Walking Wisely in the World: A Guide to Practical Self-Defense Strategies (article) by Missy Cross on AuthorsDen

This article describes a simple framework for enhancing personal safety in everything you do. From terrorist threats to computer viruses, from muggings on the street to harassment in the workplace, there’s no doubt that our modern society can be a challenging, if not downright frightening place. We do live in a dangerous world, and it’s best to be prepared. There are many things you can do to keep yourself safe. With practice, you can protect yourself with confidence and reclaim your natural power.Practical self-defense takes more than knowing a set of techniques; it’s a mindset. You may already follow some critical self-defense strategies without even realizing it – like being assertive with a rude colleague in the office or letting your neighbors know you’ll be out of town. Attitude is everything. Convicted felons who were shown 10-second video clips of women walking down the street almost unanimously agreed on which women they would attack and which they would avoid. Women who walked confidently and comfortably, showed awareness of their surroundings, and projected strength were considered unfavorable targets. Why? They looked like they’d be less easy to intimidate and more likely to put up a fight. By maintaining an attitude that you are worth fighting for, you project the kind of confidence that may well deter those with ill intentions…whether on the street or in the boardroom. Awareness creates foresight. By cultivating an awareness of your surroundings, you can often see a threat before it materializes, or identify some means to protect yourself in an emergency. Ask yourself these questions: What are the potential hazards here? For example, if you’re walking home alone late at night, are there dark places in your path to avoid? (Walk down the center of the street to be less accessible; watch for traffic, too.) What resources are available? Identify people who can help you in an emergency (like neighbors), tools on hand to help you (like a cell phone), and objects to use in your own defense (like a lamp or a pen). What do your instincts say? Our instincts have become honed over millennia of evolution. Your brain processes a staggering amount of information without bringing the vast majority of it to your awareness. Chances are, if you are getting a signal that something isn’t right, it isn’t. I was once walking down Connecticut Avenue in broad daylight with traffic zooming by and people around everywhere. A tiny, well-dressed woman walking in my direction set off alarms in my head, but I ignored them given the circumstances. Imagine my surprise when she took a sudden swing at my head! So, follow that vibe and get to a safe place. Even if nothing materializes, you’ll be out of harm’s way. The reality of assault statistics - living as we do in a country where 1 in 3 women will be the target of sexual assault in her lifetime - first hit home for me when I was 21 years old. (Nearly 2 decades later, after 15 years of city living, 7 of which I spent teaching self-defense to other city dwellers, I now consider myself incredibly lucky to have been so sheltered for so long.) The sleepy little Iowa town where I went to college was rocked by the news that an unidentified man jumped out and tried to attack a student as she was walking alone at night. Happily, she fought quite successfully and scared him away… leaving, in the process, several long cuts on his face that might have eased his identification by police. In spite of her triumph, and no further incidents, I felt suddenly vulnerable. If that woman had been me, what would I have done? Planning minimizes risk. Many property and personal crimes can be prevented by taking steps to avoid being targeted by perpetrators. Here are a few tips to start with: To keep your home safe, control the access points. Have locks on windows and doors; don’t open a door unless you know who’s behind it; don’t open building doors for people you don’t know. Minimize hiding places with careful landscaping and outdoor lighting. Keep your house looking lived in when you’re away. Install light timers, and have a neighbor pick up the mail and the paper. Most importantly, stay in touch with your community so you know what’s going on. I was once mugged in front of my own house when walking alone late at night. Had I known that two other women were attacked on our block that month, I might have been a little more careful. To keep your office safe, again, control the access points. Make sure doors that aren’t directly attended by a receptionist or other personnel stay locked. If your office has a receptionist, make sure s/he has both phone and physical back-up close by. Minimize hiding places by locking unused offices and storing extra furniture. Have easy-to-use phones with emergency buttons and make sure everyone has been trained both to use the phones and deal with emergencies. Stay in touch with your colleagues and workplace community so you know what’s going on. When you’re in the office outside of regular business hours, know who else is there and keep doors locked. When leaving late at night, get an escort if you can. Make sure the coast is clear before you unlock your car – check for “company”. To stay safe in your car, check for company before you get in, and keep your doors locked. Plan your route ahead of time and know where you’re going. Have your car regularly serviced, and carry emergency equipment like an emergency kit, flashlight, flares or reflective triangles, first aid supplies and basic tools (like a tire jack) in your trunk. Learn how to jump start your car and change flat tires; these are the most common forms of car trouble. It can be helpful to belong to an auto club so you have someone reliable to call in any breakdowns. Of course, it’s always a good idea to have a cell phone charged and ready, too. If you have to stop, use flashers or flares to divert traffic, and raise your car's hood to indicate mechanical trouble. Stop in a well-traveled, well-lighted area if possible and be cautious of assistance offers from casual passersby. If you're not in a safe area, stay inside your vehicle with the doors locked and wait for a police car to arrive. My personal opportunity to find out what my response would be if assaulted came 3 years later. Walking home alone late one night, a mugger spied me