Self defence tips thread

I keep hearing about all these attacks on us and I wanted to share some self defence tips I picked up from my judo sensei back when I did it in school - I’m in no way an expert, but what he told me always made sense to me because (1) everything suggested below is precipitated by the assumption that you can’t de-escalate or run away, and (2) I cover roles for yourself & for bystanders.

Anyways I’m a bit hesitant to share this but I welcome actual experts to comment their insights below, and hopefully this can help prevent some bad stuff in the future for all of you.

————

So first of all, these attacks are almost always precipitated by verbal, racist insults and they are entirely designed to pull you into a confrontation with a prepared aggressor - so you need to think about a couple things:

1. Firstly, make a conscious effort to be more aware on the street. I usually listen to music but lately I’ve stopped because awareness buys you time to react, and time buys you options.

2. Can you de-escalate the situation by physically leaving? Many times you can’t because the attacks have been happening in tight spaces so you may have to stand your ground. Maybe you can use your words and talk sense or ultimatums.

3. If you can’t talk sense or feel that this person is 100% aggression, make sure you communicate that you are not to be fucked with. Your attitude has to be determined, and your body language has to reflect somebody who is in charge of the situation. You don’t have to swear or be fast in your replies - you have ultimate power if you make them wait. Do not ever let them take you to a 2nd location, even if you are being threatened at that moment (that’s usually the cue to begin fighting for your life).

If words turn to fighting, then here’s what to think about:

• You gotta know ahead of time if you have anything worthwhile in a fight - perhaps you are large / strong, or have trained before etc - but if you aren’t, that’s ok just admit it and create a basic plan around your current capabilities.

• If you can’t fight, run. It is a perfectly good option and what I will likely do. If you can fight or have to fight, you need to think about how you will respond and whether you intend to use force multipliers ahead of time.

I personally do not like firearms, but I do think that carrying brass knuckles is a safer alternative that might add an edge to your defence. The problem with any force multiplier is that you really need to be trained on how they are used properly (safety), and it’s also kind of extreme for many people to carry around any kind of lethal weapon. Carrying a weapon might also make you more prone to resort to it as an easy-button to help you tip scales in your favour, but it has the double edged effect of escalating the situation. That’s something you should be very clear about.

But to each their own.

There are also force multipliers in the environment, and those are perfect to use if you are defending. Are there buckets or planks / sticks near you? What about sand or dirt to throw in their eyes? Are you carrying hot coffee, or shockingly cold iced soda? Never forget how a backpack or purse can be made into the perfect shield or bludgeoning tool.

• When practicing your fighting skills, you need to think about what’s your body like and how might people use it against you / how can you use it to your advantage. Tall people kick really well. Short stout people might grapple well. But whatever you train in, visualize how most fights happen really quickly and are often within tight / short range.

Your arms will likely do much of the fighting, but think about which arm will do the stiff outstretched blocking, and which arm does the striking and elbowing. These arms may shift as the body shifts / is forced to react on an opposing side, so be sure to practice roles with both arms.

• If you have to defend yourself, there’s no honour. Do whatever you have to do to survive. Aim for their eyes, their genitalia, their throat. Use your teeth if you have to. Of course, if this is a matter of defending your honour then please keep your response proportional. But in rightful situations of self defence, all bets are off.

• Lastly, if you are a bystander - think about how you will intervene if you’re presented with a victim and an unarmed aggressor. Now think about if that aggressor has a melee weapon. Then think about an aggressor with a ranged weapon. For the first category, you can intervene if you are confident in your own mental and physical fitness. For the second and third categories, you can really only intervene if you are carrying equivalent force multipliers. So if you know ahead of time on how you will react to any of the 3 categories of aggressors, you’ll act decisively and with greater success. Keep in mind they might have a hidden weapon or a second weapon, and that might skew your assessment (which has been fatal for some)

How you act as a bystander is important - your first priority is still yourself, but the victim is a close second. You can draw the attacker away and often the victim will be compelled to just run away because nobody is trained to be attacked, it’s very understandable. So you may be suddenly alone with the attacker, and you have to expect this possibility. One way to prevent the original victim from leaving or creating complications for you (like a drowning person clinging onto you) is to make eye contact with them and try direct rudimentary commands like “go and call 911!” or “film this please!”. Get them into a secondary but supporting role, and often the initial aggressor will be dissuaded by the duplication of opponents.

As a bystander, you have all the options on WHEN you can intervene. Do not feel you have to intervene immediately if you don’t have a good angle (if you need to physically intervene as a bystander, try to get them from their backs). Until you intervene, you’re just an inactive bystander to the bad guy, so use that cover to pop in at the right moment and get their attention off the victim.

In some cases, there have been multiple assailants which furthers the case for environmental scanning + not immediately jumping to the rescue. If you don’t check for multiple assailants before jumping on the initial perpetrator, you might get jumped from the back and ganged up on.

——————————————

In summary = I cannot stress how important it is to be aware of your surroundings, if you’re gonna take away 1 thing that is it. It does not have to be you being constantly anxious about stuff, but just observe and note the things around you with conscious eyes & ears. Always run if you can. If you wanna carry a force multiplier, know the risks to yourself & bystanders.

• The bystander effect is very real. Cant count on them, but if some good samaritan does help you, focus on communicating with them.

• Emotional regulation & practicing how to pace your breathing is not only healthy but a huge asset in a fight. It helps you stay focused, and against an untrained opponent, it might be the deciding factor in your self defence simply because you can outlast them in stamina. This is especially true when running away.

Again, this isn’t the self defence bible lol, just some nuggets of wisdom I picked up in a time when I used to train. I had a huge lull but these recent attacks have spurred me to take on lessons again.