A harasser approaches a woman from behind as shown in the picture, leaving very little or no personal space.

To prevent an opponent from closing in on you as shown in this situation, try turning your body to the side.

Then bend one of your arms so that you have the forearm blocking the opponent’s torso from advancing further as shown in picture 2.

Use your free hand to grab the wrist of your bent arm to secure the space you made between the opponent and you. The shape of both your arms will resemble a box that will prevent the harasser from coming closer even if the opponent tries to force his or her way.

Women will often try to avoid eye contact with harassers but in this case, it is important to send a warning look straight into the eyes of the opponent to back off. For those who do not want to make a commotion, there are ways to handle this situation quietly.

If the opponent disregards your warning and continues to approach you, you should either attack the opponent or ask for help nearby to prevent any further harassment.

By Seo Gyo-sun (selfdefense777@gmail.com)

Seo Gyo-sun, an internationally certified Taekwondo Grand Master, judge and coach, holds a B.A. in taekwondo from Kyung Hee University. ― Ed.