Self Defense Moves 101: Educate Yourself

The economy and crime are inversely proportional. This means that if the economy is bad, you can expect the crime rate to go up and vice versa. Blame it on poverty, lack of money, emergency, and a whole lot more. The bottom line is that it definitely pays to be more guarded and learn self defense moves.

You can try the following:

1. Attach security systems into your home. Surely, you are going to spend money on video cameras, alarms, and other security devices. But they can do excellent service to you and to your family. You will feel a lot safer knowing that there are systems you can depend on to alert you of intruders. Criminals would also feel apprehensive going near your home, especially if they are aware that their moves can be watched at all times.

2. The second self defense move is simply to be more aware. Pay attention to the people around you. Do you feel uncomfortable with someone? Is somebody always lurking around your neighborhood and watching you or your property? Never ignore your fears, suspicions, and doubts, as they may just save you from becoming a victim of a potential crime. It is best if you can keep a record of anything amiss so you can be more conscious of the patterns and have some proof when you need to report cases to the higher authorities.

3. The third self defense move is less a move than a less style; exercise and diet. Good health can go a long way when you are talking about self-defense. For one, you will have enough physical strength to fight off your opponents. You will also possess a smarter and more alert brain, so you can immediately know on what you are going to do when placed in a very uncompromising situation.

Even a brisk walk of 20 to 30 minutes every day will already be enough to make your heart strong and your mind active. You can then pair it with proper diet and healthy lifestyle (avoid too many cigarettes and bottles of alcohol).

4. Enroll yourself in self-defense classes. There are already several studios and classes that you can go to when you want to receive proper training on self-defense. There are also different courses that you can take, from martial arts to women’s defense and cane fighting. You simply have to choose the one that you are comfortable doing.

5. Do not carry a lot of things. If you are going to walk alone, it is advisable if you do not have a lot of things in your mind. When push comes to shove, you can utilize your elbows to hit somebody else’s stomach or face or your hands to choke-hold someone.

6. Wear heels. You may want to wear shoes with even just short heels. You do not know how painful they can be to somebody once you step on their toes.

7. Do not attract the attention of criminals. If you do not want to become a potential victim, do not direct their attention to you. Hence, avoid wearing too many jewelry pieces. Keep your bags as close to you as possible. Have someone with you when you are walking and do not hitchhike or accept invites from strangers.   All these are essential self defense moves.

Self Defense Moves For Seniors

Do you know that there are more seniors who are becoming victims of crimes? Surely, the news can be very appalling, but the truth is that several criminals view them as very weak and thus perfect victims. It is definitely time to teach yourself effective self defense moves.

Keep yourself fit. Your age should not be the main reason why you should stop brisk walking or running. In fact, a healthy body and mind become more important as you age. You need to keep your memory sharp and alert at all times. You should be able to run as fast as you can away from assailants. You need to have plenty of energy to fight off aggressors.

Keeping fit also means eating the right kinds of foods. Increase your intake of vegetables and fruits. Adding omega-3 fatty acids such as from fish and supplements can boost the performance of your brain and strengthen your immune system.

The most basic of self defense moves is to avoid walking alone. Unless you are very familiar with the routes, it is best if you can have somebody with you to keep you company, especially someone young, fit, and very dependable.

Stay at home during night-time. Seniors should avoid going out at night especially if you do not know much about their surroundings. If you are the one who is setting up a party, for example, you can just have it inside your property. The event now becomes even more intimate.

Bring along handy tools. Canes, umbrellas, tazers, sprays, and stun guns are just some of the self defense tools that you can use to protect yourself from the criminals. When used properly, you can already drive yourself away from their presence and have more time to ask for help from other people.

Always go with the crowd. The good thing about being surrounded by others is you can just scream at the top of your lungs and capture other people’s attention. Unless you are dealing with a hard-core criminal, there is a very huge chance that he will be on a running spree away from you.

Another basic self defense move is to leave a message. When you need to go out for a while alone, always inform a friend, family member, or neighbor on your whereabouts. You may also give them an estimated time on when you will be coming back and inform them to start looking for you if you do not return after the pre-determined period.

Enroll yourself in training courses. Do not think that those self-defense classes are only meant for the young . As self-defense professionals realize the need for seniors to protect themselves, they are now offering special classes that are customized for such target market. A very popular course nowadays is cane defense.

Be confident. Though confidence does not really drive other people away from you, it usually makes them more apprehensive and intimidated. Never project yourself as weak. When someone approaches and talks to you, look at him straight in the eyes. This will also help you recognize the criminal should you become his sudden victim.

