S.A.D.
Welcome to my Simple and Direct Self-Defense page where I hope to inspire and empower individuals to reach their full potential when it comes to their safety and security along with that of their family and community.
I do not claim to be an expert because I am far from it! I am just an average person who has practiced martial arts and chosen to explore what genuine self-defense really means. In my quest to avoid becoming a victim in a world populated by those with malicious hearts, chaotic intentions, violent motives, and a readiness to inflict harm for political, social, personal, or financial reasons, I have sought to deepen my understanding.
Hence, if you can extract any valuable and useful information from this reading that could be beneficial to apply, please do so to improve your safety and that of your family and community. Once again, always consider the insights and experiences of those providing guidance on personal safety and self-defense. Take in the information presented here and conduct your own research to formulate and create the most effective plan for you and your family regarding safety and security.
First, Last, Only!
When rapes, murders, robberies, assaults, and other acts of violence, mayhem and gangsterism occurs it is a very rare manifestation for law enforcement to be on site as the deeds are being committed.
This is why it is vitally important for us and others to understand that when it comes to our families, communities and ourselves we are the First, Last and only line of Self-Defense everyone else is an after the fact participant.
Therefore, do not put your life or the lives of those you care about solely in someone else's hands. Learn the things necessary for your own self-protection and that of others when necessary and if you have to go down, go down fighting and never let someone just take your freedom or life.
Simple and Direct Self-Defense
You are the primary and final line of defense for your own safety. No one spends more time with you than you do.
Have you heard that in this country, a violent crime occurs every 24.6 seconds? A murder happens every 30.5 minutes, a rape every 3.9 minutes, a robbery every 1.7 minutes, and an aggravated assault every 39.0 seconds. Additionally, a property crime is committed every 4.1 seconds, with a burglary offense every 22.6 seconds, a larceny-theft every 5.7 seconds, and a motor vehicle theft every 40.9 seconds. These figures are not absolute and can fluctuate, much like the changing tides of the ocean. Instead, consider them as an open window offering insight into the potential landscape you will face as you step outside, where hidden dangers may arise. Use this information as a tool to equip yourself for whatever challenges the day may bring because the safety of you, your family, and others could hinge on it.
There is a lot to consider as we sit here; at this very moment, someone, somewhere, has had his or her life taken or irrevocably altered by an act of violence. You might be wondering if there is anything, you can do to prevent it from happening to you. I can assure you that there are no certainties or guarantees in this regard, but we can take measures to make ourselves less appealing targets for those who wish to harm us, which is the focus of this reading. We will discuss topics such as how to effectively use pepper spray and how to escape from holds and grips, but the key takeaway is that these techniques are all SIMPLE AND DIRECT strategies that you can practice and incorporate into your daily life.
Why Use Violence:
An assault, whether they are classified as criminal acts or other types of violence, typically occur when the perpetrator evaluates the situation and determines that you are a viable target, that there is no effective protector or guardian present, or that you lack the ability, willingness or are unable to defend yourself. Their motivation is often driven or stems from the potential gain they perceive outweighing the possible repercussions of their actions.
What Is Self-Defense:
The protection of oneself or someone else, particularly by employing physical lethal and non-lethal force options, it is justified if you reasonably believe, as another person might, that you are being confronted with an immediate threat of significant injury or death. If this evaluation is rational and justifiable, you are not required to wait for the wrongdoer to strike the first blow with their fist or any other weapon at hand.
However, Self-defense involves more than simply using physical strength; it encompasses a mindset that influences your posture, speech, and whether you convey your true intentions through your tone and body language. It is a series of strategies assembled for your protection, but before you can effectively defend yourself, you must have faith in your ability to do so.
Self-defense begins with the conviction that you are worth fighting for, which influences how you present yourself. After all, no one can protect you better than you can. This does not diminish the roles that law enforcement, a partner, or others may play in certain situations if they are present during an act of violence; however, if they are not there, they are merely bystanders after the fact. Additionally, in situations like riots, even if they are close by, it is crucial not to rely solely on them for your safety. You should still depend on your own abilities to ensure not only your self-protection but also that of others.
Retraining the Mind:
One of the first steps you need to take is to start paying attention to your instincts, like when you feel a chill run down your spine or that inner voice warns you to be cautious around someone. Perhaps you experience an unsettling sensation about something without understanding why. Our minds are our greatest tools for self-protection; they process information more rapidly than any human-made computer, absorbing billions of data points daily. They can sense, feel, and hear potential dangers, alerting us to them, guiding our responses, and expecting us to take action.
This is where the issue arises: our innate survival instincts have become weakened and blunted. This decline is due to our dependence on technology and others for our protection. As a result, when we do not perceive a weapon, a punch, or any indication of aggression, we tend to ignore these early warning signs until the threat is imminent, at which point it may be too late. We must re-educate and recondition ourselves to heed our natural instincts for survival.
Learning to embrace and acknowledge your emotions, reflect on why you are feeling that way, and then taking appropriate and necessary steps to assess whether there is a real and genuine threat or if you are merely experiencing false alarms. This practice is crucial in the process of retraining your mind. I emphasize this again: our mind is our most powerful tool when it comes to self-defense. By becoming more attuned to our senses—listening, seeing, hearing, feeling, and remaining open to all possibilities, even if they end up being false alarms—we train our minds to discern accurately between reality and illusion. This, in turn, reduces our vulnerability and the likelihood of falling victim to those who seek to exploit and take advantage of us.
