Most men learn through tough-and-tumble play during childhood how to defend themselves. Women don’t have this advantage and so it is of critical importance for females to learn self-protection.
The first line of defense is to try to stay out of harm’s way to begin with. Don’t walk alone at night or in deserted areas, but if you must, be aware of your surroundings. Thugs chose prey who look weak and easy to overcome, so walk tall and with confidence, always being aware of your surroundings. Listen to sounds from behind you. If there is no traffic, walk out in the street so that someone can’t easily dart out from a dark doorway or a building. If a car comes along on a deserted street and the driver asks for directions, keep walking. If the car follows along with you and the situation seems to be getting dangerous, turn around and walk the opposite direction; the car will not likely go into reverse to follow you, but if it does, run and scream. In the event you aren’t sure you are in danger, err on the safe side. It’s best to always follow your instincts -- intuition is on your side. If you feel uneasy in a particular situation, there is probable reason.
Sometimes a woman is attacked regardless of how careful she is. In the event of a physical attack, here are some tips to hurt/surprise your attacker so that you have time to get away.
Gouge at his eyes with your fingers or thumbs, or stab his eye with your key (walking along deserted streets or alone at night, carry your keys in your fist with one key sticking out between your first and second finger, between your knuckles. This makes an excellent weapon.)
If someone grabs your wrist, spread your fingers wide and quickly twist your wrist in the direction of the opposite shoulder. This will loosen his grip. Practice this technique with a friend.
If someone grabs you by the throat, pull your chin to your chest as hard as you can and KEEP IT THERE, while simultaneously trying to hurt him -- kick his shins, knee him between the legs, stomp on the top of his foot, etc. If you manage to get lose, RUN and scream.
If you are grabbed from behind by your hair or clothing, or around your stomach or chest, immediately drop into a squat. Your attacker will not be expecting this and it will throw him off. Break free by any means possible and run.
Bite or tear at his ears. Yank his hair… If you can grab the hair on the back of his head, pull it one way while pushing his chin the opposite way. Knee or kick him in the groin. With the palm of your hand, hit him with an upward hard thrust to the nose. Pinch his inner thigh. Claw him with your fingernails. All of these moves may hurt or shock your attacker enough to let you get away.
In addition to physically harming your attacker, use your brain as well. Stay calm. Say or do something he doesn’t expect. Pretend that you are going to vomit. If he is trying to drag you somewhere else, pretend to faint. Tell him you’re pregnant. Act stupid. Etc.
Knowing what to do in the event of an attack is important and right-readiness is key. Go over in your mind what you would do in various situations. Take a self-defense class or read a book on self protection. Be prepared.

The writer of this article was attacked in her home recently by an unknown male assailant and managed to live to tell about it. The attacker threw his jacket over her head and grabbed her from behind, arms pinned to her sides. She did not struggle much until he tried to drag her out of her house. At that point, she utilized a self-defense move she had learned: She flexed her body and arms to make herself as big as possible, then went suddenly small and limp, so that she could slide out of his “bear hug.” She slid to the floor and punched upward between his legs and began screaming a man’s name (pretending there was a man in the house somewhere). The attacker fled.

03.02.2007

BRIGET MURPHY

"knee him between the legs"; it really works as the weakest body part of men is between the legs.

(both physically and mentally )

thanks for pointing that out to us qdemir

from personal experience, I find that those tips will work when being attacked,having a personal alarm at all times will also help as u simply press the button and it makes a noise loud enough to create a commotion, which should bring aid whilst you are defending yourself.alternatively if you do have to travel at night alone and you are nervous, never show this, put your head up high and walk strongly.be aware of your surroundings but do not be so aware that you are looking around you every 5 seconds, this merely shows that you are nervous and if anyone is looking for trouble they will look at you as an easy target.
So be confident, be aware and be prepared!

As far as I can see girls on here don't need any tips for self-defence. They already know about it as much as they can write a book. You don't apply these techniques on your boyfriends,do you?

Unfortunately I had to defend myself once, not so successful I have to say. I'm not going into details but a lot of 'tricks' mentioned here before I used and it didn't work. The guy was prepared for all of them. Sometimes it still gives me horrible views but on the other hand I'm a big girl and I'm over it (as far a woman can be).

Later friends said I used the wrong tricks. Guys DO expect you to aim at their private parts so they are alert. What they do not expect, my friends told me, is a kick at the shin bone, seems to be very painful and also to stamp on their instep (especially when you wear stiletto heels) was advised.

I hope I will never ever have to use those tricks again and I really wish none of you have to.

I'm really small so I don't know what I should do if I ever got attacked. Once when I found out my friend's boyfriend at the time was cheating on her I knocked him unconsious in a single blow But I have never actually been attacked. For a while I lived in next to a banana garden in Turkey and after hearing that some men tried to rape a girl a couple of times and being called on by men driving by in cars I worried for myself. I'm not proud to say but I started to bring a knife when going out by myself during the nights.

if i was attacked i am sure that i will panic and forget all the tips i know
it's just hard for some people to handle such sudden situations

and even if i had the key and had the chance to punch the attacker's eyes with it
i think i will be too afraid
punching an eye with a key is scary itself :-S

I always carry tear gas in my bag and it is located where i could easily grasp it and also, always have situational awareness!!!!

I'm used to fighing more that once a week and it can get rough, especially if you have to keep going and attacking back at your attacker in order to run free etc.
But to be honest when your fighting to keep out of harms way, though you lose breath very quickly and it takes up a lot of energy you don't notice because all you focus on is getting away from them as quick as possible and you will do anything in that situation, whether it's screaming or doing serious harm to the attacker.
Some people worry about what damage they can do, but those people need to keep one thing in mind: If they are willing to attack you, then what are they willing to do to make sure you keep quiet afterwards?
Also keep in mind it may be your life or theirs at stake. Even if you did end up doing serious harm or worse, never feel guilty or feel like you shouldn't have done it. Afterall if you hadn't just think of what you could be missing if you didn't.

Also, another great tip: If you haven't got that many strengths, just remember the weaknesses of your attacker. That doesn't generally mean the private parts for a man, but for the actual human body. For e.g. eyes, neck etc. It is no good hitting somone in the jaw because it is the strongest and biggest bone in the face and won't to the damage you would need to get free.

Another move:
It is known as the "knife hand" and it is formed easily by pressing the fingers of the open hand together with the tips of the fingers curled inward (without cupping the hands), while the thumb is bent and held tightly against the side of the hand. The striking suface of the "knife hand" is the "blade" edge of hand. If you use great force you can even break someone's neck with this move.

But make sure the ends of the fingers are curled inwards to prevent the fingers from being broken in the event that the fingertips are hit directly. In this way the fingers will curl into the palm and not backwards. The same with the thumb.

I think you have to weigh up the situation very carefully. Pain induces anger and addrenalin. What could have been an assault or mugging could become murder if you fight back

However, there are other occasions when you have to literally fight for your life.

It's obviously a very personal decision to share this kind of news. I respect any woman who is brave enough to speak about this terrible crime. It takes courage and strength to do so and I am sure it is part of the healing process.

For what it's worth, all this talk of how to defend yourself is helpful, but there it is no substitution for taking a self-defense course.

Trudy,

İ admire you alot,it takes lots of good well and courage not to let some horrible situation like this affect your life.
As i understand from the results 'your essays,posts' that,you didn't run and hide from what happened,but you stand and challenged it.
Determined to have your life the way you want,not the way been forced upon you.

Way to go girl,and best of luck