H.I.T. Self Defense

First, as always, let me say that this blog is only meant to discuss proactive measures. I do not mean to imply that parents of missing children did anything wrong. These are only suggestions. My heart goes out to anyone whose child has been involved in a violent crime. Also, just as important, even when we follow all of the safety guidelines, bad things can still happen.

Talk to your kids. We’ve posted this a few times over the last year. Have a heart to heart and discuss the ‘realities’ of the world: there are bad people out there who will … Continue Reading

Recently, I was on vacation in the Smokey Mountains - I came across some pointers from the National Park Service on what to do to prevent a bear attack. I noticed these pointers were similar to what we teach our students on how to avoid an attack from the human predator. Let’s go through a couple of these points and compare between the bear and the human predator:

A. Be aware. The best way to avoid contact with bears is to keep your eyes open when you are hiking, camping etc. This is your first line … Continue Reading

We held a class last Saturday for young women from the Toussaint Academy of the Arts and Sciences (TAAS). TAAS is a group home that serves homeless youth in San Diego County ages 14 to 17; and is a partner of Father Joe’s Village here in San Diego. TAAS is dedicated to strengthening … Continue Reading

Here is another success story about a woman who fought back during an attempted sexual assault - and the ‘perp’ was caught. This story hits home as we’ve followed this guy over his long string of attacks.

Be sure to note towards the end of the news story: this guy was caught because the intended victim fought back. From other news accounts, she yelled, kicked and scratched this guy: kudos to this woman. She did whatever she had to do to ‘REMOVE’ herself from the situation and flee. Again, I want to make this clear: it’s your … Continue Reading

Two unfortunate stories to talk about in this blog post: there was a 16-year old girl, recently (6/10/09), from the San Pedro, CA area who was abducted at gun point and raped. There was also a 15-year old girl abducted and raped in the North Park, San Diego, CA area. Both stories are similar in nature. The girls were approached by a predator (one with a gun and one with a knife) and told to get into a car. The predator then drove them to an isolated location, raped them, and dropped them off at a … Continue Reading

Here is a quick clip from the DVD. I cover some of the basics on how to strike back with both the palm and the fist. This might come in handy if you are ever confronted by an individual and have to defend yourself. Remember, 87% of women involved in a sexual assault that fought back report that their situation got better: if you do not resist the attack will occur.

I hope this helps.

Stay Safe.

Visit the Site/Get the DVD: www.hitselfdefense.com

Summer is right around the corner. I thought this would be a good time to cover some basic safety tips. The daylight hours are getting longer and we tend to find ourselves out later and later enjoying summer activities: exercising, camping, parties, etc. Here are a couple of reminders:

A. Keep your guard up. Have fun, but remember, be aware of your surroundings. If you’re exercising outdoors, keep the headphones (music) off. Also, don’t over fatigue yourself - something that’s easy to do as the days get hotter.

B. Watch the drinking out in the sun. … Continue Reading

Let’s take a moment and focus on some basic preventative techniques for the kids (boys and girls, alike). This usually starts with parents and open communication. F.Y.I. - the purpose of this post is not to tell you how to ‘parent’. Rather, I want to give some very basic and general practices that might help keep your children safe.

First and foremost, we need to define a ’stranger’ to our child. A ’stranger’ in the guise of “Stranger Danger” will never reveal that he or she is a stranger. They will use a … Continue Reading

Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to talk to a lot of people who were the victims of violent crimes. One of the most common themes I’ve come across: “you know, I just felt like something was wrong… I just felt like something bad was about to happen.” Those are your instincts talking to you. We have a very unique set of senses that give us clear warning signs before an attack is about to occur. More often than not, we dismiss these warning signs as simple paranoia. Listen to your instincts, if something … Continue Reading

Here is a clip from the DVD. This is a technique to use if a perpetrator gets you on your back. Here is a quick tutorial: If the perpetrator gets you on your back in an attempted rape, pinch your legs together. When he tries to pry your legs apart he leaves himself in a vulnerable position. With your legs still pinched, you want to raise your torso off the ground, grab his hair with one hand and take the other hand and gouge at the eyes. Once you gouge the eyes (and gouge … Continue Reading