For some people, it’s the new gun locked in the gun safe that gives them the illusion of safety. For others, it is the knowledge that their home has lights set on timers while they are away on vacation. The reality is that those lights just illuminate the way, leading the bad guys to your valuables, and that gun isn’t going to protect you while it is responsibly locked up in a safe.

There are a million things we do each day that give us the false impression that we have protected our homes, and another million things we do each day that allow criminals to bypass our efforts. Just turn on the TV or open a newspaper – do you think that every person who was robbed or assaulted woke up and said, “Today is the day I am going to be unsafe! Criminals, come on in!”  Of course not! Each of those people thought that they were securing their homes and that crime would never touch them. All of us fall into routines that we believe ensure our safety, and we rarely alter them.

Let’s look at a few of the common home security techniques we all use to keep our homes more secure:
•    Locked doors and windows
•    Setting lights on timers when we are not at home
•    Asking a neighbor collects our mail while on vacation
•    Installing a fence around a house, or choosing a fenced-in development
•    Choose higher floor apartments
•    Having a dog
•    Choosing neighborhoods with nice lawns and landscaping
•    Owning a gun
•    Installing a security system

All of these provide the illusion of safety and security, but are really very easy for an experienced burglar to bypass. By using many of these so-called security measures, we actually become less vigilant about safety. Here is the reality we don’t see:

• We may lock our doors, but we usually leave the garage door opener in the car, and the unlocked door from the garage to the house is never solid or secured with deadbolts. Back doors and basement doors often have weak locks, and door frames, and can be opened with a forceful kick.

• Lights on timers are actually a sign to burglars that you are away from home. No one turns on and off lights routinely on the hour, day after day.

• Neighbors have been known to forget to collect the mail or newspapers, and anyone watching your home will notice the mail being picked by someone else.

• Fences are easily breached. In fact, having a fence leads many of us to have a false sense of security, and we leave windows and doors unlocked.

• Again, residents on high floors often leave balcony doors unlocked, because of how high they are off the ground floor. Burglars can easily climb across from another balcony on the same floor, or down from the floor above. Thieves can rob your apartment no matter what floor you live on.

• When you have a dog, you also have an unsecured pet door, and you leave your home to walk your dog at least twice a day. Any small burglar can watch your routine and pop in and out while you take Fido to do his business.

• Thieves know that neighborhoods with beautiful landscaping means that there is expensive stuff inside the houses too. Very often those shrubs and trees actually obscure doors and windows, allowing burglars to climb in and out undetected. Smart burglars show up with a uniform, a landscaping or utility van, and can walk around empty homes unnoticed.

• Owning a gun does not protect your loved ones, your pets, or your stuff. When burglars get into confrontations with an inexperienced gun-swinging resident, the gun often get turned on the homeowner.

• Many people with home security systems don’t bother to arm them, especially when they are home. Bold thieves frequently walk into homes while families are watching TV or eating dinner, and grab purses, wallets and cell phones off the kitchen counter. Owning a security systems only doesn’t protect your home, only using it does.

So there you have it. What we think is home security is actually a bunch of routine movements that make us more vulnerable to burglary, theft, and potential assault. I am not suggesting that we leave our doors unlocked, but rather that we need to do a whole lot more to make homes and neighborhoods safer.
Home security is a lifestyle, not a one-time exercise. It requires thoughtfulness and conscious practice. You shouldn’t walk around paranoid, but you shouldn’t be over-confident either. Home security measures need to change and adapt to protect the people and pets in your home today, not the home you lived in years ago.

A good place to start is outside your home. Lock your front door, and then try to break in. If you can do it, so can the bad guys. Reinforce, change and rebuild any entry point you can find. Trim branches and remove anything that can assist a burglar. Lock up all garages and sheds securely, and fix any broken windows. Get a Los Angeles home security system, and use day and night.

Remember to work with your community and the police. Keep an eye out for anything unusual, and get involved in cleaning up areas that need it. If you use Facebook or Twitter, follow your local police departments and emergency services. And never ever post your vacation plans online – it’s like an advertisement that your home will be empty. You should encourage your neighbors to use more effective security measures as well.

When a magician reveals his trick, it’s easy to see how he does it. As you understand how burglars think and act, you’ll be better able to protect yourself using smarter home security measures. The more obstacles your home has, the less likely it is to be robbed. When your home is safer, it rubs off on your neighborhood, and if everyone gets involved, crime goes down and property values go up.

So now ask yourself, “Is my home really secure? How many of these home security illusions do I use?”

