HOPEFULLY,  a bully’s intended victim (Target Child) can avoid fighting through the strategies I advocated in my last posting.  In the great majority of instances, projecting self confidence, being assertive and vocal, breathing tactically, appropriate body language (especially the hands) and some old fashioned confident eye contact can and will discourage approximately 95% of these would-be thugs.  However, there are those bullies who are so determined to attack that the target-child is going to get grabbed, grappled with or even punched no matter what he or she does.  For instance, even though a thug might catch the vibes that the kid he thought was a sissy is not intimidated in the least, and, as a matter of fact, is quite willing to fight back, he may still attack because of an “audience” and/or the fact that he has bragged that he is going to beat the target-child up and simply cannot back down.

THREAT RECOGNITION

Step 1 is recognizing an imminent attack.  There exist what I call Signatures of Danger that occur just before any attack.  A few of them could be:

·         Gut Feelings:  Invariably the target-child (TC) will sense a punch coming.  Always obey your instincts.

·         Boxer Stance:  Strong leg drops back, strong hand becomes a fist, usually poised behind rear leg, strong shoulder drops.

·         Sprinter Stance: Bully will lean and move forward, will dip his head just before he charges.

·         Increased Body Tension:

                                                  S.P.E.E.D.

STEP 2 is to use SPEED to avoid a serious fight at the least and to temporarily disable the bully (never permanently injure) the bully.

·         Speed.  Your first move should be fast.  Very fast.  Speed is borne out of preparation (have a plan before the bully even approaches/more likely you have been approached by this or another bully before), confidence and determination. 

·         Power.  Whatever your move, speed must be backed up by power.  I will give an example or two later in this post and the next.

·         Escape.  Depending on the setting, your goal should be to escape the bully.  Especially in school where there may be a zero-tolerance policy regarding violence.

·         Evasion.  You may not be able to escape, but evading a major fight through tactics involving distraction, misdirection and balance displacement will allow the TC to deflect the attack long enough to tire out the bully and/or allow help to arrive.  I will discuss this more in my next posting.  In many instances, I advocate tactical movement, quickly grappling the bully, and then footsweeping him to the ground in order to escape.

·         (Go) Dynamic:  My SPEED System has escape and evasion as its main objective, however, when all else fails, we are going Dynamic on the bully.  In short, Dynamic strategies include the use of personal weapons, such as the head (butt), Palm Heels, elbows, hammer fists, knees and feet versus the bully’s vulnerable targets (nose, chin, torso, inner and outer thighs and lower shin areas).  In the next and future postings I will show how to Go Dynamic in serious fighting scenarios, not only for children, but for teenagers, adults, women and seniors.

 SPEED IN  ACTION

THE FIGHTING ARTS are tough to describe in a post.  Self defense after all is dynamic and is impossible to script.  However, S.P.E.E.D as a bully countermeasure will sketch out different than in a Self Defense For Women scenario, which, by the way, might have life or death implications.  One common bully-scenario looks like the following (this is realistic & repetitive, believe me):

The bully has a child, much smaller than he, up against a wall in the Boy’s Room.  He is poking a finger into the kid’s chest - hard - and belittling the boy.  Words have had little effect and the Target-Child (TC) cannot move.  Suddenly, unexpectedly, the TC moves his right hand to a spot just above the larger boy’s left elbow and powerfully pulls that arm toward his center and then past, as if he is opening a door.  The bully is thrown off balance and the TC quickly steps “through the door,” says “I’m late for class.  See you later.” And is out the door.

If the bully is somehow prepared for the maneuver, or is too strong to be swung off balance, the TC uses the bully’s size and strength against him, “rotating around the pole,” as I call it.  The intended-victim grabs the arm above the elbow and uses the strong arm to allow him (the TC) to rotate to a position behind the bully.  My SPEED program teaches the TC to quickly “get out of Dodge,” if he can, but, if he cannot escape or evade further entanglement, I advocate “going Dynamic” by driving a foot downward into the bully’s tibial (at the top of the calf), which should cause the bully’s legs to collapse.  The TC can enhance either or both of the above SPEED moves with a quick, powerful Front Kick to the bully’s lower shin, a dynamic distraction technique that almost always drop the thug.

