The National Organization for Women (NOW) reports that women between the ages of 16 and 24 are at the greatest risk of violence, and suffer from the highest rates of rape and physical abuse. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that as many as one in five women will experience rape, sexual assault, or attempted rape during their college years, and as many as two in four women will suffer from some form of physical abuse during their college years. For this reason it has become essential for young women to prepare themselves to handle physical encounters. This article offers an outline for a set of essential self-defense skills all women should possess for handling one of the most common forms of physical violence women face.