ABC Women's Self-Defense Florida

🚗 Self-Defense Tips for Your Car

Parking lots are busy — people coming and going, others just cutting through.
👀 Always be aware of your surroundings.

🔒 Safety Tips:
• Never leave anything visible on your car seat.
• Tint your rear windows to help hide what’s inside — kids, bags, packages, etc.
• Keep a towel or cloth that matches your car’s interior. Use it to cover items — great camouflage!
• Place belongings on the floor behind the seat and cover them up.
• Better yet, put everything in the trunk.

🚶‍♀️ Whether you’re parking or walking back to your car, always take a moment to look around and notice what’s happening.

⚠️ Every situation is different — stay alert, stay safe.

Your Voice
31 Self Defense Project

The voice is a very important part of self defense.
The way you speak: the volume, the attitude, and the confidence will determine how you are perceived by an attacker and possibly everyone else.
Start with the basics; the effect the voice can have on a person. Remember as a child when you did something wrong ? Mom, Dad, School Teacher, etc, yelled at you. They got loud and sounded forceful. How did that make you feel ?
Back to present day. Has your boss yelled at you, a customer, or a significant other ? How did it make you feel ? That’s the effect a voice has on a person.
Your verbal self defense can protect you. BACK OFF ! STAY BACK ! DON’T MOVE !
Say those out loud like you mean it. Just like you practice anything else, your commands should also be practiced. It’s okay to talk back to somebody getting too close.
Just like a police officer would give commands to someone, you need to adopt that type of posture.
Don’t touch me !
Along with your voice, use your hands to create a “barrier”, of sorts.
Check out the article on the Self Defense Stance.
For example: Someone gets too close to you. In this pandemic era confidently tell, “please move 6 feet back.” Incorporate your hand or hands as you’re motioning them away. Hands coming up begins your self-defense in case this turns out to be something more. If you have the room, you should also move. But keep watch on the other person, to learn or recognize if this situation might change. Moving away creates an added level to your self-defense.
The voice can be used alone as your self defense: Speak clearly, with confidence and be commanding.

Distance
31 Self Defense Project

Social distancing is a benefit to self defense. Unfortunately, just because someone is 6 feet away and out of physical touch it is not enough to keep us safe from an attack.
It takes one second to cross 6 feet of space.
A police officer needs a distance of 21 feet from an attacker to draw his gun successfully.

Here’s an exercise you can try at home.
Time yourself what’s the fastest you can cross 6 feet.
Now double that 12 feet.
Now try try 21 feet.
Practice with a friend.
Run at a friend, while they try to draw a “self defense item” from their pocket or a bag.
The point of the exercise is to understand how much time you don’t have !
Why you need to be aware of your surroundings.
Also check out our article about carrying a self defense tool.