With the way things are going lately, to say that learning self-defense skills is important is a gross understatement. After all, when worse comes to worst, and everyone is fighting over the last few untouched goods, it pays to know how to protect yourself and your supplies. (h/t to ReadyNutrition.com)

However, even if the world doesn’t crash and burn on an apocalyptic scale, it’s still a good idea to know a thing or two about defending oneself, especially with the rise in cases of violence against women throughout the US as well as the rest of the world. According to the United Nations Women (UN Women), up to 70 percent of women worldwide have experienced either physical and sexual violence at some point in their lives. On an even more grim note, the same UN report says 137 women across the world are killed by a member of their own family every day.

With this in mind, we prepared a list of some self-defense tips:

Learn a form of martial art

Martial arts are important not just because they teach people how to effectively fight with their bare hands, they also teach values such as discipline, as well as skills such as situational awareness. Taking up martial arts classes is also a good way to stay fit and burn calories. (Related: Fit and ready: Self-defense tips for preppers.)

Look at your area’s local listings and you may find a class at the local gym or even the local YMCA chapter.

Create a support group

One of the natural world’s rules is that there is safety in numbers. Link up with your friends and family, give constant updates regarding your location whenever you go out of town and have a list of emergency numbers you can easily contact on speed dial.

Get a weapon

While this may seem too extreme of an option, it actually isn’t. There’s an assortment of modern weapons, both lethal and non-lethal, that you can choose from on the market today.

Want something compact yet powerful? Get a pocket-sized taser or pepper spray. You can use these during encounters in cramped areas or in situations where you are in close proximity with an attacker.

Looking for something more long-range? Collapsible billy clubs can be easily tucked into your handbags and whipped out at surprising speeds.

In more dangerous situations, however, you might have to invest in more serious hardware to bring on your person, like knives and even guns.

For knives, you can get either s spring-loaded or a fixed-blade one. Either one works, although experts say folding spring-loaded knives may take a while to master effectively.

For guns, get one that’s most comfortable for you. After all, you’re the one who will be using it when SHTF or when someone foolishly decides to attack you or your family.

Be warned though: You have to be prepared to spend a significant amount of money if you want to get a weapon that’s of high quality. But don’t think of it as a bad thing — you’re investing in your safety after all.

Another thing you must keep in mind is that you have to make sure you get proper training, especially if you decide to get the more lethal hardware. After all, you want to be able to shoot and stab at your potential assailants and not unarmed civilians.

So, whether you’re preparing for an SHTF-scale event or you just want to protect yourself, proper self-defense knowledge is key — you’ll never know when it comes in handy.

Sources include:

ReadyNutrition.com

UNWomen.org