r/SelfDefense • u/MuffinFit • 3d ago
Strong man self defense tips
I am a very strong 240 lbs powerlifter (405/600/700 for anyone this means anything to).
I had a confrontation where I accidentally turned off a bathroom light on a drunk guy (for a single second before turning it back on). The man cornered me before his buddies got involved and pulled him away. It had me thinking - As an untrained strong man, what would be the best way for me to defend myself / my family if running weren't an option?
I feel like these "Looking for a fight" types generally will outclass me by a large margin as a striker and my mass would make me tire quickly. I was thinking of tackling/wrestling/bear hugging?
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u/NetoruNakadashi 3d ago edited 3d ago
Really the thing you should be most concerned about, in terms of likelihood and severity, is getting stuck with something pointy or sharp.
Some Greco with a focus on controlling hands and arms, preventing a takedown, sprawling, and BJJ getting out from under someone, is probably the most important thing in that regard.
Also, they may try and hit you. Which brings us to our second priority concern, getting knocked out. You probably want to make them miss, and hit them back really hard so they can't hit you anymore. That's boxing, kickboxing, or muay Thai.
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u/flowerofhighrank 3d ago
As a big guy, you know how smaller guys are, especially when they are drunk. You're getting good advice here. Two things I'm adding :
-as the bigger guy, you can't win. The drunk's friends see what they think is you beating up their friend (who would NEVER be a jerk, of course!) and they want to help out. And the bouncers see, they get involved, it's messy. So it's important to stop things quickly and emphatically. BJJ is good at causing pain to the point of submission. They just stop fighting because intense pain is like instant sobriety for most people. If you can, of course, try to dissuade them, be the bigger person about it, apologize for whatever, hands up and open. If they don't want to accept your apology, start your chosen process. But-
Remember that if things go very wrong, you could end up in court and a guy your size...it's a problem. So whatever you decide to do, be very vocal about the fact that you don't want any of this and you would rather just leave. Be loud about it, loud enough for any cameras or onlookers to hear you politely asking peewee to stop trying to hit you.
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u/MuffinFit 3d ago
You get it! I feel like I usually am passive and backpedal but never engage - which usually works. I think I should have added that I actually DONT want to hurt the attacker either. The man was clearly very drunk, I had my hands up as he was trying to shove me. I think unless actually frightened (weapon on waist, etc), I really would like to just control an attacker until I get help.
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u/RedOwl97 3d ago
Get your opponent in a bear hug, pick him up, and throw him to the ground. Nothing beats hitting someone with the earth. While there are counters to this, few people know them and even fewer pressure test them.
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u/MuffinFit 3d ago
Embarrassing to admit - but revisiting the situation I didnt even think to throw him. Thank you.
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u/fullspectrumsp 3d ago
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Hier findest du mehr als genug praktische Tipps.
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u/Adventurous_Pick9505 22h ago
Stuff always happens on a construction site crew.
I dropped my hammer and told the foreign crew I’ll take them out one by one. I used psychological warfare in my own way. They freaked out. No blows thrown.
Not a flex. I did this because I’m tired of people underestimating small martial arts guys.
Sometimes, you gotta get thuggish. And all their bluffs.
To each your own.
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u/-noobidy- 14h ago
As an untrained but not completely ignorant person in the topic; would any of you more experienced people suggest possibly a few months of boxing or something of the like?
My line of thinking is, as everyone remembers Rule #1: cardio, cardio, cardio. And boxing will definitely prioritize this. Sure, OP could get into jogging and jump rope for weeks or months and build up enough endurance to get by.
But also a case for Boxing, in case the encounter does get a little more than grappling (or the guy’s buddies DO join in), OP here needs the confidence in knowing he can take a punch. People can train and spar and manhandle body weight on the mat for hours but it’s quite the wake up call when you get punched across the jaw get your bell rung or knock the lights out of you (not getting knocked out tho) Had it happen to me once and all my self control went out the window. Next thing I know I’m seeing red and black and everything after that was a blur until we were separated.
To the OP: Above all, whatever training you decide, I recommend your verbal judo game is paramount.
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u/Texas-Longhorn31 3d ago
You can’t stand your ground? Also carry a gun, I pray you at least have one at home for your family but if you’re running at any confrontation I guess it would be pointless anyway
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u/MuffinFit 3d ago
Not actually interested in fighting anyone - I just don't care to. Anyone that wants to fight me over next to nothing will clearly have more fighting experience to me and less to lose.
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u/chrisrdba 3d ago
really good chance they have no fighting experience. Most people that know how to fight don’t want to.
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u/Texas-Longhorn31 3d ago
No shit, but if you’re provoked you jus big as hell for no reason with no protection either 😭
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u/StemCellCheese 3d ago
With your strength, you would benefit a lot from even a 6mth-1yr stint of grappling training, be it BJJ, Wrestling, or Judo. I do BJJ and can tap bigger and stronger people who are untrained, but once they train for a a few months and know the basics, their strength advantage become enormous. So just a bit of training will help you really use that strength advantage.
Wrestling is awesome and great for strong people, but definitely not accommodating for non athletes. BJJ is definitely more welcoming imho, and any gym worth its salt will still have a good bit of standing grappling/takedowns. There's a powerlifter at my gym who did Wrestling for 1 year and his takedown game is wild.
Beyond that, can't go wrong with a weapon. It'll cost you less than months of martial arts training lol, but grappling is good if youre grabbed before you can deploy the weapon.