CHAPTER ONE

By Douglas G. McLeod

Edited by Caroline Bielskis

NATURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL WEAPONS

NATURAL WEAPONS

From the beginning of humankind, we have used "natural weapons" to survive. Natural weapons are the abilities we have as human beings that enable us to live from day to day, in both threatening and non-threatening situations. Although they help us in our daily activities, I’m going to discuss the use of these abilities in terms of self defense.

First, we have the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. These "natural weapons" give us signals and warnings that enable us to detect danger and react appropriately for self-defense and survival. It’s important for everyone to understand and develop their senses for self defense through practice and strategy.

Other natural weapons that work with the five senses are emotions, instincts, feelings, intelligence and insight ( sometimes called E.S.P). All of your natural weapons can be developed and sharpened to better equip you for hazardous situations. Learning to read your initial feelings in a new situation, and to control your reactions to those feelings, could save your life and the lives of your loved ones.

In more primitive times, human beings were very alert and sensitive to any change in their environment. Modern technology has given us a false sense of security and most of us have let our natural weapons become weak from lack of use. Because of the sense of security provided by advanced technology, many people don’t understand the importance of keeping our innate defense abilities in shape. Although we feel safer, and in some ways we are, we are still quite vulnerable. In fact, some of our technology has actually created more hazards while protecting us from others. One example is electricity. Although we have lights and alarms powered by electricity, we also have the hazard of fire or electrical shock. In addition, as security has advanced, so has the level of sophistication of our criminals.

There are many things we can do to protect ourselves that many people aren’t aware of. You can use proper breathing to control stress, increase your reaction time and your ability to think clearly under pressure. Breath control is particularly powerful in life-threatening situations. If you can stay calm and assess the situation quickly, react faster and stay in control then you have an advantage.

As always, we can learn from the past. Great warriors in history sharpened their natural weapons to survive and win battles. Today, the military still uses some ancient techniques to teach soldiers how to keep their natural weapons intact, even under the worst conditions. A well-trained soldier will stay calm and still be able to think clearly, even after being sleep deprived, starved or tortured.

Obviously, the average person doesn’t have to worry about such extreme conditions, but there have been cases where a person was kidnapped, held in a dark room and starved. Under this scenario, keeping your natural weapons intact would enable you take advantage of any opportunity you may have to escape. Sometimes the window of opportunity is open for only a second or two. If you remain aware and stay calm, a second or two is enough and you’ll succeed in your goal. Your mind is your most powerful weapon, but if you don’t keep it sharp and strong, it can be used against you like any other weapon.

As explained earlier, your natural weapons are your senses and your intellect. Learn how to better protect yourself by sharpening those tools. Practice using your natural weapons at all times: look, listen and feel intuitively as your go through your day. You’ll find that you’ll be able to react naturally and effectively to all situations, whether they are dangerous or not. You’ll become a better listener and observer, which will improve your performance in sports, at work and in your personal relationships. Generally, developing your natural weapons will improve your quality of life, as well as improve your ability to defend yourself.

SIGHT. "With a trained eye you can see so much more of the picture." Learn how to recognize dangerous situations before they happen by looking for signs. An excellent example is the saying, "Where there’s smoke, there’s fire". Once you detect a sign of danger (someone watching you walk to your car; a broken streetlight near your car or home; suspicious looking people, etc.), you should react accordingly to prevent an incident.

If you encounter someone, look them in the eye. Don’t stop, but let them know that you’ve seen them. If they try to talk with you, respond quickly and keep moving. If you feel threatened at this point, be prepared to defend yourself, and continue walking with confidence.

When you approach your home, scan the area for signs (broken windows, trampled landscaping, movement in the shadows or inside the home, etc.). If you see anything out of the ordinary, use your cell phone to call the police and alert them. Ask them to come and check it out, and wait down the street, or at a neighbor’s house, until they arrive. Sometimes, having a neighbor come with you to check out the situation is enough, but never hesitate to ask the police for assistance. Their job is to protect and serve the public.

