Did you know that 81% of women in the U.S. reported dealing with a form of assault (sexual or otherwise) in their lifetime?
With verbal harassment taking the first place when it comes to the most common form, that doesn’t negate that about 51% of those ladies experienced inappropriate touching, reaching the level of sexual assault in some cases.
Saying that those statistics are terrifying would be the understatement of the century. That’s where self defense tips come in rather handy.
But, if you have no idea about the differences between karate and taekwondo, no worries. We’ve got your back. Keep on reading for our full breakdown of the top 14 ways on how to protect yourself.
1. The King of Self Defense Tips: Be Prepared
In the simplest of terms, being sufficiently prepared is half of the battle. That involves planning ahead of time what you’ll do and how you’ll accomplish it.
At home, go through your defensive strategy many times. You can always use a “fake attacker” with the help of a buddy or a dummy. This can help you develop muscle memory that will come in handy when you’re in need.
2. Be Conscious Of Your Environment
We all have hidden instincts that may provide us with information if we pay attention to them. If you’re awakened in the middle of the night, it’s a good sign that you’re in danger.
While any victim of a violent assault bears no responsibility, having your senses engaged in the surroundings may reveal viable escape routes, potential dangers, and make you more dangerous than someone who is obliviously listening to their earphones.
3. Make a Call to a Friend
Cellular technology has the advantage of allowing you to reach out and touch someone from virtually anywhere. Call someone and inform them where you are if you don’t like your current situation.
If anything goes wrong, You will inform the police straight away, and they will have an auditory witness to guide them in the correct direction. If you vanish, it might be hours or days before anybody notices, and the trail will be cold.
For this reason, attackers avoid individuals who are obviously chatting on the phone. Just be sure it doesn’t distract you from keeping an eye on your surroundings.
4. Scream and Make a Scene
Vocal cords were created as a kind of defense. It would help if you took advantage of this since the unexpected noise will likely give an assailant pause. It would be best if you even rehearsed a frightening shout since you don’t want to come across as frightened but rather forceful.
This is especially true for women, who have naturally higher voices and less threatening cries. You’re attempting to attract attention to yourself while also posing a danger. Learn to scream “No!” and “Stop!” since they also convey a clear message that whatever is going on has to stop so that anybody who hears them doesn’t misunderstand them as fun or exultant yells.
5. Strike an Aggressive Pose
When yelling is coupled with an athletic or aggressive posture, it works much better. Hands raised and ready for action, legs spread wide, torso turned to the side.
Making a lot of noise and seeming to know what you’re doing transforms you from vulnerable prey to a potentially deadly opponent in no time. Only the most self-assured or capable attackers will seek to engage a skilled martial artist. It’s unnecessary to have any training – though it’s a nice idea – all you have to do is seem ready to fight.
6. Choose Your Weapons Wisely
A self-defense knife is a good purchase, but it may be dangerous if you don’t know how to use it. It is preferable to use pepper spray, a knuckle duster, an air horn, a stun gun, or any other weapon you choose.
Please make sure you’re familiar with your weapons by taking classes or watching training videos on using them. Have a few on hand, and keep in mind that a bottle of lipstick or a keychain squeezed into your fist may add a lot of weight to your punch. Hairbrushes with many prongs, as well as combs and keys, are excellent for jabbing into someone’s face.
But, if you’re already used to firearms and have sufficient training and licenses, you can always bring in the big guns (literally). For instance, if you have an AR15, ensure that you have the right AR15 accessories on hand for better handling.
7. Stay Put
It’s better to stay where you are than to go where they’re taking you. Stay still until you’re getting away from them, even if they threaten you with a pistol or a knife.
If they loved the atmosphere, they wouldn’t attempt to compel you to join them. Thus, you’re better off holding your ground.
8. Tighten Your Body
Fighting is all about shrinking yourself, not expanding yourself. When it comes to intimidation, bigger is better, but don’t puff out if someone is rushing at you.
