PERSONAL SECURITY COURSE

The following is taken from Rick Tew's Manual "PSC."  If you are interested in learning more or booking Mr. Tew as a speaker for your organization or company simply inquire via e-mail.

Whatever the cause or causes may be, the threat of a physical assault is real. The possibility of being attacked, violated or threatened exists for everyone. It doesn't matter who you are, where you live or where you work. The fact is, that the possibility exists.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF YOU DON'T LEARN TO PROTECT YOURSELF?
HOW DOES THIS MAKE YOU FEEL?

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF YOU DO LEARN TO PROTECT YOURSELF?
HOW DOES THIS MAKE YOU FEEL?

Sensei Rick Tew (international martial arts instructor and lecturer) has created a program of personal growth to help you defend yourself. He has used these principles to teach bodyguards, security agents, woman and children alike. The training is based on mind, body, and technique. It places emphasis on your own strengths and weaknesses.

You will learn to:

• Control your emotional state
• Develop confidence, power and strength
• Be a victor rather than a victim
• Respond instead of react
• Maintain appropriate mental attitudes
• Increase percentage of personal protection
• Fall and roll safely
• Master self-defense techniques

Taking a small one or two day course in self protection may help increase your awareness of personal self-defense, but it is not enough. You must condition yourself and strengthen your ability to respond. This form of response only comes through a well developed program that allows its participants to build natural reactions.

YOU NEED TO DEVELOP SOME WAY OF DEFENDING YOURSELF PHYSICALLY. SOME PEOPLE ARE NATURALLY STRONG AND AGGRESSIVE, OTHERS, WHO MAY BE SOFTER, GENTLER PEOPLE, NEED TO LEARN A FEW SIMPLE "MOVES" WHICH CAN BE USED IN A CONFRONTATION. STRENGTH IS ALWAYS A MAJOR FACTOR, UNFORTUNATELY THE STRONGER PERSON NEARLY ALWAYS WINS. BUT A PERSON WHO HAS LEARNED AND PRACTICED FIGHTING TECHNIQUES WILL QUITE OFTEN WIN. THESE TECHNIQUES NEED TO BECOME INSTINCTIVE, IF THEY ARE TO BE ANY USE IN A DEFENSIVE SITUATION.

PERSONAL COMBAT SKILLS

Self-defense is the ability to do the best you can when protecting yourself or others. Too often people confuse self-defense with the illusion of television action stunt scenes. The purpose of self-defense is to increase your chance of survival. For example, if you started training with a 10% chance of defending yourself, the skills you learn may increase your ability to a 50% chance. This may not seem like much, but it is more than double what you started with. If you get attacked and beaten and were unable to defend yourself or others, it does not necessarily mean that your training is ineffective, it simply means you would have gotten beaten even worse if you had not trained. So our goal in self-defense is to increase our personal protection percentage. By increasing our current strengths and working on our weaknesses we can begin to develop a base percentage increase.

BODY WEAPONS

The legs are the longest, so they can be used to make attackers keep their distance. The hands are the fastest weapons, but have the disadvantage of being easily damaged. The knees and elbows are shorter, but can give and take more damage.

Most people instinctively punch when threatened, but this is not a good technique. If your hand strikes the attackers head, you could break a bone in a finger. If you hit their teeth, you may cut your hand and get and infection. Your hands can swell up very quickly and become unusable. Even boxers, who know how to use their hands, are VERY careful about them. They make sure their hands are protected before a contest. Proper training will prepare you for striking correctly.

REMEMBER

Violence breeds violence. What begins as an annoyance or a threat to you, may become physical danger if YOU strike the first blow. You may cause the situation to escalate to violence-and may be sorry that you did. Be very wary of hitting, slapping or kicking someone who clearly has a physical advantage over you.

NEVER get in a grappling match with your opponent-it becomes too difficult to use surprise and to strike effectively. Anyone who grabs you from the front usually brings their groin within range. Use your knee! If pulled towards them, you will not be able to get your balance to kick.

FEAR

Fear must be controlled. Learning a few defense techniques can help enormously-as power, mobility and coordination may be seriously affected. If attacked, some people who are very afraid may simply "freeze."

Everyone is frightened in a confrontation-this triggers the production of adrenaline which is useful for "fight" or "flight." Breathing correctly helps us focus our energy and take charge of our bodies. In times of great stress, adrenaline may give us extra strength-sometimes surprising strength.

TALKING

Can you diffuse the situation by using words? Can you pretend not to speak that language or not to understand a potential attacker-even acting a little "simple -minded"? Perhaps you could say calmly:

"There is no need to hit me, if you want money-here it is."

"I know you are angry, but I don't want to fight you."

When a mugger demands money, he/she may be very nervous. Usually a short demand or a threat is made. Rapists, similarly, may just make short, sharp statements. One way of dealing with the situation is to start talking-about yourself, where you're going, about your ill health-which may begin to make you more of a person. The attacker may start to relate to you more as a person and less as a victim and lose concentration-giving you the opportunity to escape.

AVOIDING VIOLENCE

Most of us would prefer to avoid any kind of physical confrontation. This is natural and healthy. There may be ways you can ward off actual violence or diffuse a dangerous situation.