Vision is impaired at night, so always keep a flashlight handy. There are very powerful flashlights that will fit in your purse or pocket. The ‘Maglight’ company has an excellent line of small lightweight flashlights. Get several, and keep one in your car and some placed around the house. Be sure to keep extra batteries on hand.

HEARING: When walking, particularly if you’re alone or in an unpopulated area, listen for footsteps behind you, or sounds of someone hiding or waiting.

Listen to the normal sounds around your home. Knowing what is normal is very important, because then you can recognize what is abnormal. Identify the normal sounds, so that you know where they’re comming from. Have a plan for the household so that you’ll be prepared if you have a break in. If you live alone, make arrangements with a neighbor to look out for each other. Keep their phone number on speed dial at home and on your cell phone. Call the police immediately if you suspect any danger. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

SMELL: Like familiar sounds, there are also familiar smells in your daily environment: at home, office, school, etc. Become aware of what is normal so that you’ll be able to identify unusual smells in your home or car. You can tell if someone has been there if you’re sensitive to faint odors. Whether it’s cologne, smoke, or just the particular natural scent a person has – being sensitive to scent could save your life. When you walk in the door, sniff as you enter each room. It’ll feel strange at first, but eventually it will become a habit. If you come home and notice an unfamiliar scent in your home, get out immediately until someone can go through your home with you – or get a weapon and search your home yourself. Criminals have been known to enter a home, hide, and wait until everyone goes to sleep. Rapes and child abductions have been committed with this method.

Your sense of smell can help you out in the world as well. Learn to detect the smell of alcohol. Be very cautious if you’re approached by someone who smells of liquor, and get away from them as quickly as possible. Teach this to your children. Alcohol consumption affects different people differently. You never know if the person will become agitated, irrational or violent when they’re under the influence.

TOUCH: Your hands are your most versatile tools, and are excellent weapons. However, your sense of touch extends beyond the hands. You can feel changes in temperature or air movement on your face. The hair on your arms, or the back of your neck, raises when you sense something is wrong. Use your tactile sensitivity to your advantage. Get shape and color coded key markers so that you can identify the correct key in the dark. You can purchase these at any hardware store. For example, your car key can be round on top and your house key can be square, so you know the difference immediately.

If the lights go out in your home, or your visibility is hindered by smoke from a fire, you will use your other senses to get yourself and your family to safety. Practice walking through your home blindfolded, so you know where any obstacles are. Incorporate this game, and other training games, into your family safety plan, which is discussed in chapter ??.

TASTE: The sense of taste works with our sense of smell. Have you ever noticed that, when you smell something, sometimes you can taste it too? Learn to use this to your benefit. Your sense of taste can help you detect dangerous substances in the air, contaminated food or water, and other hazards.

Special Note: Women in particular need to be aware of what they’re eating or drinking on a date. There are drugs being used by predatory men called "date rape drugs". These are strong chemicals that quickly render the victim helpless and incoherent. Many of these drugs are tasteless, but some of them do have some sort of taste. Never leave your drink unattended. If you must leave the table or bar, take your drink with you or ask for a fresh one when you return. If your date has a problem with buying you another drink, leave. If you suspect that something has been slipped into your drink or food, get away and get help as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, women need to be extra careful when out on the town, whether on a date or with girlfriend. Some women go out alone, but I don’t recommend it, unless it is a familiar place where you know people and feel safe.

EMOTIONS: Emotional self control is critical for your safety, and the safety of others. Our lives today are more stressful, in spite of the conveniences and comforts of modern technology. In the past decade, the phenomenon called "Road Rage", has put many people in danger, and has even taken lives.

Negative emotions, such as envy, jealousy, anger, frustration, fear etc. will lead to irrational and destructive behavior if they’re not kept under control. Fear, in particular is an emotion that we need to conquer, because it often causes us to react in a way that will make a situation worse. Many people freeze when they’re afraid, and cannot function normally. If you feel threatened, you need to stay calm, keep your head clear and act in a way that will protect you and your family. There are methods that you can use to strengthen your reactive mind, and stay in control when you’re under extreme pressure or stress. Appendix ??? lists some suggestions.

