I want to share some self-defense tips that I've learned over the years in the hopes that it could help someone should they find themselves in dangerous situations, particularly violent ones where they are being directly threatened.

For context, I am a young woman who learned self-defense from kindergarten all the way through my senior year of high school. I switched styles over the years, from Japanese Bujinkan to Chinese Kung Fu to Israeli Krav Maga, but those experiences have been invaluable to me nonetheless. I've trained alongside a lot of people from various backgrounds, including military guys, police officers, fellow students, and an ER doctor (whose nurses were more afraid for the patients he had to subdue than they were afraid for him). Some of these lessons I learned from my instructors, some I learned from fellow students, some I realized on my own. These are all key IMO for one reason or another.

• Learn about self-defense laws in your area: This is more valuable before and after a fight. Know what self-defense tools you can carry and what legal defenses are best used for yourself afterwards. If you think you're going to be questioned by the police, knowing these laws can mean the difference between handcuffs on your wrists and returning home.

• Learn self-defense: I cannot stress this enough. Even having a little bit of skill or knowledge can save you or someone else's life (but don't expect to act like a hero - I'll touch on that in a later point). I highly recommend Israeli Krav Maga; it is a style taught to Israeli militants and it is extremely effective in the real world. Through it, I have learned how to fight against an aggressor who has various types of weapons (guns, knives, clubbing-style weapons, etc.) and how to defend against various hand-to-hand attacks. I do acknowledge that it is controversial due to its history, but I propose the same point that I presented to my Sociology professor about Krav Maga: personally, I would rather be alive using a controversial style than die with the moral high ground.

• Train the way you want to fight; when it comes to the real world, you will fight the way you trained: This is something I remember one of my instructors telling me. It is absolutely, 100% true based on two simple concepts: conditioning and muscle memory. If you hold back in training, you will hold back in a real fight. If you follow through with an attack in training, you will follow through in a real fight.

• The human body has a lot of limitations: These limitations can make it really easy for an attacker to overpower you - or for you to escape from an attacker. Joints can only move so far. The weakest part of anyone's grip is the crook in the hand between the thumb and pointer finger. Some areas are more sensitive to pain than others. Some areas are more important for staying alive than others. If you understand these limitations, you can figure out how to apply them in a fight to quickly gain control. You can also use this knowledge to remain aware of/defend your own biological weak points.

• Keep your chin tucked to your chest around a weapon or if someone is trying to choke you: In the same vein as my previous point, but I want to make a specific point because the natural reaction of pulling your head away from a knife blade at your neck is counterproductive. By doing this, you expose your already vulnerable throat. An aggressor will have a much harder time threatening you with your chin and/or shoulder blades protecting the throat/neck. The simplest way to do this is drop your chin to your chest and hold it firmly there. If it's a knife, they might cut the skin on your chin or chest, but it will be a lot less dangerous than leaving your throat exposed.

• If you're falling, tuck your head to the opposite direction: Again in a similar vein. Falling onto your back? Tuck your chin to your chest. Onto your stomach? Tuck your head as far back as you can. Onto your side? Tuck your ear to the shoulder opposite the side you will land on (landing on your left side, tuck to the right, and vice versa). When you do this, hold your head still as firmly as you can so it doesnt flail around as much upon landing. You'll have an easier time running/fighting without a head injury.

• Don't "advertise" an attack: You don't want an aggressor to know you're about to attack. This includes things like drawing back your fist to punch them. This can be tricky to condition yourself to do, but it keeps the aggressor off guard and gives you better opportunities to fight back. I'd be happy to explain the technique I use in the comments, though it takes time to condition yourself to using it. You can also flip this concept: watch for an aggressor advertising their attacks. This can help you stay one step ahead of them and defend against them.

• Turn apparent disadvantages into your advantage:  I look like I would be easy pickings for an aggressor: I'm a 5'2", somewhat stout young woman with fair looks that someone might find attractive (no bragging intentions here; just wanted to point out some key details of my reasoning). But that means an aggressor will make a lot of quick assumptions about me: I won't fight back, I'm weak, I'm easy prey. An aggressor wouldn't expect me to have the nickname of "Killer" amongst local officers and military guys for never holding back an attack, no matter how or… eh, where... I'm about to strike, nor would they expect me to have the strength to do things like turn a canoe on a dime or collapse their throat with one punch. I can also use this to my advantage if I and my aggressor are both arrested: the police are more likely to take my side due to those same quick assumptions. Think about what could make you look like an easy target, and learn how to turn them against an aggressor.

• Don't try to be a hero, and a fight will not last longer than a couple minutes: Don't expect to get into fights like Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan. You don't want to wear yourself out and drag out a fight longer than you need to. Trying to play the hero or drag out a fight could put you in even more serious danger or trouble. My philosophy is to strike hard/fast enough in the right places to quickly incapacitate an aggressor long enough for me to escape - they likely won't chase you if they're too busy being doubled-over in pain.

• Remain constantly aware of your surroundings: This mainly boils down to developing your situational awareness sense - be vigilant of your surroundings and use them to your advantage. You don't want another aggressor sneaking up behind you. Is there anyone else around you? Would they get involved? Get hurt? Any objects? What's your position relative to what's around you? Does anything/anyone pose a potential danger to you? What are your aggressor's blindspots or weaknesses? Yours? What about your surroundings can you turn against your aggressor? Can they turn against you? What weapons are in play? Could be in play? An aggressor is likely focused on getting what they want from you, not their surroundings; turn that against them. Being able to make snap decisions about your environment while actively in a fight can mean the difference between getting cornered/injured/killed and escaping unscathed.

• You are responsible for whatever happens with your weapon: This idea applies to any form of weapon - and anything can be used as a weapon with enough ingenuity. Learn how to remove an aggressor's weapons from a situation (and identify if there's a potential for them to be carrying one), but remain vigilant and aware enough to keep yours if you have one. If there's a chance they could use your weapon against you, you may want to think twice about whether or not to bring it into play or make the aggressor aware of its existence if you cannot keep it within your control.

• Don't let an aggressor get comfortable - keep them off-guard and guessing: A lot of what I'm saying here plays into this one principle. Whoever maintains control of a situation has the advantage. Don't let an aggressor take control of the fight - throw them off-guard in any way you can. They may even back off if they lose control.

I've thankfully not had to apply these in a real-world situation, but with these in mind and the training I have had over the years, I feel confident enough to defend myself should such a situation arise. Hopefully no one actually needs to use these tips in a life-or-death situation.

Stay safe out there.