Self Defense
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In politics, the concept of national or mutual self-defense to counter a war of aggression refers to a defensive war organized by the state and is one possible criterion in the just war theory.
Physical self defense
Elements of Physical Self Defense
There are three components of physical self defense: techniques, training methods, and strategies. Techniques consist of movement, blocks, and counters. The basis of these are running before fighting, and if avoiding is impossible, block what hits you can, and then strike at vital areas of the body. Training methods are the drills self defense students practice to learn to implement techniques. And, strategy refers to the plan for how and when to use techniques. Without all three components, physical self defense is likely to fail.Unarmed self defense
Many styles of martial arts are practiced for self-defense or include self-defense techniques. Some styles train primarily for self-defense, while other martial/Combat sports can be effectively applied for self-defense. To provide more practical self-defense, many modern day martial arts schools now use a combination of martial arts styles and techniques, and will often customize self-defence training to suit the participants' lifestyles, occupations, age groups and gender, and physical and mental capabilities.The best Unarmed Defense Techniques(UDT)are often a handful of simple gross motor skills that are used to 'bash and dash' rather than highly complex fine motor skills that deteriorate under stress. Learning UDT is about increasing confidence and awareness not about 'beating' an attacker. Good UDT lessons will teach simple, high impact techniques to momentarily distract or off-balance an attacker so a victim can get away. Another technique, possibly better is to, instead of punching rapidly and just hitting, you can always wait for another person to make a move, and then you use a basic counter that leaves them wide open. while they are open, you can easily strike hard in a very soft spot.
Armed self defense
Can I carry a weapon?
In some countries, it is legal to use or carry weapons (for example knives, firearms or batons) for purposes of self-defense. In other countries, this may be illegal or may require a license, or some items may be legal to carry without a license, while others, most commonly firearms, are not. Limitations on the use of weapons for personal defense are a source of controversy in some countries, pitting self-defense rights against efforts to combat violent crime via restricting access to common weapons.Everyday objects, such as baseball bats or aerosol spray cans, can also be used as improvised weapons for self-defense, but are not likely to be as effective as purpose built weapons. Some non-lethal weapons as the Kubotan have also been built to resemble everyday objects, such as keychains.
Pepper spray and personal stun guns are common less-lethal self defense alternatives. Pepper sprays can have a range between 5–20 feet, and act by delivering a spray or foam containing highly irritating chemicals. Handheld stun guns operate by delivering an incapacitating electric shock, and must actually come in contact with the assailant to be effective, with the exception of tasers which use gas-propelled barbs connected to the taser by conductive wire to deliver the shock. Keep in mind, if you are knowledgeable enough, you should have the common sense to keep something simple on you, like a key, or anything else that you can legally stuff in your pocket and hold onto just in case.
Forms of self defense
De-escalation
Verbal Self Defense aka 'Verbal Judo' is defined as using one's words to prevent, de-escalate, or end an attempted assault. It is a way of using words as weapons. This kind of 'conflict management' is the use of voice, tone, and body language to calm a potentially violent situation before violence actually ensues. This often involves techniques such as taking a time-out, and deflecting the conversation to individuals in the group who are less passionately involved.Author Katy Mattingly defines Verbal self-defense as simply saying no to someone or repeatedly refusing a request or telling someone who has violated a boundary what you want, or it could entail a more complicated scenario in which you are called on to refuse to engage verbally with someone manipulative, to set limits, and end the conversation.
Suzette Haden Elgin the author of The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense states that verbal self-defense defends against the eight most common types of verbal violence, and redirect and defuse potential verbal confrontations.
Fight Avoidance
Being aware of and avoiding potentially dangerous situations is an emphasis of self defense. Attackers are typically larger, stronger, and are often armed or have an accomplice. These factors make fighting to defeat the attacker unlikely to succeed. In order to attack, an aggressor must have three elements in place: desire, distance, and decision. If any one of these elements can be removed, an attack can be avoided without resorting to physical self defense. When avoidance is impossible, one often has a better chance at fighting to escape, such methods maybe referred to as 'break away' techniques.Personal alarms
Personal alarms are a way to practice passive self defense. A personal alarm is a small, hand-held device that emits strong, loud, high pitched sounds to deter attackers because the noise will draw the attention of passersby. Child alarms often function as locators or device alarms such as triggering an alert when a swimming pool is in use to help prevent dangerous situations in addition to being a deterrent against would-be aggressors.
