Victim's Options
2nd Option: Fleeing

Fleeing seems an obvious choice, but isn’t always the best of a victim's options. There are some possible complications:

First, do you have the stamina to run all the way to safety, wherever that may be? You don’t want to be exhausted if chased down by an attacker with more stamina. (You might have to first hurt him with a Sucker Punch – then flee.)

Second, a faster pursuer can easily shove you sprawling face-first and likely hurt you. So if a pursuer is nearing you, stop and face him to better defend yourself. Be ready to dodge him like a matador sidesteps a charging bull. (Perhaps trip him as he passes and Heel-Stomp his foot, so he can't chase you further.)

Third, do you have a physical impairment (such as a bad knee) stopping you from running away?

Fourth, you might be with a child or someone else you can’t abandon or carry in flight.

If you can flee, try to leave obstacles behind you by knocking things over to slow your pursuer. Or run in circles around an object such as a parked car. If possible, get under the car (on your back) and hold onto the underside so he can’t drag you out. If he crawls under there after you, simply crawl out the other side.

If it’s too late to dodge a robbery or carjacking, surrender your valuables, then flee before the crime escalates to rape or kidnapping – in which case, perhaps, you’ll choose to fight to enable your flight.

When a criminal reaches for a gun, it usually looks like he's reaching for his wallet with one hand – either from his back pants pocket, rear waistband, or the inside front of his jacket. If the gun is tucked into his front waistband, he'll probably use two hands – one to lift his loose shirt that's been hiding the gun, the other to grab the gun. In any event, by the time he gets the gun into position to fire, you can be already running away in full stride toward outdoor safety.

Beyond extremely close range (0-3 feet is "point-blank range" and 3-9 feet is "close range"), handguns are very difficult to shoot accurately. According to Sanford Strong, retired San Diego police SWAT team instructor and author of “Strong on Defense,” police officers miss with 75 percent of close-range shots while criminals miss with 96 percent of close-range shots. And a moving target is even more difficult to hit.

Besides, according to J.J. Bittenbinder, Chicago police detective and author of “Tough Target,” U.S. Department of Justice statistics show there’s only a 12 percent chance that a robber will call attention to himself by firing a gun in a populated area (at any range) and only a 3 percent chance of hitting you fatally.

However, knives are more easily hidden, more quickly drawn, and have no “loudness deterrent” because they are silent. Still, throw down your wallet as you run toward outdoor safety. For complete details, see Kidnapping and Kidnap Survival. Also see Pepper Spray, Devices, and Weapons.

If fleeing is not a viable victim option, you must instead choose posturing, outsmarting, surrendering, or fighting.

The Five Victim's Options:
• Victim’s Options - Overview of the Five Victim's Options:
• 1st Option - Posturing: presenting yourself as a tough target (predators prefer easy prey). If that doesn’t work:
• 2nd Option - Fleeing (YOU’RE NOW ON THIS PAGE), the most obvious choice, might not be possible. If not:
• 3rd Option - Outsmarting: by verbally defusing a confrontation and maneuvering toward escape. If that doesn’t work:
• 4th Option - Surrendering and hoping for the best; or preferably as a prelude to an escape, perhaps aided by:
• 5th Option - Fighting like a mad dog to enable your escape. Stun & run.
• Recap of the Five Victim's Options.

It’s impossible to fully anticipate the panicky chaos of a sudden threat forcing you to choose among a victim's options in a split-second. Nonetheless, understanding your options now will help your Intuition choose an option then.

Enhancing Your Options
Pepper Spray & a Noisemaker visibly ready will greatly enhance your first option – Posturing as a tough target – and probably deter a predator immediately. Your fifth option – Fighting – is enhanced as well.

KRAV MAGA, a practical self-defense system used by many police forces worldwide, teaches you to defend yourself, enhances your survival instinct, and can be applied under extreme stress. It's not flashy, just very effective. I highly recommend it. The Krav Maga TV - Online Training videos are especially convenient to learn at home when your schedule allows or if you don't live near a training center.

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