Safety Tip for the Ladies of PT...

[Cataholic]

Donna,
I am all for safety, and common sense...but, that thing about the crying baby is a hoax. Check out www.snopes.com, and type in 'crying baby'.

[Karen]

Wondered about the crying baby thing.

Another "safety" tip, this from a self-defense book I worked on. Striking someone as hard as you can with the heel of your hand, instead of a fist, is more likely to hurt them, but not you. Lots of small bones and complicated nerves and tendons in your hand, whereas the heel of your hand is back up by the two much larger, stronger bones of your forearm.

[Lady's Human]

Thanks, Cataholic, you beat me to the snopes link.

If you're in knife fighting range, (as in closer than you'd like to be), and cannot escape, use your knees. You have far more strength in your legs than you do in your arms, and your knees are close to an attacker's groin, which is almost an instantaneous disabling blow. Also, if you swing with your arms, the attacker can easily grab your arms and immobilize you. There is no such thing as a fair fight.

[smokey the elder]

Another thing I can vouch for with personal experience is that an attacker may not expect you to fight back. This will surprise them, so you can escape.