Your First Line of Defense...

What would it be?

When you are walking to your car, what gives you peace of mind and reassurance?

Dialing 911?
Talking to a friend while walking?

You have seconds to respond to an imminent danger. A 911 or friends response will take minutes, at best. In a violent attack or home invasion for that matter, it is unlikely an attacker is going to give you minutes. So again, what is your first line of defense?

While calling 911 is important, it should't be your primary line of defense. It’s too unreliable – you have seconds and it will take them minutes to arrive. If your home is burning, are you going to sit inside, call 911, and then wait, inside, for the fire department? I don't think so!

You are the first line of defense for you and your loved ones. Be aware. Be prepared! Know how to protect yourself!


And remember, when dialing 911 from a cell phone, they don't know your immediate location. You have to give them that.

According to Crime in Texas 2008, provided by Uniform Crime Reporting program.
The estimated number of rapes committed in Texas for 2008 was 8,004. Of all reported forcible rapes, only 7% were attempts, 93% were rapes by force. More rapes were committed in April than any other month. Rape arrestees were 75% White, and 88% adults, with the highest number of arrests made in the 20-24 age bracket.

Changing Statistics Together!!

KUTA!

What Others are Saying about Regina's Seminars

"The fact that 1 in 12 American women will be put under surveillance at some point in her life is more than enough reason for every mom, sister, cousin, grandma, and friend to attend this seminar. The techniques are simple and reproducible for every woman. It gave me confidence, removed the fear and inspired me to 'Stand up Fighting!'
It takes but only one minute into Regina's presentation to realize her mission is one of empowering women with the knowlege and techniques to defend and protect themselves. Her desire to share this information is evident in her every word and action. You need only sign up and show up for her seminar to see what I mean."

Dr. Debra Coody, Pinehurst Chiropractic Center


"You teach the class so we can truly understand, how important it is to always be alert when we are working, shopping or just having a good time with friends. We get to comfortable in our lifestyles, I love learning how to protect myself or family from any harm at any cost." Janet Petry


"I believe every woman should take Regina Rowley's awareness seminar. Regina shows you how to be more observant of your surroundings and to be alert for certain hazards. Whether you want to learn some techniques to help protect yourself or just increase your awareness, this seminar is for you." Sharon Zunt


"Regina’s knowledge and understanding of smart self-defense is impressive. She is compassionate but strong, and committed to helping others learn how to protect themselves from compromising situations and bad people." Jennifer Paulson


"The Tips and Techniques you taught us are Invaluable.. and your SafeSmart Seminars are FUN and EDUCATIONAL. I Highly recommend them." Vina LaRose

Random Attack?

Very few attacks are actually random.

Attackers do some degree of planning, including surveillance. They will either put a specific woman under surveillance or a certain location for a target of opportunity.

Kelsey Smith from Kansas became a target of opportunity. Erwin Hall followed her in and out of a local discount store. Basic awareness training could have prepared Kelsey to recognize the signs of surveillance. Simple techniques training could have helped her prevent abduction and strangulation. Smartsafe is dedicated to providing awareness, prevention and self-protection training so attacks and tragedies like this can be avoided.

Keep Up The Awareness!

Skills, awareness and preparation could save your life Tomball Magnolia Potpourri Opinion Houston Community Newspapers Online - News Around Town

Skills, awareness and preparation could save your life Tomball Magnolia Potpourri Opinion Houston Community Newspapers Online - News Around Town

Be Resourceful

Being resourceful is easy. Think about what you have on and with you. Your belt, scarf, or jacket can be used as a whip or to choke. Coins and other small objects can be thrown on your attacker’s face to render him temporarily blind. It's okay if you don't have pepper spray. Spraying perfume or any other liquid besides water directly at a person’s eyes will hurt. If you are at home: cooking spray, hair spray, air freshener, etc.

Don’t panic! Think and respond instantly, as if your life depends on it.
It probably does!!

Anything and everything you have with and on you could be useful.

Presence of Mind

Presence of mind is just as important as knowing self defense techniques. Being aware of your situation is the best weapon when you need to defend yourself and save your life.

Catch your attacker by surprise with a quick response and not appearing scared. Put fear aside and deal with the moment. Your emotions can be dealt with AFTER surviving the attack, and when you have loving support.

Trust your instincts. They will guide you. If you sense something is wrong, leave. Always be aware of your situation. Know what’s happening around you. This alone will help you notice signs of trouble early enough to prevent an attack.

Failing a Pre-Attack Interview

Very few attacks are truly random. The majority of the time, they are planned.

