SHIELDHER DEFENSE

FIGHT SCIENCE: HUMAN WEAPON

2010-02-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the simplest techniques can make the difference between life and death!

Learn more: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/fight-science/4236/Overview#tab-Videos/07778_00

AWARE (Arming Women Against Rape & Endangerment) - Self Protection Quiz

2010-02-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

AWARE Self Protection Quiz

Why should you care about self-defense?

You should care about self defense because:

If you are a woman, you are a target for certain kinds of criminals.
The best self-protection for most crimes is prevention.
If prevention fails, your best chance is to fight back. But you must know HOW to fight back.

Because sometimes you have to rob a person blind in order to open their eyes!

2010-01-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

Concerned that what happened to the It Takes a Thief homeowners could happen to you — except with real burglars? Click here to check out Matt and Jon's tips from the show!

Home Security Quiz

Check out general crime stats, courtesy of Discovery Channel's It Takes a Thief.

2010-01-05T09:46:00.001-07:00

Check out general crime stats, courtesy of Discovery Channel's It Takes a Thief.

Burglary Facts

Who is the typical burglar? And what is his or her average take? We've collected some common burglary facts.
And if you're curious about more general crime stats, check out the FBI's Crime in the United States Report (2003), the source for much of the below.

Burglary is the unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft. A person can be convicted of burglary even if nothing was actually stolen.
A burglary occurs approximately every 15 seconds in the United States.
On average, a burglary results in a dollar loss of about $1,600.
About 30 percent of all burglaries are classified as "unlawful entry," meaning the burglar was able to gain entry without using force — often through an unlocked door or window.
Nearly 66 percent of all burglaries are residential, and of those, 62 percent occur during the daytime. Most burglaries occur between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., when no one is likely to be at home.
Renters are more likely to be the victims of property crime than homeowners.
Only 13 percent of reported burglaries are solved, or "cleared," by the police.
Only about 15 percent of property stolen in burglaries is recovered by the police.
Nearly 85 percent of all burglaries occur in large metropolitan areas.
Almost half of the nation's reported burglaries occur in the South: 45 percent, as opposed to the Northeast's 11, the Midwest's 20 and the West's 24.
The highest percentage of burglaries occur during the summer months of July and August, when many people are away from their homes on vacation, or have left windows open for ventilation.
Arrest records reported to the FBI indicate that approximately 70 percent of all burglary arrestees are white and 86 percent are male.
About 30 percent of private homes have security systems. Homes without security systems are two to three times more likely to be broken into.

Combat Mindset - The Cooper Color Code

2009-11-29T13:58:00.001-07:00

Combat Mindset - The Cooper Color Code

The most important means of surviving a lethal confrontation is, according to Cooper, neither the weapon nor the martial skills. The primary tool is the combat mindset, set forth in his book, Principles of Personal Defense. In the chapter on awareness, Cooper presents an adaptation of the Marine Corps system to differentiate states of readiness:

The color code as originally introduced by Jeff Cooper, had nothing to do with tactical situations or alertness levels, but rather with one's state of mind. As taught by Jeff, it relates to the degree of peril you are willing to do something about and which allows you to move from one level of mindset to another to enable you to properly handle a given situation. Jeff didn't claim to have invented anything in particular with the color code, but he was apparently the first to use it as an indication of mental state.

White - Unaware and unprepared. If attacked in Condition White, the only thing that may save you is the inadequacy or ineptitude of your attacker. When confronted by something nasty, your reaction will probably be "Oh my God! This can't be happening to me."

Yellow - Relaxed alert. No specific threat situation. Your mindset is that "today could be the day I may have to defend myself." You are simply aware that the world is a potentially unfriendly place and that you are prepared to defend yourself, if necessary. You use your eyes and ears, and realize that "I may have to SHOOT today." You don't have to be armed in this state, but if you are armed you should be in Condition Yellow. You should always be in Yellow whenever you are in unfamiliar surroundings or among people you don't know. You can remain in Yellow for long periods, as long as you are able to "Watch your six." (In aviation 12 o'clock refers to the direction in front of the aircraft's nose. Six o'clock is the blind spot behind the pilot.) In Yellow, you are "taking in" surrounding information in a relaxed but alert manner, like a continuous 360 degree radar sweep. As Cooper put it, "I might have to shoot."