More SPEED Bully Countermeasures in the next posting by Harry Hammer, plus some Dysamic Fighting Arts, all part of the SPEED System.

I rarely get an argument from anybody, not even so-called self defense for children experts, that bullying is one of the most common yet pernicious threats our children face, whether it be in the school environment or in their neighborhoods. Victims of consistent bullying suffer, in many cases, everlasting and relentless psychological damage. Ironically, bullies become victims of their own diseased world view. Over 43% of bullies are arrested for an assault-related crime by their 22^nd birthday and nearly 30% are busted for four or more crimes by their 30^th. Their victims are my only concern here, though, for the damage done to them runs deep and inexorable, and I believe that most catastrophic terrorism in our high schools, colleges and even workplaces in the last decade have been perpetrated by former and current victims of bully-violence (more in a future blog).

I BELIEVE parents (Safety Coaches) can teach their children the fundamental skills and strategies to escape and evade almost any threat offered by most (96 to 98%) of bullies. In this posting I will address skills a parent can inculcate in his or her children that will give the youngster the willingness and courage to destroy a bullies confidence and motivation for continuing the attack. In the next posting I will talk about the last resort fighting techniques I teach in my COMET-Kids (Combat Escape and Evasion Techniques for Kids/Parents) classes.

PART I: BULLY COUNTERMEASURES AND AVOIDANCE STRATEGIES.

1. Teach Your Child Self Confidence. Support and laud all behaviors your child displays that reinforce self- confidence. Self Confidence is your child’s First Line of Defense against bullies and other types of attacks, even from adult sexual predators and abductors. Encourage your child to fend for him or herself and/or act on his own in public (non-threatening) situations, so he or she can begin Acts Of Approximation of self-confidence. Remember: Neither bullies nor abductors want any part of a self-confident and vocal child. I have dealt with and interviewed thousands of strong-arm robbers, gang members, rapists and predators and invariably they are looking for a specific Victim Profile where the target:

Ø Looks Down or Averts his/her eyes.

Ø Is mild mannered, meek, and non-combative, revealed by “weak” body language.

Ø Is mostly silent or exhibits vocal dysfunctions, such as stammering, stuttering or a voice that is unclear and/or hardly audible.

Ø Exhibits “cowardly” hand gestures/easy to hit.

2. Teach Your Child To Breathe To Overcome the Devastating Affects Of Fear. Nine out of 10 victims of intimidation or assaults, Freeze immediately, and exacerbate that by holding their breath. This combination destroys both a young person’s ability and willingness to verbalize and/or escape and evade the threat. During Attack Scenarios at Home, execute various degrees of bullying, including the continuum that goes from disrespect to teasing, to testing, to threats and intimidation all the way to criminal assault. Teach your child to audibly expel breath and breathe rhythmically during the scenario.

3. Teach Your Child How To Mimic Courage. No joke. By breathing tactically and Positive Self Talks (a later posting), your youngster can begin the positive adrenal process that can actually make him stronger by 2 ½ Times.

4. Teach Your Child Positive Eye Contact: Stun the bully early in his approach by looking him either directly in the eyes or indirectly. Good eye contact can breach the confidence of a potential attacker. It also helps in mimicking courage.

5. Teach Your Child Strong Verbal Skills: Eighty percent of assaults are preceded by verbal threats and/or intimidation. It is part of the “toying and testing” strategies of a miscreant seeking the thrill and power of seeing (abject) fear in his victim. Ironically, most verbal (bully) strategies can be stopped dead in their tracks by your child’s verbal countermeasures.

Ø “John, I’m going to ask you to stop harassing me (combined with hands raised chest-high, palms down in a non-threatening posture).”

