Protecting Yourself

...Putnam Police Chief Rick Hayes said he wanted to reach out to the community and offer the program to women interested in learning to protect themselves.

“I was hoping it would help women be able to gain some self-esteem and get the empowerment to feel like they don’t have to be a victim,” he said, noting that attacks haven’t been a major issue in Putnam.

...“Society teaches women to be caregivers, friendly and helpful, not rude,” she said. “We don’t want to think bad of anybody.”...

...Lisa Salvas, 43, a mother of two from Putnam, heard about the class from a friend. They decided to take the class together.

“I want to be able to protect my children,” she said...

...The “Bullet man,” David Salisbury, has been practicing martial arts for 17 years and says the biggest mistake people make is getting themselves into a situation of being a victim in the first place.

“Men, women and children need to listen to their instincts and act on them,” he said.

Duthorne says she hopes women get two things out of the class.

“I want to make sure they aren’t chosen as a victim,” she said. “If they are chosen, I hope they have the warrior spirit to defend themselves.”....

To read the entire article go to the following linkhttp://www.norwichbulletin.com/news/x180615793/Women-offered-self-defense-course

Technology Age and it's Dangers

I just read an article on the internet of a man louring a woman to his home to kill her. He loured her to his home by placing an add on a well used web site.

The Technology Age is here and the internet is a great resource, but we must use it with prudence.

Every one should read the article and learn from it, what not to do. http://www.startribune.com/local/south/41701952.html?page=1&c=y

3 POWERFUL WAYS TO PORTRAY CONFIDENCE AND SUCCESS

"Low self esteem or fearfulness looks like slouched shoulders; head down, arms folded in front or in pockets. Confidence looks like walking tall, shoulders back, head up, eye to eye contact, arms at the side. One statistic revealed that those trained in martial arts are less likely to ever be attacked because of the way they carry themselves. They’ve been trained to defend themselves and to not take a weak position. They have confidence.

Try this experiment. The next time you’re in a public place, mall, grocery store, the beach, no matter, walk past all the people and look them directly in the eye. You might want to smile a little or offer a “how ya doin’?” so they don’t think you’re stalking them. You’ll be amazed at the number of people who will not look at you. They’ll look down or away but not at you. Of course, in some cultures it’s not proper to look people in the eye. Be sensitive to that. But in many circles you will find it hard to find 10 people who will look at you.

By you looking at them, in some subconscious way you’re communicating that you are not afraid. You’re not sending nonverbal clues that you lack confidence. To get into the practice of always looking people in the eye, take it one step further and see what color eyes they have. It only takes a quick glance, you’re not starring down people but if you make an effort to determine eye color, you can be confident that you’re properly looking people head on in the eyes.

Get your hands out of your pockets when you walk. Uncross those arms that are locked across your chest. Not only does it look stronger and friendlier to have open arms, it’s safer. Should the need arise that you need to thwart off a would-be attacker; you’re going to need your arms to free yourself. How easy it is for one to come up from behind you and grab you if your arms are tucked neatly away? You’re just making it easy. How can you poke out eyeballs, or jab Adam’s apples or throw an elbow to the ribs if your arms are hugging yourself.

“But I AM scared,” you confess. There are two things you can do about that. One is take some self defense classes and learn how to not be afraid. The other and immediate method to change how you project yourself is to fake it until you make it. You may be scared out of your wits, but if you get the self talk going, “I am NOT afraid” and get the body language to follow it, head up, shoulders back, arms open, then you’re at least giving the allusion that you are not a weak prey.

Half of your battle is in the mind. Do something about it."

To read the this entire article go to the following link http://www.selfdefenseresource.com/women/articles/confidence.php

TRUSTING YOUR INSTINCTS

"Everybody is born with a tiny voice inside their head that let's you know when something is very wrong or there is danger approaching. As we get older we rely more on rational thought and don't trust the tiny voice, the instincts as much. Those instincts are there for a reason and will always serve you, but you have to listen and trust. Instincts or intuition has nothing to do with rational thought which is why people often ignore the signals sent. We may dismiss that 'bad feeling' by trying to rationalize-'Why would he do that?' or 'Nah, it can't be.' In her book Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom, Dr. Christine Northrop defines intuition as 'the direct perception of the truth or fact independent of any reasoning.' .....when you have a bad feeling about a particular person or situation act on it. Trust the feeling. Do not try to understand 'why?'."

To read the rest of this article go to the following link
http://www.awsda.org/articles/child_protection.php

Best Self Defense

"Many people think of self-defense as a karate kick to the groin or jab in the eyes of an attacker. But self-defense actually means doing everything possible to avoid fighting someone who threatens or attacks you. Self-defense is all about using your smarts — not your fists."

To read this article go to the following link
http://kidshealth.org/teen/safety/safebasics/self_defense.html