An effective self defense offensive technique includes 3 phases: a dodge, a blocking and a strike. All carried out simultaneously.
We have talked about blocking and hitting. But they are not the main part of a technique. Indeed, it is rather the dodge that is the basis of everything.
In this article, you will understand how and why you should dodge, THE most important move!
Table of Contents
Dodge properly
Considering the example of a top-down knife attack, you could:
- Dodge on the open side (if the attack comes from the right side, you will have to come out on the left side).)
- Simultaneously block the arm holding the knife;
- Strike the throat.
We talked about this in a previous article as well as the importance of not staying in the central line of an aggressor.
That being said, dodging an attack properly requires a little more than theory.
First you have to make sure not to dodge from the wrong side. Dodging from the attacking side is trickier because the opponent may correct the trajectory of his strike a little and intercept you in your dodge. If you dodge from the open side, this would be less probable (but not impossible, watch out!). On the other hand, you are dodging on the side of the free fist.
This can be dangerous, even if logically it is better to dodge a knife blow and take a punch, rather than the opposite. Moreover, dodging on the wrong side does not place you in the best position to block the blow, the block being an additional protection to avoid the attack.
It is for these reasons that one must integrate a strike in any riposte, in order to neutralize as much as possible the potential of the aggressor who, having been impacted by a strike, will be less able to to beat you up.
A second element for a successful dodge is to try as much as possible to do it at the last minute, and as close as possible to the opponent. This is where the real difficulty lies as it requires good timing and therefore a good view of the situation. Naturally, this can only be acquired through practice!
This allows to short-circuit at most the reactions of the aggressor, who will have a drastically reduced leeway at such a short distance. But above all it allows you to stand at a distance to inflict damage, making a headbutt for instance.
Dodging is the best defense
Now, why should you dodge?
Defense involves a set of optimum movements to deal with a particular situation. These movements make up the technique. However, it is not a technique that will maximize your chances of survival, but certainly dodging!
To me, dodging constitutes the real defense. Logically, it is better to dodge all of your opponent’s blows than to block all of them since blocking implies an impact and thus damage. Furthermore, depending on your physical size and that of your attacker, chances are high that a full power attack will bypass your blocking attempt. A dodge does not allow any damage to pass, as all attacks will be thrown into the air.
Of course, this is a fictitious situation, given as an illustration. In real life, it is hardly possible to dodge all the blows of an opponent continuously, and it will therefore be necessary to retaliate at some point in order to neutralize the aggressor.
That being said, this image shows you that, when possible, dodging helps you survive. To stock all the odds in your favor, you should only use blocking as a back-up.
Finally, blows aim at stooping future attacks by causing enough damage to, if not knock out the opponent, at least immobilize him for a while which will allow you to escape.
When describing a technique, we tend to put aside dodging (blocking + counterattack). This is not because it is anecdotal, since it is quite the contrary actually, because dodging is vital and fundamental in self defense.
It is therefore crucial to train to move well, and to work on sharpening your gaze!
