Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 4: Taking a defensive stance
• Part 2 of 4: Defending yourself from the front
• Part 3 of 4: Defending your back
• Part 4 of 4: Avoiding the confrontation
• Tips

The difference between running fast and making headlines is in the ability to defend yourself in a difficult situation. You can learn some simple techniques to defend yourself before and during an attack, so that you can save yourself in the event of a fight or being attacked. You really don't have to be Jean-Claude van Damme to get out of such a situation unscathed.

To step

Part 1 of 4: Taking a defensive stance

1. Protect your face. If your attacker tries to punch you or grab you from the front, keep your hands in front of your forehead and your arms tight against your body so you can't get hit in the face. This may look like a weak, defensive stance, but it is to your advantage because it makes your attacker less likely to judge you. In this way you protect your face and your ribs, two places where you do not want to be hit.
2. Stand wide. Place your feet so that they are diagonal, both left-right and front-back. This way you stand firm and you are not quickly pushed over.
   • You have the best chance of winning a fight and getting away if you stay upright. Be careful not to fall to the floor anyway.
3. Assess your attacker. Look at his hands. If he wants to attack you with his hands they will be visible. However, if he has a weapon, his hands will be hidden somewhere.
   • If you are attacked by someone with a knife or other weapon, avoid all confrontation and get out. If it is not possible to avoid a fight, end the confrontation with a high impact attack as soon as possible and run to get help.
4. Stand in the starting blocks to run. If your attacker doesn't make it impossible, the best way to get to safety is to run away. If you can prevent a fight, prevent it and run.

Part 2 of 4: Defending yourself from the front

1. Go for the eyes and nose. If you want to end a fight as quickly as possible by striking out first, hit hard and as many times as you can, then run to get help. If you're getting mugged in an alley, it's not the time to think about a fair fight. Keep yourself safe by keeping the confrontation as short as possible. The eyes and nose are the most sensitive and soft parts of your attacker's face, and they are very vulnerable to elbows, knees and your forehead.
   • Try to hit your attacker's nose with the hardest part of your forehead, just below the hairline, by tightening your neck and pounding your forehead on the center of his face. This is the fastest and most unexpected way to end a fight right away. No matter how strong, experienced or violent your attacker is, it is difficult to recover from such a punch in your nose.
2. Kick or grab a male attacker's crotch. By kicking your knee hard into the crotch or grabbing the crotch with your hands and turning around, it is very likely that your attacker will hit the ground. Again, this is not the time to worry about foul play. If your life is in danger, go for the cross.
   • If your attacker doubles over because of this, you can hit his nose with your knee to make sure he's out for a while.
3. Heel stairs. If you are attacked from behind, the attacker probably has his or her arms around your torso. This works especially well when you are wearing high heels or heavy shoes. Bring your foot towards the attacker's feet, lift your foot and kick as hard as you can. If you are released, the attacker is unlikely to come after you.
4. Go for the kneecaps. For example, if you are being strangled, or your attacker has his hands in your face, you can attack the legs so that you have more room to hit him elsewhere, or to run off. This is especially effective with tall attackers and is still manageable when held.
   • Kick the shins and knees like a soccer player with the inside of your foot. This is a quick and painful kick. If his legs are close, you can hit the inside of the leg, the outside of the leg, the knee, or the crotch with your knee. This can take your assailant down, as you only need to apply 6-8 pounds of pressure to break a knee.
5. Continue. Try to prick or press his eyes. No one can defend themselves if their eye is pierced, no matter how big or strong your attacker is. A hard blow to the ear can also disable someone for a while, or if you do it right, even tear the eardrums.
   • In some cases, you may want to try to grab your attacker's neck. To strangle someone you should not put your hands around the entire neck like in Hollywood movies, but just put your thumb and finger around the carotid artery (easy to find in men because of the large Adam's apple). If you do this correctly, he will experience terrible pain and may fall down.
6. If you fall, try to fall on top of your attacker. You want to avoid a fight on the ground at all times, but if you can't help but use your body weight to your advantage. As you fall, keep your pointed body parts pointed (knees and elbows) and try to hit your attackers crotch, rib or neck.
7. If your attacker attacks you with a weapon, try to stay an arm's length away from him. If a gun is involved, consider running away, swinging from side to side.
   • If you have a chance to run safely, get it. Make sure you are safe the moment you stop defending yourself.
   • In many cases, you can end the situation immediately by giving your wallet to your attacker. This is the best choice, especially if you have a gun or knife pointed at you. Your life is worth a lot more than the money or your credit card. Throw the wallet away and run.

