Self Defense Series #2 - Situational Awareness

 Situational Awareness - Are You Really Paying Attention?

Of the many topics discussed when it comes to self defense, this is one of the most commonly used, but rarely is it explained to the degree in which it becomes important to the reader!  Sure everyone says, "Pay attention to your surroundings!"  The problem is most people THINK they are! 

When I speak to most people in lectures or workshops on self defense, I ask them if they pay attention to the world around them.  Most people say yes, some laugh and admit that they are caught up in their own little world of texting and phone calls and work and kids and running errands.  But MOST people really believe that they are paying attention.

The problem is that  we are not paying attention.  We are on Auto-pilot for most of the day.  We get up and go through our morning routine without thinking of the specifics.  I brush my teeth on autopilot.  I even drive to work on autopilot.  How many people aren't paying any attention at all to the road when driving to work.  They take the same route everyday.  On days off, if my wife drives by our work, she automatically turns into our plaza, without thought.  Then realizing that's not where she was headed, turns around.  How many of you have seen people drive through a parking lot with a drink or box or purse still sitting on top of the car?  How many of you have walked out of a department store and thought "where did i park"  During all of those times, we are on autopilot!  NOT paying attention to our surroundings!  We all do it and we all do it at various times during the day.

Why is this such a bad thing?  Well, let's examine a military ambush.  Ambushes work!  They work for good guys and bad, they work for lions, kids and ex-boyfriends.  And they work for really bad guys like murderers and rapists and child abductors.  The key element in an ambush is time.  Time to recognize what is happening and make correct decisions on how to deal with it.  But ambushes are designed by their very nature to deprive you of that one critical element.  So how to we deal with ambush type attacks?  How to we prepare for someone "getting the drop on us" or catching you off guard?  Well, there are a few simple concepts that will help you prevent giving away the advantage of time.  The problem is that although they are easy to understand, they aren't easy to do.  They take constant practice to become natural and comfortable.  But if you practice these steps, you can take charge of your personal space and prevent the attack from occurring.

1.  Become a people watcher!  This may seem simple but it is a key element to predicting danger.  A lot of people tell me "I do watch people all the time"  Well, you can't just look at their terrible taste in clothing or notice their bad hair day.  You have to actually look at each person and evaluate their emotional and physical state!  You have to notice "gee, that guys looks pissed off!" or notice someone who's body language is different than everyone else in the group.  This type of profiling is used by all predators and prey.  It's how they tell one from another.   This is like the guy who can't see the forest for the trees!  You can't just look at the crowd.  You have to look at that as your baseline and then you will begin to notice the anolomlies within the group, those are the ones you watch out for, those that are just slightly different.  The ones were you intuition says "somethings not right about that guy."

2.  Don't look like a victim!  People say this all the time, but what does a victim look like?  let me tell ya, it looks like you!  If you are out, don't travel alone.  It's much harder to commit a crime when having to deal with more than one person.  If you are forced to be alone, walk with another group or beside them.  No matter how confident you act, when you are alone, you are vulnerable.  The average meth head only needs ten dollars to make his daily habit.  The average person he assaults and robs gives him 4-5 bucks.  so he has to rob 2 maybe three people a day to make his habit!!  He's a pro with a game plan and practice.  You alone are a victim with no time to react.

3.  Carry a weapon that you can use effectively!  Don't carry that crappy stick on a key chain!  Don't use your keys between your fingers!  Don't use those little stun guns that spark when you push the button.  If you can fight well enough to make those work, your a fighter!  Sure, with training those things could be useful weapons, but without training, less than useless! I say less than useless because what's worse than it not working is that you are counting on it to work.  Carry a real useable self defense weapon.  If it's legal for you, carry a gun, or a knife or pepper spray.  But make sure whatever it is, you train on it realistically using the weapon for self defense.  Whatever the weapon, make sure that when you are out that you not only have it on you, but that you can access it immediately!  Don't leave it in your car!  Don't keep it buried in your purse or deep in some jacket pocket somewhere.  Remember, ambushes steal time, so you won't have the time needed to hunt for it or try to lug it out of a pocket somewhere.  Carry it in your hand if the situation seems to warrant it!  Don't worry about other seeing it, they are on autopilot and even if they did, so what.  It's better to be safe than sorry (I didn't come up with that one, lol).

So as a brief recap:

1. Situational Awareness means not just seeing people but reading their emotional and physical state. Ambush types of attacks work - on everyone not paying attention!  Me, you, military groups, etc.  So pay attention.
2.  Don't look like a victim - to a desperate criminal any lone person where the bad guy has a few seconds to do his job, can become a victim, unless you follow #3.
3.  Carry a real weapon you can use all the time!  This allows for you to be prepared for when you missed #1.

There ya go, simple yes, easy no.  But in the real world of hard and painful consequences to ignoring or simply being oblivious to the real dangers, failure isn't much of an option.

Guro Harley