Being a woman of not extremely high rank (hint, I'm not a Shidoshi yet), I still worry about the possibility that I might have to defend myself someday. I'm very confident in my ninpo training, and I implicitly trust and believe in everything that I've learned, but I have those days... And even though I'm pretty street-smart, I've found myself in some uncomfortable situations and areas. So, when my firm hosted a women's self-protection seminar, I decided to attend and see what additional tips I could pick up. The seminar featured an ex-NYC female police officer.

Nancy*, a nice lady with grey eyes and a .45 in a shoulder holster, started off by giving us several handouts on self-protection. This seminar was about preventing possible dangerous situations. She explained that a lot of dangerous situations can be prevented by using simple common sense.

To illustrate this point, she told us the story of a woman who was raped in the lobby of her building, under a stairwell, because she didn't take notice of an unfamiliar man who was standing just a few feet behind her. She had come home from work and she saw a man loitering in front of her building. She didn't remember ever seeing him in the building before nor was he someone that she recognized from her neighborhood. Her instinct told her not to go into the building, but she was tired and wanted to eat. When she entered the building, he followed her in, put a knife to her throat and raped her. One of the woman's neighbors watched her get raped from the lobby door. When the neighbor was asked as to why she didn't help, she said that the victim looked dead at her and shook her head "no". The victim was afraid that the attacker would kill her if she didn't comply.

Nancy also recounted the story of one woman who warded off a possible molestor. This woman was very pretty -- model looks. She was sitting by herself on the subway, in a nearly deserted car. A man got into the car and chose to sit directly opposite her. He kept staring at her in a way that made her uncomfortable. The train pulled in and out of several stations, but the man made no indication to get off the train. All this time he had been rubbing at his crotch and looking at her. The woman not knowing what to do, decided to keep on ignoring him. She pulled a paperback book out of her bag and pretended to read it. At this point, he got up and sat right next to her. He looked her up and down and kept staring at her. He kept on rubbing his crotch and started to moan. The woman, who was mortified and terrified, slumped forward in her seat, legs and arms splayed, and started to drool. The man looked around, got up and left the train car. When the woman was asked why she drooled, she said that it was the only thing that she could think of doing. She thought that becoming "gross" would turn him off and get him away from her.

The stories Nancy told were meant to serve as examples of possible behavior and reactions to potentially dangerous situations. In the first story, the first woman became a victim because she ignored her instincts. If she had confronted the man with "Excuse me. Are you waiting for someone?" or "May I help you?", then he might not have attacked her because she would have shown that she was aware of his presence. Some other options for this woman were to walk around the block or go to the corner store and wait until the man was gone, or to call a neighbor and have him/her watch as she entered the building.

The woman in the second story disarmed her potential attacker with behavior that was unladylike, and slightly crazy. Also, her behavior called attention to herself and to the man next to her - something that he didn't want. She followed her instinct to make herself as unattractive as possible, in this case by drooling all over herself.

The idea of using common sense and instinct to protect yourself are very much a part of our ninjutsu training. Here are a few simple and basic pointers for personal protection and safety that everyone (male and female) can incorporate into their lives today.

Personal Safety

Property
Photocopy the contents of your wallet/purse. If these items should ever be lost or stolen, you probably won't remember what papers you had in there. Photocopy all your credit cards, health benefit cards and ID cards. Buy an address book and copy down all the phone numbers that you have written on scraps of paper, match book covers, etc. Store the copies of your purse/wallet contents in a safe, accessible location, such as an envelope in your office desk drawer or in a safe-deposit box.

Make copies of house and car key and store them in an accessible location should the originals be lost. DON'T store your extra set of house keys in your house! You may wish to give a trusted neighbor or friend your spare set. If you don't trust anyone and have free access to your office, then your desk drawer may be an ideal place to store copies of your keys.

Join your local "neighborhood watch" program. If one isn't in existence, contact the police and find out how to start one. These programs are fairly successful in lowering crime, as the entire community participates in ensuring a safe habitat for all.

Street Smart

BODY LANGUAGE: Your body language must say that you are assertive, aggressive, in charge and in control, even if you don't feel that way. Potential muggers will be dissuaded by someone who looks like they may put up a fight.