Ø “John, I’m telling you to stop pushing me, man.” (Hands up, palms turning toward the bully. Self Protective and prepared).

Ø “Step back, John. Do it now!” The intended-target senses that verbal strategies are not working. The bully is giving off body language that indicates an attack. The target’s instincts are also sending “Fight Senses.”

Ø The Target Child can adopt good de-escalation skills to defuse and discourage the bully. Self-deprecating phrases (Peace Phrases) can strip the bully’s words of any impact. Without Impact and Fear on the Target-Child, the Bully is stripped of his motivation for an attack (fear and power) and concomitantly, his words, the goal of which is intimidation and fear, are stripped of all power and impact:

· “I guess you are right, John. I am a dork. You gotta admit, though, man. I’m pretty good at it, huh?”

· (Distraction) “Man, where you get those kicks? They are pretty cool (when he looks down, you “Open The Door” with a quick balance displacement technique (See the next Blog) and escape and evade the threat.

· Humor.

Ø Target should take a quick step back and adopt a High Guard Fighting Stance when an attack is imminent. Footwork is crucial, so, if possible, the target should keep distance and keep moving diagonally (Do not, I repeat, Do Not, move straight back in a direct line! It is easy to trip over one’s own feet, plus, the child (Target) is much slower moving that way and he or she is easily overtaken by the attacker, and, more likely than not, the kid trying to move straight back will easily be knocked to the ground because he or she will be off-balance.

__________________________________________ _______________________

In the next posting: COMET-Kids Counter-Bully Self Defense Strategies.

Harry Hammer

If you have kept up with my articles, you know I have been encouraging parents to take the roles of Safety or Courage Coaches so they can help their children learn crucial skills for being aqware of, escaping and evading sexual predators, abductors, even predatory bullies.  I teach S.T.I.C.K. (Survival Techniques and Intervention Concepts for Kids/Parents), but I readily admit that my efforts would be useless without the help of involved and supportive parents.

IF YOU have kept up with my postings, you know I have been encouraging parents to become Safety or Courage Coaches to teach their children crucial survival skills against sexual predators and even predatory bullies.  I teach Escape and Evasion Skills for children and their parents, but I readily concede that my efforts would be fruitless without the involvement of supportive and commited parents.

SAFETY COACHES (parents) can augment or even replace a good self defense program, and, with what I feel can be life preserving Survival Games, Role Plays, and Dynamic Simulations, can actually transcend any self defense program in value.  Survival Games can enhance a child’s physical reaction time, awareness, threat recognition skills, and his or her overall self confidence.  Games can focus a child’s attention on issues surrounding predators without scaring him/her half to death.  Games can also establish and grow a valuable bond between parent and child and can open a valuable line of communication so that the child will be able to talk about threatening experiences he or she may not have otherwise been able to achieve.  Games are an excellent, fun way for a child to learn these “unnatural” skills.  I can only address a few of these “games” in this limited venue, but let’s look at a few of the best:

• THE COLOR CODED FLOOR:  A good way to teach Tactical Movement.  Chris Pagotto, a Mixed Martial Artist, teaches his kids how to move quickly and tactically by color coding the floor (with training mats) and playfully grappling with his children.  When a child lands on a certain color he/she has only a second or two to move off of that color.  On another color the child may perform a “Crabwalk Escape,” etc.  An imaginative Safety Coach can easily vary this game and teach any number of evasive or fighting skills.
• THE HULA-HOOP SPACE GAME.  Teach your child how to protect or control his/her vital Personal Safety Zone(PSZ).  I let the children in my class play with the hoops for a few minutes then begin the drill.  Each child places one arc of the hoop against his or her back and allows the front side to form a 2′ arc in front.  That is their PSZ, or Hula-Hoop Space.  I the present each child with written Hula-Hoop Rules:  

1. No one is allowed within your Hula-Hoop Space without your permission.
2. With or without this Hula-Hoop, you will always carry your (PSZ) Hula-Hoop Space.
3. No one is allowed to touch your body without your permission because your body is within your Hula-Hoop Space.
4. Your body will warn you whenever a “No” or “Maybe” Person gets too close to your Hula-Hoop Space because your body, which has a Natural Alarm System, will give you “The Creeps.  You will know “The Creeps” because you will feel (I then give the class a list of objective feelings The Creeps will give them).
5. When your Natural Alarm System gives you The Creeps, Trust Your feelings!

• THE WHAT IF GAME.  Teach your child to be a Tough Target Boy or Girl by building a groundwork of tactical thinking through this verbally interactive game.  Try not to make this game too daunting or confrontive.  Remember to be comforting and supportive, even if your child responds with what you believe is an incorrect response.  The goal here is to get your child as prepared to respond as close to automatically (tactical thinking under survival stress is almost impossible to perform for an untrained child) as possible.

“WHAT IF” GAME QUESTIONS (Contact The Hammer, if you would like his insights re the “What If” answers).

• “What if a person whom you know drives up to you as you get off the school bus and tells you your mom has been hurt and she had asked him to pick you up and drive you to the hospital.  What do you do?”

• “What if you are playing with some friends in a park and you have to go to the bathroom.  There is a nice looking man and a well-dressed woman standing outside the restroom.  What do you do?”

• What if you are home alone and a man calls from his cell phone right outside your door and says your father asked him to drop by today to talk about “that business deal.”  What do you do?”

• A man says he is giving away free cookies and is handing out packages from his trunk.  You watch as several kids come in pairs.  The man is friendly and laughs as he gives the kids cookies and they move on unharmed.  He waves at you and smiles.  “Don’t you want some cookies?” he says.  What do you do?”

 In conclusion, there are an endless number of great games you can play with your child.  You are limited only by your imagination.  I will go into more of these in future blogs, including:

• Role Plays.  The Safety Coach as the predator playing any number of provocative roles, teaching the child how to Breathe, Run, Destroy The Environment, Crabwalk, and, in some cases, fight.

• COURAGE RUNS.  Teach your child valuable skills in eye contact, speaking clearly and audibly, walking with confidence through realistic acts in public (ordering food in a fast food restaurant, for eg.).

• DYNAMIC SIMULATIONS:  More on this in a future blog.  The key question to consider here, though, is do you want your child to experience a spontaneous, close quarter, surprise attack by a dangerous predator for his or her first time in a real situation or one that is simulated and free of risk?

ACTION AGAINST VIOLENCE

The School Of Winology Blog Site

“‘Cause it’s a crazy, messed-up world out there-”

HELP YOUR CHILD BECOME A TOUGH-TARGET KID

By Harry The Hammer

I teach a couple novel and innovative Escape and Evasion courses for children.  Beyond the few dollars I pick up, I am very serious and motivated to help our youngsters develop awareness concerning sexual predators, abductors and others who would do them harm, if given the chance.  In my last blog I urged parents to become Courage Coaches, noting that any successful self defense for children program will fail without their active involvement (by the way, I do not consider my courses self defense courses.  They are much more).  I write this blog, then, with two premises in mind:

1.      If you are a parent and you are reading this, you are committed to protecting your child(ren) against dangerous people (including sexual predators, child abductors, kidnappers, bullies, et. Al.).

2.      You realize that no matter how well you coach your child(ren), you cannot be with them to and from school, in school, on the playground, and you know that even when they are “home,” there are those unguarded moments when they are playing outside wherethey are vulnerable, even with you mere feet away (as unbelievable as it seems, over 8 % of abducted children are snatched from inside the home, or from a front or back yard).

IT is with the latter premise in mind I suggest that parents (Courage Coaches) work with me to begin developing characteristics that will help make their precious children Tough Targets.  All children have what it takes to redefine themselves from easy victims to a child sex offenders and other miscreants tell me and other researchers that they would rather pass up for an easier target.

