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1. AVOIDANCE/AWARENESS
Don’t put yourself in unnecessary danger. Try to avoid walking alone down a dark road or alleyway and cross the road or find an alternative route if you’re nervous of someone. Always walk tall and seem confident so as not to be targeted as an easy victim!
2. SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
Be aware of your surroundings, always scan the area and know where all the exits are. Be alert to danger and learn to recognise unusual or intimidating behaviour! Training regularly at Krav Maga in a controlled environment means we learn what aggressive behaviour looks like and gives us an idea into what the attacker might be thinking.
3. TRY TO STAY CALM
This is easier said than done! To freeze is natural, if this happens breathe and just do something, after that, do something else! Krav Maga enables you to better deal, mentally and physically, with all kinds of stressful situations!
4. USE YOUR VOICE
Shouting can be used to raise awareness from bystanders or to unsettle the aggressor! If someone meaning you harm realises that you won’t go quietly then this might be enough to discourage them. There is nothing wrong with screaming in the aggressor’s ears if they are holding you against your will!
5. ARM YOURSELF
Picking up a common object such as a chair or pool cue to keep distance from an aggressor is a good go-to. Using your bag to protect yourself is an option, as well as picking up gravel, dirt or stones and chucking it in the persons face. This can be used to distract the aggressor, making time to get to safety!
6. PUT YOUR HANDS UP
If you sense trouble or if an aggressor is getting in your personal space put your hands up in the ‘I don’t want any trouble’ position. Close contact attacks such as chokes, headlocks or hair grabs can be more easily avoided if your hands are up and you have a solid, balanced stance!
7. DO NOT WAIT TO BE STRUCK
If someone means you harm, don’t wait to be hit or grabbed, strike first in a place that’ll hurt! Soft areas like the eyes and groin or the solar plexus are good areas to aim for in order to cause maximum damage! The UK law states that you can pre-emptively strike someone if you have an honestly held belief that this person means you, your loved ones or your property harm!
8. DON’T HANG AROUND
If all else fails and you find yourself having to physically defend yourself then do so quickly and efficiently in order to make space and create time to get to safety! Don’t hang around to admire your handiwork close enough for them to attempt another attack. Attack first and in a way that stops them from being able to attempt another attack!
9. WHEN ALL GOES WRONG
If the worst happens and you find yourself in a threatening situation it would help if you knew how to defend yourself on your feet, in a clinch or on the ground! Training regularly in Krav Maga means you build up an understanding of what best to do in all sorts of physical situations.
10. MULTIPLE ATTACKS
When it comes to multiple attacks the priority is to deal with the most dangerous first. If someone grabs you and swings a punch...forget the grab and block the incoming punch. Counter with the hardest and most effective strike you can in order to hurt the aggressor so much that they release the grab. When dealing with multiple attackers…make sure to not be
in the middle of a melee, try to make it so the attackers are in front of you. This way you can deal with one person at a time or use them as a shield.
Keep safe and be Always Ready!
By Emma Davies
Krav Maga Instructor - AR Krav Maga
To book some trial classes with Emma click here.
