TOOLS OF PROTECTION

Sometimes, violence comes despite the best possible avoidance measures, and when it does, there is often no opportunity to summon help. In those cases, a woman is forced to face her attacker alone, using only her own resources and knowledge to survive. Fortunately, women who are properly trained and confident in their ability to protect themselves can do so quite effectively.

"Fighting back" is a difficult and uncomfortable subject for many women to think about, but it does not have to be that way. The concept is easy to understand.  It's your life or his comfort.  He has no right to be comfortable when he is assaulting you.

In fact, fighting back can actually stop the cycle of abuse that often propagates itself.  Maybe if more girls and women learn to defend themselves physically by harming their attackers instead of walking away or crying then maybe they could begin to turn the tide of abuse from themselves and women in general. Maybe if boys and men knew that they could be seriously hurt if they lifted their hands or opened their pants against the opposite sex, their abuse could be stopped. 

But fighting back involves more than just a swift kick to the "family jewels".  It encompasses putting yourself in the right mindset and allowing you the right to be safe no matter what.  Yes, you'll probably have to hurt another human being, but you have to decide which is more important - hurting someone else or letting him or her hurt you.  I don't know about you, but I opt for keeping my own life.

Even though each and every situation is different, if you find yourself being attacked or assaulted in any way, there are some things you can do to protect yourself at most times.

Knee to Groin

First and foremost, kick him where it hurts.  The male groin area is a particularly sensitive area.  When you are able to come out with a good swift kick to the testicles, chances are amazingly good that your attacker will fall to his knees in pain thus allowing you to run away out of harm's way.

Use what you have to defend yourself.  When walking to your car, place a key in between your index and middle fingers.  If someone should try to accost you, shove the key in their eye or the soft spot just below their Adam's apple.  Then run like crazy!

Spray Them Where It Hurts

Most women carry some type of perfume, hair spray, or body spray in their purses.  These substances can work the same magic as mace or pepper spray.  A little squirt in the eyes will be just painful enough to allow you to get away from your attacker.

Everyday Tools for Defense

Almost anything can be used as a tool against a potential attacker.  A pen, a table knife, anything sharp would be effective against your assaulter.  An effective impact weapon can be created by placing something small and dense (a cake of soap, an ashtray) into a sock, pantyhose toe, or shirt sleeve with a knot tied at the wrist.

The range of potential improvised weapons is limited only by your imagination, but you should not depend on "found" weapons unless your usual tools are unavailable.

Whistles or Noisemakers

Many people advocate carrying a whistle or personal alarm with you.  A personal alarm is a noisemaker, usually battery-operated, that makes a loud, piercing noise when it is set off. Lung powered whistles, often called "rape whistles" also fall into this noisemaker category.

However, most experts feel that having a noisemaker on your person is an over-rated concept.  When you believe that someone will come to your rescue when you blow a whistle or set off a siren, you are fooling yourself.  In general, don't fall for it. Not only are noisemakers and rape whistles ineffective at deterring crime, they are likely to do more harm than good, for several reasons.

Counting on an alarm to summon aid means that you are depending on someone else to come forth to rescue you. That is, you are betting your life on the hope that someone will hear the alarm, and will respond, and will be capable of stopping the attack. That's a lot of 'ifs' that are out of your control.

The act of activating the alarm or blowing a whistle can take anywhere from 2 to 20 seconds, but the outcome of an attack is usually decided within the first 8 to 10 seconds. So, if the noise doesn't work, you may be out of time, the loser, before you can try other options.

Screaming can sometimes be effective, since the human voice has an impact that is quite different from a mechanical sound. But instead of just making noise, you could be doing much more constructive things that would decrease your likelihood of victimization, such as running away, kicking, striking effective blows, counterattacking with pepper spray, or reaching for a weapon.

Stun Guns and Tasers

Stun guns and tasers are also a well-liked self-defense tool.  Stun guns are hand-held, battery-powered electronic devices designed to deliver an electric shock to an attacker. They are not guns in the traditional sense of the word.  A stun gun has two metal contacts, which need to be pressed against the attacker.

