The following url is a link to an article on how fear is recognized in
the eyes. This might be another signal that predators subconsciously
use to select their victims.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6719954/

In order to learn effective self-defense skills it's important to have an understanding of motor-skill research. Essentially this helps us understand how the body responds to a given stimulus. This in turn helps us understand which techniques will most likely be effective under the stress of a real assault and which ones won't.

One aspect of motor-skill research is the understanding of reflexes, instinctive responses to an attack.

Motor-skill researcher, Richard Schmidt has broken the common reflexes down into 4 basic categories:

M1 Reflex
M2 Reflex
Triggered Reaction
M3 Reflex

M1 Reflex is the monosynaptic stretch reflex which occurs when a muscle is suddenly and unexpectedly placed under a load. This is the fastest known reflex. The knee-jerk reflex or patellar reflex(stretch reflex) is an M1 Reflex.

M2 Reflex is the polysynaptic functional stretch reflex. Because it includes more synapses and goes further up the spinal cord it's a bit slower than the M1 Reflex.

Triggered Reaction is slower than M1 & M2 Reflexes because it involves many more synapses. The cross-extensor reflex (withdrawal reflex) falls into this category. This is commonly seen when a person touches a hot stove, hits their thumb with a hammer, or stubs their toe on the door jam. Generally the stimulus is tactile in nature, such as something that causes pain. However, some sounds and some visual cues can also cause this reflex. This is seen when someone gets startled (jumps) during a loud sound or when someone sneaks up behind them and yells. It can also include someone sneaking up behind you and touching you suddenly. Generally, during a triggered reaction the hands will move toward the center of the body to instinctively protect the head and torso or they will move toward the site of the injury or away from the source of pain. Example, when touching a hot stove the burned hand moves away from the source (stove) toward the center of the body and the opposite hand meets it there while attempting to cover it (protect it). In the case of a car accident, the driver will have a tendency to convulsively lock the arms out in order to protect themselves from impacting the steering wheel, dash, or windshield. The passenger may bring the hands up to protect the head and torso or even reach for the dash or door in an effort to keep themselves from impacting the dashboard or windshield. Since most people have not been taught anything else they will usually fall back onto these general instinctive responses / reflexes.

All of the above reflexes are involuntary, meaning that occur without conscious thought. They are referred to as "simple reflexes" by some researchers.

M3 Reflex is a voluntary reaction-time reflex and is the slowest of the reflexes. This is referred to as a "conditioned reflex" by some researchers. For our purpose, this is the category that trained defensive or protective flinch responses fall into. Generally, the stimulus is visual in nature but can also be based on tactile or auditory cues. This could include seeing our car about to hit a tree or seeing another car about to crash into ours. In regards to self-defense it could include seeing a punch coming at our head or even seeing the attacker tensing his arm or making a fist prior to the attack. Essentially, we perceive the possible threat, identify it as an actual threat, and then activate a motor-program. However, in regards to self-defense this is where things get tricky. If we have tons of different motor-programs, say 10 defenses against a straight punch, 10 different defenses against a round punch, 10 different defenses against a knife attack, etc. etc. then it's going to take some extra time for us to choose the appropriate motor-program (response) for that particular attack. Also, if we have been training a bunch of unnatural blocking movements, we have the same problem. By the time the practitioner has actually chosen the appropriate blocking technique it's likely they will have already been hit by the attacker.

The key to real self-defense is to attempt to turn the M3 Reflexes into "automatic responses" which will essentially make them equivalent to Triggered Reactions. How do we do that? Simple! We train with natural gross-motor movements that are often activated during Triggered Reactions. We minimize our physical options and make those options applicable to dozens of different situations and different types of attacks. We train our brain to perceive and identify the threat sooner. Example, instead of waiting to see a punch coming at us before we respond, we should learn to identify
verbal and non-verbal cues that normally occur prior to the attack. Then we respond to those cues rather than an actual attack. We then train these basic responses over and over again through various adrenal / stress inoculation drills until they become spontaneous.

