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Hit or Myth?
Thoughts on the Myths of Self Defense for Women
By Alex Iglecia
Published in the Boston Women's Journal

Countless books, articles, tips and stories advise about personal protection. Unfortunately, words provide few usable skills. You have to try it. How can you tell what would be truly helpful? What would you do if your life depended on it? Have you ever tried what you think would work?

Most ideas have some truth in them. Most tips do make some sense…until they’re tested. “Walk at night against traffic. ” “Hold your keys in a fist with the key sticking out between your fingers.” Hmm. Let’s examine a few myths

Myth # 1
“Women shouldn’t walk alone at night.”

The truth is that violence can happen anytime, in any place, to anyone – women and men alike though not equally. No one should walk alone late at night if it can be helped. A man or women could be targeted as a victim. One of my training members was attacked by four men on her way home on Mother’s Day at 1:30am. The wife of a friend was attacked in Union Square at 9pm. There’s always more risk when you’re alone than when you’re not, but that doesn’t mean you should be scared and avoid going outside. What is important is the attitude you wear and the purpose and intent carry.

Myth #2
“Hold your keys in your fist, sticking out between your fingers.”

If you’ve heard of it, try it. Imagine using that to hit, strike, or push something. Doesn’t work all that well, does it? What does make sense, will work, is to hold the keys as you would to open a door – between your thumb and index finger, only tighter. Now you can strike, scratch, poke, and make use of your hands as you normally would. Don’t believe me. Try it.

Myth # 3
”Stalling is a good option to trick the assailant into thinking that you’ll submit.”

The longer you give the assailant to carry out the attack, the worse off you are. The sooner you fight back, the better off you are. Being prepared and acting immediately, no matter what you do, improves your chances! Of course, having some basic and proven skills and moves helps your chances.

Myth # 4
”A woman doesn’t stand a chance against a man, especially if he’s bigger. ”

“In its truest form, fighting is not secret, nor particularly complex.” – Robert Bussey.
Every person has natural weapons including fingers, palms, knee, teeth, nails, and voice with which they can poke and pinch, hit, knee, bite, scratch and scream. You don’t need to beat the attacker to a pulp in order to escape and survive. Keep it simple and protect yourself!

Myth # 5
”It takes years of martial arts mastery to be able to defend yourself.”

While it’s true that it may take years to master an art, personal protection should not be lumped into that category. Men and women have been defending themselves without martial arts for centuries. They are, however, great vehicles for self-improvement. If you want both – improvement and real skills, a realistic system might be for you. A realistic system is based on movements and thinking that would save you on the street today, yet has enough foundation, strategy and technique to allow you to build confidence, make friends, and develop yourself.