The first secret to protecting yourself is to be an inconvenient target to an attacker. Of course, this means exercising street smarts, a subject we will cover soon. But sometimes street smarts are not enough. Sometimes, like it or not, you have no choice but to protect yourself. In such a situation, you must become an inconvenient target. Attackers look for easy prey. You want to be a challenge. Therefore, if somebody approaches you in a way that seems strange, you MUST be prepared to make a scene and to shock and distract your attacker. Making a scene is not hard. If someone is attacking you, you need to react quickly. You have no time to worry about how you look or whether you are making a fool out of yourself. You must be ready to scream, scratch, bite, kick, spit, and do whatever else is required to make a scene. So, when someone approaches you and seems likely to attack: 1. Take a step back and put your hands up, palms out (in the “Stop” position). This is a non-aggressive but effective defensive position.

2. Yell “Stop!” and keep yelling as long as it takes to get attention. Kids should be trained to yell a long time, starting with, “Get away from me. I don’t know you and you are not my parent. Get the heck away from me….”

3. If the attacker grabs you, shock him with a clap on the ears, scratch in the eyes, poke in the throat, toe/knee in the groin, or anything else you can do to hit them in their vulnerable areas.

4. NEVER stop struggling. It only gets harder as time passes. Keep yelling and fighting and try to get attention. If you get even a split second of time, run as fast as you can to get somewhere safer.

Bottom line: Forget what you have learned about good manners when you are attacked.

This information is too important to keep to yourself. Please absorb this material and pass it on.

Batons are especially a good weapon for self defense for women. More so, if she has to travel a lot and travels to places which have a potential risk factor. If she senses that nay physical harm could come to her, she can easily use a baton for acts of self defense. If you’re worrying about the weight, there is actually no reasons to worry about it since these usually come in lightweights. Of course, the batons used by the police are a little on the heavier side.

Let us look at some popular available options.

•Stun Batons: What makes it special is the ability to produce and shock your attackers with almost 800,000 volts! Fear not, because this will not make you a murderer because the amperage is very low. If it would have been high, there would have been a chance of turning your attacker(s) into charcoal! These also come in variable sizes (standard sizes) and can be telescopic too.

•Pepper Mace Batons: This is the handiest of the self defense weapons that are in use these days. They are so small that they can be carried in your shirt pocket as well as your purse. The strongest of the pepper mace baton comes as an aluminum alloy and has a special in-built compartment for storing the pepper mace. Apart from being used as a stout stick, the pepper spray makes it an effective immobilizer weapon. Not only will the blow be solid but the pepper spray can make the attacker go tears!

•Steel Baton: The best and the strongest of the impact batons are the steel batons. They can crack open the skull of your attackers! They are lightweight and extremely strong. The steel baton has been given the telescopic form to make it more portable and lightweight. Combinations are being tried out for combining the pepper spray with the steel baton but purists argue that this weapon should be let as it is.

When it comes to defending yourself from an attacker or a mob, there is no ethics and morality. All you need to do is to act in self defense. Carrying such batons will not only give you mental strength but can help you travel fearlessly and confidently. Batons for protecting yourself are a must have tool for anyone. You should get it now!

Stun batons are one of the most popular types of batons. These combine the blunt force of a baton with the fast power of a stun gun to quickly bring an attacker down. Stun batons have been seen as all-in-one protection. The added benefit of the stun gun is affective against any type of attacker, no matter how hard you hit him with the baton. Some also include additional features like a heavy-duty flashlight or high-pitched personal alarm that can scare away attackers before they come close enough to do any harm.

Most batons are expandable or telescoping, so they are a relatively small size until needed. This allows you to carry them in a bag or on a belt loop, in a carrying pouch or in a holster. Lightweight batons can be taken nearly everywhere with you. They come in a variety of sizes so that you can choose a model that would be comfortable for you. These batons open to their full length with just a flick of the wrist. Fully extended batons give you the ability to maintain your distance from the assailant. Many styles have rubber grips or a side handle to make the baton easier to handle and use, even in conditions such as in the rain where you might otherwise lose your grip on the baton.

To use a baton for self defense effectively, you may wish to watch a few self defense videos, if you dont have any prior training in the use of a baton. Batons are used not only for hitting the assailant, like a stick. They can also be utilized to stabilize your fist, gain leverage on an assailants fingers or wrist, or apply pressure to sensitive parts of the body.

