By Andy Grossman

Self-defense is not for the weak because the weak become victims. The most important thing to remember in life is you can and must fight back. Even if the battle doesn’t seem possible, you must keep fighting for survival. An attacker doesn’t want a fight and 9 times out 10 they are looking for the easy target. So, the ultimate goal when it comes to self-defense is to not be that easy a target and always have a way to defend yourself if and when the time comes. There are many different forms of self-defense, but they all have advantages and disadvantages so for a beginner this can definitely get tricky so let me break a few of the most popular methods of defense down for you.

Firearms

The very first thing we probably all think about when it comes to self-defense is the all-mighty gun. Now guns are definitely my jam personally, but they are not always the answer to a defensive confrontation. A gun is deadly force, and you must understand that if you go for your gun in a defensive situation you are prepared to take another life. There is no shoot to wound or use the gun as a scare tactic. If you are drawing your firearm, you are now using deadly force and you must be certain that your life was in danger, or you may be faced with some heavy prison time if you got it wrong. Yes, a gun is the ultimate equalizer in a fight, but you must be careful when using it. You must train hard and often to ensure proficiency, accuracy, and legality when it comes to the gun. When I say train, I don’t mean just shoot once a year and call it good. You need to train weekly, even daily to make sure you are ready. You will be responsible for each and every bullet you fire until they stop. What this means is you must remember the rules of gun safety and you must know what’s beyond your target at all times. Over penetration and misses causing bodily harm to innocent people can land you in prison even if the shooting was justified. A gun is very effective for self-defense but remember, it should be a tool of last resort.

Knives

Another lethal option for self-defense is edged weapons or knives. We all know the old saying, don’t bring a knife to a gun fight. Well, it is true. If the attacker has a gun, then you should be able to meet them with equal force which would be a gun. However, if a gun is not available a knife may be a good option because any weapon is better than no weapon at all. A knife is close quarters combat. You are going to be up close and personal no matter what when it comes to fighting with a knife so be prepared to be covered in blood and probably stabbed or beaten a bit yourself. In any defensive situation you just have to keep that never-give-up mindset and no matter what happens you are going to win that fight. I always recommend keeping a knife on your body like on your belt or in your pocket for quick access. Fumbling around in your bag will cost you precious time and most likely land you lying on the ground as a victim so make sure you are quick with the knife. Like a gun, practice daily. Practice drawing and deploying and you can even practice slashing and stabbing in a safe and controlled environment on a target or dummy. Make sure your knife is always sharp and in good working condition. When we talk about edged weapons there is more to it than just knives also. Most of us carry a weapon around with us every day and we probably don’t even realize it. Keys can be a very effective weapon when it comes to self-defense. They can be used to slash, stab, punch, and even swing depending on your key chain. A key to the face will ruin an attacker’s day for sure.

KniPepper Sprayves

One great tool to keep on your keychain is pepper spray. I carry pepper spray in my truck every day. In my opinion it is a very underrated self-defense tool that isn’t lethal and really doesn’t require much training to use. I did say much training which means I do recommend a bit of training at least.  You can buy training pepper sprays so you can practice shooting it and learn the distance and exactly what to expect when you do spray one. If you have never been pepper sprayed before let me tell you, it sucks. When you spray one in self-defense be ready to get some residual in your eyes as well. You just have to work through it and stay in the fight and hope you incapacitated your attacker more than yourself.

Mixed Martial Artss

In my opinion the most important training you can ever do for your defense skills is some form of hand to hand and ground combat training. Boxing, karate, jiu jitsu, etc. More than likely, you are going to find yourself in a fight for your life and it may happen so quickly that you don’t have time to pull a gun, a knife, or get your pepper spray ready. You are going to be fighting with your hands and if you don’t know how to use them you will be in trouble. Punching someone is only effective if you actually know how to throw a punch and if you are smaller chances are your punches will not be as effective if a big guy is attacking you. To be successful you must train. Understanding the human anatomy will also work to your advantage because you can aim for the sensitive spots. If it is a guy attacking, you go for that groin. In self-defense there is no such thing as fighting dirty. Take every advantage that you can to win that battle. Remember the best way to win any confrontation is to avoid it completely but when you can’t avoid it make sure you are prepared with at least one of these methods. Honestly, I make sure I always have them all available to me daily and I urge you to do the same.