Devastating Self Defense

Attacking The Attacker 

     If we ever become the victim of a violent attack, it is crucial that we understand how to attack the attacker.  It is my advice to avoid, walk away or de-escalate whenever possible.  However, when an attack is imminent, we must know how to shut our attacker’s body down.  This is accomplished by attacking his vulnerable targets with confidence and commitment.

     I would like to touch briefly on the psychology of surviving an attack.  When we determine that we will not be able to avoid a physical attack, we must BECOME the predator and we must make him BECOME our prey.  We need to overwhelm him mentally and physically.  We need to realize that it is not enough to just attack him, we must BECOME the new attacker in the situation.  It is very important that we attack with total confidence and with no doubt or hesitation.  We can’t be concerned about what he “might” do to us.  Our only concern must be what we “ARE” going to do to him.  Anything else is not an option, because we must make it home that day.  Once it is safe to do so, exit the area immediately and go to safety.

     Now, let’s look at our targets.  When it becomes time for us to “become the attacker” and for us to “turn him into our prey”, we can look at him as just a “collection of vulnerable targets” and choose the appropriate target and cause trauma to that target.  Below is a list of targets and methods of attacking them, but we are not limited only to the targets and methods listed below.

     EYES – Causing trauma to the eyes can cause your attacker to lose vision, disorient him, and cause him to panic.  While striking the eyes with a flicking motion can be effective and can gain you a second or two to hit another target, I prefer to strike the eyes in such a way as to shut down the bodies ability to see (at least temporarily) out of the eye/eyes that are struck.  One effective way to attack the eyes is to shape your hand in the form of a “C” and powerfully ram the tip of your thumb deep into the eye socket.  A variation of this is to use your curled fingers to grab behind the ear to assist with the eye gouge and to make sure he does not pull his head away from the gouge.  Another effective way to attack the eyes is to curl the fingers as if holding a grapefruit and strike the eyes with the fingertips by sending your hand forward toward his face.  This attack can be used to strike/claw the eyes or to dig your fingers deep into his eye socket/sockets.

     NOSE – A hard strike to the nose can cause the cartilage of the nose to shatter, the eyes to water hindering his vision, and cause him to panic.  An effective way to strike the nose is with a hammerfist.  Ball the hand up into a fist and strike in a downward hammer-like motion and strike the bridge of the nose with the solid part of the outer edge of the hand.  Get good hip rotation into this strike and get your whole body into it.  Another effective strike is the palm heel strike.  Pull your hand backwards, exposing the hard base of the palm, also known as the heel of the palm.  Thrust the palm heel upward and outward into the base or the front of the nose making sure to thrust with the hips and get the entire body behind the strike.

     TEMPLE – The temple is the flat part of the skull located on each side of the head just to the outside of and above the eye.  Since the temple is one of the thinnest parts of the skull and has numerous nerve endings, we can cause a knockout by striking our attacker forcibly to the temple.  One way to effectively strike the temple is with a hammerfist.  In this case we will use the hammerfist in a different way than we did when striking the nose.  Instead of striking downward, we will swing the hammerfist in a sideward motion striking the temple.  We can swing toward the front of our body with the palm facing up or toward the rear of our body with the palm facing down.  We are still torquing the hips and getting the force of the entire body into the strike.  Another effective strike for targeting the temple is the palm heel strike.  Instead of striking upward and outward as we did when striking the nose, we will strike from the side as if slapping the attacker, but instead of slapping with the flat palm, we will still curl the hand backwards and hit with the hard heel of the palm.  Remember to torque the hips in the direction of the strike and to get the force of the entire body behind the strike.  The power of the strike is intensified by rotating on the toe of the same side foot as the hand that you are striking with and turning the knee inward and downward.  A third way that that is effective for striking the temple is to use the elbow.  Lift the elbow with the inside part of the arm facing down and the thumb facing toward the body.  Explode through the attacker’s temple with the elbow by turning on the toe as before, making sure to torque the hip and getting the body behind the strike.  To do maximum damage, strike with the hard surface of the actual elbow and not with the forearm.

     CHIN/JAW – A hard strike to the chin or jaw creates a whiplash-like effect.  This whiplash-like effect can cause a response in the central nervous system resulting in a knockout.  An effective strike is the palm heel strike.  To strike the chin, strike up and out with the heel of the palm as we did when striking the nose and hit just under the front of the chin or on the front of the chin, remembering to thrust with the hips and get the entire body behind the strike.  To strike the jaw with the palm heel strike, we swing the arm from the side and hit the jaw line just as we did when striking the temple, remembering to hit with the hard heel of the palm.  As we did before, remember to rotate on the toe in the direction of the strike, torque the hips and get the entire body behind the strike.  The hammerfist is also a very effective strike to attack the jaw.  We will swing the hammerfist in a sideward motion in the same way that we did for striking the temple.  We can swing toward the front of our body with the palm facing up or toward the rear of our body with the palm facing down and hitting the jaw line.  We are still torquing the hips and getting the force of the entire body into strike.  We can also use the elbow to attack the jaw in the same way that we did the temple.  Lift the elbow with the inside part of the arm facing down and the thumb facing toward the body.  Explode through the attacker’s jaw line with the elbow by turning on the toe as before, making sure to torque the hips and getting the body behind the strike.  To do maximum damage, strike with the hard surface of the actual elbow and not with the forearm.

