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Take charge of your personal defense, YOU are responsible for your own safety, not the state or federal government, military, police, or firefighters, but YOU.   No matter your age, physical condition or limitation, you can all improve your defensive abilities.  Be one of the “good guys”, follow the rules and be responsible.

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Preparing your body for personal defense

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Mindset;Train harder than those who would wish to harm you and your loved ones, do it so the “bad guy” doesn’t win.

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1.)    Cardio training; make walking, jogging, biking, swimming, aerobics a part of your life; it must be a commitment to yourself.  This will help you fight long enough to get out of a bad situation and survive. 

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2.)    Strength training; everyone can all become stronger.  You don’t need a gym membership or weights, push-ups, sit-ups, squats, lunges and pull-ups will accomplish everything you need to accomplish.  This will help you come out on top if attacked.

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3.)    Stretching; remain flexible it will help you avoid injury during an assault.

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4.)    Join a SELF DEFENSE program; find a self defense program whose primary focus is on self defense, not on colored belts, fancy kata or sport.  Krav Maga and Jujutsu are good examples of solid self defense systems.   Any martial art can be taught as a self defense, remember; find one whose PRIMARY focus is your self-defense.  Either way, find what is right for you.

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Preparing your mind for personal defense 

 

Mindset;

You are not a victim; no one has the right to hurt you or your loved ones.  You will fight with everything you have at your disposal to protect the lives of yourself and those you love.  There are no rules when you are fighting for your life and you will do what you must do to survive against an assault.

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1.)    Develop confidence in your abilities to defend yourself through training.

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2.)    Think of different situations you or your loved ones could be faced with and develop a plan for each scenario, do this so you have a greater chance of being able to think if it happens.  Understand that it CAN happen to you.  Always prepare for the worst but hope for the best.

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3.)    Be responsible for the safety of you and your loved ones.  Tell yourself that if you are attacked, you will fight with everything you have to survive, that you will stop at nothing to defend the lives of yourself and your loved ones.

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4.)    Don’t go dangerous places with ignorant people; There are those in our society that are really good at finding trouble, this is ignorant; do not associate with it, PERIOD.

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5.)    Follow your gut instincts, they are there for a reason and are telling you something, learn to listen.  If it seems like a bad situation, then more than likely it is a bad situation.  If you get a weird feeling about someone, listen to it, you are feeling that way for a reason.

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It starts at home

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Secure your home, it is your castle after all, make it safe and defensible.  No one should be in your home unless they are there because you invited them, it’s an emergency, they are putting out a fire or they live there.  There are many simple things that you can do to make your home secure without spending a lot of money.  Make it as hard as possible for an unauthorized person to gain access to your home.  Being prepared is the best insurance policy on the market. 

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1.) Have a plan and share the plan, and practice the plan with all those living with you. 

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2.) Keep your outside lights and security motion lights in working order.  Would be criminals are lazy but are not stupid.  They are less apt to break into a home that is well lit simply because it increases their risk of getting caught.

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3.) Keep your doors and windows locked.  Put 1inch diameter dowel rods in window and sliding patio door frames to prevent them from being slid open if the lock fails.

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4.) Keep old cell phones in bathrooms on chargers ready to go.  Even if the cell phone is not connected to a service plan it will always call and connect to 911.  Put the phones places where you could be surprised or where you can secure yourself and loved ones.

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5.) If someone knocks on your door, make them identify themselves with positive photo ID, if you do not know them do not let them in.  Verify the information given to you, if they say they are with the local electric company and you didn’t call them, contact the company.  This may sound over the top for some but there have been documented cases of home invaders posing as police officers or employees of the electric company or a delivery service.  If you do let someone in your house, keep a close eye on them and do not leave them alone.

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6.) Get a home security system, if you can’t afford a home security system then find a sign that says you have one and post it in your yard.

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7.)  If you can afford it, put security cameras on the outside of your home, they are pretty obvious and would be criminals will be deterred. 

Today’s technology allows us to connect security feed straight to our smart phones and computers.

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8.) Trim large shrubs, trees and bushes away from your home, make it difficult for anyone to hide out in your yard without you noticing. 

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9.) Get a dog that barks; it doesn’t have to be a big dog, just one that will make a lot of noise.

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10.) Sleep with your car keys near you.  Push the panic button if you are in trouble, the sound can be an excellent deterrent.

