If you’ve been paying attention to the news, or social media, you may have noticed the increase of violent crimes, a lot of which are directed at women. Unfortunately, women are victimized in many different aspects of life, and it can be hard for them to establish a sense of security anywhere. We constantly read about women being sexually harrassed and taken advantage of, whether it’s in bars or even at work or school. That’s why women need to learn self defense now more than ever!
Even if you’ve personally never found yourself in a situation that made you feel physically unsafe, it’s always better to have a ‘backup plan’, or some reassurance about your next steps should an unfortunate circumstance ever occur. Here are some self-defense strategies every woman should know:
#1 Always Be Aware Of Your Surroundings And Trust Your Instincts
When it comes to your personal safety, you should always trust your instincts. If you don’t feel safe in your surroundings, you should follow your gut. An alert person is more difficult to attack than a distracted person. Being aware of your surroundings will allow you to see danger ahead of time. Too many victims have said the same thing: “I had this bad feeling, but I told myself not to be paranoid,” or “I went because I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.” Never ignore that little voice in your head that tells you to walk away from a situation!
#2 Present Yourself With Confidence
Body language is one of the most important indicators of a person’s ability and willingness to fight back. Like animals, human predators target those who they consider the weakest or most vulnerable. Walking with confidence and awareness, with your shoulders back and head up, shows a predator that you are not an easy target, reducing the likelihood of you becoming a target in the first place.
#3 Avoid Attack Opportunities
When we are in a vulnerable situation, such as walking alone at night, or when we’re not fit to defend ourselves (being intoxicated), it provides criminals plenty of opportunities to attack. So, to avoid that, our defensive strategy needs to include actively denying openings for attack, such as:
- Sticking with friends, or staying in more crowded areas.
- Observing the people around you, and if someone seems to be following you or paying too much attention to you, stay away.
- If someone is lingering around your car or your front door, wait for them to leave.
- When you’re in a sketchy environment, or you’re waiting at a bus stand/train station, have your back against a wall so you can see all angles.
Always remember to position yourself so that you cannot be surprised or cornered, making it difficult for predators to find an attack opportunity.
#4 Set Strong Verbal Boundaries
In most cases, you’re likely to use your words more frequently and successfully than any physical technique. Good verbal skills make a great self-defense tool, since it shows the attacker that you are not easily intimidated. While an aggressive verbal confrontation can be terrifying, you have to remain calm and respond confidently and assertively so it shows that you’re not an easy target. Don’t shy away from eye contact, and always say NO to anything that you don’t want to do or anything that would put you in danger.
#5 Always Keep A Safe Distance
We all have a comfort zone or a personal space. In fact, understanding distance is key in martial arts and self defence. If someone wants to hurt you, they will try to get close to you first. The closer they get to you, the fewer options you’d have. So try to keep people at two arms’ length away, and remember that anyone who goes within that space is a potential threat. If they invade your space, try to maintain some distance by moving away. Once the threat is far enough away from you, where they can’t reach out to you or grab you, run.
#6 Be The Threat
If the predator has chosen to pursue you despite you telling them not to, the only other way out is to show him that you’re a threat to him. In an ideal world, all of us would have mastered martial arts. But unfortunately, most of us do not have the physical skills to fight back. So, if you didn’t manage to get caught by them, try to keep your distance as long as possible by running and forcing them around physical obstacles.
Draw attention to the attack by yelling things that will alert others and frighten the attacker, like “HELP!”, “GET AWAY FROM ME!”, “RAPIST!”, “POLICE!”. If they have physically attacked you, fight back as much as possible. The goal here isn’t to win the fight but to create an opening for escape.
#7 Keep Your Techniques Simple
When we’re faced with danger, we might not be able to react to the situation immediately. Simple gestures like swinging your fist or even unlacing your fingers can be challenging. That’s why you should just stick to a few simple techniques.
Using things like your car keys, or even the pointy parts of your body, such as the point of your elbow (targeting the face, chin, temple, or back of the head), your knee (targeting the groin) and even your fingers (striking the eyes). Most importantly, always follow through. The fight is not over until the threat is gone, so always commit all the way!
