http://www.defendoor.com/bittenbinder.html
Love that 'stache!
Here's his quick online guide of his info:
http://defence4u.com/
I tell you what - so much of what he said may be common sense - but it's not always stuff you hear altogether in a coherent, cohesive way.
Everything he said made sense.
As he put it - the "goofs" (bad guys) are mostly going to commit crimes of opportunity. So don't be the most vulnerable or weakest one - look like a tough target. The goofs don't want to go to tough targets - they want the easy one. You don't have to be the toughest person to ever walk the earth - you just have to look like a tougher target than the people around you.
For women he talked about carrying purses - that you don't let it get behind you when you've got your briefcase and whatever else in your hand. As he put it - American women always have two things - their purse and something else. So the first step is to keep that purse in front and keep a hand on it. He said better yet - wear a fanny pack - however that's not always possible.
He laid out a basic outline:
Now for most of the people on these forums this stuff is obvious and some will even take exception with a bunch of "what if" scenarios.HAVE A PLAN
This means knowing what you are going to do before you step into the arena. If you look tough, if you know what you are going to say and what you are going to do, you have a plan. And it doesn't need to be sophisticated. In fact, the simpler the better. But you must have a plan.
{In the video he gave an example of an old women who, thinking the steadily approaching man was going to steal her purse, turn to her would-be attacker and said "Don't I know your Mother?" The man paused, and walked away.}
DENY PRIVACY
The notorious mass murderers Bundy, Gacy and Dahmer took people to what we call a secondary crime scene, someplace other than the initial place of confrontation. It is the most deadly piece of ground. And they took their victims in cars. You cannot allow this to happen. He's counting on your cooperation and he knows you want to believe his lies. If he wants to take you into a car, or down an alley, you do not go. Ever!
ATTRACT ATTENTION
Yell, scream, whatever it takes - when you are in trouble or you see someone else in trouble. You've got to get help! Because the goof cannot ignore it. He doesn't want to be seen!
TAKE ACTION
If fleeing is an option, it's always your best option. Give up your property and get out of there. But if the attack is physical, you've got to respond. You can't let this goof have control, or let him pull you into a car!
JJ is quick to point out there are no absolutes. Nothing will work every time and each situation must be evaluated on its own merits. But this information can significantly reduce the risk of being victimized and we encourage you to incorporate JJ's advice into your daily activities.
However - if I think about the people who don't usually think about this stuff - his approach is an effective, non-threatening way to get this message across to our parents, siblings, spouses, children, and friends.
It would even be easy to build some handouts and quizzes around his material if you were going to use this for a non-martial arts related self-defense class.
The website has good info - but it's really his presentation that works well. If you have a chance to see this video and share it. Usually I roll my eyes at this kind of stuff and say "what can you learn in a 60 minute video" but this one is different.
Dana
PS - one of the most helpful things in the tape to me - and something I've done in the past was the following.
If somebody rear-ends you, you don't have to get out of your car. You are only required by law to identify yourself. So don't leave your car. Take your insurance information and your driver's license and put it against your window and let the other person copy down the info. Do not hand over your driver's license. Only open your car window 1 inch. Because the only thing going out of your window is your voice. If the other person starts to get agitated, stay calm, roll up the window and sssllllooowwwwly (slowly) drive away. (So you don't run them over).
Then once you get where you're going you can call the police or insurance folks and file the report. If they're honest - then they'll have also filed a report. If they're not honest - you'll never hear about it again.
I can think of at least two times when I was involved in a little rear-ender and got out of my car without thinking. How was I to know that the rear-end "accident" wasn't a setup for a more violent crime?
