Best Self-Defense Moves to Know As a Woman
Most women participate in self-defense classes for the sole purpose of being able to protect themselves in public – others simply do it to stay in shape or keep themselves busy. If you’re going to partake in a self-defense martial art (like Jiu-Jitsu for example) then there are a few effective moves that you’ll want to learn.
Move #1: Hip Toss
The hip toss can be used whenever you are within close range of an opponent. The key tip to remember about hip tosses is that you need to really sink your hip into the throw; otherwise, it isn’t going to work. Secondly, maintain control all throughout the toss. If you don’t sink your hips into the throw, the opponent will hit the mat (or floor) and simply roll back into a standing position, which would render the throw pointless.
Best Self-Defense Move #2: Collar Choke
The collar choke is a move that you can use on anyone who is wearing a piece of clothing with a collar on it. For instance, if someone wearing a leather jacket ever attacks you then a collar choke would be the perfect defense. The choke is fast acting, meaning that it will put an opponent to sleep quickly. When performing this choke, make sure that you sink your hands into your opponent’s collar as deeply as possible.
Move #3: Inside Trip
An inside trip is another take down that can be quite effective against opponents of any size. To perform this move, start by grabbing a hold of your opponent’s sleeves and collar (one hand on each). From here, bring your dominant leg in between both of your opponent’s legs. Finally, sweep that leg to the outside and push all of your weight forward. All of these movements performed back to back should successfully bring the attacker to the ground.
Move #4: Scissor Sweep
The scissor sweep is used whenever an opponent is already in your guard. It can be done by using one leg to block your opponent’s knee with the other against their opposite hip.
The key benefit to using this move in self-defense situations is that it will provide you with two options: you can either take the dominant position being given to you or you can run away. Either way, learning the scissor sweep, as well as the other self-defense techniques above, is something you should invest some time learning.