     EARS – A hard strike to the ear/ears can result in a ruptured ear drum, cause the attacker to lose his equilibrium, disorient him and/or cause him to panic.  An effective way to strike the ear is with the palm of the hand.  Swing the arm in a sideward motion as you did with the palm heel strike, except hit with the palm of the hand over the opening of the ear.  Just like before, torque the hips and get your bodyweight behind the strike.  It is very popular to cup the hand when striking the ear, to cause suction to rupture the eardrum.  However, I prefer to hit with the flat palm.  You still get suction into the ear canal, plus the flat palm gives you a better chance at greater impact.

     THROAT – A strike to the throat can damage the trachea, hinder the attacker’s ability to breath and cause death.  An effective way to attack the throat is with the web of the hand.  Spread the thumb and index finger exposing the web that connects them.  Strike forward and slightly upward driving the web of the hand through the trachea.  This is very much like the palm heel strike, except we are striking with a different part of the hand.  Remember to thrust with the hips and get the entire body behind the strike.  Another effective strike for attacking the throat is the knife hand strike.  Swing the arm in an outward direction with the palm facing down as with the hammerfist, except extend the fingers to allow the hand to enter the small opening between the chin and clavicle, still striking with the hard surface along the outer edge of your hand, remembering to torque the hips and get the entire body behind the strike.  I suggest keeping the fingers together tightly with the thumb tight along the side of the hand to make the hand more solid for delivering greater impact.

     BRACHIAL PLEXUS – The Brachial Plexus is a bundle of nerves that runs along each side of the neck.  Striking that nerve bundle can cause an “overload” effect in the brain resulting in a knockout.  My suggestion for striking the brachial plexus is to hit with a knife hand strike or a hammerfist.  The main difference between the two is whether the fingers are straight or curled into a fist.  Swing toward the front of our body with the palm facing up or toward the rear of our body with the palm facing down striking the brachial nerve that runs along either side of the neck.  Strike with the hard edge of the hand or side of the forearm.  We are still torquing the hips and getting the force of the entire body into strike.

     SOLAR PLEXUS – The solar plexus is located at the base of the breast bone between the two sides of the rib cage.  A strike to the solar plexus can rupture the spleen and liver, both of which are very vascular organs and bleed heavily internally and can also cause difficulty breathing.  One effective way to attack the solar plexus is with the front stomp kick.  Bend your leg and bring your knee up high and inward, then thrust your foot forward into the solar plexus as if you are kicking down a door, striking with the bottom of the foot, preferably the heel.  Remember to thrust forward with the hips and get the entire body behind the strike.  Another effective way to attack the solar plexus is with the knee.  Grab the attacker on the upper shoulder area in order to control him and to pull him into the strike.  Raise your knee upward and outward driving the hard bone of the knee into the solar plexus, while at the same time pulling him into your knee.  Again, you are thrusting forward with the hips and getting the entire body behind the strike.  When grabbing the attacker and pulling him toward you, a lot of people like to grab behind the head in a Muay Thai clinch, which is good for controlling his head and body.  However, I prefer to grab the top of the shoulders.  The reason that I prefer to grab in this manner is because it allows me to keep my elbows in to protect my body and my hands close to my head to protect it.  Grabbing in this manner also keeps my hands and elbows in a better position to use them to strike with, because they are positioned very close to the attacker’s head.

     GROIN – Striking the groin can rupture the testicles, cause nausea, difficulty breathing and panic.  An effective way to strike the groin is with the instep of the foot or shin bone.  Raise the knee upward and outward, extend the leg and strike the groin, remembering to thrust forward with the hips and get the entire body behind the kick.  Another effective way to strike the groin is with the knee.  Just as you did when striking the solar plexus, grab the shoulder area in order to control the attacker and to pull him into the strike.  Raise your knee upward and outward driving the hard bone of the knee into the groin, while at the same time pulling the attacker into your knee.  Again, you are thrusting forward with the hips and getting the entire body behind the strike. 

     KNEE – Striking the knee can tear the ligaments and tendons of the knee and can also break the kneecap which will limit or prohibit use of the leg.  The sidekick is very effective for damaging the knee.  Turn the body to the side with your hip lined up with the area of the knee that you are going to attack.  Lift your leg that is closest to the attacker’s knee by bringing your knee up toward your chest.  Then, stomp outward and downward into and through his knee.  Thrust with your hips and get the entire body behind the kick.  The target areas will be the front, inside or outside of the knee.