Part 3 of 4: Defending your back

1. Get rid of the burden. If an attacker tries to grab you from behind and strangle you, press his forearm against your collarbone instead of pulling it away, as that can be very difficult if you're fighting someone stronger than you. Place one hand above his elbow and one hand below it (so that your hands are on either side of his elbow). Then take a step and swing your whole body around the arm in a strong and determined motion as if it were the hinge and your body the door.
   • This way you release yourself from the hold and you can attack his head, ribs or legs. If your attacker is behind you, his shins are straight behind your legs and you can hit them well.
2. Sit down. If an attacker tries to lift you from behind, lower your hips as quickly as possible as if you were dropping onto a couch. It is then much difficult to lift you up giving you extra time to strike back by kicking his shins or turning around so you can attack from the front.
3. Play it mean. If your attacker wants to strangle you by wrapping his arms around your neck, bring your leg forward as if you were kicking a soccer ball and then ram your heel into his shin or groin as hard as possible. This could break his leg or at least make him stagger for a moment and you can get away.

Part 4 of 4: Avoiding the confrontation

1. Know the different stages of a battle. Preparing for each stage of a confrontation may help you avoid a physical fight. Preventing a real fight should be your main goal, so you should be able to assess the situation better than your opponent. The stages of a battle are:
   • The excitement. This is the first fight before the fight starts. It can start out relatively harmless, but quickly and unexpectedly get out of hand.
   • Verbal threats. If physical violence is threatened during the fight. "I'm going to .. you ____."
   • Push or poke. Attempts to challenge you to a real fight usually don't start with punching or kicking, but with intimidating nudges with the head close to yours. At this point, you can still turn and walk away to avoid the fight.
   • The real fight. You have stopped arguing and are now really punching.
2. Take all possible steps to solve it with words so that you avoid confrontation. Each subsequent step is an opportunity to end the fight. One inevitably leads to another unless one of you backs out. Backtrack. Physical confrontation should be your last resort.
   • If you're in the middle of an argument, calm it down by dampening your voice. Rooster behavior in a bar can escalate for the dumbest things, but if you're willing to give a hug and offer a drink as an apology, you can calm things down quickly. If you stay calm, they will calm down too.
   • If you are being attacked by an attacker, make sure you go somewhere where others can see and help you. You are less likely to be injured if you are on a busy street with many people passing by. The confrontation is less likely to escalate when you are among people.
3. Don't walk alone. If you have to walk a long way from the bus or train at night, ask a friend to accompany you. In a group you are safer in these types of situations.
   • If you do have to walk alone, join another group and stay close to it. You don't need to know them to benefit from the safety of a group.
4. Defend yourself. Consider taking self-defense classes.
   • This is especially useful if you often have to walk alone in the dark in places where you don't feel safe.

Tips

• Stay calm. Don't panic if someone is being hostile. This makes your attacker think you are weaker.
• If situations like this occur in your home, ask yourself why you should stay in this situation. Legally speaking, any unwanted contact is abuse. It doesn't matter if he / she "just" pushed you, it remains abuse, it can be dangerous and you can defend yourself against it.
• If someone attacks you, you are right and the other is wrong. He / she probably wants your money or your body, while you just want to keep yourself safe. You have the right to defend yourself. But keep in mind that self-defense is for escape! If you injure someone else or worse, and it later turns out that you had the opportunity to escape, it is no longer self-defense. You are responsible for taking "appropriate" action. So you cannot just mistreat or kill an attacker.
• Remember that whoever is attacking you has probably done that before. Avoid confrontation. If that doesn't work, try to get out of the situation as quickly and safely as possible.
• Always look for vulnerable areas. In a man it is the cross. A good punch to the crotch hurts the most. You can pull a woman's hair or hit it under the armpits.
• Other ways to get away from someone is to pull their index finger and thumb apart as far as possible.