SELF DEFENSE- Brain Against Brawn

Attempting to compete against larger attackers 'strength for strenght' in a struggle is a poor decission that generally only has one outcome. Thankfully there is another option.

Instead allow your attacker to use their power in a struggle, not attempting to oppose it but to work around it. For instance if your attacker forces you to your left dont struggle and try to stop the movement, simply go with it using the momentum to move past their intended point to a more comfortable or safer point for yourself. This way you minamise the levels of strength and endurance you need to survive the situation. All the while your attacker puts in all the effort.

You simply need to be aware of where the pressure is, and where the pressure isn't.

To give you a clearer idea of how this tactic works here are a couple of examples.

A common position that occurs during an argument is when your attacker grabs you with their hand around your throat (usually at arms length). Instead of struggling to release the hand and its hold on your throat, simply notice that the grip is generating pressure from the front, left and right of your neck. There is however no pressure from the rear (the back of your neck). Therefore taking a quick step backwards will release you from this hold with little effort. Obviously this tactic must change when pushed up against a wall as pressure from the rear then becomes a factor.

In this case use the stability of the wall to move. This time step or move quickly to the side along the wall forcing your attacker to turn in order to continue their hold. This no longer puts you between them and the wall, allowing you once again to exit backwards.

A second example is when people end up on the ground with an attacker on top of them. The majority of people will attempt to pull their opponent close to them in order to 'hold on for dear life'.

Instead of using all your strength and energy to attempt to pull a larger and more powerful opponent down to you, pull yourself up to them. This way your not competing with them 'strength for strength', meaning you use less effort and energy to gain the same result. And if your attacker is powerful enough to get up whilst you're latched onto them, they will unwittingly use their strength and energy to return you to your feet also. Allowing you a better chance of escape or survival.

These are just a couple of examples of how this tactic can be employed, but it would be a good idea to get together with a friend or partner with which you could mimic situations, pausing to Analise them and determine where the pressure is and where the momentum will take you. From there you can decide upon a safe movement and direction using minimal effort to gain a positive outcome.

Although I enjoy writing these articles, describing techniques through written word isn't always easy or indeed ideal for te reader to visualize. Therefore I intend to make short self defense videos in the near future to give you a better idea on how techniques work. This will also allow me to share far more with you and could be more enjoyable from an enthusiasts point of view. I hope some of you will take the time to have a look. Thanks, Jester.