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The 10-A s of Personal Safety for Women & Kids- Part I

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Earlier , we analysed what precautions against kidnapping a School and Parent can take . Now, we outline the safety precautions against kidnapping, which can be adopted by a potential victim, especially a kid. Many will sound so basic and obvious. But you will be surprised to know that they are routinely overlooked, by sheer apathy or pre-occupation. Or worse by being cynical. 1. AVOID Avoid creating a situation which increases your risk exposure. The risk may be due to the Place, the Time or the Persons around. The risk is multiplied when these elements come together . Like lonely road, late night and a suspicious character coming towards you.  Read about the AOI triangle which is an easy formula for understanding risk . 2. ACCESS Prevent easy access. Create as many obstacles between a threa t and you; wherever you are. At home it may mean locked windows and doors - which are 2 layered, so that you can see clearly who is outs

Safety procedures to prevent kidnapping - For Schools & Parents

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Kidnap - nap (to seize) kid ( a child) The child kidnapping crime has been around for time immemorial, for varied motives – Anger & frustration, Money, Political or Sex. After the recent spate of kidnappings in TamilNadu, the police have announced certain guidelines  - for Parents, School authorities and the Kids themselves. Very sane advice, no doubt. To understand the issue at hand, we analyze it a bit more. Kidnapping has some unique characteristics - Mostly the victim is the softest target of all - Childre n Kidnapping is generally NOT a crime committed in sudden burst of anger or impulse, because it needs elaborate planning of logistics. That pre-supposes that the criminal should be reasonably familiar with the victim's universe. In the case of kidnap for sexual assault , it’s different. The victim may be chosen on parameters like vulnerability and circumstances. In kidnap crimes, the police are at a disadvantage ,

4 Ds of stopping a violent confrontation

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The prisons are filled with normal people like you and me. They landed in the prison just because they lost their sanity for a few seconds. Frightening, isn’t it!  When you realise that everything built over a lifetime can be lost in a jiffy. “Violence starts where civilization ends." KravMaga system takes this dictum into cognizance and advocates physical violence only as last resort, when all civilized options are exhausted. What are the triggers of Violence? Volatile situations happen every day in bar rooms, board rooms and bed rooms. Wherever there is more than one individual, opinions may differ. Unfortunately and unexpectedly, sometimes these differences escalate to physical violence. Aggression can be internally present. A small minority do carry their aggression blatantly. They are by nature bullies or brought up in a social/domestic condition where violence is a pre-requisite for daily survival. Aggression

Some common myths of street fighting smashed.

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Myth 1 - Size matters Size is a natural advantage since its intimidating. But the advantage of size in actual street fight is over-rated. Natural reflex, aggression, nimbleness and hitting the vulnerable spots are the key in a emotionally intensive confrontation. But, AVOID going on the ground grappling with a bigger guy, because he can dominate with superior mass. Myth 2 - Technique matters  Its highly improbable that a technique learnt inside a dojo can be applied with 100% effectiveness, in a sudden fight.   One will be under adrenalin infused stress because of the unpredictable and dynamic nature of an ugly confrontation. Its the reflexive adaptability of the technique which will be most natural and least contrived. Myth 3 - Cool head will prevail 3 things matter in street fight - Aggression, aggression and more aggression. As combat tested military and police officers have observed “Combat is 90% Attitude & 10% Technique" Look aggressi

Core Exercises - The simplest way for total fitness

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When it comes to total lifetime fitness, core exercises are just about the best thing you can do for yourself. The results are immediate and long-lasting. Core exercises have profound benefits for both men and women, at all levels of training and experience. Most core exercises do not require fitness equipment to be effective. Here are some very simple exercises that you can do any time in the privacy of your own home. In order for them to be effective, you need to exercise at least three times a week, and after awhile, you should work your way up to five times a week. The Top 10 Benefits of Core Exercises - 1. It's good for you! Core exercises train your deep abdominal muscles - the main one is called the transversus abdominis . You can think of your transversus abdominis as your internal weight belt. It's a very deep muscle that surrounds your entire waist, supporting all your abdominal structures including your lower back. 2. Looking

WHY SOME FREEZE IN A CRISIS AND HOW TO AVOID IT.

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In a sudden confrontation, people often freeze. Even martial-art practitioners and military soldiers are not exempt from this comatose response. First we will look at why this happens and later we will see how to train the body and mind to avoid this freeze. WHAT HAPPENS DURING 'THE FIGHT OR FLIGHT' SITUATION The technical term is Tachypsychia. In this neurological condition due to a sudden surge of adrenalin in the blood stream, the following happen - • Heart beat can rise up to 300 bpm, resulting in high Blood pressure . That’s why many faint in a crisis. • Heavy breathing due to dilation of airway to lungs. • Limbs don’t move , as body prepares for defensive foetal posture. • Dilated eye pupils, which produces visual exclusion known commonly as 'tunnel vision' . That’s why people lose peripheral vision. • Auditory exclusion also happens. That’s why people in shock appear deaf and seem to be far away , in their own world. • Epinephrine dump in the brain makes Tim

