Personal Safety Tips from a Woman Warrior

Common Sense Safety Techniques:
Adapted from The Hero’s Code, by Dawn Callan.

Always avoid a fight if you can.
Run away if you have the chance.
Give them your wallet or purse. Do not hand it to them. Toss it away from yourself and run.
Your possessions and your ego are not worth fighting for.
If you find yourself in a situation where a physical threat is unavoidable, here are a few simple things you can do:
- Remember, most attackers are not expecting any resistance, so you have the element of surprise in your favor.
- Strike a primary target area if you can. These are: eyes, groin, throat and knees.
- If someone grabs you, instead of struggling to get away, start hitting him or her. Drive your thumbs into their eyes, drive your knee into their groin, drive the heel of your hand into their nose, stomp their knee as if you were breaking a board.
- If you are grabbed from behind and your hands are free, turn your hands into claws. Reach back and rake their eyes and face. Drive your elbow back into their throat. If your hands are pinned, reach both of your hands behind you, grab their groin and squeeze.
- If your arms are pinned, slam your forehead or the back of your head into their nose. Stomp on their foot as hard as you can.
- Most important, don’t quit, and don’t hold back, hit them with everything you’ve got. Keep hitting until you are free, and then run.
- I believe everyone should take a self-defense class

Dawn Callan is a personal safety expert who holds advanced degrees in martial arts, an author, and a self-defense coach.