possess the jaw and bite strength of a Rottweiler or a pit bull, biting can be an effective tool for us to use. It is worth pointing out that clothing can often render biting ineffectual, so it should never be seen as a silver bullet, though it definitely does have its time and place.
Biting works very well for small children who are being abducted or pulled away by an adult assailant. A child should try to grab their attacker’s arm with both hands to steady themselves, and then bite into it. As soon as they feel the grip loosen, they should move to get away/disengage. Understand that although this type of assault—a stranger trying to kidnap a child, for whatever purposes—is what we fear most, it is not the most likely way for an adult to get a child to go with them. Children need to be educated in identifying the grooming process that adult predators use, as well as learning physical self-defense techniques.
Biting is an effective tool for two basic reasons: firstly, a person who is bitten instinctively pulls away from the bite, making it a great way to create space to move/escape when held in a lock or control. Secondly, it sends a clear message to your attacker as to where your head space is, and what you are prepared to do in order to survive the fight—being bitten is something an attacker probably didn’t expect when they decided to assault you.
If you are dealing with a multiple-assailant situation in which you want to send a clear message to the group—one that says they are not going to have an easy time dealing with you—biting the primary aggressor, and moving them so that they are between you and the others, can be an effective strategy. If those less-committed members of the group witness the most aggressive and determined member bleeding and in extreme pain, they will be less likely to want to involve themselves in the fight.
If you find yourself in a situation where you have no disengagement options and are dealing with multiple assailants, you should first see if de-escalation or acquiescing to your aggressors’ demands (handing your wallet over if it’s a mugging, etc.) will work as a solution. If your attackers seem committed to violence—i.e., they stay after you give them what they want, they continue to be verbally aggressive, etc., you will need to take decisive action.
Grab the attacker who is nearest to you—one hand grabbing the back of their head, the other their chin—and move rapidly and aggressively toward them. It is likely that the assailant nearest to you is the primary aggressor, and the other person(s) with them secondary aggressors who may or may not be motivated to get involved. They may simply be members of the group who will join in if necessary, but will not want to initiate an assault.
Turn your attacker’s head so that their nose is in line with your mouth. Once those who are less motivated understand what is happening and what you are about to do, they may well back away, as they now know what the cost of involvement may be.
When you bite the nose, get a good grip on it (don’t seal your mouth around it, though, for health and safety reasons), and while still holding the head, rip it from side to side. This may seem barbaric, but you will want to cause your assailant as much pain as possible. Ideally, you want everyone else in the group to hear your attacker’s screams and shouts so that they hesitate to get involved. Still holding/biting your attacker, maneuver yourself to a position from which you can disengage.
When you bite, you should aim to “nip” at your assailant’s exposed or unprotected flesh (i.e., that covered by a T-shirt or another type of clothing with sufficiently thin material), rather than making deep bites. Nipping and then pulling/ripping the flesh with the teeth causes much more acute pain than simply making a deep bite. Another advantage of nipping is that the mouth rarely forms an airtight seal around the flesh; this means that most blood-borne diseases such as HIV and hepatitis will present less of a risk.
Another reason “full” bites are inadvisable is that they can end up allowing your aggressor to take advantage of the relative weakness of your jaw. A good example of this would be a rear strangle situation, where it might at first glance seem a good idea to bite the attacking arm.
The problem arises when the attacker, rather than pulling away from the bite, pulls into it, extending and painfully opening the jaw, to the point where the bite no longer troubles them and they have control of your head—and therefore your body and movement.
When an attacker pulls back violently, they move their arm backward toward your back teeth, where you have no leverage, and your bite will be ineffective. Having your jaw forced open in this way is extremely painful.
Head-Butts
The skull is extremely thick in certain places, and with the head comprising of about 8 percent of total bodyweight, using this area of the body to strike can be extremely effective. The toughest part of the skull is at the top of the forehead, at the hairline, and this is the area you want to direct toward your assailant’s face/bridge of the nose (soft target areas).
There are two basic ways to deliver the head-butt. The simplest way is to “lock” the neck and simply drive your forehead into your attacker’s face. The other involves swinging your head forward, toward your assailant’s face. When swinging the forehead down, try not to just swing from the neck, but swing from the middle of your back as you push your head forward.
Driving Head-Butt
I have been head-butted twice in my life; on both occasions I was knocked unconscious, and I can still recall the exact pain I felt. In most cases, we are quick to forget extreme pain, but for some reason, I can still remember exactly what it feels like to be struck this way. One of the easiest ways to deliver a head-butt is to grab your attacker’s clothing and aim the top of your forehead toward your attacker’s face.
Take a step forward, pushing your attacker back while lowering yourself. When they are unbalanced, they are not in a good position to defend themselves.
Strike with the top of your skull (normally around the front hairline) toward your attacker’s nose, crushing it against your skull. Take this opportunity to drag your rear foot forward, so that you are in a good position to deal with their attacks and/or make your own further attacks.
The same head-butt can be delivered to an attacker’s chest or upper-body in order to open them up and disrupt their balance.
Swinging Head-Butt
Take hold of your assailant’s clothing and pull your head back. Rather than driving your head forward with the neck locked, swing your head toward your attacker.
You should aim to connect the solid, bony part of your skull—around the top of the forehead/hair-line—with the bridge of your attacker’s nose.
Lower-Body Combatives
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