How to Defend Yourself

Co-authored by Tsahi Shemesh

Last Updated: November 10, 2024 Fact Checked

The difference between walking away and becoming tomorrow's newspaper headline is how well you are prepared to protect yourself in a bad situation. You can prepare some simple techniques to defend yourself before and during an attack, whether it be a fight or an ambush, ensuring your safety.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Maintaining a Defensive Posture

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1
Guard your face. If the attacker is trying to punch you or grab you from the front, put your hands on your forehead in a "Not in the face!" sort of gesture and hold your arms tight on your body. ^{[1]
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- This may look like a weak defensive position, but that is to your advantage since it brings your opponent's guard down. In addition, this position protects your face and your ribs, two places you'll likely want to protect.
2
Stand with a wide base. Both left-to-right and back-to-front, keep your feet diagonal from each other in a kind of martial-arts stance. This will lessen your likelihood of getting knocked or pushed over. ^{[2]
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- You stand the best chance of winning a fight and getting away if you stay upright. Avoid taking the scuffle to the ground at all costs.
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3
Assess your assailant. Look at their hands. If they were about to attack with their hands, they would have their hands out. However, if they are concealing a weapon, they will have them hidden or at their side.
- If you're attacked by a person with a knife or a gun, you need to try to avoid confrontation and get away. If it's impossible to avoid a fight, you need to end the confrontation with a high-impact attack as quickly as possible, then run for help.
Unless your attacker is making it impossible, trying to get away is the only guarantee of your safety. If you can avoid a fight, avoid it and run away. Remember to never turn your back on an opponent. If you do this the opponent will use this as a chance to attack.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Defending Yourself from the Front

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1
Go for the eyes and nose. If you have to end the fight as quickly as possible by striking first, strike hard, and strike as many times as you can, then run for help. Getting ambushed in an alley by a mugger isn't the time to worry about fighting honorably. Keep yourself safe by making the confrontation as quickly as possible. ^{[3]
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- The eyes and nose are the most sensitive soft spots on your attacker's face and are vulnerable to elbows, knees, and your forehead
- With the hardest part of your forehead, right near the hairline, try to smash your assailant's nose by tensing your neck and driving your forehead into the middle of their face. This is the quickest and most unexpected way to end a fight completely. However strong, experienced, or violent your attacker, it's very difficult to quickly recover from a hard head-butt to the nose.
2
Kick or grab the groin of an attacker. Bringing a knee sharply into the groin of an attacker or grabbing the groin with your hand and twisting is an instantly effective move that will take your attacker down. Again, this isn't the time to worry about fighting dirty. If your life is in danger, go for the groin. ^{[4]
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- If this doubles up your opponent, consider smashing your knee into their nose to ensure that they'll be down for the count.
If your being attacked from the back, chances are the attacker has their arms around your upper half. If your wearing heels or shoes such as heavy heel boots, this is especially effective. Move your foot near the attacker's, lift your foot up and bring it down on their foot as hard as you can. If they let you go, run; if they don't, try the next idea.
4
Go for the kneecaps. If, for example, you are being choked, or your assailant has their hands up in your face, attacking their legs will give you the opportunity to open them up to more attacks, or allow you to escape.
- This is especially effective on larger attackers and easy to do from your guarded position.
- Kick at shins and knees soccer-style, with the instep of your foot. This is a quick and painful kick. In addition, if their legs are close enough, lift your knees into their inner leg (femoral nerve), outer leg, knee, or groin. These will break down your attacker and may disable them.
5
Follow up. Try to poke or press on the eyes. No one can defend an eye poke, regardless of your attacker's size. Clapping on the ears can stun or, if done perfectly, breaks the eardrums.
- In some cases you may also want to attack your attacker's neck. To effectively choke someone, do not do the typical Hollywood "hands around the entire neck," but instead just put your thumb and fingers around the trachea (especially easy to find on men with large Adam's apples). Dig, drive, and sink your fingers into this notch and they will experience intense pain and probably fall down.
- Note that poking the eyes, breaking the eardrums, and choking someone can all be extremely harmful. Only do these actions in extreme circumstances in which your life may be in danger otherwise.
If you fall, try to fall on top of your attacker. You'll want to avoid taking the fight to the ground at all costs, but if it's unavoidable, use your weight to your advantage. While falling, keep the pointy parts of your body pointy (your knees and your elbows) and aim for your attacker's groin, ribs, and neck.
7
Be prepared for an assault with a weapon. If an attacker attacks with a weapon, know where the weapon is effective. If your attacker has a knife, try to stay out of arm's length. If there is a gun, consider running and dodging from left to right.
- If you get a chance to leave safely, go for it. Be sure that you're safe from your opponent when you decide to stop defending yourself.
- In many cases, you can end the situation immediately by giving the attacker your wallet. This is a logical choice, especially if at knife or gunpoint. Your life is worth much more than the cash and cards you have on you. Toss the wallet away from you and run.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Defending Your Back

