About Women's Self Defense Against Men

The martial arts are ideally suited for women's self defense against men. They teach superior technique to outsmart and outperform larger and stronger opponents. Basic women's self defense courses teach a few basic moves designed to temporarily disable an attacker so the woman can escape. Martial arts have much the same philosophy but teach a much wider array of techniques.

Size

Since women tend to be smaller than men, women's self defense is focused on utilization of surprise and pressure points. It would not make sense for the average sized woman to attempt a competition of strength with an average sized man. Even a highly trained female martial artist would lose that battle with an untrained man of superior strength. However, any woman can defend herself against any man by attacking a vulnerable area like the eyes, ears or groin. Any woman is stronger than any man's little finger when bent backwards. Any woman can distract any man by stomping on his toes or kicking him in the shins. The idea is to make size irrelevant in a confrontation between a woman and man.

History

All women's self defense classes are based on martial arts teachings. For centuries the martial arts have taught the use of quick and direct attacks on vulnerable areas of an opponent. When training in the martial arts the assumption is that the opponent is bigger and stronger than you. Women's self defense classes took this philosophy and evolved it. The idea is not to defeat and beat up the attacker. The object is to end the attack and either get away or encourage the attacker to leave.

Features

Women's self defense classes teach simple yet effective ways to stop an attack by a man. The steps are always the same. First is a loud verbal warning. This is so the attacker knows you mean business and to encourage others around you to come to your aid. Next is a distraction technique. This can be gouging the eyes, stomping the toes or kneeing the groin. After that is escape. If the woman can run away she is encouraged to do so. If she is in an enclosed space like an elevator, the woman is instructed to fall to the ground and keep her feet toward the attacker. She should keep kicking until the attacker gives up.

Effects

Much of the reasoning behind this approach to women's self defense against men is based on the assumption that the man attacking the woman is a coward. He is choosing the woman as a victim because he believes her to be weaker and easy prey. Once the attacker realizes that the woman is not going to just give up he will stop rather than incur more injury or get arrested. While this assumption is true in many crimes of opportunity, when it comes to domestic violence or crimes of passion, attackers don't always stop when resisted.

Prevention/Solution

The best women's self defense against men is prevention. Not getting into a confrontation is the best way to survive one. This may sound obvious but this advice is often ignored. Most random attacks against women could have been avoided. Simply locking doors and windows, walking in lit areas and going out in groups can greatly reduce a woman's chances of becoming a victim of an attack.