Women & Safety

Women’s Self Defense LI

Women’s Safety on Long Island

Women don’t need to be unprepared, or the victim of an assault. They can learn simple self defense techniques to fight back.

Published by: Dave Heuthe, American Kobe Jiu Jitsu Federation Black Belt & Certified Instructor. Dave provides group personal defense classes where lessons are taught in various locations, privately, at Bob Malvagno’s School of Self Defense, and through in-house work programs (e.g. -Fire Department, employer, churches & synagogues, community centers, etc.) in the Nassau County and Sufflok County, Long Island (LI), NY area. Dave’s business is to provide programs that help his students (adults, seniors, teens & children) master self defense. BECOME A CLASS MEMBER TODAY!

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How to Fight if You Need to Defend Yourself

May 25th, 2009

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How to Defend Yourself

Often times we find ourselves in need of defense. Is it over something trivial? Then walk away. If you really are in a sticky situation, run or yell for help. If all other options fail then follow these steps.

Steps

Yell for help first if you are confronted by an attacker.
Run if possible.
If you must fight, get into a low stance with legs bent.
Be aware of your surroundings, watch the attackers center of gravity, be able to Know when and at what direction he will attack.
Block punches with your forearm or open hand, block kicks the same. If possible simply dodge the strike.
Attack when they are off balance. After an attacker strikes, they usually are not totally balanced and can be caught off guard. A sharp kick to the side or legs can cause lots of damage. Punch to the side of the face or use an elbow. If you punch someone squarely you could break your hand.
Knees and Elbows work best close range.
Don’t kick to the head unless you have a good opportunity or are trained to do so.
Many attackers try to take you to the ground and so try to stay on top of your attacker.
If you can’t overpower them, then return to a standing position or try to hit an attackers pressure point. i.e. neck, ribs, or biceps.
Once the attacker has been weakened or injured run for it. Try to find a policeman or call 911.

Tips

Most importantly always report that you have been attacked. It is vital to be able to claim self-defense in court.
Always try to talk or bargain your way out of a situation before it occurs.
Even the strongest opponent can have bones broken and can have pressure points used against them.
Pressure points can be found anywhere a bone attaches to muscle or where joints are connected as well as nerves.
To learn more take a self-defense class.

Warnings

Anyone can be hurt in a fight.
Always know that you can go to jail for hurting somebody if it isn’t for self-defense.
It cannot be stressed enough that the best thing to do if confronted by an attacker is to run.

Article Source: Wiki-How – How to Defend Yourself

Republished by: Dave Heuthe, American Kobe Jiu Jitsu Federation Black Belt & Certified Instructor. Dave provides group personal defense classes where lessons are taught in various locations, privately, at Bob Malvagno’s School of Self Defense, and through in-house work programs (e.g. -Fire Department, employer, churches & synagogues, community centers, etc.) in the Nassau County and Sufflok County, Long Island (LI), NY area. Dave’s business is to provide programs that help his students (adults, seniors, teens & children) master self defense. BECOME A CLASS MEMBER TODAY!

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85 Year Old Defends Self

May 2nd, 2009

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One is Never too Old to Defend Self

granny defends self

Believe it or not, here’s a real self-defense story of the day? It’s the pistol-packing, 85-year-old grandma edition. Story details on how elderly woman defends self found here.

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Predicting & Dealing w/ Violence

Apr 16th, 2009

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When they think about maintaining their safety on the job, Emergency Medical Personnel, EMTs, Paramedics, nurses & social workers always want to know: Is it possible to predict who will be violent? What can I do to prevent a situation from becoming violent? And what should I do to protect myself if someone strikes out at me?

Predicting Violence

Are there factors common to those who commit violent acts? In fact, there are. Research has identified certain traits and factors that make people more inclined to violence:

Prior Violence. Each time someone commits a violent act, it is more probable that violence will happen again. Since this is the single best predictor of violence, it is a good idea to ask questions about past or current violent behavior during your initial contact with a child or family member. Specifically, you want to know about a person’s most violent act, and how often he or she has violent thoughts.

