• Self-Defense in a Nutshell
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SELF-DEFENSE IN A NUTSHELL
Confidence-Conditioning-Common Sense

What is Self-Defense Legally?

In order for the courts to consider your actions self-defense, the attack must have the following three attributes.

1. Ability-Person is physically able to harm you.  They must post a threat because of size, strength, or because they have a weapon.
2. Intent-Person must show they intend to harm you. This is either by what they say or how they act.
3. Opportunity-Person must have the opportunity to harm you. They must be near by or they must have some means to reach you from a distance.

NOTE: If a person shows they intend to harm you, don’t wait till they have the opportunity to try and do something about it. You may be too late.

Development of Self-Defense

Self-Defense is built by increasing the following personal traits.

1. Common Sense- “Knowledge is Power” The more you know about your surroundings, crime, and self-defense techniques the more options you will have if you need to defend yourself. The more options you have, the better prepared you will be.
2. Conditioning- Training your mind and body to respond the way you want them to increases your reaction time in dangerous situations. “The faster you can run, the harder you are to catch”.
3. Confidence- This comes through experience. The more you practice, the more comfortable you will become with physical skills. As your skills and knowledge grow, so will your confidence. “Fear not that which you know, only that which you do not know”.

How to develop a personal plan for defending yourself

1. List situations that you feel put you at risk or you would just like to address. (Work, Home, Going out at night etc.)
2. Once in general and once for each situation list anything that may limit your ability to defend yourself (Moral/Religious restraints, physical limitations, money)
3. In general and for each situation list your strengths (Situational awareness, physical fitness, fighting ability, weapons, environment, training, common sense)
4. For each situation examine different ways to make the situation safer.
5. For each limitation examine ways to remove or reduce its effect.
6. Think of ways to add new strengths and to increase and maximize current strengths.

Think About It

•Average duration of a robbery is 10 to 20 seconds.
•The most common place for a rape to occur is at home.
•The second most common place for a rape to occur is at work.
•80% of all rapes are committed by someone the person knows. Usually a previous or current husband or boyfriend.

Levels of Awareness

How conscience are you of what is going on around you. Here are some levels for you to compare to:

White – Natural sate of mindless bliss that we all walk around in. Don’t know who is near by or what the environment is like around us. (Ever bump into a door frame?)
Yellow- Nervous and uncomfortable. Something has alerted you to a possible threat. You are looking around and/or watching for trouble.
Red- You are in a dangerous situation. All of your senses are operating at maximum and your adrenaline and your heart are pumping.

What to Say

NO means NO! If ever you are being attacked continually repeat the word NO! An attacker can not later say that you consented if you continually told him NO and STOP.

In our current society yelling HELP or RAPE has proven to draw less response from people then yelling FIRE. People are more likely to come and investigate if they think they or their property might be in danger. Fires don’t come back to get you so people aren’t afraid to get involved. A violent attacker can frighten otherwise helpful people from doing anything. Also fires draw people out just to watch. These would be spectators can unknowingly frighten an attacker away.

Parts of a Self-Defense Technique

There are four parts to learning or using a self-defense technique effectively. When used together they will maximize your techniques effectiveness.

1. Surprise- Never let your attacker know what you are going to do. The chance of them blocking a strike or countering an escape is reduced when it happens suddenly and without warning.
2. Distraction-Add to your attackers surprise by making him think of something else. Stomping on a foot, poking him in the eye, or biting his arm are all ways to take his mind off his attack.
3. Escape- Twisting and turning are the easiest ways to release an attacker’s hold on you. If you use surprise and distract an attacker effectively it will make escaping his grasp easier.
4. Strike back-Striking an attacker should not be done in revenge. It should be done to help you escape. If you run from a healthy attacker, he is fully capable of following you. If you incapacitate or injure him, you will have a better chance to escape.

Areas to Attack

When attacking a larger opponent, you need to maximize your striking power. Striking an opponent’s chest or stomach will have little effect. There are certain areas that you can strike that are far more effective. When striking an opponent, attacks to the nose, throat, eyes, chin, and groin are the most effective. Knees and feet can also be effective targets to keep an attacker from chasing you. Combination attacks will provide you a better chance of connecting. It is harder to defend multiple targets.

Weapons

Guns- NOT Recommended

-Pros- Most intimidating of all weapons. Once drawn by a skilled shooter they are very hard to defend against. When used correctly, they are very effective at stopping an assailant especially at a distance.
-Cons- In order to use a gun correctly, you must have intense training. Guns in the hands of an untrained person are more of a threat to that person than the assailant. More people are killed by their own guns then by those of an assailant.

