Self-defense - free course from 4brain, training 30 days, Date November 29, 2023.

As a starting point for our self-defense course, it would be appropriate to give one interesting story about a young attractive woman. She was afraid that one day she might be raped, so she took self-defense classes. She worked out without fanaticism, without setting herself the task of becoming a professional athlete.

And so, after about 1.5 years, she finally had to use the skills she had developed. One evening she was attacked by a big guy, as one might assume, with the intention of raping her. The woman did not succumb to fear and panic and showed self-control and cunning. She pretended that she was ready to enter into a relationship with the rapist voluntarily, thereby lulling his vigilance and reducing his aggression.

What happened next, history is silent, but the then police squad arrived with rounded eyes and loaded a 110-kilogram man tied with his own belt and trousers into the “bobby”. But most of all, the police were surprised by the fact that a fragile woman - a cultural worker - was able to single-handedly neutralize, as it turned out, a seasoned criminal, and even one who was wanted.

An instructive story, isn't it? But, unfortunately, the vast majority of such cases do not have a positive outcome. And this applies not only to sexual violence, young girls and attractive women, but also to young boys and even adult men.

Crime in our country, as, in fact, in most others, is a widespread phenomenon. Robberies, attacks on life and health, banal “attacks” of gopniks - all this is found in every city. The specificity of street crime is such that extreme situations defy any rules or laws. Self-defense, being a special training aimed at countering those who break the law people, allows them to successfully resist one or even several opponents, including armed.

Our course and the self-defense lessons offered in it are an opportunity to get acquainted with the basics of self-defense, understand in what situations and how one should and can behave, find out what methods and means of self-defense exist, as well as master basic techniques of defense and attacks.

Why is self-defense needed?

Despite the above example, the question of the relevance of self-defense remains open to many people. Some believe that this is a waste of time and money, others are confident that trouble will never touch them, and others expect that they will be able to settle everything peacefully. In fact, self-defense skills will be useful to any person in life.

• Firstly, they increase a person's confidence in himself and his abilities and provide him with a tool to resist in the event of an attack.
• Secondly, knowing the legal foundations of self-defense, a person will know what actions and in what situations are allowed by law, which means he will not make a fatal mistake for which he can pay with freedom.
• Thirdly, by studying self-defense techniques and methods, a person becomes healthier, stronger and more resilient physically and psychologically. Additional bonuses here will be normalization of weight, acquisition of an athletic and muscular body, harmonization of the emotional state, increasing stress resistance, developing the skill of suppressing fear, excitement and panic.
• Fourth, by being able to protect yourself, you will always be able to protect your friends, family and loved ones. Wandering through the park, walking after work, while on public transport, while relaxing and traveling, etc. – absolutely everywhere you can stand up for yourself and those you care about.

Among other things, if you decide to dive deeper into the study of self-defense, you will have to go to a sports section, and sports, as you know, are associated with a healthy lifestyle. Those. self-defense, no matter how you look at it, is designed to improve health and prolong life. And even if you do not plan to seriously engage in sports and become a self-defense professional, our self-defense lessons will be useful to you for general development and broadening your horizons.

Basics of self-defense

Below we will give some tips for those who are encountering information about self-defense for the first time, but have a strong desire to learn how to protect themselves. These tips can be taken as the basis for all your actions in real life. They relate to both physical and psychological preparation (including for taking this course):

• When starting to practice self-defense, set a goal that you want to achieve. It is useful to formulate your own ethical code of conduct and follow it in all situations. Training should be done for the sake of improving health and ensuring one’s safety, but not for the purpose of acquiring destructive power and its unworthy use.
• When starting to train and perform techniques, you should not be overzealous. All movements should initially be performed slowly.
• You should not abuse alcoholic beverages and lead an overly active nightlife (it is better to generally lead a healthy lifestyle). Even if you feel results from your activities, do not get overexcited, because... this is fraught with loss of self-control. Try to worry less and always control yourself.
• In any extreme situation, try to behave confidently, but not defiantly. Before you say anything, think about the meaning of your words and their appropriateness. Keep in mind that the same words and phrases can be interpreted differently among different groups of people and in different subcultures.
• Never be the first to be aggressive. If the situation is unusual, first try to adequately explain its uselessness and absurdity. Also remember that your opponent should not notice your uncertainty, much less fear. Beware of victimized behavior (we will talk about it in the first and second lessons).
• Do not engage in conversations whose topic you do not understand. If a dispute arises, but its subject is not important to you, it is better to give in. Always think about those who are next to you: if there is a lady next to you, you seriously lose agility, especially if you had to face several opponents. In case of a threat, the attention of the aggressors should be focused on you, but not on your companion.
• When the situation heats up and you understand that a conflict is inevitable, there is no need to wait for an attack and predict where it will come from. Most likely, you will miss the blow, and its strength is unknown, so it is not a fact that you will be able to recover quickly. Once you decide to attack first, try to distract the attacker by, for example, looking behind him or throwing a glove at his face, and then strike.
• When there are several attackers, it is advisable to attack everyone at once. Any combination of 2-3 punches and kicks that can be performed in the shortest possible time is suitable here. The position must be chosen so that the opponents themselves block each other’s trajectory and interfere with their actions. Keep in mind that it is unlikely that you will be able to “knock out” everyone, and you will have to attack again. The time gained will allow you to orient yourself and make a maneuver.
• The key to victory is most often quick and accurate strikes on the most vulnerable spots on the enemy’s body (they will be discussed in the third lesson, where you will find images and links to videos). It is extremely undesirable to engage in a fight with an attacker: even if he is not a professional fighter, he may be able to grab you and limit your movements.
• To cool the attacker's ardor, you can use any object that comes to hand, for example, a stick, sand, a lump of dirt, an empty beer can, etc. Also It is recommended to attract the attention of others by any means, and with a loud scream in the enemy’s ear you can significantly unsettle him for a few seconds.
• When the attacker is armed, initially try to influence him verbally, speaking in a calm and firm voice. If this doesn't help, quickly look for some item you can use for protection. If you understand that an attack is about to begin, but you have nowhere to run and nothing in your hands, try to take the weapon away from the attacker.

