THINK LIKE YOUR ATTACKER – BLACKPOOL AND PRESTON SELF DEFENCE

Self defence tips for people in Blackpool and Preston

Many criminals will search for a particular type of victim.

Once they identify a potential victim, an interview may follow. This can be a regular approach, where someone gets close to you by asking a question. This approach can be very subtle, clues may be that there is a lot of details in the dialogue and the attacker is talking a lot.  Or a hot interview, where someone approaches quickly, suddenly and they are watching your reaction with interest.

Car park attack Backpool – This horrible crime happened on our doorsteps.

How do the attackers select you as a target?

Researchers Betty Grayson and Morris I. Stein asked convicted criminals to view a video of pedestrians who were not aware that they were being filmed. Very quickly, the criminals identified the men and women to target.  There was a clear pattern of agreement among the criminals for picking similar victims. What intrigued the researcher’s was that sometimes petite, slightly build women were discounted by the criminals, but large men were sometimes selected.  Passing the criminals interview process was not typically dependant on age, gender or race.

Don’t make yourself a victim

Educate yourself on what might make you the target of an attacker. Ask yourself, “Would I want to attack someone who is with other people, or in full view of others?” No, you would rather attack someone who is alone and not clearly visible to other people.

Ask, “Would I attack someone who is walking confidently?”

“Someone who looks aware of their environment and has made eye contact with me? They could recognise me, or already sense the danger. Again, no, I want someone who is busy, hopefully talking on their phone and not paying attention to me or anything else around. Like a predator, I want to separate my victim from the herd”.

How about, “Would I attack someone who seems drunk or tired? Perhaps yes, if they have something that I want”.

“Consider that lady who has her keys in her hand, ready to enter her car quickly? She has them spread between her fingers and ready to react to me. No, I want the person who’s seems distracted”

“I am wondering where is the best place for an abduction?”

I am looking for a car that is parked away from others; I don’t want to be seen grabbing my victim. I just want to grab the woman and drag her into her car. Where is the best place for that? If I notice her park far away from a car park entrance, I can wait awhile and catch up later. If I hide on the other side of the car and she uses her keyless entry and double clicks it, it will unlock all the doors for me. That would be a nice invitation, thank you.”

Often a mugger, whether consciously or intuitively may make a decision on how pliant you are. They want you submissive, then their goals will be easier. This interview may be an unconscious process from the point of view of both the victim and the predator. What can you do about this, obviously I’m going to say learn Krav Maga, get a dog or avoid the places where these problems are more likely to happen. However, by being aware that this interview process exists, your are a step closer to being better prepared.

For more information on self defence tips for women in Blackpool and Preston, try a lesson with Lee Douglas at West Coast Krav Maga.