The Self Defense portion of this website is still under construction, although here are a few pointers for you in the meantime.

The following is per interviews with rapists and date rapists in prison on what men look for in a potential victim:

Hairstyle - They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed like long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

Clothing - They will look for women whose clothing is easy to remove quickly. The number one outfit they look for are overalls. Many of these men carry scissors around to cut their victims clothing and with overalls the straps can be easily cut.

Distractions - They like to look for women on their cell phones, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.

Time - The time of day men are most likely to attack and rape a woman is in the early morning, between 5:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.

Location - These men are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to a second location where they don't have to worry about getting caught. Women are mostly abducted or attacked at:
#1 - Grocery store parking lots.
#2 - Office parking lots or garages.
#3 - Public restrooms.

Weapons - Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.

Struggle - If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.

Defenses - These men said they will not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands. Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. The idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.

Several defense mechanisms:

Eye contact - If someone is following behind you on a street, in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question like "Do you know what time is it", or just make general small talk, "I can't believe it is so cold out here, we're in for a bad winter." Now you've seen their face and could identify them in a lineup, you lose appeal as a target to them.

Warning - If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell "Stop!" or "Stay back!" Most of the rapists said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. If you carry pepper spray, yelling "I have pepper spray!" and holding it out will be a deterrent. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

Defense #1 - If someone grabs you and you can't beat them with strength, you can outsmart them. If they grab your wrist, quickly rotate your wrist inward and up so your palm is in front of your face, then pull your wrist from his grasp and step back for a clear kick to his groin.

Defense #2 - If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, step out to the side with one foot as you now expose one of his feet between your legs. Stop on that foot with your foot closet to him, as you grab his pinkies and bend them backwards.

Defense #3 - If a guy puts his finger in your face, grab it and bend it back towards him as far as possible with as much pressure as possible, as you push downward to bring him to his kness.

Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can, and if you see any odd behavior don't dismiss it, go with your instincts.  You may feel a little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

(More to come soon)