SIXTH SENSE: Intuition or ‘gut feeling’ are the most common terms used for the ‘sixth sense’. This is difficult to explain, but most people know what it is because we’ve all experienced it. Sometimes it seems like an irrational fear, because our logical mind doesn’t understand what our intuition is telling us, but it’s important to pay attention. As mentioned before, if a situation feels wrong – it probably is. When you get a certain feeling about a person, pay extra attention to what that feeling may be telling you. We are taught to see the good in people, and life in general. Our sixth sense is nature’s alarm, and tells us to be alert and pay attention. Many people have survived awful situations because they listened to their feelings. Others have been hurt because they ignored them.

If you sense that something is wrong, heighten your awareness and look for possible signs of danger, so that you can react appropriately and in a timely manner. If you do, you may be able to avoid the hazard completely.

Sometimes, intuitive feelings come from other senses. We smell, hear or feel something that we may not be able to fully identify, but we know we need to take notice. Early pioneers had to use their intuition on a daily bases for survival. When they felt fear, it was a warning sign. Today, we tend to suppress our feelings and don’t recognize signs of possible danger, due to the false sense of security, and we don’t take action.

When a person comes home at the end of the day, they usually have many things on their mind. Once they get into their home, it feels like a safe haven from the world and they’re just happy to be there. The last thing they’re thinking is that someone has broken into their home, and may still be hiding inside. When they enter the house there may be a faint unfamiliar smell or something may be out of place. Many people wouldn’t notice anything, or they’d tell themselves that they’re tired or imagining things. This process: awareness of something unusual, then invalidating what their senses are trying to tell them, happen in a split second – but could put them I harm’s way if they ignore their intuition.

If you sense that something is awry, you may have an intruder, or have had one earlier. Assess the situation quickly and respond to a plan of action. It could be that your cat knocked something over, or got into the cat nip and went on a rage in your home - or it could have been an intruder waiting for you! Go back outside immediately and either call the police to have them come and check your home inside and out, or go to a neighbor and ask them to accompany you while you check yourself. It may seem paranoid, but it’s always best to error on the side of caution and most neighbors will understand. If it’s just the cat, you’ll get a good laugh – and peace of mind.

Too often, we take unnecessary chances because we’re not paying attention or using common sense. It’s important to have a good survival plan. The idea that someone would be in your home is unimaginable, and that’s exactly why people are caught by surprise.

A common place where people are vulnerable is a parking garage, particularly at night. While walking to your car, a man begins to approach you, and you feel uneasy. Quickly assess the situation and try to analyze why you feel this way. Is he looking around as though he’s checking for witnesses? Do you smell liquor on him? Do his eyes look strange or is he acting abnormal or nervous? These are all warning signs. You should prepare to defend yourself by holding your keys so that the points stick through your fingers. (This is a great weapon for scratching and poking.) If you have pepper spray, get it out, but for God’s sake don’t allow him within striking distance and then try to react. If doesn’t say anything initially, speak to him. Ask him what he wants, and don’t turn your back on him. Sometimes we wait too long and allow the situation to escalate instead of taking the opportunity to prepare. Remain mentally prepared at all times. You must tell yourself that you will fight back and do everything you can to keep him from hurting you.

Sometimes it’s best to leave the garage and go to a lighted area until you see more people going into the garage. It’s always better to walk with a group. Otherwise, go to a business and request an escort to your car.

When your intuition tells you to sit up and take notice – listen! Even if you don’t know why, be ready to defend yourself. Pay attention and take precautions. Your environment dictates your circumstances, and course of action. Awareness heightens your intuition. Together these natural weapons help you detect potential dangers early enough to react accordingly.

Strategy is critical for you to have the best advantage, even with knowledge of your natural and environmental weapons. I have developed a system to help you create a strategy to use these weapons effectively. It’s called the A.P.P.E.E. system.

