Download - Sassy-Self-Defense-Guide.pdf
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Hello sister friend. I’m Weed. And we need to talk. It’s time to get truthy. (new word alert) Ready? Here goes: YOU. ARE. AWESOME.
Ain’t no joke, sweet thang. You are an incredibly strong, resilient and
spirited soul who is fully capable of physically fighting back some really
sketchy shiznit. Hard to believe? Understandable. As females, we’ve
been raised to assume that our safety is someone else’s responsibility. We walk through the world praying that our daddy, our
boyfriend or our knight in shining armor will rescue us if something bad
happens. We clutch our cell phones, poised to dial 911 if a creepy
weirdo grabs our ponytail on the street. We are trained to believe that
someone else will save us.
I have a crazy idea. What if we stopped relying on others, and just saved ourselves instead?
That’s why I started Girls Fight Back – because violence is happening now. We don’t choose to be a
victim, but we can choose how we respond to freaky situations. It’s time to reclaim our power, our
confidence and our right to live the badass existence we were intended!
Now before we throw down here, first let’s make an attitude adjustment. Many women don’t
believe they can physically fight back against a man successfully. It probably has a lot to do with growing
up female in America. We were playing with Barbies while our brothers were beating the crap out of
each other at the playground.
But my dangerous damsel, please know you are fierce. Men are not the only ones capable of
defending themselves and others. In fact, there is nothing more dangerous than an angry woman!
Seriously, think about a time in your life where you were so mad, you could have done some
serious physical damage to someone/something. Maybe your roomie borrowed your favorite sweater
without asking, then barfed on it. Understandably this hurled you into a fit of pre-‐menstrual rage. Anger
makes us freakishly Hulk-‐ishly strong. Let’s use it wisely.
This Sassy Self-‐Defense Guide is intended to help you conquer anxiety, increase confidence,
teach you some tricky fight moves and inspire help you grab life by the cajones using rad ninja moves!
You’ll learn how to find a good self-‐defense class and get answers the 6 most common FAQs about
women’s safety. And soon we’ll be launching GFB TV with self-defense VIDEOS!
Sound good? Alrighty then, let’s get this party started…
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Q1: How can I find a great, local women’s self-defense class?
When seeking out training, look for a vibe that’s woman-‐friendly. Instructors should never speak to you
in a condescending way or use sexist language (I don’t care how many black belts they have) and the
website should give a woman-‐friendly vibe. Learning self-‐defense is about confronting our worst fears,
so this experience is best had in an environment where you feel safe and respected.
I recommend taking a class that offers scenario-‐based training against a guy in a padded suit.
Having this full contact experience means you’ll have adrenaline rushing through your veins. Doing the
moves while in this state trains your body to respond (as opposed to freezing) under violent and scary
circumstances. That said, it’s not mandatory you do a full-‐contact class. You can learn a ton from much
lower impact experiences as well.
Before taking any sort of self-‐defense, make sure you are ready for it, both physically and
emotionally. Survivors of violence may have a difficult time with some scenarios, and can be triggered to
have flashbacks. Discuss self-‐defense with a counselor before signing up. Learning to fight has helped
many survivors heal, but you have to be ready for it.
My favorite national self-‐defense programs are FAST Defense and IMPACT Personal Safety. They
have amazing instructors who have taken great precautions to make sure the classes are safe and
sensitive to women from all backgrounds. That said, there are a ton more excellent programs out there
– too many to list here! Do your research on the Google machine and see what feels right for YOU.
Q2: Should a woman always f ight back if attacked?
Although I believe that all women should know how to fight, these skills should only be whipped out in
an emergency in which you have no other safe choice.
There are situations where immediately fighting back is not physically possible. For example, if
you woke up in the middle of the night to a man pinning you to your bed, it’s better to take a few
moments to wake up and assess the situation instead of just thrashing while pinned. This can waste
valuable energy you will need later. In a self-‐defense class, they should teach you about finding your
moment to fight back and how to unleash mega-‐force when the right time comes.
