The legal term self defense refers to a type of affirmative defense used to explain one person’s use of force against another person. For example, self defense describes a situation wherein one person reasonably uses force to defend himself against an attack by another person on the subway. A person might use non-deadly force, or deadly force, to defend himself, depending on the situation. To explore this concept, consider the following self defense definition.
- In perfecting this system of self-defense in hand-to-hand combat, it has been the writer's goal to make available to anyone a simple set of defense measures designed to be used in any emergency where one's per-son is in danger of physical assault. Fully explained.
- Psychic Self Defense Techniques: Set an Intention: Set a strong intention and say aloud that you intent to release or block negative energy. You may write your intention on a piece of paper, say it loud and burn it to ashes. Meditation: Meditation is one of the best ways to remove as well as to block negative energy. When you meditate, you will.
- PDF Download Stick Fighting: Self-Defense PDF Full Ebook. How to Fight Multiple Attackers The Best Self Defense Techniques for Fighting Multiple Opponents.
- The techniques shown in this text were developed for real life combat and it is a mistake to dismiss them as worthless, which some of the reviewers seem to think. In conclusion, this book is for anyone who is interested in the historical aspects of stick fighting and how it relates to the martial arts in general.
If you run a women's self defense program, and are looking for material to handout to your students/clients, these PDFs of the different course modules are available for use. The material is copyrighted, and can only be used in the format in which it is presented i.e. None of the files, can be altered, changed or modified.
Definition of Self Defense
Noun
- The act of defending oneself, one’s family, or one’s property through the use of force.
- A plea of justification for the use of force, or for the killing of another person.
Origin
1645-1655 English common law
Self Defense Laws
Self defense laws in the U.S. dictate that a person is allowed to use force against another person if it “reasonably” appears necessary to do so. Situations that would call for the use of force involve those wherein a threat of “unlawful” and “immediate” violence has presented itself. In these cases, a person may be permitted to use either deadly or non-deadly force in order to protect himself or his family.
Self defense laws restrict the protections of such a defense for those who initiate the conflict. There are two ways a person can remain protected under self defense laws if he was the one to start the conflict. The first is if he chose to leave the fight and informed the aggressor of his surrender, and the aggressor pursued him anyway. The second is if the other person responded to the presentation of a conflict with excessive force.
What follows is an example of self defense that would be permitted as a defense for an aggressor:
Billy discovers that Jack has been physically abusive toward Billy’s sister, Emily. Billy goes to the local bar, where he knows Jack likes to hang out, and punches Jack in the face. Billy immediately regrets what he did and apologizes to Jack, but Jack does refuses to accept Billy’s apology. Instead, Jack pulls a gun on Billy.
Despite the fact that Billy had originally started the fight, Billy would be justified in using force against Jack to restrain him, or otherwise disarm him, due to the immediate threat that Jack is posing to Billy’s life. In this example, Jack clearly responded to the situation with excessive force.
Right of Self Defense
The right of self defense is the right for a person to use reasonable force to defend himself, his property, or the lives of others. If necessary, the use of deadly force can be permitted, depending on the circumstances. Once someone uses excessive force, which is more force than the situation truly calls for, then he gives up his right of self defense. In that case, he goes from being the person defending himself to the aggressor in the action. If a defendant exercises his right of self defense as a response to a threat of death or serious harm, then he is said to have a “perfect self defense” justification.
Reasonable Force
Reasonable force refers to the amount of force that is necessary for a person to defend himself or his property, without going overboard. It is especially important to prove whether or not the force a person used was reasonable in order to determine his level of liability for the crime. Hence why reasonable force is also referred to as “legal force.” For instance, a father who gets into an argument with his son’s baseball coach, shoving him with his hands, has started the conflict. If the coach, in defending himself, picks up a baseball bat and slams it into the father’s head several times, it could not reasonably be considered self defense.
If a person can prove that he used reasonable force to defend himself, he may be able to avoid being prosecuted for a crime.
If a person uses more force than what would be considered necessary to protect himself from an aggressor, then this would be considered excessive or unreasonable force. Once excessive force has been proven, then the defendant’s self defense argument is considered forfeited. For instance, a defendant is justified in using force that is intended or likely to cause death or severe injury if someone violently enters his home, and he believes such force is necessary to prevent harm from coming to himself, or to another person in the home.
Reasonable Force and the Police
Because police officers deal with imminent threats on their lives every day, courts decide on a case-by-case basis whether or not an officer’s use of force was reasonable. Elements that are considered include the severity of the crime, whether the suspect did indeed pose a serious threat, whether the suspect had a weapon, and whether the suspect was resisting arrest or trying to run away. If an officer is found to have used unnecessary force, then he can be subject to serious punishments, such as being brought up on criminal charges, or being sued by the victim in civil court.