First Aid

We’re always walking from one hot spot to the next on patrol. We know that certain intersections and certain clubs have a greater probability than others to be the scene of trouble. Walking between one hot spot and the next, we found one young man with a little too much to drink getting a bit aggressive with … everybody he could. He didn’t start any real trouble, and he even kept mentioning that he wasn’t trying to start trouble … but he was getting about as close as possible to starting trouble, so we stopped to keep an eye on him.

Sure enough, as soon as we stopped, we noticed another young man passed out on the ground. He was in and out of consciousness, and barely able to tell me his parents’ phone number. I told the parents I’d be getting an ambulance for their son and his friend. Who was his friend? Yup – the aggressive drunk, who then wandered over, and passed out on the other side of the sidewalk. We managed to get them both into the “recovery position” and kept an eye on them while we waited. A passing police car stopped to check in with us, and was happy to hear that we had already called for medical support, and they rolled away with confidence that things would go smoothly.

From First Aid to Fight Aid

The 9-1-1 operator noticed that I was using all the terminology and protocol from my recent first aid class, and asked, “Are you an EMT?” Since I’m not, I let him know, “No – just a recent first aid class.” The operator told me he’d stay on the phone with me to help guide me through any additional steps to take while we waited for the paramedics, but they showed up very quickly.

And as soon as they arrived, a fight broke out at a stopping “party bus” only 50 feet away. I quickly briefed the first EMT that got out, and clarified, “You guys got this from here?” When he acknowledged they would be taking over, I wished them luck, and our Patrol ran over to the fight, splitting up two groups that were determined to show each other how cool they were by using all sorts of colorful language, shoving, and generally “monkey dancing” all over the sidewalk.

Our Patrol managed to get the bus folks back on the bus, and the other folks back on their way. We convinced both groups they would have won, and that it was better off not getting in trouble … thus saving us a whole lot more trouble.

Quick Legal Lesson

During our “debrief” after patrol, we discussed the legal ramifications of rendering medical care, and the requirements to continue to give care. The ambulance arrived just in time for us to stop that fight. Otherwise, we would have been duty bound to continue care on the first two passed out folks, as we had already begun.

Once you start giving care, only leave if:

• The scene becomes unsafe
• The victim regains enough health to at least refuse care or no longer need it
• You become unable to continue (perhaps from exhaustion)
• Higher level, more professional care becomes available

We were relieved by the professional care of the ambulance crews. Do you have any First-Aid stories you’d like to share?

As Guardian Angels, we are very proactive, with a hands-on crime deterrence action. How are we different from Zimmerman on Neighborhood Watch in Florida?

It’s important to know that our words, actions, gestures … anything we do is probably recorded somewhere these days. Traffic cameras, home surveillance systems, recorded phone calls (especially to emergency services like 911 in the United States) – every detail matters. And, everything really does get brought into question:

Even the “good citizen” stuff can (and obviously will) be brought out in an awkward angle:

No Weapons, Thank You

There are Guardian Angels chapters all around the world. There is huge divergence in the legal ownership and carrying of self defense tools and weapons in all these different communities. Even within the USA, the differences are dramatic. I grew up in Boston, and now live in Los Angeles. In Boston, it’s relatively easy to obtain a license to carry a concealed, loaded handgun … but pepper spray and Tasers are not even legal to own. On the other hand, in Los Angeles, it’s nearly impossible for an average person to get a concealed carry permit, but both pepper spray and tasers are legal and easily accessible.

You can imagine that all these different laws could cause great problems for the Guardian Angels … but fortunately, our founder Curtis Sliwa decided early on that we would never carry anything that could be confused for being a weapon. This makes it much easier for you to avoid this kind of legal confusion on a patrol with us. In fact, as demonstrated in a prior post involving a conversation with police about pepper spray, carrying any kind of weapon makes it much more likely that you’ll use it.

If Zimmerman on his Neighborhood Watch in Florida had simply been walking in the neighborhood without his weapon, he obviously wouldn’t have used it to shoot young Trayvon in February. It’s a little less obvious, but data shows that Zimmerman would probably have acted more professionally, without the false bravado and intimidation that comes from carrying that weapon. A little planning, and a lot more Guardian Angels style behavior, would have made a huge difference for that neighborhood, and a life-saving difference for young Trayvon.

