There are 3 targets on your assailants body that when struck properly, could provide you an avenue of escape. It could save your life in a fight. Let’s go over what they are and how to address them in a highly effective way.
If violence happens to find you, then you must be able to react quickly and decisively in order to make good your escape.
In situations where there is a high potential for injury or even death to result, you only have a 1/4 to 1/2 a second to plan your first strike, and to make it count.
There are 3 particularly vulnerable areas of the body that you can strike with enough force that it will inflict serious injury if the situation requires it.
The 3 main target areas are the eyes, the throat and the groin.
The Eyes
The eyes remain a very vulnerable target and can be effectively attacked in order to distract an assailant and enable you to either apply a strike or escape.
The eyes are connected directly to the brain via the optic nerve and are comprised of 3 soft layers that can be crushed relatively easily. It does not take excessive amounts of force to inflict damage to an eyeball.
Remember, your level of violence must be proportionate to the threat. If it is an extremely high level threat or notable size variation between you and your attacker, you could likely make this justification.
The intervention can range from simple distraction such as a flick to the eyes to a thumb gouge aimed at complete incapacitation and long term damage.
If you intend on attacking the eyes of your assailant there are no half measures. Chances are if it has come to this then you are in trouble. To be effective you should use your thumb one hand while using your other hand to pull your opponent’s head toward the thumb you intend on inserting or have already done so.
This will inflict a high degree of pain on your attacker and it will provide you the momentary opportunity you need to escape.
The Throat
The throat can be attacked with a First Strike technique which cause a reflex gagging action as the person struck gasps for air.
The windpipe is protected on either side by the sternomastoid muscles of the neck. The throat is often an awkward target since experienced fighters keep their chin tucked low, which tends to protect this area very effectively.
However if you see an opportunity you can use a straight fist directly at the Adam’s apple with as much force as you can initiate.
Now if you find yourself in tight and you want to bring your attacker to his knees you can target an area called the throat notch or suprasternal notch. That’s the soft area just below the Adam’s apple.
In order to drop your opponent there are 2 ways you can attack this area. The first is to push your finger directly into the area. This will cause a flinch response and set you up for a follow up strike.
The second is to take your index and second finger, hook on and pull down with everything you have. This is more controlled and it will cause a massive flinch response in your opponent and they are going to try desperately to get you to let go. This is your opportunity to deliver another strike on another part of the body.
The Groin
The groin area is another soft tissue area not covered by natural protection. Any damage to this area causes the opponent to involuntarily protect his injured area, usually with his hands or legs.
In male opponents, the scrotum is the main target since even a near miss causes severe pain, contraction of the lower abdominal muscles, deterioration of his stance, and possible internal trauma. This is a good thing for you.
Inflicting a strike in this area can be done with either a foot, a fist or a knee depending on your orientation during the conflict. A word of warning… anytime you kick somebody you are risking your own stance and stability. Kicks are best delivered with an element of surprise.
Remember there is no such thing as a cheap shot in a fight.
If you practice these things, you will come out on top.
And to make that easier for you, I’ve also filmed a quick video that goes over everything we talked about in this article. Plus I want to give you a handy 1-page “cheat sheet” you can print up to make things easy for you. To get access to both the video and the cheat sheet just click here.
I want to know more.. is this a Krav Magaa styled course? Sheet?
Hey Jonathan…this is a series of different skills we have used in our 25 years of service ranging from locks, chokes, weapons defence and retention to weapons of opportunity. It is not one specific system but rather a collection of useable skills.