The four steps of self-defense

[Balrog]

We know that the best way to defend yourself is to be confident and to control your environment by not putting yourself into a potentially dangerous situation. We also know that the best physical defense is to run like hell.

Having said that, let's visualize a scenario where the bad guy has gotten to us and we have to physically defend ourselves against an attack. I don't want to go into a discussion of reaction time, confidence in training, etc. - I'll leave those for another thread. What I want to talk about in this one is the concept that ALL of self-defense can be broken down into four basic steps:

1. Distract
2. Release
3. Stun
4. Run

Here's a scenario. This is the abduction of Carly Brucia, who was raped and murdered in 2004 by her abductor. Watch the video first. Note at the end, the abductor has her by one arm and is dragging her. This is one of the most common attack scenarios as reported by the FBI's Uniform Crime Statistics.

What if she had had self-defense training? How could these four steps have worked?

Distract - her attacker's focus is on his grip holding her arm. As soon as he grabbed her and before he started dragging her, she could have done several things, the first of which would have been to start yelling at the top of her lungs. She might have slapped his face or kicked him. Either one would be enough to distract him and break his focus off his grip, which would have loosened.

Release - the weak link release. A sharp pull up (or down) depending on hand orientation against the thumb will free the hand. And yes, small kids can do that to adults; it's one of the first things my junior students learn. I'm a pretty big guy and they think it's neat as pins when they pop their arm out of my hand.

Stun - optional depending on circumstance. She might have gotten off a kick to the common peroneal or a finger to an eye, something that would physically prevent him chasing her.

Run - mandatory. Run to a public place, yelling all the time.

Self-defense is as much psychology as it is action. If one understands the attacker's point of view and focus, one can more easily defend against an attack.

Comments?

 

[Mike Hamer]

I would say the first step would be to survey the situation, and decide what your best plan of action is going to be

 

[Xue Sheng]

I would say the first step would be to survey the situation, and decide what your best plan of action is going to be

Works for me

1) survey the situation
.....a) If possible Run
.....b) If necessary talk your way out
.....c) If no other choice fight

 

[jks9199]

Avoidance and deconfliction would be, in my opinion, in the meta-phase of self defense. They go on constantly, and before an attack takes place; in essence, before you defend yourself.

Remember -- violence occurs faster, closer, more suddenly, and more powerfully than is generally expected. If you're defending yourself -- you failed the meta-phase of prevention, or you never had a good chance because the attacker is going to stack the odds in his favor.

Once the attack is ongoing, you have to deal with the immediate attack somehow. Move off the line, absorb it, move the attacker -- but RESPOND somehow!

Then you can move into taking steps to DETER further attack. Counter strikes, limb destruction, throws or holds... whatever it takes to make it harder for the attacker to continue attacking you or to chase you down. Tactics to deter may be shaped by your beliefs or by your job...

Finally, you get to the ESCAPE/CONTROL portion. Most of the time, the goal is to escape; get the hell out of there! In some cases -- like for cops or some mental health workers -- the goal becomes control or containment.

 

[Hudson69]

The O O D A loop would seem to apply as well.

 

[Master Dan]

Good post it leaves options for peoples comment with useful information.

I would add the following. Add # 5 which should be prevention. If a person is into any of your stated 4 steps it is already to late so to speak. The best thing that any self defense class can do is increase a persons chance of survival by prevention. Prevention is the one thing that can be taught in a single or a few classes that will likely increase the chances of survival of the person attending 300% compared to some belief that they can fight their way out using techniques they have seen one time?

PREVENTION
We teach the statistics of who is attacked, why they are selected before others how not to look like that person that a preditor will likely choose and how to increase your odds of not being the one to be attacked. We divide this into three comprehensive areas of planning.
TRIP PLANING OR TRAVEL:

LOCAL DAIYLY TRAVEL
OUT OF AREA TRAVEL
LONG DISTANCE TRAVEL

First is your defensive rings starting at close in with in touch our point of danger then each sucessive ring farther out that you should be aware of your surroundings and who or what potentialy is in it understanding that you need to plan and prevent trouble from entering your last two defensive rings or its to late.

Travel in general has a risk factor to it based on your age and who you are. The first thing you can do is reduce your risk factor by never traveling alone. Being in a group of two or three reduces your chances of being atacked by 90% but enviromental factors can change that.

OUT OF AREA AND LONG DISTANCE TRAVEL:
Both have one thing in common to any strategy know your enemy. The risk factor goes up substantially for all experts and the non martial artists alike to wander into anything or place with out having prior knowledge of the situation or enemies strengths. Not plannig ahead knowing where your going, having what you need, looking unsure, looking like a tourist, knowing exactly what you intend to do and how. Preditors look for people apearing to be stragling behind alone, looking down, insecure posturing. Other states or cities you have not been to, research first all you can.

You should develop good graphics and printed material that covers this.

Prevention is a mental training issue. We have seat belts we use them not just because is the law but the risk factor of being hurt with out them is high so it is not being paranoid its good planning.

Bad prevention means you have screwed up some how allowing danger to penetrate your defensive rings.

