Here's a
link to an excellent explantion of basic self defense. This has nothing to do with guns or martial arts, but is simply about being able to read what is happening around you so you can identify and respond to a threat to your personal safety and making that habit a part of your everyday life.
The Five Stages are:
- Intent
- Interview
- Positioning
- Attack
- Reaction
1. Intent This is the first stage... the moment when a criminal decides they are willing to commit an assault. Sometimes this happens long before you ever encounter the person.
2. Interview This stage is when the person figuring out whether you are a good victim. If it's a robbery, do you seem to have money? If it's a rape, does it seem like he could control the victim? If it's a con, would you buy it? Would you give in easily or would you fight back? Can they get away with it afterwards? This stage is your best chance to avoid a potential attack.
3. Positioning This is the beginning of the attack. They will either try to surprise you, prevent you from being able to escape, or take a crowd around you in the case of a group. In other situations like rape, they could be leading you away from others, even if it's just to an empty room at a crowded party. At this point, the main goal is to escape through whatever means you can manage. Self defense is *not* a reaction, and by this point you're already heading towards a physical altercation.
4. Attack The attack itself. They have assessed you as not a threat, have moved you to where they want you and now they're going to try to take what they want through intimidation or force. Once a situation has reached this stage, you are fighting for your life. You can never tell what the intention of an attacker is, so you must look at anyone who disregards your personal safety enough to actually assault you as your potential killer.
5. Reaction The immediate aftermath of the attack. A robber deciding to kill when they feel that the person knows too much about them or a mugger who turns into a rapist when they've found an easy target are examples of reaction changing the crime. Nearly 80% of women seriously injured by rapists are hurt after the sexual assault. The fight is not over until your attacker is disabled and/or you are completely away from them.
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