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Hey, another slow day. But how about this:
Have you ever considered using your voice as a weapon in a self-defense situation? The obvious way to do so would probably be a verbal de-escalation situation, in which you would carefully talk to an aggressor in order to calm him down, dissuading him from striking you.
But what if that doesn’t work? Could you use your voice in another way? I’ve been wondering if, in certain situations, it would make sense to act a bit crazy when confronted with a threat, just to distract the assailant. He may or may not be armed, or he might have a friend with him. I may not be able to get away, but I’m not in a good position to strike either (too far away, or he might have a weapon, but I can’t reach it). What if I suddenly started singing? 🙂 It may divert his attention and while he is thinking WTF, it may give me an opportunity to reach for his weapon, or walk a bit closer, into range, and then strike.
He could also be accosting me, maybe trying to corner me and I can see he is about to strike with his fist or even a weapon (knife, stick). Even though I would obviously have my KM defense in mind, would doing something weird (such as singing, or saying something weird that doesn’t make any sense), confuse the opponent for just a second, so that i could then move in and have a better shot at safely completing my KM defense?
Another, more combative way to use your voice would be to yell into his ear, at the top of your lungs and as high-pitched a tone as possible, most likely during a grappling situation, where your head happens to be close to his. This could make him flinch and feel disoriented for a second, giving you a chance to make some space and possibly get him to let go off you, so you could escape.
Any other ideas?
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GiantkillerI like the Screaming in the Ear idea and if you get close enough you should take a big bite too.
Have you ever heard of Verbal Judo?
While Verbal Judo is probably best used when the attack is not imminent (you only have time to react and fight). In any case it is required reading at many LE Academies and the teachings do have merit.
At the FAST Defense course I did, we were encouraged to use our voices aggressively when it came to a physical confrontation (obviously when doing the pre-fight training, the aim was to walk the line between being aggressive and passive – i.e. assertive). The suggestions were to use a simple word or two like \”NO!\” or \”BACK OFF!\”, and repeat that whilst delivering strikes etc – it was surprising how much extra power it seemed to generate, as well as helping to break the \”freeze\” syndrome and power us into action. Also, we were told that if it came to a real physical confrontation on the street, it would look better to witnesses if we were shouting that kind of stuff as it implies we’re the defender rather than aggressor! 😉
The verbal judo sounds interesting, although it isn’t explained exactly how it works on the website (I suppose you have to order the book). But, as Fighting American said, it may not work as well when the attack is imminent.
Taking the perception of witnesses into consideration while yelling \”No!\” and the like is a good point, too. Now everyone knows you are the one under attack and that a physical counter might be justified.
Of course, if he has a gun, there is always the danger that yelling at him would only make him mad and it doesn’t take much to pull that trigger. So, in that case, you might need to take a softer approach in talking to him, maybe asking him what he wants and strike when he responds, or carefully getting a bit closer to him if the gun is initially too far away for you to make a KM defense.
Of course, once you have redirected the weapon and are striking the assailant, you can go back to yelling. I could see how this would give you extra energy and power and it might even intimidate the attacker, because he probably wouldn’t have expected it (especially if he selected you to be an \”easy\” victim, maybe small and gentle, suddenly you defend and yell at the top of your lungs, it may startle/confuse/scare him).
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GiantkillerEither one will do. The loud command voice you will have to use if the calming de-escalation tactic fails. But should you decide to use a loud command voice, avoid profanity and leave that to the action stars. Do not scream as this not only can escalate the situation, it can also make him/her not hear your instructions clearly. You can yell, however, when you throw a punch and fight like an animal in order to not only generate extra power but also to catch him/her off guard.
I believe that when you are trying to de-escalate the situation, you should speak loud enough so that any passers by will hear you. They will see you passively trying to avoid the situation and can be witness to the fact and testify that you were merely defending yourself. If they only hear you yell as you are hitting or kicking the guy, then they will most likely see you as the aggressor and testify to that effect.
On the other hand, if there is no one else around to witness the situation then the rules may obviously change. Do what you have to to survive.
Yeah, that’s a good point. If you are acting too crazy (maybe to confuse the attacker), but bystanders see it, they might believe you are the one who is out of control. I guess that’s another reason to be aware of one’s surroundings. If you see too many witnesses, better hold the crazy screams and talk loudly but calmly instead.
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Giantkiller
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