Originally posted by red5angel
[B]
Waterdragon - do you hava a site? Presumably with conversation a little more on the level than this one? [/B]
If you want on my board, get me your e-mail address. Also, there’s a private S. Mantis list as well (I’m not involved or a member) The site is groups.yahoo.com
I wll pm you , thanks.
So judging from how many folks joined in on this thread about 5 - 10 of us on this board have a realistic perspective what our arts can and can not do, or even care.
“Situational Awareness and such are frequently not taught–or glossed over–in many schools, even the GOOD schools.”
Yup, and how about the simple idea of knowing the terrain you live and work in. Any bars, places where drugs get sold, any homeless and do they live close by. I know people who don’t even know the details of the neighborhoods where they work.
I think most schools that teach “self defense” are teaching people to fight. Not bad if you’re a good fighter, but a bad strategy if you’re not.
Good topic Merry and right on the money Water Dragon.
So lets share tips,
When ever you’re in a house, restaurant, any type of building, spot the back door immediately. It becomes a habit fairly quickly and then you don’t even think about it. If the building has a kitchen, there will be a door there. Office buildings are harder but it’s generally straight back somewhere.
So judging from how many folks joined in on this thread about 5 - 10 of us on this board have a realistic perspective what our arts can and can not do, or even care
rrriiigghhttt… 
Intel gathering.
Scope out a locale you’ll visit at night during the day. Check for closing times on stores and eateries, you never know when you may need to duck into one.
Go to the local precint house and ask how busy a car is for a neighborhood in question.
I would say actual fighting of any kind is the smallest component of self-defense. I don’t think we can be too critical of focusing on this component though, as I’ve never seen an adequate way of addressing in training what I think of as self-defense.
There is a particular way that people approach you when they are going to attack, and there is a particular way that the human body will want to respond. When it does this, it’s like magic and you get sucked into their world, and then it’s too late. When this has happened to me, it has been so powerful that I can’t help but believe everyone else who’s been there must know what I’m talking about. Yet I still have difficulty putting it into words. Learning to recognize these behaviors and change your reactions is what I think of as self-defense. And I don’t mean by this the usual things people talk about in terms of looking tough and watching out for bad guys. It’s more subtle than that. Of course that’s all good stuff too, but this subtle stuff I think is the overwhelmingly most important skill to pick-up for self-defense.
Not that any of that was particularly helpfull, but it was on topic. 
But how do your learn to recognize that Braden?
I’ve been to more MA schools than I care to think about but only one taught the stuff that everyone here is talking about. And that includes the scienctific street fighting schools and reality fighting schools that I’ve studied at.
There are some more surface level things that are easier to describe - although mostly more useful in escalating anger situations rather than predatorial situations.
A very useful skill I think is getting an intuitive and instinctive feel for safe distance. This includes naturally shifting your weight and posture, including subtle distance changes, in real time response to your potential aggressor. This includes generally maintaining a strong posture; I don’t mean an intimidating posture. Alot of people, especially if they’re trying to move around, or if they’re occupied with talking or gesturing, will ruin their postures. Things like having their “armpits closed” or their weight poorly settled on their feet. When your posture is weak like this, you have to correct it before you can act/react, which generally means you’ll be too late. Your body will also have minimal ability to deal constructively with nasty things happening to it. Distancing and shifting of course includes other people and environmental variables as well. Being able to open up your vision would be a skill of obvious utility for these things.
If you can do all this well, I think you’ll definitely have some good skills to deal with escalating aggression. Although of course the most important skill for that is learning to ignore *******s.
rogue - the subtle stuff, I honestly can’t think of any viable way of training it. Maybe the self-defense experts can.
Does safe distance change from say Roanoke VA to NYC, or is it a constant?
I’ve never been to Roanoke.
I’ve heard alot of people try to define it as a static distance. In my experience (for whatever THAT is worth ;p ) I think it’s a bit more organic. I find for example, I need more distance to “feel safe” if there are more variables I’m trying to pay attention to. But then again, if there’s a short fence or a streetlight or something between you, maybe it’s a little shorter.
Nice town, a bit less crowded than NYC.
I’ll check this tomorrow, Need sleep, g’night.
I like the symbolic color code invented by Colonel Jeff Cooper for mental preparation and alertness in combat. I use these color conditions and like how they feel.
Condition White- Very unaware, like when you are watching your favorite movie, sleepwalking through your actions, or how people are during the Christmas season, busy shopping and unaware of there surrondings. In this color you can only react to a immediate threat.
Condition Yellow- When outside of your home this is the condition you should be always in, its a state of calm alertness, aware of your enviroment and what is happening in that enviroment, this will give you the edge in making it more difficult for a attacker to suprise you, give you some time to make a tacitcal plan of action if you feel things are not right.
Condition Orange-Now you are not only aware, but focused on a specific potential danger, you are ready to use your plan of action to difuse the problem, from here you can leave if possible, de-esclate the situation with verbal skills or be pre-emptive in your attack, from here you are focused on your actions and the safety zone around your body
Condition Red-GO!!! You must attack now, no choice, attack your attacker and keep attacking intell he is down and you can escape.
I found out about the Cooper colors a year ago and with practice, they go right into your mindframe of how to address your enviroment and any potential physical threat you may encounter.
I believe it was Ryu who posted a while back, an article on criminal, and predator prey psycology. I t had some really good tips on what to look for when people approach you, how to tell how aggressive these people can and will be.