It was a normal day turned horrible. In seconds, a knife was in my face, and I realized, oh crap this is bad. This was my first real lesson in Situational Awareness and safety. Like you, I was at work doing my daily job. My daily job was as a homeless outreach worker. My job was to go where homeless people in need lived. Most often, these were cardboard box homes, under bridges, and in tree clusters.
Some of the places were in very remote spots and some were in very public places with a lot of people. Fast forward, before I knew it, a very large man appeared with a knife in my face and as a woman by myself I was freaking out and paralyzed by fear. I couldn’t move nor could I talk. Before this, as a young woman, something happened to me that I swore would never happen again yet, here I was.
Luckily for me, he was protecting himself and his home and meant no harm. I realized as I saw my life flash before me, I wasn’t as aware as I thought I was. I needed some serious personal protection skills and I needed them fast. I didn’t want a martial arts class, I wanted something to get protection skills, especially Situational Awareness training near me and possibly something that was like special agent training for a small-statured person. I needed something that was going to get me results, real results, and fast; taught by verified professionals.
I was lucky enough to connect with a company that instructs Special Operations Teams for the Military and Law Enforcement communities for the last 24 years. In 2019, they opened a second company called Intuitive Self Protection that teaches a modified version to the everyday person, like me. The timing was perfect. Not only did I jump in with both feet, but after a long journey I became the company's first female firearms instructor and now coach other men and women to become instructors.
The biggest lesson and most important thing I learned was that Situational Awareness is a skill and it is consistent across all platforms of self-defense; whether it be for the everyday person, Military, or Law Enforcement officer is situational awareness, readiness to take action and not just any action but the right action.
It's as straightforward as putting together a great recipe. You must have all the right ingredients, in the right amounts and in the right order or it won't work. You must be aware of what's happening and when it's happening.
This is the first and most important lesson of personal self and family defense. Know your surroundings, see what your eyes are seeing, and if it feels even a little wrong prepare to take action. That action could be turning around going the same way you came. That action could be making a loud distraction and defusing his or her attack pattern. Or you may not have a choice but to protect yourself and step up to do what is necessary to save your life.
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~ Blog Written By Cheryl Molinet ~