Industry Magazine Source Security Spring 2016 | Page 31

Please do not let that last statement discourage you. There is
a solution you can put into place right away. For those of you just
starting along the “self-defense path” I offer you information and
a mental exercise that you can implement right away. When asked
the question “how do I protect myself in the street”, I think the
most valuable thing anyone can learn is how to avoid becoming a
victim in the first place. How do we avoid becoming a victim you
ask? Think of the animal kingdom. Predators typically ‘take down’
the young, the infirm, the weak. When you walk down the street,
how do you walk? Are you confident and turn around to make eye
contact with the person approaching you from behind? Or do you
have slouched posture and avoid eye contact? Or worse, are you
completely oblivious to your surroundings and what is going on
around you? This idea of not presenting yourself as a willing victim,
coupled with the following exercise will have you well on your way
to avoiding becoming a victim, which is the foundation, or essence
of self-defense.

“...I THINK THE MOST VALUABLE THING
ANYONE CAN LEARN IS HOW TO AVOID
BECOMING A VICTIM IN THE FIRST PLACE.”
One exercise taught to students in the first phases of instruction
is what I call the ‘artificial paranoia exercise.’ It goes something
like this; for the next day or two, imagine that around every corner
someone is about to attack you. Imagine they are under your
car, inside your house, waiting for the elevator door to open, etc.
When you open that door to walk into the stairwell, they are hiding
behind the door waiting to give you a healthy shove down the
stairs. Imagine that for a moment. You open the door, distracted,
not paying attention, and from behind you are pushed down the

SPRING 2016

stairs! While laying at the bottom, moaning, your wallet or purse
cannot be defended, you are mugged. Your inattention caused you
to become a victim.
Think this couldn’t happen to you? Choose any search engine
and a few minutes to search the topic. Sadly, you do not require
some ‘special sleuthing knack’ to find far too many examples of
innocent people who were victimized due to a lack of attention to
their surroundings... “He came out of nowhere... “ is the comment
most often heard after a mugging.
So think like a mugger for a few days. Who would you victimize?
Who would you avoid attacking, and more importantly, why?
The point is that you don’t remain in this state of paranoia, or high
alert for very long, you simply wrap your mind around the thought
process of the criminal. This way, we pick up on the opportunities
muggers look for; crimes of easy opportunity, will [