New Verbal Self-defense Book Teaches Teen Girls to Protect Themselves [Holiday Gift]

    SAN FRANCISCO, CA, September 05, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- 1 in 4 Girls experience teen dating violence.

55 Colleges are under investigation for improperly handling sexual harassment incidents.

Young women are in danger -- but there's hope.

A new verbal self-defense book teaches teen girls to protect themselves [Holiday Gift].

"I'll never forget how I felt after my first Aikido class," says Susan Harrow.

"My body was pushed to the limit -- and so was my mind. All of my weaknesses were exposed. I realized just how vulnerable I really was. How easy it would be for a big guy -- or even a small guy -- to overpower me if he wanted to."

Aikido is an ancient Japanese martial art focused on love and harmony with a simple philosophy: defend yourself from harm, while also protecting your attacker from unnecessary injury.

"Aikido made sense to me the moment I was on the mat," says Harrow. "And all I could think was, I wish I'd had these skills when I was a girl."

But when it comes to keeping girls safe, physical self-defense isn't enough.

"Most programs focus MAINLY on physical self-defense. But verbal self-defense is just as important. Learning how to say NO. Learning how to diffuse conflict. Learning how to end a conversation and walk away. Verbal self-defense is often what's missing, for girls. And it's problem that we can correct."

As a media trainer and martial artist, Harrow knows the power of a well-chosen word - and a well placed strike. And in her new self-defense handbook for teens, Girl On Fire: A Teen Girl's Guide to Surviving Real Life, she shares communication techniques that girls can use in 10 of life's trickiest scenarios. ($9.95 PDF download).

"My motto is, Speak your mind. Hold your ground. Sing your song. These techniques are inspired by Aikido philosophy, but grounded in everyday reality. A girl might not be able to perform Kotegaeshi on a school bus, but she can learn how to slam her book shut and move to another seat, if she's being harassed by a bully. Same principle. Different power-move."

3 power-moves from the book Girl On Fire

1. The stop-sign NO.

"If you're being harassed or groped by a creepy guy, put your hand in a stop-sign position, directly out in front of you," says Harrow. "Simultaneously, in a loud voice, say 'do NOT touch me.'"

"Then immediately move to a safer location. Most bullies will be stunned, and leave you alone. At least, long enough to get away."

2. The book-slam.

"If someone is bothering you on a bus, or while you're reading a book at school, do not engage them in a conversation. Slam your book shut and move to another seat, far away," says Harrow.

"Do not chat. Do not apologize. Just leave the situation. Bullies want to rattle you, to stir your emotions. If you refuse to engage, the game is over."

3. The non-negotiable.

"If someone is pressuring you to take drugs, have sex, or do anything you don't feel comfortable with, start by saying 'no' in a clear, strong tone," says Harrow. "If they push back, look them straight in the eye and say...nothing. 'No' is the end the conversation, not the beginning of a negotiation."

"With my new book, Girl On Fire, I'm keen to teach teen girls that 'no' is a complete sentence, and that verbal self-defense -- combined with physical self-defense -- is what will keep you safe and strong. Not just in high school and college. But for life."

Susan Harrow is passionate about helping women and girls to speak their mind, hold their ground, and sing their song.

She's been featured, quoted or profiled in: The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, The Christian Science Monitor, Inc.com, CNN, Advertising Age, Woman's Day, Ladies' Home Journal, Women's Wear Daily, Entrepreneur, Salon Magazine, Pink, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Orlando Sentinel, and Investor's Business Daily, and on CNBC, NPR, national / syndicated TV and radio.

Susan is the creator of the acclaimed communications training program, Your Signature Sound Bites and the bestselling book Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul. Her latest offering is the physical and verbal self-defense guidebook for teens, Girl On Fire.

To read: 10 embarrassing, extraordinary and true things about Susan that might make your jaw drop, for more information, or to book an interview, please contact Susan at 888.839.4190 or [email protected].

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