Batons are used by law enforcement officials, security guards, and other around the world. Their impressive appearance may even scare away an assailant while allowing you to keep a safe distance. They are often chosen as a way to fight attackers who are hands-on, as an alternative to punching, kicking, or other physical methods of fighting back. If you are confident in your strength and want a more hands-on method of self defense than, for example, an alarm or pepper spray, then a baton may make a sensible choice for you. If you are less sure of your strength, choose one with a stun gun feature, so that your assailant will be disabled no matter how hard you are able to fight back.

If the primary objective is to use the taser for self defense then it is not abusive to sue? People only want to feel safe. And knowing self defense, and options for a way out if you are attacked is a natural emotion. People know that society does not expect the citizens to stand helpless without any defense. How traumatizing this can be.

If an attacker sees that you have a Taser, they are more than likely to not pursue you in a criminal situation. Naturally the easiest thing to do would just give up your purse or wallet, however what if that’s not what the attack was all about? Many attackers will think twice about attacking you if you have a taser and seem to know self defense. Literally. There are many ways to handle the taser. Some trainers have advocated the use of flipping the instrument to your other hand.

There are many ways of using the taser. If your attacker has you bent over, and the attacker is behind you, you can learn how to go between your legs through self defense techniques and movements and use the taser on the attacker that way. There are many variations that can be used with the taser. But the possibilities get very limited if you don’t know about self defense or how to even use a taser.

You also have to have the taser to learn how to actually use it the right way as well. However, tasers are usually any where from thirty to fifty dollars, and they run on nine volt batteries. Most tasers even have a safety feature on them. We recommend that you research the effectiveness of the taser.

I have read some instructors material in which they say the logic for going to the ground is that a woman’s legs are the strongest part of their body so they should automatically fall to the ground.  Why should you not do this?

1)  You are on the ground where the attacker probably wants to get you to begin with.
2)  You have dramatically reduced your chances of just being able to run away after maybe one strike           standing up.
3)  You can use your legs standing up as well so why go to ground to use them.  
4)  If there are multiple attackers you have now made it even more difficult to get up.
5)  Your other arm and hand strikes will be have their impact reduced because you are on your back.
6)  By being on ground you have made it easy for the attacker(s) to start kicking from you from different angles.  

If you are on the ground there are very effective techniques to use but if you start defending standing up you have even more options before going right to ground strikes. Once you are on the ground try to keep your legs between yourself and the attacker because “yes” they are strong, but don’t start on the ground.

Recently, Channel 7 News in Lawton, Oklahoma asked the questions, “Would you know what to do if someone came up behind you in a dark parking lot? What would you do if someone tried forcing open your front door? Would you know how to defend yourself?” One solution is Lipstick Pepper Spray – a subtle and discreet, yet powerful weapon against an attacker.

These questions were part of a Special Report: “Personal Protection (OTC)” that explored personal self defense devices. The report went on to state that “more and more people are utilizing personal defense devices; they can be bought over the counter to fend off attackers. Places such as dark parking lots can be an ideal location for attackers to plan an assault. It can even happen in your own home.”

Statistics show that there are more and more personal attacks – even in areas that traditionally have very low crime rates. “Police and law enforcement related businesses say more and more people are purchasing personal safety devices such as pepper spray (Lipstick Pepper Spray, for instance), stun guns, and mace,” Channel 7 story stated.

In addition, devices are becoming easier to use and more discreet. For instance, pepper spray no longer comes only in a canister which could tip off a would-be attacker. Pepper spray is available in everything from rings to cell phones to pens to the subtle Lipstick Pepper Spray.

The Channel 7 story went on to way that Lea Love’s husband bought her a taser, which is similar to a stun gun but has a much wider range. It shoots barbs up to 15 feet and delivers 50,000 volts of electricity into an assailant – enough to disable an attacker without doing any permanent damage. Lea says she feels empowered because of having the weapon. “I don’t have to worry about killing the bad guy, just immobilizing him until the cops get there,” she remarked.

The Channel 7 story also said that “The bottom line is that personal safety is worth it. Just think carefully about how you will use personal safety devices.”

The best ideas for safety to ensure safety do not revolve around new technology. Here is a list of things we already know but forget when we are in a hurry.

1.Try to stay where there is a lot of people

2.Park and walk in well lit areas

3.Keep your keys in your hand so there is no wasted time when getting in the car

4.Do not carry so many items that you are overloaded or do not have a hand free

5.Park as close to your destination as possible, especially at night

6.Let someone know if you are working late in an office building or need to go to a covered parking garage

7.Scream as loudly as possible or create a scene if there is a problem

8.Never stay after you disable an attacker, leave and find safety and call 911

That being said, it is important to be prepared, have the right tools and know how to use them.

