Proformance Combat Sports Center is dedicated to creating a learning and working environment that promotes respect, dignity, and equality. Discrimination, such as harassment, hazing, and bullying, occurs on online platforms, school grounds, buses, afterschool programs and social events, and it is harmful to children’s learning and achievement. Such behavior affects not only the students who are the intended victims, but also those who participate in and witness such acts.
Therefore, here at PCS, we believe that one of the benefits of learning martial arts is learning how to defend yourself against bullying and harassment. We believe that knowing how to defend yourself against others is something that can be learned at any age. Martial arts teach children not only how to defend themselves from others, but also self-discipline, respect, hard work, and perseverance.
BENEFITS OF LEARNING SELF DEFENSE
When children learn how to defend themselves, they will:
- Feel motivated
- Increase their self-confidence
- Stand up to bullying
- Develop self-discipline and respect
BEST SELF-DEFENSE MOVES
- Ready Stance
When To Use It: Use this from a distance as a way of setting a strong body-language boundary (like if somebody’s following you) or when you’re engaged in sending physical strikes.
How To Use It: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, hands by sides. Keeping toes pointed forward, take a natural step forward with your non-dominant leg so feet are staggered. Bend both knees slightly, elevate back heel, bring hands up in front of face with hands about 12 inches from face and palms facing forward, tuck chin, and shrug shoulders slightly. Distribute body weight between both feet, placing it more in the balls of your feet rather than the heels.
- Elbows and Knees
When To Use It: This is a move to create escape opportunities and put distance between you and your attacker. It’s best used from close distance where the attacker may be trying to grab you.
How To Use It: Start in Ready Stance and keep hands up. Rotating the left hip and shoulder, you swing your left elbow across to strike the attacker in the face (you may also do this from the other right side). To execute the knee kick, you can grab the attacker with both hands and drive your knee upwards and you pull them down towards your knee.
- Front Kick
When To Use It: Kicks are effective strikes because you can keep your opponent at bay. The legs are longer than the arms, so you have a longer striking range. As a result, you don’t allow your opponent to get close to you.
How To Use It: Start in Ready Stance, keeping hands up. Bend your right leg and drive your right knee straight up. As soon as the right knee is above your waistline, extend hips and kick right shin directly to attacker’s groin, making sure to keep toes pointed downward and out of the way. Immediately release your right foot behind you and return to Ready Stance. You may also execute this front kick to your attacker’s stomach to push them backwards by keeping your toes up and striking them with the bottom of your foot as you extend your leg.
4. Avoid The Fight
When To Use It: The best way to protect yourself from a fight is by avoiding the situation altogether. That means having enough social awareness to prevent chaos or knowing how to diffuse a potential physical altercation with words. But that doesn’t always work. Sometimes, you just need to run away–put your ego aside and get out of the situation.
How To Use It: The best way to do this is to stay in shape and always look over your shoulder when you walk down the street. Awareness is key, wherever you are. The truth is that the only way to learn self-defense techniques is by actually doing martial arts and having the proper training. Pick an art that resonates with you, join a local martial arts school, or check out Proformance Combat Sports Center, and learn real self-defense moves from professional instructors.
Leave A Comment