Thursday 07/05/15

What do you think of when you hear the word camouflage? Most likely, you will think of the multi-coloured uniforms and face paint worn by military personnel. Camouflage isn't as complicated as it sounds; it is simply the art of blending into your environment. While the green, brown and black Woodland pattern uniforms are ideally suited for blending into a forest, they will do very little to help you hide in a sandy desert, or in the snow.

If you find yourself in a situation where you need to hide, you need to use the colours and textures of your immediate environment. "That's nice; but what does this have to do with self-defence?" I hear you ask. As I have advised in previous blog posts, running away from an attacker is a valuable survival tool that is easily forgotten in an adrenalized state of mind. If you manage to escape from your aggressor, you might not have the speed or stamina to outrun them. This is where camouflage becomes an important skill.

Blending into your environment can be something as simple as hiding under one of the cars parked along the side of the road, scrambling under a pile of garbage bags stacked next to a full dumpster (yes it's gross, but how desperate are you to escape?), or quickly modifying your outfit. I have even seen someone successfully hide by pulling a clean perforated garbage bag over the top half of their body and sitting in a pile of full trash bags.

If you are being chased, (unless your attacker knows you personally), they are going to be chasing after a specific item of clothing like your hat or your jacket, because they stand out in a crowd (unlike jeans, which just about everybody wears). Unlike the movies, you probably won't have the opportunity to grab unattended clothing hanging from a clothesline. Your most likely options will be to remove your hat or jacket; and put on or remove your sunglasses. Unless your jacket is reversible, don't try putting it on inside-out (you'll only succeed in drawing attention to yourself). If you have to remove anything, ditch it behind a garden wall or in a bin, then walk in a different direction to the one you were travelling in. If you're lucky, you might be able to come back and reclaim your gear later on.

Walk in a different direction to your original escape route, but don't run. It is likely your pursuer will be looking for someone wearing your jacket, and still running in the same direction you were headed. Unless they got a good look at your face, they won’t recognise some random guy wearing a short sleeved shirt, walking in the wrong direction. Be careful; any panicked movements will immediately attract their attention. If there are other people around, but they can’t or won’t help you, push your way into the crowd and copy whatever they are doing (window-shopping and listening to buskers are boring, everyday activities that draw very little attention). Wait for the attacker to run past, then meander along with the crowd until you reach somewhere safe.

Control your breathing. Nothing will give you away quicker than gasping for breath (and sweating heavily) when you are supposed to be just another shopper or pedestrian. Also be aware of any smells that will readily identify you. Strong, easily remembered colognes and perfumes will draw attention to you; as will bad breath, cigarettes and strong smelling chewing gum.

As soon as you have evaded your pursuer, immediately call the police for help.

Thursday 30/04/15

In Australia, ticks and leeches are a fact of life outside of the urban environment. If you regularly go hiking or camping, you've probably had to deal with these pests on numerous occasions. If not, you're either new to the outdoors or you've been very lucky. In previous blog posts, I've told you how to dress to reduce the risk of being bitten by ticks; but if you find a tick or leach on your body, would you know what to do?

Ticks

Ticks are active from early spring, through to late autumn (but that doesn't mean you're safe during winter). Ticks aren't fussy, but they prefer to feed from: the back of the head and neck, groin, armpits and back of the knees. After returning home, it is good practice to give your body a quick check for ticks, regardless of the time of year.

If you find a tick, the most important thing is to remove it as quickly as possible. Use fine tipped tweezers and grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible. Apply steady pressure and gently pull the tick out. Do not separate the body from the head, because the head will burrow further in. Do not squeeze the body, because you will force more toxins (and blood borne parasites from its stomach) into the bite area.

If you don't have tweezers, you can remove the tick using the knot method. Make a small loop in a thread (or piece of dental floss). Put the loop on your skin, with the tick in the middle of the loop, then slowly pull the knot closed. As the loop tightens, it should separate the tick's head from your skin.

Do not use kerosene or a hot match to remove the tick because this might cause the tick to regurgitate the contents of its stomach into the wound. Once you have removed the tick, clean the wound and apply antiseptic cream.

