There is no guarantee that you will be able to defend yourself against an attack even if you are as skilled as Lennox Lewis or the late Bruce Lee for that matter. But by learning a martial art you can increase your chances of dealing with an attacker successfully

Some people say karate or judo are no good for the street  because they are sports personally I disagree, boxing is also a sport which pro boxer would you attack if you was a thug?

SELF DEFENCE AND THE LAW

I believe everyone is entitled to use reasonable force to defend themselves or another person. Ok the burning question that is often asked is how much force can be used to deal with an attacker. The answer is wait for it reasonable force

REASONABLE FORCE

What is reasonable force? If a person grabs your shirt, it may be reasonable to execute a release from his grip and, if necessary put him into some type of control hold. YOU WOULD NOT be justified in striking his face breaking his nose and jumping on him once he is down. Remember you are legally responsible for your actions

WEAPONS

If you are attacked and even injured, and you are carrying a weapon there is a good chance you will be charged; self-defense using an article that is outside the law is no excuse. guns, knives, clubs and knuckle-dusters are all illegal. stanley knives and other DIY tools fall into a very gray area, as do baseball bats, and garden tools.

FEAR AND ADRENALINE

Fear is a very natural accompaniment to being attacked, and everyone feels it. The man who says that he is frightened of nothing is either deluding himself or else he is seriously disturbed and should be avoided as he is a danger to himself and his mates. Having an understanding of fear and the rush of adrenaline will help you to use it positively rather than allowing it to control you. Most fights are lost before they even become physical due to the victim falling to the effects of the adrenaline and fear. It is possible to be immobilized by fear like a rabbit confronted by a snake or an animal frozen in car headlights and it is this response that bullies and muggers seek in their victims.

EFFECTS OF ADRENALINE

When you are frightened the adrenal glands secrete adrenaline into the bloodstream. The effect of the adrenaline boost is for fight or flight, the effects of this are usually Increased heart rate Increased breathing rate Increased strength

BLOOD is sent to the major muscles and organs (the reason for a pale face -the blood is diverted to more important areas) -this provides the muscles with more energy

TIME DISTORTION everything seems to go into slow-motion (due to the brain trying to process everything a lot faster)

PRE-FIGHT SHAKES limbs may shake uncontrollably

SWEATING especially the palms and the forehead your mouth may feel dry

PANIC (YELLOW FEVER) sudden feeling of abject terror and helplessness this may cause you to become frozen to the spot and unable to move

This is a survival mechanism that all animals have, including humans, and is the basis of the fight or flight reaction to stress. The danger in a combat situation is that you may lose control of all this useful energy and descend into panic, so you have to learn how to co-ordinate these emergency powers. This is partly a question of focusing your mind on the task at hand.