TOUGH TARGET KID (TTK) PROFILE

·         The TTK shows that he or she is aware and observant by keeping his/her head up and looking around.  The Easy Target Kid (ETK) is often selected because his or her head and eyes are down and the ETK is seen as meek and timid.  This can be taught through role plays and repetition.  In a kind and supportive way, remind your child when you catch him or her looking down.

·         The TTK has a confident walk, arms swinging easily, head up, eyes scanning.  The ETK has a restricted gait, eyes cast down.

·         The TTK looks confident and unintimidated, even when he or she feels intimidated.  This is a skill that can be taught.

·         The TTK Denies the Bad Guy Proximity.  Verbally and physically controls his/her space!  The ETK allows an adult to get inside his PSZ (Personal safe Zone) without protest.  TTK knows that distance is his allie.

·         The TTK actively watches adult who is watching him/her.  Watches cars “sharking” (driving back and forth constantly) where he/she is. 

·         The TTK has been coached and given drills (by a Courage Coach or an instructor) on Tactical Breathing.  The TTK always breathes to alleviate the

 inevitable fear that can debilitate and freeze a child.  Breathing promotes the flow of oxygenated blood to the neo-cortex, the “Thinking Brain,” which allows the TTK to activate his or her Action Plan.

Ø     Runs to a pre-designated “safe spot (which he/she will know because the TTK was aware enough to plan ahead).”  The ETK has no plan, and, therefore, no “Safe Spot” to run to.  The ETK almost always freezes.

Ø     If that is not a good option, the TTK makes a lot of noise, acts “crazy,” runs away in a zig zag fashion, throwing objects at the Bad Guy’s feet (”Destroying the Environment”).  Almost all would-be child abductors tell us the “last thing we are looking for is a noisy, crazy kid—”

_____________________ ________________________________________ ________________________

In the next Winology Blog:  Survival Games To Play With Your Child.

Small Children Need Parents To Be “Courage Coaches” More Now Than Ever Before

The 5th in a 6 Part Back To School

Special Survival Skills Series.

IN THIS, the 5th article in a 6-part Back To School Special, we will talk a bit about parents and guardians taking the role of Courage Coaches and inculcating fundamental and life-preserving Escape and Evasion skills and strategies against potential and real sex predators and child abductors. In the next (8th) posting we will address parents imbedding crucial Counter-Bullying Strategies for their children, be they small or teenager.

PARENTS WHO EMBRACE this crucial role will most likely be teaching the same skills and strategies I teach in my S.T.I.C.K. (Survival Techniques and Intervention Concepts for Kids/Parents) Programs, but because they are loving parents and with the children during almost every aspect of their young lives, the impact of the lessons will be that much greater (than what I can teach in a couple 2-hour classes). Also - and this is so important - for children these lessons, techniques and role plays I advocate will be frightening and scary for most children. But with good, concerned and committed parents literally at their sides, it will be only a matter of gentle persistence by their Courage Coach until the child(ren) begin to learn and actually have fun with the drills and exercises I advocate.

HOW CAN I BECOME A COURAGE COACH FOR MY KIDS?

1. Work closely with your child(ren).
2. Be Open and Accepting of All Input (Not Judgmental).
3. Encourage child(ren) to discuss all relevant events, feelings, fears, etc.