So how can you tell if fighting is the right way to react? By learning to trust your intuition and
having the skills to properly defend yourself, you will be amazed at how simple the choice may become.
In fact, many women report going into auto pilot mode when attacked after taking a self-‐defense class.
Learning the techniques create muscle memory, triggering your brain to remember them, even under
stress.
Regardless how you respond, remember that violence IS NEVER YOUR FAULT. No matter what
you do or how you respond, no one deserves to be victimized.
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Q3: Can a small woman defend herself against a large man?
“Am I big enough to fight off a rapist? I’m only five feet tall and 100 pounds. Could I possibly fight back
and win against a guy bigger and taller than me?” I’ve heard this a gazillion times, especially from the
vertically challenged girls. The answer is YES, you can. Here’s the thing: Women do not fight men with
strength. We fight with strategy.
I once spoke at a college in Washington, and was approached afterward by a young woman
named Laine who lost one leg in a car accident. She had a prosthetic leg, so this fact wasn’t visible to
most of the world. She had anxiety about her disability, but I told her we must always focus on our
strengths -‐ not our weaknesses.
I asked her, “Maybe you can’t use your right leg, but what body parts would be useful in a self-‐
defense situation?” She thought for a moment, and then started listing her other strengths. She had the
other leg, arms, hands, a head, fingers and teeth at her disposal.
Then Laine’s face lit up and she said, “Hey, I can take off my prosthetic leg off and beat the guy
with it!” Now that’s what I’m sayin’. She walked out feeling a bit more dangerous that night, and no
longer viewed her amputation as a handicap.
Q4: What are some basic self-defense rules?
BELIEVE
We must always believe we will survive a violent confrontation. It’s got to be our most steadfast
thought, even in the midst of a horrible situation. In many self-‐defense courses, you will take the time to
discuss what in your life is worth fighting for. Why do you need to live? Why do you need to fight?
BREATHE
Breathing is one of the hardest things to do during a fight -‐ but is also the most important. Sometimes a
response to fear is the sucking in of breath and holding it in. For example, have you ever been in a near-‐
miss car accident? Right after you realize you’re not actually going to hit someone, you let out an
enormous sigh of relief. Hold the breath long enough and you will surely pass out. (I don’t’ teach
unconscious ass whoopin’, sorry.) Yelling “no” with every strike while using self-‐defense techniques will
keep the air flowing and remind you to breathe – as well as throwin’ down some great verbal defense.
EMBRACE FEAR
Remember that adrenaline is power. It helps you feel no pain and become capable of strength you never
knew possible. Harness your fear and it will make you stronger and faster. Fear is your friend. Rock it.
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RESPOND
The first few moments of any violent confrontation tend to set the tone for how the situation will go
down. If your immediate reaction is one of intolerance, boundary setting and physical resistance, you
will spend less time thinking and more time reacting. Learning self-‐defense has been proven to shorten
the freeze response, making it possible to act as soon as possible.
ESCAPE
Your responsibility in a self-‐defense scenario is to defend yourself until the bad guy is no longer a threat.
No need to stick around any longer than that. If someone attacks you, the safest thing to do is execute
techniques necessary to open up an opportunity to get the hell away from this person.
Q5: Where are the best places to strike an attacker?
The secret to winning a fight against a bad guy is using your strengths against his weaknesses. If we look
at the whole man, it can be a bit intimidating to try and take him down. However, when we break him
down into teensy-‐weensy pieces and tackle those vulnerable targets singularly, it’s less overwhelming.
Our number one objective is NOT to cause pain to an attacker, but to incite DISABILITY. Recently I
spoke at a university in Oklahoma and a girl approached me after the program. She said, “I loved the
techniques you discussed, but if some guy attacks me, I’m just gonna pinch him in the armpit.” Ummm,
okay. Free country, I suppose. But putting myself in the position of an attacker, if some girl pinched my
armpit while I was attacking her, it wouldn’t stop me from punching her in the face (or worse). That’s
why it’s so important to create injuries that induce disability so that he cannot physically keep assaulting
you. So let’s brainstorm where a guy is vulnerable…
• Forehead
• Temple
• Eye
• Nose
• Ear
• Throat
• Finger
• Groin
• Knee
• Ankle/Instep
• Foot/Shin
• Spine
There are other spots you can shoot for but those listed will give you a bigger bang for your buck. You
always want to shoot for the spot that will create the most damage in the least amount of time.
