PERSONAL SELF DEFENSE TIPS

For Women:
The FIRST thing men look for in a potential victim is a hair style that can easily be grabbed, such as a ponytail, braid or long hair.

The SECOND thing men look for is clothing easy to remove quickly.

They look for women who are distracted such as on their cell phone, searching through their purses or other activities while walking. They can be easily overpowered.

The time of day men are most likely to attack and rape a woman is between 5:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. and the number one location is grocery store parking lots. Second choice is office-parking lots/garages and third is public restrooms.

Their objective is to quickly grab a woman and move her to a private second location. In interviews with rapists, only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.

If you put up any kind of fight at all, they get discouraged because they realize that going after you isn't worth it. These men said they will not pick on women who have umbrellas or other similar objects in their hands that can be used from a distance. Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get close to the attacker to use keys as a weapon.

Defense Tips For Everyone:
If someone is following behind you or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look him in the eye and ask him a question, such as the time or make small talk, such as the weather. You have seen his face and can identify him. You are not a worthwhile target.

If someone is coming toward you to harm you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell, "STOP" or "STAY BACK!" Most rapists say they will leave a woman alone if she yells or shows that she will not be afraid to fight back. They are looking for an EASY target. If you carry pepper spray (highly recommended), yell, "I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY" and hold it out. This is a deterrent.

If someone stronger than you grabs your wrist, pull your wrist back so your hand is in a waving position (palm facing forward), then twist it toward yourself and pull your arm away. It is difficult for him to hold on to wrist bones that are moving in such a way. As he stumbles toward you, you stumble back. This moves the momentum so that he is off balance and gives you the opportunity to use that momentum to backhand him with your knuckles, hitting him in the forehead, nose or teeth.

If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker HARD, either under his arm between the elbow and armpit or in his upper inner thigh. One woman said she used the underarm pinch on a man who was trying to date rape her and she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands. He needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can. It really hurts.

If possible, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure as possible, pushing down on them. Even a small amount of pressure can bring him to his knees.

After the initial hit, always go for the groin. If you hit a man in his crotch, it is extremely painful. Rapists are looking for women who will not cause a lot of trouble. The more trouble you cause, the faster he will leave.

Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it - go with your instincts. See "Consider Your Intuition" in the book "Untying the Knots of Life" by Betty Eddy.

This information is from an article by Cynthia Lisette Salem and from "117 Strategies for Protecting Your Family, Your Home and Yourself" by Betty Eddy and "Untying the Knots of Life" by Betty Eddy.

Please feel free to forward this information.

Echod Enterprise 2009

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