Stand Your Ground Laws

Of course, this is even further complicated by the subtle differences in self-defense laws around the world. In Florida (and other places) there is no requirement for “Preclusion” in an act of self-defense. You can defend yourself against a threat you merely think is going to happen. This is often called the, “stand your ground law.” Now, that might seem absurd to some … but if you’ve spent much time around violence, you pretty well know when something is about to get violent – even before it happens. That doesn’t mean it’s acceptable to use unreasonable, or excessive force to accomplish that defense.

It is always important to show (regardless of preclusion related law) that any amount of force used in self-defense was the minimum amount of force needed to regain safety. In the Zimmerman case, he used lethal force against a younger person with no weapon. That doesn’t automatically make it excessive force (my grandmother would need a gun to equalize the threat from an unarmed football linebacker, for example). But it sure doesn’t make for pleasant news coverage, either.

Get to know your local laws, and think through your actions now, with lots and lots of imaginary scenarios. At least you’ll have some idea of what makes sense in your own mind that way. Violence is confusing enough on its own; you may as well get your own ideas at least partially straightened out before diving into the wild world of violence.

For the whole article, check out: Who is Florida neighborhood crime watch volunteer George Zimmerman?

3-19-2012
CONTACT: Lani, 949-328-4220, lani@ocguardianangels.org
GUARDIAN ANGELS PARTNER WITH ZEN DOJOS, BULLY BUSTER OC, CALIFORNIA KRAV MAGA, AND DIVA’S IN DEFENSE
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA.

Lani Martins, having agreed to launch an Orange County chapter of the famous crime-deterrent group Guardian Angles, has partnered with four local organizations Zen Dojos Martial Arts Academy, Bully Buster OC, California Krav Maga, and Divas in Defense, giving the group a jump-start to making a difference in San Juan Capistrano and surrounding areas.

With this new local business support,  the San Juan Capistrano Guardian Angels will be sponsoring their first Free Bully Buster Workshop for kids (10am) and their first public training for adult volunteers (12pm) on Saturday April 21st at Zen Dojos Martial Arts facility.

Owner of Zen Dojos, Paul Benavidez, who has been teaching and serving the San Juan Capistrano community since 1991, has agreed to support the Guardian Angels by donating his martial arts studio for their training and seminars.  “As a SJC resident and local business owner, I strive to support the strengthening of our community,” says Paul, “Whether its fund-raising for local schools, offering Free Anti Bullying workshops, or teaching self-defense seminars, I see the need to be proactive in the community.”

In a recent meeting between Ryan Foland of Bully Buster OC, and Peter Steeves, who is the Guardian Angel head trainer for the Los Angeles area, and David Eagle, who is the leader of the Inland Empire  Group, all parties agreed that there was great opportunity in leveraging the existing Free Bully Buster Workshops currently offered at Zen Dojos. When asked about the collaboration Lani commented, “When Ryan called me and shared that he already had a successful anti-bullying program in San Juan, I was really excited and we are happy to be supporting and sponsoring his Bully Buster OC Workshops as part of our youth outreach here in town.”

The Guardian Angels are volunteers, who unselfishly give up their time to safeguard neighborhoods and schools, and to support these members of our community. Paul Benavidez offers free California Krav Maga training every Saturday at 8:30am for Guardian Angel Volunteers.  “I see what they are doing in the community as being in line with our mission” said Paul, “teaching people self-confidence through the empowerment of learning self-defense and helping to contribute to a safer community, and I am happy to allow them free training in our existing classes.”

Another focus for the Guardian Angels in San Juan Capistrano is to promote safety through women’s Self Defense Workshops, and it just so happens that Paul Benavidez is the only Certified Instructor for Divas in Defense, a training system that empowers women of all ages with the training and tools imperative to their personal safety and the safety of their families, and this is what makes it such a great match with what Lani does.

Working with this Divas in Defense to promote and provide women’s self-defense workshops, the Guardian Angels believe that they can help women gain the knowledge to protect and arm themselves while gaining confidence to be Fierce & Fabulous!

Kicking off their newly established chapter in San Juan Capistrano, the Guardian Angels are participating in this year’s Swallows Day Parade, sponsored by their new partners.  In addition to providing self-defense classes, sponsoring Bully Buster workshops and promoting personal safety education, Lani hopes to raise general awareness of the The Guardian Angel’s world-wide as a Non-Profit Organization and all that they have contributed to promoting safer communities.  Having been in existence since 1978 and now with 138 chapters in 18 countries, the Guardian Angels have received over 100 awards and recognitions, including the Presidential Accolades, the President’s Service Award and the President’s Volunteer Service Awards.