Crime does not choose any age, so always be ready to protect your life and practice these self defense moves.

Proper Understanding of Self Defense Moves

Presently it is prudent to imagine yourself as the next likely target of a violent attack on the street or even outside your gate. That won’t and shouldn’t be referenced as paranoia at all. A decision to learn a few self defense moves might be your best so far. However, you must remember that defending yourself is inclusive of several aspects besides your physical prowess.

The best move towards self defense will always be making your immediate environment safe to live in. Avoiding possible points of attack and living in a safe neighborhood is a primary requirement for your safety and that of the people around you. Taking preventive measures when your mind intuitively points to some impending danger is only sensible. Never wish trouble away, rather take active steps towards keeping yourself out of trouble. Nevertheless, when you can’t move out of an unsafe place or situation and you are forced to rise up to your defenses then you need to have the ability to do so effectively.

One disadvantage with many martial arts programs is that they are designed as competition-oriented skills rather than as self defense skills. The best self defense moves you can learn must always be able to:

1. Inflict damage to various points of pressure in the attacker’s body during a street fight
2. Put your mental calmness in total control at the moment of attack

These two requirements for effective self defense are usually not incorporated in many of the martial arts programs of these days. But you can still sign up for such a desired program for the sake of your physical fitness. However, besides that, you need to integrate drills from different cultures for a more unpredictable style of self defense. Self defense moves required in a street fight are nothing like what you see in the movies. In a real experience, like in case of a street brawl, you must become the victim turned into an aggressor if at all you are going to get the better of your attacker.

Another important facet of self defense is avoiding being over confident. Never try to do things outside your scope. Being over confident might end up working against you. Once again, forget the movies. If it is possible to run or escape an attack do so for that will be the most sensible thing to do.

Let it be the last resolve to fight an attacker. If you fight let it be a fight for your life and not for your pride. Use the quickest self defense technique and or a readily available weapon to cripple your attacker. The essence is to strike fast and hard before your attacker gets defensive. In the process you can call out for help or run away from the scene if possible. You should also keep your mind open so that when you run the direction you take should be towards safety.

The most effective self defense moves will always aim for the groin, the eyes, the knees, the throat, the neck and the nostrils. These are weakest points in the body and can easily decapitate an attacker.

Self Defense Moves that Work

Self defense moves should be very simple and basic body movements. Many martial arts systems complicate the matter by creating sequential and fine motor movements that look pretty but have little practicality. And this is because they fail to observe the body’s natural response to stressful situations.

The best self defense moves observe and work with the fight or flight response, the body’s natural self defense mechanism which empowers us to fight or flee. It also increases our speed, power, and tolerance for pain. But it comes at a price. When our body is flooded with adrenaline, our vision narrows, our body trembles, and our ability to perform fine and complex motor movements diminishes. And surprise surprise, most self defense moves are fine or complex motor skills.

Despite this startling fact, there are self defense moves which are actually enhanced under high stress situations, gross motor skills. Gross motor movements are movements which replicate compound muscle movements like pushing, pulling, lifting, squatting, and throwing. These kinds of movements actually become stronger and faster. These motions are also so simple and basic that a novice can learn most of them in a single class.

Furthermore, it makes sense that if you are in this state of high stress, then your adversary may be as well. It’s important then to select self defense moves which are not only gross body movements, but also inhibit your opponent’s ability to fight. These are moves which attack the eyes to inhibit sight, the ears to inhibit balance and equilibrium, the throat to inhibit breathing, the neck to inhibit oxygen to the brain, and a direct and forceful palm strike to the nose, solar plexus and other vital targets. Another valuable target is the groin, and that needs little explanation.

Self defense moves which meet both of these criteria, being gross motor skills as well as attacking vital targets are the eye scrape, the palm heal strike, the ear box, the elbow strike, and the upward groin strike. Notice here I don’t include a fist strike, and that’s because it is quite easy to break your hand on an opponents skull if you hand is not well conditioned. The rest of these techniques are powerful, durable, versatile, and are unlikely to result in personal injury during the process of striking another.

The best way to practice these self defense moves is in full contact fashion on focus mitts with an experienced trainer. Obviously these techniques can maim or kill someone, so practicing them with any kind of power in a sparring match wouldn’t be wise. But if these moves are trained at full speed and full contact the trainee will learn to strike accurately, powerfully, and to ignore the sting of contact and keep fighting. Many martial arts systems practiced controlled fighting and no contact sparring. And while this is great for technique development, it also develops a lot of bad habits that will hinder ones chances of successful self defense. So stick to self defense moves that work, and practice them at max intensity.