What NOT to Wear: Clothing Choices to Save Your Heroine

_____________________________________________

This week I have a new hairdo. I chopped off about a foot of hair to donate to an organization making wigs for women with cancer. This is Breast Cancer Awareness month - so let's save the tatas, ladies.


The change in my appearance prompted this week's article. Time and time again statistics show that perpetrators look for signs of vulnerability, such as long hair, when choosing their victims. Another thing that can turn your character into a victim is her clothing.



Excerpt from WEAKEST LYNX:

AMAZON LINK

I need to be able to move in my clothes. I did a lot of martial arts training. Master Wang thinks too many women wear clothes that restrict them.” And the hell if I was going to put myself at greater risk being bound up by a pencil skirt. When Stalker showed up, I planned to kick the shit out of him. I smiled ruefully. “I always try to get some Lycra in my pants and jeans. I tend to choose full skirts, so I can defend myself and hide my gun.”

            “You carry a gun?” Celia and Alice asked together.

            I smiled. “Sometimes.” More like, always

           



Just like Lexi Sobado, I believe careful clothing choices makes for better safety. 

• For me this means Lycra, Lycra, Lycra and more Lycra - and   maybe a little Spandex. 
• I have found that wearing conservative clothing styles creates  obstacles to self-defense.

When you are dressing your character, you may want to keep some of these ideas in mind to either help your heroine escape, or, if it's better for your plot line, get her into a real bind by using her clothes against her. 

Link - How a Predator Courts a Victim
Link Aggressive Body Language


SKIRTS and DRESSES:

 (Photo credit: Deirdre Boyer)

• Skirts should be worn above the knee either an A-line or a shorter  Lycra or Spandex material.
• Long skirts (below the knee) need to be lifted and held up to fight. This throws off balance and your character cannot use her hands and arms to block, grab, or punch.
• Pencil skirts prevent a woman from using her best body weapon - her legs. She can't knee, run, kick, or crouch. She is vulnerable.

Video Quick Study (1:10) Look how cute this dress is. It is also easy for this woman to defend herself.

• Sleeveless for mobility
• Skirt above the knee and wide enough for high kicks. Bodice tight to the body with give.
• Wedge shoes that are strapped on offer stability
• I watched what looked like a cattle call for a martial arts actress. (video removed by YouTube lineup) The women wore skirts of  various lengths. Women wearing short skirts had both hands available. If their skirt came below their knee, they pulled their skirts up and held them out of the way. This leaves them with one less hand to use for balance, blocking and punching.

Video Quick Study (1:02) Woman fighting in a business attire. Her skirt might be a little short for office wear,  a longer (just above the knee) A-line skirt would work as well.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

PANTS

• Wide bottoms can be grabbed during a kick. This would put your character on the ground.
• Wide legs can get caught on the heel when crouching, tripping your character.

Video Quick Study (:57) Okay, this is not how a real fight works, but I wanted you to see how a good pair of pants help her.

• They are thick enough to protect her legs.
• They are form fitting and stretch
• Held up by a belt. True a belt can be grabbed, but so can the top of pants - and worse if your character is wearing yoga pants or exercise pants the assailant can pull these down quickly and easily to shackle your character. Though this works both ways. If your heroine is facing a gang-banger she can stomp the top of his pants and run.

Video Quick Study (2:50) This is shot at a self-defense seminar.

•  The girls' jeans are cut in such a way that they cannot get their knees up. This preempts the girl-power numero-uno self-  preservation move: knee-to-the-groin.
• They can't kick above the knees (though a kick to the knee,   snapping the assailant's leg backward is a great way to escape!)
• Notice the hoody that one girl is wearing and how it would be   used against her. This guy was being nice. A real villain would yank it backwards and put her on the ground - When she is on the ground, the villain  has the most control.

SHIRTS

 Blouses that are classically tailored have some major
 drawbacks in self-defense.

• The cotton fabric has no give.
• The cut is loose enough to grab easily.
• The cut of the fabric does not allow full range of motion - this prevents the character from getting a full-force back-fist or elbow strike, two strikes that are more effective than straight punches for women.

Video Quick Study  (1:28) See how well this woman can fight in her tight turtleneck.

• This shirt fits tight to the body and is less likely to get    caught on anything or grabbed.
• The stretchy fabric allows full range of motion.

SHOES:

Stilettos on Figueroa (Photo credit: lostinangeles)

• Need to be stable or removable.
• High heeled boots can be a great weapon if your character has the ankle strength to fight in them. Running, though is hard to do.
• Stilettos can be an asset if they can be removed easily to run away, or used for strikes.
• The photo to the right shows women dressed to defend    themselves, but the girl on the far right will be the one who   goes down in the final chase because of the ankle straps.
• Wedge heels add to stability
• Closed-toe shoes prevent debris from getting jammed into the    shoe and will also work to protect the toes.
•  Highly pointed shoes works to concentrate force into a very small area, thereby making a front snap kick all the more devastating. Aim a snap kick at the assailant's diaphragm, and your heroine will wind him and have several precious minutes on her head start.
• Of course, if she could manage to be wearing steel-toed boots, or cross-trainers that would be nice.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So, I mostly approve of the outfit to the right.

