Burglary is different from theft because of one simple word:  force.  Coming home to find that your house has been robbed is unsettling, but since the theft happened while you weren’t home, you were never in physical danger.  Being held up at gunpoint is a very different kind of attack – people who use force to rob their victims are violent and unstable.  But that doesn’t mean you have to live in fear.  Empower yourself by learning how to survive personal attacks.  Simple techniques and quick thinking are forceful weapons against assailants.

 

Prevent Personal Attacks

 

The best defense against personal attacks is prevention and avoidance.  Simple tactics can help you evade dangerous or deadly situations: 

 

Walk quickly and with purpose.  When walking alone, dawdling and appearing distracted gives potential attackers an edge over you.  They typically seek out preoccupied victims who won’t see an attack coming.  Appear confident and move rapidly toward your goal – whether it’s your car, your home, or your office.

Look around you.  Criminals seldom hide because it takes too long to emerge from a real hiding space.  Instead, they position themselves in locations where they aren’t immediately seen.  A quick glance behind and around you allows you to see suspicious people loitering nearby.  You’ll also be able to spot potential attackers moving into attack positions, giving you time to take evasive measures before he has a chance to strike.

Insist on a buffer.  Keep at least five feet of space between you and strangers – especially those who set off your internal alarms.  Many victims of personal attacks let their assailants get too close because they didn’t want to hurt the attacker’s feelings.  This is especially true of women, who don’t want to offend anyone by cr

eating a buffer zone.  Remember, no stranger has a legitimate reason to approach you closer than five feet, and it’s not rude to practice personal security. 

Survive Personal Attacks

While it’s true that preventing attacks is better than experiencing one, no precautions are foolproof.  If you do find yourself the victim of a personal attack, stay calm and use these survival tips:

Yell and scream.  When you are cornered and threatened – by a weapon or otherwise – open your mouth and shout for help.  Do whatever it takes to draw attention to yourself and your attacker.  Studies show that it’s more effective to shout “Fire!” instead of “Help!” because the first word will grab the attention of a crowd.  However, any noise is better than quietly letting an assailant overpower or injure you.

Counter attack.  If you have pepper spray, a stun gun, or any other non-lethal weapon, use it against your attacker.  Learn how to utlize these self-defense weapons properly and they could save your life.

Withdraw strategically.  In some cases, you will be able to run away from your attacker, but it’s not a good idea to run blindly from danger.  Instead, try to strategically withdraw to a safe place.  The difference is that if you try feeing from an attacker with no destination in mind, you’re likely to provoke a chase.  In that case, your haphazard path could take you to a more isolated area – which is a better setting for a personal attack.  On the other hand, if you run fiercely and strategically toward lights, noise, and people, each step you take will increase the risk of your pursuer being caught or seen. In a strategic withdrawal, chasing you endangers the attacker.

 

Do not give up.  Use every self-defense technique you can think of to fight until your attacker leaves.  Remember that once you give in, your assailant can take you away to a place where the danger can really escalate.  As long as you fight your attacker and don't let him take you, your chances of staving him off and surviving the attack greatly increases.