We watch the news, see posts on social media and hear the subject of crime brought up in conversation. How can your rate of awareness be raised? How can one avoid being a victim? How can one best protect themselves and their families or business? Aside from locking yourself in the house, what can be done?
When considering Defensive Tactic situations, the 3 A’s come into play.
Action - protection of oneself by becoming physical with an assailant, using verbal commands or running away.
Avoidance - not being in or leaving a situation or area where harm can come.
Awareness - knowing the surroundings, paying attention to cues and being engaged in the moment.
Our focus will be on the Awareness aspect of the 3 A’s.
Here’s a little story that happened the other day. I was at a friend’s house watching the NCCA Championships with six other guys. I went outside get something from my car and I noticed that the grill was smoking, but we had finished eating an hour prior. To sum up the situation, even though there were a couple of guys outside, no one seemed to notice, but I alerted the homeowner anyway. At first, he wasn’t concerned, but upon further inspection, he discovered that the gentlemen that cooked the food forgot to shut one of the burners off and the cover was melting and just began to catch on fire. Now, I know that this is not “Defensive Tactics”, but situational awareness has many applications to life, survival, and injury avoidance.
There are far too many distractions in modern life. Cell phones, busy schedules and preoccupation with what you need to get done as opposed to focusing on what you’re actually dong at the present time. Let’s consider a woman who is picking up some last-minute groceries before she needs to pick her children up from school. Her best friend calls her as she exits the store laden with bags and in a rush. She hurries to her car holding her bags and talking on the phone. Her parking spot happened to be around the corner from the entrance of the store. She is not focusing on the two guys that have followed her to her car until it’s too late…
We may also ponder a situation with a man who has to get his child to sports practice. It’s twilight, his son is dilly-dallying and they have to rush out of the door. He fails to out on the alarm and when he arrives home, there are three “unwanted visitors” ransacking his home.
These are just two every day scenarios. What could have been done to avoid these and many situations like them? There are quite a few steps that can be taken, but the practice must be adhered to must become a habit, not a “sometime thing”.
Don't wait until it's too late. Below are a few ways to increase awareness and personal safety:
1) Dump the distractions and focus on the present.
2) Put your cellphone on Do Not Disturb.
3) Take note of where you parked and your surroundings.
4) Keep your Head on a Swivel and take note of activities, people and the terrain of your environment.
5) Employ your OODA Loop:
Observe the area
Orient yourself to potential threats, exist, and allies
Decide what your options and actions are
Act if necessary
6) Enroll in an in person or online defensive tactics and awareness course. It’s funny, people will spend $100.00 on dinner, $150.00 on shoes or $200.00 for a new purse or hair but refuse to spend $20.00 on a book or $50.00 on a course that could save their lives. Interested in learning more? Follow us on Facebook and Instagram or check out the P3 Active Threat Survival Bundle eLearning, available now!
Phil Ross, M.S., CPT P3 Training Group Defensive Tactics Instructor
Author – Survival Strong, Ferocious Fitness
Master Phil Industries
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