10 Self Defense Moves Every Woman Should Know

Walking alone and feel uneasy? Weird man on the bus? Been there, done that!

Self defense ladies! Us women need to start becoming more comfortable when walking the streets at night, pumping gas, or walking in our neighborhoods. These few moves will definitely make you want to go out more, since your safety will be in your own hands–in the most trustworthy of hands!

1) Hammer Strike

This is one of the easiest self-defense moves, and can be done using your first, or even car keys!

If you use your keys, have them stick out of your fist and strike them as if you were going to punch them. If you feel like your hand won’t reach them, you could always strike them with a swinging lanyard with your keys. Always look at your target, and thrust downward. Make sure your weight is evenly distributed between your lower body so you avoid falling and being an easy target!

2) Kick in the Groin

This self defense move is the number one self-defense seen in movies, and don’t knock it– it works!

If someone is coming from the front and stops in front of you, their legs will probably be hip-width apart. If you just aim at the groin and kick with a lot of force, you have the possibility to paralyze the attacker, allowing you to escape. 

To do this:

Make sure you are stabilized, weight evenly distributed!

Lift the stronger leg off the ground and drive your bent knee upward

Driving the hips forward, and kick the attacker’s groin.

If you are too close or too far, just thrust your knee towards the groin, making sure you do not fall over!

3) Eye Gouge

This self defense move is perfect if you are tired, and feel like you do not have enough energy, or enough technique to fight off your attacker than this is an alternative that is simple and works.

An eye gauge is done like this:

Drive your thumb for finger deep into the attacker’s eye socket, which causes the eyeball to hemorrhage—often times blinding them.

This is very painful, and because your attacker will be in deep pain, and possibly in shock, you have the opportunity to escape.

4) Jeet Kune Do Finger Dab

This is another self defense move that doesn’t require much force and strength. You must make sure that your hand is held tightly with all the fingers touching each other—unlike finger placement during a slap. Have the fingers slightly curled and flushed together to prevent self-injury. It is similar to a punch or a jab in boxing, but you must aim at the eyes or the throat, blinding or causing respiratory distress for a while. Now run!

5) Escaping a Headlock

This self defense move is perfect for when the attacker locks their arm around your head, you should do your best to keep breathing and avoid panicking, even if you feel like you are getting chocked.

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I would advise turning into the attacker’s side where their elbow bends, to avoid that choking sensation and be relieved without them even knowing. Now that you can gain back some consciousness, strike the groin with a punch or a slap until you have the mobility to disengage and escape the attacker’s headlock!

6) Elbow Strike

This self defense move is perfect for someone who is coming at you from the back/side and is taller. You will lift your elbow to shoulder height, as you see the attacker in your peripheral vision, then pivot on the same side—so you don’t lock out, rotate your hips, get momentum and strike the person in the face with the elbow.

Make sure that you see the target, and have enough momentum to hit them hard.

7) Palm Strike

This is one of my favorite self defense moves because although it does require some technique, it is easy and becomes instinctive. If the attacker is close to you, use the heel of the palm to strike them under the nose, throwing the whole weight of your body into the palm to inflict as much pass and forces possible. This will loosen the attackers griffon you.

If he happens to be behind you, try using your elbow to aim for the nasal bones!

8) Tiger Claw

This is usually a common self defense move that kids do— they scratch the face and grab it driving tier fingernails into the face. It is called a tiger claw because tigers attack by scratching and lacerating the skin! I would recommend any other self defense move before trying this one, but it could work if you have no other option and scratch deep enough into their skin.

Remember, this causes temporary pain, so make sure to run and hide as fast as possible!

9) Side Kick

This self defense move is the one I would choose when getting attacked. Instead of using your knee to hit them in the groin, you can kick them in the groin or anywhere else for that matter. I would say your first option should be hitting them in the groin, but you could also hit them in the hip. Hitting them in the stomach is also a good option because they get the air struck out of them, giving you time to escape their bear, and run as fast as possible.

10) Bite

When all else fails, and you don’t feel comfortable in your self defense moves, I would just recommend biting them wherever you can in order to escape them! Bite hard, fast, and when they react just run as fast as you can. Remember that this move may not paralyze the attacker for a long-time, just shock them and cause them to freeze, allowing you to release from their grip and run!

Please share this with your strong women friends so they can feel safe all the time! If you have any other recommendations, please share them. It Is important for us women to keep each other safe and look out for each other.