Awareness, the overlooked self-defence technique.

Throughout the self-defence ‘industry’ you hear many people talk about awareness, being aware of things around you, your surroundings as well as where you might be heading. More often than not, instructors will mention being aware without really going into much detail about what they mean as they don’t feel they want to teach them how to ‘suck eggs’ and assume that the students or whoever they are addressing know what they are referring to.

I myself have been guilty of this in the past, it is easily done.  You are instructing a class, the end of the lesson is rapidly approaching and you have got another class waiting in the wings, so in trying to be expedient you wrap up a massive subject like awareness, assuming that everyone knows what you mean because to you it’s common sense, but that is only due to your past experiences which your students have probably not had.

With gained experience, I no longer assume anything, especially when instructing anybody.

 Awareness can be essential in a situation where you have to defend your-self and others. I say ‘can be’ because there are times when, with all the awareness in the world you cannot predict when or where you will be attacked. It is in those moments you have to rely on your shear will to not let yourself become a victim. I’m afraid to say you also need luck on your side, because in those moments the attacker has all the cards stacked in their favour. That being said, training self-defence situations/scenarios with reality based training can greatly increase your chances.

Some people can confuse awareness for paranoia, which in a way could easily become paranoia if unchecked by a sense of humour, ‘they are all out to get me’.

Is putting on your seatbelt, you being paranoid that you will crash, or you making sure that if (heaven forbid) you crashed you would more likely survive (Or just avoid a fine by the police).  

With that mentality that ‘The bad guys are out to get me’ you immediately become more aware, if a bit unnerved.

It can start just before you leave the house when you put your wallet in your pocket, is the pocket an easy one to pick? If so, then put your wallet into your front pocket. Or if you have your money in a purse in a shoulder bag, is it zipped in, or just in there loosely. In addition is it on one shoulder where the whole bag can be snatched or can you put it over your head on the opposite shoulder where it will be more difficult to snatch. Where have you positioned your phone? Sticking out of your shirt, or jacket top pocket, hanging out of a back jean pocket letting everyone know you have the latest model.

Where do you put your keys? Keys can be used as defensive weapons if locked in-between your fingers. You may also need to use them to enter your car, or house at speed to escape. So having your keys easily accessible to you but not others can also aid to your self-protection.

You have driven to work, where do you park your car and how? I know sometimes you have no choice due to allocated parking, but there are cases where you could park near a security camera, or in the open where you are less likely to be targeted.

If you reverse into a parking spot, you can drive out fast if you are in a real hurry. Now these are instances where being aware of what could happen in your day makes you prepare for it differently because awareness has given you the gift of hindsight (which is awesome).

So you finished work on Friday, and you go out with your friends to a bar or night club.

Now when you mix men and women with alcohol you have a recipe for either a good night or serious drama, maybe both. Pay attention to how much you or your friends are drinking (if you’re consuming alcohol), could you defend yourselves if you needed to, if not maybe down some water and ease off the sauce.

Maybe you or one of your friends is unlucky and grabs the attention of the wrong person (someone who’s looking for a fight). Do they have a glass or a bottle in their hand, or is there anything in close proximity that they could use to hit you with, are there friends with them? On the other side of the coin is there something you could use to create distance or put an obstacle between you like a stool or table?

All good bars leave radios or panic alarms behind the bar for bartenders, so positioning yourself and your group near the bar should get you quick assistance.

You have managed to avoid an incident at the bar and you’re on your way home, if walking, walk with a friend, if getting a taxi pre book it with a reputable company to avoid long waits and ill-intentioned or fake taxi drivers. Maybe you’re on a night bus, sitting near the driver or the door would be a smart decision if traveling alone.

There are 3 types of awareness that you need to maximise your safety:

• Environmental- paying attention to the lay of the land, everything round you. Is there any threats/obstacles, or anything that could be used against you or that you could utilize to your advantage if a threatening situation occurred.
• Situational- what situation are you in? Are you in a rough neighbourhood, is there an argument near you that you could get drawn into, are you wearing a certain team shirt near a group of opposing supporters.
• Personal-how well do you know your own abilities? Do you expect to beat a 6ft 20 stone meat head, when you can only do 10 push ups? If you had to run full speed to escape a trimmed agile looking bad…, how long could you go before you run out of puff?

You need to be realistic and slightly pessimistic.

On reading this you might think this is all common sense and preparing for the worst to happen, and you would be right, but there are people who would never have considered that the worst could happen.

All good martial artists should train and expect the worse, that their enemy is bigger, armed with a concealed weapon, knows how to use it and has friends on the way. Most martial artists would seriously struggle against these odds, some would say you have to run or you can’t win, and therefor never bother to try, but if you can’t run and you have to fight or flight to either save yourself or someone you care about without training for the worse, you will lose.

For me that is not an option, I will train for the biggest meanest threats there are, not because I’m paranoid but because there are far too many people I care about for me not to want to train, and because,…………………………

I always wear my seatbelt.

By Louis Tandoh,

Chief instructor for Family Martial Arts Gravesend