What Do I Think About Self-Defense

What is efficient and what is not in self-defense.

Courtesy of Pixabay, photo of innamikitas.

What I do not agree with some “instructors” in self-defense comes with reasons. The fundamental understanding of self-defense is a bit vague and tends to be understood as a combat skill. That ambiguous understanding justifies the deviated methods of teaching self-defense carried out by some instructors. All participants in the session learn something ineffective then suffer the illusion of knowing some techniques in self-defense that do not work in real situations.

Years ago, in my younger years, my sensei had taught me something through his philosophical understanding of effective self-defense techniques. He explained that running is the best way if we still can escape from a dangerous situation. Fighting is always the last resort, he said. Additionally, fancy moves are likely producing risky results while no video camera records the event for a Youtube video that goes viral and makes you famous overnight. Tackling a neck grab using this technique or that technique while we can simply poke the eyes of the assailant is more helpful than thinking about what techniques we have learned from some hundreds of dollars in self-defense class sessions.

When it comes to teaching self-defense, I am prone to teach the basic concept of self-defense objectives. Clarifying the misconception of self-defense to the class, disposing of the movie-like techniques that might cause a more risky situation. Especially in the United States where the majority of people who enroll in martial art schools are influenced by movies. Without disregarding the powerful marketing done by movies, the drawback of movies’ influence is causing martial arts and self-defense alike to look like elaborated acrobatic stunts.

Self-defense must be in the simplest form in the shortest and fastest moment that related to life and death situations. One must do it in one or two seconds of thinking, expectedly close to a reflex. Unpredictable and efficiently works in any situation toward any type of assailant, even an assailant who knows martial arts or has a combat skill. Ideally, one even can evade a dangerous situation against the instructor himself.

How can I teach someone that “skill”? The answer is I might not. There is no technique A or technique B or technique Z, every attempt of self-defense move must be developed through intuition within the person oneself. Everyone has different physical conditions and different situation dictates different strategy.

There are examples of misleading techniques taught in some “self-defense” classes, like pinching the first dorsal interosseous (the muscle at the curve between the thumb and the index finger) to release a neck grab. It is a dumb move for several reasons. The first reason is to exercise this technique someone needs swiftness, precision, and enough strength which takes time to master. The second reason, a significantly smaller person cannot do this technique against someone bigger and stronger, which most of the time assailants who grab the neck or try to choke are bigger and stronger. The third reason, using an indirect attempt to release a grab neck will cause more risk of the assailant to tighten the grab and eventually break the neck of the victim.

Another misleading technique is the condition of being taken at a gunpoint. Better not to try to disarm someone pointing a gun to your head unless you know exactly what you are doing. I hate watching “instructors” convoluting their students about this technique with a misconception inspired by action movies. It is very rare for a person so skillful to disarm a person with a pointing gun. And it takes years after years for a person to develop such skill while self-defense has a very limited session. There are some other bad examples of fraudulent self-defense techniques marketed as efficient and effective techniques and people buy them because they know nothing better.

So, what was taught in the session then? To open the mind of participants on how they can use their body parts or available objects in the area as a weapon when the situation arises. Although, some non-weapon-like tools can be prepared as a weapon beforehand that we can carry every day in our purse or wallet or pocket, knowing that anything we can use as an incidental weapon would be very useful.

There are steps and advice in teaching self-defense. Let’s start with the steps I developed for self-defense.

Number one, understanding the right concept of self-defense is as important as the actions themselves.

Number two, clarify the misconception and get rid of the fancy expectations that might obscure what is efficient and effective moves and what is not.

Number three, learn the truly weak points of the human body that even a big muscular guy feels the pain when it gets hit. I was under the pretense that the neck is one weak point until I learned about most guys who go to the gym regularly build strength on their neck, especially boxers. From that finding, I scratched the neck from the list of weak points.

Anyhow, I later studied the weak points from a better source, acupuncture. It describes sensitive pressure points of the human body. From there, I recapped the universal weak points of both males and females. It makes any technique works for either sex, including the non-binary as long the assailant is still in the category of homo sapien. Aliens? I need another learning process after an alien is captured and I have the clearance to use it for practice.

Number four, what parts of our body that we can use as a weapon with minimal risks from getting injured? Elbows, knees, heels, arms, on some occasions the forehead can be used to knock the nose bridge of an assailant.

Number five, take advantage of everyday objects lying around we can use as a weapon. It could be many things, various things around the house, or in the surrounding area. Look around. A little practice of imagination on things around us can be an effective weapon.