Tuck your arms tight to your core instead, since this will offer you greater leverage. Spread your legs apart and equally distribute your weight so they can’t attack both of them at once.
Grabbing someone who is tucked into a fighting posture and has a stiff body is far more difficult than grabbing someone stretched out and relaxed.
You don’t want them to have control over anything, even your wrist or hand, so drawing in like a boxer can help you prepare for action and keep your adversary from taking you down.
9. Yank and Twist
You’re getting ready to move defensively by tightening up your body and pulling everything in tight to your core.
It’s best if you’ve had some training, but the most important rule is to twist away rather than pull if they try to grab you. You pull away from them after turning.
10. In a Bind? Pull Closer
If an attacker succeeds in grasping you and you cannot twist away, go in close to their body to get the greatest leverage.
You’ll still want to attack them with your core power, which means putting your core in a position where you can utilize it. Then you may transform into a dervish that they regret picking up. Consider how difficult it is to fight an enraged cat that is a fraction of your size, and you’ll have a sense of what you’re up against.
11. Start With the Ready Stance
Now, you’re ready to learn some defensive moves. You’ll want to take on the ready stance from a distance to establish a firm body-language barrier (for example, if someone is following you) or when you’re sending physical strikes.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands by your sides. Take a natural stride forward with your non-dominant leg, keeping toes pointing forward so feet are staggered.
Tuck chin and shrug shoulders slightly while bending both knees slightly, elevating back heel, bringing hands up in front of face approximately 12 inches from the face with palms facing front, tucking the chin and shrugging shoulders slightly. Distribute your weight evenly between both feet, focusing on the balls rather than the heels.
12. Use the Palm-Heel Strike
When should you utilize it? This is a last-ditch effort to establish escape routes. It works best when the attacker’s face isn’t obstructed or obscured, and you can reach the attacker’s face using your outstretched arms.
Start in the “Ready Stance” and keep your hands up. Extend your left hand straight out, fingers straight up and elbow down, while rotating your left hip and shoulder. Keep your right hand up to shield your face. Return the shoulder and hip to a square ready posture by recoiling the left arm.
Send a palm strike with your right hand while keeping your feet in the same place (rotation your right hip), then attempt a left-right combo. Practice a right-left combo if you’re left-handed. Keep your hand open (don’t form a fist) and contact the attacker’s nose with the heel of your palm.
13. Front Kick to Groin
When should you utilize it? This is another last-ditch effort to establish escape routes. It’s beneficial against tall opponents, especially if you can’t reach their face with Palm-Heel Strikes.
As we’ve mentioned before, you’ll want to begin in Ready Stance with your hands raised. Straighten your right knee by bending your right leg.
Extend hips (nearly bend backward to create force in the left leg/your loading leg) and kick right shin straight to attacker’s crotch, keeping toes pointing down and out of the way as soon as your right knee is over your waistline. Return to Ready Stance by releasing your right foot behind you.
14. Hammerfist Punch
You can use this move in virtually every scenario where you find yourself in peril. However, it is most effective when used to strike the attacker in the face, especially the nose, jaw, or temple.
From the “Ready Stance,” raise your dominant hand, bending at the elbow (as if you’re about to toss a ball). Rotate your hips toward the attacker and lower your dominant arm, striking the attacker in the face with the meaty bottom portion of your fist (target for the nose).
Recoil to Ready Stance and repeat if you’re practicing this move. In a real-life situation, throw a punch and flee while the assailant is unconscious.
Ready to Upgrade Your Self Defense Safety Protocols?
Not only is it overwhelming at first to acknowledge how vulnerable we can be in public, but it’s also time-consuming to actually implement the right self defense tips into our daily routines.
But, hopefully, our guide has shed some light on the 14 different ways of defending yourself. Of course, it’s never the victim’s fault, but it might give you some peace of mind when you have a blueprint to follow in those kinds of horrific situations.
And, if you enjoyed our explainer, then you’ll want to check out our additional tips and tricks. All will be available in our lifestyle section.
