…..So you are out and about managing your daily activities and you exit an office building head to your car thinking about the task you just completed and next thing you know there is someone grabbing you from behind and you are in a fight for your life.
…..The sad thing is that this does happen. Maybe not with the exact elements I have described above but people are surprised and then attacked in our world regularly. How to prevent this? Ah that is the trick or skill that everyone needs. First thing when out and about we need to always be looking and recognizing people. That means we cannot day dream as we walk around. Instead our head should be up and we should be scanning the area and recognizing where people are and their potential danger to us. So in this stage we need to be aware of what is going on around us! Now if we find ourselves in a place that is more dangerous ie. certain neighborhoods, or it is dark, a bar (drunken idiots), Going to our car in a poorly lit parking lot, etc. This is a time when we have to be on an absolute alert level. Not just aware of what is going on around us but also alert and ready to run or engage if necessary. This alert level is hard to maintain all the time so you need to know when to turn it on to its highest potential. Another important point is simply recognizing your gut feeling. If some thing does not feel right it probably is not right. In this I mean say you are dating some one for the first time and well things do not feel right. Trust your instincts and get out of there. If you come home and it does not feel right then do not enter the home. Our instincts pick up things where the breakdown can occur is that we can tend to ignore them. Do not ignore your instincts!
…..Now recognizing behavior before a conflict begins. In physical conflict between two males or females irregardless of the species they can and will some times give off some certain clues that violence is about to happen. This can include verbalizing what they intend to do or not verbalizing but looking down, away before they sucker punch you. From the video from the previous post you saw the knife wielding attacker reach behind his back. This is a very important clue in what could happen. Typically this can be a movement to grab some sort of tool for an advantage. We are all also aware of the stare down. Some times a person will stare at some one else as they visualize the violence they intend to occur. This staring can be picked up by our instincts. I cannot count the number of times I have been some place and turned and looked and there was some one looking at me. My instincts picked this up. Now staring itself is not always a precursor to violence but in the right place and at the right time it can be. So you have to acknowledge it. When I catch some one staring at me I look back at them and they in turn understand that I saw them. Predators may pass you buy then because they understand that you saw them and acknowledged them. This means you may not be easy prey! There are many more instances where some thing can be a precursor to violence. People being in the wrong place where they simply should not be. Or two guys at a bar yelling at each other. etc. etc. etc. The list can go on and on. Need less to say in the world of personal protection it is important to be able to recognize when violence can occur. So always try to be aware of your surrounds and really alert if needed and most importantly trust your instincts!
Good Luck and Be Safe!
copyright Instinctive Response Training LLC 2008
Brian R. VanCise
Note: This Blog is opinion only and Instinctive Response Training LLC nor Brian R. VanCise is responsible for any third party actions taken.
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