EXTRACTS
These are short sections from chapters found in the book.
If you'd like to know more about psychological self defence, click here.
If you'd like to read a longer sample or are interested in working with me, send me a message.
If you'd like to be updated when this book is available to buy, follow the links below.
WHAT'S different about armour for life?
We begin consciously learning to defend ourselves around the time we learn to speak, and we continue learning for a lifetime. Human nature has given us the skills we need- like instinct, observance, and community- but they are often misunderstood, so while many of us have developed the ability to spot danger very effectively, we lack confidence in this ability because we don't realise we are using it! Instead, we are encouraged to doubt our potentially life-saving skills while observers repeat the same flippant sentence: 'just teach girls karate.'
Armour For Life takes a different approach to self-defence; prioritising critical thinking, body language, and combat psychology over the martial arts-focused strategy that has dominated the conversation up until now. Martial arts can be beneficial for your health, mind and confidence, but you don’t need to learn karate to make yourself safer.
You can use skills you already have to protect yourself, build a support network, and even achieve your life goals.
STARTING FROM NOTHING
You are not starting from nothing, I promise. Everything you have ever learned to do takes more effort and understanding than you know. Even walking used to be a sustained, concentrated effort, but most of us are so used to it by now that it is easy to forget that it is an advanced brain exercise, using more than 200 bones, 600 muscles, and multiple brain functions. We do it unconsciously, leaving us free to focus on other things.
If you are always on time no matter what, then you already know how to force the basic motivation to get up and go, even when you don’t want to.
If you are confident asking a stranger for directions, you have the foundation for telling a stranger to leave you alone or talking to a group of people about something you are passionate about.
If you are good at precise crafting, baking, or DIY – which all involve step-by-step instructions, logic, and problem-solving – then the ‘how to’ strategy is already there if you want to learn a new skill.
If you regularly find yourself the ‘confidante,’ this means people trust you. They see you as a person with integrity, and that will help you make lasting friendships and start building a personal army.
The smallest and most basic crumb of a skill is something we can build on.
PROOF: CCTV
As human beings, we naturally gravitate towards faces. We can spend a lot of time trying to remember the face of the person who wronged us and while some of us can provide a very good visual description, there are much better ways to find proof. It often feels like the most elusive thing, but you can train yourself to look for it.
The phrase 'there’s no proof' is often a major barrier between a person and a report. See also: 'it’s his word against mine.’ Some events, crimes, and situations are notoriously hard to prove. Still, while you’ll rarely get a film-quality video and audio of the situation, you may be able to get something.
- CCTV footage is not infallible and not always clear, but it helps back you up. CCTV is wider spread than many think — look up how many cameras are in your area! This will become important if you believe you are being followed.
- Some places with 24-hour CCTV also have at least one staff member working at all times. Go in and seek help or a witness. Our first emergency association is often the police station or the hospital, but fire stations are also staffed 24 hours a day. So are hotels, care homes, and most emergency pet care facilities.
- Keep thinking outside the box. Banks have CCTV, but they close early while casinos open late. Small off-licenses and petrol stations often open an hour or two later than larger supermarkets — especially on a Sunday. Cinemas can have late showings. Bars and clubs (even gentlemen’s clubs) keep late hours and often employ bouncers.
- If you aren’t feeling safe in a major city and need a safer place to be for a few hours, can you reach the nearest airport? They’re generally well-populated and well-lit, with food and security staff.
Still, while getting a creep on camera can be tempting, if you have to choose between a street with CCTV and a late-opening shop, go to the shop and tell someone what is happening. Most potential followers (or worse) don’t attack with witnesses standing right there, and a proactive ‘victim’ who isn’t afraid to speak up and ask for support is a harder target for them.
The best advice I could possibly give is this: Learn where the 24-hour places are in your area- whether this is your hometown or a new place you will only be visiting for a day or two. You never know when you might need them… if only for a midnight snack!
BODY LANGUAGE: intro
In an area with predatory animals like big cats, there are often signs with information left at strategic points on trails, covering what not to do. Think of potential muggers, rapists, and people who enjoy trying to frighten others as predatory animals, and you’re actually quite close to the truth.
Humans are animals at the end of the day, and these people choose targets that they perceive to be vulnerable- just like predatory animals do- meaning they usually have two or more of these factors:
- They are alone
- They are unaware of their surroundings
- They are unable to fight back effectively.
Just as a predatory animal uses this logic to single out a potential victim, we can use it to protect ourselves from being that victim and defend ourselves should the worst happen.
'Animal kingdom logic' is still relevant to human predators, so you can use your body language to make yourself look like a terrible choice of prey.
