PREVENTATIVE SELF-DEFENSE

 by Phillip Starr

Effective self-defense, per se, actually (should) occurs BEFORE there is a need for violent action or reaction. This is the best form of self-defense; violence is avoided and you can save two lives...the (potential) opponent's, and yours.

Quite some time ago, the FBI interviewed a large number of prison inmates who had been involved in mugging and similar crimes. They asked these predators how they selected their victims and almost all of them said they preferred victims who weren't very aware of their surroundings and those who seemed distracted. Situational awareness is the key to preventative self-defense; avoiding an attack before it occurs.

• For instance, when you walk up to your car in the parking lot, do you glance into the back seat BEFORE you get in? It's a good habit to develop.

• When you are walking through the mall, the parking lot, or anywhere else, do you have your iphone plastered to your nose? Many people do; they walk around while looking at their phones and they're totally unaware of what's happening around them.

• When you're walking down the block (especially at night) do you walk right next to the buildings or do you keep some space between you and the various stores and shops? When you come to a corner, do you walk out a little wide so that you can see around it more easily or do you stick close to the building and make yourself an easy target? Master Jigaro Kano (founder of judo) was known to walk out a little wide when approaching corners so that he could see if anyone was waiting for an unsuspecting victim.

  

Here are some other ideas that the inmates provided:

• A thug prefers easy prey. They don't want to deal with someone who'll fight back. If nothing else, it makes a lot of noise and fuss and attracts attention. They don't want a lot of witnesses or anyone calling the police, and they can't afford to get involved in a time-consuming affair. The longer they have to deal with their prey, the higher the odds of being seen or outright caught in the act. They want a mark that can be handled quickly and easily, with a minimum of ruckus. People who seemed distracted or who appeared to have no idea where they were going were to be seen as easy marks.

• Women who were digging through their purses – especially in parking lots – were distracted and regarded as easy prey.

• Women wearing fairly high heels could be overwhelmed easily because their footwear prevented them from running or putting up much of a fight.

  

And as a final note, remember that there's no shame in running away from a violent confrontation unless you are obligated to protect your family or other loved ones. It's the most effective self-defense technique.