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11.) Do not leave tools and ladders, or the like, out in your yard or unsecure, these items can be used to gain entry to your home.

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12.) Do not leave empty boxes of expensive items that you have purchased outside or in plain view, this draws attention and advertises to undesirables that you have some cool things inside your home.

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13.) Put your ATV’s, tractors, boats and toys in the garage, do not advertise that you have extra money for fun, it begs them to break in.

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14.) Keep your home and yard organized so you are more likely to notice anything out of the ordinary or out of place.

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Weapons in the home 

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Mindset; Do not stop fighting until the attack as stopped and the attacker is no longer a threat to your life.

When discussing weapons in the home everyone’s mind goes to firearms.  Even though firearms are the most effective of force multipliers when dealing with a criminal who has intention of inflicting grievous bodily harm against you and your loved ones, they are not necessarily for everyone.  Firearms can be cost prohibitive and in densely populated areas cause its owner to have fear of hurting someone unintentionally.  When we speak of weapons we need to speak of legality and your responsibilities.  Even if someone met all the criteria of justifiably ending up on the wrong side of deadly force you are still responsible for your actions if the outcome is favorable or unfavorable to you and you could still be held criminally or civilly responsible.  Do not forget that even if you are justified in taking a human life you still have to live with the fact that you took a human life, this is something not to be taken lightly.  Take a basic first-aid course and have first-aid supplies available, learn to suture a wound and learn to save a life.  During your life you will have more opportunities to save lives then you will ever have to take them and that is a great thing.  If you take the step to have weapons in your home make sure you train and take all necessary safety measures to ensure they do not hurt anyone unintended.  With any weapon, it can be taken away from you and used with the same deadly results upon you or your loved ones.    

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Firearm Safety Rules; 

1.)    Always consider that guns are ALWAYS loaded without exception.  Even if the weapon is in pieces. 

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2.)    Your finger remains off the trigger until you are ready to fire the weapon. 

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3.)    Do not point a weapon at anything or anyone that you are not willing to destroy or pay for.  You are responsible.

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4.)    Know your target and what is around and behind it.

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You are welcome to add more rules; you can never be too safe around firearms. 

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Definitions;

“These definitions are general and may or may not be a “LEGAL” definition by your state legal code”

Deadly Force; An amount of force that is likely to cause either serious bodily injury or death to another person.

Justifiable Deadly Force; Force justified when no other action will succeed in stopping someone from inflicting death or serious bodily harm upon you or your loved ones.

Non Lethal Force; Non-lethal weapons, also called less-lethal weapons, less-than-lethal weapons, non-deadly weapons, compliance weapons, or pain-inducing weapons are weapons intended to be less likely to kill a living target than are conventional weapons.

Force Multiplier; A force multiplier refers to a factor that dramatically increases (hence “multiplies”) the effectiveness of an item, individual or group.  These could be any form of equipment, effective training, item or weapon.

The above definitions are not to be construed as legal advice nor are they to be relied on to make potentially life changing decisions.  No one can tell you when your life is in danger or when it isn’t, you are responsible to make that decision.

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Examples of Less-lethal weapons for the home;

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1.)    Wasp Spray; it’s cheaper than pepper spray and will achieve the desired effect.  It will stream up to 20ft away and is poisonous; it will cause burning and severe pain.  Spray the attacker in the face.  Use this opportunity to get away from your attacker and call the police or get them out of your home.

 

2.)    T-ball bat; These are cheap, small and fast and when used to strike a attacker at 90degree angles across head, arms and legs they are highly effective.  Do not stop striking until the attack is over or the attacker has stopped.

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Examples of Lethal Force Weapons;

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1.)    Machete; Use 90degree angle attacks.  This is an imposing weapon and will generally make someone think twice about cornering you.

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2.)    Pistols; bullets will cause massive external and internal damage, severing veins, arteries, connective tissue, organs and shattering bones.  Bullets could leave the body and go through walls or strike innocent bystanders or even loved ones; training is of the utmost importance.  Aiming should be focused on the sunglasses area of the head, center mass over the heart, and the groin area between the hips.

