There are many different strategies for self defense. Awareness, as I've discussed previously, is your best defense. Being able to avoid conflict by being aware of your surroundings is your number one tool for defense.
So what can you do to get out of a situation that you couldn't avoid that is escalating or you fear is about to, without resorting to fighting? If you realize you are about to be a victim or violence, you may want to think out of the box.
One idea is to act like you're nuts. Talk to someone that isn't there. Yell or laugh. Give yourself a violent physical tic or spasm. Go on a diatribe about one topic or another. Announce to no one in particular that you are really really angry. Refer to yourself in the third person. Put random words together. Sing loudly.
This just may be enough to make a potential thug look for easier prey. It also draws the attention of others, something criminals don't like.
A friend of mine told me a story about a similar type of out of the box thinking. A person was in the process of withdrawing money from a bank machine. He realized he was in a fairly isolated area and was being approached by two guys he was pretty sure were about to rob him. He hit cancel on his transaction and then started swearing loudly about how 'That B*#@^ had cleaned him out'. He was ranting and raving about how she had closed his account and was a conniving vengeful so and so... He went on and on. The she, of course, did not exist, but his angry screaming match with himself at the bank machine caused the two males to walk away. They had lost their easy target and in their minds were now dealing with a broke guy on the edge, not an easy score.
Creativity can often win the day. The above ideas are not guaranteed to work but are examples of how you might think on the fly to avoid a violent confrontation. You've still got your training as a back up and you may cause your would be attacker to walk away or underestimate you if he/she continues to try to cause you harm.
{Note: This post is in no way meant to make fun of, or cast dispersions on, any person suffering from any mental illness or physical ailment}
Stay safe.
I've kept certain impromtue strategies I've read about over the years as a reference. One woman advised her would-be attackers that she would not resist but warned them she had a venereal disease. Another vomited on her attacker - sure to put the most determined sexual assaulter off his game. Another said she'd not resist as she didn't want to get hurt and asked them to take their trousers off as she lifted her skirt. When they did she did a runner. Old saying: 'Women with skirt around hips runs faster than man with pants around ankles.' Debbie Clarke's women's self defence always taught that the first weapon any woman can use is her brain. ... btw, apparently we no longer refer to people who've experienced violence of any sort as victims. They are survivors. ... Surprisingly, words do mean something and the way we label ourselves and others does effect how we see ourselves and others. This is something I've learnt through my research.
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