As people go through there self defense training, there is a lot of emphasis placed on the physical aspect of defending yourself. This makes sense because if you are actually attacked, using your body as a weapon is your only alternative. However, self defense tactics begin long before the attack actually happens. That makes understanding the non-verbal signals that are sending incredibly important. By knowing what message your are sending to your potential attacker, you can gain better control over the situation and, in many cases, avoid it completely.
Over the last decade, there have been a number of studies regarding the affects of non-verbal communication and self defense. They not only note that non-verbal communication is actually about 80% of all communication, but also that many attacks happen without any physical contact. That means that understanding the non-verbal side of self defense tactics is just as important as the physical side. In the best self defense training programs, there will be at least some time spent discussing what you can do before you are attacked. For example, they may discuss things like creating space or getting a better understanding of your environment. It is also an important time for you to get a good idea about your attackers intentions and what their strengths and weaknesses are.
The time before the attack is also important because you can use it gain the upper hand via non-verbal communication. Assertive non-verbal communication means that you are presenting yourself from a position of confidence and control. If you look at someone and immediately get the sense that they are confident, it is likely that they have characteristics such as: walking with their shoulders straight, excellent eye contact, and presenting a sense of knowledge or control over the situation. If you constantly provide assertive non-verbal communication, you can immediately make your self defense training more effective.
There are several reasons for this. The first, and most important, is that by showing your attacker that you are confident, it tells that you know how to defend yourself and are prepared to do so if they attack. Many attackers tend to prey on the weak and don't really want any trouble. If you look confident in yourself, then they will assume that you might give them trouble and they will simply move on. However, even if they do still decide to attack you, assertive non-verbal communication gives you another advantage as well. If you land a good strike or dodge their first move, they will assume that it is because you know what you are doing (even if you just got lucky). Because they have a preconception that you are confident in your self defense training, everything you do carries more power and increases the odds that they will disengage after a few moments instead of continuing their attack.
As you can see, by using assertive non-verbal communication, you can immediately make your self defense training more effective. Defending yourself happens both before the attack as well as the attack itself. By making sure that your self defense tactics are addressing the non-verbal aspects of both phases of defense, you will immediately become more effective at not only defending yourself in a fight, but also preventing an attack in the first place.
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