Number six, be ready to expect inflicting serious harm to the assailant in self-defense. If there is a question why can’t do it “humanely”? The answer is when the situation dictates for no negotiation, no quarter given, a life and death choice, one cannot go halfway. Without causing serious harm to the assailant as a stopping effort, the “a wounded animal is more dangerous” concept needs to be born in mind.

Number seven, guide the students to learn on develop their techniques and methods of self-defense which the instructors or some martial art or combat experts cannot predict. The ideal self-defense system one uses should be efficient and effective if possible in all situations against all kinds of perpetrators, that includes the instructor himself. Perpetrators at one point have a weakness in action, finding the right moment to strike. Do not make useless moves because that makes things worse, when the opportunity to make a move arises, take it right away.

Now the advice. Females, do not use punches for self-defense. Average untrained individuals (even males) usually cannot form a proper punch and females have smaller bones compared to males, they are two reasons amongst the other. On many occasions, an untrained person who throws a punch ends up with an injury to the person’s fingers. One can use a clenched fist for defense only not using it as a punch but as a hammer hand.

Breathe. Try to breathe, one cause of panic is the breathing gets disrupted over the physical attack. Muscles shatter and knees tremble, the brain does not function properly, and gets stuck on finding a solution toward the situation. Breathe, let the oxygen flows to the brain, relax the muscles, calm the knees. Find the tranquility in mind, dispose of the fear, and strike to defense.

Do not expect the self-defense techniques and their methodology to work in more than four moves, the longer the struggle lesser the chance for the victim to survive, especially against the perpetrators who are so determined to cause harm.

Be aware of the surrounding, be extra vigilant when outside. Do not go to the dark alleys, remember the saying “curiosity kills the cat”. Do not be so lame like characters in slasher B-movies. Even in the crowd, nowadays where terrible crimes happen. Treat the areas, indoors and outdoors as an airplane, look for the exits.

When possible bring some objects that help for self-defense purposes, objects that are not prohibited by laws. To be on the safe side against criminals and not be criminally prosecuted carrying some “illegal” self-defense tools by some crooked DAs, check with the local laws. Be creative with objects that might not look alike a weapon but can be used as one.

Every state has different laws regarding self-defense methods. California for example is having some dumb laws regarding nunchaku and baton. These items are illegal in California. What??! Never heard a robber robs a store using nunchaku or baton. The arguments are ridiculous. Martial art practitioners cannot practice nunchaku in California because of this.

There are some self-defense tools which small enough to carry and considerably legal unless a new law is enacted post this article publication. Do not think about brass knuckles, in many states this item is considered illegal. Unless you want to argue with the law enforcement by calling it “undocumented” which most likely land you in jail.

One of the other items I am talking about is yawara. A small wooden stick that is gripped in our palm, with both ends protruding outside clenched fist. Yawara strengthens the clenched fist and both ends can be used for striking. Last time I checked, nowhere prohibiting yawara, yet. Note: yawara is slightly different than kubotan. Not to be conspicuous and cost-efficient, substitute real yawara, go to any hardware store and buy a wooden stick and cut it to the length of yawara, five to six inches. It is not fancy but it serves the purposes.

Keys can be used as a self-defense tool without restriction or prohibition to carry by any laws. Grip the keys between each knuckle, imagine yourself as a miniature of X-Men Wolverine minus the mutant regeneration ability, sideburns, silly hairdo, and customized leather jacket. The strike using keys could cause serious damage to the perpetrators, so use with caution.

Other everyday objects are pen and pencil. These are kind of scary incidental weapons that are available and completely legal everywhere as writing instruments. Meanwhile, we cannot carry a kitchen knife or a meat cleaver in our purse or bag without raising an alarm, carrying writing instruments such as a pen or pencil is usual.

There is understandable the gory imagination when we use such pen or pencil for self-defense, stabbing it into the assailant’s body parts. We cannot have the luxury of hesitance in the life and death situation. So, put these “dangerous” defensive weapons as a consideration.

There will be more options we can use when it comes to a self-defense situation, as long we use our creativity and imagination. I want to address that my insight on the everyday tools that can be used as an incidental weapon does not mean a promotion to violence. But merely to preserve our well-being in the dangerous world we live in today.

Stay safe and keep doing Karate (空手道), if you already are in the practice. If you are interested in Karate (空手道) and looking for a good instructor, engage with the qualified ones because certification does not guarantee those who call themselves instructors can teach good Karate (空手道).

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