Self defense is something that every college girl should know. It’s not something we want to be thinking about but it’s easy to think that nothing bad will ever happen to you and you need to be prepared for what to do if it does. Here’s my self defense tips every college girl should know:

1. Have A Plan

We’re not saying you need to have a black belt in martial arts to defend yourself, but try to educate yourself on self defense actions that could help you. I recommend watching Youtube videos online and try to practicing these techniques.

2. Follow Your Intuition

Humans are good at judging situations and often have a gut feeling when something’s not right. It’s better to be safe and listen to these feelings than become a victim of a crime. If you think someone is acting suspiciously, prepare yourself and think of possible actions you will make for different scenarios. If someone is approaching you, I always try and get a good visual description of them to ensure I can identify an individual if an issue occurs.

3. Be Aware

Be alert and aware of your surroundings. Self defense begins before physical contact. Scan your surrounding for objects that may be able to help you during an attack; whatever you grab may help give you more time to get away.

4. Don’t Look Like A Victim

Make yourself harder to target. Don’t walk alone at night, avoid having your headphones on and listening to music when you’re walking in a non-public area and walk with confidence without distraction. If you are alone at some point, I suggest considering the clothes that you wear as attackers often target females who are wearing clothes that can easily be removed. Avoid short skirts and strappy tops as these can easily be cut off.

5. Handbag Prep

Ensure you’ve got things in your handbag that can help you if necessary. I always carry an alarm and have it somewhere in my bag that is easily accessible. You could also carry a pepper spray, however be careful not to alarm the attacker more when you’re spending time fumbling around for it. This could do more harm than good and waste time trying to defend yourself.

6. Know your Strengths and Their Weaknesses

Girls are intimidated at the thought of fighting off a guy, however a lot of self defense techniques can help with this. A guy’s weakest areas are their eyes, throat, groin and knees. A knee to the groin will hurt anyone, especially guys. This should throw your attacker off and give you enough time to get out of there.

7. Scream

It may seem like the obvious reaction, but many people freeze with fear during an attack. If you can, try and scream as loud as you can to alert anyone nearby to help you.

8. RUN!

As soon as you get the chance, run as fast as you can to the nearest public place. Go to a police station, a nearby house or shop and get help. The longer you stay in the same area, the more danger you are putting yourself in.

9. Create Awareness

Unfortunately, it can happen to anyone. Let your friends know what they should do to keep themselves safe and make sure you stick together when out at night. Hero Image Source