If a person could only know ONE self-defense tactic to avoid a mugger, what should that be?

Question

I think a poke to the eye.

Answer 1

AWARENESS.

a mugger will not attack you, or at least lose the element of surprise (a big thing) when you know he is coming.

so a girl touched on it before to call them out with a "hello" in her scenario, I think it goes beyond identifying them, you are telling them that you are aware of thier presence and on guard and that they should find easier prey.

Answer 2

a mugger, if he's good is like a preditor.  a preditor is something that hunts something else.  if you're a preditor, chances are you victim won't see you coming.  some preditors are attractive, unassuming, even freindly.  don't think that you'll be able to spot them  assume you can't.  that being said, the best defense is not to put yourself in vulnerable positions.  atm's at night, unlit roads by yourself, dimly lit parking lots by yourself. try not to go anywhere alone.

these are the best things you can do to avoid muggers.

Answer 3

Like the other person said, look the guy straight into the eye and say "hello".  If you're ambushed however and they sneak up behind you and bear hug you from behind, best defense is to hip check them, then headbutt them, elbow them in the ribs, turn around and push them away.  You do have the option to kick or punch, but you shouldn't do this unless you've had at least 2 years of training.

Answer 4

a Judo throw

Answer 5

Any martial arts training would come in handy. Karate chop, judo throw, anything that is swift and catches them off guard. A poke to the eye could work and I like the knee to the groin.  It's always a good idea to take a self defense course.

Answer 6

Yes, the poke to the eye is one of the first things taught.

Please tell your daughter that if anyone trys to grab her while she is on her bike to hug tight to that bike and not let go.  They do not want to deal with anything that becomes complicated and it is much more difficult to put a bike in the back seat of a car/van than it is to toss a child in.

Answer 7

To avoid the mugger completely?  A police officer once told me that if you see someone on the street that you think COULD be a mugger, look them straight in the eye and say hello as you pass.  A mugger is less likely to mug you if you can later identify them.  Muggers tend to go for distracted people, like those on cell phones, or searching the the purse for keys, etc.  That way people are taken by surprise and really have no idea what the mugger looks like once he/she is gone.

Answer 8

Fake a heart attack, then you LUNGE THE ATTACK!!!!!!!!!

Answer 9

PAY ATTENTION. If you pay attention to your surroundings you are FAR FAR less likely to get mugged than if you are listening to an iPod while staring at your feet.

There is no single physical attack that is better than PAYING ATTENTION to your surroundings.

Answer 10

kick the balls

Answer 11

As a previous poster suggested, be aware of your surroundings.

If in dire emergency, make sure you have something in your pocket to spray into the muggers eyes, that's the easiest way to debiliatate.  Then, a good boot inthe crotch should do it.

Answer 12

Running when he attacks.

Answer 13

poke to the eye sounds good but a really hard pinch (with all of your strength) on the inner thigh also works wonders, then run like h**l!

Answer 14

eye gouge or crotch kick.

Answer 15

Eye pokes do work, but are hard to actually achieve.  The eye is pretty protected by bone all around, so your aim would have to be perfect.  If you miss, you run the risk of breaking your own finger.

In my experience, if you cannot avoid the situation, then your best bet is simple.  Fight.  

There are many ways that a mugger will try to attack, so one move will not work for every situation.  But simply knowing that you can and SHOULD fight back with elbow, knees, palm, head, and heel.

Places to attack:  Front of knee, Top of nose, front of throat, groin, top of foot.

Where to attack, and what to attack with:

Front of knee (my fav) : heel of foot

Top of nose:  Head, Palm, or elbow

Front of throat:  Palm or elbow

Groin:  Knee, elbow, palm

Top of foot:  heel of foot

The 2 most effective are kicking the front of the knee with the heel will stop an attacker's forward movement, and possibly (hopefull) break the leg at the knee.   The other is attacking the top of the nose.  Causes alot of pain, watery eyes (blurred vision) disorientation, and you usually get some DNA out of them too (blood).

Top 3 things to know when attacked:

1.  Fight back

2.  What to attack with

3.  Where to attack

Of course this is only if your other skills at avoiding situations in which these skills are needed.  Others in this post have answered those pretty well.

Answer 16

chop 2 the throat or kick 2 the crotch

Answer 17

JUDO CHOP!

Answer 18

Knee to the groin   ^_^  ouch

Answer 19

Anything you can do at that moment to hurt them and get away.  I had a boss who used to work as a body guard and that's the advice he gave me.

Answer 20

Be aware of your surroundings and or run!

A poke in the eye is very effective, but it is not the easiest thing to do especially for those that aren't trained. It would be fairly easy to defend any attacks to the face. A groin shot is easy to defend too. Most of us guys with or without any formal training protect our groins. A good groin shot should be set up. Get the guy attention on something else and then go for the family jewels.

Edit:

There is no such thing as a Judo Chop.

If you are going to attempt a Judo throw you have allowed the mugger to get too close. That is not a good ideal.