In this article, we will be discussing a great pressure point technique to escape an attacker who has grabbed you from the front by the hip. When an attacker grabs you around the hip/waist from the front, he gains complete control over your movement. But like I always mention in our lessons, in a physical attack the smart thing to do is to focus on what we have free, rather than what we can’t control.

With this in mind, let’s look at the most effective moves to handle this threat. First and most importantly, do not PANIC! Stabilise yourself with strong legs to ensure a powerful blow and keep breathing calmly. Now, use your index and middle fingers to press lightly into the hollow area of the windpipe. Such a strike will irritate the windpipe, causing the attacker to choke and gasp deeply for breath. This can cause a break or fracture of the windpipe leading to a death blow. So be careful.

The area is a rather weak collection of soft tissue. The point of impact is less than the size of a penny, making the impact at least 5-6 times stronger due to a smaller area. Giving you that split-second you need to flee the scene and get yourself some help.

Make sure you practise these moves daily with a willing partner or in front of a mirror, so you don’t panic and/or freeze when this happens in real life. If you enjoyed reading about these techniques in self-defence, do check out our other blogs. Do share these blogs with friends and family, or with anyone who you think will find the information useful.