In most cases, if the skills are based on natural neuropathways they are generally easy to learn, easy to retain, and easy to use for the majority of average non- athletic individuals. Those who are athletic will have a definite advantage.


Copyright 2006 - Steve Zorn

While it's true that "self-defense" is offered in many martial arts schools and even some fitness facilities, we must ask ourselves if it's really self-defense that's being taught. Are the students of these schools and facilities really learning to protect themselves or are they just learning simplified martial arts under the disguise of "self-defense"?

I cannot honestly answer this question as it pertains to each and every facility making such claims, but what I can do is provide simple guidelines to help you, the reader, decide if your school or facility is teaching real self-defense or some fake imitation.

As previous articles have pointed out, there is a difference between martial arts and self-defense. While there may be some similarities in the physical applications between the two, this is generally where the similarities stop. Martial arts self-defense programs, what I refer to as traditional self-defense, generally over-emphasize the physical skills while under-emphasizing or even neglecting the psychological and analytical skills needed to deal with life-threatening situations. The belief is that it's the physical skills that determine the outcome of the altercation when, in fact, it's what the student does before the situation turns physical that will determine the ultimate outcome. While physical skills are vitally important, they are the least important of all real self-defense skills.

Self-defense is about staying out of harm's way. It's about learning to detect possible violent situations and dealing with them before they turn violent. Self-defense is NOT about letting someone physically assault you so you can, in turn, defend yourself. Once this is understood, self-defense can be approached in a direct and realistic manner.

So, what does real self-defense training consist of? That's the question I intend to address. The first step to answering this question involves analyzing violent situations and then reverse-engineering them. In other words, we must take a look at how violent situations occur in the first place so that we can learn how to prevent them from escalating to a physical level. Analyzing the situations in this manner can help us understand that there are so many more things we can do prior to using last-ditch physical skills. In other words, while physical skills are necessary, they should be used last and least.

Let's start from the beginning. How can we prevent potentially violent situations? That's easy, we AVOID such situations. To AVOID situations we must be AWARE of such situations before they happen. So, the first step to dealing with violent situations is using common-sense awareness & avoidance strategies. Ultimately, awareness leads to avoidance and avoidance leads to prevention. Understanding this is the key to real self-defense. If we are aware of potentially violent situations before they happen and we avoid those situations, it's highly unlikely that we would ever have to physically protect ourselves. In short, awareness strategies should form the foundation of any realistic self-defense program that is designed to protect lives. Any program neglecting this foundational area is not based on reality.

What about other necessary skills when awareness & avoidance fails? What about methods of escape? Obviously we don't live in a perfect world. While we may have excellent awareness & avoidance skills there is still a chance that we might find ourselves in potentially violent situations. Based on this fact, we must have a solid understanding of how and when to escape.

What about verbal and non-verbal de-escalation strategies? As we know, conflict resolution is about learning effective communication skills in order to successfully deal with conflict in our lives. Wouldn't potentially violent situations be considered an extreme form of personal conflict? This being the case, doesn't it make sense that we should first attempt to resolve such conflict in a non-violent manner if at all possible?

As we can see, there are many steps that can be taken to be aware of and ultimately avoid potentially violent situations. When those situations can not be avoided, there are still steps that we can take to avoid possible physical altercations. Simply put, physical survival skills should be used only as a last resort when all other options have been exhausted.

Don't be fooled by imitation "self-defense" systems that only teach physical skills and avoid or neglect the most important components of all, the non-physical skills. As I have pointed out, a system based solely on physical skills does not prepare the student for the realities of violent altercations. In fact, it does not provide the student with options and instead conditions them to rely on physical skills regardless of the level of threat.

If self-defense is truly the goal, I recommend that you search out an instructor or a system that offers a comprehensive program including an emphasis on non-physical skills. As our lives may someday depend on our training, we should make sure that our training provides us with the necessary skills to not only survive but to win!

