How To: Defend Yourself In A Fight

September 24, 2007

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Use your body's weapons

Defend yourself with your body's natural weapons. Use whichever body part is most appropriate to the situation and deliver a fast, aggressive blow to your assailant. Follow up with continuous blows until your attacker is disabled.

Hand: Use the fist, open palm, heel of hand or edge-of-hand technique.

Elbow: A great weapon when you are side-by-side with or have your back to an opponent.

Leg: Use your knee as a battering ram, kick with your foot or stomp down hard with your heel.

Head: Head butt your assailant, snapping your head forward and hitting his nose or lips with your forehead.

Teeth: Dude, a fight's a fight. Biting into any area on an assailant's body will cause him great pain, although you may be at risk of infection or disease (given he has one). OK, perhaps this isn't the greatest idea.

Use objects as weapons

There are no rules in a fight, only survival. So use whatever object is available as a weapon.

Ashtray: Bars normally have ashtrays. Throw the ashes in your assailant's face and follow-up with the ashtray itself.

Beer bottle: Don't break the bottle first like you see in the movies or it might shatter. Use it as a club to strike the head and temples.

Belt buckle: Take off your belt and wrap it around your hand. Then whip it to strike your attacker.

Broom: Use it like a mallet, if it has a heavy wood head. Otherwise, drive the bristles into your opponent's face.

Pen: Hold your pen like a knife, and keep your assailant at a safe distance.

Keys: Wrap your keys in your palm with the end of the keys protruding through your fingers and punch at your attacker.

Survive a knife attack

It is generally not recommended to resist someone threatening you with a knife, unless you're attacked. If attacked, try to keep your body two arm lengths away from the knife and run away if you can. If cornered, defend yourself with the following objects. Keep in mind that anything you get your hands on can be used as a weapon.

Chair/barstool: Pick up the chair or stool, holding the back close to you as a shield, and use the legs to ram the knife hand.

Newspaper/magazine: Roll up a newspaper or magazine tightly and use it like a baton to block the knife hand.

Briefcase: Use your briefcase as a shield to absorb the blade of the knife.

Coat: Remove your coat and use it like a bullfighter, then throw it over your assailant's head and run away. Just don't leave your ID in it.

Umbrella: Use a closed umbrella like a sword to parry the hand with the knife.

fighting the fallout

When in doubt, do whatever you must to defend yourself and survive. But, it's important to know the laws and the consequences you could face. It's a good idea to avoid fighting altogether. Self-defense is a legal defense. Injure your attacker, but try not to kill him.

In the eyes of the law, you can only use deadly force when defending a life (your life or someone else's). Defense of property, including your money, is not a widely accepted legal defense. Pepper spray is a great weapon to have on hand. It's legal in many places, though not on airplanes or in government buildings.

And remember that you have to live with the consequences of your acts, which may land you in a cell. So fight only if necessary. And if you do fight, do it to protect yourself and others, not to harm the other person.

Beer

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