As a business and employer you have a duty of care to your staff. Indeed, your duty of care for your staff is as equally important as your customer. So, excuse the pun, they need to be ‘Properly Protected’.
So, why I chose Viking Combatives
As for any prospective business we shopped about and looked at look martial arts and self defence classes, we found Viking Combatives who ticked all the boxes. Why? Because there are too many knights in shining armour out there, Brett on the other hand has spent many years working in security and dealing with the more unpleasant members of the community.
Managing your own personal risk
We booked the self defence session and were more than happy with the outcome. Brett was friendly and good natured and understood that some of our members would be nervous, from the off he was injecting some gentle humour into the day.
It was a bit cold outside so we did some basic exercises just to warm up, this also helped to relax everyone and get the nerves settled. Brett spoke about when approaching your personal safety in any given situation, you have to be aware of yourself and your surroundings, at all times. Managing your own risk requires running your own personal risk assessment, which does have parallels with running your own business.
Subtly and as a matter of habit: detecting anything that puts you in danger, so the basics are when you are leaving the house and walking to your car, arriving at work and then when you are leaving work. These could be ambush points and making patterns in your daily routine could offer someone opportunity to know where you will be and at what time.
Self defence opens your eyes on how to be more ‘tactical’ in your approach to these daily routines, where we might tend to switch off. Although it would be a worse-case scenario, you are actually learning important life skills.
Brett explained that firstly we have to be realistic in what we learn and within the time frame of the day, paying attention to age, gender and fitness, injuries and physical requirements. Always work on the assumption that your attacker will be ‘bigger, stronger, faster and fitter than you’. It’s highly likely that you’re not going to be in a fair fight, and highly likely you have walked into an ambush, or picked because you look like an easy target.
Target hardening
Brett went on to explain that ideally prevention is the best cure, he talked about situational awareness and listening to your gut instincts. Spotting the out of place or the unusual much quicker and following procedures (MO) Mordus Operandi. Present yourself more confidently. Criminals/bullies have an amazing knack of targeting people from a quick glance, they can determine whether you are a target or a stay clear. If you are fit and in shape then the likelihood reduces – unless your lifestyle puts you in unacceptable risk. The older you get this gets harder, maybe you have a bad back or a leg injury that is visible. These traits you need disguise or have a plan. Brett advised that if you have a mobility issue to invest in a very nice walking stick and learn how to use it. Most self defence clubs will pedal self defence as keep fit, make friends, but realistically, teaching you kick boxing with a few eye pokes, groin shots and running away isn’t really going to cut it. Especially if we return to the assumption of an apponent being bigger, stronger, faster and fitter.
Fail to plan, prepare to fail
Make the most of technology, he explained, if you have to visit a clients home, do your research of the area. Check out Google Street View, so you get a feel for the area. A few recent photos can tell you a lot about where you are visiting. Make sure that your phone is always charged, your car regularly serviced, you always keep items like keys, money and emergency money in separate places Never keep all your eggs in the same basket.
The three stages of self defence. The before fight, the fight and the after fight
Finally, get a to grips with the law and really understand your rights to self defence and how the law works to protect its citizens or in some unfortunate cases working against them. Brett gave a detailed presentation on UK law and basically what to do if you have used self defence and the authorities get involved.
Hit them, and hit them hard
The quicker you end an aggressive encounter the better outcome to all parties. If violence is prolonged then a number of issues can arise. Serious injury that can be either fatal and involve others get involved ‘B&B’s’ (buddies and blades). The best solution is an attacker who can not continue to fight. How is this achieved? We were shown how to target vulnerable points on the human body, being accurate and have the ability to strike hard. This can be done by the usage of hands elbows legs and everyday items carried on your person.