The unfortunate reality of being a woman, especially one that handles business on her own, is that you will run into a ton of safety concerns all over the place, from parking lots to public transport facilities. The perfect way to avoid these issues is to show everyone around you that you are not to be messed with, and learning self-defense will help you do that, so keep reading to find out some of the strategies that will guide you best down this path.
Situational Awareness
Developing your situational awareness is perhaps the first self-defense tactic that should be on your list since this will allow you to be conscious of all of your surroundings and everything that is going on. You should make a habit of not using your headphones in public, especially when you enter an area that you feel is risky and train yourself to identify risks or people that you should stay away from. A great tactic to use is to pretend to bury your head in your phone as you use your peripheral vision to look around you or to do the same while you’re pretending to be on a call, since if someone with bad intentions knows you’re talking to someone, they’ll be less likely to try something.
Investing in Protection
Firearms are the classic tool to use if you are truly concerned about your safety, and they are perfect if you live in a bad neighborhood or if you have had a reason to fear for your safety recently. However, owning a gun means being a responsible owner, which is why you will have to train yourself by going to a firing range – if you do not want to go because of the money you will have to spend on bullets, using dry firing training is a far better option. You will need to learn safety protocols, too, including how to draw your weapon quickly, wield it effectively, and how to engage and disengage the safety like it is second nature.
Self-defense Techniques
There are more techniques you can learn if you want to truly defend yourself in any situation, especially if you are not able to get a gun for whatever reason. The most popular form of learning self-defense is to take classes that teach martial arts – these classes are modified and aimed so that the techniques you learn hold a specific practical value, including using an opponent’s weight to knock them off balance and coordinating yourself to be able to strike powerful blows.
Escape Techniques
Learning self-defense is a great part of a wider strategy, one that includes some form of escape techniques, since you will not always get a fair fight in an emergency. If you’ve been grabbed or are facing more than one person who is far more powerful than you, practicing escape techniques may be the best option – classes that you’ll be able to sign up for will tell you how you can knock someone off balance with just a kick, or use a bit or pinch to temporarily incapacitate them, leaving you with the best chance to escape the area.
Using Technology
The world has long since entered an era of technology where interconnectivity has brought everyone together, and you can use this tool in a time of crisis. Leaving location services turned on in your phone will allow trusted people, and law enforcement, if need be, to access your location at all times; you can even use AI or virtual assistants like Siri to create a custom emergency response, including alerting law enforcement and your family at the same time. Carrying a personal alarm is a great idea, too, since the sound generated from this alarm is often able to scare off any attackers.
Conclusion
Self-defense is a great tool that allows people to live more freely and without fear, and it has a ton more benefits besides just ensuring safety for women wherever they go. If you practice self-defense and take classes, you will be working on your health, and you will feel far more confident in any confrontation. Whatever the case may be, if you learn self-defense, you will be assured that anyone with bad intentions will have to keep a distance from you.
