What better way to end a Wednesday night than with a self defense course?! Ken Alexandrow with Agape Tactical, LLC joined us last night to teach us some great tips on how to maintain a state of awareness, how to defend ourselves and what to do in a life or death situation.
Our mission at The Southbound Group is to empower women of all ages, both in the workplace and in their personal lives. We aim to make women feel confident, beautiful and powerful. With one in four women being a victim of some type of assault, we decided to host this self defense class to change the statistics and provide women with the knowledge to successfully fight back.
Here are our top 10 favorite things we learned last night:
1. Don’t turn your back. Always make an effort to not have your back to people. When going to a restaurant, sit in a place where you have a wide view of the room, entrance and exits. Always be aware of your surroundings and observe all the people around you.
2. Take the elevator. Get your steps in somewhere else and take the elevator instead of the stairs when you’re alone. There are no cameras in stairwells and it’s the perfect spot for a criminal to hide. The walls are cement and the doors are always shut which makes it nearly impossible for someone to hear you scream. And while you’re on the elevator, make eye contact and small talk with anyone that gets on with you. If they happen to be a predator, they know that you are now able to identify them.
3. Fill a glass up with pocket change. If you stay in a hotel room while traveling, keep a glass cup filled with change on your door handle. This way, if someone tries to break in, the cup will fall and make enough noise to wake you up. The locks on hotel doors are easy to break quietly. If someone wanted to, they could enter your room without you even knowing. The glass cup with change in it makes this hard.
4. Use your key. While walking to your car from the grocery store, the mall, etc., carry your car key in between your thumb and your index finger. Use it as a weapon if you are ever attacked. Go for the face, especially the eyes!
5. Stop looking at your phone! Always be alert. Put your phone away during the short walk from a store, work, theater, wherever and pay attention. Women are often looking at their cell phones while walking around in public. This increases you chances of being a victim because it’s easier for a predator to sneak up on you without you ever knowing they’re coming. Looking left and right when exiting a building makes you less of a target as the predators assume you saw them and would rather wait for a potential victim who’s completely oblivious to her surroundings.
6. Invest in some type of self defense tool. Whatever you choose (flashlight, whistle, taser, handgun, chemical spray, etc.) make sure you actually carry it be sure to learn how to use it. Something is always better than nothing. Also, everyday items you carry can be used for your protection as well – do a little brainstorming and have a plan so you’re always ready.
7. Get the Circle of 6 app. This app asks you to choose six people you trust to be added to your circle. If you are ever in an uncomfortable situation, you can open the app and have it ready. If you need it, you simply tap the screen one time and it will alert all members in your circle that you are in danger and it will send them your exact coordinates.
8. Make your windows shatter-proof. If you have a large glass door at the back of your home or a front door with windows in it, consider purchasing a protective film to go over your glass. These films make it very hard to shatter the glass, hence, making it harder to gain access to your home.
9. Don’t be so nice. Especially here in the South, we have a tendency to be overly-friendly to nearly anyone we cross paths with. If someone asks you to help them load something into the back of their vehicle, odds are you should probably keep walking. Be cautious of the other cars around you in the parking lot. If someone is in the passenger seat in the car next to you when and they weren’t there before, get into your car through the passenger side or go back inside.
10. Crash your car. This was our favorite tip we learned!! If someone jumps into your car, puts a gun to your head, and forces you to drive, statistics show you will end up dead or be left for dead once you reach that secondary location. So, whatever you do, DON’T go to a secondary location. As soon as you are in your car, make it a habit to buckle up immediately. If someone forces their way into your car, quickly (within the first 30 seconds) get your car’s speed up to 35-40 mph and slam the vehicle HEAD ON into a concrete wall. Since you have your seat belt on and they don’t, they’ll be headed straight out your windshield and you’ll be hurt, but not dead.
We hope this was as useful for you as it is for us! Remember, there’s a difference between being paranoid and being prepared. “Failure to plan is a plan to fail.”
