Surprise Defense Against a Punch
We had a special treat for Saturday morning’s karate class: Sensei B, a teacher who has studied Nin Jitsu, taught us self-defense moves. Over Zoom, he has been teaching for us roughly once a month. Granted, teaching self-defense over Zoom is no easy feat, but he makes it fun. We normally attend class with partners.
He started with a technique used to defend against a punch that was basically a joint attack. You catch the punch, step into your opponent, come down on their bicep with your forearm while pushing the fist forward to make your opponent’s elbow bend. And you step behind their leg/knee to trip them. While your opponent is off balance, bring your elbow to their face. This set of moves was more complex and took a while for us to get properly. Also, my son and I had a small debate about whether this was the first move or if I’ve confused it with the second, so if he is correct, my memory may not be accurate.
Sensei B watched each pair over Zoom and coached us through the techniques. Usually after some coaching, most of us were able to perform it adequately.
Breaking a Choke Hold
The next one was more straight-forward. In both, you are breaking a choke-hold. In the first, you grasp your attacker’s right hand with your left, twist the hand off you and push it towards your attacker while striking with your right hand. Twisting the hand while pushing the hand/wrist towards the attacker can force that person to the ground, since he or she will naturally try to prevent damage to their elbow.
My son and I practiced this technique on each other during class, and you really feel it (ouch!) when the other person gets it right. Sensei B had us do the techniques very slowly so we would not hurt each other. That one, which involved the hand/wrist twist to control an attacker through the arm, was very straight-forward.
The last one involves breaking a chokehold by raising your arms straight above your head, pinching the attacker’s hands between your shoulders, then bringing your arms down on their elbows. Sensei B taught us to go from the outside of the attacker’s arms, but while practicing, S and I found it works pretty well from the inside, too.
Do these Fancy Moves Really Work? A Self-Defense Spoof
The internet is a great resource, so I did a few searches to see if I could find a demonstration of some move similar to the ones Sensei PB taught us. On my post from December 14th on self-defense, I posted some useful videos.
I also found a pretty funny, but also disturbing, video of a self-defense spoof. A young man in a white gi runs around, ostensibly to demonstrate self-defense techniques, but actually demonstrates their antithesis. He starts by approaching another young man, most likely a friend, then describes him as an attacker. His “attackers” half-heartedly comply, or just watch him with a clueless expression. He usually refers to them as “drug dealers” or “muggers.” He begins with a defensive move likely modeled on a legitimate one. Then he pulls a gun out of his gi and “subdues” his opponent with the gun. I think I chuckled at the first one–but also found it disturbing. His “opponents” looked like ordinary kids, which added to the humor. It was an effective spoof.
That raises a question: does self-defense really work? That depends on the situation as well as your skills. Defending yourself is better than not, even in the face of a weapon. If you believe your life is in danger, understand that compliance with an attacker is no more likely to insure your survival than fighting back. People who fight back tend to fare better. Fighting back, even if you fail, will certainly feel better later if you survive.
Basic Self-Defense
Long before I started studying karate, I took a self-defense class aimed at survivors on the advice of a therapist. Attending this class were women who had survived sexual assault and violence as adults, as children or both. While the classes’s particular focus was on survivors, many of its principles are generally useful. These ideas can be useful for men as well as women and children. We are not accustomed to thinking of men as victims. However, men and boys are also vulnerable. When they are victims, they are often overlooked and misunderstood. In high school, a close male friend of mine was a sexual assault survivor. Just as we know from the “Me, too” movement that many survivors do not talk about their experiences, this applies to male as well as female victims. All victims deserve support, understanding and care.
These principles, I hope, will be useful everyone. Yes, many are simply common sense. However, our sense of propriety or a desire to avoid conflict will sometimes make us ignore what is right in front of our eyes. Sensei R. always says the most important part of self-defense is to recognize and accept you are in a fight.
