HARD vs SOFT SELF-DEFENCE

In a workshop recently, I had to make a distinction as to when I would hit someone versus using a joint-lock or pressure point against a person, or what I called hard self-defence and soft self-defence.

I boiled it down to what the immediate situation called for.

I would employ hard self-defence techniques when I am physically attacked by one or more aggressors. The tools I would use will include kicking and punching and any other bodily tools that I have trained to use, as well as "unattached" weapons such as firearms, knives, batons and improvised weapons.

However, there are some scenarios where a broken bone or two, may not necessarily be the most  ideal way to deal with an harasser.  It may be “too much force” that could result in me being liable for his/her injuries. This is when I would employ a more subtle form of "soft" self-defence such as joint-locks and pressure points, which may be enough to subdue or deter a harasser.

Note also that I have used different terms, aggressor and harasser, to describe the “bad guy” when I use either hard or soft self-defence. I have done this deliberately so as to act as a trigger as to when I should employ the appropriate techniques.

Which is better? 

My suggestion would be to combine both these 'forms' of self-defence and use what is appropriate at the time.  

For example in the case of suddenly being physically attacked by an aggressor, the immediate response would be to deal with that situation with some "hard' self-defence techniques (block the aggressor's strike; counter strike; create distance and access own weapons (if any); move in to attack aggressor again). Only once the aggressor is subdued and has not fled, would I employ some "soft" self-defence to either restrain the aggressor with a joint-lock, or cause him to become unconscious while I get help or restrain him.

In another example, if I was a female employee and was getting some unwanted attention from a male colleague at work, I would employ some "soft" self-defence techniques such as a finger-lock or pain-inducing pressure point technique so as to deter the harasser from proceeding any further. It should be noted that in this situation, I would also have to re-enforce my position of not wanting any of the harasser’s attention by using strong verbal commands and posturing - more tools and techniques that fall in the "soft" self-defence category. If however, my attempts are not successful and the harasser decides to use more force against me (making him now an aggressor) , I would revert back to "hard' self-defence and strike him hard.

It is important to note that a person's heart-rate and ability to control his or her fine motor skills under a high-pressure scenario is also key as to whether they should employ hard or soft self-defence. Fine motor skills are vital when trying to employ joint-locks or pressure-point techniques (soft self-defence) and will deteriorate as one's heart rate increases.

A person is able to condition themselves to better operate their fine-motor skills under hear-rate increasing scenarios, with the correct training. 

With the correct training, both hard and soft self-defence techniques should be employed to potentially hazardous incidents. Furthermore, one’s ability to be able to distinguish between these types of incidents become important too, as the age old saying of "one size fits all" would not work in a court of law if you are found to be using excessive force in an incident.

To conclude, as your journey in becoming a safety-conscious member of society who studies practical self-defence techniques to empower yourself, you must always keep in mind that as you become more proficient in self-defence, you need to exercise greater self-control when handling an incident and never abuse your skills and knowledge. If you do, you become no better than the criminals we wish to weed out of society.

Till next time.

Get EDUCATED. Feel EMPOWERED. Live a FULLY-ENGAGED life. 

SELF-DEFENCE TRAINING - Unlocking potential to live a fully-engaged life

"Unlocking potential to live a fully-engaged life". This is the mission that Defence Unlimited has committed to and constantly promotes in its marketing material.

So what exactly is a "fully-engaged" life? Well, in my definition, it is one where I am living a life that I choose. But you will ask me, many people want to have a life filled with many things, but never seem to achieve them - things like "job satisfaction", "financial freedom" or "eternal peace and harmony". I say, yes, that is true, but is that not because they don't take the necessary ACTIONS to fulfil that kind of life? That is a different topic all together as it deals with the mental attitude and actions to go out and create that kind of life. We at Defence Unlimited can merely start to "unlock the potential" to have that kind of life. This is key though - In order to have THAT kind of life, the basic foundation, must first be addressed. In our case, the need to feel secure, and taking the necessary precautions to ensure that security. This is also referred to as the "security needs" as defined by Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Without this secure security foundation, any attempt to build something upon it will crumble like a deck of cards build on a table with 2 legs.  And trust you me, in this day and age, it will eventually come crashing down. It is my humble opinion, that if one does not create this security foundation, and at is most primal form, the PHYSICAL and MENTAL security foundation, there is no way in hell they will succeed in reaching those large, gregarious goals, whatever they may be.

"Fully-engaged" also implies to a life that is filled with moments of fun, joy, laughter, and occasionally sprinkled with some heartache, sadness and crying. It is these emotions and every other emotion in between, and our expression of these emotions that makes us human. It reminds us that we are alive and that each breath we take will be unique both to us and to that exact moment in time and space. It's about being present for each of those moments where we linger not on the past or have any fears the future. We take charge of this moment in time and live it to the fullest. I have heard of too many people who have been victims of crime and have become reclusive in their homes.  They are not willing to face the present because the unfortunate past event has chained them to a life of fear, paranoia and depression. I have heard of others still that, out of fear or frustration, have focused all their energies on the negative current state of affairs, and the eminent doom and gloom of the country and the world. They have forgotten that their body is still bound to the present and they have no interest in enjoying the moment for what it is, thereby not living a life, but rather just passing negative commentary about it.

This brings us back to the final piece of our mission, "..through effective self-defence training". I truly believe that effective self-defence training can unlock ones potential to live a fully-engaged life. Effective self-defence training installs three vital characteristics: confidence, resilience and discipline.  Confidence is the first step as by installing confidence, one builds the capacity to be able to face life head-on, with head held high. Having the knowledge and skills to be able to protect ones self and ones loved ones, will give you confidence that you can take on the world! This is very different from being arrogant, and there is a clear distinction between the two, especially in self-defence terms. Next is resilience. Let's be realistic - not everyone or every situation is going to do or go exactly as planned. We need to accept the fact that sometimes, we might  get knocked down, and it will hurt either mentally, physically, or even both. However, the important thing is that we get back up, brush it off, and continue forward. All too often, a person will give up to easily because they got knocked off their feet, or it hurts too much. Being able to get back up and press on is the hallmark of a successful person! Lastly, discipline. Doing the same thing over and over again is perhaps the most boring and dullest thing I could ever do. However, change that mind-set that doing the same thing over and over again from something boring to something that will make me better, well, that is certainly worth striving towards. Whether it's mentally positively honing yourself, or physically doing it, discipline is another key to success.

With that, the mission of Defence Unlimited is very clear. We may be a bit fluffy on the outside, but we are sure as heck want to unlock and unleash as much positive human potential as possible within our lifetime! After all, don't we all want to have world peace?

Get EDUCATED, Be EMPOWERED. Live a FULLY-ENGAGED Life.

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