Julia Naftulin : Health.com
A fitness expert demonstrates four self-defense moves every woman should know.Fall fashion season is a time for models to show off their fierce runway walks, but Gigi Hadid had to pull off a totally badass move this morning when she was exiting a show.
As the 21-year-old supermodel made her way to a car through a swarm of fans and paparazzi, a man grabbed her from behind and lifted her into the air. In response, Hadid elbowed her attacker in the face, causing him to let go and flee the scene. She also had a few choice words for the assailant as she chased him down the street (who wouldn’t?).
Does Hadid’s experience make you want to brush up on your self-defense moves? Us, too.
It just so happens that earlier this week, fitness expert Jeff Halevy stopped by the Health offices to teach associate editor Jacqueline Andriakos a few techniques every woman should know—just in case. Here are four common scenarios, and what you can do to protect yourself in each one. To watch the step-by-step moves, check out the video below.
If an attacker pulls your hair…
“It can be very intimidating because they control your head and with the head goes the entire body,” says Halevy. But here’s what you do: Use both hands to grab the attacker’s hand on your head, close your elbows to protect your face from punches, and turn your body about 180 degrees. That motion will twist the attacker’s shoulder, elbow, and wrist, and should cause him to release his grip.
If an attacker chokes you from the front…
“You may only have five to six seconds until blood stops going to your brain and you’ll pass out, so you need to get out of it quickly,” Halevy says. To do so, perform a duck under. Take a step towards the attacker will all your body weight, hinge at the hips, then duck under and to one side to escape. Your next move: run in the opposite direction, says Halevy.
If an attacker pins you against a wall…
In this situation, the main goal is to create space between your body and the wall. Drop one of your shoulders down, and turn your body to that side toward the wall, as you bring your opposite arm up and across your body, to break the attacker’s hold on your neck. Then, throw a backwards elbow (just like Hadid did).
If an attacker wraps an arm around your neck from behind…
Grab his elbow with one hand, and his shoulder with the other. Then bury your chin and hinge at the hips, lifting the attacker onto your back. To dump him, straighten your legs as you look and turn to one side, and he should slide off onto the ground.
