Self Defense Strategies for Women Include Keeping Hair Away from Attackers

Self defense begins with simple awareness and avoidance of conflict but not all dangers can be avoided in this manner. One element of self defense is physical conflict or combat. As most people are not extensively trained in hand to hand combat it is helpful to learn a few simple self defensive moves in case physical conflict is unavoidable.

One vulnerable spot for women is their hair. Women often have long hair, which makes it an ideal place to grab hold of when attacking. It is painful and effectively diminishes the victim’s ability to fight back by immobilizing a vulnerable spot (the head), leaving it open to injury, and limiting the victim’s line of vision. Once someone has hold of a handful of hair it is difficult to shake him or her off.

For this reason, the best defense against hair grabs is avoidance. Slap away hands as they reach for your hair with a decisive, upward move. Move your head when you detect the attacker’s reaching hand. Avoid allowing an attacker to get a good grip, no matter what. Your natural instincts are to do this and if you are unsuccessful the grip is difficult to break and also quite painful.

If you are in a position to grab your attacker’s hair, do so by grabbing as large of a handful as you can manage. Grip it tightly and turn your fist to set your grip. Use this generally as a last resort, though, as it keeps your attacker close and common sense dictates that you should move away from an attacker as soon as possible.