Strike Where It Hurts - 10 Best Target Areas For Self Defence

Over the years, by doing the various martial arts, I have encountered many opinions as to what the best targets are on the human body, and how effective they would be in self defence. Well, I can say without a doubt, the 10 areas that I am presenting here, have all been personally tried and tested! They are, in my opinion, the 10 best areas that I feel would be most effective when having to defend myself!  I have had both had the pleasure of being able to hit, rub, grab, pull, push, bite, scratch, squash and poke these target areas on my training partners; but I have also had the unfortunate “pleasure” returned back to me too (with more zest and gusto by my training partners)! Needless to say, each of these targets have been tried and tested and have passed with flying colours in terms of their effectiveness! 

What makes these areas effective is that they cause a lot of damage to the attacker. In some instances, they can cause bones or cartilage to break, blood vessels to burst, nausea, dizziness, suffocation or just induce extreme physical pain.  Furthermore, the areas are reasonable easy to access with relatively easy-to-apply techniques. With the correct training and practice, anyone will be able to use these targets effectively in a self defence situation. 

The 10 Best Target Areas for Self Defence, in no particular order, are:

1. Eyes - A slight jab in the eyes causes uncontrollable watering and blurred vision. A forceful jab or poke can cause temporary blindness, or the eyes can be gouged out. If you want to get lethal, death can result if the fingers penetrate through the thin bone behind the eyes and into the brain.  

2. Ears - A strike to the ear with cupped hands can rupture the eardrum and may cause a brain concussion. You can also attack the area directly behind the ears which can cause unconsciousness. Again, if you want to get lethal, a powerful blow to this areas can cause a concussion or a brain hemorrhage and/or death.

3. Nose - Any blows to the nose can easily break the thin bones of the nose, causing extreme pain and eye watering. Striking or rubbing under the nose can also cause great pain and watery eyes.

4. Neck - A strike to the front of the neck (the throat) can cause extreme pain, gagging, vomiting and/or even death. The side of neck is also a great target. A sharp blow to this area causes unconsciousness.

5. Biceps - Striking the biceps can render the arm useless, cause extreme pain, dizziness and even nausea! 

6. Groin – A groin strike can incapacitate an opponent by causing intense pain and/or unconsciousness. 

7. Fingers – The fingers are one of the most sensitive areas of the body. In a situation, if you can get of a finger or 2, bend them back as far away from the palm as possible to either break them, or cause the attacker immense pain. If you get hold of two fingers, you can also "separate" the fingers from each other to have the same effect. 

8. Knees - The knees are easily dislocated when struck at an opposing angle to the joint’s normal range of motion. With correct training, the knee can be dislocated or hyper-extended by strikes.

9. Shins – Strikes to the shins causes immense pain. A powerful blow can possibly fracture the bone that supports most of the body weight . Strikes to the inside-leg of the shin area cause also cause immense pain, nausea, dizziness and even unconsciousness!  

10. Feet – Strikes to the toes, instep and ankle can cause immense pain to the attacker.

I hope that with the knowledge of my 10 best target areas, you will keep them in mind when you practice (with a proper instructor supervising) and apply them, should you ever need to, in a self defence situation. 

The key to effective self defence training is that it must be effective; easy to remember, learn and execute; and be accessible to anyone (regardless of age, gender or athletic ability); and ultimately, leave you feeling empowered with knowledge, self confidence and skills!

Get EDUCATED. Become EMPOWERED. Live and ENGAGE life positively! 

Till next time...

WH

NOTE:

It should be noted that there are a number of various OTHER targets that one could go for. The human body is a complex and intricate system of bone, muscles, organs, nerves and veins, and in each of these categories, there are more viable and effective target areas one could use effectively in self defence.

Kyusho, a martial art that I practice,  is a study of the weaker areas of the human body and how, in particular, the nervous system, or the pressure points of the human body, can be used against itself! Remember those old kung fu movies where, using very quick finger –motion, the kung fu master pokes an opponent in the torso several times, causing him to become paralyzed? Or alternatively, ever seen a video of a fight where a gentle clip to the chin by one fighter renders the opponent unconscious?  Kyusho is the study of how one can induce all that. By touching, rubbing or striking certain areas of the human body, one can cause some rather nasty effects on the unfortunate person receiving it! It is particularly effective for people who are physically smaller and/or weaker than an attacker (women, children, senior citizens). 

Take a look at this demo video I put together to show a bit of what Kyusho can do!