Come out to support their first sponsored event on April 21st at Zen Dojos Martial Arts Academy.  The Workshops will start at 10am and parents are welcome to join the class with their children, to reinforce the importance and involvement of the whole family in safety education. We encourage community members to show support by coming to watch the Workshop even if you don’t plan to participate, as there are many other ways to get involved and help this new forming chapter.

If you know of any individuals or groups that may be interested in supporting promotion of these events, helping out, getting involved, or contributing financially to the organization, please contact Lani at 949-328-4220 or email her lani@ocguardianangels.org.


###

Take a random skill category:

Drawing that out further:

That’s entirely irrelevant for most people, of course.

That was the fun in this workshop: we trained with a “normal” group of martial arts students and showed them how to cross over their skills into unfamiliar (but certainly related) areas of application.

Standing handcuffing details:

And a longer look at some take-downs, recorded by the host martial arts academy:

What do you suggest?

Would you incorporate this training more regularly into a martial arts training group? If so, why or why not … and what suggestions do you have for making it work well?

Then on Patrol days, you spend at least two or three hours doing more standing and walking … and sometimes a bit of running, too. You probably have a good pair of boots, or at least comfortable appropriate shoes. Maybe you can find a perfect fit with new boots, that give amazing comfort and support … though that has never happened to me. But even with good footwear, it won’t last forever.

A friend of mine is a fantastic podiatrist, and he once told me that “proper fitting shoes never ‘break in’ … they only break down.” I know that I grew up thinking that my new shoes would eventually fit a little better once I wore them long enough to “break them in” so they’d conform to my foot.

I’m glad to have learned that important lesson – if your shoes aren’t feeling so good at the store, you can eventually destroy the support in them to the point that it no longer feels uncomfortable. But you would be MUCH better off buying shoes that support AND fit comfortably in the first place.

So, what do we do with good, comfortable shoes that don’t have the support and comfort you want? Before you go out and spend money on new boots (which can get expensive), consider a lower cost alternative that I learned from my foot doctor friend: “Foot Soldiers” insole replacements.

Be careful: all the cute, soft insoles at the store feel great squeezing them in the package, but that doesn’t mean much for your feet in the long-term. Yes – even the catchy gellin’ commercials are selling you something that feels great, but does very little for structural support. If you want to make a real difference in your health, standing and walking CAN be great for your body … but you have to treat your feet right.

$ave money: A quick internet search found some “shopping” examples of the “Foot Soldiers” but for double the cost that I spent when I got them locally. Even if you don’t live in the Los Angeles area, the shipping costs might be worth the savings to use the same awesome footwear shop.

Tell them you’re with the Guardian Angels – they were super helpful, and they strongly support our cause. I don’t know what their overhead is like, but I’m betting that if they can get you a good deal on something to help with your Safety Patrols, they’ll do all they can to make it happen.

Call them at The Starting Line Shoes in Marina Del Rey … and tell them that Dr Noah Blumofe suggested “Foot Soldiers” inserts. The folks at the shop knew EXACTLY what I was talking about, and got them for me right off the shelf.

I even asked about some other well-known alternatives, and they saved me more money by telling me the other company was producing the same thing, with more expensive marketing, raising the price for no reason. I trust these guys’ advice … and I am thrilled with how I feel walking for long hours on Patrol now.

Contribute to the Conversation

Do you have shoe issues? or feel tired after a patrol? or even just a long day at work? What do you do about it? Please comment and discuss what’s working or not working for you, and make us all work better together.

We’ve heard it all: “Why volunteer? You do this for free!? Just let the police handle it all. I don’t have time for that.”

Could it be that volunteering with the Guardian Angels could do something for your career? Forbes magazine certainly thinks so.

See how you can “Take it from the streets to the suites” with a little volunteer work …

If you’ve filled out a job application recently, perhaps there are some frustrations you’ve experienced:

• Need more work experience
• Need more management experience
• Need to fill gaps in employment history

All of those concerns are true. And all of them can be improved by volunteering with an organization that will give you the chance to demonstrate that you are “taking it from the streets to the suites” and that you are ready to help an employer the same way you give of your own time to help your community. This is a true professional resume builder opportunity, if you know how to show it off on an application.

Volunteer: Your Secret Professional Résumé Builder

Why volunteer? Volunteering with the Guardian Angels  prepares you to show:

• Management Experience
• People and Communication Skills
• Self-motivated / Self-starter Attitude
• Team-Oriented Work Ethic
• Task-focused Under Pressure and Stress

Even better, by getting to know your Chapter members, you’ll have a greater selection of unique, persuasive references, too. Imagine that conversation!

