In today’s world, it is essential to be able to defend yourself and your loved ones. Although most people treat combat sports as a hobby, the skills trained can save your life, like Muay Thai, Boxing, and even Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Even for those who do not have a lot of time, learning a few basic techniques will increase the odds of getting home safely. Today, we are pleased to share a guide on the best self-defense techniques to train.
Basic Boxing
Boxing is a strong base for any combat sport, the same applies to self-defense. The majority of violent altercations occur from close range, also known as “the pocket”. Your familiarity with this range will often dictate who controls the situation in a violent exchange.
Learning just two basic punches will give you a huge advantage at this range; you will have weapons that can end the fight!
The first punch is the jab, the most important punch in boxing. There are many variations of the jab, but the basic concept is to use your lead fist to punch in a straight line towards your opponent’s chin. Just before impact, turn your thumb inwards while squeezing your fist, to make contact with your index and middle knuckles. This is your quickest weapon and can be used to interrupt your opponent’s attack.
The second punch is the rear cross. If you are right-handed, you will generally stand in an orthodox boxing stance, with your right foot back. This loads your dominant side, giving you access to a powerful rear cross.
The teep, or front push kick, is a staple technique in Muay Thai. The teep pushes the opponent back, preventing them from closing distance, extremely useful for self-defense. Buakaw is one fighter to emulate when practicing your teep.
If you are a southpaw, consider using a side teep, like Tawanchai, Saenchai, or Samart Payakaroon. This teep variation is well suited to open stance matchups and can be thrown from long range.
The double-leg takedown is a tried and true technique, appearing in many martial arts in various cultures throughout history. There are many variations on the double-leg takedown, but the general principle remains the same. Change levels and drive your head or shoulder into your attacker’s stomach while grabbing the back of their knees. From this position, pull on the back of your attacker’s knees as you run forward explosively. This is the most effective double leg takedown for MMA, Sambo, BJJ
This takedown can be used even if your attacker is larger than you, making it a powerful self-defense technique. Throwing the punches outlined above will often get your attacker to lift their hands to defend, giving you an opening for a swift double-leg takedown.
Kicking can be risky in a self-defense situation, but can also be very effective. Anytime you kick above the waist, you risk your attacker catching your kick and taking you down. To avoid this, focus on your low kick technique when it comes to self-defense.
One type of low kick that is effective in a self-defense situation is thrown with very little pivot. Alex “Poatan” Pereira and Joseph Valtellini both have used this type of low kick to chip away at their opponent’s legs.
This style of low kick is best done from just outside boxing range, giving you another option to stop your opponents. Another variation of the low kick can be thrown from closer range, often in the clinch, and uses the top of your shinbone as the impact surface. This is a devastating technique; one well-placed kick can leave your attacker unable to stand.
The long guard is a safe, efficient form of defense that maintains your distance from your attacker. The basics of the long guard are an extended lead arm, with your rear hand held in a high guard or cross guard. Both of these positions utilize your reach fully. You want to use your lead arm to post on your opponent’s chest, biceps, and shoulders. This will disrupt their forward momentum and stifle any big haymaker punch.
Cardio is key! Improving it allows you to throw harder punches and outlast opponents, and in self-defense, sometimes the best move is to escape. Train longer on the heavy bag to build endurance for real-life situations.
Specific techniques are important, but cardio is king! Increasing your cardio capacity will let you throw harder punches, more frequently, without tiring yourself out. More importantly, better cardio gives you a better chance to outrun your opponent. When faced with a potentially dangerous situation, the easiest and often most effective solution is to leave the situation entirely.
The heavy bag is a tool that allows you to hone your striking skills while building your cardiovascular capacity! Since your focus is self-defense, you will want to work the heavy bag for longer rounds – 5 minutes or more! This is to adapt your body to the reality of self-defense, there are no rounds or breaks.
Elbows can be devastating weapons for self-defense. They can be used in close range, where your attacker may be able to grab and throw you. Elbow strikes also simultaneously act as a block, protecting your chin from damage.
The basic horizontal elbow can be used after parrying an attacker’s punch, or from clinch range. Saenchai demonstrates this technique in the video above.
Conclusion
These basic techniques will help you defend yourself from any potential attackers. No one expects to be attacked, which makes it important to train and stay prepared. We hope these techniques help you in your own martial arts journey!
You may also like:
