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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- The University of Colorado Colorado Springs Police Force holds a 4-week program called called "RAD". It stands for "Rape Aggresssion Defense."

They teach students how to avoid being a target, show them defense techniques and even let them practice attacking officers wearing padding.

The program is completely free to students, faculty, staff and their families.

They begin in a classroom, having a discussion about how to avoid being targeted and how to attract attention to yourself and your attacker.

Then comes the fun stuff.

An elbow hit to the face or knee to the you-know-what can keep aggressors on their toes.

Corporal Lisa Dipzinski said the goal isn't to teach fighting, but protection.

"You need to know what to do to survive," she said, "It's not about staying there and attacking, attacking, attacking... It's about getting away as soon as you can and then calling for help."

Their tactics, aren't always going to stop a situation, but Dipzinski said it's good to be prepared.

She said not many women are willing to hurt someone, or aren't confident enough in theirself or abilies to try to fight someone off when their welfare is at stake.

"They're looking for someone with weaknesses and who isn't confident and doesn't carry themself with confidence... and that can change. You can change that for yourself, and that's what we try to teach in this class."

Some tips she gave us:

Throw elbows. You can use power from your hips to drive your arms at the attacker's face, neck, and chest.

Our hand bones break fast, and so do elbows, so be sure to hit them using the front of your forearm.

Use your hand as a hammer.

Make a fist, and hit them on the clavicle, face... just about anywhere with the small side of your fist, coming down on them with a hammer-like motion.

Finally... a kick to the hip.

You can throw them off balance and get away by kicking your attacker's hip flexors. They'll either fall down or be shifted away from you. This allows you to hit them harder in the face and get away quickly.

If this seems like a lot of fight for you, remember that you won't be perfect your first time.

That's why practice is important.

It's also important to note that fighting shouldn't come first.

Usually yelling or drawing attention to an attacker will make them back off.

But if you do need to defend yourself, give it 100-percent and try to run to a safe or crowded place.