The amount of force that an officer is permitted to use is a hot topic that often leads to controversy. Police officers are permitted to use as much force as they “reasonably” believe is necessary at the time of the arrest in order to protect both themselves and the public. However, those belonging to ethnic or racial minority groups often oppose the level of force that officers choose to employ.
While officers are permitted to use deadly force to prevent a dangerous suspect from escaping – and potentially harming more people – they are required to give a warning whenever possible. Deadly force is considered unjustified when the suspect does not pose an immediate threat to the officer, nor to anyone else.
Duty to Retreat
In criminal law, there is a requirement known as the duty to retreat. The duty to retreat is the condition that a person who is being threatened should not “stand one’s ground” and use deadly force to defend himself. Instead, he should retreat from the situation and seek safety, if that is possible.
When the duty to retreat is used in conjunction with self defense as a legal defense, it is up to the defense to prove that the defendant was acting reasonably by avoiding conflict. The defense must also show that the defendant had done everything he reasonably could to retreat and, in doing so, showed that he had no intention to fight before being forced to use force in order to defend himself. Only a small percentage of states currently have duty to retreat laws.
There are certain situations, however, wherein the duty to retreat is not possible or reasonable, such as when a person is threatened in his own home, or at his place of business. Police officers, on the other hand, are not obligated to retreat when presented with imminent threats of danger while on the job. Auto macro recorder 5.84 keygen for mac. The fact that a person’s home or workplace are exempt from the duty to retreat is known as the “castle doctrine.”
Imperfect Self Defense
Imperfect self defense is a common law, which holds that a defendant can avoid punishment for using deadly force, so long as he can prove that he had an honest – if unreasonable – belief that his actions were necessary. The idea here is that, if a defendant possessed an unreasonable belief that it was necessary for him to use force to defend himself in a given situation, he could not have acted with malice. For the prosecution, malice is a particularly important element to prove when seeking a murder conviction.
In using an imperfect self defense, a defendant may be able to reduce his liability for his crime. For instance, in some jurisdictions, the successful usage of imperfect self defense can reduce a murder charge to manslaughter. However, most jurisdictions do not permit imperfect self defense to be used as a legitimate defense.
Self Defense Example in a Spousal Abuse Case
An example of self defense presents itself in a case involving spousal abuse. Betty Moran had repeatedly endured brutal beatings at the hand of her husband, Willie. According to Betty, Willie had a violent temperament, an extensive collection of firearms, and was always armed. On one occasion, Willie was holding her by her throat and hitting her with one of his guns.
On May 15, 1981, Betty and Willie had fought their final fight. According to Betty, Willie had asked her earlier that day to give him some money he thought she had saved. He threatened Betty that if she did not have the money ready for him by the time he awoke up from his nap, he would “blow [her] damn brains out.”
Betty did not actually have the money that Willie thought she did, and instead she called a friend to possibly loan her the money. When that did not work, and she realized there would be no way for her to get the money Willie requested, she walked into the camper where he was asleep, picked up his gun, and shot him.
Betty was arrested and charged with murder. At her criminal trial, Betty plead not guilty, stating that she had killed Willie in self defense. Betty claimed to be a victim of battered woman syndrome. This is a condition wherein a wife is so dependent on her husband, both financially and emotionally, and so afraid he will harm her if she leaves, that she finds herself unable to leave him, despite his violent behavior. Victims of battered woman syndrome may be inspired to finally kill their husbands, as they see this as their only means of escape.
The jury at Betty’s trial was instructed that Betty was responsible for providing enough evidence to back up her claim of self defense. Betty’s attorney objected to this, saying that it was unconstitutional to place this burden on Betty, rather than on the State. The objection was overruled, and Betty was ultimately convicted of aggravated murder. Betty appealed to the Court of Appeals of the County of Cuyahoga, and the Court affirmed her conviction. The Ohio Supreme Court dismissed her appeal.
Betty then sought a writ of certiorari from the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the Court to review the appellate court’s holding, arguing that the jury was improperly instructed, and to request that the State bear the burden of proof in her prosecution. The Court, however, denied her request.
Related Legal Terms and Issues
- Affirmative Defense – The introduction of evidence in a trial that would negate, or “cancel out,” the defendant’s civil or criminal legal responsibility for the alleged act.
- Aggressor – A person that attacks another person first.
- Defendant – A party against whom a lawsuit has been filed in civil court, or who has been accused of, or charged with, a crime or offense.
- Malice – The intention to do evil, inflict injury, or cause suffering of another.
- Prosecution –The lawyer(s) who argue that a person who is accused of a crime is guilty.
