There are many theories on how to be prepared for an attack and what to carry. You will find there is a huge self-defence market where companies are looking to sell you all sorts of things, but you might not need them. Let me tell you how you can make it harder to kill you.
Be aware
I cannot stress how important it is to be aware of your surroundings and what is happening. Seriously, this is 99% of the whole make it harder to kill you thing. You know that gut feeling you get that tells you something is wrong? You need to listen to that. Patrick Van Home and Jason Riley cover this well in their book, “Left of Bang: How the Marine Corps’ Combat Hunter Program Can Save Your Life” and I strongly recommend you read it. There are a ton of useful tips that are backed by combat experience but one of the biggest and most important is to listen to your gut and trust it. If that cab you are getting into feels weird, don’t get it in. If you feel like someone is following you, you’re probably right. Listen to your gut.
Be strong
I’m not saying you have to be 250 pounds of muscle to win the fight but being able to squat, deadlift, press, clean and snatch the standards for an athlete of your body weight is the key to survival. For example, being able to bench press your weight will give you an advantage. Equally important is cardio capabilities. There is no sense in being 250 pounds of muscle but not being able to run 1.5 mile without having a heart attack is useless. If you can’t stay in the fight for 2-3 minutes, the average length of a street fight, you’re not going to make it.
Practice BJJ
BJJ or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the gold standard on the street, I don’t care what anyone else tells you. Having a basic knowledge of BJJ will help you thwart off an attack or survive it. Not only that, but practicing BJJ will reinforce the two first points of being aware and being strong. BJJ forces you to switch your mindset to watch hands and foot movement, and by reading body language you will be aware of a subjects attack. Not only that but BJJ is hard work that will break a sweat and let you build that cardio. Practice BJJ.
These are the 3 most basic things you can do to stay alive, and they work well. Sometimes, the best solution is a basic solution.
