People try very hard in life to complicate things that aren’t that complicated. Women’s self-defense is one of those areas. Lots of folks spend time trying to “scare” women into taking classes instead of just addressing a basic fact: you can’t defend yourself if you haven’t learned your self defense ABCs.
A is for Awareness & Avoidance
Sounds pretty simple, right? The reality is that if we pay more attention to our surroundings and our “women’s intuition”, we can very quickly highlight potentially dangerous situations and/or individuals. By using
color coding methods and awareness strategies, we are able to provide ourselves with escape routes to avoid potentially dangerous scenarios. Awareness & avoidance training is all about survival and not having to engage in a violent encounter.
B is for Body Language & Boundaries
How we carry ourselves says a lot about who we are. Predators are looking for prey and the last thing you want to do is to
appear as prey . So how do you not look like prey? By making eye contact, shoulders back, and walking with purpose you send a clear signal that you are aware and not an easy target. Boundaries are tough for women given that we are trained as caretakers. But the reality is that you need to feel comfortable in saying “NO” and setting a clear boundary as to how close someone gets to you and what you allow them to do. Body language & boundary setting is all about using your body and voice to send a clear signal that you are not easy prey.
C is for Contact & Confidence
Contact is simply being able to deal with a violent situation with confidence in your own personal power. Do you have the personal protection and self defense skill sets to fight off, if you have to, a violent predator? Are you confident in your skills? Are you confident in your ability to control your fear and act? Do you have a game plan if confronted with violence? Contact & confidence training teaches you the multitude of
self defense options you have available to you.
The ABCs of women’s self defense aren’t that tough. They do, however, require some training. None of us are born with all knowledge. We all train and learn to better ourselves and to keep ourselves safe. Have you completed your women’s self defense ABC training?
**Angie M. Tarighi is the CEO & Founder of Women’s Self-Defense Institute providing self defense training, education awareness & personal protection products empowering women to fight back against crime.
Leave a Comment