Keep in mind! Paying attention to your intuition fosters awareness, which in turn facilitates either avoidance of certain situations or action. The key connection between these steps is your emotional and mental readiness.
Word Study:
Intuition: The ability to understand or know something without the need for conscious thought; immediate and prompt understanding, Instinct: An innate ability; a predominantly hereditary and unchangeable inclination of an organism to respond in complex and specific ways to environmental signals without reasoning, reflecting either a natural or a developed propensity.
I combined these two words because the more you trust your intuition, the more instinctive your actions will become.
I found the word awareness intriguing, especially due to the four words that come after it in the dictionary. This prompted me to look up each of those words so I could combine them and observe how they connect.
Awareness: Conscious, Knowing, Realizing, Cautious
Conscious awareness: refers to your comprehension of yourself in connection to the individuals and objects around you.
Knowing awareness: is the ability to distinguish between safe and dangerous situations.
Realizing awareness: means having a complete comprehension of your environment.
Cautious awareness: means taking measures to avoid potential danger.
The common thread connecting all these elements is an individual's emotional and mental readiness. The reasoning behind this is straightforward: if you are indecisive or unprepared in these aspects, you will lack the necessary resolve and determination to respond effectively.
Emotionally: You need to reflect on whether you are willing to harm or even take the life of someone in order to safeguard yourself and your loved ones. This is a challenging and difficult choice, and it is not a decision you should be attempting to make if you and your family are under threat and facing danger during an attack.
Mentally: Your mindset must reflect the belief that you and your family are worth defending. You should approach this with a resolute and steadfast determination aimed at restoring peace and safety, all while striving to remain free from hatred and intentional malice.
Verbal Tactics:
Words can be treacherous entities; they have the power to wound you and provoke conflict, bewilder and mislead you, or deceive you into feeling secure enough to let your defenses down. However, I believe it is not only the words spoken that matter, but also the actions accompanying them and the responses they elicit. It is crucial for us to pay attention not just to what we say or what is said to us, but also to the body language, that accompanies those words.
First and foremost, do not give any weight to their words the moment you realize they are affecting you emotionally; by doing so, you unwittingly grant that person power and control over your actions, which is something you should avoid. To clarify, we are discussing situations where someone tries to provoke you into a fight or argument with their remarks. Pay attention to what they say while observing how they behave. A mental guideline that has worked for me is, “You can say what you want, but don’t lay a hand on me; if you do, we have a problem.”
Over time, I learned to let their words wash over me like water off a duck’s back, but I always kept an eye on their actions. This does not mean that words cannot hurt or sting, but I would much prefer to deal with hurt feelings than to face a broken battered body in a hospital bed on life support or lying lifeless in a coffin at a funeral home. Reflect on what triggers your anger and frustration. By identifying these triggers within yourself, you will become more aware when others attempt to exploit them, allowing you to respond more thoughtfully.
Furthermore, keep in mind that your words and accompanying body language can have lasting consequences, manifesting in various ways. Let careful consideration, truth, and wisdom steer your actions in a world where violence is now celebrated, glamorized, and championed by certain politicians and organizations as a means for national political and social change.
M.S.B. = Mobility, Sight, Breathing
When it comes to physically defending yourself, choosing the right targets is crucial; you need to hit where it will be most effective. This is where M.S.B. plays a role, as it provides a clear purpose for the targets you choose to strike rather than engaging in random kicking and punching. Your primary goal is not to stand there trading blows but to escape the assault swiftly and reach a place of safety and assistance. The key to achieving this is to target areas of the body that can produce immediate painful effects.
Consider what occurs when you get poked in the eyes or struck on the bridge of your nose:
1. Your eyes begin to tear up.
2. You experience pain and a stinging feeling.
3. Your nose might start to bleed, making it difficult to breathe.
If all of this is happening, will I be trying to pursue you? Probably not, unless I am under the influence of drugs, then you would need to step it up a notch. What I am suggesting is to target areas that will inflict pain and discomfort, making it difficult for the attacker to harm you while you find a way to escape.
So, when it comes to defending yourself physically, focus on these key principles: Mobility, Sight, and Breathing. Using these in any combination will increase your chances of getting away.
The Perimeter:
When considering self-defense, the first step is to establish our perimeter. By doing so, we declare that anyone who crosses this boundary in a threatening way will be addressed quickly and promptly.
The most effective method is to visualize your leg tracing a circle around you. Anyone who stands a leg's length away is positioned in your Danger-Zone, while those two leg lengths away fall into the Caution-Zone. Anyone beyond that distance is considered in the Safe-Zone unless they possess a long-range weapon, such as a gun. If someone is closer than a leg's length, they enter your Danger-Zone, prompting you to choose whether to step back and establish a new Zone or to defend yourself. (See fig. 1)
Safe Zone: Individuals outside the Blue Circle pose no threat to you unless they are armed with a long-range weapon.
Caution Zone: Those within the Orange Circle are considered a THREAT, though not an immediate one unless they possess a firearm, a long stick, or a baseball bat. You should be aware of their presence and exercise caution around them.
Danger Zone: Anyone inside the Red Circle places you in IMMEDIATE DANGER, especially if threats have been directed at you. You must take measures to protect yourself quickly, as time is of the essence; allowing them to get too close is a serious risk.