Self-defense training: avoid an assailant's punch

Of course if you know the person, the preferred method is to avoid having a confrontation reach the point where blows are actually exchanged. If you are dealing with a stranger, it is best to be aware of your surroundings at all times and not let him or her into your personal space or allow yourself to be in theirs.

When you can’t avoid the situation or you aren’t given the opportunity to escape, there are a few simple things to remember when dealing with a punch. The most important one is to remove the target.

To do this, you must first see it coming. Sucker punches are almost impossible to avoid. These are the ones often seen by high school age children who will be talking to someone or reaching into their locker, someone comes up behind them to tap a shoulder and WHAM the child is laid out without warning.

The straightforward punches can be foreseen and avoided though. The easiest is the old-fashioned haymaker style like John Wayne used to throw. These have the attacker drawing their arm and hand way back behind them and swinging the fist in a circular path towards you. They are usually aimed at the head, fairly slow in landing but can be powerful with the force and momentum of the body behind it. These styles of punches are used by men and women during fights so be prepared when in a hostile situation with either.

At times, these can be avoided by taking a step backwards, drawing your head and shoulders away from your assailant. This is an example of removing the target. Another thing you can do is step back with one leg and execute a middle or scoop block in the path of the punch.

Assuming your assailant is facing you and swinging with his right hand, you will want use your right leg to step back and to the side of your left leg. Your feet should both be facing forward and your right foot is at an approximate 45-degree angle from your left. Keep your front (left) leg bent at the knee and your right leg straight. This will give you a firm foundation for your blocks and retaliatory strikes. It is a karate position called a “left forward stance.”

As you move your right foot into position, allow your left arm to drop downwards to begin the middle or “scoop” block. This block is one of the first taught to beginning martial artists and is accomplished by following these instructions.

Allow your left arm to drop down and to the outside of its corresponding (left) leg. Keep your elbow slightly bent and make a fist with your hand. Your knuckles will be pointed towards the floor and the back of the hand will be facing forward.

Now to actually make the block, imagine you have a large coffee cup or sauce pan in your hand. You are gripping it by the handle and there is also a barrel of water directly in front of your body. In a sweeping motion, use the imaginary cup to “scoop” a out some of the water and then toss it back to the left of your body. Practice this movement several times and then try to end it perpendicular to the ground and just slightly to the outside of the right side of your body. The edge of the fist with your thumb and the radius bone in your arm will be the blocking areas and will be to the outside of the block.

It is important with this block to keep your arm relaxed until the last moment before ending the block. This allows a smoothness and speed giving you a better chance of actually blocking the punch. At the last moment, you will want to clench your fist and tighten the muscles and tendons of your forearm.

To be affective, this block needs to be practiced many times. Speed will build as you become more familiar with the movements of your foot, arm and hand. Be sure to practice both left and right middle blocks in case your attacker happens to be a lefty. The moves will be exactly the same for the right middle block except your right arm and hand will be giving the block and your right leg is the lead (front) leg.

Don’t forget to have your feet firmly planted before you execute this block. If they are not, an attacker’s punch may still knock you back or down even though you had the block up in time. This is because your foundation wasn’t secure so you were already off balance.

A little knowledge can be helpful in defending yourself against an assailant but only if the moves are practiced until they become second nature to you. Practice can be done alone or with a partner. If you don’t have a friend that will help you, put your child on a chair so he or she is somewhere near head level to you and have them throw a punch. They will get a kick out of it as well as learn something that may come in useful if they ever need to defend themselves.