Challenge your inner Bruce Lee with these 5 self-defense moves
When it comes down to it, how many people can say they know how to react if they were ever under attack? It's not a pleasant thought, but knowing a few basic self-defence moves could mean the difference between life and death.
POLOKWANE – Review spoke to Daan du Toit, an instructor who will host a self-defence class in the city in May. He shared a few tips on how to respond to a threat.
Daan du Toit is an experienced boxer and instructor in martial arts. He gained excellent experience during his career as provincial amateur boxer.
He then commenced studying the art of Judo, and participated in competitions on provincial level while he was a university student. He later became the South African Police National heavy weight Judo champion and held the title several times during the 1980s and 1990s. He participated in numerous tournaments nationally as well as internationally.
“First, remember that prevention is the best self-defence. Attackers, whatever their objective, are looking for unsuspecting, vulnerable targets. So be sure to follow general safety tips such as being aware of your surroundings, only walking and parking in well-lit areas, keeping your keys in hand as you approach your home or car door, varying your route and times of travel, and other personal security,” he said.
Du Toit said getting loud is the first thing you need to do when under attack. “As soon as the attacker touches you or it’s clear that escape isn’t possible, shout loudly ‘back off!’ or ‘leave me alone!’ and push back at him or her.
According to Du Toit, violence should be your last resort but if that’s what an altercation comes down to, you need to know where to hit.
“Aim for the parts of the body where you can do the most damage easily, these include the eyes, nose, neck, groin, knee, and legs,” he advised.
• Eyes:
Gouging, poking, or scratching the attacker’s eyes with your fingers or knuckles would be effective.
• Nose:
If the attacker is close enough to you, use the heel of your palm to strike up under his nose; throw the whole weight of your body into the move to cause the most pain and force him to loosen his grip on you.
• Neck:
The side of the neck is a bigger target, where both the carotid artery and jugular vein are located. You could possibly temporarily stun your attacker with a knife hand strike (all fingers held straight and tightly together, with thumb tucked and slightly bent at the knuckle) and strike at the side of the neck.
• Groin:
Trying to kick the groin from far away might not be the best idea, since it gives the other person more time to detect and deflect your move (and you might get inadvertently head-butted in the process). Instead, use the groin attack as your follow-up or secondary attack, and use your knee instead of a kick for more force.
• Knees and legs:
The attacker faces you. With your foot, jab the attacker’s nearest knee. If the attacker leads with the right leg you will do the foot jab with your right foot. Remember the principle of kicking across, left foot to left shin or right foot to right.
“These are just a sampling of the kinds of self-defence moves and techniques that might protect you one day or at least help you feel safer and more confident. There’s no replacement, however, for taking a self-defence class and practicing the moves in real life,” Du Toit concluded.
3 Self-Defense Moves Everyone Should Know
Youtube video via Wall Street Journal
