Self Defense NY

A book that was written over a hundred years ago has just been translated and, as it turns out, it is an advanced guide for women teaching them to defend themselves from male attackers and any form of rape or molestation. The extremely interesting part about this is how advanced and seemingly effective the techniques are. At the very least, they absolutely hold up today. The book was written by a woman named Nobatake Yaeko and the books title directly translates to “Self Defense for Women.”
 
The book contains a litany of self defense techniques for women including arm breaks, throws and even an advanced abdomen strangulation technique where a woman uses her thighs to strangle a mans abdomen thus rendering unable to breathe which stops the attack. The book also contains a portion where all of the weak points on a man are illustrated. These weak spots, if struck hard and directly enough, will render a man unconscious as well as possibly unable to breathe. All of the techniques in the book are actually, in one way or another, taken from jiu jitsu – the main principal of which is to use your opponents weight and momentum against them which is why it is known as “the art of gentleness”.
 
These techniques and this book, apparently, all came from a movement back in Japan in the late nineteenth century called the Women’s Self Defense league. The Woman’s Self Defense League was a way for women of Japan at the time to stick together, watch each other’s backs and, most of all, learn effective self defense from one another. This League was absolutely no joke. In fact, it actually handed out awards to women who had successfully defended themselves from being assaulted. You can read more about these techniques, Nobatake Yaeko or the Women’s Self Defense League by clicking here.
 

One of the toughest questions to answer in the martial arts world to answer has always been “When is it okay to fight back?” Unfortunately, there is no easy or specific answer to that question. However, you can follow the tips in this blog and do your absolute best to try and delineate the situations where you should walk away or ignore the aggressor from the ones where you should fight back.
 
The first tip is that the vast majority of these situations can always be avoided. So, understand, right off the bat, that over 95% of these situations should never result in a physical altercation. That being said, one of the most important things to understand is that the threat MUST be imminent. This means that the threat must be a danger to you in the immediate future. So, if someone texts you saying “I’m going to beat you up” and you drive to their house in an effort to fight them before they fight you, you were not acting in self defense – you were the aggressor and will be liable for legal action.
 
Second, the fear of harm needs to be reasonable. What this means is that the “threat” can’t be that someone looked at you in some way so you just knew that they were going to hurt you. This one is fairly easy to understand – just use your head. If someone cocks their fist in an effort to strike you, THAT would qualify the fear of harm as being reasonable.
 
Next, your response must be proportionate. This means your reaction must be the same level of aggression as the action. So, if someone pushes you and you stab them to death – that is NOT proportionate. From a self defense perspective, the proportionate response would be pushing them back – even hitting them would not be considered proportionate.
 
The most important thing to remember in these situations is to remain calm and think about whether or not you truly HAVE to fight or not. As was stated earlier, the odds are forever in the favor of you NOT needing to fight it out that particular time.
 

There are numerous options of self defense to prepare yourself for an encounter with an armed attacker. Although confronting an attacker is a frightening situation, it is important to have a plan and most importantly to be composed so that you can think and come up with a defense strategy.
 
It is not advisable to fight against an armed attacker except as a last resort. It would be ill advised to challenge an attacker because of property. Consequently, the most important strategy of handling an armed attacker is by using verbal self defense. It is very important to find out the demands of your attacker before you begin any confrontation. It may be something you can forgo, or a situation you can negotiate your way out of by giving up something to avoid further hostility.
 
It is important you think ahead so that you can figure out what you can give up and what you can’t. For instance, if an armed attacker wants your money, you are presented with a choice to give up your money to end the conflict, but in cases such as sexual assault or other forms of physical attack you don’t have any alternatives but to face the attacker. In some cases you should go along with what the attacker’s demands as a strategy to avoid being injured. After all, in self defense, your cooperation does not imply any form of consent, but rather it is just a strategy to make it out from the situation alive
 
In most cases you will also find that most strategies that apply in confronting an unarmed attacker will come in handy even when the attacker is armed. Part of these strategies is being conscious about your environment. This may be to establish whether you can get any help from the people are around you, possible ways to get away or people or areas to avoid. Furthermore, you should also try to ascertain what kind of a weapon the attacker is wielding. For instance, if it is a knife you will require a different response from a situation where the weapon is a gun. If the weapon concealed, just to be safe, you should rely on your gut feeling.
 
