Self Defense

Have a Parry Party

You're in a spot where the bad guy somehow got into your personal boundary space. You did your best to prevent this encounter and although you were aware of your surroundings and paying attention to your intuition, it wasn't enough. He is too close to you for you to turn and run and what's more, he's about to hit you.

Now what? First, you need a shield.

You must protect your face when something is coming toward it threatening damage. This may seem obvious, but think about what is at stake. If you can't see because you've been hit in the eye, it will be difficult to look for an escape route. Your eyes are also affected if your nose gets hit. A broken nose will cause blurred vision and tearing, as well as disorientation. And let's not forget that if your brain, your primary computer, gets messed up and you end up with a concussion, it will be difficult, if not impossible to make an escape.

What's the most effective shield to protect this valuable real estate above the neck? Your arms.

Your forearms, in particular, make a great shield. When held at a certain angle, they can be very strong. While they may not totally block a strike from King Kong, they can always help you parry an incoming hit.

Parry? Isn't that for boxers?

Nope. When you've got a fist coming toward your head, you might not be strong enough to stand there, hold up your arms, and stop that fist from connecting with your face with your brute strength. However, you can use your shield arms to guide the punch so that it goes past you instead of into you, with no strength required. That's a parry.

When something is coming at you, you don't want to just stand there like the Great Wall of China waiting for a hit. You want to flow like the Yangtze River, moving out of the way and at the same time, guiding the punch past you using your shield arms. The assailant's momentum should carry him by you, which may be all you need to effectively run the other way and escape. It will also bring him close enough to you so that you can more easily reach and attack his face if you want, which would make it even harder for him to come after you when you bolt.

Parries have to be practiced, so have a parry party! Get a sympathetic partner (someone who will just stand in front of you like a lethargic, wanna-be bad guy punching you underwater) and practice. Your partner is the attacker. Stand in front of him or her with your body at an angle. Hold your arms up so that your face is protected. Keep your hands open (not in fists) and your elbows close to your torso. Angle your forearms so that they are more than 90 degrees from your upper arms. Have your partner aim a punch at you in slow motion. I mean s u p e r s l o w m o t i o n. Step to the outside of their punch (so they can't hug you) and keep your arms up, forearms out about 100 degrees. Touch their arm with your forearms, guiding their punch past you. When you can do this in slow motion, speed it up a hair. In a real attack situation, punches will be fast and you want to practice enough to be able to parry and escape as soon as you see a punch coming.

Parrying punches is not just something that you can imagine doing and then, voila, it will come to you. Practice is essential if you want this technique to actually work and help you. You can practice at home with a good partner or attend a self-defense class. It's not as sexy as using pepper spray, but it's much easier, since you always have your shield arms handy.

So, get a friend or two, and go have a parry party!

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