REMEMBER, THAT WHATEVER YOU DO, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS YOUR SURVIVAL. Your most important weapon is your brain.
- Have a plan. Rehearse in your mind several different scenarios on how you will react to an attack, and, what you will do to try and stop it.
- Stay as calm as possible, think rationally and evaluate your resources and options.
- It may be more advisable to submit (this does not mean you consent to the attacker) than resist and risk severe injury or death. Everyone has different strengths and abilities. You will have to make this decision based on the circumstances and your own personal decisions leading up to and during an attack.
- Keep assessing the situation as it is happening. If one strategy doesn’t work, try another.
- Possible options in addition to non-resistance are:
- negotiating;
- stalling for time;
- distracting the assailant and fleeing to a safe place;
- verbal assertiveness, and
- screaming to attract attention and physical resistance.
- If you think fighting back/struggling/resisting may discourage the attack, remember you must stop the attack long enough in order to create the time you need to escape. This chance to break away and run from your attacker may only be seconds.
- Options to consider is you fight back:
- scratching with your fingernails;
- biting;
- poking in the eyes;
- kicking in the knee or groin;
- hitting on the nose, and
- jabbing the eyes or throat.
- If you are determined to carry some type of weapon, a chemical spray (such as pepper spray) is your best choice. It’s non-lethal if used against you. Remember, you already have weapons with you; your keys, pens, pencils, fingers, elbows, head, fingernails, etc.
- Weapons such as guns, knives, and chemical sprays can easily be turned against you unless you are trained to, and are not afraid to use them. You must be prepared to possibly injure or kill the attacker in order to stop the attack and/or escape.
- There have been instances where a victim used reverse psychology on their attacker. You may be able to turn the attacker off with bizarre behavior such as throwing up, urinating, or defecating on yourself.
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