Here are some interesting facts:
The #1 thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle.
They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.
The second thing men look for is clothing.
They will look for women who's clothing is easy to remove quickly. The #1 outfit they look for is overalls.
Many of them carry scissors to cut clothing and overall straps can be easily cut. They also look for women on their cell phone, searching through their handbag, or doing other activities while walking. Because they are off guard, they can be easily overpowered.
The time of day men are most likely to attack and rape a woman is in the early morning, between 5 & 8:30 a.m.
The number one place women are abducted from/attacked at is grocery store parking lots.
The number two is office parking lots/garages.
The number three is public rest rooms.
The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to a second location where they don't have to worry about getting caught.
Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years. If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged.
It only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming. These men said they will not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.
Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.
Several defense mechanisms that can be taught are:
If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk. "I can't believe it is so cold out here; we're in for a bad winter." Now that you've seen their face and could identify them in a lineup, you lose appeal as a target.
If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell "Stop!" or "Stay back!" Most of the rapists interviewed said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back.
Again, they are looking for an EASY target. If you carry pepper spray, tell them. Yell, "I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY, AND I KNOW HOW TO USE IT!" Holding it out aimed at their face will be a deterrent.
If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them. If they grab your wrist, pull your wrist back so your hand is in waving position (palm facing forward) and twist it toward yourself and pull your arm away.
It is hard to hold onto wrist bones that are moving in that way. They stumble toward you and you stumble back, so you can use that momentum to bring the same hand out and backhand them with your knuckles in the forehead, nose or teeth.
If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm between the elbow and armpit or in the upper inner thigh...HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it. It hurts.
After the initial hit, always go for the groin. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's balls (sorry to be graphic) it is extremely painful. You might think that you'll piss the guy off and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told ourinstructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble.
Start causing trouble and he's out of there.
When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using much pressure and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.
Of course the things we always hear still apply.
Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts. You may feel a little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really was trouble. Better to be safe than sorry!!
Never get in the car with them, if they want to rob you throw the $ or keys so they have to go get it, then run and yell "Fire." It's more effective than "Help."
Never help a person with a van trying to load it himself and having trouble (with possibly a fake broken arm or leg), that's how Ted Bundy got 60 of his victims...in mall or grocery store parking lots. Be careful!
don't let your hair down
Moderator: Available
don't let your hair down
This post is so full of excellent advice - much should be common sense but it never ceases to surprise me how many of these simple defenses are not considered, thought of beforehand, or even used.
A reminder like this is always prudent - and can be worked into some effective mindset training in the "defensive mechanisms" section.
Another important thing to consider is attire on the street - the other day when through a series of circumstances I had to walk two miles down a busy city street, (not designed for pedestrians at all - this is not the "big city" it's the Redneck Riviera) anyway, balancing on curbs and avoiding traffic, I was incredibly thankful that I wasn't wearing high heels... how often do we really consider what we are wearing as far as preparedness on the street? Women are almost always at the disadvantage here - between shoes - skirts - more restrictive clothing - the list goes on.
But something worth considering - seriously - is hair - predator AND prey.
1) Predator: back when I was first learning seisan, and the formal bankai to go with it, my sensei taught me to use whatever I could grab when using techniques toward the head. If there was enough hair - it was a great handhold. (Kind of fun to practice too!
- note of caution however, paybacks are hell!) After finding how nice it is to use hair that way - then you have an attacker with short or no hair and you have to re-think things - ears are a bit more slippery, collars can help if there is one, but what other options can you use on an attacker with short or no hair? (Tony-san has a neat approach digging fingers between cheek and gum... I don't like getting so close to the teeth though 
)
2) Prey - this is probably more serious than we might think. Imagine a predator considering his next intended victim - and the deciding factor is just that - HAIR! Can he grab a handful of hair to help control his prey? Scary thought. I'm not about to cut off my hair in the interest of street-defense - but it would be good to hear some potential defenses against someone who's got your hair during an attack. Any ideas?
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Lori
Forum Recommended/Reviewed Books
A reminder like this is always prudent - and can be worked into some effective mindset training in the "defensive mechanisms" section.
