Want to learn the fine points of headbutting someone into oblivion and how to avoid hurting yourself in the process? How about using your head to amplify takedowns, set up strikes, and dominate the clinching range? It's all covered in this video on the Self Defense Tutorials channel in a video called "How to Use Your Head as a … [Read more...]
Submissions for Self Defense
In self defense you need at least some submissions in your arsenal. Breaking someone's arm or putting them to sleep with a choke is often a much more effective (and safer) strategy than standing in front of the guy and trading haymakers. Now when it comes to submissions you have thousands of options: armlocks, chokes, wrist locks, neck cranks, face crushes etc. But … [Read more...]
How to Make Sure Your Martial Art Will Work in the Street
You may train in a martial art, but will your techniques really work in the street, in real life, against a real attacker? This is a question a lot of martial artists wrestle with... No matter what martial art you are learning, there are countless techniques you will be trying to master and then combine to serve various purposes. It can be overwhelming, and even once you … [Read more...]
The Most Important Jiu-Jitsu Move for Self Defense
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of moves in jiu-jitsu. So many ways to attack, sweep, choke, lock, throw and submit. But there's one move (or, more correctly, combination of moves) that is more important than all the other offensive moves when it comes to self defense. It's one of my bread and butter moves on the mat... Almost every jiu-jitsu guy I know who has … [Read more...]
Best Takedowns for Self Defense
I've never advocated that every fight go to the ground; sometimes it's the right decision and sometimes it's not. The fact is that street situations are far too variable to have a one-size-fits-all approach. That being said, taking a fight to the ground is an important tool to have in your toolbox. For example that option could prevent someone from running away, or if your … [Read more...]
Can You Grapple Against Multiple Opponents?
It’s the stuff of countless action films…and your worst nightmare. You find yourself facing more than one attacker, trying to surround you... But now things get even worse. They rush you and you find yourself on the ground grappling multiple opponents. Is it really possible to grapple against multiple opponents in this sort … [Read more...]
Self Defense Against a Lapel Grab
Today we're going to talk about self defense vs a lapel grab, a classic problem that every martial arts student needs several solutions to. Notice I said 'several solutions', and that's because any one technique can never be equally applicable to all situations. If a crazed serial killer is coming after you with a hatchet then morally (and, in most places, … [Read more...]
How to Survive a Flurry of Punches
There are lots of techniques out there to defend against a single punch or kick. Personally that reminds me of the old-fashioned one-step sparring in Karate; stilted, mechanical, and completely unrealistic. The sad reality is that if someone is sufficiently motivated to attack you then they're probably NOT just going to throw a single punch. And if they've done … [Read more...]
5 Most Important Self Defense Lessons from Jiu-Jitsu
Why You Need a Basic Knowledge of Grappling Of course there's more to self defense than grappling, but at the same time if you're interested in self defense in the modern age then you absolutely must have a basic understanding of the ground game. In addition to grappling you also need to understand striking ranges, the basics of weaponry and weapons defense, situational … [Read more...]