Copyright© 2005, Steve Zorn - Personal Safety Unlimited

This article addresses some of the key issues regarding home security. A careful study of this material could make a big difference in how you think about the security of your home and family.

Home security and personal safety are very important topics that you need to know about whether you are a home owner or an apartment renter. You always want your home, your family and your belongings protected. In order to do that you will need to follow some specific security steps that will allow you to prevent any possible burglary attempt or to stop the one in progress. Your budget does play an important role in the selection of various home security products. However, there are products that are available for most budget levels. If you have a lot of money to spend, you may want to install a full blown security system that consists of many different security devices. But even with little money to spend you can still install a less costly basic security system and follow basic crime preventive measures.

Let's look at some of those basic preventative measures...

First of all you should make sure that the outer perimeter of your home is free of obtrusive landscaping or other items that might provide concealment for a burglar. While privacy fences do protect your privacy from prying eyes, they also provide burglars easy access to your home while being able to avoid detection from nearby neighbors or those passing by. Trees and shrubs can also work in the burglar's favor. Be sure to keep all shrubs properly trimmed and make sure that they don't block the view of doors, windows, etc.

The next step is to make sure that your doors and windows are locked when you are away from the house or during the night. The windows and doors should be strong enough to protect your home and should be installed with care in a professional manner. Your door and window locks need to be selected very carefully and should be very hard or impossible to pick. At the very least, each outer door should include a single-cylinder deadbolt lock. Windows usually present the most danger and should consist of a very strong glass. Regular glass can be broken very easy but there is a special reinforced glass that can be used instead. This type of glass will provide you with more protection and safety. If you have any glass doors in your house, you should definitely install the reinforced type of glass. You can also purchase sheets of protective film that can actually be placed directly over your existing windows to help reinforce them against breakage. Window locks are also important. Be sure that your windows have upgraded locks and I also suggest that you install "pegs" through the window frames.

The best advice is not to offer possible burglars easy access to your house in the first place. Many people have a bad habit of hiding their spare key somewhere near the door. It doesn't matter where the key is hidden: under the door mat, in the shed or at your work desk. If a burglar finds out where the key is, he or she will have instant access to your house. There are many ways for someone to discover your secret hiding place. They can simply see where you hide your key or the burglar may use a trial and error search method. The best idea is to never hide a spare key anywhere. You should also change the locks of your home immediately if you have lost your key or had your key stolen by someone. Good electronic locks can also provide an additional level of security but require you to keep your entrance code in secret at all times.

Speak to your neighbors about participating in a neighborhood watch program or starting one if there is no current watch program already in place. The neighborhood watch program is easy to start and will provide all the participants with so much more security. Your neighbors will be looking after your house and will notify you or police officials if there is a burglary attempt. Watch programs can also be a good preventive measure. There is less chance that a thief will try to break into the house located in an area with a neighborhood watch sign. The watch program is also very good for your personal safety since you are less likely to be attacked when your neighbors are watching after you.

The next step is to protect yourself in a case of a burglary attempt. You should have your phone near you all the times so you can call the local police department if you believe that you are in any type of danger. Have a backup supply of power to make sure that your security system does not stop working if the power is lost or shut off by the intruder. Have a motion detector light in front of your house so that you can see in advance if someone is approaching your house. This will provide you time to protect yourself and to call for help. Have a contact number of a neighbor that you trust and who you can contact in a case of an emergency. Make sure you have such things as a flashlight and some type of instruments to fix some basic problems. Access to a cell phone is always a big plus.

Copyright 2006 - Steve Zorn, Personal Safety Unlimited

A brief search of the internet will bring up the following general statistics regarding child safety...which supports the need for realistic educational safety programs.



