Victims No More : Self-defense instructor Hilda Weiss teaches people of all ages to avoid dangerous situations, repel unwanted attentions and fend off an attack.

What would you do if an older man--your father’s boss, say--touched you in a way that you didn’t like? What if he hugged or pinched you or tried to kiss you?

These questions were posed to a dozen or so 8- and 9-year-old Girl Scouts gathered at Topanga Elementary School on a cold and rainy afternoon.

“Eeeee yew!” screams one Scout. “Get away from me, old man!”

“I would say, ‘Go away. And don’t do that again,’ ” another girl says.

“I would punch him in the face,” says a third youngster. “I would bite him in the arm.”

Hilda Weiss, a self-confidence and self-defense instructor, leads the discussion. By the time the hourlong meeting is over, the children will know what to say to an overly affectionate acquaintance, how to prevent scary situations with strangers and what to do if they feel unsafe.

Since 1975, Weiss, 44, has brought her message to hundreds of children, teen-agers and adults through courses--many of them free--taught in conjunction with the Los Angeles Police Department, Neighborhood Watch programs, Learning Tree University in Chatsworth and Creative Projects, a nonprofit educational organization in Calabasas. At shopping malls, in churches and in front of classrooms, she teaches kindergartners how to escape from a would-be kidnaper, shows teen-agers how to stop a date’s advances and demonstrates how women and men of all sizes and ages can fight off an attacker.

At 5 feet 4 inches and 126 pounds, Weiss does not look terribly formidable. But watch out. She holds a black belt in karate, and she and her husband co-own a karate school in Canoga Park.

However, Weiss spends relatively little time talking about how to land devastating chops and blows. She prefers to focus on stopping confrontations from occurring in the first place.

“The best way to win a fight is to avoid it before it starts,” she explains. “I teach self-defense skills that will stay with my students when they are 90 years old.”

Most of the adults enrolled in Weiss’ self-defense classes worry about the escalating crime in the Valley. Her students include women--a few of whom have been attacked--who are terrified to shop, drive or walk alone, and a handful of brawny men who feel increasingly threatened by aggressive panhandlers and local gang members.

“Don’t expect to get attacked,” Weiss tells her students. “Expect that you will come through with success. Focus on preventing problems and avoiding danger.”

Notwithstanding the positive thinking and defense actions, however, Weiss teaches her students to use physical force if an attack is imminent. “If you can’t escape, fight,” she says. “Don’t waste your time blocking. Counterattack. Hit first; then run.”

She demonstrates how to kick an assailant in the groin, smash the bridge of his nose, aim for his eyes with all five fingers shaped like a claw, grab and twist his pinky finger and stomp on his feet.

But teen-agers and children, who are likely to receive unwanted attention from a date or an adult acquaintance, may not be ready or able to kick the harasser in the groin or stab him in the eyes. They just want him to back off.

The group talks about what it means to stand up for oneself. Together they practice shouting “Stop!” and “No!” The girls learn how to untangle themselves from unwelcome embraces. Weiss demonstrates how body language conveys messages, and the children rehearse walking with a sure, confident gait.

“These simple techniques--how to walk, how to talk, how to carry themselves, how to react if a man is persistent--are excellent confidence builders,” says troop leader Shelley Coulson. “I learned just as much as the girls learned.”

“A strong belief in yourself is my main theme, my central message,” Weiss says. “You need to start from a really strong sense of self-respect.”

Self-Defense Classes

* “Standing Up for Yourself,” for preteen and teen-age girls, a three-week course from 3:30-5:15 p.m. Fridays, will be offered through Creative Projects beginning Feb. 26. Cost is $39. Call (818) 876-0714 for information and class location.

* Free rape-prevention seminars will be offered for women from 7-9 p.m. March 9 and 10 at Learning Tree University, Chatsworth.

Free kidnap-prevention classes for children will be offered 7-9 p.m. March 12 at Learning Tree University in Chatsworth.

Self-defense classes for adults begin Wednesday and March 24 at Learning Tree University. Cost is $65. For information on Learning Tree classes, call (818) 882-5599.

* For information on Hilda Weiss courses in self-defense and self-confidence, call (310) 455-2268.