The personal security concept.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This article will help you to understand what you need to apply necessary defense and not to become a victim of a street conflict. To define the necessary components of the successful settling of a possible conflict we have entered a term PERSONAL SECURITY CONCEPT.

The PERSONAL SECURITY CONCEPT is a number of knowledge and abilities aimed to increase personal security of a person in conditions of possible external aggression.

PSC consists of theoretical and practical sections.

Theoretical preparation includes knowledge of potentially dangerous places on your way home or for work; knowledge of your possibilities and possibilities of your companions; street conditions in your city and district; legal peculiarities of settling conflict situations.

 

Practical preparation includes mastering the different ways of self-defense in various conditions reflecting features of dynamics of a person's private life (in the underground, bus or car, against group attacking, under various conditions of a covering (ice, asphalt) etc.), and also constant trainings to strengthen your physical and psychological condition.

Also, the concept of personal security includes actions before the attack and during the attack.

Possible schemes of a street attack.

Small toolkit:    

- possible agressor                                                À  - possible agressor

 

- defender, possible victim                                    D (Ç)  – defender, possible victim

  

 

 

SD (Äá.) – safety distance equal to length of an outstretched arm. Why this length is taken for personal security key parameter? The matter is that remaining on this distance, you can distinguish in due time the signals which mark the possible beginning of the conflict. If you stand closer you can't control the actions of the possible opponent.

 

 

 

 Rule 1 - Observe a safety distance!

Implicit threat of an attack, approaching of strangers, external factors compel to be careful: evening or night, dark street or an unfamiliar place, the group of people going on a meeting etc.

  

 

•  If  you notice a movement towards you it is reasonable to depart aside, to the left or to the right, observing a safety distance.

 

 

• If an approaching person obviously changes his trajectory and moves towards you, ., you can use two ways of action taking into account external factors - time of day, conditions etc:

  1) Leaving – changing the trajectory of movement in order to increase the distance and to leave from contact of any kind, keeping your safety distance.

  2) Contact – verbal contact with an object in case you have realised the probable danger too late and the probable aggressor is moving too rapidly towards you and it isn't already possible to keep a safety distance by leaving aside. You try to clear the intention of people approaching to you necessarily observing a safety distance – for example, exposing a hand forward and giving a command to stop. These actions together or separately give the chance to reveal, if there is an opponent before you or simply a passer-by.

 

• In a situation when a person who is passing by on the left or on the right, being further a safety distance, tries to approach you sideways sharply – you can consider him as an opponent wishing you troubles, because lack of time, unclear intentions and external factors complicating self-defense influence your safety.

Variants of actions at the given situation.

1) Leaving - to leave from contact by a fast pace, run to escape.

2) Contact - you try to clear the situation, necessarily observing a safety distance – for example, exposing a hand forward and giving a command to stop. These actions together or separately give the chance to define intentions of the person and to reveal if there is an opponent before you or simply a passer-by.

3) Attack - to make a preventive attack, if you have companions or quantitative overweight it can be reasonable.

Rule 2 – Do not be afraid to attack first!

If a person obviously approaches you in the conditions t that make self-defense complicated (evening or night, dark street or an unfamiliar place, the group of people going on a meeting), and in the presence of factors of obvious aggression (shouts with threats, mimicry and gestures of menacing character, attempt to push, seize i.e. to make a physical action etc.), you can view the person as an OPPONENT and use the knowledge and skills of self-defense.

• If attacked on front it is necessary to make a decision quickly and choose one of t the  following schemes:

1) Withdrawal – at any doubt in forces and change in the situation, at any stage, it is possible to carry out controllable leaving from fight.

2) Attack – if the opponent is alone and you see high chances of positive result at self-defense it is possible to attack preventively.

3) Withdrawal-attack – is used to increase the chances of self-defense, by winning time to get means of self-defense from clothes (bag) (gas spray, stun gun) or to pick a stick or a stone.

  

• At an attack sideways, on the left or on the right, the situation is complicated by late comprehension of danger, reduction of sectors of a withdrawal – it is often possible to escape only in the direction of motion, and self-defense becomes complicated because of inconvenient position and lack of time for decision-making.

To equal chances and to create a "pause", to find time for decision-making and a choice of actions, you can stop the opponent by striking blows in vulnerable zones (eyes, nose, throat, groin, knees). Further you choose the following actions:

1) Withdrawal – at any doubt in forces and change in the situation, at any stage, it is possible to carry out controllable leaving from fight.

2) Attack – if the opponent is alone and you see high chances of positive result at self-defense it is possible to attack preventively.

3) Withdrawal-attack – is used to increase the chances of self-defense, by winning time to get means of self-defense from clothes (bag) (gas spray, stun gun) or to pick a stick or a stone.

Rule 3– Don't relax!

There are different situations, the most typical – «let's go outside» and "let's have a talk". Most of attacks happen after hard words, during the verbal conflict, and often they come to no good for those who are going to "talk". It is necessary to understand that it is only a form of a «fight input», lulling your vigilance. The hard words, moreover in verbal epithets, extremely seldom have a happy ending. Most likely, the opponent before you masks his intentions up to a right moment for aggression. Situations when the aggressor hides the desire to attack you behind good-natured tone and outwardly not aggressive actions are very frequent.

• While conversation is held on a safety distance - SD., you control the situation (¹1). But if you have given the opponent a chance to come closer (¹2) you at once become defenseless and lose control over the opponent.

• Never turn back on your opponent!!! If he suggests you to leave and sort out relations in the street – give him the road, go behind, don't leave your back defenseless!

