Since I had a man, she seemed to think that I was safe and didn’t need to workout with the guys at the martial arts school every week.

My reply was simple, “He can’t be with me twenty-four-seven. And even if he was, that doesn’t necessarily make me safe.”

The fact is that my friend’s view on self defense is alarmingly similar to most women’s.

The majority of women think that because their attacker will inevitably be bigger and stronger then they are that won’t be able do anything to protect themselves if attacked. Worse still, is that they think that if they comply with whatever their attacker demands, everything will be over quickly and they will be fine.

What the heck are they thinking? Every woman should learn martial arts for self defense. And I am not talking about that cardio kick boxing junk either. I mean REAL self defense that will hurt your attacker as bad (or worse) as they want to hurt you.

And just because your husband is tough (or thinks he is) doesn’t mean he can always protect you if you’re attacked.

I always remember a horrible rape case in Florida, where a couple was enjoying some alone time at the beach one night. When four men attacked them, the woman’s boyfriend fought hard but was beaten badly and held down while they took turns raping her.

I almost cried when I first heard her story, but it made me think. What if that couple had trained in self defense together? What if she had been able to help her boyfriend? While I am not blaming the victim, we can certainly learn from what happened to them.

Criminals look for situations where they have the advantage. So start by avoiding dangerous situations. Your odds of being attacked increase dramatically at night. If you want to take a romantic walk on the beach, do it during the day.

If you’re walking to your car from the grocery store and someone approaches you, get that cart between you and him and let everyone know what he is trying.

Carrying your bags and your little one in from the car and someone tries to stop you throw those bags at him and run.

While the police can respond in minutes in most cases, a lot can happen in that short amount of time. It’s your right to protect yourself, your body, and your loved ones. So fight them off to get safe, THEN call 9-1-1 for help.

If you are going to carry mace, or some other self defense weapons, learn how to use it and don’t bury it at the bottom of your purse.

Oh, you don’t like the idea of hurting someone else? You think ripping out an eyeball and crushing a guy’s testicles is “yucky?”

Well, I think being raped, killed, and thrown in a ditch is heck of a lot “yuckier”, so I practice my self defense training every week.

Violent crimes are committed against women every day because they are seen as “easy” targets. Those who prey on women don’t want a fight, they simply want money so they can stick poison in their veins, or they want to stick something else inside you. Not a pleasant thought is it? Well keep that in mind when you are making excuses to yourself not to learn to protect yourself.

If you are like me, you have a full day every day. But when it comes to your safety you must make the time. Luckily, learning the fundamentals of self defense is quick and easy when you the will to train and the proper technique.

If you’re like me, you spend a lot of time taking care of your body (Nails, hair, working out, etc.). Now take some time out and learn how to protect it properly.