In cases where the attacker is threatening to use the weapon, the most effective strategy is to remain calm and think. Afterwards, you can also use verbal self defense after properly analyzing the situation. This entails starting a conversation with the attacker to either divert attention or to negotiate your way out of the situation. In several occasions, people have found it effective to ask the attacker about his interests, family or just chatting to diffuse the tension in the situation. Other forms of verbal self defense such as distraction will also ensure that the conflict does not escalate.
 
When the time is right, create an opportunity to escape or strike. Make sure that you are very alert to identify and take advantage of any window of opportunity that may arise. You should not make any sudden movement unless you have come up with a strategy to resist. If decide to resist the attacker, create or wait for any distraction, and then strike the body parts that are very vulnerable to injury or pain i.e. eyes, throat, knees, nose and groin area.
 
If you are able to snatch the weapon from the attacker, there are several options to consider. However, it advisable to throw it far away from the attacker, do not use the weapon to threaten the attacker because he may overpower you and use it against you. Make sure you have a good layout of your surroundings, so that you are in a position to leave quickly or to find something to shield your body. If you are in a room, make sure you identify the exits, any objects that can be used as a shield or a weapon and the suitable places you can hide.
 
If you are in a situation where an attacker is actively using his weapon. For instance, firing a gun, the first course of action should be to get out of range and take cover. Ensure you stay low and run in a zigzag pattern to keep a distance of at least 40 feet from the attacker.
 
If the attacker is coming at you from a distance wielding a knife, keep a distance and throw anything you can toward his face especially his eyes to ensure that he is visually incapacitated. Shield yourself with an object to protect your vital organs and parts of your neck. When an opportunity arises, strike the eyes, knees or the throat of the attacker.
 
If the attacker is holding a knife to your body, find an opportunity to escape. If possible strike his vulnerable areas and grab the knife as you make your way to the exit. In such an encounter, you can sustain injuries, but you will have a good chance to escape.
 
You should also keep in mind that you may be injured, but still survive. This is to ensure you remain calm to continue defending yourself in the moment.

The past few decades have witnessed an increase in the prevalence and frequency of crime in America. Of late there have been a number of crimes involving children. In fact, an estimated 800,000 children in America have experienced some form of violent crime, with a significant number falling victim to such perpetrators. The effect of crime on such young minds is horrendous, given that there are valid concerns that children could replicate this behavior if they are not harmed or killed by the perpetrators. Self defense has always been thought of as a valid countermeasure to violent attacks. However, if we are willing to empower ourselves with such knowledge and skills, why won’t we consider the same for our children?
 
What is a self defense class?
Self defense classes are taught classes intended to prepare learners to protect themselves, and to respond to attacks. For this purpose, self defense classes might incorporate physical combat strategies such as karate, martial arts, jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, as well as other techniques intended to enable learners assess possible attackers and minimize the possibility of harm.
 
Why teach self defense in schools?
Although a bit obvious, self defense is crucial in empowering children to protect themselves from ever-increasing crime. It helps to equip children and adolescents with the right skills and knowledge to be able to ward off attackers. You might be thinking that perhaps self-defensive strategies used by children could be considered provocative by perpetrators resulting in reprisal and intensifying the attack. However, the core of an effective self defense program is to impact learners with skills which allow them to be aware of the danger in the first place. Children are taught situational and spatial awareness, which is simply being aware of their environment, and which is helpful in avoiding violent encounters. Secondly, through self defense classes, children and adolescents are taught of other valid measures of preventing attacks such as verbal de-escalation.
 