The Oklahoman newspaper ran an article on March 31, 2008, about a woman who was loading groceries into her SUV in a semi-crowded parking lot, when she was attacked by a man who dragged her to his car and got her halfway in before another store patron was able to pull her to safety. The woman lost her purse (the attacker left with it), but the other shopper saved this woman’s life.

The victim says she will never go anywhere any more without pepper spray or mace.

A police officer who teaches self-defense in the town where the victim lives seconds that motion and says that in her “common-sense self-defense” classes, she often advises participants to use self-protection products, such as Mace brand sprays.

Mace brand has been on the market for a number of years – even before the self-protection, frenzy has become so common. Mace sprays are effective, affordable and dependable. Mace sprays are also concealed in easy to use containers so that you are armed and ready to protect and defend yourself.

Mace sprays come in pepper spray, pepper gel and pepper foam. These all have the same basic effect, however, the foam; for instance, will seep into your attacker’s skin like a good moisturizer, and it will burn and itch the skin so the attacker does not have time to think about coming after you. The spray, gel or foam will incapacitate an attacker who is trying to catch his or her breath and stop the burning on their skin and eyes. This will give you long enough to get help, call the police and/or simply get in your car and drive away.

Do not become a statistic.

What I mean is that, managers and administrators focus most of their time, either in denial about the problem of workplace violence or the possibility of it occurring in their business, or creating more policies related to prevention and reporting. Meanwhile, they are creating or, more to the point, “allowing” a gap to exist within their overall workplace violence and crisis management plan that leaves themselves, their employees, and the company, as a whole, completely unprepared for actual physical violence.

If you are to be able to escape from or survive an actual act of violence, you must first accept that violence exists AND can touch you. Living in denial or under the delusion that you are somehow invisible or impervious to danger – that you are the one exception in the whole human race that can’t or won’t be targeted by another irrational human being or other natural disaster will only leave you paralyzed in fear when something happens. This first phase of an overall 8-phase strategic formula for safety and self-protection that I teach my clients is called General Awareness.

In this phase, we consider not only the fact that danger exists, but what forms it could take and the types of attackers you could encounter. This information allows you to seek out exactly the types of self defense training, tactics, and techniques that would work to de-escalate, escape from or defend against an attack if and when it does come at you. Remember, violence is random. It can happen in any business, and at any time. And when it does, you are either prepared for it, or not.

But, I digress. The information that we gather in the “General Awareness” phase of our plan is absolutely useless in the moment of an attack. Because, in the moment when pure, unadulterated and uncivilized brutality is being thrown at you, the only thing that matters is quick, decisive, and pre-planned action. This is true in emergency situations where medical professionals are trying to save lives. It’s true when a company has a crisis where massive amounts of money are being lost and the company’s future is at stake. And, it’s true when you are face-to-face with a violent aggressor trying to beat, break or kill you on the job!

This type of thinking – the “why is this happening?” and “why would this person do such a thing?” mentality, instead of taking action is not what’s important during an attack. It reminds me of an old story about a warrior who was shot with an arrow. Before he would let anyone take the arrow out of him, he wanted to know the name and family of the archer who shot him, the type and materials the arrow was made of, the bird that the feathers came from, what poison it was tipped with, etc., before they could answer all of his questions – he died of his wounds.

Too much overthinking and not enough action based on knowledge and experience will do nothing to help you, and anyone that you’re responsible for to escape from or survive a real workplace violence attack. And, let’s also not forget that no amount of whining, blaming, or punishment for the attacker will take away the pain, loss, or fact that you just weren’t prepared when you needed to be. That’s why there are 8-phases to an effective plan or formula for developing the section missing from most workplace violence plans – the piece that deals with the operative word in your plan – violence!

If you don’t have the knowledge and experience to put this critical, life-saving element into your existing plan and procedures (don’t worry, most managers and administrators don’t) then your first step is to find someone who does. And remember, you’re not limited to choosing between gung-ho karate masters or ex-military commando types, nor the other extreme of the passive consultant with no experience at dealing with violence.

To be safe, you and your employees do not have to have a training program that will turn you into martial arts black belts. You also don’t have to train for years to be proficient. There are programs and trainers out there who can give you the content you need, and within the context of your business needs. You can get the self defense training to be able to protect yourself during a workplace violence attack – training that is both easy to learn and effective, as-well-as being liability conscious and allows your managers and employees to convey professionalism and concern throughout the incident.