Will you be next year's statistic?

Next year, an estimated 12,372 men in the United States will die as a result of homicide*. What are you going to do to make sure you're not one of them?

Picture this: It's 6 p.m. and you're ready to call it a day. Wearing your Tuesday navy blue suit, holding your briefcase in one hand and your keys in the other, you hurry to your car not wanting to be late for dinner again.

You never saw him coming as he appears from behind the van parked beside your car. He demands your wallet, brandishing a knife in front of your face.

What do you do? And why didn't you see him coming?

Brutal physical assaults happen when you least expect them. The media likes to call them ‘random acts of violence' but there's nothing random about these attacks. Typically, perpetrators plan their attack and select their targets - an easy mark, well in advance of the assault.

The first step in avoiding a violent confrontation - and not becoming a statistic - is to not be an easy mark by developing and using your awareness skills.

Would you drive your car without rear and side view mirrors installed and all the windows tinted black? You wouldn't drive this way for fear of an accident; so why would you walk down a dark alley at 2 a.m. or jog alone wearing headphones in Central Park?

The awareness skills you use when you're speeding down the highway in busy traffic are the same skills you need in the street.

How often do you use your awareness skills?

StreetView

Tasers and their application by law enforcement officers (LEOs) have made headlines this month. In particular, the controversial RCMP incident, at the Vancouver International Airport, has caused an outrage questioning whether four LEOs and their multiple uses of tasers killed an innocent man. For reasons yet to be officially disclosed, these officers determined that the threat level of the confrontation with Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski warranted the use of tasers.

Meanwhile, while rendering their judgments on this sensitive situation, the public became ‘Arm-Chair Law Enforcement Officers.' This is unfortunate as we were not there to experience the true ‘temperature' of the confrontation.

Our instincts weren't affected by the videos or news reports we saw and read. And we all had the luxury of detachment to analyze others' interpretations of what happened that day.

What is your plan to assess and handle different threat levels to your and your family's safety? Do you know what to do if a verbal confrontation escalates into a physical one? If you don't have a plan - it's time to get one.

>confront< Tip

Avoid burdening yourself with bags, keys, water bottles etc. If you need to put your hands in your pockets, keep your thumbs OUT as you'll be able to use your hands a lot faster.

Exercise

Have a friend toss you a tennis ball. Try catching it from two different starting positions:

1) Your hands are fully inserted in your pockets.

2) Your hands are in your pockets with thumbs remaining outside of your pockets. You'll quickly see the difference a subtle change in your natural stance can make.

(Note: Don't try this in front of a mirror or anything fragile.)

This is one simple example of how your natural stance awareness can better position you in the street!

MyConfront

Was it a heated argument with a close friend? Did a co-worker get on your nerves? Did a physical encounter with a stranger on the street leave you with a black eye and a bruised ego or send you to the hospital?

Email us what happened - and don't leave out a single detail. We'll share your Confrontation in our next issue, break down what happened step by step and discuss some effective options you can safely use in the future.

Product Highlight

Do you have a plan for surviving a violent assault? Do you know what to look for and say during a confrontation?

The Street Combat Psychology Audio CD from The Rituals of the Urban Warrior System answers these questions and gives you the edge to become mentally tough for the street. Listen to a free audio clip now (mp3 format)