H.I.T. Self Defense

We are at that time of year, again. Summer is over and the kids are on their way back to school. Here are a few safety tips to utilize while on or off campus. Remember, the college campus is a perfect environment for predators, so let’s go over some of the basics (for some of you out there - this is a refresher course):

A. Be aware of your environment: be especially careful in enclosed spaces (i.e. parking garages, etc.). Also, be extra careful at night. The more alert you appear the less attractive you are … 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

Here is a really unfortunate story about the abduction and death of Lily Burk up in L.A. For any of you who did not hear the story, here it is:

Coroner: Lily Burk Died of Slash to the Neck
KTLA News
11:29 AM PDT, July 31, 2009

LOS ANGELES — Lily Burk, the 17-year-old student who was abducted and killed last week, died from a slash wound to her neck, according to the L.A. County coroner’s office.

Burk suffered the traumatic injury July 24 in the form of an “incised wound to her neck,” said Ed Winter, assistant chief of the L.A. County Coroner’s … 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 are a few tips (and a clip from the DVD) with regards to safety for the upcoming 4th of July holiday.

A. If you plan to go out for a night on the town and fireworks, make sure you utilize the buddy system: each of your friends should watch out for one another. Even better if have one designated sober ‘party-goer’ who can watch out for any signs of trouble (she is the one who tells you that ‘this guy’ might not be the right one - or who comes in when you give her ‘that … 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

We were asked to give some instruction at an emergency city meeting about a serial rapist in San Diego. Unfortunately, they did not have a great turn out. The quickest way to catch this guy is to activate members of the community. I applaud SDPD for their participation. Feel free to review my last post on this guy:

http://www.hitselfdefense.com/blog/hit-alert-possible-serial-rapist-sexually-assaults-another-woman

As a quick recap, SDPD believe he follows his victims home and waits until they are in a vulnerable position (loading groceries in the house, getting things out of the car, etc.) - he then gains access to … Continue Reading

New Attack is Part of Sex Assault Series

Updated 9:42 AM PDT, Thu, Apr 30, 2009

A woman robbed and sexually assaulted in Mission Valley, CA Tuesday is believed to be the sixth victim in a series that began in June 2008 in the College Area, according to San Diego police.

The victim had just returned to her home on Reflection Drive on April 28 at about 11:30 a.m. She had been shopping with her 18-month-old, took the child into the house and returned to her vehicle to get some more things. As the victim re-entered her apartment, the … Continue Reading