Another important thing to consider is attire on the street - the other day when through a series of circumstances I had to walk two miles down a busy city street, (not designed for pedestrians at all - this is not the "big city" it's the Redneck Riviera) anyway, balancing on curbs and avoiding traffic, I was incredibly thankful that I wasn't wearing high heels... how often do we really consider what we are wearing as far as preparedness on the street? Women are almost always at the disadvantage here - between shoes - skirts - more restrictive clothing - the list goes on.
But something worth considering - seriously - is hair - predator AND prey.
1) Predator: back when I was first learning seisan, and the formal bankai to go with it, my sensei taught me to use whatever I could grab when using techniques toward the head. If there was enough hair - it was a great handhold. (Kind of fun to practice too!
- note of caution however, paybacks are hell!) After finding how nice it is to use hair that way - then you have an attacker with short or no hair and you have to re-think things - ears are a bit more slippery, collars can help if there is one, but what other options can you use on an attacker with short or no hair? (Tony-san has a neat approach digging fingers between cheek and gum... I don't like getting so close to the teeth though )2) Prey - this is probably more serious than we might think. Imagine a predator considering his next intended victim - and the deciding factor is just that - HAIR! Can he grab a handful of hair to help control his prey? Scary thought. I'm not about to cut off my hair in the interest of street-defense - but it would be good to hear some potential defenses against someone who's got your hair during an attack. Any ideas?
------------------
Lori
Forum Recommended/Reviewed Books
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Allen M.
don't let your hair down
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote
The triple boshikens after the strike to the temple could be of use here as as hair grab, although I first learned to do that sequence as a triple eye strike. Just make sure if you decide to grab a fistful of hair, do so tightly.1) Predator: back when I was first learning seisan, and the formal bankai to go with it, my sensei taught me to use whatever I could grab when using techniques toward the head. If there was enough hair -
don't let your hair down
Lori,
I quote:I'm not about to cut off my hair in the interest of street-defense - but it would be good to hear some potential defenses against someone who's got your hair during an attack.
Any ideas?
As part of our TKD red belt self defence we learn 4 hair defence moves, 2 against a grab from the back and 2 from the front (forehead).
The simplest of these against an attack from the back is an elbow strike backwards into the attackers face (if you are tall enough). Even if you are short, like me, a swinging elbow will hurt if it connects with their neck, throat, ribs, solar plexus etc,etc.
This is followed by an arm lock on the arm holding your hair - loop your arm up and over the attackers elbow, pull forward. You now have control over their arm. In this technique we then use our free arm to pull their head and chest down as we deliver an upward knee strike. Then as a good measure we use a downward elbow strike to the back of their head/neck as they fall forwards.
Admittedly this is a bit full on but it gives a range of agressiveness and attacking options to work with. Try it, it "flows" quite well and can become second nature.
I can post details of front hold defences later if interested.
ged17
I quote:I'm not about to cut off my hair in the interest of street-defense - but it would be good to hear some potential defenses against someone who's got your hair during an attack.
Any ideas?
As part of our TKD red belt self defence we learn 4 hair defence moves, 2 against a grab from the back and 2 from the front (forehead).
The simplest of these against an attack from the back is an elbow strike backwards into the attackers face (if you are tall enough). Even if you are short, like me, a swinging elbow will hurt if it connects with their neck, throat, ribs, solar plexus etc,etc.
This is followed by an arm lock on the arm holding your hair - loop your arm up and over the attackers elbow, pull forward. You now have control over their arm. In this technique we then use our free arm to pull their head and chest down as we deliver an upward knee strike. Then as a good measure we use a downward elbow strike to the back of their head/neck as they fall forwards.
Admittedly this is a bit full on but it gives a range of agressiveness and attacking options to work with. Try it, it "flows" quite well and can become second nature.
I can post details of front hold defences later if interested.
ged17
don't let your hair down
Maybe not appropriate here, but we teach hair grips as a very quick neck snap. The leverage the hair supplies puts it very high on the list for a quick-kill.
Rory
Rory
