Personal Safety Tips

Self-Defense is a Necessity not a Luxury

Pictured: Cazimir Bzdyra practicing how to defend himself against multiple attackers, Ben Hawkins form behind, Michelle W. Bojarski from the front, Carrie Meyer and Ziael Aponte from the side.

Everywhere you look today, there is crime and it is not getting better. With more jobs on the line there are going to be tougher times ahead. When the economy suffers, there is more crime happening and that why you have to take a stand to protect yourself and your loved ones.

Some basic things can be done. Be aware of your surroundings. When walking to your car or on the street take notice of the people and things going on, be alert. If you are walking while it is dark, walk where there is the most light, do not walk too close to things (such as cars or buildings) where there may be someone hiding. If you notice trouble ahead, do not walk into it. 

Be aware of the restrictions you impose on yourself and how to overcome them. For example, if you wear a hood this can obstruct your peripheral vision, so you would have to scan the area more frequently by turning your head. Know how to get out of your hooded clothing if someone tries to pull you down; this is also true for back backs. Cell phone and musical devices may hinder your ability to hear things going on around you, and if you are so consumed with your music, phone call or text messaging you may have lost track of your surroundings making you an easy target.

At home and around the house it is important to eliminate places (such as high bushes around the house) where a mugger or an intruder can hide to surprise you or work on getting into your home unnoticed. Keep your doors and windows locked and lock up your car. Have a lighting system around the exterior of the house that automatically goes on with a timer or motion sensors. Keep the phone number for the police handy and with so many cordless phones these days, make sure that there is a phone at a certain location in your house that everyone knows where it is at all times.

Become a community with your neighbors; watch out for each other and each other’s properties. If you see a strange car parked or roaming the neighborhood, take notice of the make, model and license plate and notify the police. If there are strangers hanging out in the neighborhood or around your neighbor’s house notify the police. There are so many times that people see things and do nothing about it because they don’t want to get involved but now is time to get involved for your safety and your families. Do some research within your town to find the anonymous tip lines to call if you know of criminal activities; this can make your community a safer place without any risk to you.

The suggestions above are to help you to avoid a dangerous situation and reduce your risk, but that is not always possible, that is why knowing how to defend yourself is so important. In these hard times that we are living in, we need to know to how to defend ourselves and our family from personal attacks. The Academy of Kempo Martial Arts, located at 1890 Dixwell Avenue in Hamden believes that self-defense classes are a necessity not a luxury and is offering two free weeks of self-defense lessons to those who are interested in not becoming a victim. Please call 203 288-9990 today to begin your lessons and visit the Academy on the web at www.academyofkempo.com

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