Self-defense 101: Ways to protect yourself when facing a dangerous situation

11/05/2020 / By Michael Alexander

According to recent statistics, despite having fallen by about 51 percent, violent crimes such as rape and sexual assault, robbery and aggravated assault still occur regularly across the United States. Currently, the nationwide rate for violent crimes logged at 366.7 cases per 100,000 of the population.

This troubling data effectively highlights one thing: the importance of learning self-defense.

Self-defense, according to experts, is defined as a countermeasure that involves defending your health and well-being from harm. Not only that, but the right of self-defense is also considered to be a legal justification for the use of force in times of danger in many jurisdictions.

With that said, there are many ways that you can defend yourself, all of which are worth looking into.

Here are four ways in which you can prepare yourself for a difficult situation:

Learn how to do verbal defense

Most of the time, the best way to defend yourself is to avoid physical altercations and encounters altogether.

According to experts, that can be done by engaging in verbal defense. This is where you de-escalate a potentially violent encounter by talking calmly to the other people involved in the encounter.

Take up a combat sport or martial art

Learning combat sports or martial arts should be a part of every person’s fitness routine, no matter their age.

This is because combat sports or martial arts such as taekwondo, krav maga, karate or Brazilian jiu-jitsu not only help people learn specific body postures and hand and foot movements that can potentially save them from danger, they also instill important character traits such as discipline and patience. Both of these are more valuable in real life than you might be inclined to think. (Related: Fit and ready: Self-defense tips for preppers.)

In addition, combat sports training offers a great way to increase the strength of your muscles and bones, as well as the flexibility of their joints.

Take up boxing classes

Boxing classes offer many health benefits such as improvements in your cardiovascular and respiratory functions. And while it may seem very intimidating to beginners, it is actually easy to get the hang of it once your conquers its learning curve.

More importantly, boxing offers lessons that valuable for effective self-defense, such as how and where to punch an attacker, or what type of punch to land in particular situations.

Learn armed defense

Contrary to what you may think, engaging in armed defense does not automatically require the use of guns or deadly weapons.

Instead, it is all about using whatever you may have on hand as a weapon. This can be your key rings or key fobs, a heavy metal water bottle, a loaded gym bag, or even your umbrella.

The key here is to learn how to use your weapons – DIY or otherwise – in a more effective and efficient matter. This is important as there may be instances in which a singular object may be the only thing separating you from a life-or-death situation.

What else can I get from learning self-defense?

In addition to helping you defend himself and his family and property from danger, self-defense and any pieces of training associated with it, also offers several other benefits, such as the following:

Learning self-defense allows you to gain sharper mental focus
Learning self-defense can help improve your confidence
Learning self-defense helps you develop self-discipline and dedication
Learning self-defense helps you develop street smarts
Learning self-defense develops a sense of self-respect
Learning self-defense can help with goal setting

Learning self-defense skills is one of the most important things you can do for yourself, especially since it allows you to protect yourself and your family from any danger that may come your way.

For more stories about how to keep yourself safe in these uncertain times, visit SelfDefense.news.

Stories include:

Statista.com

DoomsdayMoose.com

PsychologyToday.com