Recommended defense for women being raped/sexually assaulted

[Tiger1962]

Submitting to an attacker is something I would never never advocate for someone.

There are other things to take into account. You have no idea the diseases that a rapist has. What if one submits to being raped and aquires an incurable disease such as AIDS, hepetitis, herpes, or whatever else have you.

If you want to play the odds and hope you'll be ok, thats up to you. I'd suggest you fight with everything and anything you have.

I agree with you 200% and that's exactly what I would do. I think a gun pointed in my face is the only way I might not.

[dragonwarrior_keltyr]

Okay, coming from the perspective of a victim of date rape, I would say fight like hell. From my experience, passive response or fear of hurting the attacker doesn't help at all. To be blunt, the mental damage is worse than any physical damage the attacker could do. I think the girl should do everything in her power to get away and hurt her attacker.

Another thing girls (and guys) make sure that they know only the actual word "yes" means go ahead and that anything else means "no".

[joesteph]

[F]ear of hurting the attacker doesn't help at all.

Sometimes, in a social studies elective such as psychology or sociology, it comes up about fighting back, that the girl/woman should fight off her attacker, if only to get away. Rather than a fist, the girls tend to know the use of the palmheel. But there's always someone who says to the other girls that it shouldn't be used against his nose (target selection?), because you'll break it and the piece(s) will go into his brain and kill him. There's negative reaction (disgust/horror factor) upon hearing that, and I've shot this down as best I could, but the very fact that someone fears hurting (or killing) a man intent on raping and/or killing her makes me concerned. I remember one girl who said that even if it didn't happen the way described, she couldn't do that to another person, to break his nose. It's probably the nicest, the least likely to hurt a fly kind of girl/woman who feels the way that Dragon Warrior is describing.

To be blunt, the mental damage is worse than any physical damage the attacker could do. I think the girl should do everything in her power to get away and hurt her attacker.

Dragon Warrior, have you ever addressed a group of students in a school setting about your experience? We had an alumna come to my school one year and talk about her experience, which she was fortunate to stop in time when she fought back.

Another thing girls (and guys) make sure that they know only the actual word "yes" means go ahead and that anything else means "no".

Akin to "What part of 'No' don't you understand?"

Thank you for the posting, Dragon Warrior.

[MMA_Jim]

[F]ear of hurting the attacker doesn't help at all.

Sometimes, in a social studies elective such as psychology or sociology, it comes up about fighting back, that the girl/woman should fight off her attacker, if only to get away. Rather than a fist, the girls tend to know the use of the palmheel. But there's always someone who says to the other girls that it shouldn't be used against his nose (target selection?), because you'll break it and the piece(s) will go into his brain and kill him. .

Just had to comment on this one here:

Striking with the palm is good for the simple reason that by striking with a closed fist one takes great risk at seriously injuring their hand. While there are those out there who say "I'd rather break my fist and get away" realize that just because you hit your opponent doesnt mean you've escaped- a broken hand is now a useless hand that cant be used anymore very effectively to escape the situation.

As far as the nose break into the brain thingy- thats a myth circulating the martial art world. Its almost a statistical impossibility. I believe it was made popular by Mike Tyson, who's far from a reliable source when it comes to anatomy, biology, or anything scientific.

[joesteph]

As far as the nose break into the brain thingy- thats a myth circulating the martial art world. Its almost a statistical impossibility. I believe it was made popular by Mike Tyson, who's far from a reliable source when it comes to anatomy, biology, or anything scientific.

It's possible that a number of (younger) people are unaware that Tyson was himself convicted of rape--of a seventeen-year-old girl.

[Nobodysaidbella]

Rape and getting in a fight are two different things in my eyes. In a fight I would avoid all contact unless absolutely necessary and run when I got the chance. Martial art skills are like weapons. You wouldn't shoot someone unless absolutely necessary.

But there's always someone who says to... girls that it shouldn't be used against him... because you'll... kill him. There's negative reaction... upon hearing that, and I've shot this down as best I could, but the very fact that someone fears hurting... a man intent on raping and/or killing her makes me concerned.

I can't believe that joesteph (surprised, not that I don't actually believe you). Rape is a total ruination of human dignity and one of the most hideous crimes in existence. If someone tries to violate me, then I believe I have the right to violate them:gouging out their eyes, armbarring them, choking them, even killing them if necessary.

[Kuma]

I'd actually advise against women biting a would-be rapist. It would more likely excite the attacker than stop him.

[bushido_man96]

I'd actually advise against women biting a would-be rapist. It would more likely excite the attacker than stop him.

...unless you can take a chunk of skin off with the bite...

[Nobodysaidbella]

I'd actually advise against women biting a would-be rapist. It would more likely excite the attacker than stop him.

You think? It's not like biting would be the only defense. It's a way to distract someone. Besides, That's nasty. I wouldn't bite a would-be rapist.

[Kuma]

I'd actually advise against women biting a would-be rapist. It would more likely excite the attacker than stop him.

...unless you can take a chunk of skin off with the bite...

I think the cons outweight the pros in this kind of situation. I've seen plenty of bite marks from domestic violence situations where it never broke the skin that much and some of them were pretty deep bites. In the minds of some rapists, the woman "asked for it" so by biting them, even if it's to protect yourself, it might only further excite them and establish that in their minds that they're only doing what the woman wants. Strange way of thinking, but that's how some of their mindsets go.

I honestly advise against biting in any kind of situation for self defense. The potential for disease nowadays is too high and you might escape that day only to contract something from the attacker. If it's a do or die situation, go for it, but in 99% of most cases there's many other safer, more effective techniques available. Most people don't have the stomach for getting in the kind of bite that would actually be effective either: if someone can't stomach a stinky garbage can, for example, I doubt they'll be able to stomach a quivering inch of bloody human meat in their mouth.

Not the first technique I would use in any kind of situation. One of the last.