Self-Defense For Dummies

Get street-smart. Unleash your inner warrior.

Forget everything you thought you knew about self-defense. Those graceful martial arts moves that are so effective in the movies are likely to get you killed on the street. In fight-or-flight mode, you won’t have the calm thinking and fine motor skills to execute them. You need a simpler approach with a few fundamental moves that are easy to remember and perform yet devastating to an attacker. The solution? Self-Defense For Dummies, your guide to avoiding attacks, neutralizing attackers, and protecting yourself and your loved ones. In this book, you discover a self-defense system that works in the real world, where armed criminals target the most vulnerable and don’t fight fair.

• Discover strategies to make yourself a hard target, as opposed to an easy one
• Heighten your awareness of your surroundings and potential threats
• Sharpen your self-defense instincts and respond proactively to impending danger
• Master hand-to-hand combat basics and defend against grabs and holds
• Learn how to use weapons and defend against them

Introduction 1

Part 1: Getting Your Head in the Game 7

Chapter 1: Laying the Groundwork for Self-Defense 9

Chapter 2: Wrapping Your Brain around Self-Defense Concepts 23

Chapter 3: Developing a Self-Defense Mindset 43

Chapter 4: Knowing What You’re Up Against 57

Part 2: Starting with Basic Self-Defense Tactics 71

Chapter 5: Deterring Attacks and Attackers 73

Chapter 6: Getting Loud, Angry, and Violent 97

Chapter 7: Adding Weapons to Your Self-Defense Arsenal 103

Part 3: Developing Hand-to-Hand Combat Skills 127

Chapter 8: Knowing How and Where to Strike to Gain the Advantage 129

Chapter 9: Mastering Basic Empty-Hand Techniques 151

Chapter 10: Adding Advanced Strikes to Your Arsenal 175

Chapter 11: Breaking Free of Grabs and Holds 199

Chapter 12: Down-and-Dirty Ground Fighting 215

Part 4: Neutralizing Weapon Attacks 241

Chapter 13: Clearing the Weapon and Attacking the Attacker 243

Chapter 14: Surviving the Horror of an Active Shooter 269

Part 5: The Part of Tens 283

Chapter 15: The Ten Commandments of Self-Defense 285

Chapter 16: Ten Tips for Survivors 289

Index 295

Damian Ross is the founder and CEO of The Self Defense Company, a global organization of defensive tactic instructors, civilian advisors, and military and law enforcement officers dedicated to providing crime prevention and conflict resolution education and training.

Protect yourself -- whatever it takes

Forget everything you thought you knew about self-defense. You don’t need a black belt to protect yourself or others. In fact, those graceful martial arts moves that are so effective in the movies are likely to get you killed on the street. In fight-or-flight mode, you won’t have the calm thinking and fine motor skills to execute those scripted moves.

You need a simpler approach with a few fundamental moves that are easy to remember and perform yet devastating to an attacker. The solution? Self-Defense For Dummies is your guide to avoiding attacks, neutralizing attackers, and protecting yourself and your loved ones. In this book, you discover a self-defense system that works in the real world, where armed criminals target the most vulnerable and don’t fight fair.

Inside…

• Sharpen your situational awareness
• Make yourself a hard target
• Prepare physically and mentally for any threat
• Master essential hand-to-hand combat techniques
• Neutralize weapon attacks
• Use self-defense weapons to increase your odds
• Respond effectively to active-shooter situations