Symptoms of tick bites include: headache, fever, joint and muscle pain and a rash.

Leeches

Leeches inhabit wet and moist areas such as swamps and rainforests. Leech's saliva contains a mild anaesthetic and an anticoagulant; allowing the leech to bite their host and feed without the victim being aware of the leech's presence. Once a leech is full, it will fall off. Unlike ticks, leeches do not burrow into the skin. The simplest way to remove a leech is to sprinkle it with salt. Alternately, you can burn them off with a cigarette or lighter. Once you remove the leech, clean the wound and apply antiseptic cream.

As a precaution, you should always apply insect repellent before entering areas where you are likely to encounter ticks or leeches.

Thursday 23/04/15

I firmly believe that everyone should attend at least one basic self-defence course in their life. You might think you are too old to learn self-defence, or you might have a physical impairment that prevents you from doing some things, but that is ok. Neither of these issues should deter you from at least trying, because a good instructor can modify their techniques to cater for your ability level. I wrote a blog about nine months ago on this topic, and since then I have received great feedback from people, as well as requests for further information on this subject.

When I say self-defence course, by no means am I suggesting you need to become a black belt at any of the well-known martial arts styles, or become an accomplished MMA fighter; I mean a short course in self-defence techniques. A course (usually one night a week for a month or two) that will teach you some very basic techniques you can use to defend yourself.

There is a world of difference between combat sports and self-defence. Unfortunately, some instructors blur this line when they explain what they will be teaching their clients. To put it simply, combat sports (such as MMA) are designed for fighting in a controlled environment with rules, a referee and medical help available. Both combatants agree to adhere to a specified set of rules when they fight. The techniques they use are both practical and dependable in the ring. But on the street, MMA rules don’t take into account “dirty” techniques like biting, eye gouging, hair pulling, and other uncivilised tactics that aren’t allowed in competition. Nor do they take into account the possibility your attacker might have a knife or other weapon.

Having said that, the basic techniques used by the majority of combat styles are what you will rely on for self-defence purposes. Be aware, there is no such thing as the one technique that will win a fight for you. Self-defence training should incorporate techniques from many different styles to give you a basic arsenal:

  • Karate / Jeet Kune Do / Tae Kwon Do
  • Muay Thai
  • Boxing
  • Judo / Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu / Wrestling

A mixture of the styles I’ve mentioned above are essentially what MMA fighters use in the ring. The main differences between MMA and self-defence are:

  • MMA: Organised combat where two people have agreed to fight each other under mutually agreed on conditions. Both combatants remain in the cage until a winner is determined.
  • Self-Defence: Using techniques that will allow you to escape from someone who is intentionally trying to harm or kill you. Your primary concern should be to get away from your attacker as soon as possible.

Not only will a good self-defence course will teach you how to block, punch, kick, knee, elbow, head-butt, and palm-heel; it will also teach you some basic grappling techniques. Yes, you must learn basic grappling; because you have to know what to do if you are taken to the ground (including how to fall safely).

You also need to learn what to do if you are confronted by someone with a weapon (a subject that isn’t covered in standard MMA training sessions). Something else to look for is learning how to deal with people who are trying to intimidate you by yelling and swearing. It is essential that the instructor of the self-defence course requires their students to actually hit and kick targets such as boxing bags and strike shields, so you know how it feels to hit something, and how hard you have to hit something to have any effect on it. Striking empty air is fine when you are learning how to perform the a technique, but you need to actually hit something so you know you are doing the technique correctly.

The most important techniques (as I said last time) are Situational Awareness and knowing when to run away. The core principle of self-defence is getting home safely; not going toe-to-toe with an assailant until the police turn up.

If you live in an area where self-defence courses aren’t held regularly, don’t be afraid to make enquiries at your local martial arts school. The instructor might already be considering running a special class; or they might be willing to accept you as a short term, self-defence student.

If you missed the original blog post on Self-Defence, please click on the link below:

http://beaujohnston.com.au/index.php/blog/13-self-defence