I’m not being vain (this time) ;).
The self-defence course I took last weekend, which was graciously hosted by the wonderful Torrance Police Department, was called RAD System (RAD stands for Rape Aggression Defence).
It was a small class (about 16 women) and when they made the announcement (on Twitter and FB) about the class, I found out that they cap it at around 18 participants. I later found out (on Saturday morning) why they kept classes small, despite it being popular and there was already a long waiting list (the other 2 women who signed up backed out!)
Torrance PD have only been recently certified to hold these classes so I’m really glad 1) I got in; 2) I took part in it. Since they might not have another class in another two months, I’m hoping to impart some of what they taught us — as much as I can remember, anyway! These notes won’t come close to what the class is about, of course, so as soon as you can, find out if your own local PD has a similar program (or if they are RAD instructors, too!)
Anyway, the great thing about this class was our lead instructor, Sgt. Hart, sent us (participants) an email with the class schedule/agenda — I suppose to prepare us mentally and physically. Friday would be “classroom” time (all 3 hours’ worth!) and Saturday would be the brunt of the work (pun intended).
What I really loved about this class was that we didn’t immediately jump into hitting or punching or kicking. The three hours’ worth of classroom time was on “Risk Reduction Strategies.” In other words, how NOT to get into a situation to be victimised by being smart, alert and aware of your surroundings. Sounds like common sense, yeah? Well, apparently not for some women! Sgt. Hart presented some videos (news reports!) and shared some of his own experiences, recalling (but being as general as possible) the police reports he’d read. One of them really stuck to my head (in not so many words):
A woman was nearly home and was pulling into her apartment parking lot when she noticed a man (whom she did not recognise) standing around in the parking lot. Now, she already had a gut feeling that something was not right — after all, it was a small apartment complex and she knew everyone that lived there — but she ignored that intuition and went ahead and parked her car in her spot anyway.
When she got out of her car, guess who was standing by her door? Yep, the man! He said nothing and just stared at her. You’d think at this point she would ring the cops? Nope, she walked around him and made her way up the stairs to her apartment. What does the creepy dude do? Follow her, of course!
Now the lady’s running towards her apartment and is telling the man to leave her alone. She enters her apartment and locks the door behind her knowing the man was just outside. Does she call the police yet? NOPE. The man was now yelling and knocks on her door. Guess what she does? She OPENS the door — well, just a crack open because the man was now attempting to get inside her apartment. She finally rang the authorities and informed the man outside of what she did.
Long story short (too late), the lady was physically fine but emotionally shaken. Torrance PD showed up within minutes but the man got away. The lady was unable to give a good description of the guy, too, so he could still be out there. 🙁
You could tell the disbelief and tinge of sadness from Sgt. Hart’s voice. He noted that it could have been worse for that woman, and then told us that we shouldn’t ignore our own gut feelings and trust our intuition.
That being said, let me share with you some of what I learned that evening — again, some of these might seem like it’s common sense, but if you know someone that already doesn’t do it, please share:
- Be aware of your surroundings
More times than not, we’re preoccupied with thoughts about work, relationships, children, etc. that we seem to be in ‘auto-pilot’ mode sometimes. Sgt. Hart reminded us that it’s during these times that we let our guards down and might become oblivious to what’s going on around us. Being alert isn’t necessarily being paranoid. 🙂 - Park in well-lit areas
Easy enough, yeah? What if you can’t find a well-lit parking spot? Park in the best place that’s closest to the entrance of the store/restaurant you will be visiting. Also make it a point not to park next to large vehicles (full-sized vans, etc.) that would obstruct the view of the public to your car. - Your car key between-your-fingers to be used as a weapon doesn’t work
Sgt. Hart explained that while it’s nice to have that key as a weapon, you’d need to be closer than arms length to be able to inflict any damage. That and the damage you might inflict will be to yourself because the key, in-between your fingers, might fold into your own skin as you attempt to punch with it. A better way would be to hold your key by your car’s remote (or keychain) and use the dangling keys instead — you have at least 4 more inches of room (especially if you have a LOT of keys) which you can use to temporarily scratch your attacker and have time to run away. Again, it’s not a sure-fire way to defend yourself, but it’s an “upgrade” from the key-between-your-fingers. - Don’t walk alone at night
Another “common-sense” idea. Some suggestions from the class were to find a buddy to walk with (Campus security, friend) or ring a buddy and keep that person on the line and let them know you’re walking alone. If you’re doing the latter, you still have to be aware of your surroundings and don’t get too involved in the conversation! 🙂 - Before getting in your vehicle, check the surrounding cars and then check inside your car before going in
Some of us are good with checking the area to watch and see if anyone is staring at us getting into our cars, but sometimes, we think we’re in a “safe” area that we’re immune to being followed or stalked to our cars. Again, you don’t have to be paranoid and check underneath your car to make sure no one is hiding under there but don’t forget to check at least inside your car before you get into it.
These are just some of what I’ve learned that evening during the first session. I’ll definitely try and write up more parts as I remember them and go over my notes! In the meantime, (for the three people that read my blog! LOL) please share this information with your loved one (mother/sister/girlfriend/aunt/grandmother) and definitely check your local police department if they have a similar course. You can even check out the RAD Systems program locator here. It might not be free in your area (as it was in mine) but it won’t hurt to ask.
Be safe!
