Self defense is commonly defined thus: ‘the act of defending oneself, ones, loved ones and property’. Self defense starts with being able to recognise danger or potential threats to your person or those around you. The ideal method of self defense is not to put yourself in dangerous situations in the first place i.e. avoid an attack or a fight any way you can.

If you come up against thugs, muggers or hardened criminals let’s say on the street, they will often have an unfair advantage over you. Most people aren’t aware of this fact but it’s true. The advantage this sort of person has over us is: they are prepared for the stress and shock of a violent encounter. Criminals, unless you are fortunate (!?) enough to meet a person just starting out on their criminal career, are often habituated and desensitized to these stressful situations.

Unless the average friendly, peaceful, person has done some serious training in self defense techniques, the complete surprise and fear created by a stranger trying to assault you leaves you less than able to deal that attack. This is a generalisation but most of us are not used to these encounters and hopefully we never will get used to them as a regular occurrence in our lives.

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Self defense goes hand in hand with self protection and self protection means awareness. Awareness of your environment and the people around you can help you avoid some obvious dangers before you get dragged into them. For instance, if in doubt don’t cut through the park at midnight just because it saves you a few minutes especially if you know the park has a reputation for crime. If you are out and you notice someone barging around and looking for trouble, stay out of the way; why look for trouble. The smarter thing to do is to remove yourself from the equation.

When the worst happens, self defense training can help everyone no matter what their background, age or sex and it is good have some techniques that you can rely on. When you are learning self defence from a reputable practitioner or teacher they should also know and be willing to explain your position within the law in case you find yourself having to prove that it was self defence. Legal ramifications of protecting yourself vary from country to country so always make sure you know what your position is otherwise you might be defending yourself in court.