STREETWISE COVER 06 30/1/09 11:19 am Page 1 THE COMPLETE MANUAL OF PERSONAL SECURITY & SELF DEFENCE STREETWISE ABOUT THE AUTHOR S T R STREETWISE Peter Consterdine, a 8th Dan Black Belt in E STREETWISE E STREETWISE is the complete T W manual of personal security & Karate has over 40 years experience in the I S self defence. This manual is E martial arts. : not another ‘martial arts in B Whilst a former Great Britain and England Y jeans’ type self defence book. P It combines the detailed Karate International, he is also acknowl- E T concepts and procedures from E R edged as one of the country’s leading the world of Executive C O Protection, with the very best experts in self defence. As an International N S of the physical aspects of self T Security Consultant, Peter lectures world- E defence. R D wide on matters of Personal security and I SUBJECTS COVERED N E n Principals of Personal Awareness. Security A professional bodyguard and author of n Awareness Training System n Threat Pyramid ‘The Modern Bodyguard’ Peter brings his n Colour Codes wealth of expertise of conflict and its n Security on the Street BE YOUR OWN n Psycology of Conflict management to ‘Streetwise’. BODYGUARD n Fear and Adrenal Responses As well as teaching on a consultancy basis n Personal Threat Analysis at a National Police Training College, Peter n Personal Security Procedures n Home, Mobile and Office also teaches defensive tactics to many Security other British Police Forces. n Conflict Resolution n Self Defence and the Law n Myths of Martial Arts n Ranges and Tools n Impact Development n Wepons of the Body n Knife Defence - Realities P U B L I S H E D B Y n Multiple Attackers Protection Streetwise ISBN. 1 873475 527 PUBLICATIONS P p in association with PRICE UK £24.99 S U M M E R S D A L E BY PETER CONSTERDINE CONTENTS C 30/1/09 11:29 am Page 1 STREETWISE BY PETER CONSTERDINE PROTECTION PUBLICATIONS In Association With SUMMERSDALE CONTENTS C 30/1/09 11:29 am Page 2 STREETWISE Copyright © Peter Consterdine 1997 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, nor transmitted, nor translated into a machine language without the written permission of the publisher. Protection Publications Chel Centre 26 Roundhay Road Leeds LS7 1AB United Kingdom Published in association with Summersdale PO Box 49 Chichester West Sussex PO19 2FJ United Kingdom A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Printed and Bound in Great Britain by: Redwood Books, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, United Kingdom Typesetting & Photographic Scanning: Protection Publications, Leeds. Cover Design & Origination: Ian Gordon, ArtStyle, Leeds. ISBN 1 873475 52 7 Please note: The author and the publishers cannot accept any responsibility for any proceedings or prosecutions brought or instituted against any person or body as a result of the use or misuse of any techniques described in this book or any loss, injury or damage caused thereby. CONTENTS C 30/1/09 11:29 am Page 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank all those who have contributed their time to the photos in this book, with special thanks to:- Ged Moran and his people at Salford Shotokan. Bob Sykes, Editor Martial Arts Illustrated magazine. All British Combat Association guest instructors. A special thanks to Peter Robins for his contribution to the text as well as photographs and thanks to Bob Kasper (G.H.C.A.) for use of the photographs of Charles Nelson and John Kary. Thanks also to the following people who contributed additional information which proved invaluable:- Mel P. Les P. Darryl J. As always, a very special thanks to Geoff Thompson for the continuing inspiration to put pen to paper in the first place. CONTENTS C 30/1/09 11:29 am Page 4 C O N T E N T S PAGE INTRODUCTION 1 PART 1 Chapter 1- BASIC PRINCIPLES OF PERSONAL SECURITY 11 Chapter 2 - AWARENESS TRAINING 23 Chapter 3- PERCEPTIONS AND FEAR OF CRIME 47 Chapter 4- STREET SECURITY 69 Chapter 5- HOME SECURITY 93 Chapter 6- VEHICLE SECURITY 111 Chapter 7- MOBILE SECURITY 125 Chapter 8 - SECURITY AT WORK 137 PART 2 Chapter 9- THE FEAR FACTOR 155 Chapter 10- SELF DEFENCE & THE LAW 169 Chapter 11- BASIC PRINCIPLES OF SELF DEFENCE 183 Chapter 12- MARTIAL ARTS MYTHS 203 Chapter 13- THE PHYSICAL ENCOUNTER 241 Chapter 14- THE THINGS THAT WORK 275 CONTENTS C 30/1/09 11:29 am Page 5 OTHER BOOKS BY THE AUTHOR THE MODERN BODYGUARD (The Manual of Close Protection Training) FIT TO FIGHT (The Manual of Intense Training for Combat) VIDEOS THE PAVEMENT ARENA SERIES (The Ultimate Self Defence Videos) PAVEMENT ARENA PART 1 - The Basics of Self Defence PAVEMENT ARENA PART 2 - The