World Population Review estimates that 35% of women worldwide have experienced some form of sexual harassment in their lifetime. Less than 40% of women experiencing sexual violence seek help. In a world like this where sexual harassment has become so common, there is an urgent need for women to learn the ways they can protect themselves.
Self-defense in the last few years has gained the much-needed limelight. However, there are still millions of women out there who tend to neglect the issue of safety. Hence, the following is a list of basic self-defense moves for women or for anybody, regardless of strength, size, or previous training can learn easily to defend themselves from the attacker.
Top 15 Basic Self-Defense Moves For Women
1. Trust Your Intuition
National Crime Records Bureau states that in 98% of the cases, the victim gets raped by the person they know. With a situation like this, it’s important to always trust your gut feeling about others. Use your instinct fully without doubting it even for a second.
2. Be Aware
Attackers look for vulnerable, unsuspecting targets, and thus, it’s extremely important to be aware of your surroundings whenever you step out of the house. Make sure to hold your keys in hand as you approach a door or a car. Also, carry safety items like pepper spray with you, all the time.
3. Be Loud
If you think that escape isn’t possible or if your attacker has touched you then it’s time to shout loudly and push them. This, first of all, lets the people near you know that you are in trouble, and second of all, it lets the attacker know that you’re not an easy target.
4. Memorize Vulnerable Places
Eyes, nose, throat, groin, and knees are the most vulnerable places to attack. Make sure you target these with a punch or any other hard object. You can remember the acronym S.I.N.G., which means solar plexus, instep (foot), nose, and groin for attacking. Try to protect the same vulnerable places from the attacker when it comes to defending yourself.
5. Finger Pull
If you get a chance to grab the attacker’s hand, try to hold their little + ring finger with one hand and their middle + index finger with the other hand. Now, pull them in the opposite direction from each other with full force so you can tear them.
6. Disorient The Attacker
The best method to save yourself from the attacker is to disorient them in a way that it takes them a long time to come back to their senses. For this, hit their Adam’s apple or hit between the collarbones with a fist, finger, or a pen.
7. Use Different Body Parts
Your hands are your biggest strength but if you get grabbed from the front then there’s a hard chance that you will be able to lift your hands. At a time like this, move your hands forward making a fist in front of your pelvis. Then briskly hit your attacker’s nose with your forehead and hit them in the groin with your knee.
Read also – Top 15 Benefits Of Turmeric That Help You Stay Healthy
8. Wrist Hold
Most of the time, an attacker will stronghold your wrist. You might feel helpless during this situation but remember it’s important to stay calm and think clearly. You can rotate your wrist towards the thumb which will bring your arm under the attacker’s. Now, you need to pull your arm as strongly as you can so the attacker loosens up the grip.
9. Free Yourself From The Backstabbing
The attacker might hold you from the back and keep you in that place. You can set yourself free by quickly bending back and hitting the attacker with the back of your head. If you think this might be too difficult for you then you can also bend down, grab the attacker’s legs and get up pulling them with you. This will make the attacker lose their balance and fall.
10. Elbow Attack
Elbows are to be taken seriously. All the forms of martial arts emphasize the use of the elbow, and hence, its power shouldn’t be underestimated. Elbow hits are one of the most dangerous hits and should totally be used by you if your attacker holds you from the side.
11. Hitting At Other Places
Apart from the vulnerable areas, if you hit your attacker’s temple, jaw, or nose with an arched move when they have held you from the side then it is surely going to disorient them. You can also strongly hit them in the belly or chest which again will disorient them.
12. Use Anything That Is Available
The goal is to hurt the attacker. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have appropriate weapons for it. You can use any objects in sight like a safety pin, hairpin, dupatta, scarf, belt, etc. that can help you get rid of the attacker. You can spray perfume in their eyes to temporarily blind them, hit them with your purse, or use a filled bottle to bang their heads against.
13. Groin Attack
Never shy away from hitting the attacker in the groin. This is one of the best self-defence moves for women that can easily help you escape while your attacker lies on the ground paralyzed. Muster up all the strength and hit their groin as hard as possible.
14. Mount Position
If the attacker has pinned you down on the floor, you can pivot to be on top. Hook onto their wrist with one hand and use your other hand to grab their elbow behind, trapping their arm to your chest. Then use your foot to trap their foot and leg, lift your hips and turn over onto your knees to get on top.
15. Additional Tips
If you have to travel a lot in molestation prone areas make sure that firstly, you walk in the opposite direction of traffic so cars can’t approach you from behind. Secondly, keep the self-defence items separately in your bag so you don’t end up fiddling with your bag when the time comes. Lastly, make sure you practice self-defence moves as much as you can.
Staying away from danger is good but this in no way means that you remain unprepared for it. Self-defence is a mixture of instinct, alertness of your mind, and basic fight tactics that can surely help you protect yourself in the face of danger.
Read also – Top 15 Ways To Deal With Drug Addiction