Certain Feelings. Several internal factors have been associated with aggressive encounters. These include fear, humiliation, boredom, grief, and a sense of powerlessness. To reduce risk, avoid putting clients in positions that embarrass them. Rather, give them knowledge that empowers them and help them see other, nonviolent options.

Physical Factors. Physical factors increase the risk of violence as well. These include lack of sleep, physical exhaustion, use of drugs or alcohol, brain trauma, heat, hunger, cold, physical disability, or chronic pain.

Situational Factors. Situational factors are also predictive of violence. Access to weapons, experiencing childhood abuse or aggression in the home, or feeling a sense of injustice or oppression can lead to violence.

Forced Removal. There is growing evidence that demonstrates that violence is more likely when children or adults are taken from their living situations, especially if they are removed in front of family or friends. Therefore, removals should always be planned events. Never conduct one alone.

What to Look for

Even if you do not have any information about a person’s past history or current emotional state, there are signs you can look for. Observe the person’s body: is she pacing or fidgeting? Clenching her fists or jaws? Does she have a “wild” look in her eyes? Is she out of touch with reality? Is she speaking in a loud voice or becoming verbally abusive? If you see these behaviors, take immediate steps to reduce the tension before it escalates.

Reducing Tension

You are on a home visit, and Mom’s boyfriend comes home. He glares at you and paces around the room. When you explain who you are and why are visiting, he yells at you. He begins cursing and gesturing, but stays away from you. What do you do?

Unfortunately, there is no “right” answer, no technique that will work in every situation. Ideally, though, you want to help the angry person “come down” from his or her anger.

The main rule (and it’s easier said than done) is to remain calm. A calm tone, demeanor, and presence transfers to others. Speak in a clear and direct manner, so the person can hear what you are saying through the anger.

It is not a good idea, however, to tell the client to “calm down.” By saying this, you communicate that you do not understand—if you did, you would understand why he or she is so upset. Instead, be empathetic. Talk about the frustration or problem that has come up. Reflect feelings and behaviors such as “you seem angry.” Take responsibility for your mistakes.

It may be easier to remain calm if you remember this isn’t personal—the person is angry at the situation, not you. Defensiveness on your part validates the angry person, increasing the tension (Horejsi & Garthwait, 1997).

Reinforce your calm tone with nonthreatening, non-confrontational body language. Move slowly. Avoid putting your hands on your hips. Position yourself to the side of the person, so you are not squarely facing them. Avoid extensive eye contact and physical closeness. Do not touch an angry person. Do not stand between the person and the door.

You can also use different strategies to help an angry person calm down. One method is to offer the person choices, such as talking later or agreeing on a cooling off period. Allow the person to save face—give him or her a way out.

Attempting to distract or change the subject can sometimes work, but be careful, as this may further anger people if they realize you are diverting them. Don’t use humor—in the haze of anger, it is too easily misinterpreted.

Even if the person seems to be calming down, be patient—it takes a person about 30 to 40 minutes to calm down from anger physiologically (Griffin et al., 1995). If you have done what you can and things still seem to be escalating, leave the situation and/or get help.

If Aggression Occurs

The angry boyfriend doesn’t calm down. Suddenly he comes at you, his hands outstretched. What do you do?

Anger and aggression cannot always be contained. If a person attempts to assault you, protect yourself. Your first step should always be to leave the room and get away from the situation. If you cannot leave, call for help and:

Protect yourself from head injuries. Block blows with pillows, arms, clipboard, etc.
If you fall, block the attack with your feet and legs.
If your arm is grabbed, break the hold by twisting quickly toward the person’s thumb.
If you are choked, raise both arms straight up and quickly turn around. Your arms and shoulders will break the hold.
If you are bitten, push into the bite, don’t pull away.
If your hair is pulled, press down on the person’s hand with both of yours.
Weapon: Never reach for the weapon. Encourage the person to talk. Focus on the person, and keep your distancem (Flick, 1996; Griffin, 1997).

Implications

Safety is essential to your success—you can’t help a family through a crisis if you are afraid for your own well-being. Therefore it is crucial to know how to identify potentially dangerous individuals and what to do when you encounter them. By maintaining your awareness and being proactive, you improve your ability to do your job, as well as stay safe.