Practice shows that most often the one who loses self-control loses in battle, so it is necessary to maintain sobriety and composure. Uncontrollable rage is unacceptable, as is crippling fear. By indulging them, you are making a big mistake. By the way, we should also talk about mistakes in self-defense.

Mistakes in self-defense

There are many mistakes people make in self-defense, but we will tell you about ten of the most common and most dangerous:

1. Wait for the blow to respond
   Some people have a thought ingrained in their minds like “You can’t hit first,” etc. But, as we already said, wait for the blow itself is wrong, because it is difficult to defend against, and even professional athletes are not always successful in doing so do. Therefore, when the situation is tense and there will be a fight in any case, it is better to strike first.
2. Assess the effect of a blow on an opponent
   Sometimes the defending person, even if he hit first, stands and watches what the enemy is doing: swinging, coming to his senses, lying around on the ground, etc. Instead, you need to either retreat back home and go where you were going, or consolidate the attack with another blow. But there is no need to give the attacker time to recover and grow anger.
3. Going out to “talk”
   Oddly enough, 90% of men, when someone calls them to “talk,” actually think (or want to think?) that they are going out to talk. In reality, the initiator of such a “conversation” will either attack himself and have already planned the attack, or count on the support of accomplices waiting on the street. In such a situation, the best option is to continue the conversation indoors and find another way out of the conflict.
4. Do not avoid potentially dangerous places and groups of people
   Lovers of self-affirmation and “left-wing show-off” often, seeing a dark alley or suspicious guys on the corner, contrary to logic, do not bypass them, but rather go there. Finding the optimal and safe route is one of the means of self-defense, and not at all a test of luck, your fists or the desire to impress a girl (by the way, for girls this advice is still relevant more).
5. Rely on self-defense
   Having a means of self-defense is certainly necessary and useful, but thinking that it will help at any time is wrong. If the attack is unexpected, you may not only not have time to get your weapon, but also generally “get lost” so that you forget about everything in the world. Therefore, if there is a potential threat, it is best to prepare a means of self-defense in advance.
6. Weigh the chances of victory and a peaceful solution when conflict is inevitable
   The longer you think about your chances or put off a fight when it is clearly inevitable, the more you succumb to fear. As a result, your legs go numb, your arms become weak, your voice trembles, and your attention wanders. The correct option is to eliminate all doubts, quiet your thoughts and attack quickly and forcefully.
7. Rely on your adequacy
   You can think or even prove that you are adequate and objective, but end up in traumatology or intensive care. But the attacker, even if he is a scoundrel, will remain a winner, because he did not rely on common sense, but wanted to “work” you. So, if an attack on you is inevitable, return to the previous point and attack, regardless of morals and principles.
8. Believe that screaming is feminine behavior and a sign of weakness
   Considering that shouting in a “bad” or not “boyish” way can be good when there is a group of friends nearby. But in the event of an attack, screaming can save your life, stop the attackers, make them think and calm down, attract attention and increase the chances of survival.
9. Rely on the integrity of the offender
   You were attacked, you talked to your opponent, went out onto the court, shook hands and started the round - this doesn’t happen. Firstly, no one will agree with you on anything, secondly, they can hit you at any moment and with unknown means, thirdly, they can count all the bones and break ribs with their feet. The best way is to always be prepared for anything. This means being alert, keeping a safe distance and attacking, as well as running and screaming.
10. Don't practice self-defense
    This is perhaps the most important and unforgivable mistake. The inability to defend yourself not only jeopardizes your well-being in the event of an attack, but also generates states of uncertainty, fear, and panic at the slightest conflict. On the path of self-control and confidence, characteristic of real men and strong and comprehensively developed personalities, it is a big obstacle.

Of course, you can rely on rage, instincts and ignoring blows in a state of heightened excitement, but it helps This happens in a tiny number of situations, and even then only when you have to deal with dystrophic rednecks at the entrance. But in the case of prepared opponents who do not disdain to break the letter of the law, all this is not worth a penny. Tricks, sneak attacks and sneaky tricks can be countered by a person who knows how to defend himself.

By being able to “turn off” a person in a few seconds with 2-3 blows, you save yourself from a huge amount of unnecessary hassle before, during and after an attack. Our course is designed to increase your chances of getting out of any fight quickly and optimally for you. It includes the most important theoretical aspects of self-defense, practical tips and tricks, as well as images to illustrate the most difficult points and links to useful videos.

How to take classes

Our self-defense training has one very important goal - to teach you how to defend yourself. But whether you learn to do this depends entirely on you. Your task is to carefully and responsibly study the theoretical material and immediately begin to develop skills. To do this you will need to find a partner. It could be your boyfriend, girlfriend, mom or dad, etc.

2-3 days are enough to study theory, but practice will require much more time. The techniques and strikes you learn about will become effective and automatic only through regular and systematic training. It is best to choose 5-6 movements you like to begin with and repeat each one hundred times.

The famous fighter, actor and outstanding person Bruce Lee said: “I am not afraid of the one who studies 10,000 different strikes. I am afraid of the one who studies one blow 10,000 times." Take this as a rule - it is better to be able to use 10 strikes and techniques than to know a thousand, but not be able to perform them.

And so that your combat arsenal is constantly replenished, as well as to learn new and interesting information, about which we most likely did not mention due to the limitations of the course, we advise you to refer to the thematic literature.