Self Defense - The 4 A's. Be a WINNER

1. What is Self Defense?

We are going to focus on 3 aspects of self defense:

1. Bullies

2. Acquaintance attacks

3. Stranger attacks

According to the department of Justice, a victim will k now his or her attacker 90% of the time. In 2009, 93% of REPORTED attacks were by someone the victim knew and alcohol was involved 85% of the time. (Lt. O'Hanlon of sec crimes division with the San Diego Police Department)

With Bully defense we will learn De-escalation, verbal defense, and strategies to stop a fight before it starts. Physical self defense is taught as a last resort however, in the event you are attacked by a stranger, you will be taught to fight back using everything in your power to escape.

The 4 A's of Self Defense:

Awareness, Assessment, Attitude, and Action

90% of Self Defense is AWARENESS. According to Darren Laur, author ofTotal Awareness; A women's Safety Book, "Self-defense is a system of awareness: awareness of yourself, your ptential attacker, and your surroundings combined with physical and mental techniques."

Awareness is the ability to read people and situations and to listen to your instincts. In class discussions will include:

What a predator looks for in their potential victims. Don't talk to strangers. Don't even listen. Trust your instincts. Learn to spot inappropriate behavior.

If someone or something doesn't feel right it probably isn't. ASSESSMENT means thinking things through once you are in a situation. What are your options? Each situation will have different options. In the case of a bully, can you talk yourself out of the situation? In the case of a stranger or possible physical threat, can you escape the encounter? Can you attract attention?

Next we will discuss ATTITUDE. You must believe you can defend yourself! Survivors Mentality. This is your mindset - being confident. We will look at posture, making eye contact, and how to portray CONFIDENCE. What is the difference between assertive and aggressive? Can you have too much attitude? Being assertive can help avoid problems. Being aggressive can bring them on. We will discuss how our confidence can protect us and the difference between too much attitude versus being confident.

Our ultimate goal is to ESCAPE. If you are caught off guard and being attacked, what ACTION can you take? DEFEND YOURSELF. Flight or Fight - give it 100% commitment. Attract attention. Scream, throw things, yell 911. Noise attracts attention. In class we will explore our options in the case of an attack and how we can defend ourselves.

VERBAL DEFENSE:

From our class discussion what does it mean to be a WINNER?