r/SelfDefense

Hi there! Does anyone have recommendations for personal alarm devices that have an on/off switch in addition to its sound trigger?

That way, I can switch it on as I'm walking home at night and before that, I can leave it in/hanging on my bag without worrying about it triggering accidentally. Preferably one that ships internationally to Singapore.

Due to the laws here though, it cannot have any kind of tasing/stun/shock/knife/pepper spray feature because that counts as a weapon and that's illegal here.

I live in the worst part of Philadelphia unfortunately. Not to long ago I was robbed and then jumped by 8/9 men. They got me from behind so I'm not sure what I could have done to protect myself.

I'm looking for any suggestions for anything that I can use for protection. Keep in mind I'm in a city area, the attackers will most likely be running around, moving fast and multiple of them. I would need something to have enough effect to keep them in one spot for a moment so I can swiftly seek safety. Because if not then they will without a doubt sh00t me.

So depending on the situation I would have to go really assess what is happening and if me using protection is a pro or con.

ANY advice at all would be helpful.

My daughters have started riding public transportation and have faced harassment on several occasions.

Mostly men becoming aggressive after declining their advances.

They currently have tazer and pepper spray we purchased from a sports store.

HOWEVER, we were informed these items are banned from public transportation and their schools.

Their father said to ignore the rules but I disagree.

What other options are available?

We are in Texas and they are teenagers.

Hey, I’m not sure if this violates the weapon rules or not, but I don’t have any idea what other subreddit I’d post this in.

I work at an ER as a scribe and was recently notified we will either have to start paying to park in the garage near the hospital or park for free at a parking lot a sizable distance away. Seeing as we already don’t get paid very much already, I, and many of my fellow coworkers, will likely elect to park in the lot.

This, of course, makes me concerned about the safety of my fellow employees, especially if we’re working the night shift and having to walk alone in the relative darkness.

So, I was thinking of buying mini pepper spray to distribute to people who want it, preferably in bulk, and I wanted to know if anyone’s done the same and has any recommendations for what to buy. I’d most likely just be paying for this out-of-pocket, but the price wouldn’t be too much of a concern for me.

I want something just to have in the house for some security and I can't do a gun. Like physically. I have artheritis in hands and also guns are heavy and so uncomfortable in my hands, but a Byrna was comfortable when I tested one out. ​didn't hurt as much. It seems like a decent option to like help you immobilize someone long enough to maybe get help. Or any other suggrstion for non-gun at home thing?

They gave me the one dorm that gives me a genuine fear for my safety. I have to share a communal shower where any male in the building has access to me in the shower, which I’m terrified of what they could do to me. What would be the best way to defend myself in college communal shower?

I’m 32F, living alone in a city, and I’ve started thinking more seriously about personal safety after a couple incidents in my neighborhood.

The problem is I keep getting completely different advice depending on who I ask.

Some people say start with awareness + pepper spray. Others recommend martial arts like BJJ or Krav Maga. Some say firearms. And some say you eventually need a mix of everything.

I don’t really have the time or budget to do all of it at once, so I’m trying to figure out if there’s any kind of order or framework people use when starting from zero.

What did you prioritize first, and why? Did you build layers over time, or focus on one thing until you felt solid?

Also curious what you wish you had done differently in hindsight.

I live alone in an apartment and I’ve been thinking more seriously about personal safety lately.

I’ve taken a basic self defense class, and I try to stay aware of my surroundings, but I’m trying to figure out what a realistic everyday self defense approach actually looks like beyond just that.

I get that martial arts takes time and I’m not expecting overnight results, so I’m more interested in practical things people actually use day to day.

For those who’ve thought this through, what does your setup or routine look like?

Is it mainly awareness, home security, pepper spray, habits, or a mix of things?

Just trying to build something realistic without overthinking or becoming paranoid.

How do you make a 5'10-11, 200-300lbs man surrender to you? As In, how can you self defend against a man who is known for violence and abuse? He is a very giant man and his strength has never been questioned by anyone who know him yet there has been some circumstances where he'd threaten me with violence and power these days. So just in case something happens to me one day, I want to know where do I hit for him to feel enough pain to be unable to do anything to me for a good while. I'm not the kind of person to hurt someone at all but this is important because my life is on the life. Please give me some advices. Thank you.

I just came back from hanging out with a colleague of mine. It was my wife, her, and I. When we had our last cup of coffee and left the place, we were standing near my colleague's car, having our last two-minute conversation. Suddenly, I realized a guy was standing about 10 feet away from us, specifically behind us, wearing a puffer jacket (35-40°C weather btw), one hand in his pocket, and nervously looking around, constantly checking his watch on his wrist. After realizing this, I told my wife and my colleague to get in the car. She took us somewhere farther away, where she and my wife said that they both realized the weird guy. I know that we were safe then, nothing dangerous happened, or whatever could have happened was prevented thanks to our awareness, but I just can't get over it. I'm now at home, sitting in front of my laptop, imagining what could have happened. I'm imagining every single scenario, and I feel extremely stressed. What if something had happened and I couldn't protect my loved ones? I practiced martial arts before, Muay Thai for about 4 years, and I still kinda do, but I feel extremely stressed after similar situations. Even if nothing happened, I can't get over it and think about the situation for at least two days. Is this normal? Does this happen to all of us, or do I need some professional help?