*two-thirds of molestations and abductions are executed by people known to the children or the children's family!
*2000 children are reported missing every day!
*One child reported missing every 40 seconds!
*725,000 children reported missing every year in the U.S.!
*1 child in 42 will become missing!
*1 in 3 girls, and 1 in 7 boys will be molested at least once by age 18!
*Typical molestor will abuse 30-60 children before being convicted the first time!
*4 million child molestors reside in the U.S.!
*An average of 1 child molestor per each square residential mile!
*500,000 children are sexually abused each year!
*Youth 12-17 are two to three times more likely than adults to be the victims of an assault, robbery, or rape, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey!
*Nearly half of all rape victims are girls under the age of 18!


Don't let your children become statistics!


Steve Zorn, ICPS
Personal Safety Unlimited

Child abduction prevention is a serious subject that should not be taken lightly. However, I am still amazed at the number of instructors and systems, even nationally recognized systems, that continue to promote not-so-serious techniques and strategies. As mentioned in part 1 of this article, a serious abduction prevention program will not be based on punches, kicks, or other fancy martial arts techniques. The facts of my previous article remain the same, these types of skills are next to useless for children who's potential abductors generally outweigh them by 100 pounds or more. If this truly is the case, why are such techniques still being promoted by programs around the country? There are an infinite number of possible reasons for this, here are just a few-

1) The instructor wants to believe in the program so much that he/she refuses to acknowledge the weakness of said program
2) The program is based solely on martial arts knowledge and lacks research in other fields such as learning & teaching theories, motor-skill theories, survival stress reactions, etc.
3) The material presented in the program has not been pressure-tested for practicality or effectiveness
4) The program is based on a specific martial arts system and is designed to compliment the instructor's chosen system taught within the school.

Regardless of why this practice has continued, it needs to change. Every time one of these programs is offered to unsuspecting parents & children, it creates a false sense of confidence and leads these children to believe that they are prepared for something they may not be.

To illustrate the point I would like to discuss some of the martial arts techniques commonly taught in some of these programs. While these techniques and skills appear to work great in a controlled training environment, they tend to fall apart under the stress of a real abduction attempt.

PUNCHING
Most people understand the basic concept of a punch. Basically the hand is formed into a tight fist and is used to strike at various bodily targets, while using the tops of the knuckles as a striking surface. Punching is a important component of any comprehensive martial arts curriculum. However, punching is a learned skill that requires months, years, or even longer to master. It is a skill that represents the essence of the term "Martial ARTS". Punching is, in fact, an art form in and of itself. To be an effective puncher the practitioner must possess solid kinesthetic awareness, have a fair amount of muscular strength, have an understanding of body mechanics and power development, and must be in fair physical condition. Now, if all of that isn't enough to illustrate why it's an inappropriate skill for a child abduction prevention program, let's look deeper. The hands contain the most brittle bones in the human body, while the head, the most common target for punching, contains the hardest bones in the human body. Once this is understood we can see why using the fist to punch the head, doesn't make much sense. If it doesn't make much sense for adults, why would it make any more sense for a child? Then to take this even further, the study of real adult fights has proven that some adults can take brutal punches to the head and body with little to no effect. If this is the case, how can a child be expected to punch hard enough to actually inflict enough injury on an adult abductor in order to successfully escape their grasp?

CRANE-HAND STRIKE
This is a common martial arts technique often included in children's programs. If you aren't familiar with it, the technique consists of touching the fingertips of your hand together so that the hand forms the shape of a bird beak. The combined fingertips form the striking surface, which is often directed at the eyes or other soft targets. In practice, the children strike handheld pads using this odd hand configuration. In training, it works great against large handheld targets but how effective is such a technique against real-life aggressively moving humans? That's what I would like the reader to think about. If we actually analyze the hand configuration, the target area, and the skill that's necessary to acquire said target under stress, we realize how difficult such a technique can be for an adult. While keeping this mind, how much more difficult will it be for a child who has less coordination, less motor control, less athletic ability, etc.? On top of this, consider the fact that the potential abductor will likely grab the child's arms and/or torso in an effort to carry them to a nearby vehicle or some other location. During this process it will be highly unlikely the child will have the opportunity to use this martial arts strike to effectively hit a target the size of a quarter, on an aggressively moving abductor.

