Women Self Defense: How to Prevent Outdoor Attacks

Preventing outdoor attacks is an important aspect of women's self defense, especially as women are a primary target in U.S. violence statistics (source). Many outdoor attacks against women happen in specific circumstances: When women are going to their car, andwhen women are at the door of their residence. In this women's self defense article, we'll detail some practical steps you can take in protecting yourself from outdoor attacks and dangerous physical violence against women.

Women's Self Defense: Preventing Common Outdoor Attacks and Dangerous Circumstances

One of the first parts of women's self defense is knowing where danger occurs, and avoiding those risky circumstances. Removing yourself from areas of risk and danger can help ensure that you never even have to put your women's self defense into practice.

Women's Self Defense, Preventing Outdoor Attacks Tip #1: Be attentive and aware of your surroundings. It's a bad idea to be walking through a shady park or in your apartment stairwell with your iPod headphones in your ears, potentially deafening you to the approach of an attacker. Also, stay in well lit, public places. This holds especially true for women who like to exercise outdoors. If you must run outdoors in the evenings, only run in public places or run with a friend. Pairing up with another women is a great deterrent for predators.

Women's Self Defense, Preventing Outdoor Attacks Tip #2: Look confident. Predators often are attracted to women who look like they won't be able to defense themselves.

Women's Self Defense, Preventing Outdoor Attacks Tip #3: When driving at night, park as close to the entrance way as possible and avoid dark parking lots. Carry a flashlight on your keychain. When walking to your car, ask someone to come with you. Also, have your keys ready to enter your car immediately and lock it from the inside. You can become a target if you're being followed and linger outside of your car looking for your keys in your purse. A great self defense move for women is holding the keys in a defensive position-position the keys to extrude from between your fingers like brass knuckles. It sounds unusual, but it adds significant clout should you need to physically defend yourself from an attacker.

Women's Self Defense, Preventing Outdoor Attacks Tip #4: Know what potential attackers look like. Someone loitering in a parking lot or an alley is a potential sign of trouble. If you notice someone following you and you feel in danger, go to a well-lit, public area with lots of people and call a friend to come meet you instead of attempting to walk to your car or home alone.