Safety and Self Defense Seminar conducted by Steve Kardian at the UFC gym in White Plains, NY. Those in attendance walked away with knowledge and empowering information that will keep them safe! Thanks to all in attendance!

Are you prepared for street encounter?

Street self defense is much like a chess game. There is a move for everything, there is a counter for every move, there is a counter for every counter and for every counter there is  a counter. Bottom line is that if you not training in a reality based system or program you're at a huge disadvantage for a street encounter/attack. Sport martial arts and many of the traditional arts are a lot of fun and it's certainly  better to be doing something rather than nothing, however, if you're relying on your sport art or traditional art like karate or tae kwon do you're at a huge disadvantage. 

What's very different about the Women's Self Defense Institute and our Girls on Guard program is that we place our students in the very same position that they would find themselves in should they be attacked. Having our students practice in the same positions they would find themselves in during an attack causes them to be familiar rather then unfamiliar with the position. They are much less likely to panic, have better control over the adrenal response and be much more reactive to what's coming their way. As we progress we also add speed, pressure and eventually add in the Fist or Red man suit. They can feel, smell, taste and experience what its like to be in a real life encounter.

Our objective is to make every woman that takes our program much better then she was when she walked through the door. We have always succeeded in our quest.

Brad Parker and Steve Kardian are available for seminars and instructor certifications across the country.   

How to Win a Fight: Self-Defense Strategies for the Untrained Man

You’re out and enjoying life with your friends or a certain young lady.  But some knucklehead  is determined to end your fun by trying to punch your lights out.  What can you do?

There are some simple self-defense tactics that even someone who’s not in great shape or has any special training can employ:

First of all, wake up!

• Who’s watching you?
• Look around, is someone giving you a hard look? Or alternately, does someone quickly avoid your gaze?
• Watch people’s hands as you are walking, don’t look away when you pass.
• Cross the street if you have to avoid a group of punks.
• Don’t get too drunk.
• Are you doing something stupid like hitting on someone’s girlfriend at the bar?
• Are you in the habit of boasting about your fancy watch, car, apartment?
• Point out the troublemaker to the bartender or doorman.
• If the negative vibes get too intense, leave.

Remember, it’s always easier to STAY out of trouble than to GET out of trouble.

Second of all, keep from getting hit in a vital area!

• Get your hands up in front of your face to protect your head.
• Keep your mouth closed with your teeth clenched. When your mouth is open you are ripe to get your jaw broken (which means you should forget about ‘talking trash’).
• Circle away from his power side (circle to the right if he has his right hand cocked back, circle to the left if he has his left hand cocked back).
• You need to be either two arms lengths away from him (outside of his kicking range) or all the way in tight against him (holding him in a boxing clinch). Anything in between puts you in range for his punches and kicks.

Third, use your strongest weapons against his weakest targets.

• Use the proverbial knee to the groin when you are clinching.
• Smash him with your elbows in the face, throat and neck.
• Kick him in the knee, groin or lower abdomen. Kick straight ahead using the bottom of your foot like you would kick in a door. Or kick straight back like a mule using your heel. If you are untrained, resist the urge to kick with the top of your foot like you are punting a football, you will probably use too much of your toes instead of your shin (ouch!).
• If you try to trade punches with him, you’re probably playing right into his game.

Finally:

• Get a barrier between you and him (even if you have to run around a car).
• Yell for help.  You can’t count on people coming to your aid, but he might think someone will render assistance.
• Use a weapon.  Hose him down with your pepper spray.  Use a chair like a lion tamer.  Throw ashtrays at him.
• Make your escape.  Lose your ego and your attitude.  Retreat and escape.  Live to go out and party again next weekend.
• Better yet, start training tomorrow in a self-defense art or program.
• www.stevekardian.com
• www.nydefendu.com
• www.defenduniversity.com

Phone companies know where their customers' cellphones are, often within a radius of less than 100 feet. That tracking technology has rescued lost drivers, helped authorities find kidnap victims and let parents keep tabs on their kids.

But the technology isn't always used the way the phone company intends.

One morning last summer, Glenn Helwig threw his then-wife to the floor of their bedroom in Corpus Christi, Texas, she alleged in police reports. She packed her 1995 Hyundai and drove to a friend's home, she recalled recently. She didn't expect him to find her.

The day after she arrived, she says, her husband "all of a sudden showed up." According to police reports, he barged in and knocked her to the floor, then took off with her car.

The police say in a report that Mr. Helwig found his wife using a service offered by his cellular carrier, which enabled him to follow her movements through the global-positioning-system chip contained in her cellphone.

Mr. Helwig, in an interview, acknowledged using the service to track his wife on some occasions. He says he signed up for the tracking service last year. "AT&T had this little deal where you could find your family member through her cellphone," he says. But he didn't use it to find his wife that day, he says. Mr. Helwig, who is awaiting trial on related assault charges, declined to comment further about the matter. He has pleaded not guilty.

The allegations are a stark reminder of a largely hidden cost from the proliferation of sophisticated tracking technology in everyday life—a loss of privacy.

Global-positioning systems, called GPS, and other technologies used by phone companies have unexpectedly made it easier for abusers to track their victims. A U.S. Justice Department report last year estimated that more than 25,000 adults in the U.S. are victims of GPS stalking annually, including by cellphone.

In the online world, consumers who surf the Internet unintentionally surrender all kinds of personal information to marketing firms that use invisible tracking technology to monitor online activity. A Wall Street Journal investigation of the 50 most-popular U.S. websites found that most are placing intrusive tracking technologies on the computers of visitors—in some cases, more than 100 tracking tools at a time.

