DRESS TO KILL

 Again I will open by saying self protection is a life style and every aspect of your life should be used as an instrument for your protection. So with that lets jump into today's lesson dress to kill.

Many of us have received invitations to an event and the first question we have is what is the dress code, formal or not. However at times we fail to realize how our dress and apparel may help or hinder our ability to defend and is your way of dress making you a target.

Let's deal with first how can clothes limit your ability to defend. I have a friend who is a great martial artist and is more than qualified to defend himself however one incident proved that our clothing can become a hindrance to our self protection. My dear friend, while hanging out found himself in a confrontation against multiple attackers in a local night club. This should have been a cake walk, we grew up fighting and testing our skills since we began our training at nine years of age. This time my friend was wearing alligator shoes with the smooth bottoms, this presented a problem he was unable to hold his balance because the sole of the shoes did not have any grip and on concrete this is dangerous. Unable to maintain his balance the outcome was not in his favor he then went to tell me that  even escape was difficult because he could barely run due to the slick surface of the shoes. I have always despised shoes manufactured with the slick bottoms, I never wore them as an adult. I realized this as a martial art student trying to demonstrate my skills to my friends at church while wearing the infamous church shoes as a child. I always look for dress shoes that have a rubber bottom or a shoe with some grip. If you must wear them use the sole grips that can be attached to the shoe to allow more grip, this can work for women shoes as well.

For men and women neck ties, necklaces, scarfs and etc can also affect your ability to respond in a self defense situation. Also with the anti Muslim sentiment today I would advise the women of the faith to make sure that the traditional head wear can not be used against you if grabbed or snatched make sure it breaks away clean and can not be used as a choking device or pulled causing neck injury.

  Not only can your hands become entangled in these articles they also pose as a choking hazard. I hate ties and wore them as little as possible when I worked in corporate America. Heavy chains and necklaces pose the same threat. When exiting your home or place of business I advise to tuck these items. Wearing flashy jewelry can and will make you a perspective target, however items such as rings can be an asset serving as a make shift brass knuckle. My advice to women is that if you wear high heels shoes to work or for a night out on the town take them off and replace them with sneakers before venturing to your car. The high heels in your hand can be a formidable weapon!

Dresses too tight or too lose can be a hazard by either limiting your mobility or exposing you to a tripping hazard. Big floppy hats kill your peripheral vision.

In our modern times women find themselves in the corporate world traveling abroad which presents another danger. I travel abroad frequently and I have encountered hustlers working the airport looking for a victim if not for my training I would have been next. When traveling abroad or even domestically your best course of action is to blend in and not stick out. This is very important when we explore the possibility of civil unrest and other disasters. Gaudy jewelry and name brand clothes draw attention. Dress to be prepared for anything, when traveling I advise not to wear sandals, shorts,  or any other article of clothing that may leave you exposed to the weather or make it difficult to travel to safety.

Allow this article to serve as a basic introduction into the topic of clothing and self defense. The topic goes much deeper than this article such as using clothing as a weapon, concealing weapons using clothing, escape, disguise and many more applications. Remember self protection is life style.

                                                           Train well... Strike, Create space, Escape.