. Nothing is set in stone which is a good way for it to develop and help improve it's effectiveness. I've been training for... um... well around 5 or 6 years (I should find out for definite) and I've really enjoyed it. I think it's improved my confidence and I've learnt a lot from it.

Now before I go on to tell you some of the super awesome ninja moves I know I should clear something up. I don't actually like the word self defense. I think self preservation is a better term to describe dealing with a mugging or street fight simply because if you are in a situation where you could very well come to serious harm, punching and kicking and grapples and throws are not the only things you can do o get out of the situation. That's the stuff I think of when I think of defense but if I was walking down the street and someone pulled out a knife and told me to give them all my money do you know what I would do? Would I jump in the air do a 360 spin and kick them in the throat? No. I would give them my money. Mugger gets his money, I don't get stabbed. Everybody wins. I have preserved myself without needing to get into a fist fight.

This answer might surprise people. "You spend all that time learning all these moves then don't use them?" Yeah basically. If you go into a fight you will be hurt. That is the first thing you have to understand. If they have a knife you will be cut. You could be a master in every martial art in the world and it's still likely that you will get at least grazed if they are waving a knife around. The first rule of self defense is avoid the fight entirely if you can. The average mugger just wants the money. They don't actually want to stab you, the knife is just there for intimidation. They just want you to hand over the money and then they can disappear. If you do that then they will go in the majority of cases. If you can run then run, shouting as you go to draw attention to yourself and the situation. You aren't being a coward or a chicken you are being sensible. Why have a fight when you have a way out? That's why in these situations I prefer the term self preservation. It's not just about 360 spinning kicks.

Now if the situation is different and they don't want your money, what they want is you on the ground in pieces, then that's different although again if you can run, run. If you can't straight away there are a few things you can do to put them off before you even throw a punch. First off shout. Now I don't mean scream or act the victim I mean roar. Like really all the way through you roar (this is called a Kihap in Choi Kwang-Do or "Spirt Yell". Basically it's to show you mean business). At the same time move into a fighting stance: feet shoulder width apart, one foot forward, one foot back, fists up, one fist guarding the side of your face the other held out towards the other person to create distance. Imagine it from their perspective. "I'm going to go for this guy/girl and I'm going to punch them in the... oh. Ok they mean business. Not sure if this is worth it now." People who want a fight go for easy targets. Show them that you are not an easy target. A good roar will scare the crap out of them and get people around you interested in what's going on. Both of these will deter the person picking the fight.

If your roar hasn't put the fear of God (and I said there wasn't going to be any philosophy in this post) into them then like I said before you have to be prepared to get hurt. Best accept it and think of ways of minimising this. The first thing to think about is distance. They can't hit you if they can't reach you. If you are in the ready fighting stance described above then one quick step can put a big gap between you. Move your front foot backwards so that you are now in the ready stance again but with your back foot now at the front. Switch arms at the same time so your guard hand is now out in front and your front hand has moved back to guard your face. Straight away that could be a good foot, foot and a half distance you have created. You have to be light on your feet and keep moving. Don't stop for a second. Go backwards and sideways, duck and dodge. Now when it comes to punching the first thing I'll say is don't punch. Yeah I know but hear me out. If you punch someone with a closed fist and you hit them in the jaw you will break your hand. Old fashioned bare-knuckle boxers never punched to the head because they knew this was stupid. They would always go for the body. Now hitting someone in the body can really hurt them and cause a lot of damage but it typically won't end a fight quickly and that is what you are aiming for in a situation like the one I've described. You want a fight to last less than half a minute not 20 minutes. So where do you aim for and what do you do? You have to find the weak spots on the person. Typically these are the eyes, nose, face, neck, pit of the stomach, the groin and the joints. There is no such thing as honour in self defense. If you have to claw at their eyes to get away from a situation then claw away. The shorter a fight the better.