Orange - Specific alert. Something is not quite right and has gotten your attention. Your radar has picked up a specific alert. You shift your primary focus to determine if there is a threat (but you do not drop your six). Your mindset shifts to "I may have to shoot HIM today." In Condition Orange, you set a mental trigger: "If that goblin does 'x', I will need to stop him." Your pistol usually remains holstered in this state. Staying in Orange can be a bit of a mental strain, but you can stay in it for as long as you need to. If the threat proves to be nothing, you shift back to Condition Yellow. Cooper described this as "I might have to shoot HIM," referring to the specific target which has caused the escalation in alert status.

Red - Condition Red is fight. Your mental trigger (established back in Condition Orange) has been tripped. If "X" happens I will shoot that person.

The USMC also uses "Condition Black" as actively engaged in combat, as do some of Cooper's successors, but Cooper always felt this was an unnecessary step and not in keeping with the mindset definition of the color code since it is a state of action.
In short, the Color Code helps you "think" in a fight. As the level of danger increases, your willingness to take certain actions increases. If you ever do go to Condition Red, the decision to use lethal force has already been made (your "mental trigger" has been tripped).

The following are some of Jeff's additional comments on the subject.
"Considering the principles of personal defense, we have long since come up with the Color Code. This has met with surprising success in debriefings throughout the world. The Color Code, as we preach it, runs white, yellow, orange, and red, and is a means of setting one’s mind into the proper condition when exercising lethal violence, and is not as easy as I had thought at first.

There is a problem in that some students insist upon confusing the appropriate color with the amount of danger evident in the situation. As I have long taught, you are not in any color state because of the specific amount of danger you may be in, but rather in a mental state which enables you to take a difficult psychological step."Now, however, the government has gone into this and is handing out color codes nationwide based upon the apparent nature of a peril. It has always been difficult to teach the Gunsite Color Code, and now it is more so.
We cannot say that the government’s ideas about colors are wrong, but that they are different from what we have long taught here."The problem is this: your combat mind-set is not dictated by the amount of danger to which you are exposed at the time. Your combat mind-set is properly dictated by the state of mind you think appropriate to the situation. You may be in deadly danger at all times, regardless of what the Defense Department tells you. The color code which influences you does depend upon the willingness you have to jump a psychological barrier against taking irrevocable action. That decision is less hard to make since the jihadis have already made it."

He further simplified things in Vol 13 #7 of his Commentaries.
"In White you are unprepared and unready to take lethal action. If you are attacked in White you will probably die unless your adversary is totally inept.
In Yellow you bring yourself to the understanding that your life may be in danger and that you may have to do something about it.
In Orange you have determined upon a specific adversary and are prepared to take action which may result in his death, but you are not in a lethal mode.
In Red you are in a lethal mode and will shoot if circumstances warrant."

Fight Science: Fighting Back (Attack Situation Reenactment)

2009-11-29T13:51:00.000-07:00

Experts in self-defense are put to scientific scrutiny through reenactments of attack situations.

Learn more: Fight Science: Fighting Back (Attack Situation Reenactment)

Fight Science: Fighting Back (3 Finger Choke)

2009-11-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the most effective method for fending off an attacker means drawing them in close.

Learn more: Fight Science: Fighting Back (3 Finger Choke)

Fight Science: Fighting Back (Weak Points)

2009-11-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

UFC fighter Bas Rutten shows how to defend against a drunk by using their weak points.

Learn more: Fight Science: Fighting Back (Weak Points)

Fight Science: Fighting Back (TASER)

2009-11-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

Scientists record the results of a taser on a human subject.

Learn more: Fight Science: Fighting Back (TASER)

Fight Science: Fighting Back (Pelvis Strike)

2009-11-29T13:36:00.001-07:00

Researchers analyze the science behind self-defense techniques. Hitting the pelvis with the right force at the right spot will disable an attacker.

Learn more: Fight Science: Fighting Back (Pelvis Strike)