Getting Physical: Last Resort

Power Tools: How Not to Get Physical

While the physical training takes up much of the training time and can be challenging and great fun, you should always remember that getting physical represents the very last resort – and the most extreme tools in your personal safety toolset. The following list features a sample of the kind of know-how – and the corresponding skills – you might receive when training with us. And none of it involves the act of getting physical:

• The 4 most common compliance devices used by street criminals and foolproof ways to foil them
• The right and wrong locks, doors, windows, fences, security systems – even lights, mailboxes and plants and more for your home
• What to do when faced with being forcibly taken somewhere (hint: crime scene B is always worse)
• The right and wrong way to get into your car in a dark or remote parking lot
• How to tell in two steps whether a friendly stranger may be intending harm
• A proven checklist to prevent identity theft – customized for your lifestyle
• The 3 things you should never do if you’re suddenly confronted with the threat of physical violence
• How to develop and enforce healthy boundaries and become a “hard target” in any social interaction / relationship – without becoming overbearing or aggressive
• Why you should never attempt to use your sports martial arts skills on the street – no matter what
• How to develop the right habits for when you’re at airports, ATM terminals, shows and other public events
• Why legal self-defense will never be intuitive to you while you’re being attacked – and how to make sure your actions fall within the narrow legal definition of self-defense
• How to fail the criminal’s (or street fighter’s, date rapist’s) “interview”
• The right and wrong phrases and attitudes to use for verbal de-escalation
• Top 3 ways to provide a “graceful exit” to the aggressor in order to prevent violence
• How to tell if someone is following you on foot or by motor vehicle
• Why carrying a weapon may work against you no matter how you use it
• How to recognize basic explosives and what to do if they are present
• The 5 things you should never do while traveling and at unfamiliar locations
• How to predict and de-escalate a rage attack, including road rage
• The 3 things that can save your life in a car-jacking attempt
• The right and wrong way of handling people with impulse control issues
• What to say to the arriving police and media if you’re involved in a physical fight vs. a motor vehicle accident