What is self-defense? Self-defense is what you think, how you think, and how you respond under threat. Self-defense is all about your personal SURVIVAL!

Sample Scenario: You are walking to your car that is parked in the covered parking garage near your building. You see an average looking, well-dressed man walk past you carrying a shoulder bag as you near your parking space. You are digging in your handbag for your keys as you enter the space between your car and the car in the next space. You reach to place your key in the door lock, and you feel a man’s hand on your shoulder.

Your response to an assailant in those next few moments will profoundly affect the remainder of your life. Not everyone will become the victim of a violent crime, for everyone who is victimized dozens more are evaluated and passed over by a predator. Gaining control over your personal safety requires skill development in risk awareness, confrontation management, and physical defense appropriate for countering a threat to your safety.

What defines you as a “desirable target” for victimization? The essence of successful self-defense is in the understanding of the victim selection process and predator attack methods. Every violent situation is preceded by pre-incident clues. Learning to recognize behaviors that identify a potential assailant before the selection process is complete is an important component of self-defense awareness.

How you respond to an assault depends upon your training, physical condition, situational constraints, environment, and the assailant. There are five response options applicable to confrontational situations: Assertiveness, De-escalation, Escape, Compliance and Physical Defense. Self-defense situations often use more than one of these options as the encounter escalates.

Your awareness goal should be to work on having a safety conscious attitude, this does not mean being fearful or paranoid. A few basic awareness behaviors are to be aware and observant of your surroundings, walk with confidence and purpose, walk in well-lit areas, be wary of isolated spots, and lock your doors (home and auto). And most importantly, trust your INSTINCTS!

A few of the personal assets acquired through self-defense training include; learning to calm yourself and focus your awareness under times of extreme stress, self-confidence, observation skills, defensive techniques, and assertive communication.

Effective self-defense skills are acquired through training over time, developing a sense of active awareness, and incorporating proactive personal safety habits into your daily life. Attending a self-defense class is a means of learning new self-defense skills. I teach women’s self-defense from a women’s perspective. The techniques are effective and are adaptable to a variety of body types and levels of physical capability.