ASSESS THE SITUATION

Unless someone actually jumps out and attacks you, you may have a chance to prevent a situation from slipping into violence. Look at your potential attacker. compare their size and weight and apparent strength with your own. Is it likely that the attacker is armed?

Things to look for are:

• Long hair and clothing you could grab
• Heavy boots/shoes which might cause serious injury.
• Friends-yours or the attackers.
• Red face, flushed with blood - implies attacker is not ready for fighting.
• White, thin lipped face and "tight" voice imply that violence is imminent.
• A shaking fist or emphatic hand gestures, may pre-empt violence.
• Are you restricted in movement by your clothing or footwear?
• Is there anywhere which would give you an advantage? Higher ground?
• Are there items you might be able to use as weapons or for protection?
• Can you attract attention, (throw a chair through a store window)?

Follow your instincts. If you have a "feeling" there is a problem, then there is one.

AREA

Each of us has a personal space all around us. We become uneasy when people enter this space (especially a stranger), more so when they stand behind us. Bullies use this invasion of space to intimidate a victim. If you are stopped in the street for any reason, keep your distance; this should be at least arm's length. The comfortable distance between people who are having a conversation varies from culture to culture.

STAY CALM

Ignore verbal abuse-there is no point in fighting over name calling. Stand in the on-guard position and control your breathing. Staying composed will help you assess the situation and anticipate moves. You must focus on the attacker and what his/her apparent intentions may be. Be aware of possible accomplices. Don't freeze up! It may be that there is nothing you can say or do to avoid a physical confrontation.

When confronted with an assault it is imperative to remain calm and observe the situation. Quick tempers and hasty decisions can result in your own tragedy. This way you can get a clear perspective of all the available options. Often times you can work your way out of the attack using intelligent speech or psychology. However, when your opponent jumps from out of the shadows you have to rely on natural reactions (built with repetitive training) for self defense. Below are a few tips to remember that will help keep you from adding to the list of blade victims:

* Keep out of dangerous situations.
Listen to your feelings and gut reactions, sometimes natural instinct will warn you of a dangerous situation. Avoid hazardous surroundings where problem situations are likely to occur.

* Do not let pride or peer pressure force an unsuitable reaction.
Don't let friends, ego or emotions affect your reactions. Keep a clear head, avoid interference and make a rational decision.

* Never underestimate your attacker.
Do not be fooled by looks alone and remember a knife can be easily concealed. Be aware of over confident opponents. Look for signs of an amateur or professional, but realize you will never know how much knowledge a person has.

* Evaluate the situation and surroundings.
Is the reason for combat worth the risk of your life? Can you escape? Is someone's life in danger?

* Accept the possibility of being HURT.
Let your confidence and skill overrule.

* Train realistically.
Training under the supervision of a good instructor in a realistic setting will better prepare you for victory.

PREPARE

The time to decide how and if you will fight back is NOW. No one can make the decision for you. Evidence suggests that people who have at least attempted to fight back have less psychological scars than those who have not tried to defend themselves. Obviously every situation is different-only you can judge what you must do. If you DO fight back, get angry and give it everything you have. You don't have to fight fairly-your attacker won't. During the confrontation, take any opportunity you can to escape, alert the police or reach safety. This isn't weak-it's SENSIBLE!

FIGHTING WITH FITNESS

The fitter you are, the faster you can move, the longer you can defend yourself, the greater the power you have to defend yourself and to recover from a confrontation. Older people may not be very mobile-or have much stamina-so a confrontation MUST be kept as brief as possible. A woman may not be as strong as a male attacker-and must try to keep physical violence to a minimum.

MARTIAL ARTS

There is no one style of defense or fighting that fully covers the needs of the average person. All the martial arts are very effective-most "self-defense" courses use techniques culled from several types of training. Most require a level of dedication and persistence. Some are more adaptable for women. Other styles may have added advantages depending on your size and weight.

If you have knowledge of any of the formal fighting styles, you will automatically use them-boxers punch, karate experts kick, judo experts use throws. Use whatever comes naturally and develop it. Use you natural advantages. Short stocky people are good at grappling as they have a lower center of gravity. Tall people have a longer reach. Shorter people may be able to get inside the reach of taller people and butt with the head. Most techniques can be tailored to suit your size, age, build and weight.

WARNING

Just a few lessons at a self-defense course could be very dangerous if you don't persist! It would be easy to develop a false sense of security-discovering, when it's too late, that you really haven't learned anything. Courses should be taken seriously, and followed through. Real confidence and real ability to defend yourself are worth achieving.

When you begin to exercise, you will discover your own physical limitations. Once you become fitter your confidence will increase.

Workouts help us loosen up in order to practice self-defense skills. It also helps to develop speed, coordination and strength. Planned exercise-whether weight lifting, running or aerobics-is good for you.

You need to find a program of exercises to build your strength and toughness. It is surprising how quickly we stiffen up if we don't use our bodies. At school we are encouraged to run about-exercise is organized for us. Most adults find it difficult to run for a bus.

It is impossible to cover every type of attack and recommend defense techniques to deal with them. The training you receive will give you a clearer picture of the kinds of moves you must make, but this book is not a substitute for training, it is imperative that you take a self-defense course.