Sources

Brady, E. (1993). Coping with violent behavior: A handbook for social work staff. Harlow, United Kingdom: Longman Group.

Brown, R., Bute, S., & Ford, P. (1986). Social workers at risk: The prevention and management of violence. London: British Association of Social Workers.

Dernocoeur, K. (1993, July). Tips on defusing a violent situation. JEMS, 78-79.

Flick, J. (1996). Defusing potentially violent situations: Keeping yourself and others safe. Unpublished. Presented at social worker safety training.

Fraser, M. (1995). Violence overview. In R. Edwards (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Social Work. Washington, DC: NASW Press, 2453-2460.

Horejsi, C. & Garthwait, C. (1997). Be careful out there: CPS worker safety in rural areas. Protecting Children, 13(1), 12-14.

Griffin, W., Montsinger, J., & Carter, N. (1997). Resource guide for administrators and other personnel. Durham, NC: ILR, Inc.

Hughes, D. (1994). Assessment of the potential for violence. Psychiatric Annals, 24(11), 579-583.

Murdach, A. (1993). Practice forum: Working with potentially assaultive clients. Health and Social Work, 18(4), 307-312.

Nadwairski, J. A. (1994). Inner city safety for home care providers. Journal of Safe Management of Disruptive and Assaultive Behavior, 2, 4-6.

Star, B. (1984). Patient violence/therapist safety. Social Work, May/June, 225-230.

Source: UNC Training – Childrens Services Practical Notes

Adapted & re-published by: Dave Heuthe, American Kobe Jiu Jitsu Federation Black Belt & Certified Instructor. Dave provides group personal defense classes where lessons are taught in various locations, privately, at Bob Malvagno’s School of Self Defense, and through in-house work programs (e.g. -Fire Department, employer, churches & synagogues, community centers, etc.) in the Nassau County and Sufflok County, Long Island (LI), NY area. Dave’s business is to provide programs that help his students (adults, seniors, teens & children) master self defense. BECOME A CLASS MEMBER TODAY!

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Dangers Faced by Emergency Medical Personnel

Apr 7th, 2009

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EMS Workers Face Many Dangers

By: Dave’s EMS Headquarters

It never entered my mind when I began my career as a Paramedic, that my career would be shortened after becoming the victim of violence. But in fact my career was in fact shortened because I was assaulted by a patient who had overdosed on illegal narcotics and became violent. Scene safety was never discussed in the emergency medical education program. Today emergency medical services personnel wear bulletproof vests because of the increased violence against EMS workers.

A study conducted in 1999 concluded that during 12-years in EMS, those paramedics received an average of 9 assaults per paramedic. Assault injuries resulted in 170 cases of blunt trauma, 73 lacerations, 2 gun shot wounds, 10 stabbings, 1 burn, 8 fractures, 9 dislocations, 1 choking, and 56 cases of miscellaneous body injuries.” Emergency medical services personnel continue to face many dangers in the course of their profession and in the line of duty. The dangers faced begin upon receiving a call from their dispatcher for response to a medical or traumatic call. The emergency run poses a greater risk of becoming involved in an automobile accident causing injury or death then the chances of an EMT accidentally sustaining a needle stick and contracting HIV.

Once on the scene of a call the emergency medical technicians chances of becoming the victim of an act of aggression and violence. Danger can threaten EMS providers at any time and anywhere. There is no such thing as a “safe” neighborhood or a “safe” area of town. Emergency medical services personnel have been killed and or injured, in the line of duty. The causes and acts are becoming more and more random. They include injury and or fatal injuries resulting from motorists who have failed to yield the right away to the EMS vehicles equipped that are equipped with state of the art flashers, sirens, and intersection lights. Drivers do not pay attention to Emergency Vehicles, and are distracted by blasting stereos, driving while intoxicated, and talking on cell phones just to name a few.

Once on the scene, emergency medical personnel often are faced with hysterical family members, sometime including verbal and physical assaults from bystanders. Additional risks faced by the EMS personnel include being struck by cars while treating patients at accident scenes that have resulted in both critical injuries and deaths. Motorist fails to slow down, or operate their cars dangerously and aggressively in accident zones. Over the years, paramedics have seen in an increase in responses to more dangerous situations that have resulted from both foreign and domestic terrorism.

