June 14th, 2022 | Updated on June 16th, 2022
You might know that sinking feeling. The feeling where you sense someone is following or watching you. You don’t feel safe.
1 in 3 or around 736 million women face physical or sexual abuse from a partner or non-partner. With these staggering statistics, it’s critical to learn how to handle these situations.
What do you do? How can you protect yourself from potential attacks?
Read on to learn five self-defense tips to help you learn how to stay safe from physical or sexual assaults.
1. Stay Aware With Safe Distance
If you feel you are in an unsafe situation and you’re gearing up to defend yourself, keep a safe distance.
If you feel someone is entering your comfort zone or making you uncomfortable, keep a distance of at least one-and-a-half arm’s length. Any closer and you need to be prepared to step into self-defense mode.
Be aware of your surroundings, taking into account where to move toward safety. In an unsafe situation, move toward areas where there is more light and are more people.
2. Learn Simple Gross Motor Techniques
If defending yourself elevates to a physical level, you need to know simple self-defense techniques to protect yourself.
Familiarize yourself with the body’s weak points and basic moves to pinpoint those areas. The body’s weak points are the eyes, nose, throat, solar plexus, knees, and groin.
Learning simple gross motor techniques such as the groin kick, heel palm strike, or elbow strike can help you escape from an attacker to find help or run to safety.
3. Exude Confidence And Assertiveness
Show yourself to be confident as you walk down the street or through a parking lot. You become less of a target to your attacker if you do not appear vulnerable or weak. Make brief eye contact, and keep your head up.
As you’re learning how to defend yourself, don’t forget to use your voice. Speak loudly, boldly, and confidently to an attacker. Doing so shows that you are not a weak or vulnerable target.
4. Carry Protection
As another line of women’s self-defense, you can carry protection. Becoming trained, certified, and permitted to carry a weapon is a personal choice to provide you with reassurance.
Learn more here about options available to you for conceal-carry weapons for self-defense.
5. Use The Element Of Surprise
When it comes to the element of surprise, the goal is to throw off your attacker to make way for an escape.
If you are in an attack situation, use your voice to yell and scream for help. Likely, the volume and attention drawn to this will surprise your attacker. They may release any hold on you, giving you a quick second to run away.
In situations where you get grabbed from behind, act quickly using one of the self-defense techniques. Likely, your ability to fight back may be enough to surprise your attacker, granting you the opportunity to get away.
Self-Defense Tips To Protect Yourself
You don’t have to live in fear of an attack or assault. Give yourself the tools and resources you need to protect yourself from becoming part of women’s assault statistics. Take these self-defense tips and prepare yourself for these situations where you might be in danger.
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