5-Safety Tips: From a Criminal Behavior Analyst & Defensive Tactics Educator
Protection professionals will be the first to tell you that safeguarding oneself begins long before the physical act of self defense. The Shaan Saar Group, Orlando’s gold standard for personal safety education and security consulting offers 5-tips to consider for living a healthier, safer life.
1. Personal safety begins before physical confrontation.
There are frequently a variety of pre-violence indicators one can identify before a conflict escalates to the physical. Using situational awareness is critical in staying safe. Unfortunately, this skill is all too frequently thought of as “common sense”. While it might be, we continue to see crimes perpetrated by individuals who have taken advantage of citizens not using a common sense approach. Failing to lock doors / windows, or running isolated trails past dark are actions most know they should avoid yet continue to be cited as opportunities taken by offenders.
2. Be self aware.
Conflict will happen in every individuals life. Assess your physical and social emotional abilities on a routine basis. Are you able to set effective verbal and physical boundaries when necessary? Are you capable of self advocating with authorities under pressure? Are you physically capable and willing to protect yourself and your loved ones if the situation should call for it? Be aware that having taken one self defense class within your lifetime will not establish the automaticity necessary to reaction productively in emergency situations. Neither will education in recreational style martial arts. We have advocated for far too many survivors with varying belt levels of martial art disciplines who were unable to defend themselves against offenders. Those you see in the media who have successfully used martial arts are statistical anomalies.
3. Know your geography.
Be aware of the environment you are operating in. Are you familiar with the crime rates, how do they change after dark? Are you easily able to access your vehicle or emergency services if necessary? Knowing where we are is not an act of paranoia, it is plain good sense to know where we will be and anticipate how we will care for ourselves while in any particular location. If we can make a plan for the food we will eat or the clothing we wear while we are navigating our day it makes sense to know the areas we will be entering. Busy areas for alcohol consumption and little or no police presence are frequent hot spots for crime. No one is suggesting you dive into crime mapping but operating obliviously in your day to day environment is something offender’s capitalize on.
4. Have an emergency contact.
Immediately after a conflict is not the time to decide who you will reach out to should you need immediate assistance. An alarming number os survivors have inadequate or no emergency contact. Many have felt embarrassed to contact the individual whom they listed for fear of judgement. Having emergency contacts identified can make a significant difference in post incident advocacy. If you carry a self defense tool or firearm this means having self defense insurance in place as well.
5. Know your rights.
You are within your rights to file a police report for any level of battery or assault. Know what defines each and if necessary insist that a paper report be taken to create a legal timeline and establish the identity of an offender. Law enforcement uses a check box report where you are entitled to indicate that you will press charges. You can always change your mind at a later date.
No single blog can provide all the information necessary to stay safe any more than a single cookbook will provide you with every recipe you may ever desire. However, the work of Shaan Saar Krav Maga and the Shaan Saar group is to provide the public with Evidence Based Self Defense™ and help to build a safer world. Like, subscribe, and share our blog and socials to learn more.