Personal safety isn’t just about knowing how to defend yourself—it starts with awareness, confidence, and preparation. We spoke with Fortis Self Defense about how practical self-defense and Krav Maga training help individuals and families build confidence, improve fitness, and develop real-world safety skills.
1. How do confidence, body language, and situational awareness influence personal safety before a dangerous situation even begins?
Numerous studies and interviews with convicted criminals show that people who walk with confidence, exude strong body language, and have good situational awareness are much less likely to be chosen as victims by attackers. Bad guys pick victims who move like victims.
Situational awareness means that you need to have a baseline of what is normal for the places you frequent so you can recognize when something is off and then have the confidence to act on that awareness. Don’t get out of the car yet. Take an extra lap around the block. Make the phone call because the situation just doesn’t feel right. Intuition is one of the strongest psychological tools we have. Use it!
2. What are some of the most common everyday situations where people unknowingly make themselves vulnerable, and what simple habits can help improve personal safety?
Transitional spaces, such as walking to and from your vehicle, are the most common situations for people to be vulnerable. Have your keys in hand, your phone put away, get in your vehicle, and lock the doors. Do the reverse at your destination. If you are looking at your phone, you aren’t noticing what’s going on around you which means you don’t have much situational awareness.
3. How can parents teach children and teens about personal safety, boundaries, and awareness in a way that empowers them without creating fear or anxiety?
It’s a sad reality of the world we live in that parents have to do this, but you must teach children appropriate levels of truth at appropriate ages.
Make sure the child knows things such as who can pick them up from school, important phone numbers, and safe people to call. Code words are a great idea. Pick a word that only the family and safe friends know and make them ask it of anyone who isn’t normally responsible for them.
The best way to teach young people is to make it a game. Remember playing “I spy with my little eye?” That’s a great start to get kids to notice things.
Martial arts training is a great way to help kids and teens with their confidence. Confident kids are more likely to stand up for themselves. And training means they’ll know when to use words and when more is required.
Teenagers spend a lot of their time in the social media world. Make sure you’re checking your child’s social media accounts. It’s very easy for teenagers to forget that anyone can be behind the screen. No one needs to know where you are when you post the picture so keeping locations turned off is a great idea.
Build trust and safety with your child so that they know they can come to you first if something is wrong. You want their first thought if they have a problem to be “I can go to mom and dad.”
4. Many people assume self-defense is only necessary in extreme situations. How does self-defense training improve confidence, decision-making, and overall quality of life in everyday situations?
Training helps you assess situations faster, meaning you make decisions faster, and it helps you to perform under pressure and stress. Learning to stay calm when defending your partner bearhugging you helps you to stay calm with someone who is arguing with you. You learn to realize that most things aren’t worth fighting (physically) over.
Martial arts is also a great way to trick yourself into exercising. Weight loss, muscle tone, increased cardio and aerobic capacity are just a few of the tangible health benefits of martial arts training.