How to Defend Yourself When Attacked

The best way to defend yourself is to hit or scratch an opponent’s vulnerable areas, such as the eyes, nose or groin area . In addition, you must know how to protect your head, abdomen and groin area by using your hands or surrounding objects to cover. If possible, avoid confrontation by showing confidence, asking them to back off, or run away.

Table of Contents

Dealing with someone who intends to attack

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Resolve conflicts verbally to avoid violent conflicts. If the attacker starts talking rudely, you should say nice things to defuse the situation. It’s best to help them regain their composure or at least find a way to buy time to get out of it. ^{[1] X Research Source}

You could say something like, “I know you’re upset, but I don’t want to be confrontational. We shouldn’t continue here!”, “You’re scaring me, stay away from me! I’m going to call the police now,” or “Calm down. We don’t have to fight. I’m going”.
Even if they speak loudly or say offensive words, do not compete with them in shouting. Stay calm and defuse the situation so you can walk away.

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Get away from that place if you get the chance. When someone is aggressive towards you, hop in your car and drive away, into a nearby company, or into the crowd. If you have the opportunity to run away or avoid a fight, take it. Try throwing your wallet or watch to one side and run to the opposite side to escape. ^{[2] X Research Source}

If the attacker asks for your wallet, credit card, shirt or shoes, you should do as they say. You really don’t have to risk your life for a little money.

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Shout at the attacker to scare them away from hitting you. In most cases, attackers look for prey they find easy to defeat. Most want to avoid noisy situations that might attract the attention of people (or the police). If someone is coming towards you and might attack, shout “Back off!” ^{[3] X Research Sources}

If they keep coming then you scream continuously. Shout out loud things like, “Get away from me!” or “Don’t come near me!”
If you have a cell phone, you can pull it out and shout, “I’m calling 113 days now if you don’t back down!”

Dany Zelig

Self-defense martial arts instructor

Dany Zelig is the founder and owner of Tactica and the Tactica Krav Maga Institute based in San Francisco, California. He is the 2nd generation Krav Maga Israel master of Imi Lichtenfeld, directly certified by Imi’s great disciple and the Head of the hierarchy. He received the certificate of Military Master Krav Maga from the Wingate Institute in Israel in 1987.

Dany Zelig
Self-defense martial arts instructor

Our experts advise: Be confident and believe that you have the ability to fight back. You have to think that he won’t be able to win. It will motivate you and help you overcome your fear of the opponent, allowing you to protect yourself in the best way.

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Stand in a defensive position in case the opponent attacks you. If you can’t escape or defuse the situation, prepare yourself for a fight. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, your non-dominant foot in front. Keep your body weight balanced on both feet. Bend slightly so that your center of gravity is low, and bring your hands up to protect your face. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

This position will make it harder for others to attack you and give you more control when you need to defend yourself. Shrinking your body will make it harder for you to be knocked over and easier to balance while fighting back.

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Show confidence and sobriety to show that you’re not someone to give in to easily. Robbers and other criminals often try to hunt for easy prey such as people who are not very aware of their surroundings and can be easily ambushed. Instead of walking while staring at your phone, you should stand up straight, walk briskly, shoulders back and head up. Avoid making eye contact with anyone who appears to be following you, but glance back and forth to become aware of your surroundings. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

If the attacker feels you are a difficult target, they will give up.

Fight back the attacker

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Pierce or scratch the attacker’s eye. Fist your dominant hand into a fist and punch your attacker in the eye. If you’re holding the key, stab them in the eye, or you’ll scratch their eye with your fingernail. Your actions will scare the attacker and temporarily blind you so you have a chance to escape. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

You should remember that you are not intending to blind the attacker, but only to do some damage in order to be able to escape.

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Slap or punch the attacker in the nose. Make a fist and punch them in the nose, or pat their nose with your hand. Or you can hit them in the nose with your elbow if they’re within half a meter. Remember to gain momentum to make your shots stronger. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

The nose is a sensitive and vulnerable area. Hitting an attacker in the nose will cause them a lot of pain and you will definitely have time to get out of there quickly.

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Punch the forbidden ball or the base of the attacker’s throat. Fist your dominant hand into a fist or rotate your hand horizontally. Then, aim for the soft flesh between their collarbone and the base of their throat. Hit them hard to make them stop breathing temporarily. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

You should know that a strong punch to the forbidden ball can damage another person’s windpipe and kill them. Unless you’re really fighting for your life, don’t hit your opponent’s penalty as hard as you can.

