Learn something now: Run, Yell, Tell, Hit, + Go Along
Hit, cont'd
If you’re being physically attacked, you may need to hit the attacker to protect yourself.
There are six primary targets on the human body that you can hit to cause excruciating pain or temporary disability: eyes, nose, throat, groin, knees, and feet.
You’ve probably felt the effectiveness of some of these, like if you’ve ever dropped something on your foot or gotten something in your eye. Now, imagine someone doing that with lots of force and on purpose – it hurts!
I (Lauren) was once bumped in the nose in a martial arts class by a small 10-year-old who wasn’t hitting hard or on purpose. It was just like in the cartoons--everything went black and I saw stars!
And anyone who’s done sports knows how easy it is to damage a knee. Knees are only made to go one direction, so pressure in any other direction can cause temporary disability, and then the attacker can’t run after you.
We hit only when there’s physical danger and when Run, Yell, and Tell (covered in previous newsletters) didn’t work or aren’t available.
The goal of hitting (or any other self-defense technique, including Run, Yell, and Tell), is to give you enough time to get to safety (usually where there are other people).
Next newsletter we’ll talk about simple ways to hit the eyes, nose, throat, groin, knees, and feet. Stay tuned!