4. Maintain and support a Family Defense Plan (FDP).
5. Be Very Supportive of Child(ren) when he or she reports an experience with stranger or bully. Praise is crucial.
6. Play the “What if? Game.” Discuss different scenarios with child(ren), suggest possible troublesome scenarios and ask “What would you do, if—?” Be supportive of all answers. Give suggestions to possible resolutions.
7. Role Play Games. Courage Coaches should do their level best to make whatever games you play to make these games as much fun as possible, but also to make them crucial learning experiences.
8. Fighting Arts Games: A friend of mine, who is also a Mixed Martial Arts Fighter, teaches his children through Fun Fighting Games. In one game he uses a blue training mat on a red rug and the blue mat is the “Monster Mat.” The key is the monster mat is where the child knows he has to fight, etc.
9. Encourage Child(ren) to Trust Gut Instincts. Fact is, at an early age your child’s instincts have already developed. Matter of fact, children have not yet learned to distrust their feelings, like many adults. Encourage, then, your child(ren) that, when he or she gets The Creeps around an adult or another child, even if that adult or child is a family member, that he or she should (be given permission to) either move away/run from that person(s), or, at the very least should not be made to hug or kiss that person (”Jonny, what’s wrong with you? C’mon now, give Uncle Tom a big hug and kiss before he leaves.”)
10. DISCUSS WITH CHILD(REN) “YES, MAYBE AND NO PEOPLE.” Parents need to have this conversation with their children: Who exactly are “Yes People:” those people who are absolutely safe for the child to allow into their PSZ (Personal Safe Zone- inside of 2 feet). “Maybe People” are those who may be trusted, but, if the child “gets the creeps,” or the child observes behavior that concerns him or her (unwanted touching, etc.), the child has permission to scream “No!” and run. If the “Maybe Person” is safe, he or she will understand when the parent later explains his or her child’s behavior. If the “Maybe Person” is dangerous, the child is till alive and at home to talk about it at your next session. “No People” are anyone the child does not know. The Golden Rule: Under no circumstances will you allow a Stranger to move inside your PSZ (”Protect Your Space”).
11. TEACH AND ROLE PLAY THE FIGHTING ARTS (WINOLOGY): Work with your child a couple times a week on the basic fighting skills. Included in this panoply of skills are: Run without turning your back on the attacker/Run in a Zig Zag Pattern, using Barriers in the environment/Throw things at the Bad Guy’s feet/if grabbed, scream “Help, he is not my daddy!” and twist, turn, drop and grab at the attacker so he is delayed in the initial crime scene (an abductor’s greatest friend is speed. He needs to get in and get out before he is caught). Grab an object (your bike, your bed, a post, his legs and/or ankles), curl up and keep your head tucked in.

12. SORRY. THERE IS SOOOO MUCH MORE, BUT WE ARE OUT OF SPACE: In a future blog posting I will discuss actual fighting skills and strategies. There, unfortunately is no more space here.

THE 3^rd Of a Six-Part Back To SchoolSurvival Skills Winology Series

By Harry The Hammer

10 WINOLOGY SURVIVAL TIPS

1. MAKE YOURSELF INTO A HARD TARGET.
   • ADOPT AN ASSERTIVE PERSONALITY.
   • PROTEST INVASION OF SPACE, PRIVACY, AND YOUR SELF RESPECT IMMEDIATELY AND WITH VIGOR.
   • ADOPT A CONFIDENT, RELAXED AND VIGILANT STANCE AND WALKING STYLE.
   • EYEBALL SUSPICIOUS MALES AND LET THOSE WHOM YOU KNOW THAT YOU TAKE NO CRAP.
   • FORCE YOURSELF TO BE MORE AWARE WHEN GOING IN, COMING OUT OF ALL LOCALES.
2. ADOPT THE BUDDY SYSTEM.
   • REDUCES CHANCE OF ASSAULT BY OVER 75%.
   • INCREASE CONFIDENCE.

3. MAKE THE 4 A’S A PART OF YOUR LIFESTYLE (ASSESS/AWARE/ANTICIPATE/TAKE ACTION).
4. INCULCATE A “BAD ATTITUDE.”

(WE ARE ALL HIRED-WIRED FOR VIOLENCE. YOU NEED TO LIBERATE IT. LITE THE FUSE. THE ABILITY TO LITE THE FUSE IS PRICELESS WHEN YOUR LIFE, SEXUALITY, FREEDOM AND WELL-BEING IS ON THE LINE! WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR SAFETY AND SELF DEFENSE, ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING!

