If there is just one thing to remember to protect yourself in case of an aggression, it is of course to run away as soon as possible making sure to take minimum risks.
In self defense, a defense is always followed by a flight (since the key idea is to avoid wasting your time fighting the neutralized aggressor as other threats can emerge at any time). This is one of the pillars of self defense, which is why we keep coming back to the importance of fleeing as soon as you can. Nevertheless, we don’t often explain how to do so.
It may seem obvious, but you may also appreciate a clarification.
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Analyze the situation before you try anything
Escape is easier said than done! Picture yourself confronted with an individual carrying a knife, can you really imagine running for your life without him coming at your heels? We cannot repeat enough that an aggressor is not static!
Taking flight requires being lucid regarding the situation and the environment. It all depends on context. We’ve already seen this notion in a previous article.
Ask yourself the right questions depending on the situation: How many people are around? Who are the threats? Who is armed? Are any of them drunk or on drugs? Which of them are the strongest?
When it comes to the surroundings, are you in an enclosed or open space? What are the exits? Can you quickly reach a safe area? Are there any obstacles in the way? Is there anything around you can use to create an obstacle between you and the perpetrator? What about the objects you can use to defend yourself?
And so on and so forth.
Don’t run away if the aggressor isn’t handicapped in some way that will prevent him from catching up with you once you are running. In other words, the aim is to “cover your escape” ahead.
Make sure you cover your escape
You have at least a common feature with your aggressor: he has two legs he can use to chase you if he can, and he might try to stab you as soon as possible.
Covering your escape will maximize your chances of fleeing. You can either put an obstacle between you and him, which will give you a precious second’s head start. As a last resort, if the environment makes it impossible, you can still try to disable him.
In the first case which is also the most frequent, you can put an obstacle between you and him, such as a door, a chair across the way, or a vehicle over the bonnet of which you will have passed in the grip of adrenaline. It would be pointless to draw up a list of each and every possible situation. The most important is that you understand that it is possible to get a head start on your aggressor by using an obstacle, even if you don’t enter into a combat phase, which can be risky. However, you still need to be lucid enough during the aggression to analyze your environment properly.
Besides, if the environment does not allow you to put an obstacle between you and him and you have no other choice, then you start fighting back and this is where self defense techniques come into play (which should only be used if necessary, because no matter how well trained you are, there will always be an irreducible risk of being physically dominated in case of conflict, if only because of the stress that will have largely taken over your physical and mental dispositions). The aim is not to knock him out, which is very difficult in practice, but at least to reduce his ability to run so that he is no longer physically able to catch you (for example throwing a crushing low kick).
Escape is therefore essential, but it is still necessary to be aware of the complexity of such a move in order to understand it properly during training sessions.
