Some time ago I was in a bookstore cafe and above the din of conversations I overheard the conversations of two women who appear to be in their early 40′s. One was describing to the other her experience with a WSD (Women’s Self Defense) course she recently completed. She described some excellent informational statistics and that her instructors blended info with physical drills. To all of this I smiled believing that at least two more women are now more safe and better armed to deal with an encounter. Satisfied, I turned back to my book.

“…And that’s why I always lace my car keys between my fingers when I’m in a parking lot”.

Wait, what did she say?! Was that part of the self defense she was taught, or she naturally assume that going all “Cat Woman” on a mugger was a good self defense tactic?

I need to emphasize that I am no expert when it comes to women’s self defense. And the subject of self defense for women is woefully incomplete without addressing the fact that women face greater danger of attack from someone they know, than from someone they don’t – and for that I would defer to John Coles; someone who writes a great deal on the subject. I do, however, consider myself a “First Dan” when it comes to logical reasoning. And by applying it I can only deduce that lacing your keys between your fist is a terrible, terrible idea when trying to keep yourself safe from attack.

First, we must understand that the type of violent encounters women are more likely to face will involve an “intimate attacker”. This is someone she knows – a boyfriend, spouse, neighbor, etc. This means that she is more likely to already have her attacker within the range of a few feet, sometimes as short as arms length or less. And so, remembering the woman in the coffee shop, it is unlikely that “Jane” would have time to reach into her purse and effectively position her keys between her fingers when her assailant is already so close.

Second, in using the “stranger in a parking lot scenario” that Jane described, if a man is getting within a woman’s reach with intent to do harm it is a reasonable assumption that he has brought an appropriate weapon for the job. So, unfortunately, Jane hasn’t even ‘brought a knife to a gun fight’. Tactical disadvantage.

Third, and most pressing, even if she were able to get to her keys and lace them properly she has two options with this type of weapon: jab or claw and both of them are terrible choices. If she jabs or claws with the weapon then she had first better be a more skilled boxer than her assailant. And even if she lands a hit the teeth of the keys may very well go up against her finger webbing and tear her flesh, or down into the skin of her fingers and achieve the same result. Sure, they might go right into the other guy’s face, but then you’ve exposed hand to blood borne illness; and I promise you will have opened small cuts in your hand from the effort.

But hey, she just nailed him! Now what? If Jane is lucky, he might have just been a purse snatcher and may have fled leaving her safe for another day. If she’s not then he may be a much more committed criminal and Jane has just pissed him off. Worse yet, she’s blown her element of surprise with an ineffectual weapon that had nearly zero chance of incapacitating or dissuading him (which is what a self defense weapon SHOULD do) and now her attacker is going to take her seriously.

Let me be perfectly clear: contrary to old advice – that fighting back only makes the situation worse; and that passivity will result in less severe injury – I am advocating that women use “all reasonable force” to keep themselves safe. (Please note: I am NOT an attorney and I have no idea what “reasonable force” means in your individual state or country. Always use your best judgement and trust your instincts). So if your intutition tells you that you need to fight back, I want you to kick, punch, rake, gouge, scream, and use every dirty trick you can think of in order to keep yourself safe.

Now, if using car keys is out what can Jane use to protect herself? Well, other than employing the best martial art for self defense, she might use a collapsed umbrella or roll up a magazine in the shape of a dan bong. She can also hold her cellphone and use tetsui or “hammer strike” techniques against his temple or throat. Staying safe might also be had with a full sized umbrella – a favorite of mine because of the distance it provides and because many of the best ones have a long hard metal tip. (Legal alert: remember when I said I wasn’t a lawyer? It’s still true. Always use your best judgement).

But what if she doesn’t have her Batman utility belt handy? What if she is, say, jogging and has nothing to put in her hands? Well she’s got one of best weapons right there – her palm. It is a nearly perfect natural weapon. It can be used in close quarters, in a grapple, requires almost zero skill to employ (of course, more skill is better), and because of its structure it is very resistant to breaking – unlike the flimsy human fist. And as always, vitals are the preferred target: the nose is a favorite, but under the jaw or on the side of the head works too. She can even palm strike his groin if other options, like her knee, weren’t available.

The bottom line is this: when it comes to your safety, you cannot just rely on “common wisdom”. You must examine what you are told and discern whether it is true or if it’s just another self defense “old wives tale”. Situations of real life violence can be horrifying and hopefully you won’t ever be in a position to face an unknown assailant in a dark parking lot. But if you are, remember that when it comes to your car keys save them for the ignition.

Osu!