7 Bodyguard Secrets that can save your life
Best Strategies for Enhanced Personal Safety
During my assignments, I have been asked this question numerous times: “If I could offer just one piece of advice to save someone’s life, what would it be?” The truth is, a single tip barely scratches the surface. Yet, inspired by this question, I've distilled it into 7 essential tips. In fact, this question inspired me to start this blog, with the aim of making individuals aware so they can learn to consciously observe their surroundings for potential threats. Reading this blog alone won't be enough to save your life, but if you start practising these instructions, it will significantly increase your chances of survival. These tips aren't new; they're time-tested and have been meticulously developed and continuously refined from the Roman Empire to the present day, used by governments and security experts worldwide.
1. Practice situational awareness at all times
One of the most important tips is that you need to be aware of your surroundings. It doesn't matter how big and strong you are or how much combat training you have, if you are not aware of what is going on around you, you will be at risk. You must always be aware of your surroundings and, along with a bit of prior planning and some common sense, you will have the advantage over a potential threat. Becoming familiar with your surroundings is the first vital step, so train yourself to be observant and to take note of what you see around you. Learn to differentiate between what may or may not be significant. If something is out of place, you need to be aware.
So, how do you achieve this? It's quite straightforward, actually. Ask yourself questions like:
Is there an unusual car parked in the street?
Why is someone wearing an overcoat on a hot day?
Where are the nearest exits?
What resources are available to me? (Anything you can use against a threat, such as a fire extinguisher, a hose, a plant, a chair, a bottle, a pencil, a magazine or newspaper, a rock, or other construction materials)
How can I position myself advantageously? (Are you near an exit, is your back against a wall, are you on higher ground, are you near security personnel or a police officer, etc.?)
What is my instinct telling me? It might turn out to be nothing, but by maintaining awareness, you can identify these potential threats and make an informed decision about whether it is something that needs to be addressed.
Observational skills are crucial, particularly to identify a potential risk of a terrorist attack. There is always a period of time before an assault where a terrorist cell will carry out surveillance in an area. If you are going to fall foul of a violent crime, it is likely that you have already been targeted and are being watched. This surveillance can be detected if you teach yourself how to look and then take action to prevent their attack.
By developing situational awareness, you will be able to act before an event; if the event takes place, it is nearly always because we have missed the clues, an attack never comes from out of the blue.
Pre incident indicators and how to recognise them
Pre-incident indicators are the patterns of behaviour that people exhibit in any given situation, and they are predictable, so learning them could help you to avoid a potentially bad situation. Here are 3 key pre-incident indicators:
Staring
Once someone has targeted you, it is likely that they will watch you and often stare at you for inappropriate amounts of time. This is predatory behaviour: When a predator sees prey, it will stay focused. A criminal acts the same way, so if this happens to you, then you can assume you are the target. Two key points to remember for this indicator:
Look out for eye contact.
Use your peripheral vision.
Pacing
Be aware if anyone matches your pace; this is not normal human behaviour. It can happen on the street but also in cars. In normal circumstances, it is rare to see two cars side-by-side for long before one slows down or speeds up. By varying your own speed, either when walking or in a car, you can see if the other person is matching. This is an indicator that you need to get out of the situation as quickly as possible. A couple of key tips are:
Change your speed and see if he keeps pace with you.
If you are walking, don’t let him surprise you; just turn around and ask for the time, “Sorry, do you know what time it is?” The attacker will be caught off guard and will instantly blush, especially if he is an amateur. Knowing that you noticed his intention, there is a high chance that he will turn back and walk away.
Distraction
Many criminals work together; one person will be distracting the victim while the other steps in to steal your phone, purse, wallet, or whatever. It takes someone a minimum of 1.5 seconds to react to a situation. Criminals always act to make sure you are unaware that you’re being targeted.
Know Your Colours: How white, yellow, orange and red are key to personal safety.
Furthermore, we are going to use Colonel Jeff Cooper's white, yellow, orange, and red colour system. Colonel Jeff Cooper devised a colour code system that categorizes levels of awareness and readiness into four easily memorable colours. This straightforward system is surprisingly effective in enhancing situational awareness.
Condition White
White means you are unprepared and unaware. You are vulnerable and may be open to attack; you have no consciousness of your surroundings and would be unprepared for unexpected events. What it looks like: Head down, not engaged with what is going on around you, eyes averted. You could be daydreaming or looking at your phone. This is the most vulnerable colour in the system, and you must never allow yourself to be out in public in condition white.
