Beat a Strong Man

While you should never physically assault another person, sometimes you find yourself in a situation where you must beat a guy that's stronger than you. For some people, the idea of being involved in a fight can be terrifying. However, if you are forced into a situation where you must defend yourself, there are techniques and strategies you can employ in order to defeat your attacker.

Steps

Defending Yourself From an Attack

  1. Attack his throat with strikes and chokes. The throat is a weak point in a person's body. When defending yourself, attack his throat by punching or hitting it. If you’re able to get your arm completely around his neck, you can apply pressure to his Carotid artery to induce unconsciousness. This artery can be found on both sides of the neck and only requires 11 pounds of pressure to close.[1]
    • Pinching off the Carotid artery stops air from going to the brain and could cause brain damage if held for too long.
    • You can use your hands, elbows, feet, or forearms to attack the strong man’s throat.[1]
    • If you are behind him, using a rear naked choke can cause unconsciousness quickly. Read Do-a-Sleeper-Choke-Hold to learn how to do this.
  2. Kick him in the groin. Kicking a man in his groin is a great strategy when defending yourself. Make sure you are close enough to him to make clean contact, and don’t hesitate.[2]
    • Doing a soccer kick in-between his legs is the best way to strike his groin.
    • Mix in attacks to the groin with strikes to other parts of his body so it catches him off guard.
  3. Gouge or poke his eyes. Eye gouges and pokes can hinder the ability for a person to see, and more severe eye gouges can cause permanent blindness or death. If you are struggling against an attacker, press your thumbs hard against the surface of his eyeballs.[3]
    • Only perform this attack if you are in a dire situation. You could potentially kill someone by performing an eye gouge.
  4. Attack his joints to remove his mobility. Places like the elbow, ankles, and knees are vulnerable parts of the body.[4] Each joint has a range of mobility, and will break or sprain if pulled or pushed in the opposite direction.
    • Attack the soft part behind his kneecap, or do a push kick with the bottom of your foot onto his kneecap to incapacitate him.
  5. Use a weapon to neutralize your opponent. Try to find things around you that you could swing at your attacker, like a broom, a brick, or a bottle. Any object in your vicinity that's hard enough to break skin can be used.
    • Using a weapon can carry heavier jail times if you are convicted of assault.
    • Be careful when reaching for a weapon. It may escalate the situation and your opponent may also grab a weapon in retaliation, or take your weapon away from you.

Using His Strength Against Him

  1. Use the tactics of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a martial art that was developed by the Gracie family in Brazil. It incorporates aspects of Japanese Jiu Jitsu and Judo. It is a grappling martial art that concentrates on choke holds and joint locks. It was first developed as a method for smaller fighters to defeat larger opponents, and can help you in beating someone that's stronger than you.[5]
    • Brazilian Jiu Jitsu also reduces stress.
    • In addition to being a self-defense tactic, Brazillian Jiu Jitsu increases your mobility, agility, and flexibility.[6]
    • Helio Gracie developed Brazillian Jiu Jitsu as a way to defeat his older, larger brothers on the mat.[7]
  2. Use his momentum and size against him. The art of Judo uses your opponents momentum and size against them in the form of throws. Even though your opponent may be bigger, it doesn’t mean they are immune to being thrown. Think of ways to use his size to your advantage. For example, instead of meeting him face on, try tripping his feet while he charges forward at you.
    • Judo uses balance and leverage rather than brute strength to throw the opponent on the ground.[8]
    • You can incapacitate a strong man with a single throw. In competition this is known as an ippon.[9]
  3. Wear out his cardio by staying elusive. The endurance and mobility of a strong man may be adversely affected by his muscle mass.[10] Because of this, you can stay mobile and elusive as he gets tired. Once he is, you can take advantage of him.
    • Feinting or faking punches may cause your opponent to react. Keep moving around him laterally and try to stay out of the way of his strikes. Make him swing and miss as much as possible.
    • Do not get into a brawl with someone stronger than you. A single punch can knock you unconscious, so make sure to keep peppering shots with jabs and never try to stand punch for punch with him.