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1
Deflect the hold. If an attacker tries to grab you from behind to choke you, press their forearm against your collarbone instead of trying to pull it directly off, which may be difficult if you're fighting with someone stronger than you. Put one hand above their elbow (on the forearm) and one hand below it (so your hands are on both sides of the elbow). Now, in one strong and determined movement, step and swing your entire body around like the arm is the hinge to your body's screen door. ^{[5]
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- This will get you out of their choke and leave their head, ribs, and legs wide open to your counterattack. When your attacker is behind you, the shins are right behind your legs and primed for your stomping and raking.
If the attacker is trying to pick you up from behind, drop your hips quickly and violently, as if you were plopping down on a love seat. This will make you harder to pick up and give you an extra moment to attack them and fend them off by stomping on their shins or repositioning for a frontal defense.
If the attacker is trying to choke you by wrapping his arms around your neck, bring the ball of your foot forward, as if you just kicked a soccer ball, and forcefully slam it into the area of their leg between their ankle and mid-leg, or the groin. This may break their leg or otherwise incapacitate your attacker.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Avoiding Confrontation

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1
Understand the stages of a fight. Preparing for each stage in a confrontation can help you avoid eventually ending up in a physical fight. Avoiding a serious fight should be your main goal, so you need to be bigger and more aware of the situation than your opponent. The stages of conflict include:
- The wind up. This is the initial argument before the fight erupts. It might start out relatively harmless but escalate quickly and unexpectedly.
- Verbal threats. When the arguing brings in the threat of physical confrontation, try saying "I'm going to _____".
- Shoving or other prodding behavior. Attempts to get you to escalate a conflict into a full-blown fight usually start not with punches or kicks but with nose-to-nose intimidation tactics and shoves. It's still possible to walk away at this point without getting into a full-blown fight.
- The full-blown fight. You've stopped arguing and started throwing punches. ^{[6]
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2
Take all verbal or directional paths to non-confrontation. Each of the lead-up steps above are opportunities to end the argument. One will inevitably lead to another unless one of you backs down, so try to back down. Actual physical confrontation should be your last line of defense. ^{[7]
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- If you're in the middle of an argument, calm it down by lowering your voice. Macho dudes in a bar can escalate stupid things quickly but be ready to hug and buy you a drink by apologizing and distracting them. If you're calm, they'll cool down.
- If you're being ambushed by an attacker, you need to get where people can see you and help you. It's less likely that you'll be grievously harmed if you're on a busy street corner where people are passing by. The confrontation has less of a chance of escalating in public.
3
Avoid walking alone. If you've got a long walk home from the bus or train station at night after work, consider meeting a friend near the metro stop and walking together. Staying in groups is the safest way to avoid these kinds of situations.
- If you must walk alone, gloom onto another group of walkers and stick close by. You don't have to know them to find safety in numbers.
4
Arm yourself. Concealed handguns, mace, or pepper spray are all handy defense devices you should consider having at the ready. Knives and guns are dangerous weapons many consider useful, but can also be used against you if you're unprepared to use them yourself. Be very cautious and smart if you choose to carry a weapon and take the proper certification classes to make sure you know how to handle a weapon safely. Never carry one illegally.
- Most states that respect individuals rights have CCW permits available for law-abiding citizens. You can also get a small personal alarm keychain that will emit a high pitch siren like a car alarm when its pin is pulled, similar in design to a grenade.
- Consider taking a self-defense class if you live in a dangerous area and are concerned for your well being.

