[Survival Self-Defense] How to Defend Desperately When You Have No Self-Defense Tools...

Attacking the Jaw with Both Palms Is More Effective Than Using a Fist

Editor's NoteWhen you cannot escape from an assailant wielding a weapon, you must actively protect your vital organs with your belongings and then flee. If you have a self-defense tool, you can effectively use it to protect yourself and escape. Every Sunday, we will serialize how to properly use self-defense tools and how to protect yourself by striking and quickly escaping, demonstrated by Jeon Seong-yong, head instructor of the Korea Arnis Association Self-Defense Center (association president, male in the photo), and instructor Go Kyung-ah (female in the photo).

The self-defense survival education program aims to temporarily incapacitate the opponent and escape from dangerous situations. It assumes various real-life crisis scenarios and aims to overcome extreme situations with simple and swift techniques, buying a golden time of 10 seconds to increase the survival rate by 10%.

In this installment, we learn empty-hand defense techniques that must be executed when facing danger without carrying tools such as bags or umbrellas. These are movements to defend against and evade the opponent’s midsection (central area) weapon attacks. In real situations, empty-hand defense is very difficult for those who are not regularly trained. However, you cannot give up protecting yourself in an emergency.

It requires a lot of practice and training, and during defense, parts like the forearms and shoulders, which are not vital, may be cut by the weapon. The movements in this installment especially require repetitive practice and training.

1. The assailant attacks the midsection (spleen, abdomen) with a weapon. In this case, when in close proximity to the opponent, quickly raise both arms toward your face with rapid situational judgment. Ideally, your right foot should step forward so that the left side of your abdomen can create distance from the opponent’s weapon, enabling a defensive movement.

2. This is a movement to defend your spleen and abdomen with both hands against a midsection weapon attack using empty hands. Twist your waist to the left while your left foot steps back, and use the edge of your left forearm to strike the lower part of the opponent’s right wrist to defend. Simultaneously, use your right forearm edge to strongly strike the inside of the opponent’s elbow to defend.
As shown in the photo, you must accurately strike the inside of the elbow with the edge of your left forearm to precisely block or stop the opponent’s weapon-wielding right-hand attack. Using both arms is necessary to overcome the strength difference with the opponent and make defense possible.

3. After defending the opponent’s midsection weapon attack with both arms, quickly bend and retract your elbows. If the retraction is not swift, you may be vulnerable to additional attacks. Remember to quickly retract your elbows toward your left jaw.

4. Immediately after defense, push the opponent’s face and jaw strongly with both palms. At this time, step your right foot forward and push the opponent’s jaw strongly from below upward with both palms. If you only defend against the opponent’s attacks, you may be overwhelmed by continuous strikes, so actively counterattack to buy the golden time to escape. Attacking with both palms can deliver a stronger blow than punching and also protect your hands.

Striking the jaw can shake the brain, causing the opponent to lose balance or momentarily lose consciousness. The jawbone acts as a lever that directly transmits impact to the brain, making this an effective attack method for women with less strength to exert maximum force.

5. When the opponent is stunned by the impact, quickly escape and seek help nearby. Seeing the opponent’s weapon can easily cause psychological panic, making empty-hand defense realistically difficult. However, you must always keep in mind that situations requiring empty-hand defense can arise. To increase survival rates even slightly in extreme situations, extensive practice and training are necessary.

※ If the assailant wielding a weapon is right-handed, you must escape to the opponent’s left side, which is farther from the weapon, to reduce risk as much as possible. All movements in survival self-defense require strength and stamina as a foundation. Consistent strength and endurance training will yield greater effectiveness.