• Tight fitted shirt with enough give so she has range of motion.
• Skirt has kicking room and is above her knee for knee raises.
• Shoes are low heeled. She can use those heels for  grinding toes. They're strapped on for stability. But they are open toed which can cause problems with  gravel and debris. I imagine these have slippery soles. These would be tough to run in.
• Her hoop earrings are problematic as well. She  needs to lose those earrings.

Just a final thought about ACCESSORIES:

Purses:

• You're heroine should always have a weapon, her phone, and her keys on her body when she's walking. If someone makes a grab at her purse, she should just let it go.
• Big purses are  a bigger target.
• A big purse can be used to block punches.
• A small purse is a smaller target and can be used to swing at the assailant.

Scarves:

• Are chocking hazards and binding hazards.
• Unless your heroine is trained to get out of choke holds and then use the scarf as a weapon (for trapping strikes or kicks, for example) she should probably just leave the scarf at home.

Earrings, necklaces, and other accessories:

• Can all be used to grab and control your character
• Rings can work like brass knuckles especially if they have sharp stones. Also, if your heroine punches the assailant a few times she'll probably have enough DNA caught in the pongs to do a profile.  Link to DNA 101

Please let me know if you have any questions, and I will do my best to help. 

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Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.

Bullet Tutorial for Writers

.40S&W cartridge next to expanded hollow point bullet. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

DISCLAIMER - This is a non-political site that is geared to help writers write it right. I am presenting information to help develop fictional characters and fictional scenes. In no way am I advocating any position or personal decision. 




So things got pretty serious. Guns were drawn; a body sprawls on the ground. What the police find on the scene has a lot to do with what kind of bullet you as the author chose for this plot line.

If you need a tutorial about Step One - choosing a gun click HERE

Once your heroine has a gun in her hand, there are other things to consider. Let's begin understanding bullets and how they impact plot.

THE BASICS

* The bullet is just the top piece of the round - the part that hits the
   target.
* A cartridge or round is the entire component 
   (brass + powder + primer) When the primer is hit by the hammer 
   or firing pin, it ignites the powder in the shell, forcing the bullet 
   in the only direction it can go - down the barrel of the gun.
* The caliber is a measurement of the bullet. (If the bullet has two
   numbers the first is the width of the bullet the second is the
   length of the round.)
* Another way to measure a round is by grain the higher the grains
   the more the bullet weighs - the slower it goes and the deeper it
   will penetrate.

INTERMEDIATE - How to read a bullet box:

Jackets

*Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) - the entire case is encased in metal,
  offering the most penetration through your  target. The base is 
  exposed showing the lead.
*Total Metal Jacket - (TMJ) - The entire case including the base
  is covered
*Semi-jacketed (SMJ)- or just (J) for jacketed - the jacket only
  goes half way up the bullet.

Tips

.22 hollow point     9mm hydro-shock      9mm FMJ round nose/tip

Flat Point - (FP) has a flat tip (pictured below - left)
.
Round Nose - (RN) (below center) - This bullet will not expand in
      size with impact; it will continue on its trajectory. 

      This is an author's decision if she wants the victim to have an 
      exit wound, to die of impact/blood loss, or for the bullet to hit a
      secondary object or person. All of these would could result
      from a RN Click HERE to go to my blog article on Blood
      Spatter.

A cut-through of a hollow-point bullet.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hollow point -(HP) the tip is hollow. When it hits its
      target it will expand very quickly to almost 3x it's 
      original size. This means that the bullet expresses 
      the power inside of the body, damaging more 
      tissue than a round nose bullet. This expansion 
      also reduces the chance of a bullet exiting the 
      body and hitting someone nearby. This is safer 
      for self defense where innocent people are 
      nearby. This type of bullet creates massive pressure
      and the victim is likely to die of a brain embolism.
      Click HERE to go to my blog article on EMS and
       gunshot wounds.


Video quick study: First Science TV Round Nose v. Hollow Point (2:08)

9mm flat tip                     9mm round tip                    9mm hollow tip
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

ADVANCED - Information about calibers

Baby Bear

.22 is cheap so it's good for target practice, but has minimal penetration - not great for defense.

Video Quick Study (5:56) This is a little in depth but shows him weighing the bullet (grains) and measuring the bullet for caliber, and also ballistic tests through testing medium.

