Sorry its long, but its worth the read.
I received the following information from a friend in the States this morning, and I thought I would post it on here for all the girls to read, considering the events of the past couple of weeks in England, and the constant worry we have about being out and about, especially over the Xmas period, parties etc, I hope it helps you all. Those in the North East who fancy Self Defence Lessons, I am going to be running a 1 or 2 evening course in the New Year. PM me if you fancy joining in. If any of you have tips or hints of your own, please post them on here, anything that could potentially save lives, or save us from an attack would be good. I'm not going to assume no one has common sense, we all do, especially on this site, but it was just a few things we might not have heard before. I, by no means, want to scare anyone, its simply advice that might suit the Americans more than us, but you never know.
Things women should know to stay safe: Please take the time to read these pointers. There may just be one or two you hadn't thought of. After reading this, forward it to all the women you care about. It never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we have to inhabit!!
1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!
2. If a robber asks for your handbag, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you.... he is probably more interested in your handbag than you and he will go for the handbag. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
3. If you are ever thrown into the boot of a car: Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm through the hole and start waving. The driver won't see you but everybody else will. This has saved lives.
have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their cheque book, putting make up on, or making a list).
DON'T DO THIS! A predator could be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, and attack you. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.
5. A few notes about getting into your car in a car park:
a) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and check the back seat.
b) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most attackers surprise their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
c) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the shop, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)
6. ALWAYS take the lift instead of the stairs. Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot.
7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!
8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP IT! It may get you , or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.
9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch one night, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her 'Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear babies' cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.
Please fee free to add your own defence tips/experiences.
I think men need to be equally worried about their safety.
I wonder if it's a good idea to send a friend details of a meet (such as address/name/phone numbers/etc) - so if you go missing they have something to pass on to the police?
I've recieved advice over the years that has proved pretty valuable to me. One such piece of advice came from a police officer, he said if you are ever attacked by anyone always try and get away, if you cant and a fight ensues go for the groin! (as long as its a man) I'm sure i'll get flamed for this post buts its worked for me.
If you do get grabbed don't scream for help.
On a busy night or in a rough area people will often ignore it - Yell Fire at the top of your voice and you are far more likely to get people running to help.
Jas
XXX
I've also been told that shouting really loudly and suddenly in the attackers face will throw them for a second giving you a chance to escape.
A very good and worthwhile thread classykate and one which i know a lot about myself having been a martial arts CQB instructor myself.
A good bit of information is always a key element as knowledge is power:
Unfortunately there is a physical difference between men and women which gives men an edge in the event of an attack, the best way to counteract this is not to act in the way that is expected of you. An attacker will feel psychologicaly superoir as he believes an outcome to his advantage will be achieved. TAKE THIS ADVANTAGE AWAY AND CHANGE THE OUTCOME!! the attacker will invariably believe that you will act a certain way, either completely panic and become completely at his mercy, or try and run. The best thing to do in the event of an attack believe it or not is to act in a way which startles or takes the element of suprise and superiority away from the attacker.
To do this will take a lot of courage and you will need to keep very calm:
Take two steps away but keep facing the attacker put your hands up in front of you at shoulder height and shout loudly and directly at the attacker shout something like " TAKE A STEP BACK IMMMEDIATELY YOU ARE INVADING MY PERSONAL SPACE AND I WILL NOT LET YOU DO IT, STEP BACK IMMEDIATELY OR I WILL CALL LOUDLY FOR HELP" (hopefully at this they will turn tail and run) if not, then ask them a direct question still loudly and directly which confuses them (if they are still there which with any luck your first action has prevented)
"I KNOW YOU DONT I?"
"YOU LIVE ROUND HERE"
(statistically most male attackers live within a 5 mile radius of the attack)
If they are still in front of you after this listen to what they have to say to this, this is very important as your answer will be crucial in determining a positive and non violent outcome. they have proved they are a very confident attacker by still being in front of you at this point and you will have to change tactics
If they say no say "I DO KNOW YOU YOU LOOK VERY FAMILIAR" this will set alarm bells ringing for them as they know you have got a good look at them.
