Thoughts about Self-defense

I was in marital arts for many years. I have a master’s belt in Tang Soo Do, and, in my opinion, what you should get out of a self-defense class are possibilities and options. No technique is guaranteed to work. You should learn techniques that will allow you to escape an attack and run away. That should be the ultimate goal of the techniques. They should give you a chance to run away. Call a cop, let them do their job.

I am a firm believer in Mr. Murphy when it comes to violent encounters. If anything can go wrong, it will. I would not stand toe to toe with an attacker if I didn’t have to. I would rather get out of his or her way and strike quickly and effectively and then run. The last thing I want is a fair fight.

Knowledge is a powerful thing. Just knowing that you can possibly do something can avoid immediate panic when faced with a violent situation. That, in itself, can be very useful.

Of course, there are exceptions to immediately running away. If someone is with you or if your attacker is blocking your escape route, then you may need to do extra and you need to be prepared for that. You will need to learn techniques to fight off your attacker, if necessary, but only if necessary.

The first step in self-defense is to remain alert to your surroundings, especially at night or when you’re in unfamiliar areas. In the military this is called situational awareness. Stay in well-lit areas and with other people. If you must be in a darker or secluded area, keep your eyes and ears open. Try to stay off your phone and pay attention to what is going on around you. You may be able to avoid an attack by simply getting away before it happens. If you can’t avoid it, you may see it coming and be prepared for it. I call it the art of not being there.

One of the greatest dangers is to have someone come up to you from behind. This is where keeping your ears open really comes in handy. If you hear someone behind you and their pace is making you nervous, you need to turn around. You don’t have to turn and challenge the person. Pretend you have forgotten something, turn and start moving back the way you came. Make sure to give the person behind you as wide a berth as you can. If they go by harmlessly, pretend that you found what you were looking for and then turn again and now you will be behind the person.

These are just a few thoughts. I’m sure your instructor will cover these, and many other areas, in more detail. There is one more thing you should realize. Self-defense is something to be worked on. Someone showing a few techniques is useful, but to use those techniques, they need to become instinctive. You won’t have time to think about what to do if something happens. Doing techniques instinctively takes repetition and perfection of the techniques. That is not done in a few sessions, it takes months or maybe years of practice.