VULNERABLE SPOTS – KEY TO END A STREET FIGHT ASAP

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KRAV MAGA is a pragmatic and realistic fighting system. Find out how... WHY AIM AT ‘VULNERABLE SPOTS’ When training civilians, we teach them to DEFEND > OFFEND >NEUTRALIZE> EXIT . And the shorter this sequence it is better. Because, the longer a confrontation is prolonged, higher is your exposure. So, in KravMaga, to keep a fight short and decisive, we always aim at the VULNERABLE SPOTS of the opponent’s body. VULNERABLE SPOTS – NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH ‘VITAL SPOTS’ Hitting vital spots can result in collateral damage, and even worse - fatality. You are not interested in defending a murder charge, are you?! So forget hitting internal organs. This write-up is to educate you on stopping a fight ASAP, NOT maiming or killing. WHAT ARE THE VULNERABLE SPOTS IN THE HUMAN BODY 1) EYES 2) NOSE 3) MOUTH 4) CHIN 5) GROIN (TESTICLES) 6) KNEES 7) ANKLES WHY WE CALL THESE ‘VULNERABLE SPOTS’ 1) THEY ARE EASY TO REACH All these spots are on the surface. It does not take years of practice to

HOW IS KRAV-MAGA DIFFERENT?

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How is KravMaga different from traditional martial arts? KravMaga is a ‘horizontal system’ which combines elements of various fighting systems. One will find – o   Kicking & Punching   elements of Boxing, Karate & Muay Thai o   Ground fighting & Grappling like Judo & BJJ o   Holds & Takedowns like Aikido o   Defence against Knife attacks like in Kali o   And also defence against stick attacks, fire-arm threats We can say KravMaga is a MMA (Mixed Martial System) KravMaga is NOT a martial art. It’s NOT a Sport.  KravMaga is a combat system for street survival Why do you say KravMaga is NOT a martial art? There are some major differences in the approach to Self-defence by KravMaga o   There are NO choreographed movements like katas. Intricate and contrived movements fail during an un-predictable street situation.  KravMaga is based on natural reflex and fast direct attacks using gross motor skills. NO Cosmetics. o   Kravists DON’T practi

SMART STREET FIGHT - CLASSIC EXAMPLE

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SMART STREET FIGHTING Remember these critical points in a street fight - * Keep moving and don't present a stationary target. * Don't be in the comfort zone of the attacker/s - keep changing Range, Direction. * Don't assume there is only one aggressor. Always assume he has got assistance. So scanning your blind side is very critical. * Since you are assuming your attacker is going to get assistance from friends, you always try to keep the confrontation as short as possible; which prepares you for the next assault. * For your life's sake don't try fancy stuff - especially intricate locks and high kicks. They are for movies. * Don't get trapped in the middle of a group.. keep pushing to the periphery of group * Keep you senses and eyes open for exit routes * Don't panic.. Even if you don't feel brave, Fake aggression * If you fall down, try to get up fast. * If you are down in the midst of a gang, cover your head with arms and just roll up l

DON'T TRY TO BE A HERO.. YOU MAY END UP AS A JOKER - PART II

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In Part 1 we saw the Options of Confrontation in a hierarchy of - AVOID >> KEEP MAX DISTANCE >> USE AVAILABLE OBJECTS Now we come to the options when one is compelled to use one's body OPTION 4 - LONG RANGE - USE LEGS TO DEFEND AND ATTACK Legs are the longest weapons in our arsenal. The advantage in using legs is, one's vital organs are kept away from the aggressor's reach - which is very critical in facing attacks using sharp objects. Legs are the largest group of muscles and bones in the body and can deliver a powerful attack or defense in any direction - Front, Side or Back. OPTION 5 - MID RANGE - USE PUNCHES AND HAMMER FIST If in mid distance, which is between kicking and touching distance, punches are effective. But punches are effective only if it is delivered to the front. What if the aggressor is on one's side or back. Hammer fists are ideal for attacks to the side and back. I personally prefer hammer fists to punches because of its ver

DON'T TRY TO BE A HERO.. YOU MAY END UP AS A JOKER - PART I

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DON'T TRY TO BE A HERO.. YOU MAY END UP AS A JOKER - PART I The first 3 Options in facing a Crisis on the street... more follows KravMaga is pragmatic. Its no-nonsense approach is simply "If from NORMAL condition, one is exposed to a CRISIS, your duty is restore NORMAL condition as early as possible"  NORMAL >> IN A CRISIS >> NORMAL ...................................................... OPTION 1. AVOID - there is no point in getting INTO an situation and then fighting tooth & nail to get OUT of it. So prudently one attempts to bye-pass a crisis                               >>>>>NORMAL>>>>> NORMAL>>>>^^^           CRISIS               >>>>> NORMAL ...................................................... OPTION 2 - KEEP THE AGGRESSOR AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE If one cant avoid totally, one tries to maximise the distance from danger. Suppose a girl is walking on a lonely road. And a potenti

5 WAYS TO CHOOSE A STREET-SMART SELF-DEFENSE SYSTEM

You can read the same article in http://vickykapoor.com/quotes/street-smart-system/ Often I have come across this sarcastic query, “Do martial arts really work in a street fight! Is it worth training at all!?” That may be asking like why maintain a fire brigade since it is idle most of the time. Any physical activity is beneficial in some manner. It could be games, yoga, swimming, cycling, dance or anything. It could improve some element of total fitness – either cardio-vascular, muscular endurance, flexibility or atleast co-ordination and quick thinking; which help in a crisis. But, if you are in a job prone to confrontations like security, policing, hotel bouncer etc., learning fighting arts is definitely a plus. Or if your life style makes you vulnerable, like living in a crime prone locality, commuting late or transporting valuables. But a word of caution, look out for these inherent failures in any fighting art before signing up. These system weaknesses make you victim and