Re: women's self-defense - A basic strategy in most any combat-like situation is to exploit the opponent's weaknesses and maximize your strengths. The opposite is also true - avoid the opponent's strengths and minimize the window to your own weaknesses. I think this is a very sound foundation for strategy. This is true for everyone, but especially so for female vs male conflicts since the differences between men and women (physically and psychologically) are often greater than in male vs male conflicts.
So here are some thoughts I have on this general topic...please accept these are generalizations. (Yes, there are men and women who are out of the norm and exceptional - like being the male 95 lb. weakling or Rhonda Rousey strong and skilled.)
The typical male is stronger and heavier than the typical female. So, to minimize the male's advantage in this area, it seems wise to avoid grappling. In light of this, I don't understand considering BJJ or judo as an ideal art for women's self-defense. Staying off the ground, to me, would be one of my primary goals against a bigger, stronger, attacker. A female on the ground is akin to being forced into a car - At these points, the probable results are grim, so should be avoided at any cost. I would suggest that a striking MA would be most effective. Subtle and nuanced arts take longer to master and are often indirect with less margin of error.
In battle, the solution to a weak force having to fight a superior force is hit and run, like guerrilla warfare or special forces. A sustained engagement is almost always in the superior force's favor. Such situations have caused the greatest losses to the SEALs and other light armed security forces (Panama, Ethiopia, Benghazi).
IMO, a female's best option is to strike fast to vulnerable, high value, targets, immediately follow-up with striking until the attacker is at least semi-disabled, and get the heck away ASAP. Unlike a gun, body mass targets are not ideal. I think good targets are finger joints, eyes, throat, nose, ears (a la Mike Tyson vs Norton), temple, knees and groin. Good attacks are grabbing and ripping or snapping, biting, elbows, stomping and well placed kicking.
Psychologically, a woman must be mentally prepared to be vicious in executing the above. This takes practice, just as in physical moves. A man's biggest weakness, I think, is overconfidence when approaching a women for attack and should be exploited. IMO, the woman should not raise a guard or attempt an attack until he is in striking distance. I would not tip him off, keep him off-guard for as long as possible and then viciously surprise attack, continuing until the chance to escape presents itself.
Naturally, all of these are last resort tactics. Avoidance and evasion should be the first choices whenever possible.
