Be Aware of your Surroundings
Always know where you are and what is going on around you. Many assaults are successful because the victim is in the wrong place at the wrong time and fails to see the impending warning signs of attack.
Don’t be an easy victim
Attacker’s look for body communications that convey passivity, weakness, and fear. Keep your head up and stand up straight and tall. If in unfamiliar territory, look like you know where you are and where you are going. If you feel threatened, look the person in the eye. This can be enough for the potential attacker to leave you alone.
Try to talk your way out of the situation
Many threats can be neutralized with good verbal skills. Be aware of the verbal and physical triggers that can allow you to be hooked into a situation that you might otherwise avoid. Knee jerk responses get people into trouble every day. Avoid particular words or gestures that can accelerate a situation into road rage or confrontation.
If the attacker has a weapon and wants to rob you, comply
In most armed assaults the weapon is used to intimidate the victim into compliance and not necessarily to cause physical harm. You can replace material possessions but you cannot replace your life.
Keep your self-defense techniques simple
Complicated fine motor skills are quick to go under duress, so avoid fancy defensive maneuvers. Studies have shown that a maximum of five techniques is all that one can employ when highly adrenalized. Most street fighters will only use 2-3 techniques to win their fight. Incorporate scenario based training to simulate various real-life encounters while practicing simple techniques.
Never allow yourself to be taken to a secondary location
Over 90% of victims who are taken to a secondary crime scene are never heard from again.
Experts agree that the number one factor is surviving a real-life encounter is the ability to deal with the adrenaline and stress that arises.
These effects can be used as a benefit through proper practice and training. The simplest way to address this phenomenon and to reduce its debilitating effects is by breathing deep and staying as calm as possible. This will help minimize knee jerk responses and free up the mind to find a creative and effective response to the threat.
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