Mace and Pepper Gas Sprays- Has uses but not recommended

-Pros-Can cause eye and throat irritation to assailant. Can provide effective deterrent against multiple attackers. Inexpensive
-Cons- Proven not to work against determined attackers. At best takes several seconds to take effect. Easy to use against you. Can splash back on you if used too close to assailant or into the wind. Has proven to be one of only two things that will make an attacker more violent than he was before.

Knives-Not recommended

-Pros-Inexpensive and in the hands of a skilled fighter they are extremely deadly.
-Cons-Easily taken away and then used against you. Years of practice to use them well. Attacker must be very close to use.

Stun Guns- Not recommended

-Pros- Can cause the attacker to break off attack.
-Cons-Proven to be ineffective. Easily taken away and used against you. Allows attacker to get too close. The second thing that will make an attacker more violent if used against him.

Pen-Recommended

-Pros-Unnoticeable as a weapon. Enhances normal striking and pressure point attacks. Requires little training to use and is easy to carry.
-Cons-Attacker must be very close to use. Requires some training to use effectively.

Purse- Recommended

-Pros-Unnoticeable as a weapon. Can be used as an effective shield. Can be used as a clubbing weapon. Easy to carry.
-Cons-Attacker must be close to use. Not a lethal weapon.

Keys- Recommended

-Pros- Unnoticeable as a weapon. Enhances normal striking and pressure point attacks. Requires little training to use. Easy to carry.
-Cons- Attacker must be close to use. Not a lethal weapon.

Rolled Magazine/Fax paper tub- Recommended

-Pros- Unnoticeable as a weapon. Enhances normal striking and pressure point attacks. Requires little training to use. Easy to carry.
-Cons-Attacker must be close to use. Not a lethal weapon.

Recognizing an Attacker

Your best chance of surviving an attack is to avoid it before it happens. Trust your instincts! If you think that something is wrong, don’t ignore it, take precautions. Here are some ways to tell if a man approaching you is a threat. If you notice these situations DON’T ignore them.

Proximity- How close he comes to you. Is he “invading your space”? There are certain boundaries that we set around ourselves. When someone crosses that line they might be hostile.

The Eyes- Constant staring is an obvious sign of danger. Do you turn around and always find someone staring at you? Can you feel someone staring at you even when your back is turned? This is a sign that the person has an intense and not necessarily healthy interest in you. Also overt staring at your chest or groin is another obvious give away.

Inappropriate friendliness-If someone is acting overly friendly for the situation this should be a clue. Especially someone you don’t know.

Touching-An attacker will often “test” your responses by touching your arm or shoulder at inappropriate times. This is to see if you will react. Make it clear that he is not to touch you!

Neediness- Some attackers will test their victims by escalating favors into demands. Such as “I’m lost, do you know where this street is? Can you write that down for me? Show me where that is.” Acting lame or impaired are schemes also used to lure victims into a trap. If someone is at the door asking to use your phone for an emergency, have them wait outside and call 911 for them.

Physically Aggressive- When someone you know moves beyond a level of physical affection that you are not comfortable with that is a sign that he will not stop when you say NO! However this sign may come too late.

Body Language- Watching a persons eyes and their smell are just two signs that may mean danger.

Gut Feeling- Most people that are attacked say that they knew something was wrong but they dismissed it as just a feeling. You can sense when something is wrong especially with someone you know. DON’T ignore your feelings.

Awareness Tips for Children

Don’t go with strangers! Talking to strangers when with someone you know and trust is fine in most cases.

Don’t accept gifts from anyone not specifically OK’d by your parents.

Don’t accept rides from strangers or even someone you know. Unless your parents have specially said it’s OK to go in a car with that person.

Don’t talk to strange people on the other side of schoolyard fence. Go and tell a teacher that a stranger is talking to you, especially if they are asking “any” questions.

Listen to your parents, because they’re teaching you self-defense daily when they tell you:
-where you should be
-what time to be home
-and to go directly home

Parents do this out of love for you.

Listen to your teachers when they tell you where to go and what to do around school grounds, because that’s self-defense too.

If you have to walk on the public streets, walk in the “middle” of the sidewalk, away from doorways and alley-ways. Face traffic so someone can’t drive up from behind and grab you, and always watch for strangers when they approach.

Don’t take “unsafe shortcuts” across parks, etc.

Get immediate attention of anyone nearby if you feel threatened.

Yell “FIRE! FIRE! And NOT “HELP”! because there are many tragic instances where people have run away from those yelling “Help!” but fire is such a threat to everyone that they generally come to at least see what’s happening.

Even break a window, if necessary.

-Don’t be afraid to draw attention to yourself!
-“The window can be replaced, but you cannot be replaced!!”

HELPFUL LINKS

• TeensHealth
• No Nonsense Self-Defense
• American Self-Defense Institute
• Just Yell Fire
• SelfDefense.org
• Association for Women's Self Defense Advancement (AWSDA)

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