In school buildings, children are prone to bullying, which could be minimized by teaching self defense in schools. You might be asking, won’t teaching the whole school Ju Jitsu also empower bullies? School bullies will now have more techniques to use when attacking and intimidating other students. Self defense programs enhance children’s listening and communication skills through group which is helpful in minimizing physical conflict. They also teach children the importance of comradeship, and how to respect themselves and each other. Furthermore, self defense classes are popular for their emphasis on discipline. Learners are expected to adhere to strict regimens required for the program reinforced through simple tasks such as listening to and obeying the instructor.
 
One overlooked benefit of self defense classes is the confidence they impact on learners. Of course we all experience a burst of energy every time we win something, even if it’s a small win. And through self-defense classes, children learn how to take pride in their abilities and victories. Studies which have been conducted on children who have undertaken self-defense classes have found tremendous improvement in their confidence levels and discipline.
 
Self defense classes are also an excellent opportunity for children to learn how to set goals, as this is required in their training. And it teaches children to be determined – to want things for themselves, and to put in hard work to achieve this. These are excellent virtues for children to learn, especially at a young age, and could rub off on other aspects of their lives. In fact, there seems to be some form of correlation between participation in such sport and self defense programs and children’s academics in school. A self defense class is one of the best foundations to give a child.
 
Last but not least, self defense classes have a strong physical exercise foundation, which helps to ensure that children are working out. Exercise is important for children, if healthy growth and development is expected. A self defense class also works on balance, coordination, speed and strength, which also numerous benefits for a growing child. Let’s not forget that with physical fitness also comes mental acuity.
 
But why should we teach self defense classes in schools? As already discussed, self-defense has numerous benefits for children. There is no perfect environment to impact this knowledge and these skills to children than schools. The reason why children go to school afterall, is so that they can learn.

In recent years, seeing an Egyptian woman as a security guard or a police officer has become a normal occurrence. However, there was still one area where Egyptian women had been shut out as far as personal defense – bodyguard. The bodyguard is a position where self defense techniques are used most frequently, especially out of the three aforementioned jobs. Hind Wajih has always been obsessed with self defense since childhood – karate, taekwondo, aikido – you name it and she’s practiced it! And now she is Egypt’s first female body guard.
 
She is the first officially certified female body guard in Egypt’s history but she’s not stopping there. She is also well on her way to becoming a police officer and is also the first female in Egyptian history to teach males self defense as well. She believes strides like these have taken Egyptian women so long because many women hang out to a mentality that is completely antiquated. For example, many Egyptian women believe that by training in any sport where there could be muscle development that would distort their female form thus making them less feminine.
 
Wajih is now encouraging all Egyptian women to disregard their traditional views of what women can and can’t do within traditional society and to get out their and follow their ultimate dreams – whatever they may be.
 
You can read more on the story here.

Self defense training is usually a very tiring and violent experience. It’s just the nature of the art. However, there are certain disciplines out there which are extremely relaxing to practice but are far and few. One of those disciplines is Wing Chun which is an ancient Chinese art that teaches self defense to those who practice it through relaxation of the body and of the mind. Sounds too good to be true? Well, guess again.
 
Wing Chun is one of the least frequently discussed martial arts. Why? I couldn’t answer that because Wing Chun is a truly incredible way to train martial arts. Essentially, the heart of the form is based of the redirection of someone’s power, so, just as with Jiu Jitsu it is an art of gentleness but, still, it is much less intense yet just as effective. The art goes back as far as the 1500’s and has a very rich history behind it as well. The style’s inception occurred when the Chinese Government attacked many Shaolin monks centuries ago and in defense the monks found the least violent way to fend of their attackers.
 
A person who practices Wing Chun is said to be both firm and yielding, just like a piece of bamboo. The firm part is more of the metal side of things as relaxation is the single most vital attribute in Wing Chun. Relaxation because speed and power gets reduced when they art met with tension thus relaxation allows for quick and powerful execution of techniques. The other critically important areas to be aware of in Wing Chun are balance and fortitude – don’t try to train without those either! All in all, Wing Chun is the most relaxed martial art of them all but it is also one of the most incredibly difficult to master.