Taking PreCautions: Lessons on Protection Strategies for the
21st Century from Genuine Bussey Sty
"What is defense? It is a countermeasure to aggression, an act
of protection from danger". -Robert Anthony Bussey
More than ever, women are afraid for their safety and are taking
measures to conquer their fears against the mounting problem of
abuse and hostile threat. For over a quarter of a century, I've
had the privilege of helping thousands of women to feel
empowered by learning personal protection skills. In that time,
I've been exposed to countless first hand accounts of some very
emotional stories of violence, distress, rape, and life
threatening survival. To look into the eyes of a person who's
been victimized reminds me all too well of the awesome
responsibility that every expert has to share only those methods
that could guide an individual from a potentially brutal
situation to a place of physical and emotional safety. To feel
prepared and safe requires some work.
For females especially, training should encompass more than
vital combat strategies, to include danger awareness skills and
a devotion to safeguards. I am a strong advocate of programming
the kinds of responses that deflect any possibility of physical
contact. This is the best way to prevent injury and the most
important skill a person can learn to remain free from harm.
There are just too many dangers and variables in combat.
"PreCautions", a Genuine Bussey Style protection program for
women was titled as such because its name reflects my
determination to limit the arena of hands-on conflict. Of
course, we all know that there are no guarantees that violence
won't occur; therefore, protective tools must be in place. These
tools need to be effective, direct, and immediately useful or
the victim runs the risk of making things worse by trying to
defend herself with techniques that won't hold up. In its truest
form, fighting is not secret, nor particularly complex.
I would like to share some thoughts, which come from our
"Principals of Protection Intelligence for Women". When I
formulated them, I asked myself what was really important for
ladies to know before introducing them to actual defensive
tactics. What would I say to my daughter or loved one about
building a foundation that made sense and was easy to apply and
remember? These are a few of them:
Violent crime is everywhere, happening every minute. It's
random, and it can happen to you. The world is a violent
shelling that can change life in an instant. Believe it.
Danger recognition skills help to reduce vulnerability. You can
expect to prevent some threats by listening closely to your gut
instincts and increasing your awareness of danger. With
practice, these instincts will get better and better, helping
you perceive and define danger. We've all had a 'gut feeling'
about a certain person or situation. The way to sharpen this
into a tool of defense is to acknowledge it as a helpful message
and to realize that whatever emotions you may be feeling could
be there for a reason. Without always assuming the worst or
jumping to conclusions, we need to take as much time as the
situation will allow to "observe" and "clarify" what is really
going on. This will offer you an opportunity to guide your next
move.
There is an invisible line that separates your fight or flight
response. When faced with a life threatening encounter, this
will be activated naturally in order to insure your survival. At
the critical moment when the assailant crosses that line, you
will need to commit to making split decisions. The choice to
fight back may be inevitable. At that point, you must fight with
everything you have to break any control the assailant has over
you, then escape. The key to feeling better about your chances
to pull this off is to prepare yourself physically and adopt
simple yet powerful skills. Strikes such as the palm strike,
elbow, and knee are common to martial arts and self-defense.
However, in order to best perform these skills, you need to
utilize what I call "hidden motion", that is, to hide behind
every strike, block, and motion. This will help shield you from
flailing strikes that can occur simultaneously when it's them
against you.
Making the choice to either fight back or to run away can feel
risky to you. You may feel afraid to try either one. However,
the consequences of doing nothing are serious indeed. Fear will
exist in extreme situations and can limit your capabilities
unless you incorporate it into a mind-set that allows you to
exceed its paralyzing force. Do not let fear or panic control
you. Instead, let your fear and adrenaline motivate action.
The best timing you can have is when the opponent doesn't see it
coming. Surprise attacks instill fear and confusion. If your
assailant takes you by surprise, remain as calm as possible and
take a quick assessment of the facts. This may require that you
be thinking one thing and physically performing another.
Mistakes are inevitable because combat is continuous and
ongoing. Fighting is not static or choreographed. Surviving an
encounter often requires adaptability. So, prepare your mind and
body to act, using whatever it takes, for however long it takes,
to remain alive. If something isn't working, move on. Ride out
any unsuccessful maneuvers without seizing up or panicking.
You cannot always control your surroundings or what is happening
to you, so you must control your actions. Guide yourself through
the crisis by going with the current as opposed to fighting it,
until you can reach the shore. Sometimes, you can expect this
process to be painful. Tell yourself ahead of time that, no
matter how badly it might hurt, that you will never, never give
up. This endurance mindset can save your life. To survive is not
a matter of conquering, but of enduring. It is to outlast a
given situation. In a word, persevere!
Serious conflict has a way of releasing in you a heightened
sense of awareness. Yet it is possible that your energy may
become misdirected and lead to a failed performance. By keeping
energy in reserve (what I call the 90% Rule), you can maintain
this heightened state and remain alert so that opportunities are
not overlooked. If you strike a pad with 100% of your energy,
then hit it again using only 90%, it would be very hard to tell
the difference. In fact, a 90% energy strike is often more
relaxed, powerful, and quick. Marshal your resources or no
matter how skilled, you'll be defeated due to lack. Conflict,
like many things in this world, contains a unique rhythm.
Experts that find rhythm can pace themselves without haste and
miscalculation.
Life itself is simplified in dangerous circumstances making
less, enough. Anyone who has experienced and survived a
life-threatening event can tell you what is really important in
this world. If you can envision for a moment, what it must be
like to be close to the edge of life and death, it is easy to
see how ones priorities can change. The survivor is keenly aware
of the possibility of a traumatic attack and the need to take
precautions. In the end, every effort you make to discipline
your physical and emotional reflexes will help to hone your
intuition and keep you whole.
You can find out more about Robert Bussey and these concepts
online at http://www.busseystyle.com