 

3.)    Shotguns; many varieties of ammunition is available making this weapon a multi use tool but we must never forget that a firearms purpose is to kill and that must be respected at all times.  Pellets from a shotgun will cause massive external and internal damage, severing veins, arteries, connective tissue, organs and shattering bones.  Depending on the ammunition being used you can minimize the odds of fragments penetrating walls and causing an unintended victim. Training is of the utmost importance.

 

4.)    Rifles; bullets will cause massive external and internal damage, severing veins, arteries, connective tissue, organs and shattering bones.  Bullets could leave the body and go through walls or strike innocent bystanders or even loved ones; training is of the utmost importance.  Aiming should be focused on the sunglasses area of the head, center mass over the heart, and the groin area between the hips.

“Be sure to check local laws/regulations in your area”

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Reclaiming your safety;

Mindset;It is always better to get your family to safety and call the police.  Make that your first line of defense; they get paid to handle criminals.  Do not be a hero. If you cannot do this and you have no choice but to face the intruder then apply the following; it’s your home; you know it inside and out, use it to your advantage and capitalize on the intruder’s ignorance.  You will fight until the threat is no longer and you can get you and your family to safety.  That may just mean fighting to the door to get everyone out or if you are cornered then it means to fight until the attack has stopped.  Only use force when you have no other choice.  Fights are unpredictable; possessions and things are not worth being injured or killed over.  Let the intruder have everything but your life or the life of a loved one.

1.)    Have a plan and practice it; I will say this over and over again because, as simple as it sounds, many people have no idea what they will do in an emergency situation only because they do not plan.

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2.)    If you have your car keys, hit your panic button, the sound of the alarm will run off all but the most dedicated intruder.

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3.)    If you have chosen to have a weapon or weapons in the house, have them loaded and ready to go, in the event of an emergency you do not have time to play with a safe or load a weapon.  When the adrenaline is pumping I have seen men not able to dial a phone.  Be ready be safe.

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4.)    Call 911 as soon as you know you have an intruder.  Make sure you describe yourself and family members in detail, if you are armed, tell them.  Also, give them any information that may help them and stay on the phone.

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5.)    Slice the pie; do not go headlong into rooms without gaining depth and perspective.  Gain as much intelligence on the room that you can before entering.  If you have to enter blindly, do it with authority and mean business.

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6.)    Get yourself and your family to a secure place and call the police, your safe room should be a predetermined location but circumstances could dictate a change.  While you are waiting for the authorities to arrive you need to hold your position.

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7.)    If facing the possibility of gunfire, have the members in your safe room lay low to the ground and avoid being directly in front of the entrance to the room.

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8.)    If you can’t get a secure place in the home, get out of the home and contact the police.  Do not reenter the home until it has been cleared.

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Personal Street Defense

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Welcome to the Jungle

In the jungle there are predators that will wait for the sick, weak, naive, young and those with poor judgment, to leave the safety of their numbers then attack and kill them.  The predator in the jungle does this to survive, to eat, to feed its young so that its genetics may carry on.  In order to survive some animals have adapted to the law of the jungle by developing camouflage, spots on their backs to make them appear to be facing a predator.  Venom, claws, rows of teeth, spines and needles, strong fast legs to run and generally nasty attitudes keep the predators from wiping the “prey” off the planet.  This is why predators normally will not attack other healthy, alert animals, it’s risky, they could be injured and in the jungle, injury means death.

Here in society, it is a jungle in many ways.  We don’t have to hide every night worrying if we are going to be eaten but we still need to be aware because predators are among us.  In the animal jungle predators are easily identified.  In our jungle the predators look exactly like you and I and are harder to identify.  So, the “prey” of jungle have taught us some lessons; firstly, don’t be seen or labeled as prey, secondly; we must develop the same claws, venom, teeth and so on to not become a headline that no one will remember in a week, except by those whose lives have been shattered. The odds are the vast majority of us will wake up, go about our days and never have a problem.  What I have learned about odds is that you don’t pay much attention to them when your number is up and you find yourself fighting for your life.

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Mindset; I am not a soft target.  I am dangerous to those who would attempt to take my life or the life of a loved one.  An attack on my person or those I hold dear will result in an instant and unrelenting defensive attack.  Hold your head high and walk with confidence and purpose.  You are not prey.

Rules of the fight;

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Rule #1: Give up all but your life or the life of a loved one.  Possessions are not worth dying over, they can be replaced.

