Natural movements for Self-Protection

[Rebel Wado]

Techniques intended for self-defense need to be reliable when the body is under the influences of the human "fight or flight" response system. When the body is subjected to higher adrenaline levels, not only are there physical changes, but also neuralogical changes as well. Techniques that are not ingrained into seated instinct may become very sloppy, forgotten, inefficient, and ineffective when placed under the influences of high adrenaline levels.

Many techniques taught in martial arts are not instinctive movements to begin with. They only become part of seated instinct after many repetitions, regular practice, and some real world experience. This could take months or years to develop some techniques to the instinctive, natural, and fluid levels necessary for them to be reliable in a self-defense situation.

What can one do in the mean time?

For starters, one can develop a tool set of techniques based on natural movements. These techniques are based on natural movements and thus they will take less time to ingrain into seated instinct.

As have been taught in self-defense courses from our school, here are some examples of natural movements turned into martial techniques:

1. Front kick to groin, small intestine, hip track, or inside of knee: execute as if running a sprint. Lift knee up and thrust foot forward as if running through the attacker.

2. Elbows to rear: execute as if pumping the arms when running a sprint. Pump fist up (keeping palm facing inside) on one side while throwing elbow back with other arm. Repeat driving the elbows.

3. Uppercuts to throat, body, chin: execute as if pumping the arms when running a sprint. Same as elbows to rear but this time the fist is rotated slightly into an uppercut to the front.

4. Eye rakes: execute with wrist action as if waving goodbye. Place hand in face, rotate side to side quickly at the wrist and rake with fingernails and thumb. Can be combined with palm strike.

5. Tiger Claw to face, chin, collar bone: palm strike/smash/slap and flex wrist back the same as a cat does to extend claws. Fingers are kept slightly bent. This is a combination of two movements. The first is either a straighter palm strike OR a more circular slap or palm smash. The second movement done as the palm is about to hit is to flex the wrist back. The fingers will naturally bend slightly at this point (claws) and the palm will extend out (striking surface).

6. Footwork: combination of football (American football and soccer), basketball, and fencing... not exactly natural, but when taught in the context of a drill/game, it does start off more fluid than static.

7. Suppleness: Some sensitivity drills with grappling to help get experience escaping grabs and holds. Not exactly natural but can be taught with a theme of water. Good experience.

Well there is more to it, and many things need to be evaluated on a case-by-case, need to learn, basis. However, I hope this post gives a taste of how valuable natural movements can be in martial arts, particularly for the new or novice martial artist.

[Matt_Bernius]

Perhaps one of the most useful natural movements to work on is the conversion of the flinch reaction. We're pretty much all hard wired to flinch when we receive a stimulus that overloads us. So many RBSD systems work on methods to convert the flinch into a forward block/strike motion. An example of this is the SPEAR concept from Blauer Tactical.

- Matt

[narcsarge]

Great post! I would like to add that all training for Self Defense focus on preparing someone for pain. That is fear and the infliction of pain will usually wipe out what was taught in most classes. The surprise I see when I am demonstrate releases and counter strikes, where I am asked to play the attacker, and I try to grab someone and take them "some where". The simple fact is if someone wants to grap you they are not planning on grabbing you and standing there. No, they want to take you some where. If someone attacks you, they will not do so with soft hands, they want to hurt you. If you have not trained someone's mind to deal with that, all the training in the world is irrelevant. :Angel:

[Sankaku-jime]

what are natural movements ? and what seperates unnatural from natural,

i suspect that the term "natural movement" is just some marketing slogan

[Rebel Wado]

what are natural movements ? and what seperates unnatural from natural,

i suspect that the term "natural movement" is just some marketing slogan

Natural movements refers to learned movements that come instinctively because they have been ingrained into the neural pathways and muscle memory. They do not refer to combat movements but movements used everyday. Another way to label them would be second nature movements.

Example of natural movements for the average person would include, walking, running, pushing, pulling, lifting, waving (the hands), slapping, hugging, squatting, jumping. Although with age or physical disabilities some of these movements might be limited.

In addition, if a person is involved in sports, movements learned in the sport also can become natural.

Unnatural is any movement that is new and thus it is not ingrained into seated instinct. Most martial arts is unnatural to beginners because it is all new.

[Sankaku-jime]

Natural movements refers to learned movements that come instinctively because they have been ingrained into the neural pathways and muscle memory. They do not refer to combat movements but movements used everyday. Another way to label them would be second nature movements.

Example of natural movements for the average person would include, walking, running, pushing, pulling, lifting, waving (the hands), slapping, hugging, squatting, jumping. Although with age or physical disabilities some of these movements might be limited.

In addition, if a person is involved in sports, movements learned in the sport also can become natural.

Unnatural is any movement that is new and thus it is not ingrained into seated instinct. Most martial arts is unnatural to beginners because it is all new.


good explanation thanks,

[Agutrot-]

I'm personally of the belief that for women to effectively defend theirselves they should learn Jiu-Jitsu. BJJ teaches you how to control a larger opponent which is generally true for women vs. men. If a man is attacking you he'll probably take you to the ground where he has the advantage due to his size, nuetralizing most groin strikes. The problem with eye rakes and gouges is simple: it'll just piss him off causing him to tee off on you. Even if he is blinded which is harder to do then you think that man is going to be upset.

If you can dislocate someone's joint/break their arm/choke them unconcious you'll be in a much better situation. As a rule people usually aren't as tough when they have a broken arm.

My other reason for supporting jiu-jitsu is no one expects it. My friend on the wrestling team wanted me to wrestle with him one day, so I put him in a triangle. With no knowledge of what I was doing he didn't defend it at all.

Hitting someone in the nuts is overrated. Sure it hurts, but it isn't debilitating. The early UFCs helped me make these conclusions. A tiny Royce Gracie beating up on guys twice his size when groin strikes were still allowed. Just my opinion, I'm no teacher.

[Rebel Wado]

I agree Agutrot, jiu-jitsu is good training and can be applied well against people that are larger than you.

I also very much agree with the mental aspects brought up by Matt_Bernius and narcsarge.

I remember taking women to RBSD seminars and them coming out of it with "eyes wide open" as if they had suddenly awakened and now the real world made more sense to them. These seminars hit the mark and got them thinking and wanting more.

There was almost no technique taught in them, just how to use pepper spray and some role playing out of some "common" situations and setups used by rapests and muggers.

These women were not martial artists, but they still appreciated what was being presented and what they learned from it. Even if what they came out learning from it was probably less than 10% what was being taught.

Of vital importance was to give them techniques they could remember and practice at home, on their own or with their significant others or brothers, etc. This means you have to teach them something that they can remember correctly so that they don't practice it wrong at home.

Realizing that you may never see these women in a martial arts class, techniques taught had to be very carefully chosen. To teach techniques based on natural movements was just a way we thought would help with this and also make things seem less intrusive and scary for the average person with little or no martial arts experience.

By all means, get them to continue training in more regular and formal martial arts and/or RBSD. I do not discourage that, I just don't think most of what is taught to beginners in martial arts can easily be practiced at home and not get it wrong, or that it is all that instinctive to begin with.

[Agutrot-]

Good point, I wasn't thinking of it from the perspective of the average person who, unlike me, doesn't have unlimited free time.