Thought I would add this for your consideration. I shall be uploading some solutions to these attacks in the near future. If you are reading this from outside the UK I would be interested in a list of the top 10 from your country, if you can get it please pass it on to me with where you got it from and I shall add my solutions to the list

Top 10 most common assaults listed in order of frequency are

  1. Defender pushes attacker, hands to chest, which is usually followed by the attacker using a swinging punch to the head

  2. A swinging punch to the head. (usually trying to sucker punch you)

  3. A front clothing grab, one handed, followed by punch to head

  4. A front clothing grab, two handed, followed by a head butt

  5. A front clothing grab, two handed followed by a knee to the groin

  6. A bottle, glass or ashtray to the head

  7. A lashing kick to groin/lower legs

  8. A broken bottle/glass jabbed to face

  9. A slash with knife, most commonly a 3” to 4” lock blade or kitchen utility knife. (Apart from muggings, sexual assaults and gang violence, the hunting/ combat type knife is seldom used)

  10. A grappling style head lock

  If your training does not include defences against these types of attacks then include them in your sessions, NOW. Practice them under conditions of stress, role play scenarios so that you become familiar with some one “having a go at you”. Use your “Fence and Guard” barriers, make it difficult for the aggressor to grab you or get close enough to hit you. (Do not train continuously so that you ALLOW your training partner to grab you, the same goes for letting them get close enough to grab you).