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Spray pepper powder in their face if you have a pepper spray. Open the cap of the spray bottle and aim it straight at the attacker’s face. Try to aim them in the eye and spray. As soon as their eyes sting, you run away immediately. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Usually the effect of pepper powder will wear off after about 15-45 minutes.
Some people have a very good tolerance for pain, so it is possible that the attacker will continue to chase you. If they still attack, hit them in the eye or nose.

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Kick the opponent’s groin if the attacker is a man. Aim for the center of the opponent’s groin or between the legs. Then swing your legs back for momentum and kick them in the groin with maximum force. The attacker will be disabled for a while and you have time to escape. ^{[10] X Research Source}

You should remember that they may have guessed your intentions so they will quickly avoid or block the kick.
If you’re being attacked by a woman, kicking her in the groin isn’t a bad idea, but won’t be as effective as it is with men.

Defend and defend yourself

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Hit with the head if they hug you from behind. If someone hugs you from behind, hit your head back hard so that the back of your head hits their nose. The pain from the impact will make them let go of you. ^{[13] X Research Source}

If this doesn’t work, bend your knees to lower yourself. This move will loosen their grip. When their grip has loosened, you reach out and swing your elbow to hit them in the face. Use your elbow to hit the attacker’s nose to make them let go of you.

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Hit the attacker’s nose with his forehead if they’re coming from the front. If they hug you from the front, don’t panic. Instead, hit them in the center of their face with your head. Try to hit their nose with your forehead to make them hurt and release you. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Avoid hitting their forehead as you will be in more pain. The nose is soft so you will hardly be injured when using the head to attack.
If you can’t hit their head, punch one of their armpits. Hitting your armpits will make them release you.

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Use your hands and arms to protect your groin, throat, abdomen, and eyes. A strong hit to one of these sensitive areas will knock you out, so you must protect them while attacking. Place your hands and arms in front of sensitive areas to avoid being attacked. You will have to move your arms and hands while defending yourself to block the blows. Also, try to rotate your shoulders or raise your legs to deflect punches and ear slaps. ^{[15] X Research Source}

If you are knocked down and the attacker is kicking, roll up and protect your head.
The opponent will choose sensitive areas to attack first.

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Return to a defensive stance after launching an attack. Don’t give your attacker a chance to hold your hand or throw you off balance after you strike. After hitting them, you must immediately return to a defensive position with your legs slightly bent and your arms raised. Bring your dominant hand in front of your cheek and hold your other hand in front of your temple. You may lose consciousness if you are hit on the cheek or temple. Face protection is very important.

While fighting, make as much noise as possible. This can discourage them or attract the attention of those around them. Shout things like “Get away from me!” or “Leave me alone!”

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You can use anything as a weapon to fight back. Stab them in the eye with a key or hit them in the face with a bag or purse. If there are metal sticks or poles around, use them as weapons. You can even throw sand in their eyes to temporarily blind them. ^{[16] X Research Source}

Of course, these are not ideal weapons for fighting, but thanks to them, you only need a few stitches instead of being hospitalized.
Many people carry pepper spray, which is a great tool for self-defense if someone attacks you.

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Seek medical attention if you are injured during the attack. After reaching a safe place – whether it’s a crowded public place or your home – check your body to see if you are injured. If you are injured, see a doctor or go to the hospital. If you have a slight scratch or bruise, you only need to give first aid and apply a bandage.

The hospital will have security to handle the attacker if they are going to chase you to continue fighting.

Advice

Never turn your back to the attacker, because that is the opportunity for them to attack you. Instead, you should step back or sideways to get to safety, and always look in their direction.
If the attacker hugs you, stomp their foot. This won’t hurt them too much, but it will distract them so you have a chance to pull away.

Warning

If you are kidnapped or robbed, hit back hard. Don’t worry about hurting the bandits.
Some of the attacks mentioned above can cause serious injury. For example, if you stick your hand in someone’s eyes, they can get serious eye damage, and a punch to a forbidden ball can lead to death. If you’re fighting with your friends at school, it’s definitely not a good idea to seriously harm them.

Steps

Dealing with someone who intends to attack

Fight back the attacker

Defend and defend yourself

Advice

Warning

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