For our second lesson in the art of self-defence, we will be learning some basic moves you need to keep in mind when being strangled or choked by the neck in the standing position against the wall. During an incidence of strangulation, closing off the airway makes breathing impossible, and you may lose consciousness due to the stoppage of blood flow to and from the brain, within 8-14 seconds. This means that time is of the essence. The longer you wait to respond, the more trouble you will be in.

So, first things first, as I have mentioned in the previous post, it is critical to remember to breathe when under a physical attack. This will help your mind be stable and respond to the attack instead of reacting and becoming a victim. So, always BREATHE! Next, 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.

When strangled or choked by the neck in the standing position against the wall, it is obvious to assume that all your focus will be on the pressure applied by the attacker on your neck and you might start to fight back by trying to get the attacker's hands off your neck.

But instead of focusing your energy on releasing his hands, the best thing to do would be to place your index and middle finger in the depth area of your attacker’s collar bone, and dig into it as hard as you possibly can. This will force him to release you automatically and the pain will force him to go down to his knees. This is when you have a chance to complete your defence by striking his face with your knee.

While simple to execute, these moves will equip you with stability, preparedness and strength to regain your standing and free yourself so you can flee from the attacker. While I sincerely hope you’ll never have any reason to use these techniques, I do want to remind you that the most important thing to remember is to keep BREATHING, and let me insert a note of caution here – using these techniques will be at your own risk.

Keep practising these techniques in front of a mirror or with a willing volunteer. Practice will help you develop muscle memory. And in a flight-or-fight situation, this muscle memory can be the difference between saving yourself and falling victim to a physical attack.

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.