The thing about lethal force, whether or not you intend it to be lethal, is that the consequences can be extremely high if we use it in ways that are not legally permissible. Watching the news and social media are not complete educations about what is and isn’t okay in the eyes of the law,
Much of On Her Own focuses on teaching you more about self-defense and related areas, although those of course do not make up all of the things we might need or even want to learn. Expanding our skills and knowledge is a matter of survival in many instances, but also of curiosity, of interest, of
In my travels around the internet, I see a lot of folks who are interested in becoming an instructor of some type. Many, even most, are people excited about their skills, and in the self-defense space, they’re interested in passing it on to help others feel or be safe too. It’s an admirable impulse, and
The story of Adam Simjee and Mikayla Paulus has been floating around the news recently. As is often the case, there is some disagreement between sources about exactly what happened, but here’s the outline we’ll go with today, based on the initial Clay County Sheriff’s Office news release and early news reports. It was mid-morning
Pepper spray is on my mind, and in my eye, as I taught the basics to a friend this weekend and am preparing to teach a few seminars on it next month. Keep an eye here for the announcement and sign-ups; I’m finalizing details but save the date of September 17, in Epping, NH. In
This past weekend, I spent two days with John Hearne of Two Pillars Training. Advertised as separate classes, Saturday was all about examining the characteristics of people who win in violent fights, and how we can learn from them to increase our own odds of success if we face that worst day ourselves. Sunday, we
Time is our most precious commodity. Once it’s gone, we can’t get it back. My friend, John Johnston (Citizens Defense Research), likes to tell students that when he teaches, and it’s both his gratitude for the time you’ve spent in class and a warning to spend your time wisely. It’s connected to that idea of
I’d like to pause today to remember Dr. William Aprill. His work influenced mine enormously, and long-time readers will recognize my frequent references to him. He passed away two years ago this past weekend, and I still frequently catch myself picking up my phone to text him a question. Instead of my words today, I’d
So what’s the solution? I’ve told you this week about a few things that don’t work to help you be safe. Even though those strategies might make you feel better, they’re unlikely to make much, if any, difference at all when a bad guy shows up. It sounds pretty hopeless, but knowing is half the
‘Tis the season for women’s self-defense seminars. I’ve seen them run year-round, but they seem especially popular this time of year, as girls prepare to move away from home for the first time and go off to college. Anybody can run one, so there’s a lot of variation in content and quality. One of the