Building Physical Strength

  1. Go to the gym and get in good physical shape. While superior technique may give you the ability to beat a larger opponent, having good physical fitness is also critical. Make sure to weight train to build up your muscle. Work on your cardio and endurance by doing drills, running, swimming, or biking. If you are in a prolonged fight, it’s important that you have the endurance to overcome your opponent.
    • Building muscle and building strength are two different things. Concentrate on building strength by doing a greater amount of reps with smaller weight.
    • 10-15 reps per set is a good starting point for those trying to build strength.[11]
    • Read how to Bench Press, Do-Bicep-Curls, and Do a Squat to learn the most common strength building exercises.
  2. Do calisthenic exercise on your spare time. Calisthenic exercise is exercise that’s performed without any gym equipment and uses your own body-weight as resistance. This is a great alternative for those who can’t get to the gym, or want to get stronger while they are at home. Try to drill and chain your calisthenic exercise together in order to simultaneously work out your cardio and endurance.
    • Calisthenic exercise increases your lean muscle and improves mobility, flexibility and strength.[12]
    • Some of the most common exercises include pull ups, squats, push ups, lunges, and crunches.[13]
  3. Remain physically active or join a sports team. Staying physically active or joining a sports team will ensure that you maintain good health, thereby equipping you with the tools to defeat a strong man. Doing this in conjunction with working out will allow you to be physically fit enough to beat a strong man.
    • Doing a physical activity or participating on a sports team can boast a variety of other health benefits like an improved cardiovascular system and can prevent chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, and hypertension.[14]
    • Being on a team may motivate you further than if you were working out alone.
    • Some physical activities include rock climbing, dance, or hiking.
    • You can join a community baseball or flag football team to stay active.
  4. Consult a personal trainer. If you’re totally new to working out, a personal trainer may be able to assist you in developing a meaningful training program. Many personal trainers have trained for years themselves, and have knowledge over a variety of different types of workouts.[15]
    • A physical trainer may also be able to give you a better eating regimen so you can build strength and increase how much energy you have when you’re working out.

Learning to Defend Yourself

  1. Train in a striking martial arts discipline. Striking is the art of punching and kicking your opponent. In order to compete with the strong man face to face, you’ll need to develop striking skills. Find a local gym and talk to the trainer about taking classes.
    • The most popular and effective striking arts include American boxing, Muay Thai Kickboxing, and Karate.
    • When fighting a strong man, use your speed to your advantage. Try to dodge his punches without getting hit.
    • Don’t think you can become efficient at striking or at any martial art, without going to an official gym. Muay Thai for example, has been developed for several hundred years and requires an immense amount of skill.[16]
  2. Learn how to grapple if the fight goes to the ground. Many fights end up on the ground, or in a wrestling or grappling situation. This can pose an obvious disadvantage if you are competing against someone that's strong. If you’re able to learn how to grapple however, you will have the advantage against someone who is untrained in any grappling arts.
    • Popular grappling arts include wrestling, Greco Roman wrestling, Judo, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.[17]
    • Going to the ground may even be a better situation if you can get top control or your opponent is efficient at striking.
    • ”Rolling” or grappling practice is the best way for you to get experience. Take every opportunity to grapple with someone bigger and better than you when you attend your class.
    • Once you have trained and refined your technique, sparring will give you a real experience if you get into a fight.
  3. Watch instructional videos on how to defend yourself. While they could never substitute real training and sparring, instructional videos can give you a glimpse into different ways you can protect yourself from a strong man. If you can’t afford a class, or there isn’t one in your area, this could be an alternative.
    • Do not rely on instructional videos before trying to beat a strong man.
    • Make sure to check the ratings on the instructional video before you purchase it, so you know that others have found it effective.

Warnings

  • Performing some of these moves can be fatal. Only use them if you are defending yourself from a life threatening attack.
  • Assaulting someone is a serious crime and can result in jail time.
  • If you are in threat of getting into a physical altercation, always contact the authorities first.
  • The best way to stay safe in a fight is to run away or avoid the situation.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.empirejustice.org/issue-areas/domestic-violence/case-laws-statues/criminal/strangulation-and-domestic.html
  2. ↑ http://www.self-defense-mind-body-spirit.com/4-mistakes-groin-strikes.html
  3. ↑ http://attackproof.com/does-eye-gouging-work-in-real-sel-defense-fights.html
  4. ↑ http://www.self-defender.net/article20.htm
  5. ↑ http://www.blackbeltmag.com/category/brazilian-jiu-jitsu/
  6. ↑ http://breakingmuscle.com/brazilian-jiu-jitsu/the-hidden-benefits-of-brazilian-jiu-jitsu
  7. ↑ http://www.gracieacademy.com/history.asp
  8. ↑ http://judoinfo.com/
  9. ↑ http://judoinfo.com/rules1.htm
  10. ↑ https://www.quora.com/Mixed-Martial-Arts-Does-having-too-much-muscle-mass-decrease-endurance-and-or-cardio-in-the-cage
  11. ↑ https://www.muscleandstrength.com/expert-guides/strength
  12. ↑ http://calisthenicsdaily.com/what-are-calisthenics/
  13. ↑ http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw2.htm
  14. ↑ http://www.sportanddev.org/en/learnmore/sport_and_health/the_health_benefits_of_sport_and_physical_activity/
  15. ↑ https://www.nfpt.com/the-role-of-a-personal-trainer
  16. ↑ http://www.kombatgroup.com/html-muay-thai/history.html
  17. ↑ http://www.blackbeltmag.com/daily/mixed-martial-arts-training/grappling/strengths-and-weaknesses-of-5-popular-grappling-arts/
Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Beat_a_Strong_Man&oldid=286169"