What are your guy’s/girls feelings on personal safety alarms? Do you think they are effective in an urban environment desensitised to the sound of alarms? Have any of you brought these into your self defence drills? I say this because ive been working on some drills with some personal safety alarms, and they seem to have come to some use. Now there are a lot of bad models out there but the most effective i have seen have been the variants with a strong light built into the box that can either flash or have a continuous bright beam,and of course,the sturdier the better. i have found that using the beam during night conditions when combined with the noise of the alarm is very effective but people need to be more aware that simply letting off the alarm or even shining the light in the antagonists eyes will not work as a stand-alone counter attack. Ive even heard of one self defence instructor who teaches the girls to stand there with the alarm pointing at the attacker at arms length and to stand there craziness I say! I mean that’s just asking for it to be wrestled out of your hand and smashed on the floor! Here are some of the basic drills which i have found work quite well (Well my sister, im tall and weigh 12.5 stone so I would not be representative of an average woman’s self defence technique, so these are what my lightly built sister found effective from the range of things I experimented with teaching her) note - get a good heavy good solid alarm, there a bit bulkier but they have a better use as a tool as well as an alarm. 1)for a Hair grab from the front - sharp forwards head butt to nose/jaw followed by sudden turn of head, pulling the alarm cord with the left hand whilst palm heel with a raking to the eyes with the right. 2)for a Bear hug from front - scrape shin with shoe, pull alarm cord, push alarm with force either upwards from under the nose or into the eye, whislt administering cupped hand slaps to below the ear. 3)when Running with the alarm- if the coat is grabbed from behind- ,rear forearm strike to the jaw, followed by upwards push with both hands, leaning bodyweight into the technique. 4)for a lapel grab - hammer fist strike with the alarm on the bridge of the nose, with the alarm cord already pulled out - repeat as is necessary, whilst the left hand could either be striking the throat or gouging the eye with the thumb. 5)a good pre-emptive strike with the alarm - from a wallet/phone mugging demand, reach casually into the pocket, quickly pull the cord and use the alarm in a hook style strike to the temple/eye/jaw followed by a Thai style roundhouse to the thigh. 6) to help escape a headlock/chancery hold - this common hold, aims to cut off the blood supply to the neck or it is an intended hold from which to launch face punches, either way against a larger guy the best policy i believe is to grab the hair of the assailant, jerk upwards and strike the throat with the alarm. Whilst doing this it may be wise to kick at the kneecap. 7)to react to a violent front push - after receiving the first push, when the second comes close pull the alarm cord then lash out with a front thrust kick to just above the kneecap, follow up with an upwards thrust of the alarm under the jaw & run. 8) the oh so laughed at wrist grab - pull alarm cord, bring the alarm down on the finger joints, followed by a thrust to the point below the ear, combine with a knee thrust to thigh or pubic bone. 9)haymaker defence - if alarm is pulled and the attack persists, if applicable stab the edge of the alarm into the bicep with the other arm used as a cover block, then proceed to clinch and elbow to the temple/jaw 10)from the fence - always have your rear hand holding the alarm while your front hand acts as your fence, always have the alarm in a position in the hand in such a way that it can act as a weapon yet it is not obviously seen as such ie - hammer fist grip. When hitting with the edge of the alarm do just strike forwards, try and rake downwards, especially if the strike is to the face region. Keep in mind that soon as the alarm is activated the verbal fence is no longer going to work for you. Your ways of calming the situation are now few and far between. Also be aware that the use of the alarm may trigger an unexpected response, fear and surprise may lead to more violent actions that originally intended. However these are the risks you take. but i truly believe that people should be training with these alarms as weapons aswell as just alarms, as it makes an effective substitute for a fist, as fists may be prone to injury in self defence situations, especially those who have not conditioned their fists for such impact. Training with the alarms on punch bags helps as you can practice your verbal, your fence, and then your strikes which you can then apply with full force. always keep your alarm in a place you can get too it, never in a hand bag or purse, keep it in pockets, or anywhere close at hand, practice quick drawing the alarm. if applicable, attach the cord to your clothing so the alarm is sounded on removal. Always change your battery every few months; you don’t want it to fail on you when you need it the most. Remember to always use the light in such a way that it is quickly flashed into the assailants eyes, before the strike, although act quickly as to avoid telegraphing and allowing the opponent to raise their arm in defence. I think personal safety alarms are a vital bit of kit and should be carried by everyone especially joggers, people in unfamiliar places, and people travelling at night.
