What should you do if a mugger comes after you?
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- There are more than 250,000 purse snatchings in the United States each year.
Many of those victims fought back, but is it worth it to risk your life for what's in your purse?
Martial arts expert Ken Richstad owns a self-defense studio in downtown Raleigh.
Ladies, if you're attached to your purse and you've ever worried about a thief stealing it, Richstad says you should ask yourself an important question before you leave the house with it on your arm.
"First thing you want to think: Is my life worth whatever's in this bag," said Richstad.
Some women will say "no," but if the answer is, "yes," Richstad says you should be prepared to fight. He teaches Krav Maga, which is the Israeli military's fighting system. It's designed for people of all ages and fitness levels, and intended for self-defense in everyday scenarios like purse snatchings.
"Maybe somebody keeps grabbing the bag and I just can't get it off. I don't have a choice of letting it go, so now I have to [fight]," said Richstad. "If someone attacks you and you don't fight back, your chances of survival are zero."
Many purse snatching victims do, in fact, fight back. The crimes requiring self-defense run the gamut - everything from simple assaults to hold-ups - as addressed in Richstad's classes.
Fighting back usually involves stress, which is why a lot of the classes Richstad teaches are paired with calisthenics to mimic the exhausting feel of a real-life situation. In some cases, students are blinded folded, or have cold water thrown in their faces.
"You're immediately going to feel fatigued like you just ran a marathon. You're going to be shaky. Your vision's probably going to narrow.
Your decision making is really going to go down. It's going to be hard to make complex decisions," Richstad explained.
He says it can be tough to pinpoint exactly when you should fight back because each case is different, but adds if an attacker is trying to take you to a second location you're always better off fighting back.
"Even if you don't know how to hit somebody just make it up. Just go until he realizes, 'Oops this was a terrible idea," said Richstad.