     We have discussed the psychology of surviving an attack and the importance of attacking the attacker and doing so with full commitment.  We have also identified some vulnerable targets on the human body and explained methods of attacking them.  Use the principles of target selection and methods of attacking them that we have discussed above and apply them to different scenarios that you can think about in your mind.  Remember that your safety and the safety of your loved ones is serious business.  For more information about us, our video series or to contact us, please visit our website at www.PoeSelfDefense.com

Yours in safety,

Phillip Poe

www.PoeSelfDefense.com

service@poeselfdefense.com

Today, we taught a seminar at NC Prevention Partners.  It was an awesome seminar.  Alvin, Donovan, Jimmy and me worked very hard with the participants.  All of our participants were motivated and picked up the information very quickly.  It was a great event.

Saturday, Oct 4, we will be giving a free self-defense seminar at Fuller’s Tae Kwon Do.  Contact us with any questions.

Tuesday Sept 16, we will be conducting a demonstration at Texas Roadhouse in Durham for Kid’s Night.  1809 N. Pointe Drive
Durham, NC 27705-3415

Our founder, Phillip Poe, has been recognized as 8th Degree Black Belt by The Universal Fighting Arts Fellowship-International.

Levels of Awareness 

  Let’s talk about awareness.  Awareness is an often forgot about part of self-defense.  Much too often we walk around without having a clue what is going on around us.  We are thinking about work, what we will have for dinner, what we will watch on TV, etc.  When we are not aware of those around us, we are more vulnerable to becoming the victim of a violent attack.

  We should always notice who is around us and what is happening around us.  If something is happening in the restaurant that we are in, we should be aware of it.  If the same person is always around us at the mall, we should be aware of it.  If someone is approaching us in the parking lot, we should be aware of it (and we should always be aware of where we have parked).  If we return home and there is something different about our house than when we left it, we should notice that.

  When our awareness tells us that something is wrong, don’t just ignore it, dismiss it, think it is our imagination, etc.  It is at this point that we need to take some kind of action.  I will give you some examples, but there are many situations where this could apply.  If we notice an undesirable action happening in an establishment that we are in, we can leave.  If we feel that we are being stalked in the mall, we can go to security.  If we think that someone is following us while we are driving, we shouldn’t go home, but we could go to a busy, well-lit place, a fire station, etc. 

  If, after taking the above actions, we are still pursued by a potential attacker, we may be able to de-escalate the situation.  I will give some examples of de-escalation.  Getting our hands up in a non-threatening manner.  Telling our potential attacker to back off, that he is getting too close.  Telling our potential attacker that we don’t have a cigarette, change, or whatever he is asking us for.  We do this in a stern, firm manner, yet we don’t make it seem as if we are challenging the potential attacker.  Remember, we don’t want to challenge him to a fight.  We want to let him know that we are not an easy target, yet we are willing to walk away peacefully.  It will be up to each one of us to use our own judgment as to when we feel that the attack is inevitable.  When that happens and we feel that we are not going to be able to walk away peacefully, we need to launch our own pre-emptive attack. 

  At this point, when we have to defend ourselves physically, we must shut our attacker’s body down.  He is no longer the attacker, he has now become the defender and we have become the attacker.  We have become the predator and he has become the prey.  We need to use our strong weapons (hands, feet, knees, elbows) and attack his vulnerable targets (eyes, ears, nose, temple, throat, solar plexus, groin, knees, etc.).  We continue the attack until he is no longer a threat and we can leave safely.  At this point, we should leave and go to safety.

  This article is a basic guide through the levels of awareness.  An event may or may not unfold this clearly.  A certain stage of awareness may only last a few seconds, stages may overlap, or we may not have the luxury of seeing all of the stages.  Attacks are chaotic events.  It is up to each one of us to decide when we feel we should take the situation physical and when we feel that we are no longer in danger.  It is also up to each one of us to make sure that we are operating within the legal guidelines of the law.

  If you would like to learn this in great detail along with many other lifesaving skills, click on the following link to view our products:

http://www.poeselfdefense.com/order-dvds.php

Yours in safety,

Phillip Poe

http://www.poeselfdefense.com

service@poeselfdefense.com

We conducted our seminar at the Chapel Hill YMCA yesterday.  The event went well.  I had 4 of my students show up to assist me and they were superb.  The participants were enthusiastic and eager to learn.  I look forward to doing another one at the YMCA soon.

On Saturday, May 3, 2008, we will be giving a FREE self-defense seminar at the Chapel Hill, NC YMCA.  We will be teaching simple and practical, yet highly effective principles and techniques that will help anyone, regardless of size to make it home safely.  We will teach how to avoid danger and de-escalate a potentially violent situation.  We will also teach how to turn your body into a weapon and how to turn your attacker into a collection of vulnerable targets.  This will be a powerful step in your self-defense journey.

Today, we put on a self-defense demonstration at Safe Kids Day at the Chapel Hill, NC YMCA.  It was a great demo.  Master Earl Fuller was there along with some of my students.

poeselfdefense.com is now online! You can visit the site at http://poeselfdefense.com. Be sure to check out our DVD offers while you’re there — you can now order both volumes 1 & 2 and save!