Ever drop a heavy can on the top of your foot? Self-defense Tip #9

Hi friends,

Thanks for the Thanksgiving well wishes and stories you sent me. It’s nice to take a little time for gratitude, especially when times are tough.

I spent quite a few posts discussing the use of weapons for self-defense, so today I thought I’d go back to a self-defense move everyone can use – no special skills or weapons required.

To envision how effective this technique is, think back to a time you dropped a heavy item on the top of your foot.

Instant pain, hopping around, maybe some colorful language, and your ability to walk and run were definitely hindered.

The Stomp: Self-Defense Tip #9

Um . . . so there isn’t really a lot to explain here. The title pretty much says it all. 🙂

• You stomp on an attacker’s foot as hard and fast as possible.
• It hurts them a lot.
• They let go.
• You run.
• They can’t run after you.

The main point is that you know about the technique and do a little practice, mental or actual, so you’ll remember to use your stomp when adrenalize floods you during an unexpected attack.

An attacker will usually concentrate on controlling your arms. They might pin them against your body, or even grab your arms and wrists.

The reason a stomp is so simple and effective is that an attacker can’t do much to control your feet during an attack and your stomp can cause a lot more damage to their feet than any can of beans.

Here’s a scenario that has you free from your attacker in seconds:

• In a dark, deserted parking garage (not a good place to be), you lean over to unlock your car.
• A hand clamps over your mouth from behind. A strong arm wraps around your waist, jerks you back into the attacker’s body and pins both arms to your sides.
• You jerk your heel up into the attacker’s shins and then stomp down as fast and hard as possible.
• Shocked by the sudden, unexpected pain, the attacker cries out and lets go of you.
• You sprint toward the exit, looking for other people while yelling out for help.
• He’s in too much pain to chase you. Besides, you’re drawing a lot of attention to the situation, so he hobbles away as fast as he can.
• You resolve to avoid being alone in deserted places like that again and to keep a better eye on your surroundings.

I hope you enjoy this simple technique and feel free to share it with others who might find it helps with to their ability to defend themselves.

Enjoy your weekend!

______________________ 

Misty’s Writing Update:

Congrats to anyone else who made the 50k writing goal for NaNoWriMo this month. As usual, I crammed in the last few words just under the deadline. It’s a fun time every year to join so many other people working to create stories to share with the world.

Our third storm book is coming along nicely at around 80k and both Steph and I can’t wait to share these books with you early next year. We’ve also got an amazing cover artist who is making the series come together and feel a lot more real. It’s such a great feeling to see the book covers for the stories that started as a jumble of ideas and words in your head.

Thanks for all of your support and happy reading this week,

— Misty 🙂