A good self-defense strategy in preventing a rape and possibly saving your life is to fail the interview. Rapists are more predatory in nature, therefore they watch and look for their next target. They will case a certain area or a particular person. He is looking for a situation when a woman may be available and alone. Most rapes are committed by someone who is acquainted with you and your situation, not necessarily a friend or family member. But he has seen you, knows where you work, live and/or shop.

Another aspect is the interview process. He is testing you and the situation to see if you are an easy target. You want to FAIL this interview!

He will ask questions that are irrelevant to him. Do not give him any information you don't have to. Do not tell him you are alone. Do not take your eyes off of him, even when he tries to distract you. Keep distance and obstacles between you and him, but do not corner yourself.

Put your hands up, commanding loudly and with authority -- "STOP! GET AWAY FROM ME!" "I have NO business with you!" You want to attract attention.

Be Smart
Be Safe
Be Strong
Be a Survivor

Keep Up The Awareness!

Rape in Texas

All statistics are from Crime in Texas 2008, provided by Uniform Crime Reporting program.

The estimated number of rapes committed in Texas for 2008 was 8,004. Of all reported forcible rapes, only 7% were attempts, 93% were rapes by force. More rapes were committed in April than any other month.

Rape arrestees were 75% White, and 88% adults, with the highest number of arrests made in the 20-24 age bracket.

Educating and empowering women will give them the confidence to protect themselves.

Be SmartSafe!
Regina : )

Cooper's Color Code

White: inattentive/distracted
example- helping a child; listening to an ipod; texting; on the phone; relaxing at home.

Yellow: functionally alert
example- focusing on your car as you walk through the parking lot.

Orange: attentively alert
glancing around you and at the vehicles parked next to your car in the parking lot.

Red: high alert
example: noticing the vehicle following you and driving to a well lit and populated area. Active duty military personnel.

Your level of awareness should be somewhere between yellow and orange. Red is too exhausting to remain in all the time. The more you practice being surprised the sharper your senses become.

Surprise!

The element of surprise can be a disadvantage AND an advantage.

When surprised your body dumps a chemical cocktail into your system impairing your ability to function. Typically you experience a)Muscle Tension, b)Auditory Occlusion/Exclusion, c)Tunnel Vision, d)Time and Space Distortion.

Let it be your best friend. Attackers are not counting on you knowing how to defend yourself and physically responding to their attack. Quick reaction time and the ability to use effective techniques could equal your life.

SmartSafe, Women's Commando Krav Maga, prepares you so you can steal an attacker's mind by surprising him.

Do You Know Any of Them?

Authorities are looking for help identifying the people in the photos.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/03/11/dating.game.killer/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29&utm_content=Twitter

Rodney Alcala certainly utilized survelience when choosing his targets. Don't be an easy target! Be KUTA Empowered! : )

Matters in Hand

Here is the link to the story I share in my seminars.

http://www.federalobserver.com/2009/02/08/matters-in-hand/

Enjoy the laugh, gain valuable info.

Keep Up The Awareness!
: )

Benefits of Learning Life Saving Skills

Increase your knowledge and awareness
Gain freedom from fear
Boost your self-esteem
Skyrocket your self confidence
Lessen the risk of being a target
Discover potentially life saving skills
Increase your level of fitness and health

While power, speed, flexibility, fitness, balance, endurance and stamina are benficial, they are NOT pre-requisites when defending yourself.

KUTA: Keep Up The Awareness!

Guard Your Information

The first essential step to self-protection for women is prevention. Prevention comes as your awareness is increased. Guard your information.

Be aware of people eavesdropping on your conversations.
Do not post personal information on the internet that may come back to haunt you.
The person standing next to you in line at the post office does not need to have access to information about where you live (your return address on the envelope that he can read).

Predators use information against their victims-don't help them hurt you!

Children's Self Defense part 3

Essential Tips: What to do when confronted by strangers. Make sure your child knows these and is prepared to use them. Clarify this would be the time to be feisty and defiant.

Strangers common tricks: asking for help finding a lost pet, asking for directions, impersonating a policeman or someone his parent’s sent to pick him up.

Run from strangers immediately, quickly and yelling as they do. A personal alarm would be even better than yelling. They should yell, NO! I DON'T know you! or Stranger!

Children need to know if they are grabbed they must do all they can to escape. There is no wrong thing to do at this point. Screaming, squirming, kicking, biting, scratching, poking and yelling are all viable options. They could yell, “Stranger! Stranger!- This is not my Mom/Dad!” Teach them to grab any large object: fence, tree, pole, bike, or even another person.

Teach them to constantly look for ways to escape, and never give up. If they can get a hold of the car keys they should do so and toss them as far as possible. This is THE time for a child to be feisty!