You definitely want your potential employer to call your Guardian Angels references:

Q: “How much do you trust this person?”

A: “That person saves lives for people they don’t even know. What more could you ask for?”

Moore says, “One of the most powerful ways for younger managers to understand and experience the type of leadership needed for the C-Suite is to do volunteer work early in their careers. This is because the type of leadership at the top is akin to being a leader of volunteers, it is not about carrots and sticks but about persuasion and getting people to grasp and follow your vision.”

“Volunteering in nonprofits isn’t just a charitable act; it’s a way for executives to hone their management and leadership skills.”

“For younger managers, nonprofits offer rare chances to learn intangible leadership skills, such as persuasion and mediation.  Senior, financially secure executives who donate their time and energy with enthusiasm are role models for younger executives.”

 Safety, Emergency and Security Work

Also take note that if you are interested in a career with the vital field of emergency, safety, or security then it’s hard to imagine a better training opportunity than the Guardian Angels. You will get lots of hands-on experience, directly in your field of interest.

It’s true that a month at most security work has less public interaction than a single patrol with us. Your training with us will make you more professional and better prepared. You’ll boost your competence, which will then boost your confidence. That will show in your job interviews.

For more help to improve your security job applications, visit: LowerLiability.com

 Get Started Now

How can volunteering with the Guardian Angels help you reach your goals?
There’s one easy way to find out: Dare to Care and  Contact Us now.

For the whole article by Karl Moore from Forbes, visit:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/karlmoore/2011/12/21/volunteering-a-great-way-to-learn-real-executive-leadership/

The key to successfully solving community problems is to get as many members of that community involved and cooperating as possible.

Extreme importance rests in the support your neighborhood can build from all sides:

• Local Government
• Local Law Enforcement
• Neighbors
• Business Owners
• Civic Groups

The good results are clear – in this photo, Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa receives the Key to the City of New York from the mayor.

In Southern California, we have helped create our more well known patrols in places like Hollywood and Venice. At the same time, many smaller neighborhoods have requested help in establishing the Guardian Angels unique citizen Safety Patrols, and we have helped them as well.

Similarly, there are now programs running in various areas of Orange County, Riverside County, and we have just today been contacted by Santa Barbara. You CAN make a difference in your neighborhood, and you can have our support in making it happen. We have “been there and done that” in nearly twenty countries around the world.

We know what works – we know what doesn’t – and we can help it work for you in Southern California. All we need is for you to Contact Us and get started.

Outside our area, please Contact the New York City main office and someone will help you right away.

• handcuffing basics
• contact & cover
• legal aspects of self defense
• legal aspects of a “citizen’s arrest”
• team take-downs
• subject safety
• and a whole lot of little details

For me it was interesting to see so many people learning completely new skills. Many of them were members of the host martial arts school in west LA, but not all were already well trained even in fundamental martial arts.

That meant a whole new challenge in getting them to work together as organized partners or small teams. With the exception of the people I already knew (Guardian Angels and my Fugitive Recovery partner), nobody else in the room had any experience working in any kind of security, or bodyguarding, or anything even in that field.

Ok, logically I accept that most “normal” people don’t spend much time working with handcuffs, or organizing their tactical gear, working out non-verbal signals, or memorizing verbal command sequences. It was still strange to my eyes to watch people learn to hold handcuffs appropriately, or consider the relative position of their team members in a violent encounter.

The good news is that besides this being a social re-orientation for me, the workshop participants did very well. Really, they went beyond my expectations and got good at it. Cooperation under stress at a completely new and dangerous skill: that’s a lot to ask of anyone. And the whole class made great progress. I’ll have some video edited and posted soon, and you can see for yourself.

Thanks go to my friend in the Fugitive Recovery world, and to the Riverside Chapter and the members of the new Orange County Chapter for making the trip to Los Angeles to have fun, train, and meet each other.

I look forward to doing more workshops like this in the same location, and other locations around Southern California and beyond. If you’d like to participate, or host one of these workshops (or know somebody who would), please get in contact with me: Peter @ LAGuardianAngels.org

Boyd flew fighter jets, and used his ideas there, then in large-scale military strategy planning. We can do that without weapons, one-on-one, too. Here’s how.

For a set of specific drills and methods you can use right away, pick up a Free copy of 3 Jedi Mind Tricks.

