It seems we can't get enough of kick-ass chick-flicks like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Underworld or good old Buffy. These days even little red-riding hood is getting in on the act in Hoodwinked. But in 2006, is it just about looking cool and staying fit, or should we all learn how to defend ourselves from attack and rising street-crime?
At the start of this year, Home Office statistics showed that street crime had gone up by 40% in some parts of the UK, reversing a steady decrease in previous years. Police blamed the rise on easy to snatch iPods and uber-cool mobile phones.
So is it possible to reduce your crime-victim potential, without getting paranoid?
Get stronger
We often focus on the looking-better benefits of exercise. But being stronger can also make you stand taller and look bigger. No one picks on the school netball team captain, it's always the skinny brainy kid that gets pushed around. Classes like Body Combat or kick-boxing won't give you the skills to demolish a ten strong ambush with single spin kick, but they will make you fitter and more confident to stand up for yourself.
Try learning from a real kick-ass chick. Kelly Bunyan set up www.kbfitness.co.uk six years ago and it's now the biggest martial arts school in London, with 650 members all practising kick-boxing, kung-fu and yoga – with attitude! “I would never recommend kick-boxing in a danger situation but women feel empowered as a result of physical confidence,” says Kelly.
K B Fitness also run self-defence courses both in their gyms and with companies who want to offer it to their employees. Although your first option is always to run away from a situation, a self-defence course teaches you basic blocks and physical defence moves, which may just give you the extra skills you need to escape from a danger zone.
Make yourself less of a victim
We can all make ourselves more street savvy by making simple changes. Matt Wood, who runs self-defence training company www.saferesponse.co.uk offers some great tips:
Never walk around with your handbag open and avoid using rucksacks. Don't advertise your wealth, carry your Gucci purse in your mum's old canvas carrier!
Carry your personal attack alarm in your hand, there is little point having it if it's in the depths of your handbag.
If you're on the phone or listening to your iPod, you won't be aware of what's going around you, plus you scream target at the opportunist thief.
Carry a dummy wallet with you, that contains an expired credit card, a £5 note, some coins and an old key. If you get approached, throw the wallet behind your attacker, giving you time to get away.
And if you are approached stand as tall as possible and step back. Shout stop, fire or bomb. If you're not sure if this works, try shouting 'stop' wherever you are right now and watch what happens!
