I Learned How To Defend Myself From Potential Attackers & You Can Too
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Nobody should ever make you feel unsafe — especially random dudes on the streets. Learn these self-defense moves and feel confident that you can stop an attack if it comes down to it. You’ve got this!
I live in New York City, so that means I’m always on alert. It’s a sad truth, but women need to keep their guard up on the streets, no matter what time of day or night. It’s bad enough that some men feel that it’s appropriate to cat call and violate their bodily autonomy, but sometimes things escalate to dangerous levels. That’s why I decided to learn some self-defense moves — to feel safe and secure if I’m by myself and the unthinkable happens. If someone tries to attack me, then they’re in for a rude awakening!
Self-defense moves are fairly easy, and may be familiar to some. It’s basically the “stranger danger” tips that most of us learned as kids, but pumped up to a higher level. It’s about working smarter, not harder, to fend off your attacker. They know you’re going to try to fight back. But what they don’t know is how you’re going to do it. If you’re someone like me, who has literally no upper body strength and is a terrible runner (I’m well aware I’d be the first to go in a zombie outbreak), you can still overpower your attacker with these simple moves:
So, if someone grabs your wrist, do not try to pull away from them. They’re only going to hold on tighter! Instead, twist your arm around and move toward where their thumb meets their fingers. That’s the weakest point of their grip, and you can break the hold easier. The next step: memorizing pressure points. You’ve probably heard before that you should kick someone in the back of their knees. That’s still true; it’s a total weak spot. But you can also kick them in the crotch, strike them in the throat, eyes, nose and ears.
Slapping someone on the ears is particularly affective for incapacitation! Who would’ve thought? The impact and noise will be excruciating enough to stop them in their tracks while they deal with the disorientation and ringing. Make your escape while that’s happening! Now this is an oldie but a goodie: walk with your keys between your fingers as a makeshift weapon when you feel unsafe. Or, you can combine fun and functional and invest in a pointy ring. You have no idea how much I love my ring that’s pretty much classy brass knuckles! And RUN! The most important thing you can do for yourself is to keep moving if possible. They can’t stop you if you’re already down the block.
HollywoodLifers, are you following these tips for self-defense? Let us know!