Let’s face it. For a woman, walking home alone in the dark of the night can bring on uneasy feelings. For some, it’s a terrifying thing, even.
Strangers on the bus staring you up and down, men leering as you walk home, drunkards harassing you—these situations are all too familiar to women across the world.
More often than not, these situations can turn from bad to worse for some, unfortunately. But it’s not all hopeless, and you don’t have to live in fear forever. Learning how you can better defend yourself from situations like this can be a big help to you and to others.
Here are women’s self defense tips you need to know:
Why Women Should Know SOME Form of Self Defense
In the course of their life, 1 in 3 women will have experienced some form of assault. The most common forms of assault inflicted on women are verbal assault and harassment. Still, many women also experience being physically and sexually assaulted.
Being physically unsafe can be a crippling thing. Sometimes, you can’t move or do anything because of fear, and that’s something we at Tactical want to help you with.
By being prepared and knowing what steps to take in a situation that makes you uncomfortable and unsafe, you lessen the chances of something terrible happening to you. And let us tell you, that extra reassurance? That can make all the difference in the world.
One way to prepare yourself is by taking on some form of self defense.
Whether you research self defense online or attend self defense classes for women, you’re preparing yourself to be ready for anything, and that’s always a good thing.
Aside from staying safe, learning a thing or two about self defense for women can do wonders to the soul, too. Women who usually partake in self defense classes are better at handling strangers and acquaintances who can potentially assault them.
But if you need even MORE reasons to learn women’s self defense, here are some:
You’ll feel safer
One of the primary things self defense for women teaches you is how to feel safer when out and about. You learn and gain skills that allow you to protect yourself at all times from any type of assault.
You’ll feel empowered and be more confident
There’s nothing more empowering than knowing you can handle a dangerous situation logically and calmly. The women’s self defense skills you learn also boost your confidence because it empowers you to be a woman who can stand her ground.
You’ll learn to be disciplined
Self defense classes are an art form, and it takes discipline to attend each class. The beauty of learning to be disciplined is you can apply it to different aspects of your life. Ultimately, you know how to be calmer and more observant and remember to be more responsive rather than reactive.
You’ll learn to be more independent
Self defense classes teach you to depend on no one but yourself. And for a prepper, that’s a really helpful mindset because you wanna be self-reliant.
You teach your body the importance of health and fitness
It’s no secret that self defense programs can help you keep fit. They help you build a much healthier body and also boost your mental health.
You reduce discrimination against women
Women who fight back? That will definitely help lessen the discrimination and fight the stigma that women are weak.
With all the pros that come with learning self defense, you’d be hard-pressed not to take a women’s self defense class or program.
Before You Fight, De-escalate
Now, before we get down to teaching you how to kick the butts of a-holes who think physical assault is funny, we want to make one thing clear.
If you can de-escalate a situation, then do that first. Getting physical should be the last resort.
There are several ways to do that:
Don’t make yourself an easy target
Anyone who looks accessible is sure to become a target for perpetrators. Trust your gut feeling.
If you feel like there’s a creeper ahead walking your way, cross to the other side of the street and walk away from that person. If you feel you’re being followed, enter a crowded store or a place with more than 4 people and stay there for a bit. Deter them as much as you possibly can.
Exude confidence
Even if you have to fake it until you make it. Women who walk with their heads down or are too absorbed in their phones are high on an attacker’s list. So, make sure to have that situational awareness thing down to a T when you’re out and about. Being confident while you’re at it is a good deterrent.
Don’t forget to use your voice
If you’re being attacked, create chaos and attract attention. The best way to do this is by making noise. Yelling, screaming, or shouting will definitely stop attackers in their tracks. Why? Because they don’t want all the attention on them and what they might do. Many women have been saved by screaming loud enough. Your voice is a weapon in itself. Use it.
If You’re Gonna Fight, Hit Them Where It Hurts
Sometimes, when we’re in the heart of things, procedures and logic go out the window.
You might forget how a certain chokehold is done or how to disarm someone holding a knife. When this happens, we’ve got one piece of advice for you—hit ’em where it hurts.
Yeah, we really mean it. Strike where it hurts. And where does it hurt? The vulnerable parts of the body, of course. Here’s a chart to show you the exact spots to hit:
If you effectively hit these parts, it won’t matter if your attacker is heavier or taller than you. Once you hit these vulnerable spots, they’ll almost always be brought down to their knees in pain.
With that, let’s move on to the women’s self defense techniques you can learn.
3 Effective Women’s Self Defense Tips
For some, women’s self defense, in their mind, is hitting whoever is attacking them as hard as they can on any body part they can possibly hit.
It’s understandable—fear can paralyze you. At the same time, a sudden release of adrenaline can cause you to lose control of your fine motor skills. Logically, in that state, you’d flick any part of your body to collide with your attacker’s face.
But it’s not all hopeless. If you know WHAT to do, there’s a high chance your muscles will do precisely what you want them to, especially if you’ve practiced self defense maneuvers before.
Here are a few women’s self defense moves you can try and practice at home so you can survive an assault if it were to ever happen to you:
Heel Palm Strike
A move that can cause loads of damage to the nose, throat, or face, the heel palm strike is perfect for when an attacker gets into your comfort zone head-on. You’ll also be less likely to injure your hand if you use this method.
Make sure you have a firm stance because to execute this, you’ll need to flex your dominant hand at the wrist. With your open palm, go for the attacker’s chin, throat, or nose, jabbing upwards with as much force as you can. Pull your arm back quickly once you’ve made contact because this will cause the attacker to stagger back further. After, you can make a quick escape.
Elbow Strikes
Ever been hit in the face with an elbow? Well, we can tell you, it hurts like a mother trucker. Elbow strikes can be super effective and are perfect for when your attacker is within close range. It’s the ideal alternative to punching and kicking, too.
There will be two types of elbow strikes we’ll focus on—the one you can do from the front and the other from behind when the attacker tries to sneak up on you.
The attacker is coming from the front and is in close range
The first thing you wanna do is stabilize your legs and core. Doing this will ensure that you can give a real powerful strike. Next, bend your arm at the elbow, and as hard as you can, thrust your weight forward and strike your attacker.
You’ll be twisting your body to achieve this strike, so make sure to get your body ready for that. You’ll want to hit the chin or side of the head of your attacker to disorient them. If you can’t, aiming for the neck or jaws is just as effective.
The attacker is coming in from behind
If your attacker is coming in from behind, the first thing you’ll want to do is make sure you can see them.
As they come within range, bring your elbow up and make sure you pivot the opposite foot. You’ll want your body to twist as if you’re turning into the arms of the attacker, but instead, you meet them with the back part of your elbow to their face.
Eye Strike
Perhaps the easiest strike to remember, the eye strike can also be dangerous if you hit your mark—so be careful when using this method. Then again, anyone who attacks you probably deserves this.
The eye strike simply involves you just driving your fingers towards your attacker’s eyes. Whether you hit the eyes directly or manage to poke viciously anywhere near that area, guaranteed, your attacker will recoil and cower. Once they do, you can do an elbow strike or a heel palm strike to disorient them further.
Final Thoughts
As much as possible, we want all women to feel safe. So we highly recommend pairing knowing women’s self defense with carrying some sort of non-lethal self defense weapons.
Don’t be afraid to learn survival skills, get the right self defense weapons for women, and take on these self defense tips. These will give you a better chance of protecting yourself.
Got other women’s self defense tips to share? Let us know!
