Since we’ve had quite a few women join Quest Martial Arts lately, and with the school year coming up, I feel it’s important to go over some Women’s Self Defense fundamentals.  But first, a few statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice:

1. Women are approximately 5 times more likely than men to experience a nonfatal violent victimization such as rape, sexual assault, robbery, or assault by an intimate partner.
2. 64% of female homicide victims were killed by a spouse or intimate partner.
3. An additional 25% of female homicide victims were killed by someone else they knew.  Only about 10% of female murder victims were killed by a stranger.
4. 70% of victims killed by an intimate partner were female.
5. Women aged 18-24 are most likely to be stalked.

Women’s Self Defense Tips:

1. Don’t act or look like an easy target.  Most confrontations can be prevented before they start by using confident body language and not allowing yourself to appear to be easily intimidated.  Pay attention to your posture and look people in the eye rather than shying away.  A trick Master Instructor Debbie Bannister recommends is to walk right up to the person and say something to the effect of, “Hey, I know you!  How’s your mom?”  This works well as a mental balance break and may confuse the person.  More importantly it demonstrates that you know someone who looks similar enough to them to find them again with the police.
2. Never leave crime scene #1 with an attacker, especially if there are other people around.  It’s far less likely that an attacker will actually shoot you with witnesses around and you have a far better chance of surviving if there are people to call for help should they attack anyways.  By getting into an attacker’s car or going with them somewhere, he has a much better opportunity to drive to a quiet, isolated place to abuse or kill you.
3. Always be alert in parking lots, especially when it’s dark.  It’s easy for an assailant to hide between or inside of cars until an unsuspecting person comes along.
4. Never leave your car unlocked.  Assailants have been known to wait in unlocked vehicles for the owner to return before striking.
5. Listen to your instincts.  If a situation feels wrong, look for a way out.  Don’t try to rationalize it or tell yourself that you’re just being “silly.”  Pay attention to when the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.  If someone makes you nervous, don’t get on the elevator with him, for example.  Just wait for the next one.

Of course, no list of tips or afternoon-long women’s self defense course can replace common sense and ongoing self defense or martial arts training.  For more Women’s Self Defense tips, visit http://www.safetyforwomen.com/tips.htm.