.25 is used in small pistols it has a big kick - so a lot of recoil.
.32 penetrates a little deeper than a .380 and has less recoil  
.25 for a very small gun this is a good self-defense round

Mama Bear

38s and 9mm are the same size bullet. One is calculated in inches, and one is calculated in metric.The three kinds of 9mm  from smallest to biggest:

.380 Auto vs. 9mm Luger (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

* .380 and 9mm Short are the
   same (9x17) a little more
   power than the 38 special - 
   goes in a small pistol.
* 9mm Makarav (9x18)
* 9mm Luger is also known on
   the box as a
   9mm Parabellum (9x19)
   These are accurate far
   away, up close they are devastating. At 15 to 20
   feet your character might have to hit a guy 6 times
   to stop him if he's drugged up.
   (This is the bullet I shoot in my Springfield)


This is probably as big a caliber as your character needs. But if you are trying to make a decision between giving your character a 9mm or a .45 here is a good comparison video
 9mm v .45 bullet (17.31)

Papa Bear

.40 is the same as a 10mm. But a 10mm is really a .40 caliber magnum (I'll explain in a second) The .40 does not have the penetration of the 9mm because it is heavier and takes more power to shoot.

.45 is highly effective in dropping the target in one shot.

Video Quick Study: 10mm ammo energy test   (7:28) go to 3:50 mark

Rabid Klondike Mama Bear Protecting Her Young -or-What is MAGNUM?

A magnum round is a high powered round. So for example you can have .22 magnum or .45 magnum
* Lots of recoil
* Painful to shoot
* This is for hunting (a back up when an angry bear is running full
   tilt at the heroine) not usually for self-defense.
* IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU USE A MAGNUM IN A GUN
   THAT CAN HANDLE IT -
   The gun must be designed to handle magnum bullets unless of
   course you want your heroine to put a .44 magnum (name of a
   round) or .44 special (name of a round) and blow her gun apart
   because the gun couldn't handle the pressure.

Popular wisdom says, a bullet shot from any handgun at a distance of three feet will probably stop anyone. Most of the time a civilian is shooting, it is that close in range. Stopping power is not as important to a civilian as it is to a police officer whose range moves out to nine yards. So your gun/bullet choice depends on who is doing the shooting and why.

Sonic v. Subsonic Bullets Shot with a Suppressor - 

Brian Coates, U.S. Marine Corp., veteran

LINK Nottoway Shooting Sports

PLOT TWIST - One thing that I should point out is that just because a bullet will load into the gun, it does not mean that there will be success in shooting it. A particular round might misfire or jam. Once you know which gun is being used, research which bullets work best. Though, this could create a plot twist for you. Perhaps your heroine is new to the gun scene and buys a weapon for self-protection, purchases some bullets, loads it all up and there is a catastrophic failure. She could be hurt instead of the villain.

Image publicly distributed source unknown

VIDEO 1 - Bullet Basics 101 (8:01)

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Self Defense - Electric Weapons: Stun Guns v. Tasers - Information for Writers

Tasers? yep.. (Photo credit: number657)

DISCLAIMER - This is a non-political site that is geared to help writers write it right. I am presenting information to help develop fictional characters and fictional scenes. In no way am I advocating any position or personal decision.

In the beginning there was a Taser and a stun gun. And while they come from the same family of electric self defense weapons they are not at all alike.

Many writers will use the terms interchangeably.

Who would carry and electric self defense weapon?

This weapon can fit with any character over the age of 18.

Is it even legal to carry this type of weapon?

For the most part the answer is yes. Though check your characters' state codes. This link takes you to a state by state review of applicable laws.

So what is the difference between the two weapons?

The Stun Gun 

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

*A stun gun is a brute force weapon. You must make personal contact with

  your assailant.

* Though the prongs DO NOT need to make direct skin contact.

* The contact that is required is LONG 2-3 seconds
   to be precise. While this doesn't sound too bad.
   Think about the last time you were waiting for your
    microwave to ding. I know! 

   Now imagine those 2-3 seconds while someone is
   stabbing you or even punching you. 

*  2 seconds can cause muscle spasms and a state
    of shock lasting up to fifteen minutes - enough to
    get away. 5 seconds is best.

* The current will not transfer to you even if you are
   grabbing at each other

* Water is not a problem even if you are standing in water.

                                                      How does it work?

On the packaging, the manufacturer will indicate the voltage. It is not the voltage though that makes the difference it is the pulse rate frequency.

Yes, the more volts the better, but the pulse rate determines the gun's power to put an attacker down. You see, it's the frequency rate that disrupts the neural pathways in the body - and believe it or not it's a sugar thing. As the electricity pulses the muscles, they produce lactic acid and consume the glucose causing the loss of muscle control (like a Type1Diabetic seizure). Your character should look for at least 100k volts to ensure enough pulse power to be effective.