What Are An Attacker's Main Weak Spots?

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Question

How do I keep from getting hit in the face?

Ross Cascio
Self Defense Trainer
Ross Cascio is a Krav Maga Worldwide self-defense, fitness, and fight instructor. He has been training and teaching Krav Maga self-defense, fitness, and fight classes at the Krav Maga Worldwide HQ Training Centers in Los Angeles, CA for over 15 years. He helps people become stronger, safer, and healthier through Krav Maga Worldwide training.

Ross Cascio

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Expert Answer

Bob to avoid incoming punches, especially to the face or head. Move your head up and down, back and forth so that it is constantly in motion. This keeps your opponent from being able to land a punch on the sensitive areas of your head, especially the temples, chin, and nose.

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Where should I aim when I try to fight back?

Tsahi Shemesh
Self Defense Trainer
Tsahi Shemesh is a self-defense expert, specializing in Krav Maga. He began learnring Krav Maga in 1988, and trained directly under Imi Lichtenfeld, the founder of the sport. Shemesh is the Founder and Program Director of Krav Maga Experts in New York City. He has certified hundreds of instructors, trained a wide variety of professionals (including EMTs and NYPD officers), and his curriculum is taught in over a dozen countries worldwide.

Tsahi Shemesh

Self Defense Trainer

Expert Answer

Your best option is vulnerable spots like their groin. Other vulnerable spots include their eyes, throat, and nose. Even if you don't stop the fight completely, hitting an opponent in one of these vulnerable spots will disable them for a moment and give you time to plan your next move or start to look for an escape route.

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Tips

If someone is attacking you, you are right and the other person is wrong. Their motivation is probably wanting your money or possessions or body, while yours is self-preservation. You have a basic human right to defend yourself and your loved ones. But remember, the first means of self-defense is escape! In a court of law, if it should get to that point, you can justify your actions through "acting in self-defense" only if you took every available opportunity to avoid the confrontation and every opportunity to escape. If it becomes clear that you had an opportunity to leave the area safely, but you did not, then it is no longer a case of self-defense, it is now disorderly conduct and assault. You are responsible for taking appropriate action. Being attacked is no cause for killing or maiming when you could have reasonably done less to defend yourself. ^{[8]
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Always keep a phone with you so you can call for help.

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Always look for weak spots where they cannot block your hits. (An example would be if they do not block their feet, so you kick their feet out from underneath them).

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The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

If you don't have or can't possess a weapon, keep spray deodorant with you to spray in their eyes.
Always scan your surroundings to make sure your attacker doesn't have backup.

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Warnings

You can be held civilly or criminally liable if you respond to an attack with significantly more force than the attacker. Only use as much force as needed to ward off an attack; don't use more force than necessary.

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Threatening an assailant with a weapon like a knife or a firearm is a bad idea unless you fear for your life.

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If you feel the aggressor has a weapon or you are in danger, call 911 . Wait for the police to handle the aggressor, do not try to reason with them, talk with them, or engage with them.

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Your aim should be to de-escalate the situation with the aggressor and settle with peace. If they're not willing to come to peaceful terms walk away from them . It may seem like a loss, but fighting leads to absolutely nothing but someone getting hurt or even killed. Do not run, just ignore them and go on with your day.

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Remember, never be the first to attack. Let your aggressor hit you first so you can later press charges against them or sue them in court for damages. If you attack first, they will be able to claim self-defense so always let them be the first to attack.

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How to Defend Yourself

Steps

Maintaining a Defensive Posture

Defending Yourself from the Front

Defending Your Back

Avoiding Confrontation

What Are An Attacker's Main Weak Spots?

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Tips

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Warnings

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