A.P.P.E.E. SYSTEM OF SELF-DEFENSE AND SURVIVAL

A.P.P.E.E. stands for Awareness, Prevention, Preparation, Empowerment, and Execution. This system is used by most police officers and other crime prevention and self defense professionals. It is a simple system that incorporates your natural weapons, common sense and practicality. Any practical self-defense or crime prevention method must be applicable to everyone, regardless of their size, gender or special circumstances. The system should have fundamental physical requirements, and should be more dependent on the mental process than physical strength.

Remember: your mind is your most powerful weapon. Your perspective and your reactions will determine whether you win or lose. If you see yourself as a victim, or if you react to a threat by freezing, you are as much of a danger to yourself as your attacker is to you. If self defense depended on a person’s size, gender and strength, the world would be a very different place than it is now. Always assume that you can do SOMETHING – and never give up trying. This is a good rule for self defense, and for life in general.

AWARENESS. Train yourself to constantly assess your current environment. Look around, listen and feel. When you detect a possible hazard, you need to react appropriately. Being aware will give you an advantage in every situation you encounter. Not just in threatening situations, but in your personal and professional life as well. Pay attention and be aware of everything around you.

Constant awareness does not mean living in a paranoid state. It means that you understand that criminals watch for people who seem distracted. They want to make it easy on themselves, so they’re less likely to attack someone who walks with a purpose and seems to be in control and aware of their surroundings. Pay attention and be sensitive to potential dangers so you can react appropriately and in a timely manner. At first it may feel stressful to continuously be on the lookout, but after awhile it’ll be second nature, and you’ll do it in a relaxed and natural state. It’s simply learning a new good habit.

If you’re approaching your car and see a suspicious person lingering, calmly go back into the business or residence you were visiting and ask someone to accompany you to your car – or at least come and watch until you get to your car safely. You may feel silly doing this, but it’s better than being a victim.

PREVENTION: There are many ways to prevent crime and keep yourself out of threatening situations. For example, if you have a car, make sure it is well maintained and keep the gas tank at least half full at all times. There have been many incidents where a car broke down at night, and the driver became the victim of a random attack.

A few years ago, a woman ran out of cigarettes late at night and she decided to make a quick trip to get some more. Her husband was out of town, and her kids were in bed. She didn’t leave a note, because the store was only three miles away, and it would only take her a few minutes, so no one knew where she went. She never made it to the store. The next morning, the kids woke up and couldn’t find their mother. They called their father, who called the authorities. The police found her car about two miles away from their house. She ran out of gas and was raped and murdered.

It’s never the victim’s fault when a crime is committed, but basic precautions, awareness and preparedness can help prevent crime and save lives. Although we’re all subject to a car breakdown, running out of gas is preventable. Using crime prevention and self protection techniques is a good habit to get into. It’s better to be a little overly cautious. Here are some things to remember:

Always be sure to give yourself a half tank of gas.

Never leave your house without telling someone or leaving a note (especially late at night.)

If it’s late and you’re almost out of gas, don’t leave.

Be sure to lock your doors as soon as you get into the car.

Keep a flashlight with you, along with flares and water

Take a basic self-defense class, and a basic first aid class.

PREPARATION. Awareness helps us stay out of trouble, but sometimes trouble finds us anyway. That’s why it’s important to be prepared for unexpected situations. One of the easiest things to do is to keep a cell phone with you at all times. These days, cell phones are relatively inexpensive, and allows people the freedom to do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do. I know several women who feel safe to travel alone, now that they have a cell phone. They never would have risked it before. Part of being prepared is using your natural weapons, including common sense and intuition.

EMPOWERMENT: Empowerment is a state of mind. It comes first from your self image, and then from your ability to take care of yourself. Empowerment is strongly linked to your self-esteem. If you feel worthy, you are more likely to feel empowered and in control of your life. A strong self esteem creates a stronger survival instinct.