So why dont ppl in 2v2 street fight just focus on making it a 2v1 like jump 1 dude by the time 2nd dude minds registers to help switch the focus on him when he comes to his boys aid

I was targeted by a violent(and possibly homeless) man the day before yesterday. I was walking my dog as I normally do, 6am in the morning, bright out, and this tall skinny crackhead-looking guy was standing in the middle of the grass area I have to pass to get to the big church parking lot I do laps in everyday. I've never seen him before.

As I rounded the bushes at the corner of the grass area, I spotted him immediately since he was wearing a bright gray hoodie w/ hood up, light blue sweatpants, and he was already mean-mugging me hard. What startled me the most was how fast my gut began screaming at me that this was serious. My dog noticed him as well and he rushed me almost immediately as my dog began to bark and snap at him(he was ~10yds from us, on the other side of a low 2ft bush that was inbetween us). He was speaking through his teeth with a hoodrat/gangster accent that he was gonna kill me and my dog so I stuck out my arm, pointing directly at his face, and told him not to come near me as my dog and I kept walking ahead while also holding my dog back from biting him.

He completely ignored my dog lunging and barking at him while advancing towards me, hands tucked, and kept low mumbling the disgusting things he was gonna do to me while following me a short distance through the huge empty parking lot which made me nervous. If he wasn't afraid of my dog ready to attack him, he was 100% ready to fulfill his earlier death-threats to kill us. But I guess since I didn't give him the reaction he wanted quickly enough, he stopped and went back when I acted like I ignored him and shrugged him off as unimportant, as I usually do to POS like him. Unfortunately it didn't end there.

He continued stalking me as we walked down the street and was now waiting for me to pass him on the way home. I turned around to check and he was pacing around back and forth like a rabid animal and still talking to himself right in the pathway we just had came from, repeatedly staring me down and posturing to square up at me(he even ripped the neckline of his hoodie in anger like he was showing his chest). I had a pocket knife on me but no way was I gonna let this demon get near me or my dog. He most likely had something on him as well + a disease or two minimum and I can't risk my dog getting hurt or me going to jail.

Even with that being said, I had no other options as that was the only path home so I ended up walking back on the other side of the street as a few cars passed us and he started walking away the same direction to stay in front of us, still talking shit and punching his fists together. He went far enough ahead, maybe thinking that's where I was headed to stay in my current path, that I managed to cross the street quickly in his direction and it startled him. He squared up again ~20yds from us but I gave quick glance and kept moving as we went back through the parking lot and went home, making sure he didn't follow again or see where I live.

My question is what can I do about someone who is now a known threat but an innocent life under your protection is with you while having your hands-tied legally(dogs are property under my state's law and I would be crucified if I took someone's life over them hurting or killing my dog)? I'm not too fond of some lowlife that's now seemingly claimed territory over my favorite place my dog and I like to spend time at, especially super close to home. The "calling the cops" route is useless, they can't do anything until something happens(their own words, almost verbatim).

So far I've just been taking her a different route but the issue still sits in the back of my mind.

I've heard people say "do not go to the second location" but does anyone actually know what happens in "the second location" other than "nothing good" or "something you'll probably never survive". Everyone always discusses it in vague errie terms, but like, what happens at a second location?

So this isn't an ad, I don't even know them and I hope they aren't a scam. For some paranoid reason I want to buy a stab proof jacket or clothing and at same time something that isn't expensive. So does this guys look legit or I am being scammed ???

I don't feel comfortable giving advice any further. It seems as many inquiries are not about defense, but actually offense. Clean your mind.

I’m assuming it’s a joke, but if you’ve just posted about how happy you are that you’re now licensed by the police to carry a gun and use deadly force, then perhaps they should take another look at your psychological eval.

In my country, in order to qualify as a "cold weapon", the blade length of a knife must be more than 90 mm. I'm pretty sure that a 90 mm blade won't be effective in a self-defense scenario, against a fairly muscular/fat dude. What kind of blade length is guaranteed to incapacitate? If you're jumped at by an attacker and the only thing accessible is your knife, you wouldn't want to lightly graze the fat and muscle tissue, would you? If your opponent is under influence of substances or just a violent kind of schizo, that kind of damage won't stop him for a pretty long while, and that's not the kind of risk you want to take when it comes to self-defense. Sorry if my post violates the rules.