Women have long been considered the 'weaker' sex but believe me I have trained with some ladies over the years who could really change your view! I don't want to sound sexist but the fact is women are more vulnerable to street attacks and other than the trained few having some knowledge of street self defense is essential.
Self defense techniques are sadly becoming more and more critical in our increasingly violent world. I don't want to scare you with crime figures but as a woman the chances of encountering violence are frightenly high. At the extreme that may be a sexual assualt or 'purse snatch' but perhaps even more disturbing is some form of domestic violence.
Sad as it is that our society demands it I beleive all woman must have some self defence knowledge. Many martial arts clubs of course wellcome women and if you are interested in this route I encourage it. Not all dojos are iver flowing with testosterone fuelled men! What some would call the gentler martial arts - like aikdio - are arguably better suited to women. Again this isn't being sexist about martial arts for women - aikido needs very little strength to be able to apply highly effective throws and locks making it a great self defense style for women.
Gender aside, whether you are a stocky six feet tall man or a petite woman the best self defense technigue is simple avoidance! Don't venture to places your instinct tells you may be dangerous, especially at night. If it feels wrong, get out of there. This simple advice will mean you avoid 90% of violent situations but at the end of the day learning street self defense in an invaluable skill for all women.