You can gain empowerment and strengthen your self-esteem through various resources and experiences. A good self-defense class helps tremendously in gaining physical empowerment. There are many books and classes that can help build self-esteem and mental/emotional empowerment. Identifying and understanding your weaknesses is a good place to start. This is a mental and physical process. You must develop both parts to acquire true empowerment.

Many people let others step on them, intimidate them, and easily diminish their confidence and ability to fight back on all levels. Most of these people have issues that go back to childhood. If this sounds like you, it’s critical that you put the time and effort into developing your self-confidence. Once you recognize the behavioral patterns you have, you can break them and change your life. Many people don’t realize that we can be victimized by family and friends - and even ourselves. It’s more subtle and probably less dangerous than an attack by a predator, but it can cause damage nonetheless. If you need help dealing with the emotional side of this, find a good, trustworthy professional counselor and a good support group to help you work through your issues. Your quality of life depends on it!

Women have always been more vulnerable to attacks. Therefore, they have a different perspective than men do, when it comes to self protection. Many women are taught from childhood that men are going to protect them, and so they don’t need to learn self-defense. This is a dangerous attitude for women and girls to have. It limits their quality of life tremendously, as well as their ability to reach their full human potential in life. Fortunately, times have changed, and we all recognize that women need to feel the freedom to do whatever they desire. They need autonomy and independence, just like men do. For many women, taking a good, realistic, hands-on self-defense course not only empowers them, but also teaches them that they’re not victims. Women should be proud to be women and should never feel inferior because of their gender, size or physical limitations. In other chapters we will deal with emergency self-defense for women, and for seniors – another vulnerable group.

EXECUTION: Execution is the last stage of self-defense. Once you are empowered with the mental and physical ability to defend yourself – you must be willing and able to execute effective self defense tactics.

If you put the effort into developing personal empowerment along with self-defense knowledge, but cannot bring yourself to use it, you’re not only wasting your time and energy – but you’re also putting yourself in danger. You may take risks that you shouldn’t take because, you over estimate you ability to use what you know. Although you have the knowledge, you’re unable or unwilling to execute the technique.

In defending yourself, you may have to hurt someone else in the process. In fact, it’s fairly certain that you will. You need to be aware of that and accept it. Most of us have been taught that it’s wrong to hurt another person. But if you’re ever in a situation where you’ve hurt someone in self-defense – know that you had no choice. The other person made the mistake of thinking you were a victim, and got a big surprise. If you feel badly, it simply means that you’re a compassionate person, not a predator. Being compassionate is wonderful. We need more compassion in the world. But never compromise your own safety and well-being for an attacker.

It is important to have a simple plan that meets the needs of you and your family. It must be easy to remember and easy to execute. You don’t have to be a martial arts expert – just take a class to learn some basic blocks and effective strikes, and learn to incorporate environmental weapons into those skills. Find an instructor that will explain the psychology of self-defense – because it is a mental activity as much as it is physical. Practicing your self-defense technique is also important, so that it becomes second nature. Incorporate your practice into a daily exercise routine.

ENVIRONMENTAL WEAPONS

Conventional weapons are not always available, and it’s usually too late for you to use one by the time you realize you’re under attack. Because most people are pretty safe throughout their daily lives, keeping a conventional weapon with you is not practical.

The environment dictates what action must be taken in order to defend yourself, and it also provides tools for you to do it effectively. Environmental weapons are items that are around you and that you use for normal daily activities, but can be used as weapons. I also call them ‘street weapons’. There are thousands of environmental weapons, and it’s important to learn how to recognize them and use them to your advantage.

The environment will always dictate the method of self-defense. You can develop skills that incorporate environmental weapons, and strengthen your ability to defend yourself.

There are three main categories of environmental or street weapons: Projectiles, Striking and Shielding.

PROJECTILES:

Anything you can throw at an attacker that will cause him to pause for a second, or actually cause injury is a projectile. Even a piece of paper can be crumpled and thrown at an attacker. It may not hurt him, but it will distract, drawing attention away from you for a second. This can give you an opportunity to get another weapon or even run away. It may just give you a second, but that second could save you.

