It is easy to become complacent, especially when it comes to self-defense. Remaining vigilant at all times is an acquired skill. Often times we fall into a routine. We lose site of the fact that our environments are dynamic and danger can present itself anytime, anywhere. With a little practice and a few small changes in our habits, we can greatly increase our self-defense capabilities.
Here’s 5 simple things you can do today to improve your self-defense.
1. Analyze Your Circumstances and Routine
An assessment of your lifestyle is critical. Identify the areas of concern that occur in your daily routine. Develop an action plan for mitigating the risk associated with your day-to-day activities.
2. Practice What You Plan
Once you have developed your plan you must practice under many different circumstance. For example, a friend of mine worked hard to develop a plan on dealing with an intruder. She determined that she needed a flashlight, cell phone, and other items that she could grab if awakened. She has small children and wants to keep them safe. One night she heard a loud noise downstairs and was determined to put her plan into action. However, her plan quickly fell apart. She was unable to use her cell phone, operate her flashlight and carry her children to safety in an efficient manner. The next day she modified her plan and is now much better prepared for future incidents.
3. Take Advantage of Free Training Resources
Training doesn’t have to be costly or take place in a formal classroom setting. Google and YouTube are gateways to a vast array of no-cost training resources. Google a topic of interest and I can pretty much guarantee you will find plenty of training resources. With surveillance cameras now the norm, there are thousands of videos on YouTube of actual confrontations which illustrate the realities of what you may encounter.
4. Find a Training Partner
Get social! Find a training partner and meet on a regular basis. You don’t have to engage in formal training. Keep it fun. Training can be something as simple as meeting for coffee and discussing various scenarios and how they can be handled. Sharing ideas and tactics with self-defense minded friends is a great way to expand your knowledge.
5. Stay Consistent
Complacency is extremely dangerous. Understand the consequences of letting your guard down just once. Remember, bad things can happen anytime, anywhere. Stay alert and have a self-defense mindset at all times.
I hope you found these 5 tips helpful and implement them as part of your self-defense plan.