Protection Pyramid PAVEMENT ARENA PART 3 - ‘Grappling’ - The Last Resort PAVEMENT ARENA PART 4 - ‘Fit To Fight’ POWER & IMPACT DEVELOPMENT VIDEOS POWERSTRIKE POWERKICK All available from Protection Publications Tel: (44) 0113 2429686 - 24 hour credit card hotline INTRODUCTION C 30/1/09 1:59 pm Page 1 I N T R O D U C T I O N Introduction I started writing this book over person or victim and how, in reality, that twenty years ago. Since then person - you or I - copes or doesn’t many of my thoughts and views cope in situations of fear and stress. on the subject of self protection We need the assistance of psychology have been published in articles in to help us understand the relationships various martial arts magazines between such things as thoughts, and elsewhere. However each time I character traits, outside stimuli and felt ready to put pen to paper for the behaviour. We also need to understand complete work there was always the ‘chemical’ responses our body another element that I knew was promotes under extreme stress. missing or incomplete. This was the very detailed body of work on personal Also attitudes and beliefs we all security which has been drawn from individually hold, add further colour to the specialist areas of security industry, the picture and effect how we will particularly the close protection (body- respond to a variety of situations. If guarding) field. your religious beliefs condition your attitude to the extent that you will The sum total of personal security and incline to ‘turn the other cheek’ then self defence becomes a very large, you could be in big problems in the very complex picture with varying street. shades of grey. There are few blacks and whites and I’ve only now really felt Equally, a person, whose belief system that I have all the pieces to put in place. is that “it will never happen to me” has My main concern has been the an attitude to personal safety which will ‘humanistic’ side of the picture - i.e. the probably make him or her disregardful 1 INTRODUCTION C 30/1/09 1:59 pm Page 2 I N T R O D U C T I O N of the inherent dangers of people and what they have learned, will ‘spring into places and is in what we call ‘denial.’ action’ and save the day. You only have Also a person who is daily bombarded to look at the plethora of videos on with the sounds, images and stress of a the subject, produced by ‘celebrities’! busy cosmopolitan city has learned, at to see this type of approach, unfortu- a sub-conscious level, to ’switch off’ to nately, at work. If you believe for one most of the external stimuli, but in minute that these techniques will work doing so their awareness levels of for you then you are in big trouble. incoming threat are dulled and There is a deceit at work when such nullified. Assault attempts, be they videos show a five foot ex-singer rape, mugging, gratuitous violence, control and throw a six foot, fourteen succeed because there is a hugely stone male. successful strategy at work employed by the attacker and, although this is I’ve written critically and for many years also supported by the application of about the run of the mill self defence only simple, basic psychology it classes, videos and articles which succeeds in the main because of the make no mention of fear and it’s effects total ‘unpreparedness’ of the victim. on the situation. Now I read in such articles and hear people say “oh by the Many years ago I coined the phrase way don’t forget fear” - then that’s it! Self Protection, to more aptly describe They add nothing further, it’s simply what I teach. This was to remove the sufficient to have mentioned it. To ‘negative’ element out of the phrase balance what I have said, however, Self Defence, which was actually the there are some good books on self word defence. Defence, by most defence; peoples perceptions and definition Dead or Alive by Geoff Thompson. seems to require that a physical act Unleash The Lioness by Robin of aggression must have been Houseman. perpetrated against them before a Dogs Don’t Know Kung Fu by Jamie response is possible or appropriate. It O’Keefe. also deceives people, particularly The latter two being primarily slanted to women, who have attended the womens safety. ubiquitous ‘self defence’ classes that they somehow now have within them a All are blessed with honest reality and system which, if they are suddenly are often graphic in their descriptions of attacked, or faced with violence, that violent incidents against people. They 2 INTRODUCTION C 30/1/09 1:59 pm Page 3 I N T R O D U C T I O N are very salutary works and convey far don'ts and telling people what to do better than