I Need suggestions from women

Sarge516
Sarge516 Posts: 256 Member
in Chit-Chat
I've been asked to teach some self defense lessons to a group of women (all adults). I would like to know what women would want to know how to defend themselves against. I have some ideas, but I'd like to hear anything and everything from the women of mfp.

Things I was thinking of:
- purse snatchings
- escaping the "mount" (when someone has you pinned down and you're on your back)
- walking and awareness
- how to dish out pain quickly & get away
- show and demonstrate several pain sensitive areas/pressure points
- how to weaken someone's grip (escape tactic)

Yes, I realize I tee'd up plenty of opportunities for funny comments :), but if the comedians could hold their comments, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks for any suggestions.
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Replies

  • dinoskycm
    dinoskycm Posts: 267
    What's the age range of these women? You say they are adults, but are they like college aged, twenties, thirties, middle aged? If I knew that, I may be able to help more.
  • imchicbad
    imchicbad Posts: 1,650 Member
    how to escape being attacked from behind- grabbed
  • Alex_is_Hawks
    Alex_is_Hawks Posts: 3,499 Member
    how to fight blind...essentially a lot of attackers will attack in the dark and you're left flailing...getting a sense of body spatial awareness and where the attackers weak points are in reference to your placement without relying on your sight would be huge i think.
  • Sarge516
    Sarge516 Posts: 256 Member
    What's the age range of these women? You say they are adults, but are they like college aged, twenties, thirties, middle aged? If I knew that, I may be able to help more.
    Probably 20 - 50.
  • bushidowoman
    bushidowoman Posts: 1,599 Member
    Hair pulls--like if a guy grabs a handful of hair and starts dragging you.

    "Alternative" weapons. Belts, shoes, other items that may be within reach.

    Common tactics that attackers will use and how to avoid them.
  • Cassie8877
    Cassie8877 Posts: 177
    how to escape being attacked from behind- grabbed

    ^^^ this
  • DJJW
    DJJW Posts: 519 Member
    stray dogs.
  • Bucky83
    Bucky83 Posts: 1,194 Member
    If someone has you on the ground ready to do the unthinkable.
  • Sarge516
    Sarge516 Posts: 256 Member
    how to escape being attacked from behind- grabbed

    ^^^ this
    Excellent, I wouldn't have covered that, but will now. Thanks.
  • Sarge516
    Sarge516 Posts: 256 Member
    Good stuff ladies thanks, I'm keeping notes, keep them coming. All excellent suggestions.
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
    I've been asked to teach some self defense lessons to a group of women (all adults). I would like to know what women would want to know how to defend themselves against. I have some ideas, but I'd like to hear anything and everything from the women of mfp.

    Things I was thinking of:
    - purse snatchings
    - escaping the "mount" (when someone has you pinned down and you're on your back)
    - walking and awareness
    - how to dish out pain quickly & get away
    - show and demonstrate several pain sensitive areas/pressure points
    - how to weaken someone's grip (escape tactic)

    Yes, I realize I tee'd up plenty of opportunities for funny comments :), but if the comedians could hold their comments, I'd appreciate it.

    Thanks for any suggestions.

    I'm not a woman but I think rather than dishing out pain, focus more on "disabling" them temporarily long enough to escape.

    One thing pretty much anyone being attacked (male or female) need to remember the most is the stay calm. So focus alot of staying calm

    Looks very good though
  • PomegranatePriestess
    PomegranatePriestess Posts: 2,455 Member
    When you teach the pressure points, can you also teach "counters" to them, so that if an attacker were to use one of them on you, you could retaliate? Most people just think "OW OW OW" during the attack but if it were me, I'd want to think "I know the antidote to this."

    I would also like to learn how to disarm an attacker who has you at gunpoint or knifepoint, and how NOT to get disarmed! If a woman is carrying a weapon to protect herself, she needs to know how to not get it turned upon herself...

    One other thing getting more common here: Carjacking. Maybe speak to that a bit?

    I know, it's more than you can cover in one class.
  • MandaPaigeSparkles88
    MandaPaigeSparkles88 Posts: 1,289 Member
    If someone has you on the ground ready to do the unthinkable.

    ^^^THIS!!!!!!!
  • disasterman
    disasterman Posts: 746 Member
    I'll ask my wife but she takes full-contact karate so I think she has it covered :)
  • aegisprncs
    aegisprncs Posts: 236 Member
    how to escape being attacked from behind- grabbed
    This is was what I thinking too. If your attacked with out knowing it from any direction and how to get away, AND do some damage so we can run.
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
    One thing they always started out with when I took self-defense was an imaging exercise where you would lie down with your eyes closed and imagine you are asleep in your bed when suddenly you wake up to someone on top of you. . . they asked us what we all felt, and pretty much everyone said, "fear." Then they had us lie down again and imagine we were snuggled in our beds and we heard an intruder down the hall in our kids' room. Everyone said they felt, "rage" or something along those lines. Then they talked about how women should be just as angry if someone threatens them personally, because we deserve to be safe and our children deserve to have mothers. It really helped the women focus on putting all they had into the training-- nobody half-assed it.

    A lot of women seem to have trouble finding a strong voice to say, "NO!" authoritatively, so some may need real encouragement to be loud and not be ladylike.