If the child is put in the trunk he should be taught to kick out the tail lights or use anything he finds to make noise.

One last thought, play the “What if…?” Game. Take turns thinking of situations and what one would do in those situations. While it's not a fun game, for you or them, it can help a child think quickly if he's ever in that situation. It will encourage awareness of surroundings, and the realization these things can happen to anyone/anytime.

Make these self defense techniques for children a comfortable and regular practice. Talk about them freely. Keep all communication with your child frequent and comfortable.

Common Myths about women and self defense in our next blog...

Children's Self Defense part 2

Let's cover a few more points.
Establish a code word or phrase for when someone else is picking up your child. Of course, that person will be someone whom your child knows well. If that person does not know the code, your child should not go with them.
NEVER leave children alone; not at home, in the yard, in the car, or to walk home from school. NEVER!
When out in public, keep your children within your arms reach. A kidnapper can snatch a child before your eyes and be gone in an instant. Why give them a jump start by letting your child meander around out of your reach?
Make sure your child's name is not visible on clothing or a back pack. Put it inside.
Our next blog will cover what a child should do when confronted by a stranger. Stay tuned. : )

Children's Self Defense

This is part one of a multi-part blog on Children's Self Defense with comprehensive techniques that can potentially help save a child’s life. Techniques should be taught to all children as soon as they can comprehend the lessons. While we don’t want to raise paranoid kids, they need to be aware of the stranger dangers that lurk in today's society.

Keep your child's ID card and file current. (You can search for kits on line: Child ID Program.) Include medical information, physical description and recent picture. Dental records, fingerprints and DNA samples should be kept in a home file. Also have a wallet size ID including picture to carry with whoever is accompanying the child. Have each updated annually.
Teach them their entire name, phone number, address, your name(s). Teach them how to use a phone and about dialing 911.
Strangers. Remember strangers are not just people you’ve never seen. Tell them to stay at least an arm’s length from other adults, don’t talk to them, don’t take anything from them and never go anywhere with them!
Teach them their body is private and no one should touch them in a way that makes them uncomfortable. No one should touch them anywhere their swimsuit would cover. They should not hug or kiss friends or family members if they do not wish too-that sends the wrong message.
Emphasize openness, and no secrets from you, their parents, for any reason. If someone were to ask them to keep a secret they need to tell you right away.

Repeated Pattern

If a mother is in an abusive relationship, her children already have a strike against them. This is a learned behavior from the environment they live in, and most likely they will continue the cycle. Sons will have no respect for their mothers and will consider women objects to possess and abuse. Daughters will most likely end up with men who will recognize their lack of self esteem and abuse them.

Just as I coach, a women's self image and self esteem directly impact how she is perceived. How she's preceived impacts how she is treated.

It's CHOICE, not chance, that determines your future!

You ARE Worth Protecting!

Effective self-defense begins with an understanding that you are entitled to be safe and respected. This happens when you have a healthy self image. Everyone's self image is a reflection of their interactions with others and their life experiences.

With that said, how effectively a woman protects herself directly depends on her own sense of self worth. KUTA Empowered Women takes the time to help women understand this principle before embarking upon awareness tips and defensive techniques.

Women need to have confidence, knowledge and skills to protect themselves.

Escaping Harm!

Self defense is about the simple moves you can/will use effectively. In a stresful, threatening situation where words and adrenaline are flying, you have to know it will work on a man larger than you. You don't have to be in great shape to defend yourself, but you do have to have a smart approach. Self-defense is about escaping harm!

Krav Maga

Real life self defense.

The guiding principles are:

Do not get hurt
Utilize natural reflexes of the body
Exploit all vulnerable points of the body
Use any available objects as weapons
Quickly neutralize the attack
Rapidly transition from defensive to offensive

YOU ARE BEING INTERVIEWED

The predator uses a series of questions to engage you and see how vulnerable you are. Most likely he has done it before and is a good judge of character. Some might literally be practice interviews when he's honing his craft. Others, are just jerks trying to engage you as an attractive woman.
If someone pays you a compliment completely out of the blue, be aware. If he asks a series of questions and continues to press -- BE ON GUARD! The questions don't even have to make sense or be related. If he wo'nt take "no" for an answer to anything -- step back and keep your distance, YOU ARE BEING INTERVIEWED.

This is one interview you want to fail!
Do not feel like you have to thank him for the compliment, you don't owe him anything!
Don't answer his questions! Redirect him with your statements. "Leave me alone!" "I don't know you!" "I do not have any business with you!"

Keep Up The Awareness! : )

More on this topic next time!