- Avoid dangerous situations. We rarely need to be in a high risk neighbourhood unless we actually live there. And there is usually no need to go down a dark alley. We may not be able to avoid all risks, but we can avoid most risky situations.
- Keep away from intoxicated, drug affected or emotionally unstable individuals. Standing to close to anybody will violate their personal space, and that personal space might be line of sight if the person is not in their right mind.
- Occasionally an upset person that threatens you can be reasoned with; this is worth trying before fighting. Try to show them you are not a threat. But sometimes the threatening person cannot be deterred because they want to start a fight.
- Ignore insults. Your opponent probably doesn’t believe what they are saying any more than you do. Sometimes words are just ugly sounds that mean nothing if ignored.
- Walk away if you can, but do not turn your back on them. You don’t want to risk being hit from behind.
- If you are being mugged it is better to surrender money and possessions than to risk injury in a fight.
- Stress, anxiety and the effect of adrenaline will affect behaviour in a crisis. This applies to both the attacker and the intended victim. Different individuals will react in different ways in these circumstances – some withdraw, some grow violent and find it hard to withdraw. Individuals use to competitive fighting, like martial arts, have some advantage in these situations as they are used to the anxiety and adrenaline.
- Having a clear head is an advantage in a fight. This is not easy, but if we are used to adrenaline we have some indication of how we might react in a crisis.
- Reflex reactions are another advantage. If we are used to blocking a strike as a knee jerk reaction we have a better chance of avoiding injury.
- Legal situations tend to look at perceived threat and justify self-defence on that basis. This mean if an assailant threatens you with a gun you are justified in presuming the gun is loaded and reacting to this. Even if it turns out that the gun was not loaded your earlier reaction is still justified.
- Warn others of potential danger whenever necessary.
Self Defence Classes for Women Sydney
Martial Arts training can help us deal with the adrenaline of a crisis and act in a manner than reduces the chance of injury.
