There is no need to attend a martial arts defensive course to be able to cope with a potential attacker.  Although attending such courses is a very good idea, this page sets out to illustrate some very simple and effective methods of dealing with potential attackers before they can do any harm.

The best form of self defence is to point a gun at a potential attacker, but what if you are not armed or you visit or live in a country where guns and the carrying of knives for defensive measures are banned as in the UK and most of Europe.

Statistics illustrate that a very high percentage of women who have been assaulted felt that something was wrong, felt that something wasn't quite right, felt that the situation they were in was a little odd just before they were attacked but did not make any changes to alter the situation or their immediate circumstances for their well-being.

As the old saying goes " There is never a policeman when you want one "  you are on your own.

Being more aware of  those around you whilst out and about, and having a contingency plan of escape and evasion if events turn 'funny' against you is a good start.  Being aware can in itself deter a potential attacker as they like easy, soft targets who are unsuspecting.

If you walk around with a soft simple gait, maybe hunched up a little and looking at the ground with a wanton vacant-ish look about you, then the potential mugger acknowledges this and your a potential target, he doesn't want any trouble, a soft and weak target is the nicest prey.  If however you stride out with a positive, confident walk with your head held up and a firm adamant expression on your face, this is also 'read' by the potential mugger and there is a greater chance he will pass you by.

You might give him trouble you see, and he doesn't want that.

Keep up a constant discreet lookout for anyone who may be following you. A real incident concerned a woman who was followed by a man out of a shopping mall, she walked to the nearest parked vehicle, the man followed so she walked around to the other side of the vehicle, he followed, she walked around the other side and continued, as he went one way, she went the other.  The man felt awkward and embarrassed and onlookers started to take note, so he walked quickly away.

This may sound comical, in a way it was, but it was a simple and effective method that saved the woman from whatever harm the potential attacker had in mind.

Another story is of a woman who was assaulted whilst putting the shopping into the trunk of her car, she had the presence of mind to quickly grab a can of baked beans from the shopping bag and then slammed him hard on the head with the edge of it.  A can of baked beans is a hard metal object, it did the trick, the attacker ran away holding his head.

If you think you are being followed in a car as you drive, then drive around the block in a circle if they are still behind, then drive to a police station that you know of or drive around till you find one and drive up to the police stations front door or flash your headlights at the first police car you see on the road and wave or signal to them, but never drive home to let those following you know where you live.

As long as you have a tank of gas, you can drive around indefinitely.

If followed on foot, you can simply walk up to someone and tell them that you think you are being followed, don't be embarrassed in situations where your welfare is threatened, do anything to help yourself, the person or group that you tell should understand and even if they don't offer any help or advice, it may be enough to put off the potential attacker.

If you often take a short cut on the way home that goes through a quite, desolate area like woodlands or through the local park at night, then don't take it.  Instead go the long way around, a simple measure like this may save you from attack.

Another safety method if you are quite sure that you are being followed is to stop and turn around and start shouting at the potential attacker something like " ARE YOU  FOLLOWING ME?"  Shout it at the top of your voice, and make a scene, make a lot of noise, and continue shouting and don't stop, the potential attacker will not like all the attention you are attracting and he will walk the other way, probably with a bit of haste.

Men who choose to attack a woman are crass cowards but even so are still dangerous.  A man does not expect a woman to stand up to them, and a male assailant will often back down when she does.

Another method if you are in trouble is to shout "FIRE" as loud as you can, the word 'fire' always grabs peoples attention, as the thought of fire causes excitement and adrenaline rushes in people more so than the scream for help and everyone within earshot will be looking around, looking through their windows and looking at you, which is what you want.

If you are grabbed and the attacker starts to restrain you, kick out, claw, punch, scratch and scream and make as much noise and uproar as possible to make it as difficult for the attacker as possible. When you plead " Please don't hurt me  " this means nothing to one who's unbalanced  mind is already set to cause you harm.  Don't try to reason with him, reasoning is over. Its pure survival...

...Striking the attacker on the head with one of your high heels may give you enough time to run off. A set of house keys or the handle of a hair brush usually carried in your handbag and rammed down hard on an attackers head may also give you the break to run.

If you are getting attacked indoors, maybe by someone that you already know, then try to get outdoors and be noisy and loud, scream and shout, raise the alarm.  If you cant get outside, try to throw something through the window pane, anything to raise the alarm that you are in trouble and need help.

Remember that if you are about to be attacked then all the rules of being nicey, nicey have to go in the trash can, don't expect the attacker to show any display of humanity as you are just prey to them, its now a case of survival, not a case of being right or wrong.  Many women unfortunately have not followed any tactical measures and have been assaulted  and sadly, even killed.

Carrying a personal attack alarm is a good idea, they emit a loud distinctive noise that may scare the attacker away or it may get other peoples attention.  These personal attack alarms do not sound like a car alarm, if they did then most people would just ignore them as they do when a car alarm goes off.

Using a pepper spray can also be effective and give you enough time to get away.

This page has only covered some outlines of defense strategies but remember that if you find yourself in a situation then its time to break the rules and do anything to deter or frighten off the attacker.

Self Defense Courses

If you would like to learn practical self defense measures of physically fighting off an attacker then I would recommend that you join a women's self defense course that would be held at your local martial arts center.  It would be reckless of me to  tell you how to fight an attacker with methods of unarmed combat without the proper training.

I also have a web page on what handgun is best for a woman to carry if your country permits it and you feel so way inclined