Remember, you’re not here for a drawn-‐out sparring match. Your ultimate goal is to escape as safely
and quickly as possible.
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Now that we know where to strike a bad guy, let’s identify where we are strong:
• Head
• Teeth
• Hands
• Elbows
• Booty
• Feet/Knees
My fave powerful body part is definitely Booty. That’s right -‐ the rear-‐end, the caboose. Like it or not,
this is where nature has stacked our physical power. Many women (myself included) have cursed Booty
at some point in their lives. Maybe she was too big or flabby or had way too many dimples.
We rarely stop to think that maybe there is a reason for all the bulk that loves to congregate
near Booty. It has a lot to do with the fact that we’re the gender that was selected to bear children.
Thus our lower body has to protect baby and that’s why we have more junk in our trunk than men do.
This makes our lower body very strong, especially while ground fighting.
Let me ask you this: if you had the choice, would you rather hit someone or kick them? Most
women say KICK. Dude, that’s totally Booty talking! She’s like, “Hey lady, I’m strong and stacked and
awesome – use me!” A good self-‐defense class will show you why you are so powerful on the ground,
teach you great ways to use your legs and Booty to protect yourself and how to escape from foot grabs
and pinning situations.
Q6: What are the best self-defense techniques?
Oh, let me count the ways! Nevermind – there are too many. Here are some of my personal
favorites…and it’s hard to explain in words, so check out the video demos at GIRLSFIGHTBACK.com.
• Palm Strike
Using the hard bone located at the heel of the hand, pull back your fingers to expose the area
entirely. With a swift upward motion, use the heel of the hand to upwardly strike the attacker’s
nose or forehead. After someone has been effectively palm-‐stricken, possible outcomes include
a broken nose, difficulty breathing, decreased vision due to watery eyes and a sensation of
being off-‐balance. Plus, they will most likely not be thinking about your next target…
• Groin Strike
Kicking or knee striking a guy between the legs is serious business and can cause debilitating
injuries. Using the strong area of the lower thigh right above your knee, drive beneath and
upwards into the attacker’s groin. This causes lots ‘o pain, and simultaneously knocks the wind
out of a person. One of my guy friends calls this move “Man Death.”
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• Eye Jab
While some people become instantly nauseated at the idea of poking someone’s eye out, others
are more than happy to do so if they are being attacked. Regardless, injuries to the eye pack a
wallop of a punch when it comes to the psychological trauma. Let’s face it. Nobody wants their
eye poked out. It’s a creepy and painful idea. To do an effective eye jab, I recommend using all
the fingers on one hand and making a point, like a shadow puppet on a wall with an overhead
projector. Using the tips of all five fingers, you can poke at the eye area. Remember, it doesn’t
matter how big and strong a bad guy is – our eyes are equally vulnerable to injury and we all
have built-‐in reflexes to flinch and defend them.
• Kicks from the ground
As previously discussed, our booties are supremely powerful. As a result, we need to get into
positions where we can use that force. Ground fighting is especially feared among women,
many believing that ground fighting leads to pinning which leads to defeat and rape. This is
often not the case, since once on the ground, we can use our best ASSet…Booty! Assume a
strong kicking position, execute the kicks swiftly and always end up by “reloading” (bringing the
leg back into the original position for another kick if necessary). Again, don’t assume just one
kick will disable your attacker.
You are worth fighting for. Don’t forget that. Thanks for reading, and feel free to share this sassiness with your friends!
And hey, let’s keep in touch via Facebook or Twitter okay?
badass love,
Erin Weed :: Founder, Girls Fight Back!