Stuff You Know, But We All Need Reminders

Hey, just got back from a self-defense seminar and want to just throw this out there as a reminder to us all, especially since because we tend to look a little different than John Q. Public we may invite a little closer scrutiny:

1. Adopt a confident stance. An attacker is more likely to mess with you if he/she feels you're an easy target and will buckle.

2. BE AWARE of your surroundings. Look in your car, around your car, and under your car before you get in.

3. Have eachother's back. Safety in numbers.

4. Keep your keys at the ready when going to the car or the house. Hold them like you'll use them, because they are excellent weapons if need be.

5. If someone won't leave you alone, be vocal. Be LOUD. It's better to make a scene than a pretty corpse.

6. Trust the hair on the back of your neck. If it feels weird, it is weird.

7. When someone does attack:
1. Be Loud
2. Be Quick
3. Think EYES, THROAT, GROIN
4. Get the hell out of Dodge

8. It is 90% likely that you will be hurt by someone with a gun if YOU DON'T RUN. It's only 10% likely to be killed by a bullet if you're running away. So...RUN!!

9. It's less important to know technique than to just keep moving. Be the cat that does not want to be held. Scratch, bite, kick. Buck. Elbow. Whatever it takes.

10. Make safe choices for yourself. Don't be a fraidy cat, but be smart about the situations you put yourself in. 90% of self defense is making sure you aren't in an unsafe situation to begin with.


That's it. Done preaching.

Carry on. Safely.

Thanks.
My sister was raped last year by a home invader who came upon her while she was napping. She lives with a man and three teenage boys but was home alone. You always think that sort of thing will happen to somebody else. Not you or someone you love.

11. Get a copy of The Gift Of Fear by Gavin de Becker. It is the Bible of preventing violence. The biggest message in the book is the same as rule #6 above -- "trust your intuition".

Word. We evolved the "gut feeling" for a reason.

I know of certain women whom if they were 'reminded' of these sorts of nebulous things, would probably drown themselves in the ocean... and no, I'm not joking or using hyberbole...

Is a state of constant fear of attack really the answer to safety?

I think it was implied that you don't need to be warrior-style alert all the time

Its not a state of constant fear. Its a state of constant readiness. In fact, looking and acting like you are in fear is probably the wrong thing to do. People who can be easily targeted are those who are in fear.

If you read anything from The Politics of Fear, you'll find that a good percentage of people are consumed with this same sense of constant danger, regardless if it is really true.

And, from women I've talked to, regardless of if they are easily targeted or not, it's seemingly the ones most consumed by these toughts who are in fear, regardless of their abilities to deal with it now.

^^ Also, just so you don't get the wrong idea, this is just something in fact I feel very strongly about.

[Edited on Jun 18, 2005 by sadisticmika]

I still say it's good advice. At the very least, if they're going to shoot me, they're going to have to shoot me in front of God and everybody, where maybe someone will see them or maybe at least call an ambulance/police for me, not down by the lake somewhere. If you get in the car, you're dead, as far as I'm concerned.



[Edited on Jun 18, 2005 by Keith]

[Edited on Jun 18, 2005 by Keith]

I think that a lot of times the 'bad guy' is scared and not going to chase you. They want to get it over with as soon as possible otherwise it raises the chances of them being seen and getting caught. Once you've been captured the chance of them letting you go safely is extremely small, so get out while you still can. RUN!!!

well the 'hurt' and 'killed' parts make it easy to believe. hurt vs hurt and killed vs killed numbers would probably be pretty different.

Just because you have a gun doesn't mean you're a marksman, right? I know I couldn't hit a moving target without taking tons of practice at a shooting range.

It saddens me that this is necessary to know.....

But then, if you tried to run and fell... you'd be pretty well fucked.

Adrenalin would kick in and you'd better not fall!

Think target size and inverse square law.

And if you didn't try, you'd be fucked too. At least if you try you have a chance.

Yep. Especially the last one. If you know they've targeted you, dont let them get close. Run, and make a lot of noise.


[Edited on Jun 18, 2005 by stockula]

I think it has to do with not wanting to be taken to the next place. Typically, people are abducted and then taken to a less noticeable place, even if it's just an alley, and that is where the attacker feels safe. And they usually want things to be quick and easy.
I don't know if the statistics are right, but I'm sure they are pretty close.

Yeah, this is the feeling I'm getting regarding this statistic. If the attacker wants you to go somewhere with them, then by all means run, because you have a better chance of survival out in the open than in their car or in some alley.

But I'm with Gwendolyn on this, as I too would like to see a source for this particular stat. e.g. if an attacker comes up to you at the ATM and says give me your money, isn't better just to give them your money instead of run right away. To me, running is equivalent to triggering the chase response in an attacker, and in this case, the "pull the trigger" response. Like any sudden move might cause the attacker to pull the trigger...

Oh yeah if youn run it's harder for them to hit you. remember that lawyer who was shot at from like 2 feet. the old guy was aiming at him from around a tree and only nicked him. the whole thing was caught on tape. if someone points at me i'm running.

I guess I was thinking more along the lines of, "get in the car, I have a gun!" That would make me think they don't feel in control where you presently are.
But if I was in a situation where someone just wanted quick money or my purse, I would definitely give it to them... and probably watch them run away.

There are plenty of places to strike an assailant that will cause immediate "Holy Shit, that hurt!" reactions or even disable a person. Here are some places to aim (some already listed, some not)

-Eyes
-Throat
-Nose - striking up into the nose can cause serious damage. Smashing a fist or forehead into the bridge of the nose is pain and blood and stars in the eyes.
-Floating ribs - feel along the bottom of your rib cage and find the ones that are only attatched at one point. A solid strike here can force the rib to snap and possibly puncture a lung
- Solar Plexus - it's hard to catch your victim when you can't even catch your breath
- the groin
- Knee - strike a knee straight on with a good kick and push through it. The knee is NOT hard to break. But, you have to hit it straight on, hit at an angle or from the side and the target can simply twist with the blow.
-Ears - Box them or even simply grab and pull. It doesn't take much to pull an ear off (16lbs of pressure if I remember correctly)
-Jaw - A hard strike to the curve of the jaw just below the ear can stun someone quite easily and, if hit hard enough, can lead to a KO.

But, as said before, DO NOT stay and fight. Hit the fucker and run like mad. Be loud and be fast. And remember, if you're near a crowded place, never yell RAPE. Yell FIRE and that'll get people moving.