There are lots of really good ideas being offered in the way of self-defense training, and they all point to preparedness.
But preparedness for what? Contingency plans.
Shooting if we have to.
Avoiding certain areas (on vacation, for living, etc.
, having a safe room, etc.
).
All of this points to awareness.
Not just simply paying attention, but awareness on many levels.
As I see it, there are three types, or areas, of awareness when dealing with the issue of self-protection.
The first type is General Awareness.
This includes recognizing not only that danger exists in the world, but also the types that I am likely to encounter.
We can begin simply with our own living area and then extend outward toward perhaps vacation areas, etc.
I tend to deal on the level of self-protection, rather than simply self-defense.
So, to me, there is more to it than just dealing with the guys who are physically attacking with fists, guns, and knives.
Self-protection extends out into the realms of natural disasters, fire, motor vehicle accidents, animal attacks, and the like.
At it's simplest level, self-protection, or self-defense, is a mind-set, not just a bunch of "moves" for hurting other human beings.
At this level of awareness, I choose where I live so that I don't surround myself with crime, or have the possibility of waking up in flood waters because the city I live in is BELOW the normal river level! I choose other things as well that will allow me to be more safe - things like associates and friends, occupation, as well as others.
The second type of awareness is "Situational Awareness.
" This is the ability to pay attention to what's going on around you so that you may respond appropriately.
Here, it's important to know "what" to look for in the way of danger signs, escape routes, safe areas, and other clues that signal the potential for danger.
This gives me necessary time to assess the situation, look for escape routes, and make decisions while I'm still relatively calm.
Taken far enough, this also includes the study of, and understanding of body language cues, attacker-types and mentality, and criminal M.
O.
in your area.
That way, I'm not watching for "anything," which amounts to paranoia.
But rather, I can go about my life without concern unless I suddenly become aware of something suspicious and worthy of closer attention.
This type of awareness is needed should you find yourself in the danger zone either because you chose to stay (better be REALLY good reasons), or the situation happened so quickly that you couldn't get out first.
However, since you're still watching things unfold, you still have time to make decisions about staying, helping the victim, or getting out of there.
And, finally, the last type of awareness is "Incident Awareness.
" This is where you're in the thick of things and have to stay focused on what's important.
Again, however, this begins in training BEFORE you get here.
Any good police officer, bodyguard, or soldier will tell you that...
"you will respond only as well as you trained.
" And, I would add that, "you'll respond AS you have trained.
" What that means is that, if you drop your guard or don't bother to use some sort of stress-response training in order to hone your skills under pressure, or all you do is read or watch videos about self-defense, you can never be sure how you'll operate when you're "in it.
" Or, if you'll react at all! This was proven out in studies conducted in Vietnam during the war.
What researchers found was, contrary to what the movies like to show, in a typical unit, only 20% of the combatants were returning fire in a fire fight! Twenty percent! Why? Fight, flight, or freeze.
And only 20% are in the "fight" realm! Another example of this "do-as-you've-trained" concept is the fact that many police officers killed in a fire-fight are found with empty shell casings or clips in their pockets or magazine pouches.
Why? Because during training, they were too lazy to pick things up after they were done shooting and got in this deadly habit during reloading.
I've heard people say, "yeah, but in a real situation, I'll...
"But, combat vets know that often what makes sense normally can be quite different from what happens under pressure.
So, train the way you want to respond.
Just because you think you'd do something, doesn't mean you'll even have the ability to do that thing.
Again, this all boils down to awareness.
Awareness of the types of dangers we may face - so we can properly prepare and get whatever skills, training, and knowledge we may need "before" we need them.
Awareness of our surroundings so we can respond before, or at the very least "as" something is happening.
And...
Awareness during a confrontation - so we can stay focused on what's important and make the necessary decisions and actions that will get us out of there in one piece.
Even awareness of our own strengths and limitations, personality type, and typical responses when we're under pressure, frightened or angry are important.
One of my teachers once told me, "it's not that bad things happen - it's what you do when they happen that matters.
" And what you'll do is determined primarily by what you focus on.