Self Defense Techniques

Self Defense Techniques - 7 Ways to Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

It's happened: you've been backed into an alley by a man who obviously doesn't give a rat's rear end whether you leave it alive or not -- time to put those self defense techniques you learned to good use. All of the martial arts training or military self defense classes won't help you, though, if you don't keep your actual goal in mind: survival.

People who get distracted by martial arts moves or military self defense techniques stop thinking about self defense, and those people get hurt, badly. If you're not already a street fighter or an 8th dan, techniques are for the mat, not the street. It's best to stick with simple, unconscious 'moves' that will allow you to escape.

Here are seven tips to surviving an attack on the street. Some are self defense techniques, others are simple facts to keep in mind that will improve your chances of survival. None require any martial arts training or military self defense classes. It's all pretty simple, really.

Kick and stomp. Aim for the knees, shins, toes, or instep, and just bash as hard as you can with your heel and your toes. Hit him hard enough, and he won't be able to run fast enough to catch you -- getaway secured.

Hit and hit and hit and run. Whatever hit you can get in, get it in and then immediately hit him again. Don't wait and see if the first hit worked, just follow up, two or three times as hard and fast as you can -- and then RUN.

Survival is victory -- victory is not survival. Getting away is the goal -- sticking around because you think you have the upper hand and you want to 'win' is a sure way to end up severely injured. Self defense is about defense -- and survival is the goal of all defense.

He's just as vulnerable as you are. Unless your attacker is armored, he's got the same basic weak spots that we all do. Don't think of him as unstoppable or even more powerful than you. He's not.

There's a reason they call it a bull's EYE.Eyes are one such weak point. Any attack that hits either eye, no matter how clumsy, is a chance to get away as he flinches and involuntarily squeezes his eyes shut.

You will get hit. It's OK to get hit. It's not fun, but the pain isn't a reason to stop trying to get away -- because if you don't, there's only more of it on the way.

Maintain a basic guard position. That means teeth clenched, elbows down, and fists between your face and his weapon. Boxers take this position because it works -- it allows you to keep the maximum amount of vulnerable spaces covered while you're also ready to attack. Just seeing someone who looks comfortable in this position can cause an attacker to reevaluate whether or not you're the easy target he thought you were.

None of these are martial arts secrets or mystical psychological tricks -- just simple self-defense tips that will get you survive a sticky situation. Above all, just remember that self defense is not martial arts, and most self defense techniques are far simpler than any martial arts training.