Another thing to remember (hat tip to my sensei) and especially to the women that might be depending on the groin kick:
More than once! Continue to kick the groin until the attacker is incapacitated; when he throws-up, kick him again!
Women should not plan to defend themselves against a guy by kicking him in the groin. Any guy learns early to protect his groin. I would assume rapists are especially practiced.
The big problem is the very idea of “self-defense.” Women tend to think of this as resisting whatever the attacker is trying to do. Pulling away from a larger, stronger person just doesn’t work. All it does it exhaust you while probably turning him on.
However, a smaller, weaker person can do a lot of damage if focused on throat, eyes, nose, groin, etc. Effectively attacking these requires getting in close. IOW, attacking rather than resisting. All out vicious attack by a smaller, weaker person may take the guy down. A small concealed weapon such as a screwdriver, pen, etc. can be a huge help. A pencil 4” into an eyeball will take just about anybody out of the fight.
Surprise is the key. If he knows you have a weapon of some type, he’ll likely take it away from you. Don’t let him know until he feels the point entering his eye.
He expects resistance, he doesn’t expect a counter-attack. Feigning terror and submission is an excellent tactic. It flatters his ego and encourages him to under-estimate the opposition, the most effective way ever discovered of losing a fight.