Learning Self-Defense for Personal Protection: Defensive-Tactic Strike Points

We need to be aware of the ever-increasing danger of abduction, attacks and aggressive behavior of a new generation. As each decade passes into the next, we are taught we can do anything. There is no division in gender, race or physical build restricting goals and dreams. So, we face many people feeling they have the right to commit any crime of their current choice without guilt.

Crimes of violence are becoming more commonplace against both genders and many crimes of violence are now committed by women. It is a harsh fact of the "you can do anything you want" generations. It is no one's fault and teaching our children to be aggressive in life to reach their dreams is great, but sometimes the teaching takes place in the crimes committed within our lives.

Our choices on how to handle this situation are entirely individual and this is only one way to react. Protecting yourself physically from danger is always first choice. You can decide to run, talk your way out of it or fight your way out of it. The least favorite way it to become the victim and then report it in hopes the law will capture and prosecute the criminal. If you decide to fight then you need to learn the points on the body where you can do the most damage in the shortest amount of time.

One of our greatest fears as well as an attacker greatest advantage is their comparison size to the victim. Rarely does someone attack another person larger and more intimidating than themselves. In this article you are going to learn that size is relative and even the largest of attackers cannot prevent damage just because of size and muscle content. We will begin at the top of the body and work our way down, listing each area of vulnerability.

1. Head and neck. The top of the head is hard and thick, but with enough force by an opposing object it can cause a concussion. On each side of the head to the front and just above the area of the ear's is the temple. It is a softer part of the head with little protection. Using a fist, rock or anything hard to strike the area of the temple will cause extreme damage and allow escape.

Moving to the front of the head are the eyes, nose and lips. There is no way to build protection over these sensitive areas. They can be pulled, pushed, twisted or torn in the event you need to fight. Jaws cannot be protected by muscle and are subject to breakage when struck with enough force.

The back of the head at the base of the skull is the knock out point when force is applied. Below the base of the skull on the neck is the ending of the spine for maximum damage. The front of the neck where the Adam's apple is found is the indent for the throat. By pushing in and down with a single finger you can force your attacker to move back. Follow up with another strike to the lower section of the body.

2. Arms. Shoulders, elbows, wrist, fingers or anywhere along the inside of the arm and at joints will not build muscle for protection. When joints are forced to bend in an opposing direction they will break and become useless. Just remember that breaking a finger does not make the whole arm useless. For this you will need to dislocate a should or elbow.

Next is the arm pit. There are a lot of nerves in this area and when struck with force by a fist, foot or instrument it will numb the arm and make it useless. This is a great strike point and one well worth remembering.

3. Torso. On the front of the torso you have protection from damage because of the ribs, but if a rib is broken it cause so much pain it is hard to move. If it broken badly enough it can puncture a lung. The sides of the torso under the arms is full of nerves so grip the sides in a tight squeeze to inflict enough pain to distract your attacker with a follow up to an area more damageable.

The back of the torso has the spine. With a strong blow directly to the spine can break it or cause such damage the attacker will not be able to move. The lower back is a very sensitive place for an attack and if you move to each side of the lower spine you will find the kidney's. Kidneys will not be protected by any amount of muscle so they are an open target.

4. The lower body. Starting at the front of the lower body we begin with the most obvious target. The groin. This is a very sensitive area of the male body, but there are a lot of nerves so it is also a target area on females. With enough force to the groin area it will drop just about anyone where they are, leaving you enough time to run from the area and get help.

The knees will always bend forward, but with a well placed kick you can force a knee to bend backwards or sideways and break. It is an extremely painful break and will cause damage enough to make the leg useless. Shin's are only protected by a layer of skin so they will cause severe pain when a shoe is forced downward in a scraping motion to the instep on the top side of the foot. Be sure to stomp hard enough to break the instep so the foot will no longer support weight.

The back of the leg can be hit or kicked right behind the knee. It is an area covered by only skin and a lot of nerves. Next is the back of the heel that contains on tiny bones easily broken when kicked or hit. If you have hold of the attackers foot all you have to do is twist to break the joint.

If you are attacked and must fight for your life try to envision your attackers weak points instead of their size. Just because the attacker is larger does not mean they have the advantage. They might be stronger, but you will know more about point of damage. Picture yourself as the spider monkey from hell and do whatever it takes to protect yourself and your family.

When you fight remember to fight smart. It can be physical or it can be gentle or you can leave the scene. Do not believe what an attacker tells you to do to remain safe. The only safety they are concerned about is their own. You only concern will be for your own life and your families.