All to often a violent situation is provoked by our own behaviour. By adjusting our behaviour and following some simple rules we can and will avoid violent situations.
When walking on the street , sitting in a bus or jogging in the park , people love music. They want to take their music everywhere so they put on a headphone connected with a walkman. Well thati¿½s fine for us but an aggressor with violent intentions will take advantage of the fact that you are not aware of your surrounding. To distinguish the intentions of someone we basically rely on our eyes and ears. But if we fill our ears with music then it will be difficult , if not impossible to sense an approach from behind. Every aggressor knows this. The moment you put your walkman on , the possibility of a violent attack of some sort increases by 63% according to recent investigations.
Posture
Our posture also plays a special and important role in being a possible victim or not.
People walking around with their heads down and tripping over their own feet have an increased possibility of 32% of being attacked. By walking with your head up and looking without fear
to other people you meet on your way you already eliminate the attitude of the prey. Just like the lion can see clearly the weaker individual in a herd , the same way an aggressor will spot you if you have a prey attitude. Walk tall with your head up displaying self confidence and you will be a lot safer.
Surroundings
By paying attention to your surroundings you can avoid a lot of trouble.
It seems common sense but you would be surprised to know how many people doni¿½t pay attention to the following rules.
Doni¿½t go into small alleys if you doni¿½t have to.
Doni¿½t accept an invitation by a stranger.
Trust your instincts. (it is better to make a mistake then to loose you live).
Doni¿½t pass through a group of people.
When you see a group of people occupying your side of the sidewalk , cross the street to pass on the other side.
When choosing a position to sit down , always cover your back.
Use these simple rules and you will be a lot safer.
When confronted with an attack, verbal or physical, most people react the same way.They freeze.
This is your first reaction. Why do most people react like this ? Because they didni¿½t expect the attack.
The danger of freezing when suffering an aggression is that you loose an important advantage.
By attacking you , the aggressor assumes he has an advantage , he thinks he is surprising you by his action. If you freeze , he will get away with it.
By adopting a mental attitude of always being prepared or better i¿½awarei¿½ of the possibility of an attack you will be able to react instantly. What is the best reaction in case of an attack ? Obviously this depends on the type of attack. But generally speaking the best way to defend yourself is by running away. Seems simple enough doesni¿½t it ?
When it is that simple , how come so many people , mostly male , suffer more serious results from attacks then women ?
The answer is your ego. When attacked , your mind automatically starts thinking things like , i¿½what is this guy doing i¿½ i¿½ Is he crazy ?i¿½ i¿½ I will get himi¿½. From that moment on you will fight back instead of running away.
When getting caught in a struggle 90% of the time you loose.
Although you win and punch the guy into the hospital , you loose because he will take you to court and you will have to pay his medical care you because you defended yourself.
Rule number one : If you can , run away
Now you made contact with an aggression , what is happening and what do you have to pay attention to ?
There are many aspects involved in the mechanics of aggression and there are different types of aggression and also different aggressors.
First of all , leti¿½s take a look at the different types of aggression.
Sexual aggression
Physical aggression close distance
Physical aggression from a large distance
Verbal aggression
About the Author
Peter Vermeeren is the autor of several books on selfdefense as well as tactical advisor for police personnel. He can be contacted at : mailto:admin@kamikaze-portal.com or through his websites : http://www.takaharudojo.org and http://www.kamikaze-portal.com/esda/selfdefense-police-tactics.htm