A good strike that can be safely (safely?) delivered to the face is an Open Palm Strike. You open your hand and use the fleshy part of your palm to strike. If you have your fingers sightly bent then this should help prevent your longest middle finger from getting caught and bending back but, you know, don't stand their staring at your hands making sure your fingers line up, strike quickly! You can strike with either hand but you have to strike correctly. You can't just move your arm, you have to put your whole body into the strike, throw all your weight forward (don't overbalance!) and really slam it home. Move your hips forward first then have your shoulder and arm follow, your wrist, elbow and shoulder should be parallel with the ground with the strike going straight ahead. Make sure your arm is bent not straight as this will reduce the strain on your elbow. Once you hit your target don't just stop but follow through the target. You have to imagine that you are trying to touch the space just behind their head and you have to go through their face to get there. Gruesome I know but that's how you have to think in order to give the strike enough power.

Another very easy strike that can quickly end a fight is a Hammer Fist. I haven't been taught this in Choi Kwang-Do but I have seen it used in various videos and it does seem to be effective and easy. Basically if you have your hands up you can very quickly make a fist and ram downwards into someones face before they even realize you moved. What you do is make a fist as if you were going to punch and ram downwards, from hands up around your head, hitting with the fleshy part of the bottom of your hand as if you are slamming your fist down onto a table. You can use one hand (which I would suggest as you can use your other hand to defend your face) or both hands. There is a very short distance from your hand to their face so it is fast and effective. Going straight for the eyes and nose will quickly incapacitate the attacker or at the very least will give him something else to think about.


Moving onto kicks, I must say that I have been taught lots of fancy kicks, twisting kicks, swing kicks, spinning reverse swing kicks (they really kill your hips I'm telling you) and there are only 2 that I would actually use in a fight. Front Kick and Heel Kick. Even then I would rely on strikes as they are much faster and harder to stop and block. If you throw out a kick and miss then you are off-balance, on one foot and you can practically be pushed over. Kicks are really very slow but the main kick I would suggest if there really isn't any other option would be a Front Kick. You can do it from either foot from the ready stance but you have to be aware of your foot position. Too far apart and you will barely be able to lift your leg. Too close and you might end up kicking yourself (trust me it does not look cool).  To simplify things I'll talk you through the Rear (back leg) Front (kicking forward) Kick. Very first thing you do with this kick is square your hips. Stand up on your back foot so your hips are directly facing forward towards your attacker. Your front foot should also be facing forward. Now you have to lift your back leg up and balance on your front leg. This is called chambering your leg. As you chamber come up onto your toes on your front foot to gain extra height for your kick. You then move your chambered leg forward bringing your knee up as high as you can (the higher your knee the higher the kick). You then kick out bringing your leg back in a circle motion as if you are cycling backwards. Once you have made contact and cycled back you land forward this way you move all of your weight into the kick and give it as much power as possible. So broken down it's:
1. Pivot your hips forward coming up onto your toes
2. Chamber your leg ready to kick coming up onto your toes
3. Bring your leg forward and raise your knee as high as you can
4. Kick out
5. Cycle back and land forward
Now you might be worried that you can't get your leg up very high. You may not be able to get them right in the face and neither can I. I might be a black belt but I am far from flexible. I can just about get someone low in the chest if they are a bit short and I'm warmed up. You really don't have to be flexible for this kick to work. Go for a lower target. The groin. That will end a fight very quickly especially if they are a bloke. People lose the will to fight very quickly after that. Like I said their is no such thing as honour in these situations. If you can't get that high, go for the knee. If you hit hard enough and in just the right place you could break their knee or at least dislocate it. Can't reach the knee? Crush their foot. Can't stand, can't chase, you can make your get away.

Something else that could be useful to think about is distractions. Are you wearing a hat? Gloves? Scarf? Take them off and throw them towards the other person. A distraction that lasts for even just a second can make a big difference. In the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes film this is used by Holmes in a fight where he throws up a handkerchief to distract his opponent and it's not just a silly film idea, it could be useful. Distract the other person and then strike quickly. Try and see the open areas that you can hit quickly and effectively. Constantly moving and changing position can help you find the open spots.