5. TRUST MINIMALLY. FORCE THOSE YOU KNOW TO EARN YOUR TRUST (SELF-RESPECT AND PART OF BEING A HARD TARGET).
6. BE AWARE OF TIMES OF VULNERABILITY AND DEVELOP AN ESCAPE AND EVASION STRATEGY.
   • When at parties where alcohol, drugs, etc. are available.
   • When on a date.
   • When invited to a man’s apartment, or when a date asks if he can go with you to yours.
   • When alone.
7. “DESTROY THE ENVIRONMENT” WHEN NECESSARY.
   • If attacked in an isolated room, apartment, car, et al., an attacker may tell you that no one will believe you because “you invited me here, Bitch.”
   • Ruin his Fantasy Script by throwing objects, screaming, breaking objects, making sure that he (the attacker) knows that there is no doubt (to police and/or passer-by’s) that this is a crime scene!
8. WHEN THE ATTACK COMES, THE CHOICE TO FIGHT OR GIVE IN IS ALWAYS YOURS, BUT KNOW THIS:
   • Over 92% of the women who survived an attack, sometimes without injury, had verbally and physically fought their attacker!
   • It is a rare male student or even non-student who really wants to fight you. They intend to win through intimidation. When he is challenged verbally, physically, even with simple challenging body language, more often than not, he will not attack, or, if the attack has started, will lose heart.
9. ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN. THOSE WITHOUT A PLAN WILL ALWAYS FREEZE AND PANIC.
   • Plan what to say when tested.
   • An Escape Route.
   • A “Fight Plan.” Spinal Tune your mind and body that, if necessary, you will use Surprise Moves, hit open targets, etc.
   • Remind Yourself to Breathe if grabbed.
   • Spinal Tune Yourself to Explode with strikes when First-Touched.
10. TAKE A SELF DEFENSE COURSE and/or PRACTICE SELF DEFENSE WITH A (STUDY) GROUP OF COEDS.

NOTE: There are an almost endless panoply of survival strategies and skills that I will discuss over the coming months, not to mention the scores of effective Fighting Arts I include in any one of my self defense programs. However, this is a finite venue, so I must cut this discussion off at this point. Any reader who wishes handouts, tips, etc. on this or other survival issues, please contact me at this site.

Technorati Tags:survival strategies for woman, crime against women, self defense, college crimes, college safety

SURVIVAL SKILLS FOR WOMEN ON TODAY’S VIOLENT CAMPUS

IT is Labor Day and soon all elementary, high school and college campuses will be teeming with children, teens, and young adults. This, then, will be the first of 6 postings, each one of which will address one or more of the many crucial areas of survival and safety skills for students of all ages. This inaugural posting will deal with Fighting Arts (Winology) for Women on our modern college campuses.

STEP #1: BE A TOUGH TARGET AND GRADUATE THE SCHOOL OF WINOLOGY.

THERE is nothing hard about making yourself into a Tough Target. It is simple; it is doable, and yet it is probably the most crucial step you can take to defeat a potential attacker.

Ø What do I mean by a Hard (or Tough) Target? Simply and concisely put, a Tough Target is a person (a “TT” can be a male or female child, teen, adult or a senior citizen) who emits strong signals, either through body and/or verbal language, stance, the way he or she carries him or herself, that communicates to a predator that he or she will not be an easy mark, free lunch, or a path of least resistance. Since the great majority of attackers do not wish to fight and are looking for an easy mark, in 98% of cases, the Bad Guy will not even try to test the Tough Target.

