It’s important to feel safe all the time. But when you’re walking down the street or waiting for a cab, someone might be preying on you and waiting for the right moment to attack. This can happen to anyone—especially women—so knowing how to defend yourself can save your life. You should have your guard up when you forgot to hire private transportation services, and you need to travel at midnight, or you can’t find your friend at a late-night party.
Keep your hands empty while walking in the streets.
Whether it’s in broad daylight or at night, when you’re out in a public place, make sure to keep your hands empty. In today’s world, it’s a habit to always have your phone in your hand to keep you company and to entertain yourself.
Keeping your hands empty allows you to use your hands as your weapon without any delay or obstructions. Not everyone carries a weapon on a regular day, so think of your hands as your only weapon. They can punch, slap and injure the enemy.
Always have a presence of mind.
Another reason to avoid using your phone while you’re in a vulnerable state is that it distracts you from your surroundings. To stay prepared in these situations, you must be vigilant of your surroundings. Ditch the earphones and stay in the moment. When an attacker sees they can’t easily prey on you, there’s a chance that they will be intimidated and withdraw from their plan. Your presence of mind also keeps your mind sharp, so you’re always one step ahead.
Choose to slap instead of punch.
Punching an opponent is a popular way of fighting, but slapping someone could be the real deal. When you punch something, there’s a big force travelling back to your arm. If you’re not ready for that reaction, you could hurt your arm—not to mention your knuckles would hurt.
When you slap someone, there’s less force travelling back your body. The surface area of the hit is also larger. Therefore, the forces can reverberate deeper into the muscles of your enemy. Keep your hand sturdy enough when you slap, and you can give multiple blows without hurting your hand.
Know the body’s weak points.
Knowing the weak points of the body gives you an idea of where to strike your opponent as well as what parts of your body you should protect. Here are a few weak points:
- Neck: the side and front of the neck have specific nerves that bring blood flow to the brain. When you attack these, the opponent can feel dizziness, disorientation and loss of consciousness.
- Groin: Men are incredibly susceptible to the overwhelming pain of a knee or a kick on the groin.
- Nose: The nose is so tender that it can easily be broken. To give a distance between you and the attacker, push from the bottom of their nose, using the heel of your hand.
As much as people say prevention is the best self-defence, attacks happen no matter your vigilance. You might be at the wrong place at the wrong time, but at the very least, the knowledge of what to do can save you.
