Re: [RC] [RC] Caution around trailheads - Sisu West Ranch
As Truman pointed out, awareness is a good part of
the battle. Most good instructors who are teaching self defense (as
opposed to a sport related to armed or unarmed defense), spend much of their
time teaching awareness of the situation and potential
threats.
To my mind, one of the interesting psychological
results of training and carrying a weapon (of any kind) is that it
sometimes is easier to remember to scan continuously for potential threats
(often called "condition orange"). In the last month I was reading an
article by a professional instructor and bodyguard. He related how during
a recent trip to Mexico, when he could not carry a weapon, he was surprised two
times by the development of potential threats, situations that he would not
normally allowed to develop. He concluded that for some reason his mind
decided that he could completely let his guard down ("condition green") because
he was not armed. He related this story to emphasize the importance of
awareness.
As far as depending upon the police and alarm
companies, there is a motto:
"When seconds count, the police are only minutes
away". Calling 911 (I suspect that alarm calls are a low priority for the
police because of the large number of false alarms.), and keeping them on the
line (cell phone) while you attempt to get you and yours to a safe place or out
of the invaded home is a great idea, as long as your plans recognize that in
most cases the incident will be long over before the police arrive.
Response time for the police can vary
greatly. When I lived in Cleveland during the 60's (remember the riots?),
a routine call at night would be answered in an hour or so. Folk started
to call in and falsely claim that there was an "officer in trouble" to get
quicker response. (At this time officers did not have radios when out of
their squad like they do now.) When I lived in St. Croix County WI during
the 70-80's it was still rather rural. At night there was one Sheriff car
for the whole county. I was at the E end of the county. If that unit
happened to be at the other end when I called I would have had to wait for 30
minutes. Now even though in rural Ravalli County, MT, the response time
might be better. I am in the center of the county, and on the major N-S
highway. I probably could count on help in say 10-15 minutes.
There are mental games that can be played to help
you remain aware of your surroundings. When in the woods, I continually
look for game. I am not as good as many, but getting better. At
least I am looking around, not zoning out on my horse with music from an
IPod. When in the city, I continuously look for folk who may be carrying a
not completely concealed weapon. Again, this "game" helps me be aware of
who is around and what their dress, body language, sex, and general appearance
are telling me. In essence I play a "profiling"
game.
Ed
Ed & Wendy Hauser 2994 Mittower
Road Victor, MT 59875
