5,341,000 VIOLENT CRIMES COMMITTED IN THE USA LAST YEAR

You do not need to be strong, brave or male to be able to defend yourself. Awareness, confidence, verbal skills and physical self-defense techniques are skills we can all learn. There is a lot more to it than just physically hitting someone in order to protect yourself. Let’s look at the big picture…

It is safe to say that there are a lot of uncertainties in life; self-defense is one of life’s uncertainties.  To spend some time or a lifetime studying all the aspects of self-defense will not guarantee a successful outcome if confronted by an attacker. There are no guarantees!  However, every little bit counts and will give you the options you need, that could one day save your life.

Most people think of self-defense as physically hitting someone in order to stop that someone from hurting them. There is a lot more to it than that.  Awareness gives you options. How you look and feel makes you look confident. What you say and how you say it, gives you strength. Physical techniques are for when all else fails.

There is a lot you can learn about awareness. It is your first line of defense, which makes it VERY important. Your awareness will keep you a safe distance from most dangerous situations… it has so far!  Most people don’t take the time to learn about self-defense and the role awareness plays in it. Why? Because when you use awareness skills, you never really know what could have happened if you did not use them.

A simple example: As you are walking along, you look ahead and see some people who give you an uneasy feeling inside. This uneasy feeling is your survival instincts saying “bad news ahead, avoid it!” So you listen and avoid those people (cross the road, go back the way you came or change your route).  What would have happened if you did not listen to your survival instincts? The answer is,“You will never really know!”  Awareness is having or showing realization, perception, or knowledge. Key in to your instincts and be aware!

To have options that you can use when confronted by an attacker, you need knowledge and a few strategies for putting your options into practice. Pick the right options for a given situation and have a pre-planned strategy for each option, and you stand a good chance of getting out of the confrontation safely.

Attackers use their basic animal instincts to find and attack people who look and feel weak. Why? Because they stand out as easy prey!  How you look and feel will increase or decrease your chances of being attacked.  That confidence may keep you from being a victim in the first place.

People who are attacked, are often attacked by people they know. You have probably heard the saying: “first impressions last.” The first impression you make on someone may determine whether or not he or she attacks you.  What you say when you talk to people, and how you say it, will result in you being categorized by the people you talk to. You will be seen as someone to respect – strong. Or you will be seen as someone who can be dominated – weak.

Physical self-defense techniques are what most people understand self-defense to be, and that is all. As discussed, there IS a lot more to it than just physically hitting someone in order to protect yourself.  Physical self-defense techniques should be low on your options list.

You should however, learn as many strike techniques as you can. Strikes to the feet, knees, groin and strikes to the head. Learn some techniques for standing, sitting and lying down positions. Also learn techniques to use on someone who is behind you. The simple techniques are the best with the goal to get out of a bad situation quickly.

As you have learned, self-defense is more than just knowing how to hit someone. Awareness plays an important role and it is something that anyone can learn more about, and use. A look of confidence and the way you talk to people will cause a potential attacker to look elsewhere. A variety of physical self-defense techniques, although low on your options list, should be learned.Remember… be aware, use intuition and project confidence!