So a quick summary:
1. Avoid a fight at all costs. Give them your money, run away. Your life is more important than your money or your pride.
2. If they have a weapon, you will in all likelihood get hurt. If you can get out, get out.
3. If there is nothing you can do and you have to defend yourself then move onto step 4.
4. Muster all of your energy and freaking ROAR at them. The more explosive and violent the better. Gets your blood pumping, alerts everyone around and scares the crap out of your attacker (hopefully).
5. At the same time get into stance. You aren't afraid and you are prepared. Have confidence.
6. Move. Don't stop moving. Not for a second. The only time you stop, jumping, dodging and running is once you are at home safe and sound.
7. If you get the chance to strike, strike hard and fast and as many times as you can until they are incapacitated or are distracted enough for you to escape.
8. If you can get one really good kick in, then that can be the fight over instantly. Put all your weight through and hit hard.
9. Use distractions if you can. Try to find openings and unprotected areas.
10. Once the fight is over (hopefully they have come off worse) then run. Don't hang around, get out. They could have friends around or they might stand back up and pull out a knife. Run.

(Completely by accident they add up to 10. "Joe's 10 Simple Rules for Self Preservation!" I like it...)

These techniques I have described can be incredibly dangerous. So dangerous that they are potentially lethal so a disclaimer is in order:
By practicing any of the techniques I have described you are assuming full responsibility for your own actions and any injury that may result from your actions. Basically you can't blame me if you hurt yourself or someone else.

If you use these moves then you could be liable to prosecution if you use more than reasonable force. What I'm saying is that you should use this to escape not to kill the other person or to purposefully greatly injure them. Once you have an escape route take it. Don't hang around to practice your 360 spinning kicks.

Now I have described these moves because they can serve a use and could perhaps save someone's life, but I must stress again that these should only ever be used in a life or death situation. I have known and practiced these moves for a long time and do you know how many times I have used them for real? Zero and I plan to keep it that way. I am not some Zen master that can defeat any opponent. I'm not stupid. There will be someone (lots of someones) that could very easily beat me to a pulp. If there is any other way out, then I will take it. Fine take my money, I don't care if it's to save my life. I don't care if people think I'm a coward for running away from a fight because I would rather be thought of as a coward than remembered as that guy that got stabbed to death in an alley. These moves are the very last resort. Don't get into these situations. Walk away, apologise even if you did nothing wrong, cross the street, ask someone to walk along with you (and that's not just to the girls out there). Swallow your pride. People who rob people, who attack people, look for the easy targets, the weak, the vulnerable, so one method to deter them is just to walk confidently, back straight, not running but not timidly tip toeing along either. Hold up your head and don't act the victim. I know that this can be hard and it's taken me a long time to have the confidence to do this and I still find it hard especially if it's dark and especially if I'm alone but you are much less likely to be messed with if you look confident. Hopefully me explaining these moves (in very little detail, incredibly quickly and simply) will inspire some confidence in you if you maybe have a bit of a practice (yes I know you look silly but so do I). Of course, if you are going to practice, make sure you have enough space and you are sensible with this. It's actually pretty fun and is good exercise and most importantly you have it there if you should ever need it. It's very unlikely that you will ever be in this situation but you could and it's better to know it and not need it than need it and not know it. Another good reason to practice is that you will have to keep coming back to my blog to check you are doing it right and then I get more page views :D

I hope you understand the point of this post and can take something away from it. I don't proclaim myself to be some wise teacher that knows all the answers. This post is me simply passing on a few tips I have picked up. If it has sparked an interest in martial arts for you then great. Go find a real teacher who is a Zen master and can teach you all the fancy kicks and the proper techniques. This is just my rough guide. Be safe.