3 self-defense techniques that could save your life
We’ve heard it time and again: “The world is a dangerous place.” True enough, we’ve heard of dozens of crimes in the news—from robbery to rape, and even murder. These are barely the tip of the iceberg, as hundreds of crimes happen per day. And while we can do our best to avoid dangerous situations, it always helps to be prepared to protect ourselves.
When it comes to self-defense, the traditional martial arts such as karate, taekwondo, and boxing come to mind. However, there are times when these might seem impractical—especially in a street setting or one wherein your opponent is in close quarters.
With this in mind, I did some research and chanced upon three self-defense techniques that work well in a real-world scenario.
A fascination with martial arts
Coach Dax Cordero is someone you wouldn’t expect to be a total badass. He is a practicing dentist who’s been advocating proper self-protection (a more apt term for practical self-defense) for private individuals. He puts an emphasis on teaching women, since they are perceived to be more vulnerable, and consequently, often targeted by criminals.
His fascination with martial arts came at an early age. Being a member of the karate team in high school, his skill set and interest grew during his teens. This love affair came to a pause once he entered college, but it has since been rekindled after discovering the Filipino martial art of Arnis.
Arnis is a stick or blade fighting technique that has been taught to our local military and police, and has even been featured in popular media. However, we’re here to talk a little bit about three lesser-known but very practical self-protection techniques we should all consider.
Carlos Hermanos (Arnis)
This technique is a very streamlined and offensive style of arnis. Coach Dax began training in Carlos Hermanos (CH) under its founder, Sixto Carlos. Consequently, he granted Coach Dax’s certification and deemed him a senior instructor of his system. CH is heavy on the mastery of fundamental movements and sparring—with the goal of immersing the practitioner in the total-weapons-fighting experience.
Pros:
- very practical and easy to learn
- geared more for actual fighting than art
- makes use of simple gross motor movements that are easily recalled during stressful situations
- techniques can be used for improvised weapons like canes, ballpens, umbrellas, etc.
Cons:
- the lack of “art” makes it unattractive to watch, and may turn off traditional martial artists
- no empty hand techniques
- care must be taken when deciding when to appropriately use weapons fighting against an opponent, as there will almost always be legal repercussions in doing so
- daily sparring sessions might scare away casual practitioners, who don’t like to experience any degree of pain
Libre knife fighting
This art is another art similar to Arnis and features a very aggressive type of knife fighting. It specializes in the use of short and concealable bladed implements. Libre was founded in the early 2000s by Scott Babb in San Diego, California. Coach Dax is a certified Libre Master Craftsman—the highest in the Libre Guild—and currently serves as the sub-regional head of Libre Knife Fighting Philippines. Unlike the bladework of Carlos Hermanos that employs a dueling type of weapons fighting, Libre is more about preemption and ambush—striking your adversaries when they least expect it.
Pros:
- most techniques are “street proven”—often derived from hours of CCTV footage of actual knife encounters
- very aggressive, as it makes use of knives and weapons that are short and easily concealable, like folding knives, pens, ice picks, screwdrivers, etc.
Cons:
- only a few empty hand techniques
- heavy legal implications when fighting with a knife
- short knives might not be very effective against heavy clothing
- often misunderstood as promoting criminal behavior, and not as a method of self-protection against individuals who pose threats to your life, and/or of those you love
Urban combatives
Urban combatives (UC) is a method of self-protection that involves hard skills like striking, kicking, and takedowns—along with “soft” skills or “street smarts.” These include skills like observation, situational awareness, de-escalation, recognition of pre-threat cues, and evasion.
Urban combatives was developed by Lee Morrison in London. It was borne from adapting skills that he had developed over the years as a lifelong martial artist, a former street gang member, and a doorman (bouncer) in some of London’s most notorious night spots. Coach Dax is currently a UC apprentice instructor and has been assigned as the manager of UC operations in Southeast Asia by Mr. Morrison himself.
Pros:
- very practical hard skills that are easy to learn, and can deal the maximum amount of damage when trained regularly
- comprehensive approach to self-protection—with avoidance and escape as the ultimate goal
- backed by actual real-world experience by its founder
Cons:
- he use of preemptive attacks is often misunderstood and taken out of context, particularly in the legal sense
- lectures on street smarts and soft skills might bore those who just want to learn the physical aspects of self-protection
Better safe than sorry
In closing, self-protection is all about being proactive. Self-defense comprises only a fourth of the aforementioned skills and has a few shortcomings that can easily be rectified. Realistically, the reasons or degrees of learning may differ due to varying needs (i.e. the needs of members of the military and law enforcement as opposed to civilians). Nonetheless, everyone should learn how to keep themselves safe from predators in the real world by having some level of experience.
Coach Dax’s experience spans a wide clientele. He has taught soldiers, professional fighters, executives, athletes, priests, and teenage boys and girls—all of which have adapted their training to their own personal lives.
His advice to anyone who wants to learn? To give each one a try, as it all depends on what works best for you.