Now you must let him feel he has won say "IF YOU WANT MY BAG TAKE IT THERE IS OVER A HUNDRED POUNDS IN IT" (even if there is only a fiver in it) and as kate mentioned throe the bag in front of you toward the attackers feet, and donot block his ecsape move away facing hin not blocking any possible exit.
At the end of the day a new bag etc and phone isnt worth taking risks for, hope this helps a little and if anybody has any comments to add feel free, it is important to keep people informed as unfortunately we live in a world where this type of attack is all too common!
Another tip I saw a while ago suggested that when parking in a car park, always reverse the car into the bay.
This means that if there is a problem when returning to the car, you can drive straight out of the bay and be gone at speed, rather than fannying around reversing, stopping (giving the attacker another opportunity to get at you) and then moving forward.
Thinking further as I type, depending on the layout of the car park (i.e. if there is a wall behind the car) reversing into the bay means you also have the opportunity of getting the car door between you and the other person as you are getting into the car.
I was going to say something witty and sharp..... but with all these women pumped up looking for a victim now I think I'll shut up.....
You could also consider a few things a friend of mine picked up in the forces, where he was told 3 things that help to disable an enemy (or attacker in this case)
1. If they can't see you they can't fight you- don't be afraid to stick your thumb into their eyeball if you're being held down or grabbed in any way, the pain is apparently unbearable.
2. if they can't walk they can't follow you- my mate was shown two methods, both based on the same move. take a step back so that your dominent or strongest leg is behind you and your fists are raised as a form of distraction but giving a defensive/aggressive posture as a warning. in they continue to approach you step forward in an attacking move and either
a) stamp forcefully onto the inner front of their ankle or
b) onto their knee just as they contact the floor with thier foot. Both of these need good timing and confidence to do but cause serious pain and injury to an attacker.
3. if they can't breath they can't do anything- Either punching or pressing a thumb into the windpipe, just below the adams apple will cause enough pain and restriction of breathing that any attacker will have problems standing.
remember, these were taught for combat situations (and may possibly have been taught 'off the record') so probably best used as a last resort :thumbup:
This may come across as a rather oddball thing to say but this "advice" comes from America! "home of the free etc etc" , where its legal to carry guns for personal protection! and legally defencable to use methods up to ultimate force!
Over here I can quite see the "victim" is going to be the one that ends up in court for attacking the poor defenceless "yob!"
Best advice is never put yourself in a position where you ever have to use any force at all ! Just don't allow yourself to become a victim in the first place. avoid such situations and chances are you won't be targeted in the first place !
If you feel up to disabling your attacker and you're a bit far away for the groin, go for the knees. But when someone is facing you their knee is in the strongest position. So don't kick straight at it. You'll may miss anyway. Instead kick HARD out slightly sideways to push the side of the knee outward (preferably) or inward - as part of turning to run maybe. If you connect right you will temporarily (or permanently - who cares?) cripple him, if you miss you may well dead-leg him or at least drop him onto that knee on the floor which will hurt like hell.
I was going to describe a Judo move but decided it would be much more sensible to encourage people to take on either self defence or a defensive martial art.
I would recommend Judo as opposed to, say, Karate. My son was bullied at school and we decided that teaching him to fight back sounded good, but that left him still facing his attacker. Teaching him Judo taught him to drop his opponent to the floor without raising so much as a sweat. He could then walk away to safety. The attackers often could not even describe how they got there. It also did wonderful things for his balance - which is true for all martial arts I think. Balance is vital - if you are on the floor you are pretty well helpless.
As for the idea of not putting yourself in those positions. Yes think ahead and book a taxi etc. But no-one and I mean NO-ONE gets to dictate my life by fear.