Imagine this, you’re walking home late at night and notice someone following you. The last thing you want is a confrontation. So, you quicken your steps to flee a situation clearly going sideways. But in a worst-case scenario, could you defend yourself? It’s a question definitely worth asking.

Self-defence is your right if you choose to! It is everyone's responsibility to protect their mind, body and soul and learning these basic techniques is the ideal way to gain the confidence that you can handle anything thrown your way. I am Kru Hemanth Kumar, and I’ll be your coach and guru, guiding you on this journey as you learn the fundamentals in the art of self-defence.

Having traversed the length and breadth of Thailand, to train amidst the national champions, I have spent the past three decades teaching and sharing my passion for the art of self-defence with thousands of people from all over the world. And through this series of blog posts, I hope to share with you all these critical techniques that might get you out of a sticky situation someday.

Regardless of your strength, size, or previous training in any form of martial arts, to learn effective self-defence all you truly need is a presence of mind and common sense. Through this series of blog posts, you will learn how to use the pressure points of the human body to effectively ward off an attacker.

For our first lesson in the art of self-defence, we will be looking at some basic techniques and moves you need to keep in mind when being strangled by the neck against a wall or in the centre of the floor.

Defending Against a Front Choke against a Wall

Being strangled during a physically violent attack is as common as it is terrifying. What is even more terrifying is that 8-14 seconds is all it takes to strangulate someone and lend them unconscious. This means that time is of the essence when you are under such an attack.

Before we do anything just yet, you need to make sure you are in a stable posture. One that will let you think, move and defend yourself to the best of your ability. Next to get out of this situation you need to loosen the attacker’s grip around your airways. So how do we do that?

• A swift inside whirl of your elbow from the outside will loosen the attacker’s hold and break his leverage
• This should buy you enough time to attack the assailant’s groin with your knee or feet depending on how close you are
• To finish this move, follow it up with a swift open palm strike to the nose bridge – one of the many soft spots in the body.

Executed calmly with strength and precision, these moves are sure to get you out of that strong grip around your neck. And while your opponent is reeling from the blows he just experienced, you have long enough to flee from the scene.

Not all groin kicks are deadly, but they are definitely capable of immobilising the attacker enough time for the victim to find help or escape. The most important thing to remember here is to never forget to BREATHE and that using these techniques is at your own risk.

While I sincerely hope you’ll never have reason to use these techniques, in a dangerous situation even a basic understanding of a new style of self-defence is better than no defence at all. Be sure to practise these moves regularly at home, in front of a mirror or with a willing volunteer. Practice is certainly the best way to develop muscle memory. And in a fight-or-flight situation, this muscle memory can be the key to helping you escape from an attacker.

If you enjoyed reading about these techniques in self-defence, do check out our other blogs. You can also share these blogs with friends and family who you think will find the information useful.