Rule #2: Never stop fighting until the attack is over.  The attacker should end up worse than you; after all, you were ready.   

Common Sense Tactics;

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1.)    Have a plan.

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2.)    Listen to your gut instincts.

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3.)    Common sense, use it, it’s free but rare.

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4.)    Walk with authority and purpose, keep respectful eye contact and greet those near you, never show fear, those that prey upon it are bloodhounds when it comes to finding it.

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5.)    Don’t take short cuts; stay on the well beaten path; do not cut through alleys, between houses, through industrial areas, around bus stops and truck stops.

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6.)    Stay in well lit areas when walking at night.

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7.)    Keep your head on a swivel; situational awareness; if you are somewhere that does not appear to be safe then do not be there, get out and get away.

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8.)    Don’t go stupid places with stupid people.

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9.)    Keep strangers out of your personal space no matter how friendly they are being.  They can tell you what they need to tell you from six feet away.

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10.)   If you are being robbed, give up any belongings the criminal wants, shoes, wallet, etc, but never ever get into a vehicle or go anywhere with them.  Your chances of survival are greatly reduced if you go with them, run or fight right there.  Even if they have a gun, a moving target is very hard to hit even for a trained individual.

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Tactical Weaponry and Force Multipliers;

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Mindset; you will not be preyed upon; you will fight with all of your ability.  You will not stop fighting until the attack has stopped.  You will bite, scratch, kick, gouge, scream, spit, and lie to gain the upper hand over the attacker and make them stop.  Nothing will stop you from preserving your life or the life of a loved one.

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1.)    Most valuable weapon of all, your brain; keep it sharp and focused common sense and awareness.

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2.)    Train; take a martial arts class and train with the weapon you have chosen and practice consistently.  If you have chosen a firearm, shoot once a week, work on your draw stroke and take a class with an NRA certified instructor.

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3.)    Car keys; keep them in your hands as you are walking, they can be used to rake, stab and gouge at an attackers face, using 90 degree angles of attack.

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4.)    Attach a kubotan to your key-chain, this can be made from a wooden dowel rod if you want to save some money or you can buy a carbon fiber model, they don’t cost that much but can do severe damage to an attacker.  Use direct and rapid, 90 degree angle attacks, aiming for the eyes, upper lip area, throat, jaw hinge, temples, plexus, and groin area and under arms.  Do not stop until the attack has stopped or you have gotten away.

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5.)    Pepper spray; this is an effective item in defending yourself against an attack but don’t stand still to admire your handy work, get away from the attacker while he is trying to rub the stuff out of his eyes. As with anything you should train with the pepper spray.  You should be sprayed yourself so you know what it is like and also how to function after sprayed.  Pepper spray, in a breeze, has a habit of blowing back.  You can function and fight after being sprayed with pepper spray but it takes some dedication.  Pepper spray, if attached to your key chain, is valuable but if you are a lady and you keep it in your purse you will never get to it in time and it is a no go. 

 

6.)    Pistol; should always be carried concealed, its purpose is to kill not intimidate, if it is drawn it is for the purpose of lawful defense against a potentially deadly, unlawful attack against you or a loved one.  It is used to stop the attack and do so by taking the life of the one attacking, treat it with great respect.  If you carry a firearm you have a responsibility to make sure you are not violating the laws of the state in which you reside in.  Get a permit, get trained by a NRA certified instructor and practice with the firearm, drawing and firing from odd positions, right and left handed.  Remember, you are one of the “good guys” and the good guys follow the rules.  We will revisit the pistol exclusively, next in this presentation.  Carry a firearm where you can get to it quickly, do not put it in a purse, it will end up in the bottom of it and you will not be able to get to it in time.

Carrying a Firearm 

Mindset; I will draw my firearm only when no other avenue is available to me.  It will only be in the defense of my life or the life of my loved ones that the firearm will be used against my fellow man.  I will never draw my firearm to intimidate or scare someone that is not its purpose.   

Firearm Safety Rules;

Yes, I am repeating this and so should you, every time you handle a firearm. 

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1.)    Guns are ALWAYS loaded without exception.  Even if the weapon is in pieces, consider it loaded. 

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2.)    Your finger remains off the trigger until you are ready to fire the weapon. 

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3.)    Do not point a weapon at anything or anyone that you are not willing to destroy or pay for.  You are responsible.

