hiya bucks Amersham, Beaconsfield, Chesham, Gerrards Cross, Missenden April 2016 | Page 30

Be confident Imagine you are walking on your own at dusk in a quiet area and feel someone is following you? How do you feel? What would you do? Would your reaction be assertive and controlled, or would you appear anxious or aggressive? If it is the latter two options this could increase your chances of being attacked. Learning how to have strong body language, environmental awareness, plus understanding and managing your body’s adrenal stress can actively help prevent you from becoming a victim of bullying and aggression. Matthew Collins of Self Protection Ltd agrees with the latter option “Preparing yourself with key self protection skills will not only increase your body confidence and your environmental awareness, but it will also teach you how to recognise your body’s reaction to stress and utilise it to your advantage. This can be used in everyday life, not just in potential conflict scenarios”. Not all self defence needs to be 100% physical moves. The strongest defence against perceived, and actual, attack is overcoming your feelings of vulnerability in confrontational situations. Self Protection Ltd teaches just that. Their workshops contain training on projecting confident body language, threat awareness and avoidance, techniques to de-escalate and pacify aggression, escape techniques and conflict resolution. In conjunction with the Gerrards Cross Community Association (GXCA), Self Projection Ltd ran a workshop on 13th March 2016 in the Colston Hall funded by a Big Lottery Award grant that GXCA had been successful in winning. The workshop content is developed and taught in targeted age groups to ensure that it is relevant and appropriate to the challenges they may face. Overall the workshop was attended by over 80 people across the age groups, illustrating the community support and interest in this emotive subject. Kimberley Stanton, a participant on the workshop, said “Living and socialising in London I am naturally in scenarios that I used to perceive as threatening. Everything I learnt on the Self Protection Ltd workshop is highly effective. Since completing this workshop my awareness of situations has changed and combined with understanding how to project body confidence I no longer worry about walks home from the Tube.” Self Protection Ltd is running another lottery funded workshop at GXCA on Sunday 8th May 2016. This will also be split into age groups. Please view the website for more information and to register click on ‘Book a Course’: www.selfprotectionltd.com 30 To advertise in Hiya Bucks text or call 07947 349134