Condition Yellow
There’s no indication of an impending threat or attack; you are relaxed but alert and able to take in your surroundings and what is going on around you. If you are in condition yellow, you are unlikely to be surprised. What it looks like: Head up, relaxed but taking in your surroundings. You can engage with other people but are still alert enough to recognise potential threats like cars coming towards you or someone coming in for an attack.
Condition Orange
You will enter this state if you see something that gives cause for concern. Things like someone paying too much attention to you or any of the other things mentioned above in the pre-incident indicators. You may feel threatened, so are likely to take steps to be prepared, like accessing a cell phone to call for help.
Condition Red
This is when that predetermined threat is happening or likely to happen imminently, and your flight or fight response is activated. You have not been taken completely by surprise and are ready to take action if necessary. The best way forward is to avoid red and stay in yellow. If you can train yourself to do this, it could save your life.
Now that you have started to question and observe more, the second step is to observe the baseline.
2. Notice the normal (baseline)
As you know, when you are familiar with a place, you can almost immediately spot if something is wrong, so being aware of the baseline, of normality, is key. You can only determine danger if you already know what is safe. Your main focus should be on areas like your home, your neighbourhood, and your place of work. These are the areas you spend most time in, where you feel safe and therefore may be vulnerable. Make sure you are totally familiar with them in order to perceive potential threats and move out of harm’s way
How to Establish a Baseline? What exactly is a baseline?
Remember the discussion on Condition Yellow? You are aware of what is happening, but your brain is really not switched on to what is normal or not. So, you need to focus and be consciously aware in order to determine what is normal; this is the baseline.
Baselines are place-sensitive
Different areas have different baselines. For example, Government buildings will have a lot more security than your home. You should make sure you set a baseline for your home and places you go to often. It could save your life.
Be baseline consistent
Once you have a baseline for the places you visit often and within your own home, you will immediately know if something is not as it should be. Make sure you have a pre-planned routine to follow when you leave your house, and follow it every time.
Pre-planned routine with basic security measures when leaving the house:
Locking doors
Locking windows
Making sure outbuildings/garages are locked
Turn the exterior lighting on/off.
It is important that family members and anyone else living in the home know these procedures and follow them.
If you ever think someone has invaded your home, stay safe. Call the police before entering.
Use your experience.
Ask yourself if everything appears normal. If it doesn’t, you could be entering a potentially harmful situation. If your gut tells you ‘that’s not normal’, believe it. It may save your life
Know standard human behaviour
Take some time to study what is and what is not considered normal human behaviour. From that point, it is easy to start to question. Think about how the person is dressed – if they are wearing a huge overcoat in summer, that’s not normal. If someone is displaying odd mannerisms, staring, or paying too much attention to you (or another person), are they following someone? Maybe they just look nervous. These are all worth keeping an eye on, as they could develop into something serious.
Criminals are Opportunistic
Removing opportunity is a key way of keeping safe. Stay out of Condition White and stay in Condition Yellow. A good confident walk, keeping your head up and your hands free doesn’t make you look like an easy target, meaning you are less likely to be chosen as their next victim.
3. Adaptability
All of the training is great, but you need to make sure you are able to put what you learn into practice when the time comes. Being strong and powerful is obviously a good thing, but if you cannot adapt well to new potentially threatening events, it will not serve you well. It helps to play the ‘what if?’ game to run through different scenarios and potential responses to them.
Use the 6 P principle: Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.
During times of stress, we find it difficult to think; advance planning means doing the thinking in advance. When the time comes, you just need to act on your plan. You will become more vulnerable if you feel comfortable and safe. Familiar surroundings and being close to home make you feel relaxed, and this is when you are most at risk. Assailants, terrorists, and other criminals know this and will look to attack you where you feel safest. Being familiar with local surroundings and any changes that occur will keep you safe; however, complacency gives the assailant the advantage.
4. Develop self-reliance
Don’t rely on other people; make your plans and depend on yourself. This also means you will be in a position to help others too.
5. Don’t be a hero.
Even if you really don’t want to, choose to walk away from a confrontation if you can. At some point, you are likely to meet someone who is more skilled, more ruthless, or just lucky that day; being a hero is often not worth the risk. Be a bigger person and put your ego away.
6. Keep Moving
Movement can save your life, and it is one of the key things to remember if you are in a potential emergency situation. If someone is driving on the pavement towards you, if you don’t move out of the way, you will die. Remember, movement will keep you alive.
7. Perception makes a difference
Perception makes a difference Perception can make the difference between being a victim or being ignored. You need to look at yourself from an assailant’s perspective:
Do you look like an easy target?
Are you looking confident?
What are the people around you doing? Are they acting suspiciously?
Are you being followed?
Does your house look uninhabited? Would it be a temptation for anyone looking to break in