A man is approaching a woman as shown in picture 1.

It is very important to make room between you and the harasser in this situation.

Stare and give a warning look at the opponent while watching the opponent’s movement.

To make room between the opponent and yourself, widen your stance by moving your leg furthest from the opponent. Next put the hand closest to the opponent on your hip to create an angle that your elbow is close to so you are able to block the harasser as shown in picture 2. The hand on your hip will support your whole arm firmly from having the opponent get closer to you.

This stance will hold off an opponent approaching from the side, with the foot from the bottom and the elbow from the top.

This self-defense technique has the advantage of minimal movement of the foot with a quick effect of dealing with a quiet opponent and avoiding making a scene in crowded areas.

By Seo Gyo-sun (selfdefense777@gmail.com)

Seo Gyo-sun, an internationally certified Taekwondo Grand Master, judge and coach, holds a B.A. in taekwondo from Kyung Hee University. ― Ed