If you’re a person who enjoys a walk to the park, walking your dog, jogging or even walking through your neighborhood to a friends house – you may be making yourself an easy target. This could even happen in a parking lot in the way to or from your car when there is nobody else around– more on that in another blog. Even if you practice all your confidence and awareness skills, there is one other thing you can do to make yourself just a little bit safer. And sometimes a little bit is all you need.

Whether you have long or short hair (as long as you’re not bald), you’re vulnerable to a rear hair grab. A bad guy comes up behind you, grabs a handful of your hair, and in less than a second you’re on the ground! His knee is in your chest so you can’t breathe and he’s pounding your face in. You are on the ground being pummeled before you even know that you are being pulled down. Its a very terrifying scene. And it’s one of the most common ways that a woman is overpowered in cases of stranger sexual assault. (By the way, 95+ % of sexual assaults are perpetrated by an assailant who is known to the victim — more on that in another blog) So unless you want to shave your head, which I’m sure you don’t, what’s the answer?

A BALL CAP! If your hair is long, dint just put it in a ponytail with it hanging out. Put it up in a bun and plop on the ball cap. If your hair is short, be sure to tuck it all in under the cap. And Voila!

Most bad guys wont fool with a target with a ball cap on if they are planning to use a rear hair grab– too much trouble to get to the hair. But if he does come along, tries to grab your hair, then all he gets is the ball cap. (And I only have one ball cap that is worth fighting for!) And as a bonus, he’ll become the recipient of a swift kick to the groin if you train with me!