Self-Defence - Screaming - Useful? Just Dangerous?

Is Screaming A Useful Self-Defence or Just Plain Dangerous

I used to think that screaming was a terrible idea when it came to self-defence. After all, what possible use could it be except to antagonise an attacker? But one day when I was in college a had an experience that changed my mind.

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When I was in college I decided that I wanted to dedicate myself to my study. So that meant no Judo. At least very little Judo. But one of the female students somehow managed to discover that I did Judo and she approached me to teach her.

I explained to her that I was not doing any judo at that time and besides I was only a blue belt then. I didn't feel comfortable teaching without the backup of other higher grades. I think that she understood, although disappointed.

The college was live-in and one of the things they did to keep costs low was to roster all students on duties. I happened to be on kitchen duty with this young lady shortly after she asked me to teach her. Along with one other young lady and one other young man.

As all young men a prone to do, we decided to have some fun and give the young ladies a little fright. So while they were not looking we every so quietly crept up behind them.

Well, they got a fright alright, so much so that the young lady who had approached me to teach her Judo let out an almighty scream. This scream was so powerful that we both put our hands to our ears. I left the room and my partner in crime fell to his knees.

After we had all recovered, I told the young lady in question that her scream was one of the most useful self-defence tools she had and that she should learn to cultivate it.

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This experience stayed in my mind when I came to develop a ladies' self-defence course that I call "Looking Out For Yourself". I incorporated it.

Of course, it is not as straightforward as just screaming. You have to know when it is appropriate as used incorrectly you may just antagonise an attacker. But used in conjunction with other tactics and skills, it can be very effective. Especially when you need help, need to distract or, if your scream is powerful enough, to momentarily disable an attacker. It can even be used in conjunction with potent point if you know how to use them.

All in all, screaming, when used appropriately can be a very useful tool when it comes to self-defence. It doesn't hurt for kids to learn how to use it either.

Enjoy
Sensai
Richard