Keep fighting back to escape to safety!

Sometimes, we can overthink technique when we consider our personal safety skills. Does it help to have a skills set to fall back on when someone grabs our wrist? Absolutely! But is that wrist grab escape essential for escaping a dangerous situation to safety? Perhaps not. An attacker has likely targeted someone because they are smaller or distracted - they don't look prepared to defend themselves. They are not expecting their intended victim to fight back! Anything we can do to resist can be helpful in potentially discouraging the attacker and escaping to safety. Here are a few easy tips to remember:

Our voice is one of our most powerful tools - use it to quickly and firmly set boundaries.

1) Our voice is one of our greatest tools. Yelling loudly can surprise our attacker, raise attention to our need for help, and possibly make an attacker decide we're someone they shouldn't mess with. Plus, a loud shout can give us a burst of adrenaline to help us be ready for whatever comes next.

2) Aim for soft target areas with striking or kicking: eyes, throat, stomach, groin and knees. A strong strike at these areas may disable our attacker enough to use a self-defense technique and escape.

3) If something doesn't work, try something else! Don't quit resisting, and show your determination to fight back hard and quickly. Remember, the attacker is looking for an easy conquest. If we show them we are not going to make it easy for them, they may decide it's not worth it.

4) Only engage long enough to disable your attacker. Remember that we have likely been targeted because we are smaller and likely not as strong as our attacker. While it may be tempting to teach the attacker a lesson if they are vulnerable, we are not likely to win a physical encounter that continues too long. Run away from your attacker as soon as you are able to do so.

5) Remember that you are worth defending! Sound basic? Maybe. But the root of self-defense is believing that no one has the right to touch us in a way we didn't consent to. No one has the right to harm us physically. Our body belongs to us and us alone, and we have every right to defend ourselves in case of attack.

Stay safe out there!