Just a minute whilst I get out my tube of Deep Heat so I can put some on my thumb and stick it in your eye…on second thoughts here take my handbag whilst I run in the opposite direction 
Not brave but I’m not after a medal
I once saw a man slapping his girlfriend around and when I remonstrated with him, telling him to pick on somebody his own size, he decided to pick on me.
The outcome was he stalked up to me and threw a punch at me, which I ducked.
I half turned, grabbed hold of his fisted hand, spun into an inverted turn so his arm was twisted across the front of his body and sent him into a forward whip, where he did a complete somersault and planted his face into the ground.
I then waited for the Police to arrive. There were no repercussions as the policeman decided it was self defence.
And they let him off with a warning?
Good for you, though.
I never had to physically defend myself. In all my life I’ve only been threatened twice, and both times I managed to calm down the person threatening me. Don’t ask me how I did that. I don’t even know.
Apart from a visit to the hospital, I don’t know what happened to the man. From the amount of clucking the women who were attending to him, I think he was quite seriously injured.
He was certainly unconscious for a time.
Well done Plops. Charm the birds out the trees you could. 
Working as a pool lifeguard has put me in some spots. The fact that I was so lean and mean looking seemed to put many off starting any trouble, but the fact I’m undoubtedly unbalanced must have played its part too 
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I used to thrive on adrenalin at one time. I remember being on duty in the high chair on the pool side of a rough Welsh valley complex - torn down now. A transit van pulled up and 5 guys got out and decided to go for a swim. The rest of the pool staff knew them and buggered off - including the manager. Some of them had had a drink too. They started their antics and people had either left before hand or did then.
No doubt about it I was a raving nutter at this time being extremely fit - top runner, pretty good swimmer and also into karate. I told them off once, but was ignored. They pushed me again so I decided to confront them. My mindset was in a way as it is now in that I analyse constantly. I had also been suicidal at times in my youth and knew that being faced with death can clear the mind. So, with this approach I told them to get out - all of them.
Being face to face with 5 big guys - some of them a lot bigger than I was (me being under 10st) seems rediculous. Thing is though I didn’t care if I lived or died. They must have picked up on it as they turned and left without a murmur - shit themselves in fact. I had to apologise when they left to get in their van as I felt sorry for them.
This mentality I still have. Even though I seem to love discussing all sorts of stuff in depth I know it means nothing really. When it comes down to the wire and you are staring death in the eye there is a strange lifting of spirits where your worries leave you - being quite euphoric in nature. Nothing matters but that exact moment in time. Of course some are too badly damaged and top themselves, I though used to use it as a means to an end. I still have this knowledge of course and would use it again if needs be.
So the best defence is to be bonkers 
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Spray can, dear lady. This is the 21st Century.
Are we allowed to use spray cans?
Probably get arrested because it wasn’t a spray pump :shock:
Fumble in bag, find pump/spray, remove the top and try to find which direction to point it in 
… assuming it’s daylight.
hmmmmmmm … possibly not
Be prepared: hold it ready in your hand.
Then, of course, there’s the other option: Llap Goch.
Been there and yes we just do it some how. Failing that-run…or the elbow,kidney punch etc.
People who use Mace have no troubles. Best to keep it in your hand, hiding your hand inside a pocket, out of sight but nice and handy. It’s not rocket science.
Actually, sort of at a slight tangent to self defence but interesting… Part of my job involves training in restraint techniques and the courses to train people are just as unrealistic as standard civilian self-defence training. A colleague of mine, who thinks as I do, voiced this at one of the courses and was assured by the instructor that the techniques worked. My colleague told the instructor to have a go, but to have people on hand to help him because he wasn’t going to just stand there - he was going to actually resist.
It finally took the instructor and FOUR other people to get him on the ground, much to the instructor’s embarrassment. Rehearsing nice, slow techniques on someone who isn’t in a rage and who isn’t wanting to rip you up as much as possible is worse than useless. In reality, in a real situation the adrenalin-fuelled person attacking you will come at you unexpectedly from a direction you aren’t looking in and will get in close, biting anything they can reach, scratching, head-butting and pulling out chunks of hair. They want to do maximum damage, and the training doesn’t reflect this. 
In my previous career I was a LEO for 35 yrs. 35 yrs of self defense, training & relying on that training to stay alive. Towards the end I was fighting with people 38 yrs younger than me. (One of the reasons I packed it in)
To even the fight besides having our self defense (that I practised regularly in addition to a fitness program) we of course had pepper spray, metal batons, trasers (they came after I retired) and our service weapons. Even considering all of this there were times that even this didn’t seem to be enough protection. So while the “average Joe” might get lucky in warding off an attacker, the majority of people won’t even with some sort of training.
IMHO the best self defense is having situational awareness & common sense.
Situational awareness is being aware of your surroundings by paying attention to what is going on around you and paying attention to those spider senses that everyone has. If it doesn’t feel right get the hell out of there or better yet think about things first, the common sense thing. Is this a good idea? Can I find someone else to walk with me? Is there an alternative that is safer?
Regardless, if you are out in a public setting that means staying off your cell phone, keeping your ear buds out and your head up. Save your calls and texting etc for when you are in a safe zone, a place that you are very familiar with, home, office. restaurant. This includes being in your car. Keep the doors locked, check your mirrors often, leave yourself an escape route so that you can avoid a potential collision or a car jacking attempt. Most importantly stay OFF your phone! Even if you have Bluetooth the phone is still a huge distraction that diverts you from paying attention to your surroundings.
Not letting yourself become a potential victim in the first place is better than having to try to remember some karate kid move that you learned a year ago and haven’t practiced since. Even self defense experts worth their salt will agree that the best self defense is avoiding situations where you may become a victim.
Good post most people are not expecting to be attacked and the shock factor would leave even strong people unprepared so being aware and dare I say cautious is the best bet .
Apart from never leaving home without a Rottweiler .
A Rotty, a semi auto, pepper spray and body armour. Now you’re ready for that evening stroll!
I think a pair of running shoes too , I was wondering what’s an LEO ?
Glad you asked that too, summer.
Where do you get a pepper spray from as well?