EYE CONTACT: Maintain eye contact. Look but don't stare. Be aware of who is around you, but don't be paranoid. If maintaining direct eye contact is difficult for you, as it can be for shy people and many women, then practice. Looking someone in the eye may make them think twice about attacking you.

PERSONAL SPACE: You MUST defend it. The second someone threatens your personal space you MUST let them know you will not stand for it. If this means telling the man who is breathing all over the back of your neck on the bus to back off, then tell him. Attackers look for victims who don't challenge them. If you tell someone that they are making you uncomfortable, chances are that they will stop their threatening behavior. If not, the situation may escalate from heavy breathing, to bumping or fondling. Also, don't fall into the "It's not happening to me" mindset. If you feel uncomfortable, then something IS happening and you must react to the situation.

Trust your instincts. If you feel that walking down a particular street will put you in some sort of danger, then DON'T WALK DOWN THAT STREET. Don't second guess yourself, either. We train in ninjutsu to develop our instincts so that we can distinguish between paranoia, a false alarm or true danger. If you are still at the point in your training where you are not sure, it is better to take a different path "just to be on the safe side" than to find yourself in a dangerous situation.

Take evasive action if required. By this I mean, do whatever it is you need to do to defuse the situation. If this means forking over your jewelry or cash, then do it. Your life is not worth a few pieces of gold or money. If it means finding an alternate route home, then do that. If it means talking to the drunk so that he'll stop harrassing you, then that's your option. Do whatever it takes you to get home as peacefully as possible.

(Bet you guys all thought I was going to say fight to the death or something like that. I'll let you in on my personal philosophy for life. If someone wants my necklace badly enough that they want to rob me, I'll give it to them. If someone wants my money so much that they need to pull a knife on me, they can have that. However, if someone wants to rape me or take my life, then we have a definite fight on our hands.)

New or Unfamiliar Areas
Develop a buddy system. If you're going to a play with someone, then go together. Don't meet them at the site unless you are familiar with the area. Likewise, try to travel with a friend when you're going someplace new.

Dress down or dress for the neighborhood. If possible, get a feel for what the area is like. If it is a high-crime area, you may wish to opt for pants instead of a skirt, low-heeled shoes and less jewelry. Also, carry a pocketbook only when necessary. If it is possible put your wallet/purse in a pocket.

Get explicit directions (landmarks, etc.) Don't travel without knowing where you are going. Never let anyone "take" you to your destination. Ask for directions from trustworthy sources, i.e. gas station, priest, etc. If lost, call your party and describe where you are. They may be able to pick you up or redirect you.

Make calls early in the morning in high crime areas. If possible, avoid making calls alone from pay phones in the evenings. Be aware while in a phone booth. You may wish to face the door or opening of the booth and survey who is around you. Always carry enough change for several phone calls and "emergency" fare for buses or subways. If you are lost or evading someone, you may need to make quick calls or to board a bus quickly.

Know police, fire, hospital, etc. location in area. Call in advance and find out the location of emergency areas in case you find yourself in need.

AUTOMOBILE SAFETY

Personal Safety
Have your car road-ready. Service it frequently and carry any tools you might need while on the road. Invest in jumper cables. People frequently find others are willing to jumpstart their batteries but don't have the means with which to do so.

Carry phone numbers of reputable car services in dangerous areas. Try to call in advance for a car, preferably before leaving your safe location.

Security
Join Police Department's COMBAT AUTO THEFT & Operation ID (NYC). Check with your local law enforcement officials for car theft programs or neighborhood watch programs.

If you are purchasing an alarm system get a system that comes complete with flashing lights and activated horn. You may also wish to invest in a cellular phone if you travel alone or great distances frequently.

Confrontation
If you see your car being broken into don't interfere. Call 911. (There is always a back-up thief during a car theft.) Don't confront the thieves: Give it up!

Parking
Park in a secured lot. Never park your car in a closed or unattended lot. If you need to park on the street, then try to park on a busy street and/or under lamplight. Remove and/or store items in trunk BEFORE parking your car. Leave nothing visible.

*Name changed.

Liz maryland is the editor of this newsletter. She trains under Jean-Pierre Seibel at New York Budo and may be contacted via E-mail: Ashidome@aol.com.