Aikido is an incredible martial art with awesome self defense theories and applications. Unfortunately, many functional self defense and martial arts practitioners have overlooked aikido and consider it to be ineffective, primarily due to unrealistic training in a majority of schools. But doing so is a mistake. With realistic training, the unique principles and techniques of aikido can work extremely well. On this page I'll explain the theory of aikido, how to train it realistically, and demonstrate functional applications in pictures and video.
How Aikido Works
Aikido begins before a physical attack has been launched, with an active awareness of distance and position. The ideal distance or ma-ai is one at which your attacker must take at least one step in order to touch you. This distance necessarily requires a motion of convergence for an attack to be executed, and that motion of convergence is a movement of energy toward you. Aikido works by blending with or 'stealing' that energy from your attacker, and redirecting and/or reversing it into a throw or lock.
The theory is awesome, and in theory it's not incredibly complex. In practice however, especially in the face of a real attack, it's harder than it may seem to apply many common entries used to gain initial control. If an attacker succeeds in getting close by concealing his intention, the motion of convergence will have already occurred. And if the attack involves a hard, fast, violent flurry of multiple blows, it can be incredibly difficult to blend into it or 'get a handle' on the opponent in order to redirect or reverse the attack. The same difficulty also applies when skilled and unskilled opponents use fakes to set up their attack, or grabbing attacks that involve violent pulling and pushing, as most grabbing attacks obviously will.
When an attack is initiated at close range and/or isn't singularly committed in nature, establishing the initial control required to redirect or reverse the energy of the attack may require more than a harmonious merge or blend. It may require a direct and forceful entry to take control rather than steal it, along with the use of force to lead an opponent into a throw or lock.
Magicolor 2300dl driver windows 10. Although this more direct and aggressive approach isn't common in many, if not most aikido schools, it does follow the principles of the art. The same centered base (physical and mental), unique footwork, and circular application of power are of great importance.
The Ethical Art?
One of the primary goals of aikido is to enable a practitioner to defend themselves without injuring their opponent. Aikido thus uses throws, joint locks, and pins instead of strikes. However, the reason aikido practitioners are not injured in practice is their skill in falling and rolling out of these techniques. The average attacker will not know how to fall or roll, and could be severally injured by aikido throws and locks. In fact, these techniques can do more lasting damage than many strikes. Being thrown onto concrete can lead to accidental death due to head trauma, and joint manipulations can lead to torn ligaments and tendons that destroy a joint for life.
Aikido throws can be used to 'gently' throw an opponent to the ground, and joint manipulations can stop at locks instead of progressing to breaks. But care must be taken when using such techniques on the average person, unless the goal is indeed to injure them.
Keep in mind that defending yourself without injuring your opponent is generally more difficult than defending yourself by injuring him. It requires a higher level of skill, and if your opponent is not injured he may very well continue his attack after your initial defense. However, there are situations where it may be unwise or unethical to injure your attacker, and aikido provides a way to do this.
Aikido Training
Basic Self Defense
Aikido training begins with ukemi, where the practitioner learns to receive or react to aikido techniques used on him or her. This includes safe ways to fall and roll to avoid injury. While ukemi is a fundamental skill that must be learned, it's very important for the practitioner to avoid being conditioned to fall or roll when it's unnecessary. In many aikido schools, practitioners flip to the ground at the slightest touch, doing a great disservice to their partners. This creates a situation where ineffective techniques appear effective. So while learning to be locked or thrown is important, these skills must only be used when there is no other option.
A real attacker will be violent, fully resisting, uncooperative, and fighting back. Therefore, training must necessarily include defense against such an opponent. Random attacks and resistance are not enough. It's imperative that your opponent be fighting back! Cooperative training is of course necessary for learning techniques. But in order to learn to apply techniques, your opponent must try not to let you use your techniques, 100%. For more information on functional training, see my training page.
Self Defense Moves For Seniors
Aikido Techniques
With realistic training, many aikido techniques work very well. The key to successful application in self defense is having entries that work against violent, random attacks, followed by positive control to lead your opponent into finishing throws and locks. You'll notice two initial controls listed below. While these are not part of traditional aikido, they are positions that can dramatically increase your ability to apply aikido techniques in self defense, and they do follow the core principles of aikido. In the following techniques, you'll see these controls used after functional, high percentage entries.
Footwork
- Entering
- 90 Degree Pivot
- 90 Degree Pivot with Sling Step
- 180 Degree Pivot
- 180 Degree Pivot with Sling Step
Initial Controls
Joint Locks
- Ikkyo
- Nikyo
- Shiho Nage
- Kote Gaeshi
Throws
- Kaiten Nage
- Tenchi Nage
- Aiki Otoshi
- Koshi Nage
- Seoi Nage
Chokes
- Rear Naked Choke
10 Basic Self Defense Moves
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