STRIKING:

A piece of wood found nearby, a chair, a shoe with your hand inside it, belt and buckle, hand bag, cane, umbrella, tire iron, golf club, are only a few examples. The purpose to is to defend yourself until help comes, or to fight back and cause serious damage to your attacker so they can’t hurt you. A little old lady could defend against more than one attacker with the proper use of a cane.

SHIELDING WEAPONS;

The purpose of a shielding weapon is to stop an attack like a punch or knife thrust. A book or purse is a great shield. You can put a shoe or slipper over your hand and use it to defend against a knife attack, preventing any serious cuts on your hand. You can use a light weight chair or other piece of furniture. If you don’t have anything to use as a shield, it’s better to sustain an injury to your arm than to your head or body. Try to wrap your arm with something like a jacket, piece of cardboard or other protective material. This is also effective defense against an attack from a dog or other animal.

It’s best to have both a shield and a striking weapon when defending yourself against an attacker. Practice striking and blocking with the things you handle on a daily basis. Later, in chapter seven, we will be teaching some methods of defense using the cane, which can be adapted to any similar object. You’ll be looking at that golf bag in a whole new light!

A pen or pencil, an umbrella, a golf club, a garbage can lid, etc. Be ready to use what you have to defend yourself. As mentioned before, for a quick and effective poking and scratching weapon: when approaching your car, hold your keys so that the points stick through your fingers.

Environmental weapons are everywhere and you need to understand how to identify and use them. You can borrow techniques from the fighting arts to help you use these items more effectively. There are many styles of fighting arts, some of them thousands of years old. They all have their pros and cons, and I will not attempt to evaluate them or give recommendations. Don’t try marital arts moves that you’ve seen in movies. They require knowledge and technique that you may not have. Besides, it’s not necessary to know martial arts to defend yourself. You would need to study a specific art for quite some time before you became proficient enough to use it effectively. You usually have only one chance to get the upper hand in an attack, and you don’t want to blow it by doing something foolish. Something is better than nothing, but you want your actions to be effective. There are some basic, and very effective, strikes and blocks that you can employ. These are best learned in a good self defense class.

Sometimes, you aren’t able to strike out so you have to use whatever means you have. A female friend of mine was driving in Los Angles. When she stopped at a red light, a young man opened her car door and ordered her to get into the passenger seat. He had a knife, so she did what he told her to do. She had been taking Kick-Boxing Aerobics and was a black belt in a kicking art. Unfortunately, her skills were useless to her in such close quarters. Fortunately, she had recently taken a realistic street self defense course. The young man began to drive the car. While his eyes were on the road, she had the opportunity to get some hair spray from her purse, and spray it in his eyes. With her other hand, she grabbed the steering wheel and drove the car into a fire hydrant. Since she was ready for the impact, she braced herself and was unharmed, but the young man was blinded by the hairspray and hit his head. She immediately got out of the car and ran down the street for help. She controlled her fear, had a plan of action and executed it. She adapted to her environment and used a street weapon.

Your first few movements, if executed properly will surprise your attacker and give you a few seconds of opportunity to escape. The environment will help you, if you know how to use it. For instance, if you’re in a parking garage, you can use the cars as a barrier, or roll under one so that your attacker can’t get to you. Keep moving to make it harder for them. They may find it too difficult and leave you alone. You, of course, would be screaming something to draw attention to you. The word "fire" is better than "help". Sometimes, people don’t want to get involved when someone yells ‘help’, particularly in the inner city – but fire is everyone’s concern.

As you move through your daily routine, constantly observe and take note of possible weapons – as well a places where an attacker could hide and catch you by surprise. Pay particular attention to the places you commonly attend: home, office, gym, shopping center, school, public transportation, etc. Make a mental note of the existing environmental weapons and shields available to you. Eventually, this will become instinctual, and you’ll soon be a modern day warrior!