The Complete Combatant’s Shelley Hill describes life as a game of baseball, and you might not be lucky and get three strikes before you’re out when it comes to self-defense.
I could talk about this subject all day, as a matter of fact, if you follow my work, you may recognize a few things mentioned in this article. Think about self-defense as a baseball game but the rules are a bit different. What if you only got one strike and your turn was over? That would be a short game with very high stakes.
I teach an online class called “Interrupt the Attack Cycle,” and one of the activities we do during class is for you to act like a criminal. You pretend that you are stalking yourself and are looking for loopholes in your awareness and security so you could strike.
Your Daily Habits
I would like you to do the same and examine your habits. If you were watching you, where are you vulnerable? When? How? Why? Start thinking about your actions.
Where do you spend the most time during the day? Public area?
Where/when are you most distracted in public (putting groceries in the car, dealing with kids, hands full, etc.)?
Do you have children? Ages?
Do you lock up your car/house (whatever is applicable) every single time?
Do you own a dog(s)? If so, do you walk your dog at night?
Are you a mature person?
Do you have an obvious injury?
If you work away from home, where do you park and do you pick the same spot each day?
How do you walk in public? Slow, fast, stroll or saunter, quick bursts, distracted, head down, or with slumped shoulders?
Do you work out/run? Where? In a gym? In your house? Run in your neighborhood?
Are you “present” in your environment?
Your Daily Habits as Viewed by Others
These questions will put us on the right path to identifying what we can do better but right now, let us examine what others can see and then strike.
Where do you spend most of your time during the day? Public area? Not secure? Easy to strike.
Where/when are you most distracted in public (putting groceries in the car, dealing with kids, hands full, etc.)? Not paying attention? Strike.
Do you have children? Ages? Distracted? Strike.
Do you lock up your car/house (whatever is applicable) every single time? Easy to confirm and strike.
Do you own a dog(s)? If so, do you walk your dog at night? No flashlight? Strike.
Are you a mature person? No longer on the top of your game? Strike.
Do you have an obvious injury? Can’t run or defend yourself quickly? Strike.
If you work away from home, where do you park and do you pick the same spot each day? Easy to foresee. Strike.
How do you walk in public? Slow, fast, stroll or saunter, quick bursts, distracted, head down, or with slumped shoulders? Look vulnerable? Strike.
Do you work out/run? Where? In a gym? In your house? Run in your neighborhood? Aware? Can you hear me running towards you” Strike.
Are you “present” in your environment? No “mindset”? Strike.
There are three main personal protection decisions:
Non-lethal (Most common: verbal commands, walk away, flashlight, phone, total avoidance, and run)
Less than lethal (Most common: pepper spray)
Lethal (Most common: firearm and edged weapon)
Let us look for solutions for a few of these issues. Do you have training in each? Do you practice?
Tools
Thinking ahead
Pre-need decisions or critical thinking
Your Daily Habits Revisited with Changes and Solutions
I do not have all the answers, but layering your protection with any of the above options can give you are better chance of deselection right off the bat. Let’s address each one again, with solutions:
Where do you spend the most time during the day? Public area ? Permissive environnent ? Non permissive environnent? Do you and your co-workers have an action plan and then schedule occasional drills? Recognize pre-assault cues? De-escalation techniques?
Where/when are you most distracted in public (putting groceries in the car, dealing with kids, hands full, etc.)? Head up as much as possible. Do not look disorganized. Have a purpose.
Do you have children? Ages? Age does matter. Are they old enough to help defend you? Are they young and you need to secure them in a car seat? Are they unruly? Lift your head often and have a conversation with your children on how to behave in public.
Do you lock up your car/house (whatever is applicable) every single time? The FBI says the #1 reason your house is robbed is because you did not lock your doors and the most common time to burglarize a house is between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., so always lock your doors.
Do you own a dog(s)? If so, do you walk your dog at night? Use a flashlight to ID people and noises.
Are you a mature person? Please recognize that you are a target which means extra attention may be needed when you are in public.
Do you have an obvious injury? You are now the gazelle at the watering hole. Know this and plan accordingly.
If you work away from home, where do you park and do you pick the same spot each day? I know we are “homing pigeons” and like to park in the same spot everyday, but consider changing up occasionally so we are not so predictable.
How do you walk in public? Slow, fast, stroll or saunter, quick bursts, distracted, head down, or with slumped shoulders? The bad guy needs to choose a victim and their first impression of you may be your gait. Walk with your head up, shoulders back, walk with a purpose, swing your arms, take long powerful strides, and move those hips. Look confident.
Do you work out/run? Where? In a gym? In your house? Run in your neighborhood? Consider carrying a non-lethal or lethal tool on- or off-body and do not run in your neighborhood on the exact same course every time. Earbuds may be acceptable in the gym; they are a no-go outside the gym. You cannot hear anyone approaching.
Are You Present in Your Environment?
I will conclude this article by answering the last question, “Are you present” in your environment?” My definition of being present means several different things. One is that you have a good understanding of the attack cycle. There are five things that the bad guy must accomplish in order to strike: He must first look for a victim, then choose, stalk, close and then finally, attack. You must understand what pre-violence looks like and can avoid if possible. Also, understand that “it could happen to you,” so pay attention and have a plan if something goes sideways.
Want to train with Shelley and Brian Hill at The Complete Combatant? Check out their wide variety of online and onsite courses.
The Women's Outdoor News, aka The WON, features news, reviews and stories about women who are shooting, hunting, fishing and actively engaging in outdoor adventure. This publication is for women, by women.
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