Awareness: Our 1st and best defense

Self Defense Awareness

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.

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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