It's Halloween; Don't be Someone's Food

Zombie Avoidance

It is Halloween and what better time to talk about zombie apocalypse than now?  It is the topic of many movies and television shows today and it has become a very important part of popular culture.  The most important thing to remember is as simple a rule as there is don’t be food.  From the dawn of time the stronger and faster have made food of the weaker and slower.  I think the most exciting thing about the zombie apocalypse is the thought of a lawless society of monsters trying to kill you and your loved ones and stock piling all kinds of cool gear like rifles and night vision.  At the end of the day some of this zombie apocalypse craze can have some serious benefits in bringing awareness to disaster preparedness.  http://mobile.masslive.com/advmasslive/db_/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=PbwVCZ5L&full=true# display this article really embraces the idea of taking an idea that is already so popular and using it as a tool for practical training.  This got me to thinking about disasters in general be it earth quakes, volcanos, zombies, or anything that changes the possible outcome of your survival.  So the following are some short notes on preparation for disaster.

Being prepared for a disaster is a difficult task because disasters are not planned and no matter what scenario you plan for and train for the world will throw you a curve ball just as soon as you think you have it all figured out.  The only way to really prepare for disaster is mental preparedness.  Mental preparedness is so important because you mind will always be the most important tool for any disaster.  The first thing that people need to do to protect themselves and their loved ones is to be aware of your situation and constantly assess the risk of a given situation.

You leave a bar late at night after having a few beers with your buddies.  You get to that point where you split off in different directions to return to your car after the evening.  Your car is a short walk maybe 6 blocks from the bar so you grab your ear phones and start listening to your favorite song as you walk briskly to your car.  It is late and the evening cold has set in so you have your hands tucked in tight in your sweatshirt.  You continue walking quickly to your car eager to get out of the cold and into your warm bed when BAM! Out of no-where you take a cheap shot to the head; laying on the cold ground in a slight daze you hear the man demand your wallet and phone…

This is a great stopping point for this little scenario because you don’t have any control over what happened up until now but from this point on your training and preparedness are going to dictate a lot of how this outcome plays out as well as just your dumb luck.  Wait, I mean let’s think did you really have no control on the outcome of this event up until now?  The person in this made up story made a series of bad decisions which led him down the path of being an easy target.  Don’t take this the wrong way I am not blaming the victims of crimes but people must realize it is their responsibility to keep themselves protected.

Situational awareness is the difference between life and death.  Like driving a car the person who can see the whole picture and can predict the outcome of an event before it happens gives them more time to react to it.

Same story the guy is leaving the bar late at night but chooses to drink within his limits so that he can maintain situational awareness gains decreases his likelihood of being surprised.  Also if he was to wear the appropriate clothing for the weather and choose not to deaden his sense of hearing with music he would be less distracted from the discomfort of cold as well as having an increased auditory acuity.  Other things come into play as well like traveling in groups, choosing safe places to park, predicting possible scenario that could take place and thinking through how you would handle them is another useful technique.  The reason awareness is the most important skill is because without awareness you may lose opportunities to use other tools at your disposal.  If you were not coming from a bar, let’s say you were just coming home late from work and similar attack took place.  If you were a top level martial arts fighter without awareness you would not have recognized the threat in an adequate amount of time to use your fighting skills.  What if you have a hand gun or some other form of weapon; how effectively can you use that weapon if you don’t recognize the threat until it is too late?  The fact is that awareness helps fuel avoidance and at a minimum leaves you more options for defending yourself.

 

If you want to use any weapon you need to be proficient with it.  This does not mean that if you are not a SWAT officer you can’t defend yourself with a gun, or If you don’t have formal boxing training you can’t fight off a predator, but what it does mean is you improve your odds of having a successful outcome every time you work on these skills. 

http://nelsoncycles.blogspot.com/2012/10/3-days-and-1700-rounds.html Some awesome pistol training.  I am currently adding Krav Maga into my tool box’o self defense.  I’ll share more on that after I survive the first month.  The fitness required for this style of fighting is a greater effort than I have ever exerted.  Untill next time be safe have a Happy Halloween and don't be someone elses food!