EMS personnel have been targets during the Columbine school shootings, the bombing of the Oklahoma Federal building, the 1993 World Trade Center Attack, release of gas in the New York subways, and the most recent attacks on September 11, 2001 of the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon. Emergency medical services personnel who are trained to save lives and operate under the EMT Oath taken to preserve life, EMS Personnel now face the uncertainty that Police officers and Firefighters that there is no guarantee of returning home to their families at the end of their shift. Paramedics and Firefighters do not carry a firearm their only means of safety is a Law Enforcement presence and that’s still not a safety guarantee.

Legislation is lacking in many states that provides strong legal consequences for causing injuries and or death of these dedicated men and women in Emergency Medical Services. As stated earlier the cost of a bullet proof vests is approximately $500.00 per vest, many private agencies as well as volunteer organizations do not provide these needed safety devices because of the cost, leaving the choice and expense of the EMT. Recently in my county a new policy was adopted by the Medical Control Director that states that EMS Personnel and Firefighters responding to violent and suicide calls must “stage,” [park several blocks away from the scene until police units have arrived and secured the scene] although this protects the responding medical personnel it does create the danger of delaying rapid treatment for the patient. EMS Personnel should incorporate the following criteria in their response to Dangerous calls.

1.) Dispatchers need to obtain as much Information as possible, i.e. is there a violent situation for patient? Is this an attempted suicide and by what means, if this is a shooting and or stabbing is the perpetrator still on the scene? Is the patient in possession of any type of weapon?

2.) The responding EMS crew and Fire personnel must be given detailed dispatch information, including frequent updates regarding Law Enforcement’s response as well as their estimated time of arrival. In addition, dispatch should update the crews as additional information becomes available.

3.) Upon EMS arrival, the EMS crew should overview the scene. i.e. is there any immediate danger, is law enforcement on the scene, and are there any visible dangers to the crew. Identify areas for a safe retreat.

4.) When on scene of a motor vehicle accident, survey the area before getting out of the rig is the scene secure. Are there any electrical lines down on or around the vehicle or vehicles, is there a vehicle fire, are there any vehicles involved there is transporting hazardous waste or chemicals? Is traffic congestion causing additional hazards? Place your Unit in a safe position that will protect you, the patients, and the scene.

5.) Do not put yourself in harm’s way; Always have open communications with your dispatcher. If the scene becomes dangerous remove yourself and your partner from the scene until security is reestablished by law enforcement.

The potential for scene violence & violent patients exists for all types of EMS responses, do not become complacent you must always remain vigilant. Since the attack on September 11, 2001 police officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel have had the publics renewed appreciation for the work that we do and the a unselfish sacrifices we make.

Source: EMS Dangers

DISCLAIMER - Please be advised, Dave Huethe is not the person noted, associated, or affiliated, with Dave’s EMS Headquarters. Re-publication of the above article should in no way be construed that Mr. Heuthe endorses, supports or approves of any of Dave’s EMS Headquarters website and/or its associated content.

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Social Worker Safety – In The Trenches

Apr 7th, 2009

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Life Can Come At You Hard & Scary!

Facing hostile families, overwhelming caseloads, and the occasional gun barrel, a child protective service worker’s job requires both street smarts and grace under pressure. Here’s how to protect yourself.
By Richard Bermack

As child protective services worker Denise Smernes walked into the home of her clients in Alameda County, California, she was shocked to see a teenager inside the house loading an automatic weapon. A shouting match erupted between the police officer accompanying Smernes and the woman who answered the door of the apartment. Emotions were escalating fast. In her mind, Smernes flashed through strategies to defuse the situation. “If I don’t do something fast, we’re going to get shot,” she recalls.

Smernes (picture above) turned to the officer and ordered him to leave the apartment immediately and wait for her in his car. He initially refused. “I’m not leaving you with these people,” he said.

She knew she had to convince him. “Leave before someone gets hurt,” she insisted. Then she quickly reassured the residents she was not a threat to them or to the children she was there to check. “I’m not here to take the kids, I just need to make sure they are safe,” she recalls telling the woman.

