The Fundamental Five

The most important element of self defense aside from awareness and prevention is a sound strategy with some default responses you can rely on. Knowing a thousand variations of this or that isn’t going to help you when a punch is about to hit you in the face. Having a strategy and one simple way to deal with it will. The Hertao Fundamental 5 deals with five general self defense situations. Different default responses may be chosen for each situation, but the responses below have worked best for us in training.

The Fundamental 5 relates to stand up fighting. Ground fighting is highly likely to be more involved and take a longer amount of time, your enemy in self defense. With the Fundamental 5 we aim to keep things in stand up. Check out our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu page for ground techniques.

Hit and Run or Injure the Corners

When you need to hit and run in order to quickly escape or “injure the corners” so that you can get in safely, we find the eye strike with triangular footwork to be the best bet. This technique works very well against an attacker who is on the verge of a physical attack and against the initial stages of a grabbing or striking attack.

Blast

When there is no other option and you need to annihilate an opponent, the blast is your best choice. For beginners it is best used before the opponent launches his attack, but can also be used as an interception, attacking into the opponent’s attack. As an attack, our favorite method is the smack and hack. As an interception a great option is the low jab-high cross combo with various follow ups.

Crash

If you’re unable to hit and run or blast the attacker, and he’s coming at you with a barrage of punches or even a high grabbing attack, the crash is an excellent technique. It’s the perfect default response for upper body attacks, what you’re most likely to come across in a self-defense scenario.

Tackle/Take Down Defense

When you’re attacked with a tackle or take down attempt the Hertao take down defense is a great default option that will keep it standing.

Clinch

When you’ve been attacked by surprise with punches or kicks and had no time to use the above methods, clinching is bet safest strategy. Our clinch entry aims to keep the commitment at a minimum and stay standing.

See our Self Defense Weapons page for techniques using weapons. See our Martial Arts pages for more self defense techniques related to specific styles.

Self Defense Techniques > Fundamental 5