Self-defense: why you don’t have to punch hard

Master Kongling All, Self defense, Self defense scenarios 2

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Why you don’t have to immediately attack at full power

When it comes to self-defense, one of the most common perceptions often revolves around the idea of throwing as much as possible powerful punches and kicks to instantly incapacitate an opponent.

Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).

While the readiness to react does play a crucial role, the notion that we have to use all of our strength from the very start is a misconception.

In reality, in most cases, immediately opting for full-power strikes against an unknown assailant can be counterproductive and dangerous.

To explain this counterintuitive assertion, in this article, we will explore why and how employing a more strategic approach can bring better options to solve a self-defense scenario already escalated to the level of physical violence.

Why immediately implementing the utmost power can be a big mistake

A note by Master Kongling – A small premise: what we are going to explain is valid especially for not-practitioners and not-advanced practitioners; it is obvious that an expert can reasonably make totally different evaluations (based on his / her practical experience).

Let’s picture this, we are in front of an aggressive assailant and our instinct is to deliver a crushing blow to his body, these are the risks we are uselessly exposing ourselves:

Unbalance our center of gravity – No matter the age, if we are not trained in Dynamic Equilibrium (read The concept of Dynamic Equilibrium), we expose ourselves to the possibility to fall (even without active intervention of our opponent); the problem is that in an unknown environment where there are no protections (read What is the difference between real fights and combative sports?), a falling without knowing how to cushion the impact (read The falling techniques (breakfalls) [MINI-GUIDE]), could mean to die or at least to be subject of a disadvantage; even landing without damages, moving the confrontation on the ground is always an error in self-defense (read Ground fighting? Not good for self-defense)
Offer our inertia – A big part of martial arts is based on exploiting the adversary’s energy and a prepared aggressor will surely try to seize this opportunity; letting him / her exploit our inertia and instability may leave us vulnerable to an infinite number of possible reactions (first of all the throws, read The 3 phases of a throw)
Waste our energy – All those who do not train seriously and daily (read Daily training: the right psychophysical effort) are very far from being able to sustain a physical confrontation (even only for a single minute); in other words, it means that the truly useful blows that we will be able to deliver are very few (usually less than the fingers of a hand) and throwing one of them without knowing what result it will bring is really not very intelligent; if the opponent is smart, he / she might even decide to wait for us to get tired
Excess defense – Last but not least, if our reaction is disproportionate to the actual (demonstrable) risk, it is not at all unusual to go (more or less deservedly) from right to wrong (read Best martial arts for self-defense, prisons are full of people who were quite sure they were right)

What to do if we can’t immediately attack at full power?

Instead of launching an all-out attack, we should consider adopting a more strategic approach: exploratory jabs, light strikes and probing movements can in fact serve as invaluable tools in the early stages of a confrontation.

These techniques allow us to gauge our opponent’s reactions, response times (read Timing: the secret of combat effectiveness), and spatial intelligence (read The most important skill in combat) without overcommitting or compromising ourselves over a reasonable level.

Our goal is to get enough data to plan our self-defense strategy as much as possible effectively.

The advantages of this approach in detail

Testing reaction times and spatial intelligence

Engaging with exploratory jabs serves multiple purposes:

They give us insights into our adversaries’ reaction times – Are they quick to dodge, block, or counter? By understanding their responses, we can more rationally adapt our tactics accordingly
They can gain valuable information about the opponents’ spatial intelligence – How aware they are of their surroundings and how they position themselves during the confrontation? This knowledge can help us predict the moves they could make (and especially those that are, probably, out of their reach)

The psychological impact

Incorporating exploratory jabs doesn’t just provide tactical advantages, there are also 2 other hidden advantages:

To opt for more explorative blows may tell us how far the aggressor is truly willing to go – Many times the fact of being combative (before doing real damage) is enough to make less determined attackers give up; even if those in front of us think they are stronger than us (and they probably are since they have had occasion to evaluate us, read Sudden aggressions: the disadvantage of self-defense), they could easily give up if they understand that they are going to face more resistance than expected
Being more tactical can also have a psychological impact on our assailants – Our measured approach can sow doubt and uncertainty in their minds, making them more cautious (they could be asking themselves if we are a bit more prepared in combat than they expected us to be); those who understand something about combat know in fact that who remains calm but reactive is who has experience in that field (and very strong motivation is needed to decide to persist against such a kind of person)

The combat opportunities: transitioning to other techniques

Once we have gathered enough information (read How to study an opponent), nothing avoid us to decide to transition into bolder techniques:

Evolving the battle to a more intense phase
Or simply connecting other blows after the explorative ones

A note by Master Kongling – The idea is that armed with a better understanding of our opponents’ tendencies and weaknesses, we can certainly execute well-timed striking sequences, joint locks, takedowns, etc. but with greater accuracy and confidence.

Final notes

A few conclusive thoughts:

When confronted by an unknown assailant, if feasible, it’s essential to resist the urge to start with full-power striking; unbalancing our center of gravity without making contact can be a grave mistake that a prepared adversary can exploit
Exploratory jabs may be the key to assessing our opponents’ reactions, spatial intelligence, and psychological resistance; this approach may give us a significant advantage and eventually set the stage for other techniques as the situation unfolds
Is the approach we described always valid and effective? No, there are situations where we may already be brutally attacked, without interruption and suddenly or in group; in those cases, when there is a numerical or too wide disadvantage our reaction (if we cannot escape) should probably be as fast as possible and as intense as possible (read The 6DKF’s diagram about the use of violence); said this, it goes without saying that if the sum of the disadvantages is too much on our side, it would be dishonest not to say that we will not save ourselves at all (or better, that our destiny will be in the hands of the case)
Ultimately what we want to stress is that self-defense is not solely about brute force, it’s about employing strategy, awareness, and adaptability; intelligence always triumphs over blind force and it is exactly for this reason that we created our S.A.F.E. method (read Personal defense: the S.A.F.E. method)
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In-depth video courses

Self-defense basics: how to – A video course about the 6 Dragons Kung Fu’s S.A.F.E. method
Self-defense: not violent self-preservation – Effective methods to solve self-defense scenarios without recurring to violence
Static and dynamic balance: how to – How to develop the skill that traces the clearer difference between the beginner and the expert

In-depth articles

The best way to hit first: a little trick – How to legally defend first
Self-Defense: 10 things to avoid in a quarrel – Prevention, by far the most effective weapon against any adverse situation

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

Have you ever been involved in a fight?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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