Such flashpoints are increasingly common between social workers and the clients they serve. Ten years ago, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) first began to hear about scattered attacks faced by the group’s 150,000 members. In a 2002 NASW survey of 800 school social workers, 19 percent had been victims of violence and 63 percent had been threatened.

Experts say the very nature of social work can thrust them into tense situations at the office and in their clients’ homes. It can pull them into unsafe neighborhoods where they’re in danger of attack.

School social workers often are called upon to counsel students with serious behavior problems. Child protective services workers are routinely sent into dangerous environments to remove children from a home and to investigate cases of suspected physical abuse and sexual molestation. There they may be exposed to verbal abuse, death threats, and even gunfire. And although social workers are often accompanied by police officers to help them do their job safely, the presence of law enforcement can make their clients more defensive and hostile.

“When you can get a police officer, it is safer. But I’ve had social workers who’ve asked the police officer to come in, and the officer has said, ‘I’m not going in there,’” said Eva Skolnik-Acker, chairwoman of the NASW Massachusetts chapter’s Committee for the Study and Prevention of Violence Against Social Workers.

Although fatalities are rare, two recent killings of social workers exemplify the risk they face: the 2004 murder of social worker Teri Zenner during a routine visit to a client in Kansas, and the 2006 killing of social worker Sally Blackwell, who was found dead in a field in Texas after repeatedly being threatened during her work investigating child abuse and neglect cases.

NASW has stepped up its training programs in recent years to help prevent other tragedies. In Michigan, social workers have pushed the passage of a bill that would require two social workers be present when conducting a home visit in a dangerous situation. But many social workers believe that two workers should be present on all visits, saying that it’s impossible to predict when a situation will turn threatening.

The Michigan bill also calls for child protective service workers to go through formal training in handling dangerous situations and would make self-defense training available to those who request it.

“The fear factor”

In a 1997 NASW survey of school social workers, participants reported they were pushed, grabbed, and shoved, had their hair pulled by angry clients, and had objects thrown at them. Some of the attackers were students or their parents. In the survey of school social workers, 77 percent reported their attackers were students they were counseling, and 49 percent said the attacker was a parent.

Social workers responding to the survey also reported feeling threatened by violence in the neighborhoods they visit, especially when they visit clients in their homes. Smernes was once interviewing a mother and child when bullets began flying through the house she was visiting. As it turned out, the mother lived next to a drug dealer, and drive-by shootings were not an uncommon experience in the neighborhood.

In Los Angeles, social worker Barbara Dean said a male caller once reported a phony case of child abuse to a hot line where she worked. When she went to the address he reported, the man was lying in wait. He grabbed her, but she managed to escape. The man continued to call the hot line to say he liked her voice.

Michael Yee has been an emergency response social worker for 17 years. He estimates that he has probably investigated over 4,000 cases. Yee has found himself in the middle of drug raids, been threatened with knives, had a police officer point a shotgun at him, and was once even threatened with a frying pan full of hot oil.

“The fear factor is an important part of the job. You can’t make mistakes out there,” Yee says. “You have to be very cautious and have a lot of street smarts. You’re the first one through the door, and you never know what you are stepping into.”

Violent assaults are not the only hazard on the job. Much more common, social workers say, is trauma from verbal assaults and the job stress they face from managing large caseloads that require many hours of overtime each week. Because social service agencies are often understaffed, social workers are often assigned much higher caseloads than they can manage adequately, Skolnik-Acker notes.

For some workers, the stress is overwhelming. Maryellen McFadden worked as a social worker in the child protective services department in Contra Costa County, California, for 12 years. But workloads were so high that she often worked between 10 and 20 hours of overtime every week, she says. In January 2000, the overload took its toll. McFadden suddenly began experiencing chest pains and labored breathing, and began to weep uncontrollably. She was forced to go on stress leave.

Preventing attacks on the job

The NASW has a number of prevention and safety tips to protect social workers against physical assault:

•	Don’t be alone when seeing clients in the office or going on home visits. Backup help is often necessary, and if you’re seeing a client alone, you have no one to call upon.

•	Install a buzzer at your office. This way, clients and visitors must ring to get into the office, and you can screen callers.