ASSESSMENT:
Assess the situation.
HIGH RISK:
If your attacker is atempting to take you away from your location the chance that you will die is very high and you have nothing left to do but fight for your life.

MODERATE RISK:
localized attack: What do they want can you survive by giving them what they want and its done or is it life and death?

Nusance Risk:
Friend, Family or abusive stranger:

DEFENSIVE TECHNIQUES:

Break Away: Help is close by get release and run to help.
Disarm: Hurt bad enough to have the time to get to help.
Disable: Inflict enough damage that you know they do not have the ability to follow.

NOTE: psychology of Defense:
Culture factor:
A known factor today due to our communication culture of violence on media and entertainment has led to a psychological condition in simple terms ( It Cannot Happen To Me ) People are conditioned by media that it happens to others not them so when danger presents itself with out warning people fail to acknowledge the danger soon enough to take defensive action.

NOTE 2: Physiology of Defense:

Regardless of being a MA expert or novice all people deal with Adrenalin Dump, Black Zone or just plain Choke due to rapid heart rate and other factors that cause them to freeze unable to recall any skilled defensive moves at all.

All people including experts need to have a basic RR or Remedial Response actions that require little or no higher brain functions for first response when required if needed.
Take what ever you are teaching now or good at and break it down to a simplistic natural automatic response that will deal with key basic atempts by the attacker.

Guns and knives whole nother issue you should not have been there in the first place and I don't care who you are even military shooting people if you have not had experience close up and personal more than one occasion and have been shot or knifed before and know the feeling and ready to deal with it again you do not know what you will do.

You want a pretty good chance your going to survive make sure its someone else in front of the gun or knife and get the hell out of there.

Hope this helps and stimulates some good discussion.

I also teach many weopons and devices that can be carried but there are always legal risks involved even with out weopons but given the choice of going home or not seems not much choice at all. However needing a weopon makes it already to late you have allowed something to penetrate your defensive rings and its likely you will not grab the weopon in time worse yet the choke factor will allow the attacker to use what ever weopon you had on you?

 

[poollshark]

It's really sad to watch that, she didn't even put up a fight. I just made my wife and 2 daughters watch it to reinforce what they already know.

If she had self defense training these steps could have saved her. I look @ 1, 2 and 3 as really one step I'll call "fight like hell". It's what I've always tried to impress upon my daughters and wife. Scream, punch, kick, bite, gouge eyes, whatever it takes and if and when possible run. I've also tried to make them aware that if someone is trying to abduct them they're almost always trying to take them somewhere else. This is important, if the perp gets them to the secondary crime scene they are done for. Almost all abductions are an attempt to grab you and take you somewhere else that the perp feels safe to do what he wants.
I don't know the stats but I'm sure a woman with real self defense training is far less likely to become a victim than one with no training.

George

 

[Josh Oakley]

The O O D A loop would seem to apply as well.

That's another one that applies at all phases of combat/self-defense.

 

[Indie12]

Here's something that we've used in our DT course.

3 A's...

1. Awareness
- knowing the environment around you.
2. Assessment
- scanning, looking, watching out, and being aware of the situation- overall.
3. Activate
- Proper reaction for the incident (Avoidance, run away, verbal de-escalation, DT, etc)

 

[shesulsa]

N = Natural Awareness

Cultivating and using your natural abilities and personal observational tools to be alert and aware of your surroundings, where you came from and where you're going, etcetera etcetera.


E = Evasive Action

This encompasses prevention, proper movement, alternative routes, etcetera.


Q = Quick Releases

Escaping personal or clothing grabs and hands-on committed attacks early, quickly and efficiently.


T = Techniques

Use of good, reliable techniques as necessary and appropriate.


This way ANY CUTIE (NEQT) can learn self-defense.

 

[Aiki Lee]

I think Stephen K. Hayes had 5 Ds

1. discern
2. defend
3. disrupt
4. deliver
5. discern (again)

 

[Xue Sheng]

1) Move Right leg
2) Then Left leg
3) Then Right leg
4) Then Left leg

Very fast and in the opposite direction

 

[Balrog]

1) Move Right leg
2) Then Left leg
3) Then Right leg
4) Then Left leg

Very fast and in the opposite direction

We refer to this as assuming the alternating foot stance. :lol:

 

[Balrog]

Good post it leaves options for peoples comment with useful information.

I would add the following. Add # 5 which should be prevention. If a person is into any of your stated 4 steps it is already to late so to speak. The best thing that any self defense class can do is increase a persons chance of survival by prevention. Prevention is the one thing that can be taught in a single or a few classes that will likely increase the chances of survival of the person attending 300% compared to some belief that they can fight their way out using techniques they have seen one time?

Actually, prevention is step zero, so to speak. The best deterrents are confidence and awareness. If someone has a well-developed sense of self-confidence, then when the bad guy profiles, looking for a victim, he'll pass over you because you look like you would be too much trouble. He'd rather go after someone who would let him get away with it.

But you are right - the steps I refer to come into play when confidence and awareness haven't worked and the bad guy has his hands on you. I should have been more clear about that.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Run is what I was first taught, but when I started lessons again under another lineage, the concept of cover, covers both running, and stealing his money to make it look like a robbery.
Sean