Self-Defense for beginners

In Tony Blauer's SELF-DEFENSE FOR BEGINNERS, he covers tactics that apply to all, not just beginners. Some key points:

As a rule, we advocate adopting a submissive posture (Hands up ‑ palms out ‑elbows in.) This suggests compliance to your attacker, which plays to his ego, creating overconfidence, which always leads to carelessness.The submissive posture is also your stance. From this position you can attack or block. Analyze this as you practice verbal simulations and scenarios.

... 60% of communication is the made up of your body language and therefore the stance you adopt or the tension you carry will say more than your words.

An opponent who believes you to be afraid of him will make many mistakes.

Always strike with speed first. Get your opponent’s nervous system jumping and then move in and finish the task. This may sound obvious, but, in an effort to get things over quickly, many martial artists and street fighters launch the telegraphic “hay maker” or power strike. Think speed.

Never strike just once. The most effective combinations utilize a broken rhythm which is most easily achieved by working in groups of threes.

In the street, things can happen so fast that your initial strike may have little effect other than to startle your would‑be attacker. Your second shot might miss simply because the attacker has suddenly moved to cover or counter. It is your third shot that logically could do the most damage.

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