•

Develop a phone code system and a safety plan for the office. If you’re nervous about a particular client, a colleague can agree to call 10 to 15 minutes into a session to check up on you. Work out a system of code words that indicate whether you are having a problem and need assistance. This may involve setting aside a “risk” room, where you can see clients. Other workers should know that if you’re in there, they need to check in regularly.

•

Carry a cellular telephone. Many residential neighborhoods don’t have public telephones, and even if they do, they may not work or be available in an emergency. Skolnik-Acker says social workers should also make sure they leave an itinerary of home visits with the office and call in after each visit.

•	Work with the local police department to establish a code for emergencies. Social workers should develop a system in conjunction with local law enforcement to indicate when they need police officers to storm in and when they need quiet intervention.

•	Take a nonviolent self-defense class. An attack may come suddenly. These courses help workers defend themselves and get away without inflicting harm.

•	Learn how to defuse a situation verbally. Some states offer training to workers to help them handle confrontations without violence.

Some states have gone beyond training. After the death of social worker Lisa Putman, Michigan state officials pumped more money into equipment and resources to beef up safety for social workers on the job.

“What it did was really made the agency take a hard look at the precautions we were putting in place to protect our workers,” said Karen Smith, a spokeswoman for the Family Independence Agency. The state issued workers special cellular telephones that act as two-way radios. State cars were also retrofitted with alarm systems, and a pilot project under way gives the state’s child protective services department access to law enforcement records, allowing workers to be alerted when they are visiting homes where crimes have been committed. “Since then,” she said, “our workers feel much more comfortable they will be protected.”

– This piece was based on a series of interviews that Berkeley freelance writer and editor Richard Bermack conducted for the SEIU 535 Dragon, a newspaper for service employees. CHI editor Psyche Pascual contributed reporting.

Source: In The Trenches w/ AHealthyMe.com

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ATM Safety

Mar 26th, 2009

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Avoiding ATM Robberies

ATM cash machines have been incorporated in our way of life. They offer a real convenience to those on the run, but at the same time offer an element of risk. Using an ATM machine safely requires awareness and a little planning. Just because an ATM machine is open and available twenty four hours a day does not mean that it is safe to use it.

Most ATM robberies occur at night between the hours of 8PM to midnight. ATM robbers are usually males under the age of 25 years of age and most work alone. ATM robbers usually position themselves nearby waiting for a victim to approach and withdraw cash. Most ATM robbery victims are women and were alone when robbed.

Most claim that they never saw the robber coming. Most ATM robbers used a gun or claimed to have a concealed weapon when confronting the victim and demanding cash. If you or your family members use the ATM cash machine on a regular basis, here are some tips that can make the process safer:

• Carry a stun gun, pepper spray, pepper gun, or mace spray
• Use only ATM machines that are in a well lit area with high traffic areas. Don’t use ATM machines that are remote or hidden such as being located behind a building, behind pillars, walls or away from the public view.
• Choose an ATM machine that looks and feels safer, even if it is a couple of miles out of your way. Try and limit your use to daylight hours. Take someone with you after hours, if you can. When you drive up to an ATM location, scan the area for any suspicious persons. If you see anyone suspicious standing nearby or sitting in a car, drive away. When you approach an ATM on foot be prepared and have your access card ready. Memorize your personal PIN number to prevent loss and speed the transaction. Never accept help from a suspicious male ahead of you at the machine.
• If you use your car, at a drive thru ATM machine the same rules apply. Keep the car in gear, with your foot firmly on the brake, while using the ATM machine. Keep a close eye on your rear and side view mirrors during the transaction. Robbers almost always approach from the rear on the driver’s side. If you see anyone approaching, drive off robber, just give up your money without argument.
• Avoid ATM machines adjacent to obvious hiding places
• Have your card ready and leave quickly, not counting your cash in public
• Beware of offers for help from strangers during an ATM transaction
• Don’t fight with or attempt to follow the robber
• Drive or walk to a safe place and immediately call the police
• If you are confronted by an armed robber, use your pepper spray, mace or pepper gun to defend yourself. The other option is to give the money to the robber and get out of there as quickly as possible.

