Whether you’re walking around on town or just strolling through your own neighbourhood you should know what to do if you suddenly find yourself in a threatening situation and need to escape.

But what if you have never taken a self defence class. What do you do then. Well here are some handy pointers on what to do if you think you’re in a potentially hazardous situation. Better safe than sorry, right?

Be Actively Aware of Your Surroundings

We all know this one, but it’s easy to forget: When you’re not paying attention, you’re much more vulnerable to an attack—no matter where you are. So stick your headphones in your bag, put your phone away (though make sure it’s easy to grab), and keep your eyes and ears open to what’s around you. People who look like they’re easy targets tend to be easy targets, and draw the attention of a potential attacker. Staying alert to what’s going on around you will not only help you be more prepared to defend yourself, but you may be less likely to need to in the first place.

Know How to Handle an Attack

So, this is a nightmare scenario—but there are things you can do to help increase your odds of getting away if you’re being overpowered. First off, a lot of people focus on the part of their body that’s being pinned, instead of employing the counter attack options available to them. An example? If your arms are being held to your sides, you still have free feet and legs to stomp on your attacker’s toes, knee them in the crotch, or kick their kneecaps or shins. If you’ve got free hands, go for vital points like the throat (you want to aim for the trachea, which is right below the chin) and the eyes (yep, as hard as you can, right in the eyeballs).

Another thing is that when a person is trying to physically move you, stabilizing your base can help fend them off. What does that mean? Basically, if your feet are spread apart on the ground and your knees are a little bent, you’re harder to knock over and have more control over your movements—which could keep someone from being able to pick you up in the first place.

Remember: You’re Not Trying to Win the Fight

An attack will trigger your flight or fight mode—but without a doubt your main job is to get away, as fast as you can. Make a scene: Scream as loud as possible, and alert anyone in earshot that you need help. But don’t just start swinging punches without trying to aim. You could wear yourself out, and that might make it harder to escape.

You might not be stronger than your attacker, but you are smarter: Grind your heel into the little bones of their foot, or aim for their nose. Both of those zones have bones and cartilage that can be easily broken, which would distract your assailant—and allow you to run for it. Adrenaline will help you to book it out of there, and try your best to run toward familiar territory and open spaces where you know there will be other people around.

We’re thinking about you guys—stay safe and aware out there. You can of course help you odds and attend a local self defence class like Shizoku Martial Arts classes. Even the basics can help you in that moment of crisis.

Managing a large amount of stress has become the norm in our society. You often hear people talking about how many responsibilities they are balancing, and how many different balls they’re trying to juggle at the same time.

But stress is very harmful to your health. It affects the way your body stores fat, your sleep patterns, and predisposes you to high blood pressure and so many other things.

You already know that martial arts classes offer you a way to burn calories fast and keep your metabolism high. But did you know that you get a large dose of stress relief too?

Here’s how:

1. You’ll release endorphins

When you go through an intense Martial arts class, your body releases a type of hormone known as endorphins. This is basically a feel-good hormone that leaves you feeling great, improves your mood and gives you a feeling of achievement and euphoria. Stress blocks out the production of endorphins, leaving you craving fatty foods, which the body will not store properly.

2. You’ll build a coping mechanism

Martial arts classes help you develop certain characteristics such as improving your decision making, calming your fears and projecting confidence. These are the very same skills you need to build a coping mechanism for stress.

3. Your sense of fear will become desensitized

You will need to confront your fear of getting hurt in a martial arts class. This continued exposure is good because it allows you to deal with not just the fear that you see in the class but all your internalized fears which may be causing you stress. Stress is often produced when you are afraid that something bad will happen to you, even if the harm is imagined, mostly because you don’t feel able to defend yourself.

4. You’ll learn proper breathing technique

Sometimes, when we are in high stress moments, we forget how to breathe. This might lead to irregular breathing patterns that are not good for the body and contribute to your stress level as well as your health problems. One of the things you will learn at a Senshi Shizoku class is how to regulate your breathing and breathe properly.

5. You’ll have more energy

After your first class you may feel tired, but once you have become a regular you will begin to notice that at the end of the class you feel energized and on top of the world. This is because your Martial Arts training is increasing your energy and serotonin levels. This is probably one of the best stress relief available in the world today and it’s all-natural!

An intense class is a very effective way of losing weight and keeping fit. You burn up to 800 calories in each class and keep your metabolism high afterwards. But that’s not all, you also reduce your stress level and you take that everywhere you go. It truly is a win-win situation.

So beat your stress into shape and train hard to get and stay healthy.