Self Defense For Women - How to Subdue an Attacker

While not always the case, most attackers of women are of the opposite sex and most men will have more strength to subdue them. It makes it vitally important, therefore, that women learn self defense and really "hit them where it hurts" so that they can successfully defend themselves against an attack. In light of this, however, key being successful in escaping a potentially dangerous situation is the knowing of exactly where to hit a man to make him most vulnerable in order to give your self enough time to get away from harms way.

The single most painful area to a man is the groin area. On a man it will provide the most intense pain but only when you hit with enough accuracy. You can apply a hit, kick or any other type of contact there in order to buy time to escape. What should be kept in mind, though, is that you do not want to try and kick your attacker in the groin. Self defense involves the ability to assess potential dangers. It would be too easy, for example, for the attacker to retaliate by grabbing your leg or foot, putting you off-balance and vulnerable to his nefarious attentions. In close situations, using your hands, elbows and knees are most likely to be your best bodily weapons against the groin.

When going for a groin strike, it is essential that you are in good position to make the attack. You do this by aligning your body to the side of the aggressor when you strike. By doing so it will allow the attacker enough room for his body to fall forward without putting yourself in further danger with the assailant falling onto you and hindering your own escape. Where possible, try and use your hand to grab the testicle area and squeeze hard as this is the most direct and successful of injuries. A natural reaction for a man is to protect the groin area, thus giving you valuable seconds for your getaway. Often times though, you may not have this self defense luxury so improvisation will be key. An elbow or knee can be used to strike a blow to the groin.

Targeting the eye itself is yet another vulnerable area to inflict pain on your attacker. The actual structure of the head tends to be a very hard target area. As such, bones on the face, including the eye socket are rather thick and sturdy but the eyeball is gelatinous blob just ripe for injury. When the attacker grabs you, he is using both hands. And unless he has both of your hands, you can use one hand to grasp his neck and jerk it down and with the other, you can use your thumb or index finger to grind into the corner of his eye. If you happen to holding a set of keys in one of your hands, they can be used to scrape the attackers' face and try to gouge the eye area. While the thought of fighting off an offender may not be the most pleasant thing to imagine, protecting yourself should be your number one task. The attackers' instincts will then be to let go of you to protect him self. While both hands are near the eyes to protect them, it is the perfect time to employ the groin attack. Take those precious seconds and strike with a full blow.

The throat, particularly the windpipe, is also a fragile area which can be easily injured should the need arise. It takes only a few sharp jabs of the heel of a hand, elbow or other body part to render the attacker vulnerable to your escape. When the opportunity presents itself, use an open hand and hit the front of the throat with all the force you can muster. Envision trying to knock his tonsils right out of his throat. Do not waste the opportunity to strike the throat with a shoving match as this gives the attacker time to readjust his assault on you. Rather, go full force with a hit to the throat area. Each second is vitally important in the event of an attack and should be taken advantage of. You may also wish to try and grab the windpipe itself to inflict enough damage to escape. Again, like the groin area, the windpipe can be a perfect target area to overcome an attacker. If you can, submerse your fingers and thumb into windpipe and larynx area and squeeze as if you were trying to make your fingers meet in a fist. During the squeeze, pull with all your might. Take advantage of this move as this maneuver in particular can be performed effectively even if your hand and upper body strength is not very strong.

While there are a few other defensive maneuver to execute like bending a finger backwards to the point of breaking, the eyes, throat and groin are the most vulnerable. You do what you can self-defense wise depending on the position you find yourself.