 

 

 Personal security rules in such situation:

 1) Always talk on a safety distance (SD);

2) Be psychologically ready to attack in any second;

3) Estimate surrounding conditions in advance and check for presence of improvised weapons and withdrawal ways.

  • If the contact is closer than safety zone and the conflict hasn't yet grown into a physical attack and it is not possible to attack preventively, it is necessary to follow the rules below precisely:

− protect your head and groin taking a certain stand, position;

− control the opponent's schoulders;

− at an attack (mainly with a blow), withdraw the head from the blow and break the distance. If there is no possibility to increase the distance, carry out a strong attack pushing the opponent back for "punching" and leaving;

− if prosecuted after leaving use all possible improvised weapons or personal means of safety, such as knife, sticks, stone, chair, stun gun and gas can;

− if it is impossible to get rid of the opponent, repeat "punching" and leaving, then change your direction in a more favourable way.

Detailed algorithm for different variants of development of a conflict and attack in the street conditions.

1) the possible opponent(s) comes towards you, approaches on the front, the conflict isn't obvious, but there is a probable danger (IMPERSONAL CONTACT):

− Go on the other side of the street, change your way, but observe a safety distance

− At obvious rapprochement use the scheme "contact": a stop gesture, stretching the hand forward, stepping back and a vocal command, for example "Stop!", «What do you want?» etc.

− If aggressive reaction on the scheme "contact" occurs, choose one of the following actions: leaving from fight, preventive attack with hands and feet, withdrawing and occupying a convenient position, then taking an improvised weapon and subsequent counterattack if required.

− The fight itself can be of 3 kinds:

(1) Encounter attack, instaneous attack on the straight;

(2) Attack-withdrawal: encounter attack to prepare for a withdrawal;

(3) Withdrawal-attack: occupying a convenient position (choosing improvised weapon, extraction of means of self-defense) and attack if withdrawal is impossible.

 

 

2) If a person passing you by sideways sharply changes his direction and approaches you:

− Bring your body in a ready state, mobilize and try to withdraw preserving a safety distance;

− If the distance is quickly reduced and there is no time for its restoration, the scheme "Contact" is applied to reveal the motives of the opponent: expose your hand forward not allowing to come nearer, make a vocal prevention;

− In case of obvious aggression the following schemes are applied according to a situation and external factors: encounter attack, withdrawal-attack, attack-withdrawal.

3) The most terrible is a planned attack, but even in this case, even in the conditions of unexpectedness, the objective is to remain live and healthy!

− The first action is the withdrawal in order to come to the senses after the passed blows, to mobilize, arm and leave from fight or strike back depending on the situation;

− If it is impossible to leave from fight, to come off from opponent (which happens more often), encounter attack is used for neutralization of the aggressor, "punching" him or so called passing «through him» in order to leave the fight.

 The general algorithm and sequence of key rules of the personal security concept:

− Observe a safety distance;

− Do not be afraid to use the scheme "contact" to reveal danger – exposing a hand forward and giving vocal commands to stop;

− In the conditions of the verbal conflict keep a safety distance and make a stand protecting the most vulnerable parts of your body;

− If a verbal conflict is developing into a physical attack or into attack without preparation – it is possible to use three schemes: encounter attack, attack-withdrawal and withdrawal-attack.

The choice is made according to a personal estimation of external factors!

− The number of opponents and weapons with them

− Weather conditions

− Presence of ways of a withdrawal and maneuver possibility

− Presence of the improvised weapons or self-defense means

− Etc.

 Personal experience.

  Let me introduce some examples of own experience, as to technics. My and my friends' «know-hows» helped us time and again in street fights.

  My most effective scheme at an attack is the following scheme: a series of blows, an input and stepping to the left or to the right with the subsequent series of blows.

 For example, verbal skirmish begins, the instinct promps to me that a fight is about to start, I become mobilized and the opponent's attack doesn't keep itself waiting long. My opponent strikes a blow or two, but I amortize them with the substituted head, making a step back and bending the head slightly downwards. Then I make a step back, lean against a hind leg, make a start and strike 3-4 blows in his head (fist-elbow). Having approached closely, I push my opponent slightly back and step to the right and sideways. Suddenly mobilized or on a reflex he counterattacks throwing out a hand for a blow and bending to the opposite direction of my actions. But since I am already not there, because I have stepped to the right, he falls forward which leads to a sufficient pause and I make 3-4 more blows with hands, already being sideways from him. Being sideways it is possible to strike blows in any level of a body.

  And already as the instructor I know why the described scheme always works. Everything is simple - the reflex of our body is directed on stabilization of balance and on observance of a rule of "compensation". It is similar to the rule «force of action is equal to force of counteraction». I.e. pushing the opponent back, I activated the restoration of his balance and at the moment his body received a command to counteract, I took a step aside. But an impulse was given and the opponent bent and then stepped where I was a second ago, which led to a pause I have used, having occupied a convenient position.

The following scheme can be named «accidental shot».

At the moment of verbal intensity when emotions overflow, it is already impossible to extinguish the conflict and the fight is near – there comes a moment when you feel that you lose control over the situation and don't know what to do.

My friend always used a proven way in such situations – he provoked the opponent to attack. At the moment of the highest intensity he made a sudden non-standard action for a situation, e.g. suddenly raised a hand or took a sharp step etc. The main thing was that the action was noticeable, which dropped out of understanding in developed conditions. And after such action the situation always developed in two variants: the opponent either struck a blow or seized the clothes – i.e. made physical aggression, or he "was blown off" nor daring to fight, which resolved the conflict. If a blow followed, my companion was ready to such an action and spent a counter blow with a drop away. To onlookers it appeared so that he was being attacked, which excluded negative legal consequences for him.