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Issue 22
Training For Unusual Situations
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Two recent local headlines:
Contra Costa Times: 15-year-old stabbed on trail in Brentwood
Vacaville
Reporter: Four male suspects sought in Fairfield home-invasion robbery
Stories like this used to be unusual. Now, they are very commonplace.
Literally every day, similar headlines can be found in every Bay Area newspaper. I'd put up a fair amount of money
that the people in these stories all said to themselves, "I never expected it to happen to me!"
While
none of us should live in fear, we need to have a plan for the occasions when ugliness pays us a visit. You're not looking for trouble, but you're ready if it shows up.
In our personal protection classes, we teach people how to identify and avoid dangerous situations. We coach people through a series of different scenarios
that could occur and how they can react.
What is critically important, though, is that in real life, it's
not going to be some picture-perfect scenario. It's going to be jagged and ugly and you're going to have to
improvise. As odd as it may sound, you need to practice improvisation!
With each potential scenario you can
think of, you need to have thought through multiple responses.
For instance, with a home invasion, what will you
do if you're upstairs and you hear a downstairs door get kicked in? What if you're downstairs and you hear an
upstairs window break?
What if you come home, and find someone in your living room? What do you do
if you're alone? What if your kids are home? Do you run, do you fight or do you barricade?
The
same basic problem - a home invasion - now has a number of potential solutions.
The same goes for practicing with
self-defense tools. Practice your pepper spray or stun gun with your "weak" hand. If you own a handgun,
practice with one hand and two hands. Strong hand and weak hand.
Assume something will go wrong, and
you'll need to improvise! By running through various versions of the same basic event, you are building the "mental
toughness" to act, and not freeze.
And that may just save your life some day.
Next Issue: Wolves, Sheep and Sheep Dogs
Bison Risk Management Associates is a Northern California-based company providing Personal Safety and Emergency Preparedness training, workshops and consulting
for individuals, businesses and organizations.
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