Ho ho ho! Top Ten Personal Safety Tips for Christmas

HO! HO HO!

For many people, Christmas Day is the happiest and most festive day of the year. The whole season is one of joy, sharing, compassion and love. Regardless of what religious significance you attach to the holiday season, one cannot help but notice that the general feeling of good will does increase towards the end of December. Maybe it’s because we know we won’t have to go to work! Sadly, for some people, tragedy strikes to sour this most festive of occasions. Here’s how you can avoid it.

Self Defence Begins with the Self

The first time someone gets involved in a confrontation that spirals out of their control, their first thought is often “I need to learn how to defend myself.” With that, they will Google, they will read, and then will often end up at the local martial arts club, boxing gym or MMA academy. Convinced that learning how to fight better will solve their issues, they throw themselves into training. They attend class 2-3 nights per week, pay their money, sweat, bleed, cry and feel proud of their efforts. Next time when that bully/abusive  boyfriend/drunken idiot at the bar hassles them, they’ll teach him a lesson, right? Maybe.

Very rarely is a far more important question asked; “What could I have done to prevent this from happening in the first place?”

10 Signs He Might Be Violent - Avoiding Abusive Relationships

Violence, especially habitual violence, is not unpredictable. In fact, if you know what to look for, it is highly predictable. For many women, their biggest concern when entering a new relationship is that their new interest may in fact be a danger to their safety. The ‘strong, silent type’ that is at first so alluring may indeed be brutish and only silent because he knows no other way to communicate than with his fists. Every year, millions of women around the world are beaten and sexually assaulted by their boyfriends, husbands and partners. Read on for 10 telltale signs that you’re better off without him.

Video: Scenario Training

Another short video from the earlier years of Senshido. In this clip we see how scenario training with verbal dialogue and multiple attackers changes the training environment considerably. You also get a chance to see the Shredder in action in a live, no-compliance drill.

Daily Video: 10.07.2010 - Gracie BullyProof

The following clip is taken from the Gracie JiuJitsu "BullyProof" program and addresses their use of the term "Verbal Jiujitsu" as it relates to schoolyard bullying. While we don't necessarily agree with all points made in this clip, it is still interesting and worth watching. Enjoy. :)

Daily Video: 08.07.2010 - The Gift of Fear

In this video, Gavin DeBecker speaks to an American TV show about his outstanding book "The Gift of Fear" and the principles of intuition and violence prediction he uses in his service to his clients. This is a three part series, but is full of fantastic information. If you are interested in real self defence and have not read DeBecker's work, you owe it to yourself to pick up "The Gift of Fear" and read it cover to cover. Enjoy.

Daily Video: How to Avoid Becoming a Victim

This is an oldie but a goodie. In this clip from the early 90's, Marc MacYoung gives some fantastic tips on how to avoid common violent crime. While some of this information has since been supplemented with modern studies and methods, there is a lot of gold in this clip. Enjoy.