So today I shot a quick video where I talked about a few tips that a Navy SEAL Shared with us while we had him in for a seminar at Scranton Mixed Martial arts. Now these are not your average safety / self defense tips. They were for a very specific audience; well trained martial artists and they came from a very unique individual with a really unique set of experiences. And that is what made it so awesome. So I will share these tips and if you have any questions just let me know.
1. STOP and Pay Attention
We are usually way to distracted. Our phone being the #1 distraction. Talk about making yourself look like an easy target. Put the phone away. Keep your head up and pay attention. Focus on where you are and where you are going. If you are aware of your surroundings and being very observant you dramatcially cut down on the chance that you will ever be attacked. Attackers are looking for an easy target and a distracted person is a much easier target then someone who has their head up and is being very observant.
2. Act First / Strike First
Ok so this is not politically correct and might not even be legal in some situations but again This is what he said and I just wanted to share. If you feel an attack is imminent then you should act first and or strike first. You do not want to being playing catch up during an attack. Instead think about taking the initiative and surprising your attacker. Now we can step back and apply this in some non violent ways like screaming, running, etc but it is also works well for carjacking type situations or abduction type scenarios. Again just something to think about and keep in the back of your mind.
3. Do What You Say / Say What You Do
During the seminar we were told that he felt his team and all Navy SEALs are so effective because of their ability to communicate. The phrase they reinforce over and over is Do What You Say and Say What You Do! Now for our everyday life we can apply this in a few ways like always tell people where you are going, When you will be there, etc. Also this can help us make use of the buddy system. If you are out at a restaurant at night and need to go to the ATM dont go alone. Tell a friend and have the friend go with you. If you parked away from others, down a side street, in a dark parking lot do the same. Tell a friend and use the buddy system. It will definitely help keep you a lot safer.
Here is a quick image I threw together summarizing what I talked about and wrote about here:
Also if you want to see the video it is on the Scranton MMA Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ScrantonMMA/videos/1032892150079581/
and on youtube:
If you have any questions please just let us know or if there are any topics you would like us to address just let us know. You can send us a message on facebook or email us at scrantonmma@gmail.com