self-defense
noun
1. the act of defending one’s person when physically attacked, as by countering blows or overcoming an assailant:the art of self-defense.
2. a claim or plea that the use of force or injuring or killing another was necessary in defending one’s own person from physical attack:He shot the man who was trying to stab him and pleaded self-defense at the murder trial.
3. an act or instance of defending or protecting one’s own interests, property, ideas, etc., as by argument or strategy.
This is the dictionary version of what is self-defense. It is difficult to know what the legal ramifications will be when defending yourself. In the United States most states allow you to defend yourself within reason.
Cornell Law school states that self-defense is:
The use of force to protect oneself from an attempted injury by another. If justified, self-defense is a defense to a number of crimes and torts involving force, including murder, assault and battery. criminal law.
(https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/self-defense)
(https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/self-defense)
The keyword in this phrase is justified. Hoshinsool practitioners should never use their skills and techniques to bring harm to others. However, to protect yourself or others it may be justified to defend yourself. If the moment arises to defend yourself you want to be prepared. With some basic knowledge and skills you can defend yourself to escape and to survive.
When faced with a life-threatening situation it is vital to make quick decisions. You do not have long to react in a real-life situation requiring you to act. Sometimes you could only have one to two seconds to make the decision to react.
The best way to be prepared for such situations is to develop your memory muscles and to role play scenarios. You can role play in your mind potential situations that would require self-defense and those that you can easily walk away. Sometimes it is best to just to simply walk away. In other situations a verbal reaction would be appropriate. However, you might have to use force to deter an opponent.
When you choose to use your techniques and force to repel your attacker you then have to act. This can be very difficult for many people and. some are even frozen by fear. We never know how we will truly act when confronted with danger. This is why it is important to gain the necessary skills prior to the situation so that you will react in a way that works and falls within the legal realm of self defense.