PALM STRIKE
This is a simple tool that consists of directing the open palm of the hand toward the desired target area. The striking surface is generally the lower edge of the palm closest to the wrist, commonly referred to as the palm heel and the target area is generally the facial area. While I agree that this can be an effective tool for adult self-defense, it is less effective and less practical for children, especially smaller ones. Why is that? Let me tell you. In order for the palm strike to be effective it must be reinforced by a certain amount of muscular strength. Like punching, a proper palm strike requires some kinesthetic awareness and some coordination, although not to the same extent. As was implied previously, the potential abductor will likely be bigger, stronger, more coordinated, and more aggressive than their chosen victim. If such is the case, how can a child be expected to strike hard enough with the palm or accurately enough to slow, deter, or stop such a predator?

KNEE STRIKE
Like the palm strike, this is another solid technique for adult self-defense. It consists of driving the knee into the groin or other nearby target area of an attacker. However, this technique is of little value to children in potential abduction situations. Like the palm strike, a proper and effective knee strike requires a certain amount of muscular strength. On top of that, it also requires a minimum height in relation to the height of an abductor. In other words, most children will be too short to effectively apply a knee strike to the most practical target area of an abductor, the groin. If that isn't enough to illustrate how inappropriate this technique is for children, consider this, men do not always fall down in agony when they are properly and effectively struck in the groin. I have seen and heard of many cases where a man takes a full power blow to the groin but keeps on coming. While facing this reality, how can we expect children to use such a technique to effectively escape an abduction attempt?

KICKS (all variations)
This is another common martial arts technique taught in various so-called child abduction prevention programs. Essentially it consists of using the legs and feet in a variety of ways to hit various targets on an attacker. Examples might include: a front kick that targets the attacker's shin or goes straight into the groin, or a round kick that targets the attacker's knee or side of the leg. In a training environment such techniques work extremely well for children. The mock abductor allows the child to perfectly kick them in the desired target and then reacts with dramatic results. However, this is nothing like the stress and chaos of a real abduction attempt. Under stress most people have difficulty standing on one leg, which is essentially what is being done while attempting kicks. If that isn't enough, we must consider that the abductor may likely be rushing in on the child giving them little opportunity to assume their proper kicking position. In a split second the abductor will have the child securely in their arms and will be carrying them off into the unknown, all while the child attempts a technique that has been found ineffective, even for adults.

FOOT STOMP
This is another martial arts technique often taught in children's programs. A foot stomp consists of driving the heel of the foot straight down onto the desired target. In most cases, the top of the abductor's feet is the primary target while in other cases it might be the abductors hands or head if they happen to end up in a prone position during the struggle. While such a technique might have validity for adults, it is another technique that is ineffective for children. Let me ask you this, how often have you tried to stomp the foot of a friend or family member while they quickly attempt to move their feet to avoid it? If you have never tried this I would suggest doing so right now. You will quickly learn just how hard it is to stomp a foot that won't stay still. What is often overlooked in the controlled training environment is the fact that the abductor is in a hurry and they won't be standing still long enough for any child to effectively stomp on the foot or toes. Not only this, but the majority of children, especially smaller ones, will not possess the strength or body mechanics to effectively use such a technique against an adult abductor, even if they are lucky enough to hit the target.