The Taser 

English: Police issue X26 TASER (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

*A Taser is a distance weapon.

*You can use this weapon from fifteen feet (5 meters)

* The Taser works by shooting out tiny metal probes that embed
   in the flesh. These probes are attached to wires that connect to
   the Taser unit.

* A Taser is HIGHLY RELIABLE and HIGHLY EFFICIENT 

* It works by interrupting the communication between the muscles
  and the brain, effectively attacking the central nervous system.
  This interruption continues as long as the electricity is
  administered.

Unlike Stephanie Plum in the Janet Evanovich novels, electrical weaponry no longer depends on batteries but is plugged into the wall to charge overnight like a phone.

Also, if you are looking for plot twists - some of the stun guns have a probe in the bottom that attaches to the lanyard around the wrist. If the attacker tries to take the weapon, as it is pulled away from the victim, the pin releases and the weapon is no longer operational. But some do not have this safety.

Electric weapons are effective on sub-creatures including Vampire, Werewolves, and Zombies - but do not have an effect on phantoms or ghosts.

Perhaps your heroine wants to be clever and arm herself with a camouflaged electric weapon - try these on and see if they serve:

       Cell Phone Stun Gun (1:48)

. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

      Lipstick Stun Gun (1:49) 

Electric weapon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tampon Taser (3:47) No, I'm not kidding

Telescopic stun baton (3:33) similar to asp    

Advanced M26 TASER Stun Pistol - The United States military version of commercial TASERs for non-lethal detainment. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

VIDEO QUICK STUDY

Video - Taser v. Knife (1:05)
The Taser Explained (7:05) Shows an experiment where a man was able to overcome the Taser showing
                                           that it is not fail safe.
Female review and demonstration of flashlight/stun gun (3:42)
Why a stun gun isn't fabo. (8:19) Excellent descriptions and explanations.

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Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.

Self-protection in Fiction - Carrying an ASP BATON - Information for Writers

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

DISCLAIMER - This is a non-political site that is geared to help writers write it right. I am presenting information to help develop fictional characters and fictional scenes. In no way am I advocating any position or personal decision.

This is an ASP BATON. In the top photograph you can see it in its compact  position. It has a padded handle that makes it easy to grip and comfortable in the hand.

The second photo is the baton when extended.

The type of character who might choose to carry an asp baton for self-defense might include:
*Martial Artists
* Police Officers
* Government law ex. ATF, FBI etc.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

* Military and ex-military
* Private Detectives
* Security Guards

Check out the state law where your character is supposed to live to find out about legality. California is a no-go. Because it is a weapon, even if your character has a concealed carry permit, in most states this must be unconcealed. The carrier of this weapon needs to be trained to be effective. Or not. I mean, if your character gets hold of an asp to "look cool," for example then the bad guy/gal could relieve them of their weapon and use it against them. Plot twist.                                                                

                                                                                                                  An asp baton has a little carry case that fits onto your belt loop. 

An asp baton is an excellent jogging weapon. Your character could have an asp baton in each hand. They are comfortable, and add a little arm weight.

And as she is running through the woods out jumps a werewolf, or a wild dog, or an  attacker. 

First the protagonist would take a defensive pose. This tells an attacker that she is not an easy target - that might be all the deterrent she needs. This also put her in position to open her weapon.

Weight is on the back non-dominant foot

Dominant foot is ready to kick, pivot, run

                                       

• Quick snap down. 
• The weapon extends and locks into place. 
• This gives shorter women a better ability to protect against long-armed tall men.

This is what they look like extended. They extend by gravity and lock in place with friction (yay, physics!) No buttons to push. It's a fairly straightforward  mechanism. If you want to add tension to the scene, the baton could get stuck. It's still a great weapon and can be used somewhat like a kubotan. See videos below for more closed baton tactical ideas.  

                           
                                      

•  45 degree foot position. 
• Weight distributed between legs, slightly more weight on the back leg. Ready for quick footwork (shuffling). 
• Load. Which means to put the weapon into striking stance. 
• These moves are FAST. You have moved from lifting the weapon to strike position in the blink of an eye - the heroine doesn't want to give her attacker the ability to size up the situation and come up with a plan.
• Disarm the attacker of their weapon and neutralize the attacker. Use the force necessary to stop the threat. 
• Use X swipes (see videos)

• Video 1 - ASP Collapsible baton. (13 min) Goes over all the info an author might need for descriptions. Includes a break down.
• Video 2 - What is a telescoping steel baton? (1:32 min)
• Video SET - These are 19 short videos (about 90 seconds each) showing the tactical use of closed and opened baton scenarios include knife fights, bat/stick attacks, grappling, front and back attacks. Excellent.

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Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.

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