Principle #1: Exude confidence. Predators look for weaknesses.

Activity: Partners line up across the gym from each other, approximately 20 feet apart. One partner is asked to approach the other, who must respond by asking the partner to stop. Use a strong voice and direct your hand and energy forcefully at the approaching partner.

Principle #2: Stay balanced and aware

Activity: Partners clasp hands, with arms crossed. Attempt to pull the other partner and cause them to lose balance.

Principle #3: Recognize the continuums involved in self-defense.

• Education should involved informing, non-contact strategies, and others along a continuum to full-contact strategies for self-defense.
• Response options range from proactive abuse prevention strategies, avoidance, up through after-care for those abused.
• Assaults are at the end of a continuum that starts with annoyance and harassment. Recognize and curb these problems to avoid potential abuse.

Principle #4: Most fights are ugly, and end up on the ground. Classical fighting techniques such as boxing and karate are not too useful in these situations. Use practical techniques.

• Use knees and arms in a powerful marching fashion to drive in the middle areas of your assailant.
• Knees, groin, neck, and nose are vulnerable areas.
• While on the ground, swivel and keep feet pointed at assailant and move to kick at kneecap.
• Since it won’t be pretty, use whatever works to get you away from the situation.
• Just be cause you are attacked, doesn’t mean you can kill someone. Lethal blows, could result in jail time. Potentially fatal blows include shot to kidneys or neck.

Activity:

• Partner holds hands together, in front of body. Participant grabs shoulder and drives knee up into hands, to simulate a knee to groin.
• Partner on ground must keep an assailant away. The assailant moves around in a circle around the person on the ground.

Verbal Principles

1. Be assertive, rather than aggressive.
2. Attack the behavior, not the person
3. State, don’t ask
4. Avoid rising inflections
5. Avoid excuses, apologies, and explanations
6. Beware of question and avoid the conversation web
7. Name the behavior: Hold them accountable.
8. Have consistent body language: Take up space
9. Beware of waffling, smiling.
10. Use a broken record
11. Intensify, don’t escalate
12. Anticipate parting shots.

(From One with Heart, Portland, Oregon)

Verbal Strategies

1. Confrontation
2. Assertive Refusal: Absolute no
3. Distraction
4. Reasoning – name behavior
5. Negotiation – better place/time, weapon down.
6. Lying: “you set off silent alarm”
7. Threatening: to smear name, etc.
8. Playing along
9. De-escalation
10. Make a Scene
11. Back Door: give an out. “Leave and I won’t tell”
12. Submission

(From One with Heart, Portland, Oregon)

Note: Most of this information adapted from guest lectures by Tift, David [2004 February] PEH394 Games, Gymnastics, and Dance for Health Promotion, Eastern Oregon University.