If someone is following you on the street or in a garage or in an elevator or stairwell and you feel they are suspicious, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk: “I can’t believe it is so cold out here, we’re in for a bad winter.” “I’ve seen you before somewhere haven’t I?” Now that you’ve seen their face and could identify them in a lineup, you may lose appeal as a target.
If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell “Stop!” or “Stay back!” Most of the rapists said they’d leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target. Carry pepper spray (many self defense instructors advocate it) and yell “I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY!” Hold it out both as a deterrent and be ready and able to use it if necessary. Don’t have to look for it in your purse.
If someone grabs you, you probably can’t beat them strength-wise, but you can outsmart them. If they grab your wrist, pull your wrist back so your hand is in waving position (palm facing forward) and twist it toward yourself and pull your arm away. It is hard to hold onto wrist bones that are moving in that way. They stumble toward you and you stumble back, so you can use that momentum to backhand them with your knuckles in the forehead, nose or teeth. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm between the elbow and armpit, or in the upper inner thigh, and do it HARD.
After the initial hit, always go for the groin. It is extremely painful if you slap a guy’s testicles (Don’t hesitate, your life is at stake!). You may think you’ll make him mad and want to hurt you more, but most rapists interviewed report they want a woman who won’t cause them a lot of trouble. Cause them lots of trouble!
If he puts his hands up to grab you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible.
Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don’t dismiss it, always go with your instincts. You may feel a little silly at the time, but you’ll feel a lot worse if the guy really is trouble. You want to identify potentially threatening situations and avoid them. If the situation doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t!
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I don’t know Dr. Clint, but I’m a male Shotokan Karate student who’s a husband and a father and I’ve been at this for 10 years.
Here’s Jim’s 2 rules for women:
1. Always keep 3-4 feet between you and your attacker – use your voice – loud and in control “Get the F back or else”, keep your arms up, keep a low center of gravity (balance) and NEVER turn your back on your attacker. Once, and if, the attacker closes in on you or if you’re attacked from behind, then see #2:
2. Either you learn how to outrun your attacker or you learn how to incapacitate your attacker. Once they get you into their car, you are done for.
2(a) If you are a smaller person, get a .45 cal revolver concealed carry.
2(b) If you are athletically inclined and able, learn martial arts – preferably a street-fighting version like Shotokan, and go for the (a) EYES – use your thumb gouge on both eyes, (b) THROAT – ridge hand or punch to the throat to collapse the trachea, (c) NECK – twist or knife hand to the carotid artery as he falls to the ground and (d) GROIN – front kick square in the testicles followed by a thrust kick to break the knee/shin so he can’t get up. If he is still breathing, then use your cell phone to call 911 and tell them you were assaulted. I have seen this performed by a 100 pound female brown belt on a 250 pound attacker – it works. Ladies, gun or kung fu – please choose wisely and be safe.
There are too many idiots out there high on crack…
No one should have to walk around being afraid.
If you have females around you that you love, and they are often in dangerous situations, buy her a semi-auto pistol and some hollow points and teach her how to safely opperate it. best deterrent ever
Thank you for this informative, well-written article.
Also thank both gentlemen above for their comments. I just feel I should point out that those of us who live on the Continent are not allowed to carry weapons or pepper spray (yes, it’s illegal), and some of us cannot do martial arts because of a disability.
Wonderful article! And great comments. I think that more women and children should learn how to protect themselves from potential harm.
I would also like to take the time to thank you for this great website. I have read several articles, and found the information you share to be quite helpful and insightful.
I agree with most of the comments on here. The only thing that I have to add, that I felt was lacking, is an emphasis on AWARENESS. Ladies, no matter the time of day or where you are, be aware of your surroundings. Have your keys in hand before crossing a parking lot. Teach your kids to hold your hand in the parking lot so that you can pay attention to the bigger picture. Trust your gut, if something doesn’t feel right, go back inside the building and ask someone to escort you to your vehicle. No amount of concealed weapon, pepper spray, or martial arts is very effective if you are not ready to use them. Be ready by being aware.