When it comes down to a real life situation in which your safety, and possibly your very life, are on the line, how comfortable do you feel about your ability to protect yourself and possibly your loved ones? This is a difficult question to consider and, although one can never be completely comfortable about such a situation with all of the unique possibilities one can encounter, there are certain things to consider now so that if that time comes you can be significantly more prepared.
The main thing to consider is that the rules change--A LOT--from the ring or the cage.
Your attacker will possibly have the element of surprise to put you immediately on the defensive.
He will not be looking for "worthy" opponents in his weight division.
Instead, he's probably picked you as a victim because he thinks he has the upper hand.
He may have a weapon or he may have friends around as an added guarantee that he'll get what he wants.
Given all of these variables, what should be at the foundation of your Go To self-defense techniques (of course, assuming that all other options are out of the question such as running away or giving the person your wallet, etc.
)? With these things in mind lets start with problem #1: The Element of Surprise.
If your attacker can make his attack when you don't expect it then it will be hard for you to do anything about it.
And he will automatically put you on the defensive.
So to counter this we need techniques that take very little time to execute, that will be powerful enough to disrupt his attack, and that will take you out of being on the defensive and put you into the offensive.
Moving onto problem #2: He'll likely be bigger and stronger or have something to compensate for it.
By this I mean he may likely have a baseball bat or some sort of weapon.
In order to counter this we will need only techniques that are aimed at vital areas on the body so that strength and power are not the main factors.
And finally, problem #3: Your attacker will be prepared.
He may have friends around, or a knife.
Who knows.
But the chances of him fighting a fair fight are slim to none.
So to counter this we are going to use techniques that keep distance between us and our attacker so that we have more time to see what's going on and to react accordingly.
Also, this gives us a better chance at making a run for it at the first available moment.
We won't want any techniques that involve going to the ground where we run the risk of being stomped on by multiple attackers or not being able to move out of the way should a blade be pulled out, plus it'll be harder to turn around and run.
With these things in mind here are 3 Jeet Kune Do techniques to help you in a life and death situation: Technique #1: Finger Jab.
The Finger Jab is primarily aimed at one of the eyes.
With your hand outstretched, put your fingers together and keep them slightly bent so that the tips of your first three fingers form a flat surface.
Tuck your thumb down so that it doesn't get caught on something.
Keeping your fingers together and slightly bent helps protect you from breaking your fingers if you miss your target and hit a hard, boney surface instead.
Now extend your arm fully, turning your shoulders for extra reach.
To practice this have a partner hold his hand up with his palm facing you.
Have him randomly move forward towards you as if to attack and each time he steps within reach of you, fire off a finger jab into his hand.
You can also develop your accuracy by drawing a small circle on a piece of paper and hanging it on a string.
Then practice striking the circle, judging how accurate you are by where the paper is showing damage.
Technique #2: Front Kick.
This one is aimed at the groin and works great in combination with the Finger Jab.
All you do is lean back slightly as you bring your foot straight up.
Point your toe downwards to give you a little more reach in case your attacker reacts to your kick by pulling his hips back.
Practice this one the same way as you practiced your finger jab with a partner.
You can also have him hold something for you to kick with his other hand so that you can practice your Finger Jab and Front Kick together when he moves in (one right after the other).
Technique #3: Side Kick.
If done properly this kick is very effective, not only because it is usually aimed at the knee, but also because when your leg is extended it is very hard for your attacker to rush in on you.
To throw a Side Kick you will lean back slightly and pivot on your foot so that your body is sideways to your attacker.
At the same time you also lift your other leg up and then thrust it down into the attacker's knee.
Think of pumping your leg like when you're starting a motorcycle.
If your attacker did rush you and you felt like you were being pushed backwards when you make contact, you can then use what's called a Pendulum Step to keep your balance and to put more distance between you and your opponent.
A Pendulum Step is hard to describe but basically you put your kicking foot down next to your foot that's grounded and then move your grounded foot back behind you into a comfortable stance.
It sort of looks like a backwards hop right after landing your Side Kick.
Train this the same way as the previous two techniques, but if you can, have your partner put on a catcher's shin/knee guard so that you can lay into the kick a bit more.
With these 3 Techniques you are now much more prepared to protect yourself on the streets.