Victim's Options
5th Option: Fighting -
Self Defense for Women
Fighting is the 5th of the 5 Victim's Options. If threatened, strategic self defense for women is: don't wait to be attacked. But how do you know for sure if someone is truly threatening you?
Renowned security expert Gavin de Becker wrote in “The Gift of Fear” that when someone makes an unsolicited approach, and your intuition senses doubt or suspicion, you’ve got all the information you need. You don’t need to wait until you receive a substantial blow to the head before defending yourself.
If you can’t flee, outsmart, or posture, and you fear the gamble of surrendering, then only one of the victim's options remains: fighting.
WHEN to FIGHT
Fight only in true self defense, with only enough force to allow your (or another victim's) safe escape. Don't fight for "honor" but do fight with rage.
There are two rules if a victim must fight for her life: never fight fair and never give up. Fight only with the will to win no matter what. Sometimes, it all comes down to whose will to win is greater. You must be ruthless – the dirtier the better – when you must do or die! See Psycho Psyching in Stress Control - Optimal Mindset.
How to fight is taught in Fighting Options - Overview and Child Safety Tips: Kidnapping Escape for kids, teens and adults.
The important points for a potential victim to consider are:
► Should you initiate the violence with a 'surprise attack' Sucker Punch? Ask yourself, “Am I in imminent danger and unable to escape?” If the answer is “Yes,” then 'surprise attack' him first – thereby gaining the crucial advantage of acting rather than reacting. So how do you 'surprise attack' him?
► Use the extremely effective Fighting Options - Sucker Punch.
► If you do decide to fight, act as soon as possible. Time quickly works against you; your chances are as good as they’re going to get when the crime starts. Immediately give up your property to a robber, and then escape. Almost always, do anything to avoid being bound, imprisoned, or moved to a more isolated location (see Survival Options - Kidnapping).
► Also see the 'Clinch Attacks' at Fighting Strategies, Rape Escape Options - Ultimate, and Self Defense Techniques For Women - (all three pages also apply to teens).
► Act when the attacker is talking. An attacker usually doesn't make a move in mid sentence, so get him to talk, then Sucker Punch him and run.
► Even if you’re injured, never give up the fight for your life. When it’s time to “Do or die!” you’d better do. Stress Control - Wounded examines the fear of being punched, stabbed, or shot and how surviving a serious injury is often a matter of willpower. See 'Hope Is Key' at Stress Control - Willpower.)
Also see 'Set Your Boundaries' at Outdoor Safety - Facing Danger.
ENHANCING YOUR VICTIM'S OPTIONS
Deter a predator - beforehand - by holding Pepper Spray & a Personal Security Alarm (noisemaker or screamer) in plain sight. And those pages tell you how to most effectively use them when needed.
