ALBANY, N.Y.--Albany police are still on the lookout for whoever assaulted two women over the weekend, within an hour of each other early Sunday morning .
The first assault was near the intersection of Hamilton and Quail streets, when police say a man put his hand up a woman's skirt, then took off.
The second assault happened in Washington Park, when police say a woman was pushed to the ground from behind and raped.
Police say both victims' description of their attackers is similar, but it's too early to say if they are related just yet.
But to make sure the assault that happened here in Washington Park doesn't happen again, there are some very important self-defense skills women can learn, to turn the tables on their attacker in just seconds.
"You're going to fight for your life," says one instructor at the Modern Self-Defense Academy, on Central Avenue in Albany.
"We will do groin kicks, we do that, but I just need to get past the mentality that that's the answer to all of this, because it's not," says John Borter, the senior instructor and owner of the academy.
Borter says he provides people with skills that go beyond what people generally think of when it comes to fighting off an attacker.
He says when someone attacks you, you tend to become physically exhausted very easily, and mentally worn out, just from the shock alone.
"So part of the drills that we do here, is we do a lot of real strenuous and mental exercises, because if you can't do it under those conditions, you're not going to do it under perfect conditions."
Borter says there is no time to think when you have to defend yourself without warning, especially if the attacker has you pinned to the ground. He says all the more reason why simple, quick moves should be practiced.
"It's not about strength, it's about balance," says Borter.
"Having someone on top of you, and being able to get out of that situation without panicking, that's a biggie," adds Amy Halvorsen of Schenectady.
Halvorsen is one of the women who took a self-defense class for the first time.
She says she already feels more confident in protecting herself.
"It's very simple to get, it's not something you have to think about," she says.
"We're trying to teach real self-defense skills, not fancy moves, fancy patterns or that kind of a thing," adds Borter.
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