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4.)    Know your target and what is around and behind it.

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Carrying a firearm is a huge responsibility and is not for everyone. It requires dedication and commitment, take it serious. I have heard people say, “I only carry when I am going to “X”, otherwise I don’t.” Here is a novel idea, if you have to carry a gun to go there, how about don’t go there?  This goes back to the, don’t go stupid places with stupid people rule.  Your state government by issuing you a permit has done the due diligence to assure that you are a competent person to carry a weapon so now it is your responsibility to carry it.

Pistols come in different styles; the common ones are semi-automatic and revolver type.

 

Semi-automatic;

Parts can and will include; a slide, chassis, safety, front sight, real sight, trigger guard, trigger, barrel, grip frame, magazine, hammer or hammerless, single or double action.

 

Revolver;

Parts can and will include; cylinder, barrel, grip frame, front sight, rear sight, hammer or hammerless.

1.)    Take a firearms course from a competent instructor, an NRA certified instructor would be the best for a basic course.  There other courses out there and a quick search on the internet will present several to you.

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2.)    Research all laws in your state of residence to make sure you are following the rules when it comes to carrying a concealed weapon and get a permit. 

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3.)    Find the right firearm for you, not what the guy at the gun store tries to sell you; his job it to make money, not keep you safe and choose the right firearm for you.  Find every friend you have that owns a gun and shoot with them using their weapons, this is a quick and easy way to find out what works for you.  Don’t get into arguments about brand or caliber size, those arguments are for those who cannot hit the ten ring.  A bb gun is better than nothing when fighting for your life.

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4.)    Train once a week; shoot once a week even if it is only 5 rounds through a magazine.  Practice drawing your weapon from its holster, slowly and safely; speed will come, don’t rush it.  Hands on counts, don’t just watch a video or read a book and thinks it’s enough, it isn’t.

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5.)    Don’t waste money on every tactical gadget that you see, they won’t save your life but good basic weapons handling and accurate shooting will.

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6.)    Teach those around you the rules of firearms safety.  Firearms are not toys, they are designed to kill and they demand respect from everyone handling them.

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7.)    Always carry concealed; it is to your advantage that no one knows you are armed.  Do not underestimate the tactical value of surprise.  Surprise creates a tactical advantage and that alone is a force multiplier.

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Forced into Action

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You have done everything right, you followed the rules, you trained, you walked with confidence, you did the right things but here you are, under attack, fighting for your life or the life of a loved one.  You do not see the attack stopping and you feel your life is in danger of being taken away from you.  This is where all of your training and hard work will save lives.  The most important thing that happens in a deadly encounter is that you live; the most important thing in a gunfight is that you do not get shot.  These encounters happen close, in an area the size of a closet, it’s fast and furious and over very quickly. 

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1.)    Get off the “X”; this means move off the line of attack but do not turn your back, face it head on, the time to retreat does not currently exist.  Do this if you have room and the attacker is not already in contact with you.  If the attacker is in contact with you apply other tactical weapons or defensive tactics to make room.

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2.)    Issue a STOP command.

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3.)    Draw your weapon as you are getting off the X if the attacker has not stopped.

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4.)    If you are in a crowded area you can kneel and fire up into the target, this will reduce the chances of a bullet hitting a bystander.

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5.)    Aim your weapon and fire into the sunglasses area of the head “the brain”, the center mass area of the chest “the heart” or the groin area between the hips.  As with all lawful defenses we fight until the attack has stopped, we do not stop shooting until the attack has stopped.

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6.)    After the attack has ended reload and check for other attackers, keeping your weapon pointed in a safe direction.

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7.)    Get to safety and cover.

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8.)    Check your body for blood or wounds, in an intense situation you can be shot or wounded and not know.

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9.)    Call 911, explain exactly what happened and that you had no choice but to defend your life.  Describe exactly what you are wearing and stay on the phone until the police arrive.

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10.)    Do not have your firearm in your hand when the police arrive.  Remember they do not know exactly what went on and people lie to them all the time and they want to go home at the end of the shift.  Comply with all commands, never make any unexpected movements or gestures, move very smoothly and remain calm.

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The Best Defense

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1.)    Use common sense and follow your gut instincts. 

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2.)    Train as if your life depends on it, it does.

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Have a plan and practice the plan.