We hope that you never have to use the physical skills of self-defense.
As Secure Living instructors, we believe that the purpose of self-defense is not for you to hurt other people; it is to ensure that you don’t get hurt. With this in mind, we want to remind you that no physical object is worth your life or well-being. This can be hard to accept in the moment.
Under the stress of a robbery or assault, you may feel subconscious pressure to try to keep your purse, wallet, or bags. The thought of losing your driver’s license, money, credit cards, photos, keys, or purchases can trigger our “fight” response over our “flight” response. By choosing now to run when given the chance, you will be more likely do so if ever confronted with this situation.
We will be covering tips on how you can safeguard some of these items in future blogs and videos , but we will leave that for another day.
Only fight when you are personally in danger and have no alternatives left. If you fear someone is following you and they intend to rob you, head for a populated area. When there isn’t enough time to reach other people, you can safeguard your wallet or purse by dropping it into a federal mailbox (if you happen to be near one) or throwing by it on top of a building for safety. These options may not be available to you.
It is important to know what a criminal wants. Do they want you or your possessions? You can determine this by throwing your purse, wallet, or bags in one direction and running in the opposite direction. If they ignore your possessions and continue to pursue you, then you know they intend an assault and not simply a robbery. However, if you are confronted face-to-face and believe they intend to harm you, your possessions becomes a secondary concern. Now you use them to distract the individual by throwing these items straight at them. The purse or bags become an obstacle they must avoid, and it creates a moment when you can run to get free.
What should you do if your bags or purse are grabbed unexpectedly, and the assailant tries to wrestle them from you? Try not to use your energy to maintain control over the item. Instead, try to open the bag or purse and spill its contents onto the ground. The wallet is probably what the thief wants, and they may now pick it up and run away, leaving you with your car keys, driver’s license, and other valuables. In securing yourself, use what you have available wisely. We will get into more details about this concept in the future.
In the meantime, if you want to learn more, enroll in our newsletter, subscribe to us on Facebook, or check out our publications at SecureLivingOnline.Com.
Until next time…Be Safe!
Comments