The right method can send a determined adversary deep into the re-Observe and re-Orient side of the loop, giving you LOTS of time to follow your plan. Of course, if you’re already following your own plan, your adversary has to add that to his loop also, and react to your Decision and Action. The wrong method keeps you guessing, too.

OODA Done Wrong

The important part will be that you have a couple of steps “hard-wired” in from training that must include this process. It won’t work to just have a good method for distracting the opponent. They’ll still have to Observe it and go through the other steps, but if you don’t have a follow up already in motion, then you’re doing the same thing by distracting yourself!

You’ve probably seen it done wrong, without recognizing the steps. Does this sound familiar:

• John  yells drunken slurs about something Bob did, so Bob yells obscenities back at John.
• They both puff up to look bigger, until John pushes Bob in the chest.
•  John’s eyes get wider and he takes a big swing at Bob, etc.

That was the OODA Loop, several times over:

Each step of the way, John’s initial yell forced Bob to Observe (hear) it, Orient (realize it was an insult), Decide (“He can’t say that crap about me!”) and then Act (yell back, puff up his chest, push, punch).

If John had simply yelled, then almost immediately pushed John, maybe yelled some more, pushed another direction, etc, he would have been way ahead in their silly (though popular) game. Bob would have to keep figuring out what was happening (Observing and Orienting) to every new thing John was already (Acting) on.

Of course, in an ideal world, the Guardian Angels would see this whole thing developing, verbalize commands, take a C-Grip, Turn Right, and de-escalate just before, or as soon as, the pushes and punches start swinging. All those strategies are available in our Online Training site.

This can be a “feint” maneuver that the opponent has to at least attempt to stop. Of course, it has to be a believable enough action and threat. On a Safety Patrol, you could, as Contact Angel, keep the adversary’s attention on you while you’re Cover Angel takes advantage of superior positioning, and Acts on your pre-decided plan, giving you BOTH and advantage.

You could simply be throwing something towards the adversary’s face while you get behind cover and pick up a weapon to defend yourself if you’re alone.

OODA Done Right

2 real stories:

1) I had the opportunity to hold a self defense workshop for a hair salon* at a time a friend was visiting me in Los Angeles. This friend is a large, dark, deep-voiced tough-as-nails, experienced, intimidating, skilled fighter. Quite honestly, this guy is a threat to most trained operators I know … and he agreed to help by being one of the “bad guys” for this class.

Well, at one point, he grabbed on to one of the class participants (with enough believable aggressive intent for training), and she grabbed a good bit of skin on his inner thigh (just like I taught). What followed was an awesome display of the OODA loop: my intimidating friend didn’t know that was about to happen, and there was no reason to believe he wasn’t “winning” already … but when the nerves fired off and told his brain to start rethinking things, he let go, jumped away, and I swear he even let out a yelp (and I will still tease him about it if I get the chance).

2) The best part of this came later at a party to which I had been invited by the salon staff. When a boyfriend of one of the stylists (with a black belt martial arts certificate hanging on his wall) decided that he knew too much about fighting, and that there was no way these students could have learned anything that would stop a “real fighter” like him. So, he decided to prove it, by surprising one of them by approaching from behind, wrapping his forearm around her neck, and asked, “What would you do now, huh?”

She used her free hand (didn’t spill her drink in the other hand!) to grab and twist a good bit of skin on the arm he just “presented” for her. Immediate change: he jumped away, fell over his couch, and hit the table. He even said, “What the &#% was that?! I thought you were going to do a move or something! Oww — that hurt!”

The best part – she had no ego about it. Just turned around, still had the drink in hand** and asked me, “Was that ok?”

That’s all it took – interrupting the loop made it all change fast. I like that in both cases, and in a few of my own stories from the street, greater force wasn’t required to gain compliance. It’s not always that easy, of course. But I’ve stopped a few mean guys from doing some real damage with similar methods. Those stories, and some added ideas, are in the FREE eBook: Jedi Mind Tricks for Controlling Street Thugs.

Notes:

* A specific class for hair stylists in self defense is a bit unusual. But, I suggest to you that it shouldn’t be. For this group, one of them had been robbed on the street the prior week, and knew somebody else who had the same thing happen. Stylists tend to work late into the night, sometimes alone in a salon, and for business they want to welcome in as many strangers as possible.

** Just as we had discussed in our class, she was holding her drink in her left hand. This makes good business sense, so that you can shake hands with the right when meeting people. It also makes sense for most people being right handed, leaving their stronger dominant hand available for whatever use you might need, in this case that included some self-extraction maneuvering, and it worked great.