I will in this book the sheer and what not to do, although this very horror and consequences of such much would be what I seem to be crimes as rape, serious assaults and doing in Part 1 on personal security. murders. With these as recommended Most personal security is common reading I want to broaden further sense (once it’s been pointed out) but, the whole subject matter so that what this book hopes to achieve is to Streetwise will be the reference take the concepts and philosophies, manual for every aspect of Self which I believe are inseparable from Protection, whether you are teaching the do’s and don'ts and get people self defence, conflict management or to think through the psychology of personal security, a police officer or, as confrontation and the ‘management’ of most readers will be, interested on a their environment for themselves. personal level to know how best to protect themselves and their families. A ‘do’ in one situation may actually be a ‘don’t’ in another and, therefore, it is The size of the book and the complex- important that a person is tutored in ities of the subject matter don’t easily how to be analytical of their situation serve to help form a ‘personal protec- and environment at all times and so tive strategy’, but you will find that come up with their own solution. I read much of what you read will be about a definition of self defence on the yourself and possibly some recognition Internet which I thought was a good of how you may act in certain circum- attempt at encapsulating the subject stances. Hopefully you will concur and matter - ”self defence is a set of make changes in beliefs and attitudes. awareness, assertiveness, verbal If you can recognise and change confrontation skills, with safety strate- certain entrenched beliefs then this will gies and physical techniques that have worked. enable someone to successfully escape, resist, and survive violent What I hope you will get from this book attacks”. is the correct ‘mind-set’. I want to alter (From the Assault Prevention your attitudes - both to the reality of Information Network APIN). This is violence and, most importantly, your fine, but in some ways serves to correct role in the event. Self confuse because it addresses too Protection should not simply be about many issues under one banner. giving people a long list of do’s and 3 INTRODUCTION C 30/1/09 1:59 pm Page 4 I N T R O D U C T I O N My problem with self defence per se, is of personal security. The self defence that the subject matter, as a whole, is genre are usually the product of usually presented as one amorphous ‘martial artists’ and the work on per- mess. When I wrote The Modern sonal security is, as a consequence, Bodyguard I approached it from the treated in such books as a ‘by-product angle of wanting to put very complex of the physical techniques they want to subject matter into convenient boxes show you. as far I could and so it is with Streetwise. Our ultimate goal is to be The elements of personal security they capable of taking control of our own do mention are usually those you can Self Protection. To achieve this will find in motoring association handouts necessitate understanding certain aimed at the female driver, or those philosophies, psychology, and issued by the insurance companies concepts and become acquainted with (with whom you have your house situational strategies- this is Personal insurance) dealing with locks and Security and will occupy us for the first alarms.The advice and points made half of the book. Good self protection is are not incorrect, but usually only 99% about getting this first half right represent about 10% of the whole which concentrates on ‘prevention’, subject matter. but as we will see there can be no guarantee of absolute success and a I’ve seen some of the worst efforts person must then be able to have produced by martial artists who have a confidence in their physical skills and perception as to how violence will this is Part 2, the physical, Self occur and what they will do about it. Defence. The attacks they portray are martial arts ‘formed’. By that I mean that they SELF PROTECTION are based on punches and kicks that they practise in the dojo. Even people who you think would know better are PERSONAL SELF guilty of this. SECURITY DEFENCE A book choreographed by a former There are reasonably large numbers British police officer and traditional of books available on the subject of Karateka is one of the worst examples self defence and a negligible number which practices this deception that - available on the very obscure subject firstly people are attacked like this in 4