picture the scene: a young woman swaking to her car in a multi- storey car park late at night. Suddenly, a man jumps out at her from behind a column. She performs some fancy moves, kicks him where it hurts and while he's on the floor she jumps into her car and drives away unharmed Well, that's how they do it in films. Unfortunately, the reality might be something quite different When the girl tries to kick the bad guy, he grabs her and pulls her off balance and now she's on the floor, defenceless, with nowhere to run This little scenario should serve to teach you three very important things: real life is nothing like in films: never walk alone at night. whether you are a man or a woman; and, most importantly use your brain and not your body to defend yourself against an attacker Staying safe is all about not putting yourself in a potentially dangerous situation. Avoid a potential attack before it happens by using your common sense. This means don't go out alone at night. stay in well-lit areas, make sure someone always knows where you of your surroundings at are, be aware al times walk with confidence and carry a mobile phone with you at all times. Basically, don't make yourself a target Attackers look for people who are vulnerable you do find yourself in a dangerous situation where you are being threatened. try and diffuse it That is, try not to make the situation worse by getting angry or trying to fight. The best defence is to remove yourself completely from the situation. Calmly walk if you can away but if you feel you have to run away, then that's what you should do, as fast as you can If all else fails and physical force is choice, then you must fight back. your only However, the only way to do this effectively is to use the moves have learnt you in a self-defence class. A good self-defence instructor will teach you how to escape an attackers grasp and how to disable or dstract him long enough for you to escape Ask at your local police station, community centre or YMCA centre for details of your nearest class