Expert helps women defend themselves against attackers

HOUSTON – A common concern for women is being attacked by men who outweigh them and can overpower them.

One example of this kind of attack happened just a few weeks ago to a 16-year-old high school student from Houston. The woman was attacked, thrown to the ground, dragged into a wooded area and sexually assaulted as she was jogging down a popular trail in broad daylight.

"I was scared to death," she said. "It was probably the scariest moment of my life. It made me really scared, but also really angry and I really wanted to do something."

Ann Marie Carrizales has won the Congressional Badge of Bravery and is an authority on doing something to protect yourself and fighting back. She is the tough-as-nails Texas cop who was shot in the face at point-blank range in October 2013 and, despite her wounds, managed to chase down the three men who tried to kill her during a routine traffic stop.

"You have to be deadly," Carrizales said. "You have to be vicious to survive in a life and death situation."

Now, using her warrior spirit and knowledge of combat moves, Carrizales is about to teach all women how to escape and survive three common male attack scenarios.

Scenario 1: Blindsided, attacked from behind

"The first thing you’re going to do is to shove your right hip way out and drop down to unbalance my attacker," Carrizales said. "The second thing is I’m going to take my left leg and whip it behind my attacker’s leg to unbalance him even more and I’m going to pop my knee forward and pop his leg forward.  Now he is completely off balance.

"Next, I’m going to swing up violently with my elbow and elbow this man in the face, and using the momentum I’ve created, I’m going to use the palm of my other hand to punch him in the nose.

"The palm of the hand is much harder and stronger than my fist so I’m going to knock him back and to the ground."

Scenario 2: Stranglehold, thrown against the wall with the attacker's hands around your neck

"Here you are in a very dangerous, deadly situation, where your attacker can kill you within a matter of seconds if he can strangle you," she said. "To get away, I put my hands together like I’m praying, I come up through my attackers outstretched, locked arms and throw my elbows out and up to break his lock on me. Next, I drive my hands straight forward into his eyes and try to push my thumbs right through, so I’m plowing my thumbs right through his eye sockets. From there, he is unable to see, I can now pull his nose directly into my forehead  for a nose strike. I then knee him in the groin as hard as I can, twice, and when he buckles forward, I throw him to the ground and run."

Scenario 3: Parking lot attack, grabbed while walking to the car

"Here we start with a loud scream," Carrizales said. "'No!' You yell as loud as you can to attract attention. Then I throw my right hip out again and drop slightly. Then I raise my right leg and scrape down the front of his shin and then grind my heel into the top of his foot. This is incredibly painful and will shock him. Then, just like before, I come up with my elbows flying and elbow him in the jaw. My elbow is going to come around, followed by my other hand, which is holding my car keys. I will stab the attacker in the neck with my keys several times, using my keys like a knife. I can also use those keys to stab him in the eyes. I push him back and quickly jump into my car, lock the door and push the car’s panic button to sound the alarm."

The moves are violent, but Carrizales said they have to be. In a struggle in which you don’t know what an attacker is going to do, you have to be without mercy and determined to survive and get away, she said.

To get a proper view of these techniques, you need to view this story on video. We have also created two special videos that demonstrate two of these scenarios, so you can practice. Practice is crucial if you are going to learn these moves.

In order to practice, find a friend, or your boyfriend, or your husband, to stand in as your attacker. Ann said practice the movements in slow motion, so you don’t hurt anyone.

Channel 2 News would like to thank the Westside Tennis and Fitness Club for its help in producing the story.


About the Author:

Emmy-winning investigative reporter, insanely competitive tennis player, skier, weightlifter, crazy rock & roll drummer (John Bonham is my hero). Husband to Veronica and loving cat father to Bella and Meemo.