Self Defense...
The Standard HEADBUTT

HEADBUTT – Standard 

The headbutt sounds pretty straightforward, but if the headbutt is carried out incorrectly, it will hurt YOU more than it will hurt your attacker. Learn how to do a headbutt properly, some tips and tricks, and why the headbutt should be low on your options list.

If you’ve clashed heads playing sport, you will know what real down-to-earth pain feels like. The strong headache that follows, seems to last forever. It will ache even more if one of your delicate bones is hit.

The head is pretty hard, the forehead is pretty hard, but the face area is not so hard. It has delicate bones that tend to break, and hurt, if hit the right way. So, these delicate bones are of course the ones to aim for. A hard forehead, hitting a not-so-hard face bone, is a good combination.

If you find yourself face-to-face with an attacker, quite often, his nose will be an easy target for a headbutt. Let’s take a look at the steps:

The headbutt

1.        Tilt your head slightly downward, clench your teeth, and stiffen your neck muscles.

2.        Frown. Frowning will help focus your energy, and your attention at your forehead.

3.        All you do now is sneeze! AT-CHE-W-W-W-U! Use, more or less the same motions with the headbutt as you do with a big sneeze.

4.        Heads are quick and easy to move around, so you must be careful when guiding in on your target. Be careful not to hit any hard parts (his forehead or the top of his head).

Aim, and fire! Lunge forward, connecting with your attacker’s nose, using your whole body weight. Aim to strike using the area one-inch or 25mm above your eyebrow - just for comfort. It is very important to clench your teeth and keep your mouth closed.

Another important point

Sit up straight in your chair.  Now, slouch forward and down at the same time. Can you feel your back, just above the middle, bend? Bending from there speeds up the movement. So you should use your whole body weight, and bend at the middle of your back at the same time.

Keep your eyes on your attacker at all times, and try to time your headbutt so your attacker is looking down when you strike. The element of surprise goes head-to-head with this headbutt technique, so use it!

If you are in range for a headbutt (less than two-feet or 600mm), you could even pretend to sneeze. Your attacker would be expecting a sneeze, not a broken nose. Make him think you will do one thing, then do another. This is your friend, "the element of surprise" in action.

Let’s simplify the headbut:

·         Tilt your head slightly downward, clench your teeth, stiffen your neck muscles, and frown.

·         Lean back slightly, take aim, lunge forward, connecting your attacker’s nose.

·         Aim to strike using the area one-inch or 25mm above your eyebrow - just for comfort.

·         Clench your teeth and keep your mouth closed.

·         Use your whole body weight and bend at the middle of your back.

Conclusion

In my opinion, the headbutt should be one of the LAST techniques on your options list for self-defense. Why? Because the headbutt is so well-known (like the front kick to the groin) that an attacker will most likely expect it from you, and be ready for it. If you get the chance to use this headbutt technique, be sure to use it with the element of surprise.

A special thanks to Self-Defense Now for allowing us to use the above article! The Self-Defense Now website has all kinds of practical tips and techniques on self-defense. The Self-Defense Now website can be found by following this link: http://www.selfdefensenow.com