Now that we have taken a deeper look at some of these common techniques taught to children, let me make a few points for clarification. Some of these techniques may work for older children and teens depending on the several factors such as size and strength of the victim and size & strength of the abductor. However, it seems more appropriate to give children techniques that have a higher probability of success, regardless of these factors. In other words, the children need skills that are not dependant on their physical attributes or on the physical attributes of the abductor. They need skills that have a good chance of working in most situations, most of the time without having to rely on luck. In some cases, instructors use success stories of children they have trained to promote the effectiveness of some of the techniques mentioned above. However, what the instructor neglects to mention is the situation, the physical attributes of the abductor or the victim, the percentage that the skill was used effectively, etc. etc. Instead of just taking an instructor's word for it we need to analyze the situation by using as many details as possible. We need to ask questions and make no assumptions based on the instructor's word alone. For example, a 110 pound boy successfully uses a palm strike to deter a 140 pound abductor. This simply proves that given the similarities in size and strength the palm strike was effective for the boy. Does this mean that the palm strike will be just as effective for a 60 pound girl in the same situation? Absolutely not! The point is that the techniques should be universally effective for all children and should not based on physical attributes. Even if a technique is successfully used by a child it does not automatically make it a good technique. A good technique is one that has a high probability of success regardless of the child or the situation.

If you happen to be a parent looking for solid abduction prevention skills for your child, please take all of the above into consideration. Your child's safety is a serious issue and one that should not be taken lightly. Do some homework to investigate the instructor and the material that they offer. Don't assume that just because they are an instructor that they have your child's best interest in mind. Don't assume that just because a program is offered by someone of authority or is nationally recognized that it offers the best techniques or strategies available to children.

If you happen to be an instructor offering such programs to children I ask that you seriously reflect on what has been written here and that you take the children into consideration before you teach them skills that could compromise their safety.

Copyright 2005, Personal Safety Unlimited- Steve Zorn

I am constantly surfing the Internet looking to improve my self-defense knowledge or for ways to network with others who have a passion for keeping people safe.

During my "travels" I see all sorts of things and hear from all kinds of people. However, some of the most absurd things I periodically see are safety-related websites covered with pictures of skulls, reapers, death, and gore.

A question that immediately comes to mind is - what does all of that death and gore have to do with self-defense and personal safety?

Personally, I see self-defense, personal safety and crime prevention as means to empowering lives. It's about making people feel safe and secure, not giving them nightmares.

Can the application of physical defensive tactics be violent? You bet! Could it lead to the death of one or more of the individuals involved in the altercation? Absolutely! This all goes without saying. However, if people tend to dwell on the negative consequences of protecting themselves, they could actually be setting themselves up for a negative outcome.

In other words, if all a person thinks about is death in regards to personal safety it could lead to a couple of possible outcomes. 1) Because of negative conditioning they automatically assume the worst...that they will die if they attempt to protect themselves. They have essentially been conditioned to give up in the face of adversity. Or 2) Because of this type of condition the polar opposite could happen. The individual could develop paranoia to the point that they overreact to situations that would be non-threatening to a reasonable person. They could actually escalate situations and even end up severely injuring or killing someone because they were conditioned to see everything as a deadly-force threat, a life or death struggle.

Owners of these websites that I speak of might say that what I am saying isn't true, but here is a little experiment to prove my point...

Right now I want you to clear your mind of all thoughts and most importantly I don't want you to think about a bright apple-red sports car. Whatever you do...DON'T think about a bright red car.

Let me ask you something...what were you just thinking about? I will venture to say that you briefly thought about some kind of red sports car. How do I know this? Simple...in order for you to NOT think about something you must first think about what it is you are NOT supposed to think about. Make sense? This is just how the mind works.

Now in regards to the pictures of skulls, reapers, and gore. If I show you these pictures on a daily basis and ask you not to think about death, what do you think is going to happen? Since you are constantly being reminded of what it is you aren't supposed to think about you will obviously have a hard time NOT thinking about it. Get the point?

The reality is that while we may sometimes be forced to use violence to protect ourselves or our families, it isn't something that should be glorified.

I suspect that instructors who paste their websites with such dark images don't truly understand the consequences of their actions.


Steve