Woman Being Attacked
I captured the images above several years ago, of a woman being attacked in front of my old house. I had installed a security camera that was activated by motion, was going through the video footage to see who stole my newspaper one morning, and came across the horrific attack above. A woman was walking on the sidewalk when a man in a truck stopped, ran out toward the woman, grabbed her in a bear hug and threw her onto my steps, then choked her while slamming her head into the concrete steps. He then dragged her into his truck and drove away. The entire time he was yelling and cursing at the woman. I called the police as soon as I saw the footage and they came to my house to see it, but said there was nothing they could do since they couldn’t identify the truck or the individuals, and had no other reports.
It could have been a “domestic violence” situation. Maybe the woman knew the man. There was also a “brothel” about two blocks from my house, so it’s also possible this was an unhappy customer. It could have been a woman who was attacked by a complete stranger. I’ll never know, and it doesn’t much matter what the situation was. The man was a psychopath and should be locked up or worse.
So why am I posting this now?
I’m working on a self defense e-book at the moment that I’ll eventually put on this site. In the process of researching the demand for them I’ve looked at a few, seen plenty of advertisements for them, and also watched numerous internet videos on self defense. The majority of what passes for self defense on the web, in e-books, and in real books for that matter is garbage. Let’s take a look at an image from the best ranking self defense e-book on the web, 7most.com:
Horribly Unrealistic Defense
I didn’t buy this book, but the image above depicts an extraordinarily unrealistic defense against a bear hug. Compare the images above, where a man stands still holding a woman in a rear bear hug, with the images of the real attack I posted above. In the fake attack, the attacker just stands there waiting to be foot stomped! In the real attack, the attacker runs in and uses a bear hug to slam the woman onto concrete steps. That’s the first problem. The second problem is that foot stomping a serious attacker isn’t going to do anything but piss him off! It’s DEFINITELY NOT going to give you the space to raise your arm out of the hold and elbow the attacker in the jaw! Let’s take a look at one more image from the same site:
Another Stupid Defense
This is another horrific “defense” against a choke from the mount. It will never work. All the man would have to do is lean back and the woman wouldn’t be able to reach his eyes. He could also simply smack her hands off of him and punch her in the face, then go back to choking her. If you want to learn to defend yourself on the ground, you need to take classes in Brazilian jiu jitsu, judo, or some other form of wrestling.
There’s no magic in self defense, and if you want to learn to defend yourself it’s going to take a real commitment of time, effective techniques, some hard training, and a sound strategy. “Tips and tricks” are going to get you nowhere but hurt. So if you’re looking for self defense on the web and happen to come across this post, remember what a real attack will be like. There will be dynamic motion. No one is going to put you in a bear hug and just stand there waiting for you to counter. No attacker that was serious enough to sit on top of you and choke you is going to stop when you attempt to put your thumbs in his eyes. Other than awareness and prevention, if you’re looking for a quick self defense fix, forget about it. Any book, video, or instructor who promises you otherwise is full of it!
First off let me say I enjoy reading your stuff when I can. I live in the New Orleans area, and wish I had gotten a chance to train with you. Now when it comes to the subject of this particular article (I know i’m late commenting on it) I disagree with a couple of things.
As far as self defense on the ground, BJJ is probably the best form around, but it does not have all the answers. All the technique in the world is not going to get you away from a man who has you outweighed by 50 to 100 lbs, especially if you are drunk, sick, or caught completely off guard. We don’t all have the time or money to learn bjj, or any form of self defense for that matter; but we can all practice being aware of who may be creeping up behind us.
“Tips and Tricks” can be useful, as it is better to have a little knowledge than none at all. It would be nice to be able to practice self defense 3 to 4 days a week for the rest of out lives, but it isnt realistic. The reality is, most of us work at jobs that don’t require us to be self defense experts, so the intrest just isnt there.
I, for one, would definately buy your book. I am a firm believer in self defense, and the more knowledge a person can absorb, the better off they will be. But a specific style, system or philosophy is not going to save anyone. Life is just too unpredictable.
Hey, thanks for commenting.
I agree with you that BJJ does not have all the answers, for sure. But IF you end up on the ground, especially with a much larger attacker, you need to have basic BJJ skills to be able to escape. Those BJJ skills should ideally be complemented by dirty tactics that will give you a greater advantage. However without the fundamental understanding of position, how to escape from an inferior position, etc., you’re really not going to have a chance on the ground.
I also agree with you that if you’re drunk or caught completely off guard there is no technique that’s going to help you. That’s why I say awareness and prevention is 95% of self defense, and anyone can learn to be aware of their surroundings without spending a great deal of time training in physical self defense.
BUT, I think people who teach others that physical “tips and tricks” alone are sufficient for self defense are doing a real disservice. Like you said, there’s no technique in the world that’s going to help you if you’re caught completely off guard and outweighed by 50-100lbs. However, being aware of your surroundings combined with solid techniques and training methods (especially if they involve weapons) will. In my self defense ebook I explain what it really takes to defend yourself, and provide the techniques and training methods to get to that point. I completely understand if someone doesn’t have the time or desire to train enough to be able to defend themselves. But that doesn’t diminish the fact that a few physical tips alone aren’t going to save them. Anyway, good points!