Instinctive self defence

Self defence shouldn’t be a totally new concept to anyone. We are all born with instinctive protection mechanisms. All of us have an inbuilt fight or flight response to acute stress and all of us are endowed with 6th sense or intuition.

In addition, we have been working at protecting ourselves for years. Some of our most common protection strategies are built around our personality traits.

For example, some use charm or humour to deflect trouble. Others use avoidance, while others use aggression to scare people away. It shouldn’t be necessary but some people use total submission to defend themselves from the possibility of a worse fate.

Everyone has the right to go wherever they want whenever they please. That’s the freedom we expect in Australia. Unfortunately, a small minority want to stand in the way of that freedom.

Whether they have a cause, are full of hate, or are simply at the mercy of their own fragile ego and inflated sense of self importance, we don’t know. Nor do we really care!

It doesn’t alter the fact that we all have the right to live our lives in peace and without fear, and without threats, bullying, or intimidation.

It is such a negative view of life to avoid going to certain places, to never go out alone; to never go out after dark, or not be able to dress as we please. That’s not freedom!

Freedom is a much more positive and optimistic view than that. It is having the right to peacefully walk, drive, cycle, or ride public transport anywhere at any time. It is having the right to be in any public space at any time; all without being interfered with in any way.

But with freedom comes personal responsibility. From a personal protection point of view, it is also our responsibility to be aware of our environment, be able to assess risk and to control our own behaviour.

Personal protection requires a commitment to our own safety. It means developing strategies to protect our right to freedom. Therefore personal protection means a whole lot more than learning to fight.

Enacting personal protection strategies is about empowerment & prevention, taking control and being assertive and non-compliant when someone else is trying to aggressively impose control. If that is not done peacefully then we become the same as those who seek to impede our freedom.

For Brisbane martial arts and practical non-aggressive self defence, come train with us at Griffith Aikido. For class times go to https://www.griffithaikido.com.au/class-times