The Last Resort When Your Life Is Being Threatened

Survival is all about preparing for situations that could potentially bring you harm.

And sometimes the person that can do you harm is staring you right in the face.

Here’s what to do as a last resort when your life is being threatened.

Engaging an attacker should always be a last resort.

Once an encounter starts, anything could happen and your life could be at risk.

For example, if you’re defending your home, even if you’re armed or know how to fight, the best option is never having to lock horns in conflict.

If you’re away from home, you should always be mindful of your surroundings.

Don’t unnecessarily put yourself in harm’s way and always look for avenues of escape first.

But sometimes conflict is inevitable.

Here are things to consider should you find yourself in a hand-to-hand combat defense situation.

The first step is conquering your fear.

When you’re afraid, it becomes much more difficult to think straight and behave in a rational manner.

It’s also important to manage your fear so you can present yourself in a confident manner.

The less fear you show, the less likely an attacker is to engage you.

Most criminals and potential attackers are looking for the path of least resistance.

Very few actually want to fight.

Next, understand that a real-life fight has legitimate stakes.

There’s no referee and a bell to stop things if they get out of hand.

For that reason, don’t be concerned with fighting “fair.”

Do what you have to do to protect yourself–and potentially others–by fighting as if your life depended on it.

Since you’re not in a sanctioned fight, the goal should be to end the fight quickly and incapacitate your attacker enough to subdue him and escape.

If your life is being threatened, go for the most vulnerable spots, which are the eyes, throat, and groin.

Remember, you’re fighting for survival, not for an MMA career.

The longer the fight drags on, the worse it will be.

Fighting is incredibly tiresome, even for professional fighters who train nonstop.

When you’re fatigued, you make poor decisions, and you’re much more vulnerable to injury.

Be as aggressive as you can in neutralizing the threat quickly, not winning a fight on style points.

Next, if you can find a blunt instrument laying around to ward off your attacker, that would be an ideal outcome.

Use whatever is at your disposal to protect yourself.

Finally, the best way to be prepared is to enroll in self-defense classes now.

In recent years, MMA has become incredibly popular, while some established forms of martial arts have receded a bit.

For example, while Tae Kwon Do is still popular, it might not be the best option for your self-defense strategy.

Tae Kwon Do requires you to keep your hands down in order to generate power on all of the kicks found in the art.

When your hands are down, you’re more vulnerable to being punched in the face.

Also, it takes incredible balance and athleticism to make the more powerful Tae Kwon Do kicks formidable.

MMA techniques that take advantage of leverage and grappling give you a better chance, even against a bigger opponent.