Think BIG, Not small...
This morning I had a couple of 13 year old girls in my kitchen asking about different ways to get away from the "bad guy". As only 13 year olds can, they giggled and created crazy "what if" scenarios and how to get out of them. As a Mom I laughed at the and then as a self defense instructor, who loves a good "what if" scenario, I started to answer their questions.
They of course mention the ever popular, "Just go for the eyes!" Or "Rip his ears off!" Or another favorite, "Stomp on his foot!" Now, remember, anything that you can do to stop the bad guy from getting what he wants from you, is the right thing to do. Anything. There are no rules when fighting for your life. But, I had to educate them about the ineffective "eye gouge" and other techniques that require fine motor skills and precision to make them work.
Let's remind ourselves what happens in our bodies when we are in an attack situation. As adrenaline is dumped into our blood stream, our heart rates start to climb, fast. With that increase in heart rate, fine motor skills deteriorate and your ability to think goes out the window. Let's focus on how your fine motor skills deteriorate. Your body is giving you signs that making precise movements with your fingers is not your best bet. So why would you try to place those misfiring fingers into two small eyes on the bad guy? Yes, the eyes are a soft and vulnerable target on paper. But, if a bad guy is really coming at you, he is dynamic. He is moving and using his force and momentum to take you down. Are you really going to be able to hit that moving target with fingers that are not working well? If he's a lot bigger? Smaller? Aiming is too important, and that takes time that you don’t have. Simply, the eye gouge is not my choice. Are you going to be able to use your hands/fingers well enough to grab hold of those ears and rip them off? I'm not so sure. Honestly, are you doing enough there to create enough harm and then space to get away?
So what about the foot stomp? Really? I can't believe I actually still see that as a recommendation for women to do. If a guy has you in a hold from behind, he is going to try to take you down, or to another location. He is going to be moving. How do you stomp on a foot that is moving and taking you with it? Bad guys are amped up plenty to shake off a stomp on the foot, trust me on that one.
When a bad guy comes at you aggressively, you must respond aggressively and effectively. It is always a dynamic environment that you will be fighting in; meaning everything moves and moves fast. Use your strongest assets. Not the ones that are small and physically impaired. Use your strengths, big movements and big body parts.
Lastly, there is something really great about that adrenaline pumping in your body that makes your heart rate fly. With this response, you enter an optimal state of being able to fight where your gross motor skills and reaction times are peaked. So remember, even with your heart pounding and your head swimming, that is your body telling you that you are ready to fight and fight hard.
Stay safe out there. And remember, in self defense, bigger is better.
Shannon Mahoney
Instructor, Izzo Training Systems
shannon@izzo-training.com
They of course mention the ever popular, "Just go for the eyes!" Or "Rip his ears off!" Or another favorite, "Stomp on his foot!" Now, remember, anything that you can do to stop the bad guy from getting what he wants from you, is the right thing to do. Anything. There are no rules when fighting for your life. But, I had to educate them about the ineffective "eye gouge" and other techniques that require fine motor skills and precision to make them work.
Let's remind ourselves what happens in our bodies when we are in an attack situation. As adrenaline is dumped into our blood stream, our heart rates start to climb, fast. With that increase in heart rate, fine motor skills deteriorate and your ability to think goes out the window. Let's focus on how your fine motor skills deteriorate. Your body is giving you signs that making precise movements with your fingers is not your best bet. So why would you try to place those misfiring fingers into two small eyes on the bad guy? Yes, the eyes are a soft and vulnerable target on paper. But, if a bad guy is really coming at you, he is dynamic. He is moving and using his force and momentum to take you down. Are you really going to be able to hit that moving target with fingers that are not working well? If he's a lot bigger? Smaller? Aiming is too important, and that takes time that you don’t have. Simply, the eye gouge is not my choice. Are you going to be able to use your hands/fingers well enough to grab hold of those ears and rip them off? I'm not so sure. Honestly, are you doing enough there to create enough harm and then space to get away?
So what about the foot stomp? Really? I can't believe I actually still see that as a recommendation for women to do. If a guy has you in a hold from behind, he is going to try to take you down, or to another location. He is going to be moving. How do you stomp on a foot that is moving and taking you with it? Bad guys are amped up plenty to shake off a stomp on the foot, trust me on that one.
When a bad guy comes at you aggressively, you must respond aggressively and effectively. It is always a dynamic environment that you will be fighting in; meaning everything moves and moves fast. Use your strongest assets. Not the ones that are small and physically impaired. Use your strengths, big movements and big body parts.
Lastly, there is something really great about that adrenaline pumping in your body that makes your heart rate fly. With this response, you enter an optimal state of being able to fight where your gross motor skills and reaction times are peaked. So remember, even with your heart pounding and your head swimming, that is your body telling you that you are ready to fight and fight hard.
Stay safe out there. And remember, in self defense, bigger is better.
Shannon Mahoney
Instructor, Izzo Training Systems
shannon@izzo-training.com
posted by Izzo Tactical Combat Martial Arts at
6:05 PM
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