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Preparation
For dangerous situations...
You can prepare against different threats by practicing how to quickly reach the objects and how to use those effectively and safely...
Before using or even practicing these techniques, please read and understand my notice to avoid getting into legal difficulties.
Unfortunately during a confrontation situation your imagination will not usually be fast enough to invent weapons out of these objects, so planned objects should be carried. Always practice how to quickly and effectively use them.
The first idea to prevent confrontation is to avoid the places and situations where these can occur.
Here I'll give you a few very simple examples:
Be Aware: Awareness is one of the most important things in Self Defense. By being aware of your surroundings, many threats on the streets can be avoided.
- If you see or sense problems on your way, change route or go to the other side of the road and prepare to run or defend yourself.
- Never wear conspicuous jewelry when you are walking in the streets.
- Never hitchhike, use buses or taxis instead.
- Never act or look like an easy target.
- Most "fights" are won before they start, and aggressors will back down if you maintain eye contact and are not intimidated by them.
Using your environment: In survival confrontations everything at hand should be used including things that are around you, on or with you. Wherever you are everything has
the potential to be a weapon. A life threatening situation is a matter of survival and the person being attacked should aim to win by using anything that comes to hand.
There is only one rule if you are attacked. You must survive. You have to to do everything you can: Scream, scratch, bite (possibility you could be infected with HIV so use only, if there are no other possibilities), hit or kick, attack with a common
object, do all that is needed to end the threat or to have enough time to escape.
Objects you can use: Everything that surrounds you. Indoors for example: ashtrays, chairs, bottles, kitchen utensils, etc. can all be used as weapons. Outdoors for example, one can use sand,
stones, coins, etc. to throw. Bricks and wood can be used to strike with. An opponent can be thrown against sharp pointed gates, railings and walls, etc. You can even drive over your opponent. (One thief stole a car and drove over the owner so that she was not able to recognize him later).
- Stone-like objects (that you can hit with): Stones, sand, coins, iron balls.
- Objects you strike opponents with: Also stones, knives, pencils, iron sticks, crochet or knitting needles, etc. You can attack also by using your cellular phone like a stone.
- Sprays: Any aerosol can, hair spray, spray paint, pepper, tear gas etc.
Objects on you: Due to the awareness of violence, people take it upon themselves to carry illegal self-defense weapons. These weapons are usually quite obvious and even though they may successfully ward off attacks, they can bring a lot of legal difficulties for the user. Many very
effective, perfectly legal weapons which still produce the same results, may be carried instead.
At any one time people unconsciously carry many potential weapons. For example, belts may be used as a garrotte or a whip with the buckle, coins may be thrown into the face of an opponent to stun and blind him, clothes may be used to whip, ward off attacks, choke and obscure vision etc.
Most women carry handbags which can also be used to strike or strangle. In addition, these handbags contain an arsenal of potential, legal weapons ie: a lipstick case to poke into the eyes, a hair brush to scratch across the eyes, perfume to spray into the eyes etc.
People are often unaware of the potential legal weapons they are carrying. Unfortunately during a confrontation situation your imagination will not usually be fast enough to invent weapons out of these objects, so planned objects should be carried. Always practice how to quickly and effectively use them.
When choosing or planning how to use common objects, consider the following:
- All the different angles it may be held into a strike.
- All the different surfaces that can be used.
- All the different targets that it could strike.
Always practice: how to quickly and effectively use them. When you are in danger, do not hesitate to use them! Attack quickly, and if possible, vulnerable points by using a lot of power.
You may have only one possibility to defend yourself, do not lose it.
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Reprinted with permission from Caroline Young, a survivor dedicated to helping women to avoid and survive domestic violence. Visit her website http://www.safetyforwomen.com to learn Safety and Self Defense Tricks for Women; Free Download. A great resource! Information presented for educational purposes only.
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