cheerfully violating all the practical laws of personal safety in my conviction that “nothing bad could ever happen to me”. Laden down with bags, tottering along in high heels, and bopping my head to the tune blasting on my Walkman, I didn’t realize the man coming towards me had ill intentions until it was too late. I might have prevented the mugging altogether had I been better prepared. More important, however, were my responses to the attacker. Assertiveness intimidates aggressors. My attacker initiated the assault with threats too obscene to repeat. He then ordered me to give him all my money, which I did. Next, he grabbed my purse, snarling, “Gimme this.” There was a Swiss army knife in my purse; I thought it best not to hand that over. Instead I responded, “There’s no money in my purse; I gave it to you already. I’m not giving you my purse.” The man stepped back for a second. Assertiveness is a lot more than a buzz word—it’s a powerful weapon. Intimidation, threats, and assaults are generally perpetrated by individuals who need to control others to feel powerful themselves. The last thing they want to deal with is a strong person who stands up for him or herself. Assertiveness is conveyed both verbally and nonverbally, so pay attention to your words and body language. Move comfortably and with authority; don’t be afraid to take up space. Set boundaries clearly with other people. State what you want, and ask for help when you need it – whether it’s to complete an assignment or to fight off an unwanted advance. Every conversation is a negotiation; assault survivors have often been able to bargain their way out of a bad situation. One woman responded to an attacker who jumped in her car by repeating “I want you to take me home.” Which he did! Mother Nature gave you your best weapons. If you are confronted with a threat that the first 4 strategies can’t defuse, you still have plenty of options. This is where your physical defenses come in. Your body has more than a dozen weapons on it to keep you safe, like your knees, elbows, and hands. Meanwhile, an attacker’s body has more than a dozen vulnerable targets you can strike, like the eyes, nose, knee, and groin. Know what your tools are… and practice using them. “Let’s go inside. I want you to take me inside,” my mugger crooned, after the purse discussion. A quick appraisal of the house told me that none of my other housemates were home. Instinct told me that to let this man in, would be worse than refusing. So, I gambled on my voice. “You got what you wanted. Get the hell out of here!” He backed up. “Shut up, b*tch!” His sudden retreat gave me confidence. “GET OUT OF HERE!” He turned and ran away. My neighbor heard me yelling and immediately called the police. Your voice is your best weapon. Use it well; not only will it deter an assailant (or even harm them, if you’re close enough to their eardrum); you will call attention to the scene and draw others to your assistance. If shouting alone does not deter an aggressor, you can back up your voice with a “can opener” technique. If your attacker is facing you, use the palm of your heel to strike just underneath the nose, or stomp on the toes. If your attacker is behind you, tuck your chin to protect your airway, then kick back to hit the knee or stomp on the foot. These techniques create enough of an opening for you to set up for the big weapon…a knee to the groin. Training makes the difference. Most people (unless they've grown up in a family of martial artists) are less than fully prepared to engage in a physical confrontation when threatened. Even though the instinct to fight back is natural, we are generally socialized to believe that "being cautious isn't nice" and "fighting back only increases your chances of getting hurt". Statistically, the opposite is true. Knowing the numbers doesn't make the prospect of physical confrontation less intimidating, though. The best way by far to become comfortable with using your natural weapons is to get practical self-defense training. Martial arts, while effective, can take years to learn to perform properly, and seldom provide practice for dealing with on-the-street scenarios. IMPACT International offers self-defense training programs around the country that are specifically tailored for women, children, teens, and men, which are taught in highly supportive environments. Many police precincts also offer self-defense programs for their communities. There is a great deal of information out there, and a great deal of myth too, about how to act in threatening situations. Getting trained will give you the answers you need for yourself. Rely on yourself first and foremost. Ultimately, personal safety starts with you. Don’t depend solely on other people to take care of you; they may not always be there when you need them. Don’t rely exclusively on security devices like alarms, mace, pepper spray, guns, etc. These tools are weapons, and it takes regular practice to be able to use them effectively. They may not be accessible when you need them… and they can be taken away from you and used against you. Weapons can also create a false sense of security that could actually make you more vulnerable. In the event that you are or have ever been assaulted, remember: it’s not your fault. Get yourself to safety as quickly as possible. Call 911 to get assistance and file a police report. Get medical attention. Do not bathe, douche, shower, brush your teeth, eat, drink or change your clothes. Get a medical report from a hospital if you think you might file a police report (you don’t have to decide immediately). The police will need clues from your exam and your clothes to gather evidence. Most importantly, get some counseling or talk to a close friend to deal with feelings about the assault. Most communites have a Rape Crisis Center, where you can receive confidential services in a supportive environment. The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE has resources for dealing with issues of relationship abuse. Ultimately, a practical knowledge of self-defense gives you more choices for how to function and respond in a world that grows more complex and uncertain by the day. Taking responsibility for our own personal safety, and knowing how to fight when we need to, can give you the same power “on the street” that you undoubtedly wield in other areas of your life.

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