REAL LIFE Self Defense – My Personal Experience
November 14, 2017 by Chris Wilson
Filed under Recent Posts
By Chris Wilson, SSN, RKC
I never want to be a victim.
Not that anyone would ever ‘choose’ to be a victim of an attack but many of us go through life thinking that …something like that would never happen to me!
Now I know that’s foolish thinking. That point became abundantly clear to me when I attended the REAL LIFE Self Defense event with Tactical Training Specialist and Former Bodyguard Mike Gillette.
Unfortunately, bad stuff happens to good people all the time. There are bad guys all around us looking to do ‘bad guy things’ as Mike would say. My eyes were opened to how quickly life can change for innocent people just going about their day.
Stuff like walking to your car at night after a long work day, stopping at the ATM for some quick cash or walking your dog…and then BOOM, you’re struck or grabbed from behind and things get bad really fast.
It’s actually pretty scary to think about these things. But there are bad people in the world who won’t think twice about ending your life to get what they want.
Mike has seen it all before in his 25+ years as a training specialist and former bodyguard. He’s familiar with what attackers think and what they’re willing to do and none of it is good.
It was crystal clear to me during the workshop that I was listening to an authority on the topic of self-defense. Mike knows more about handling yourself in dangerous situations than anyone I’ve ever listened to on the topic.
The problem with most self-defense programs is that they’re complicated, filled with techniques that require lots of time and practice to master. What I know for sure is that complicated doesn’t work when you have seconds to save your life or the lives of those you love. You need to act fast!
What I discovered inside the first hour of the event were the most effective moves to defend and fight off an attacker. It felt really good to easily apply these skills instantly with barely any practice.
The key is to be mentally and physically prepared but honestly, I don’t think most of us are.
Even though I consider myself to be a stronger than average man who’s pretty tough, I realized I need to have a plan should I find myself in a dangerous situation one day.
I was blown away by the simplicity of the tools Mike shared with us. As he said over and over again, this has nothing to do with looks. Protecting yourself from an attack isn’t about looking cool like a Hollywood movie, it’s about effectiveness and inflicting pain quickly.
One of my favorite takeaways was when Mike said, “Pain is a language all attackers understand.”
Now I have a few “go to” tools in my toolbox should I ever be confronted with someone looking to hurt me or my loved ones. I’m a husband and father of two young kids and I would do anything to protect them from harm.
Like I said, I never want to be a victim, of course no one ever does. But yet, every day an innocent man, woman or child is savagely attacked and left for dead for their wallet, jewelry or just because they’re in the wrong place at the wrong time.
This amazing event taught me how to move, how to act, things to look for in my surroundings and all of the options I have at my disposal if I’m standing face to face with someone looking to harm me.
I was so excited afterwards to talk to my wife and show her some of the things I learned from Mike. I want her to know these moves inside and out just like me so that she can defend herself in a bad situation.
It’s not about how big and strong you are, it’s about being all in and feeling prepared in a very scary moment. Like Mike said, even if you leave here with just ONE thing that you feel comfortable with doing, it could save your life and give you that magic moment to escape.
This event was life changing. I saw women taking down men far bigger than them with ease just by applying a simple technique that they learned in minutes. I now have a feeling of confidence that I never had before or even knew that I needed in the first place.
As I said, being strong is nice but if you freeze up in a life-threatening situation because you’re not prepared, what good is it?
It’s called REAL LIFE because everything you need to learn is already inside of you. You’ve done all of these moves before without even knowing it. Mike just uncovers these tools for you in minutes so that you can effectively defend yourself and fight back should that day arrive.
