Our usual approach to the topic of personal safety is to violate the principle of mindfulness. Why?
Because people do not think about what urban civil self-defense is, what it consists of, and what areas are best for it. Making a rash choice, the user can later pay for it - as life, as you know, does not forgive mistakes. Recommendations for choosing a direction are provided in this material.
First, urban civil self-defense consists of 4 sections:
1. Preventive measures - the notorious victimology (if you look confident enough, you will not be attacked by a random robber)
2. Conflictology - the stage of a conversation with the aggressor, at which you need to make it clear to him that it is better not to mess with you (you need to know how and with whom to talk)
3. Combat - the physical phase of the conflict, exactly what most consider self-defense (in fact, if it came to the battle, you made a mistake - like a scout who killed the sentry instead of unnoticed pass by)
4. Dealing with the consequences (the ability to communicate with law enforcement officers)
- The first section includes work on your psyche, self-esteem, posture, gait - the robber does not like a confident person, he is looking for a victim.
- The second section is more related to verbal and non-verbal impact on the aggressor - how to understand that they will try to hit you unexpectedly, how to speak correctly in order to bring down the aggressor's mood, etc.
- The third section is actually the techniques themselves, strikes, throws. Here, too, you need to be able to vary from a rather mild detention (suppression) to neutralize aggression, and be able to work against the group and against weapons.
- The fourth section implies communication with law enforcement officers - to give testimony correctly, to know the relevant laws and regulations. For some, this is the most important section, since we live in a society where there is such a strange concept as "exceeding the necessary self-defense" (wild from the point of view of previous centuries). And misbehaving can backfire - even more serious than being beaten or robbed.
Based on all this (goals, objectives and opportunities), you need to look for a direction in which you can learn all this. What's on the menu?
- Traditional martial arts
- Combat sports
- Applied systems
It is necessary to take into account the fact that "for the street" you need such skills and abilities as:
- Work against the group
- Work against weapons (knife, stick, pistol)
- Group work (you and a friend against the crowd)
- Working for the defense (of your relatives)
- Work in a confined space, with zero visibility, etc.
Now let's figure out what works best.
- In traditional martial arts, there are useful things like wellness practices and inner development. There is definitely work against edged weapons. But what about gunshot? What about practicing tactical schemes? Legal issues and conflict resolution? It turns out that in some aspects, traditional martial arts are outdated. Of course, an experienced practitioner, due to the gained calmness and confidence, can also solve some conflicts without resorting to martial skills, but what about the legal consequences? And it is also necessary to study conflict management. Not everyone is a genius of communication, and will be able to get out on the go.
- Combat sports are initially aimed at winning the competition. Based on this, the CE arsenal and the preparation methodology are formed. A sports coach doesn't need to know how to be able to fight against a weapon or against a group. Or how to be able to speak correctly on the street. Of course, in practice, a coach can be an experienced person who will give some valuable advice, or convey his inner confidence during communication. And very often sports training helps to solve "street problems", but there are also cases when fighters are slaughtered. And there are enough of these cases to think that you need to know something else besides the already existing skills. Plus an athlete in his base, with the help of which he will quickly master applied skills.
- Applied systems are very different. Ideally, the applied system should include physical training (including work with weights), and sparring, and work with weapons, and against a group, as well as different tactical schemes and much more (legal training, conflict management). In practice, this is not so simple, since it usually takes a lot of time. And a modern person (especially a family person) has "strained" over time. Nevertheless, there are such directions, and they can be found, but in this material no specific names will be given, so as not to be attributed to advertising.
Attention - you should not look for some deadly directions where they teach you to cut arteries or break necks. Of course, you should have techniques for "or - or" situations in your arsenal, but in general, if you do not have a father of an attorney or general, such skills can hurt you more than help you. Relatively speaking, instead of hitting the throat, it is necessary to practice a blow to the face with the palm. Something that neutralizes, but does not maim (or kill). And even better, unexpected shocking blows to the body (there is an effect, there are no traces), but they also need to be worked out and be able to apply.
Again, the principle of awareness - you need to know exactly and clearly what you need for civil urban self-defense. An employee of the relevant authorities or a military man can and should study systems in which all technical actions are aimed at destruction - he will not be given a term for this, but a medal (although, in recent history, anything has happened). And in turn, the military has no need to study conflict management or preventive measures - he will not talk to the enemy. Proceed from the "fork" of your needs and capabilities - and select what can be applied within this framework.