Tasers (also battery-powered) propel two metal barbs over a distance of several yards. These barbs, connected to the hand-held unit by wires, are intended to attach themselves to the attacker. These wires are then electrified to incapacitate the assailant at a distance.

These devices stop attackers by pain, rapid fatigue of their muscles, and/or overriding the body's neuromuscular system and disrupting voluntary muscle control.

You should know that in some parts of the United States, these types of weapons are illegal.  If you carry one of these weapons, be advised that it could get you into trouble.  However, if you use it to defend yourself against an attacker, police are probably going to "look the other way" with regards to your weapon of choice.  Responsibility, however, begs us to advise you of their legal standing.

Based on manufacturers' and dealers' claims, one would think that these devices are remarkably powerful defensive tools, which unfailingly stop assaults. Reality, however, sometimes falls short of the marketing hype.

Studies show that in actuality the application of a stun gun, while temporarily immobilizing an assailant, doesn't take immediate effect.  This allows the attacker an unbelievable time to pull and shoot a gun or cause damage to the victim. 

The stun gun will hurt, but as far as completely immobilizing an attacker, it falls short.  To be effective, the stun gun, a contact weapon, must be held in contact with the assailant for a number of seconds, or he must voluntarily break off the attack.

Various stun gun manufacturers are coming out with new units with ever increasing claimed voltage. They still suffer from the traditional downsides, the principal of which is the necessity of having to hold the unit in contact with your assailant for as much as 5 or 6 seconds, during which time he will not exactly be cooperative. Other factors include battery strength, voltage, and the fact that you must be close to your attacker.

There is a new generation of Tasers that have recently come onto the market. Law enforcement magazines and first person reports have been very positive with respect to the effectiveness of the new higher wattage tasers.

While the "older" models had outputs in the 5 to 14 watt range, these new devices have outputs up to 26 watts. Note that there are civilian and law enforcement versions. For instance, one Taser manufacturer limits civilians to their 18 watt model having a range of 15 feet, while the LE version's specs are 26 watts and 21 feet.

There are many variables affecting the efficacy of these devices, including model, wattage, contact time, battery strength, and so on. The taser must be aimed at, and hit your attacker. You only have one, or at most two, sets of darts in a taser.

Pepper Spray and Mace

Pepper spray and mace can also be effective tools against a physical assault. 

Pepper spray is a natural derivative of hot peppers. The essence is extracted, combined with a carrier and propellant, and put into a spray canister. When it is sprayed into the eyes and face on an attacker, it is extremely painful, but it does not rely on pain for its effectiveness. Pepper spray causes physical effects even in people who are "feeling no pain" such as drug users or drunk individuals.

Pepper spray makes the eyelids slam shut or spasm, causing hampered vision or even temporary blindness. When even a small amount is inhaled, it constricts the bronchial tubes, causing extreme choking and coughing, though it does not cut off breathing. It is usually effective on most people and animals, including the mentally ill and those under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Pepper spray comes in various concentrations, and various degrees of heat. If you're going to get pepper spray, you should purchase a product which has an SHU rating of 1 to 2 million or more.

A 1% to 5% concentration is the best range. Sometimes concentrations higher than 5% do not atomize well, and are therefore less effective; also, they lengthen the recovery time beyond the usual 45 minutes or so, and there is no advantage to that in personal defensive situations.

Pepper spray has been used by police and federal law enforcement organizations for decades, and it has an excellent safety and effectiveness record. It is probably the best "general purpose" self-defense tool that you can find, though nothing is 100% effective. The spray may not work on some violent, goal-oriented, people, and may not work fast enough to be effective against someone who is armed.

In most states, pepper spray is legal to purchase.  You can probably find it at hardware stores or firearm retail outlets.  The likelihood of you finding it at Wal-Mart, however, is slim.

Please do understand that the effective use of pepper spray depends on a variety of factors.  Police officers do use pepper spray, but they have had a class on how to use it correctly.  Factors that influence its effectiveness include the proximity of the attacker versus you, how much spray you deploy, and where you deploy it at.  For maximum effectiveness, it must be sprayed in the eyes.