Last month, I mentioned in an article, that there several ways that you can respond, when dealing with violence. In this article, I would like to elaborate on them, as there is often confusion within the martial arts and reality based self-defense communities, about what these responses are, and how they operate. When face with an aggressor(s) there are five ways you can respond: Reason Posturing Submission Fight Flight There is a sixth, involuntary response, which is, Freeze. However, this is an involuntary response, and is not a conscious response. Although, the Fight and Flight responses, can sometimes be involuntary, and initiated by our subconscious fear...
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When I talk about muggers and other financial predators, in our women's self-defense course, one of the locations for muggings that gets brought up is that of parking lots (along with Transit Stops these locations, seem a favored place for street robberies and the like). This article will focus on the types of crimes that makes parking lots a suitable location for a variety of predators to work in.
Predators will always go where...
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If we understand that every time we fight, we fight, we are fighting for survival, all options should be on the table - including the use of weapons (if we are not fighting for survival, then we have to question why we are fighting). If we also understand, that the types of individuals who are likely to be questioning our right to exist, will be carrying some form of weapon, it would be extremely naive of enter a conflict unarmed.
There may be a number of reasons why we choose not to carry a weapon; it could be...
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Our society is one where we want to be given the answers, rather than be taught to figure out the solution for ourselves. Personal safety is the same. People either want a list of rules to follow (which they'll conveniently ignore when they’re too inconvenient to follow) or will convince themselves that personal safety is nothing more than formalized common sense. There are five main reasons why following rules or relying on common sense are not reliable methods to keep us safe. These are:
- Our rules are based on situations that aren't realistic
- Rules designed to work in one situation, can end... Read More
I first started working door/nightclub security when I was 18. I was a student, and a guy at the Judo club I used to train at got me the job. I'd never thought about doing security work before but the need for money - and it was paid in cash - convinced me that this was an "easy" job to do that didn't conflict with my university/course work. My first job was at a club called the Golden Monkey, which was burnt down (arson) a few years after I started...
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