    My favorite moves from the class, in the event that escape was not readily an option, were bringing the attacker's head down onto my rising knee, thumbs-in-eye-sockets and fingers grab the ears to control the attacker with their own head (in a grappling situation), and throwing elbows like starting a lawn mower when attacked from behind.

    Women need to know that in a life-or-death situation, it is okay to fight dirty and do whatever it takes, and they need skills they can apply without thinking in a panic situation, automatic responses they have rehearsed over and over again.
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
    Oh, and carjacking: throw your keys as far as you can.
  • conservativek
    conservativek Posts: 74 Member
    All your ideas look great so far. I would suggest that no matter what attack you're teaching the ladies to defend against, you advocate simple, tactical, practical, easy moves that can be used during the "adrenaline dump." It's terribly hard to remember a series of complex, martial art - like moves when you are having the fight or flight response to an attack. Thank you so much for caring about educating ladies in self defense! I'm sure I can speak for all of us in saying that I appreciate that. ;)
  • estherdfoster
    estherdfoster Posts: 127 Member
    How to escape from being pinned down when laying on back an he is on top of you while arms are pinned down too an his body weight pressing against you...it happen to me couple months ago with my ex on me plus he is in military.
  • fosterr8
    fosterr8 Posts: 48
    Dogs! I'm honestly afraid when a dog runs up to me, I feel helpless.
  • yo_andi
    yo_andi Posts: 2,178 Member
    All your ideas look great so far. I would suggest that no matter what attack you're teaching the ladies to defend against, you advocate simple, tactical, practical, easy moves that can be used during the "adrenaline dump." It's terribly hard to remember a series of complex, martial art - like moves when you are having the fight or flight response to an attack.

    I'll echo this. I learned SING my very first weekend at college and actually remembered it in a bad situation.
  • beyg
    beyg Posts: 212 Member
    When I do my curriculum for ladies I consider all the moves that can be done by a small frame lady. your ideas are all good. I also teach them to scream loud. Don't underestimate the power of a female scream (sometimes the male scream is good too).
  • Everythin2Lose
    Everythin2Lose Posts: 110
    Pinned against a wall was one i was taught in selfdefence and how to break free if they've got a knife to your throat (its scary to learn... but at least I know) or breaking out of wrist grabs
  • beyg
    beyg Posts: 212 Member
    Dogs! I'm honestly afraid when a dog runs up to me, I feel helpless.

    Hey tell them to go home, all dogs know the go home command, and don't look at them in the yes, and don't try to touch them.
    Don't panic or get too excited because Dog's response to our excitment and stop listening to humans. Hope this helps.
  • DeckerDoll
    DeckerDoll Posts: 201
    Covering precautionary steps to avoid dangerous situations:

    Parking under a light when dark
    Checking under car BEFORE getting to car
    Not walking and talking on cell phone or texting (being aware of surroundings)
    Carrying pepper spray or a taser (I have pepper spray on my key chain and I just swing it while walking to and from home lol)

    Don't laugh but I've been told this:

    Scream "FIRE" instead of just screaming. Sometimes people will ignore screaming (especially children screaming) but if they hear "FIRE" they might pay a little more attention because it might concern their own personal safety. Horrible, but true.
  • HeatherPH
    HeatherPH Posts: 125 Member
    What to do in the face of a weapon. I do karate and we're taught a lot how to disarm a knife, which is a handy thing to know. You might not be able to teach someone exactly that, but even just how to twist away from weapons etc. Twisting away in general, really (esp out of grabs); it's an invaluable skill!

    But yep, I think a huge thing is how to get out when someone's grabbed you, either from behind or the front, and how to get out from under someone who's pinned you and is going for *that* area.
  • magj0y
    magj0y Posts: 1,911 Member
    How to talk/yell loudly. Not scream, not screech, to be powerfully loud. Though I don't know if this is something you know how to teach. If you need help on this one, in box me.
    This kid threatened to stab me, I yelled at him and he took off. it was pretty funny.
  • HeatherPH
    HeatherPH Posts: 125 Member
    Thank you so much for caring about educating ladies in self defense! I'm sure I can speak for all of us in saying that I appreciate that. ;)

    I agree!
  • Effpcos
    Effpcos Posts: 350 Member
    Definitely grabbing from behind, that seems to be the most common "m.o" for sexual offenders, and grabbing from vehicles.

    Our self-defense instructor emphasised the importance of fighting back, not just wishing it over as quickly as possible. He made us think about how hard it is to make a kicking toddler do something they don't want to, and then imagine how much harder it would be to control a full-grown kicking struggling woman, it gave us a feeling of confidence.
    He also told us to try to do damage, scratches down the face, eye-gouging, ripping cheeks, biting etc, so that it would be easier for police to identify the offenders.
    The other thing he pointed out was that it was a bit hopeless going to the genital area of an attacker, as adrenaline would mean they often didn't notice.
    A "handy tip" he gave us, and I regularly use, is to carry your keys with your car key between thumb and index finger, and spread the other keys so that they are sticking out between your other fingers, like a pointy stabby knuckle-duster. It's effective, and if an attacker does manage to get them off you they're just a bunch of keys and can't be used against you like carrying a knife would.
  • HeatherPH
    HeatherPH Posts: 125 Member
    He also told us to try to do damage, scratches down the face, eye-gouging, ripping cheeks, biting etc, so that it would be easier for police to identify the offenders.

    Excellent point!!

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