Learning Self-Defense Psychology To Protect Yourself

When the primary objective of a self-defense class is to help you protect yourself from violent assault, a core component of the training should be on the art of assault prevention. Your use of combat man oeuvres can save your life in the event of violent assault, but it's best to avoid any situation in which you would need to use them. Therefore, your understanding of the psychology of violent behaviour is just as important as your physical training in defense movements. This will make a real difference when defending yourself in a real life situation.

Before taking a self-defense class, find out if it offers you training and education on recognising the different stages of physical attack. An assault doesn't occur 'out of nowhere', and if you learn to recognise the warning signals that one might occur, you're better prepared to escape a dangerous situation in one piece.

The violent behavior portion of self-defense training should include information on:

Body Language - Your body language sends signals to those around you, as does the body language of a potential attacker. Self-defense classes should teach you the movements and attitude that you must assume to avoid the 'victim profile'. They should also teach you which movements to watch for from others, such as posturing and stalking behaviors, so you can recognise them.

Attack Initiation - If an assailant has targeted you, he will try to approach you, talk with you, distract you, or manoeuvre you into isolation. It's not too late to avoid assault if this happens to you, but you must recognize it for what it is and get out of the situation. A self-defense class covers the communication skills and escape tactics you'll need to stop the attack from progressing.

Attack Escalation - It's not always possible to dodge a swift attacker in the initiation stage, but you still have a chance of avoiding assault if you recognise and effectively handle an escalating situation. By studying the psychology of aggression in self-defense classes, you'll immediately notice the warning signs of an impending attack-and know effective strategies for diffusing the attacker.

The hand-to-hand combat man oeuvres you learn in self-defense training are only a last resort for protecting yourself in real life situations. By also providing you with knowledge on the psychology of aggression and violent behavior, a self-defense class teaches you the art of avoiding and diffusing attackers before they launch a violent physical assault.