Safe 'Jogging'
Ten Tips for a Safe and Fun Run
Most people today are somewhat familiar with the name ‘Laken Riley.’ She’s the Georgia nursing student who was murdered during an early-morning jog near her dorm. The alleged killer was identified by crime investigators as an illegal immigrant.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has confirmed to U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, that the individual charged with the murder of Georgia student Laken Riley was paroled into the country illegally. According to DHS, Jose Antonio Ibarra was granted “parole due to detention capacity at the Central Processing Center in El Paso, Texas.” U.S. Senate Committee On The Judiciary
The reason I mention that in this article is because millions of ‘unknown’ people are being allowed into the United States through the southern border. While there’s always been a threat of violence toward women and children here, allowing millions more people into the country is increasing that threat.
I’ve taught self defense to women and young people since 1964. The reason I began teaching female high school and college-age women in the mid-60s was because of the increasing number of attacks on and off campuses. Here we are 60 years later and the problem has only gotten worse. That’s why I teach martial arts and self defense and why this Substack section on Women’s Self Defense exists.
Safe Jogging Tips
Young women have a right to jog safely, but that doesn’t mean their rights will be affirmed by the men who prey on women. Since there are men who prey on women, women must take control of their own safety — and they can. Here are ‘ten tips’ for a ‘safe run’ —
Run with a ‘buddy,’ a group of other women, or a guy friend. You might like the joys of running alone in the morning before or after class or work, but there are ‘evil’ men looking for you. I say ‘evil’ because of their ‘intent’ and how they ‘act’ upon their intent. One man on the prowl most likely will not bother a group of women running together. He might take on two women, but probably won’t because of the potential of being identified or fought off by two people. Men who want to sexually assault and/or harm women are usually looking for the one woman who runs alone. If they see you running with a friend, a guy, or a group of women, the bad guys will usually look for someone else to attack.
If you do decide to run alone, be smart about it. Don’t run when it’s dark or about to get dark. Run in the light of day. Don’t wear headsets with music blasting in your ears. Men who want to hurt women often pick those wearing earphones. They know they can sneak up on you because you won’t hear them. Once they’ve got hold of you, they’ll knock you down or drag you into nearby woods, behind a building, or into a vehicle. If you’re going to run alone, you will need all your senses activated (e.g. hearing, seeing, etc). Also, don’t run while talking on the phone. That also draws your attention away from your surroundings and possible danger. If you must answer the phone or make a call, move to an open location where you see everything and everyone around you. As you answer or make the call slowly turn around 360 degrees so you can see anyone who might be trying to sneak up on you. Tell the caller where you are in case someone approaches you. If someone does get too close, talk loudly at them while describing them so the person on the other end of the call hears that information. Don’t hang up the phone. Try not to let the attacker get the phone from you. If you can, keep at least ten feet between you and the attacker. If you carry pepper spray, be ready to use it but don’t let the attacker take it from you. They may use it against you. If you see a limb or stick on the ground, grab it and hold it next to your leg or in front of you. Don’t lift it over your head to strike at your opponent. That’s too easy for the attacker to block or evade. If you strike someone with a limb or stick from a lower position, it’s harder for the attacker to block or evade. You will find a few lessons in stick fighting (e.g. Escrima, Kali) helpful in knowing how to use a stick or limb against an attacker.
Mix up your running patterns. Don’t follow the same path at the same time every day. Bad guys who are interested in you will often spend some time checking out your pattern. They will use that knowledge to be in wait for you at some secluded point in your run. If someone runs after you, begin zig-zag running that makes you harder for an attacker to grab. That’s how I teach children to run from strangers and it also works for adults. An attacker usually runs in a straight line toward the intended victim. By changing your running pattern from straight to zig-zag, your attacker will have a hard time grabbing you. If they do grab you and your jacket, sweater or other piece of clothing comes off, don’t stop to get it. Keep running. You can replace a piece of clothing. You can’t replace you. If the attacker’s grab pulls you toward them, use their force against them. Your knee in their groin or elbow in their chest or face will be stronger because their strength in pulling you toward them adds to the power of your strike.
Walk the areas where you are thinking about running with a few friends before you choose your favorite spots. Look for areas where someone might be able to hide behind trees or a building, grab you and pull you back behind trees, brush, or building. Ask your fiends if they think the route is safe or not. If they don’t think it’s safe, find another place to run. You have nothing to prove by where you run. It’s about having a safe run.