How do I become a Hard or Tough) Target? You can check out most of my past and future blogs and learn about the 4 A’s (Awareness, Assessment, Anticipation and Action), body language, etc. I advocate cultivating an Assertive Personality and work, if you have to, at being determined to walk with confidence (even if you don’t feel confident), sweep your surroundings with your eyes, and to resist “testing (the predator may ask you a question, try to flick (imaginary) dandruff off your shoulder, will try to enter your Personal Safety Zone (within 2 to 3 feet) without invitation. The campus social or date rapist, or worse, the pure predator, is looking for a student with a Passive Personality who appears distracted, unobservant, her head down, eyes diverted, feet close together. When “Tested,” the Passive woman does not protest, may not verbalize at all. She is actually defeated before the attack even begins. Many potential rapist will avoid the Aggressive (Personality/AP), who strides with her head up, makes direct and challenging eye-to-eye contact and goes ballistic verbally, using vile and depreciated language at the potential attacker. Ironically, though, this (Aggressive Personality) woman will often humiliate and challenge the potential attacker to such a degree that some men/boys have attacked this type woman because she has escalated his emotions, “raised the stakes,” and compromised his manhood.

Ø Profile the Bad Guy: Check out past and future postings for more on how to profile a possible attacker.

Ø Trust Your Gut Feelings: Your instincts represent about 250 million years of evolution making the hair on the back of your neck stand up, an Inner Voice screaming out at you to “Quick, get the hell out of here!” Your instincts are hardly ever wrong. Trust them.

Ø First In/First out: Bad guys have an attack philosophy and First In/First Out is it. They will often attack when you are first going in to a place or when you are first coming out. That is when your guard is down.

Ø BREATHE DON’T SCREAM: Nine out of ten people freeze when first attacked. They do not breathe, and, therefore, there is no oxygenated blood flowing to their brains. Can’t think. Can’t talk. Can’t survive!

Ø Verbalize and Control Your Space: Tough Targets always have something to say, start to plan what to say and do when they first notice they are being watched. Nobody is allowed to enter their Personal safety Zone (PSZ) without a fight.

NEXT BLOG POSTING: Everything you need to know about campus dangers. Date Attacks, Alcohol related situations and excellent Escape and Evasion Techniques.

Technorati Tags:school violence, violence against women, survival skills, women safety

I introduced
the concept of Winology in my opening posting with
true stories about one of my adventures as a state parole agent as well as some
heroism of one of the women from one of my Self Defense For Women classes who
had been violently attacked. Now I thought would be a good time to relate the
stories to the phenomenon of raw violence and what you can
learn about not only surviving it but even prevailing against it.

In other words,
The Basics of Threat Management Skills. Keep in mind, what follows is The
Basics in relationship to the abovementioned stories and illustrations
only. In the next few posts will be a myriad of tips, guidelines, principles,
skills, strategies and techniques designed to arm you, your family, friends
and/or children against violence in almost a hundred various specific areas
of threat (Domestic Terrorism; Domestic Violence; Home Invasions; Counter-Bullying;
Counter Child Abductor Strategies and Techniques; The Fighting Arts For Children;
Teens; Women; Men and/or Seniors, et al.)

Technorati Tags:violence, domestic, bullies, basic, school of winology

Detailed Description
of What we Are all About

IN TODAY’S
MAD and often wicked world along comes Action
Against Violence, your reliable site for articles, essays and free-flowing
discussions, all designed to make you and your family safer. You won’t
find hyperbole here. But you will find key principles and tenets of The
Fighting Arts, a tight cluster of state-of-the-arts threat
management skills and techniques designed for ordinary citizens and
extraordinary law enforcement, military or security personnel who need to avoid
and/or overcome potential or real violence.

Whether you be the concerned
parent of a five year-old child, a senior citizen in a time when crimes against
the elderly are on a sharp incline, or, for that matter, any man or woman in
between, you can find a variety of suggestions on one or more of the following
survival skills:

• KID ESCAPE
  – Escape and Evasion skills against predators and potential abductors
  for boys and girls from aged 5 to 13.
• Self
  Defense For Teenagers.
• The Fighting
  Arts For Women.
• Beyond
  60 – Self Defense For Seniors.
• Managing
  Violence in the Workplace.
• Verbal
  De-Escalation and Defusing Techniques.
• And much,
  much more—