Most Asked Women's Self Defense Q and As​

Summary

Joe, Mandi’s mentor, is a retired Marine with 20+ years of experience in training law enforcement and civilians in situational awareness, self defense, and firearms training. He is highly experienced and has been teaching others how to be safe and protect themselves.

Joe and Mandi discuss some of the top questions women ask about self defense.

They talk about how to prevent predators from following someone home and what to do if it happens.

They talk about situational awareness and how predators select targets. Joe talked about how criminals spot potential victims by observing their body posture.

Joe suggested that individuals should carry themselves in a way that makes them look confident and aware of their environment in order to avoid being targeted and that people be aware of their surroundings while out in public.

If they feel they are being followed, they should take evasive or defensive actions. Some practical ideas were shared. He suggests that people remain calm and don't panic, as panic can make a situation worse.

Lessons Learned

• Lesson 1 = Your gut tells you just about everything you need to know. Trust your intuition AND act on it.

• Lesson 2 = Have a layered home defense plan. And sharing info with your neighbors and friends is very important.

• Lesson 3 = Victim’s posture looks like: Your head is down. You're distracted. You're looking away from the possible threat, shuffling your feet, and not really purposeful.  We want to look like we're on a mission or focused.

• Lesson 4 = If you're feeling unsafe when walking back to your car, ask for assistance, or wait to walk with others.

• Lesson 5: One of the requirements in a danger area is to spend the minimum time necessary. If it takes you two minutes to get in your car and get out, that's all it should take. Don’t scroll your phone then.

• Lesson 6 = You can defend yourself with what's in your hand. For example, hot coffee in an attacker’s face may get just a moment of distraction to escape.

• Lesson 7 = Have a plan for a break-in: who grabs the weapon, whatever weapon you choose and who calls 9 1 1. Practice that.

To reach Joe, please contact Mandi.

Timestamps

0:02:58 Conversation on Preventing Follow Home Attacks

0:04:10 Understanding How Predators Select Targets

0:07:55 Discussion on Personal Safety and Avoiding Victimization

0:13:10 Conversation on Identifying and Dealing with Danger Areas

0:14:52 Safety Tips for Navigating a Parking Garage

0:16:02 Conversation on Personal Safety: Utilizing All Senses for Security

0:17:42 How to Study an Attack in Your Community and Prevent It from Happening To You

0:22:42 Self-Protection and Prevention of Crime

0:28:42 Home Defense Strategies

0:36:39 Self-Defense Strategies for Women

0:42:26 Intuition and Safety: Trusting Your Gut and Acting on It

0:46:07 The Importance of Training: A Conversation on Repetition and Mastery

0:50:04 The HUGE responsibility it is to own a gun. Train + Keep It Safely Stored If Not In Use