Important self defense principles
We often hear that you shouldn’t walk alone at night. This is often said, mostly because it makes a person vulnerable to a street attack. That is a fair statement because attacks really do happen to people who walk alone at night. However, does that mean that you should never walk alone at night?
Well, not necessarily.
It’s not always possible to be with someone every single time you’re walking to your destination at night. There might be times when you’ll just have to walk alone at night.
If you do need to walk alone when it’s dark outside, there are precautionary measures that can be taken to ensure your safety. Here they are:
Use street awareness for your safety
Try to avoid being distracted with technology such as your phone or any other device. Walk the streets by looking around you to know what’s going on around you and be aware of who is near you at all times.
Here’s a complete online video resource to enhance your awareness for self defense.
Walk with confidence
Attackers often prey on the ones they find weak. To help yourself, it’s important to walk with confidence by having your shoulder’s up and the body straight, always looking confident as you’re walking the streets.
Your body posture plays a huge part at demonstrating that you are fearing a situation or not. Show that you are confident and fearless. Criminals tend to stay away from confident people. They usefully go for the weakest. Remember that, it’s crucial.
See a video on what to do if someone is approaching you in the streets.
Notify a family member or friend
Make sure before you leave your destination, to alert a friend or family member that you will be walking alone and provide them your departure time and location. Furthermore, make sure to let them know about your travel routes.
You can make a quick phone call to your loved ones to monitor your location as you’re walking alone at night. You simply indicate your departure time, your route and current location when you’re on the move.
What’s great about this method is that it keeps you in constant communication with a loved one and allows that person to know your current location and destination.
Avoid dark streets
If you can, try to avoid dark streets and alleys as much as possible. Instead, walk where there are plenty of lights. Be cautious of parking lots as they are often dark and empty at night. Also be aware of bushes, side buildings or any type of large objects that can conceal people.
Steer away from suspicious people
If you see a suspicious person while you’re walking down the street, try to avoid that individual as much as possible. Only make brief eye contact with others. Also, try to make your moves look “natural” in order to not make it to obvious that your feel uncomfortable.
For example, you can change sidewalks naturally or you can enter the nearest convenience store, gas station, or restaurant to seek for help if needed.
See why awareness is so important for self defense.
Wear comfortable clothes and shoes
If you know that you will be walking alone at night, make sure that you’re wearing comfortable clothes and shoes. Sneakers for example, will enable you to walk with assertiveness and will be really helpful if you need to run away from an attacker.
Some other prefer to wear light shoes with a steel toe cap (Ad). These shoes can certainly be helpful to strike an attacker with low self-defense kicks.
That said, plan your route in advance and bring comfortable clothes and shoes with you. You can also leave an extra kit at work in case of need.
Remember, that being comfortable will make it much easier for you when walking alone at night. Don’t neglect this important safety tip.
Make sure your hands are free
It’s recommended to have your hands free when you’re walking alone at night. Attacks happen so quickly, that you need to have your hands free of bags and other cumbersome objects.
If someone attacks you, you need to be able to quickly strike back with your hands. If you need to carry many things, use a back pack to keep your hands free at all times.
Like many things in this world, every rule as an exception. Therefore, you can carry a self defense umbrella (Ad) or a long and strong umbrella that can be used as an improvised weapon.
Carry a tactical flashlight
Carrying a tactical flashlight can be very handy in case someone is following you. These personal protection devices can be used to blind your attacker momentarily to make your next move.
For example, this tactical flashlight (Ad) has high lumen power, capable of temporarily blinding your attacker in a split second.
Not only that, but a good tactical flashlight can also be used to strike your attacker. These special self-defense devices are made of durable material and can inflict damage on someone trying to hurt you.
Some other models even come with a Taser, making them a weapon of choice for strategic self-defense. Some tactical flashlights (Ad) come in various size with some models that are longer and bulkier than others, but you can get the one that you prefer.
Use crowded streets and routes
When walking alone at night, it’s best to use crowded streets and paths. There might not be as many people as during the daytime period, but there are still streets that usually have people or cars passing by at night.
Furthermore, try not to wander around in unfamiliar places. Instead, try using routes that are familiar to you and identify open stores nearby. Gas stations and convenient stores are great locations that you can go to in case of need.
If you feel something is wrong, it’s preferable to act upon it. This brings us to the next important tip when walking alone at night.
Important self defense tip: Trust your instincts
When you’re walking alone a night, you will need to strongly rely on your instincts. There are so many things going on around you that it’s important to trust your inner feelings and instincts.
Your instincts are probably one of the best allies when it comes to self-defense. If you feel something is wrong, it’s probably because it is. If you feel a person is following you, you’re probably being followed.
When your instinct kicks in and alerts you of something wrong is about to happen, you need to take action. You need to do something about it to stop the threat. That’s when your self-defense training comes in to handle this situation.
Other self-defense tips for people walking alone at night
If you are reading this article and you’re thinking “Well, I walk alone at night and I’m not scared at all”. Well, that’s great, all the best to you.
However, keep in mind that not every person feels comfortable walking alone at night. Some people are much more afraid than others.
If you feel that you’re not comfortable being alone at night, you might want to take the precautionary measures to avoid doing so. Call someone to pick you up, take a cab home, take the bus, or use the tactics mentioned above.
While there are precautionary measures that can be taken (as we’ve just seen), know that there isn’t a place on this planet that is completely safe.
It’s important to keep in mind that not all cities are the same.
Usually, larger cities will have a higher crime rate and thus can be more dangerous in different parts of the city. Smaller cities are in general safer, but then again, crime happens everywhere.
Truth is, you can get attacked in broad day light, or at night in the middle of a big city and no one will come to your help. Sadly, these are possibilities you need to acknowledge.
When it comes to self-defense, only YOU can protect yourself.
It’s up to YOU, to take the necessary measures to reduce the risks of being attacked and learn how to protect yourself effectively.
A proven self defense system to keep you safe
Learning to protect your life can be achieved in many different ways. A great way is to learn from a proven reality based self defense system.
You can also choose to carry a firearm. Some people choose this route as a method of personal protection. If you’re looking for a complete course on the best way to carry a firearm, here’s one that I fully endorse. It’s called Spec Ops Shooting (Ad).
It’s a great training that provides everything that is needed to learn effective gun defense techniques.
Although I recommended this gun defense system, I still highly recommend taking live self defense lessons and learning how to protect yourself against a gun with your bare hands. It’s something that everybody should learn, including you.
In conclusion, I hope that you enjoyed reading this article and that you learned some new things on personal protection.
If you enjoyed the read, feel free to share this article with your loved ones.
Lastly, here’s a complete set of self defense videos for your safety.
Have a great and safe day!
Patrick Viana
Self Defense Blog