Six Simple Common-sense Principles of Self-Defense
I still find these rules from my first practical self-defense class useful. These are also useful for martial artists, but you do not need to know karate to observe these.
Avoidance is the Best Defense
- Pay attention to your surroundings, particularly when you are alone in a public place. Notice where other people are and whether or not they see you or pay attention to you. Notice if anyone is behaving erratically. Steer clear of erratic persons or people paying undue attention to you or others. Alter your course if you need to.
- Be cognizant of your personal space and preserve it. A person asking you for directions does not need to come near you. If a stranger approaches you, order him to stay back. Do so loudly. If he doesn’t respond appropriately, take evasive action: move back, run, get in your car, cross the street, go into a building, etc. A person who really just wants directions will stop and ask you from a distance.
Recognize when you’re in a fight, and respond appropriately
- If you fear an attack, use your voice. Be loud: “Stay back! Get back! Go away! Leave me alone!” Yell to bring attention to the situation. In my class, the instructor suggested we yell “Fire!” and not “Help!” Her logic: people run away when they hear a scream for help, but will run to the source when they hear “Fire!” This was in the mid-90’s in Michigan, so that might not hold in fire country, i.e. Southern California. Whatever you yell, yell it loudly. You want to call attention to your situation.
- If you are attacked, fight back. Recognize there is no “fair fight” with an anonymous assailant. Your assailant has already taken an unfair advantage by choosing this time and place to attack you. Use every means at your disposal to defend yourself: go after the attacker’s eyes, throat, genitals, knees, feet. Remember joints are often used for take-downs, so attack theirs. Also: often perpetrators want easy victims. If you put up a fight, they may move on to look for an easier target. Keep fighting: your life may depend upon it.
- Keys, cellphones, a purse or bag, your shoes, a car door–any of these can be used as a weapon.
- Listen to your gut: each of us is born with an instinct to survive. Your unconscious, animal brain will access your surroundings and your situation much faster than your reasoning brain. Follow your instincts; they can save your life. I recommend great book on this: Gavin de Becker‘s “The Gift of Fear.“
What about using my Smart Phone to record a potential attacker?
Once, in a public parking lot with a friend, we were approached by a man who believed we’d “stolen” his parking space. He yelled insults at my friend and was headed straight for us. It was broad daylight in a covered garage in Los Angeles.
My friend whipped out her cellphone and start recording. She made it clear she was recording him. “So you want to tell this to a judge or a police officer?” He continued to curse for another minute or two, but did back off and leave. Recording with a cell can be a good deterrent if you have the time and space to make the attacker aware you are recording his actions. You can also dial 911. However, placing your attention on your phone removes it from your surroundings and your assailant; this could give him an opening to reach you. In my friend’s case, I was next to her and could act. It’s a judgement call, particularly if you are alone.
Conclusion: Preserving Your Life is the Objective
Finally, no simple set of rules will apply to every situation. Listen to your own instincts. If you are attacked and survive, seek help afterwards. Get medical attention if you need it, and therapy, too. Survival–not winning–not avoiding the loss of dignity or property–is most important. These others may be restored later.
After Sensei B’s class, I did a bit of reading on Nin Jitsu and its relationship to historical ninjas. On a website called Way of Ninja, I found an interview with Eric Shahan, who has translated many historical Japanese works on martial arts and warriors. Regarding self-defense, I found one of Shahan’s quotes regarding the ninja particularly relevant. According to Shahan, a shinobi’s (or ninja’s) use of martial arts differed primarily in the goal:
“The main difference there is that your priority is to get away, not to defeat the opponent.”
Eric Shahan, on the differences between ninja combat techniques and that of other martial artists.
According to the Way of Ninja site, ancient ninja were primarily spies and less often assassins. Therefore, surviving to share the information they’d acquired was paramount.
If you ever find yourself in the unfortunate position of needing to use your self-defense lessons, remember your goal: living. Like the ninja of old, you must survive in order to share your knowledge.