Keep in mind that the man who wants to hurt you may pretend to be a fellow jogger. He may come up behind you or even jog toward you. Be on your guard at all times. I have a saying that I use in self-defense classes and firmly believe it to be true based on decades of teaching — ‘You can be attacked anywhere, at anytime, by anyone.’ Don’t assume that because someone is jogging on your same running path that you’re safe from them. Be suspicious. Keep your eyes open for anything that doesn’t look or feel right. I recommend runners (and walkers) look to their left corner and right corner a few times each minute. That allows you to take advantage of your ‘peripheral’ sight. You can also stop to take a short break from time to time and use that as an opportunity to do a 360-degree sweep of your running area. If you get a bad feeling about someone, quickly move away from them and toward a group of people you believe are safe. The bad guys will rarely follow you if you’re heading toward a group. They don’t want to be identified, so they’ll leave you alone and look for someone else that day.
If you have a ‘feeling’ that something is not right during a run, listen to that feeling. Many women who have come to my classes for training after being attacked told me they ‘had a feeling’ that something wasn’t right — but they went ahead anyway to their great regret. Some people call it a ‘gut’ feeling. Whatever you call it, if it doesn’t feel right — don’t do it. Trying to finish a jog or run when you have a bad feeling about something or someone near you is not worth it. Your life and safety are more important.
Okay, here’s the tough part. If you are attacked, you have to stay conscious. You have to fight like your life depends on it, because it may. Women are usually not as combative as men, so you may find it difficult to have to do something that may harm another person. Put that thinking out of your head if you’re attacked. Hurt the attacker before they knock you unconscious. When I say ‘hurt’ — I mean HURT. If a man attacks a women, a child, or an old person, they deserve whatever they get in return. Attack their eyes, their throat, and their groin with all the power you can muster. Hit them, kick them, scratch them, rake them, bite them — do anything and everything you can to stay alive. Use your hands, your elbows, your feet, and your knees. Most attacks tend to be ‘close quarter,’ so you can also use your forehead, side of your head, and back of your head to break the attacker’s nose. If you can grab a rock from the ground, hit the attacker in the face or side of the head (e.g. temple, ear). Yell as loud as you can in their ear. That will ‘stun’ them for a couple of seconds, which may be enough time for you to fight them off and escape. If you can, strike both ears with your open hands (palms) at the same time. That will cause an extremely painful pressure in their head that may cause them to back up or bend over. If they back up, kick them as hard as you can in the middle of their body (e.g. groin, intestines, stomach) and run away. If they bend over, grab the top of their head with both hands and push down as you strike upward with your knee. That will usually break their nose and drop them to the ground for at least several seconds — enough time to escape.
Once you’ve escaped, SCREAM!! You may be too busy struggling with your attacker to scream during the attack, but you can certainly scream loudly as you’re running away. Your screams can alert people nearby to the fact you are being attacked. The screams can also cause your attacker to run away from you instead of chasing you. If you can, add words to your screams (e.g. HELP, BAD MAN ATTACKING ME, etc).
Find a person, couple, or group of people who look trustworthy and ask them to call police right away. Don’t be embarrassed by being attacked. It’s not your fault that evil people are out doing evil things to women. They need to be stopped. Give police a good description of your attacker. That may lead to an arrest that will keep the person from attacking other women. Many running areas have cameras that police can use to look at the attack and possibly identify the attacker.
Take self-defense classes. Attend a self-defense seminar or clinic. Martial arts is great to learn, but it can take months to become proficient at using those skills to effectively defend yourself against one or more assailants. Find an instructor who focuses on teaching the types of skills that can be used effectively almost immediately. I tell my students that I want to teach them something every class that they can use that day or night if they’re attacked after leaving class. Take classes now before you’re attacked. Hopefully, you won’t be attacked — but I recommend you be prepared in case it happens to you.
Be smart. Be careful. If attacked, fight to stay alive. Unfortunately, it does not appear that things are going to get better in our world anytime soon. Things are becoming more dangerous, so we all have to be more vigilant.
Men, if you’re one of the ‘good guys,’ watch out for women, children, and older people. They are often more vulnerable and may need your help. If you don’t know how to help, take some classes in ‘protective’ self defense. That’s where people learn how to use ‘martial’ (fighting) skills to defend other people. Your job is to step between the attacker and victim as a ‘rescuer.’ While you are dealing with the attacker, the victim can escape. Keep in mind that a ‘rescuer’ can become a victim if they don’t know what they’re doing, so get the right kind of training. You can also dial 911 (or 999 in some other countries) as you’re running toward the attacker and victim. Tell police your location. Yell at the attacker that you are calling police. That may cause the attacker to run away. If the attacker comes at you, put the phone in your pocket and leave it on so police can hear what’s happening and get help headed your way. If you see a limb or thick stick on the ground, pick it up and be ready to use it on the attacker if necessary.
I’ll share more about protecting yourself in future newsletters. For now — keep your eyes open, your ears open, listen to your ‘gut,’ and learn how to ‘roar like a lion’ if attacked.
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You can be attacked anywhere, at anytime, by anyone. Be ready.
