The following is an extract taken from course notes from "The women's course on Self Defence" By Gary Stringer:
We all carry a veritable arsenal of weapons around with us everyday. Besides our natural or ‘Body Weapons’ we will usually be carrying at least one or more of the objects below. Whilst the list is by no means exhaustive it may give you some ideas of items you may have in your possession that can be used for self-defence.
CREDIT and CASH MACHINE CARDS are very good for slicing and cutting, their thin edges make them ideal for this type of defence. They are big enough to grasp tightly in your hand and if applied down the side of the face or up under an attackers nose they are extremely effective.
If you are ever attacked at a cashpoint machine the machine always gives you your card back first before your cash. Therefore it can be used if an attack occurs in this situation.
PENS – use for jabbing and thrusting. When using a pen in this way, hold it in a clenched fist, the tip pointing downwards with your thumb firmly closed over the top. This prevents the pen from sliding up and out of your grip when you strike.
When driven down behind an attackers’ collarbone into the clavicle notch the pain is excruciating, also jab into the thigh, back of the hand or groin.
KEYS – probably the most common item and a highly effective for self-protection. Use them to stab and slash soft areas of the assailants’ body. The face and neck are excellent target areas.
DO NOT interlace keys in between your fingers! This advice is sometimes to be found in self-defence books and is dangerous; you could injure your hand, thereby limiting your defensive capability. Simply hold the key in your hand supported by your thumb, this makes your hand strong and keeps the key rigid. Slash faces, draw across the eye line, dig into the side of the neck, push into ear or drag across the back of the hand.