Source: Lanes of Self Defense

Re-published by: Dave Heuthe, American Kobe Jiu Jitsu Federation Black Belt & Certified Instructor. Dave provides group personal defense classes where lessons are taught in various locations, privately, at Bob Malvagno’s School of Self Defense, and through in-house work programs (e.g. -Fire Department, employer, churches & synagogues, community centers, etc.) in the Nassau County and Sufflok County, Long Island (LI), NY area. Dave’s business is to provide programs that help his students (adults, seniors, teens & children) master self defense. BECOME A CLASS MEMBER TODAY!

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Awareness: Our 1st and best defense

Mar 12th, 2009

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Self Defense Awareness

By Dave Heuthe

When we think about self defense we tend to think about physical techniques. We picture in our mind what we might do if someone grabbed or choked us. What if you’re walking down a dark street? Well, why are you walking down a dark street? Do you feel safe there? Feel safe? What does that matter? Most people don’t think it matters, but it does.

We live in a dangerous world and what makes it more dangerous is that most people are blissfully unaware of it. If ignorance is bliss you would think you’d see more happy people. All kidding aside the best way of being safe in a dangerous situation is to avoid being there. Wouldn’t it be great if someone could tell us we’re walking into danger before you get there? Like when you’re watching a horror flick and the victim is about to go in the basement. You know what’s down there but they don’t. So you yell “DON’T GO IN THERE”. But they don’t listen, they never listen. They walk right into DANGER. Wouldn’t be great to have a voice to warn you? YOU would listen. Well you DO have a voice and YOU DON’T LISTEN!

We do have a voice to warn us. We call it our gut, a funny feeling, the hair standing up on the back of your neck. What is that, intuition, a sixth sense? No.

We as human beings can only focus on one thing at a time. When we are walking down the street, thinking about something, looking at something that’s what we are focused on. The rest of our senses, however, are still active. They are receiving input from our surroundings but because we’re focused on something else we ignore them. Well, where does the information go? Do we forget it?

Studies have proven that we never forget anything. The information goes into our subconscious. Once there it can trigger a memory and cause the same feeling we had at the original event. It’s not about memory it’s about recall. We can look at our brain like a computer. There is lots of information but if you don’t have the file name you can’t get to it. When we pick up something or someone out of the corner of our eye, smell something odd, hear something strange, our brain accesses the file that causes the feeling of danger.

So what do we do? We listen to the voice within us. The next time you have that funny feeling, don’t ignore it! Look around check out your surroundings. If there is someone there they no longer have the element of surprise. If there’s no one there good, you’re safe and that’s the goal GO HOME SAFE.

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Predator Alert

Mar 7th, 2009

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How Safe Are You?

In Englewood and Haqckensack NJ several women were attacked and sexually assaulted.

He targets women walking alone and attacks them from behind, knocking them down and groping them.

While you can’t grow eyes in the back of your head, you must remain aware and vigilant. Have pepper spray in your hand, or even your cell phone ready to dial the police.

The woman who fared the best were the ONES WHO FOUGHT BACK! Yelling, screaming and one even bit his fingers…now he can be identified easier.

Remember, criminals don’t want to be caught, identified or captured. What ever you can do to increase the chance of that happening works in your favor.

News Source: North Jersey Predator Alert

Re-Published by: Dave Heuthe, American Kobe Jiu Jitsu Federation Black Belt & Certified Instructor. Dave provides group personal defense classes where lessons are taught in various locations, privately, at Bob Malvagno’s School of Self Defense, and through in-house work programs (e.g. -Fire Department, employer, churches & synagogues, community centers, etc.) in the Nassau County and Sufflok County, Long Island (LI), NY area. Dave’s business is to provide programs that help his students (adults, seniors, teens & children) master self defense. BECOME A CLASS MEMBER TODAY!

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Woman’s Self Defense Demonstration

Mar 3rd, 2009

by admin.

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1930s Woman Defends Self

This old school demonstration was revolutionary in its day, and is still apropo for today.

Ms. May Whitley was a pioneer for women practitioners as early as the 1930′s. She appears in various vintage self defense film clips from that era, performing Jujutsu demonstrations with a male attacker. Dorthy Darke was another jujutsu practitioner of that time.

Source: YouTube

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