The cellphone industry says location-tracking programs are meant to provide a useful service to families, and that most providers take steps to prevent abuse. Mike Altschul, chief counsel for wireless-telecommunications trade group CTIA, says recommended "best practices" for providers of such services include providing notification to the person being tracked.

Mr. Helwig's wife had received such a notification, by text message, from AT&T. A spokesman for AT&T Inc. says it notifies all phone users when tracking functions are activated. But users don't have the right to refuse to be tracked by the account holder. Turning off the phone stops the tracking.

For the full article go here...

http://on.wsj.com/bw5njd

www.stevekardian.com

www.nydefendu.com

www.ThornwoodMMA.com

LAPD Officer and Iraqi war veteran Cliff Byerly talks about the "Fight Like A Girl" instructor certification!

See what this Law Enforcement and Military trainer has to say about the program!

Steve Kardian keynotes the Washington State University "Campus Safety Banquet."

The Daily Evergreen

"ASWSU stresses campus safety"

The second annual banquet was meant to inform students about safety programs on campus.

Sarah Linker
The Daily Evergreen
Published: 11/02/2009

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A woman entering her freshman year of college is at the most vulnerable time in her life for sexual assault, Steve Kardian said Friday evening.

Kardian, a former police officer and nationally recognized self-defense expert, was the keynote speaker at the second annual ASWSU Students for Safety Banquet.

He discussed ways students can protect themselves from sexual assaults, date rape drugs, school shootings and stalkers. He said it is important to have a plan and think about what could go wrong in dangerous situations before they happen.

ASWSU President Derick En’Wezoh said many of the topics Kardian touched on are extremely relevant to WSU students.

“We have a very strong social atmosphere here, and sometimes I do feel like students, both men and women, can become really trusting of their environment and be oblivious to some of the warning signals,” he said. “It’s important to be aware of your environment and be aware of what’s going on around you.” Joshua Hart, ASWSU director of student affairs, said the goal of the banquet was to promote safety programs that are available for students.

For example, ASWSU provides grants for self-defense and personal safety courses offered by University Recreation. It is also working with local and university officials to improve campus lighting.

SafeWalk, a volunteer-based weekend service that provides escorts to students on campus and College Hill, is another ASWSU safety program. Hart said the list of SafeWalk volunteers is expanding. In the past week, roughly 50 people joined.

Banquet attendees were also asked to fill out comment cards with suggestions for new safety program ideas.

“We realize that safety is not a luxury — it’s a right,” Hart said. “And so we need to treat it that way. We need to continue to have programs like this that are going on around campus to promote safety.” Hart said he is not yet sure how much money the banquet raised. Those numbers will be available later this week. He estimated that 260 people came.

“I don’t anticipate making a lot,” he said. “If we break even and make a little bit, I’ll be happy. It’s really more about informing the students.” Erin Thomson, a senior humanities major, attended the banquet with members of her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega. She found the event informative and worthwhile, she said.

“I think there was definitely information we will take back to our chapter and share,” she said. “These are really serious issues, so I’m glad we got to have some exposure to them, and the speaker was really cool. I was impressed.” Thomson said she believes sexual assaults are the most important issue on our campus in regards to safety.

“Sexual assault is always a big issue because it often goes un-talked about,” she said. “I think it’s something we need to talk about a lot more.” Hart also believes that safety issues such as assault need to be addressed frequently on campus.

“We live in a community really that is pretty darn safe,” he said. “If we pull into that apathetic idea that we are not safe, and we don’t need to worry, someone is going to take advantage of us.”
Link: http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/29969

Are College Students Too Trusting? A must see for parents and students alike!

In 2004 I did this piece with the investigative unit of Inside Edition. This has never been done before in the United States. The results amazed all of us!

 

To book Steve at your College or University contact CAMPUSPEAK AT (303) 745-5545 http://www.campuspeak.com/speakers/kardian/

Defend University's Top 10 Back-To-School Safety Tips

1. Rely on the gift of intuition, trust your instincts. If you feel that the guy is a creep, he likely is. If you feel that you are in danger, you likely are.

2. Go to people, be with people. Avoid being isolated or alone with strangers.

3. When you arrive on campus familiarize or reacquaint yourself with the campus, housing and your surroundings.

4. Have a plan. Explore the “what ifs?” What do I do if someone tries to break into my dorm, someone is following me, someone is stalking me... Making decisions while under stress or duress is the worst time to make any type of decision.

5. Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are all wonderful social networking sources but they remain a stalkers dream. The college campus is a closed community and social networking sites are a tool the stalker uses to accomplish his/her desire.

6. The buddy system. Go out as a group, go home as a group. If you see something is out of place address it or bring it to the attention of someone in authority.

7. Don’t accept a drink from someone you don't trust your life with. Watch the drink being poured or served and remember that the bartender and predator sometimes act in concert.

8. If you see something, say something. If you observe a friend doing something odd or acting out of character don't be afraid to intervene.

9. Create and share a secret signal with your friends for when they should intervene if you’re in an uncomfortable situation.

10. Do your best not to go out alone at night. If you do walk with a roommate or someone you trust. Avoid the ATM and jogging during darkness. Don’t put music headphones in both ears so that you can be more aware of your surroundings.

To book Steve at your College or University contact CAMPUSPEAK AT (303) 745-5545 http://www.campuspeak.com/speakers/kardian/

Craigslist good, bad, or dangerous?

Is Craigslist doing enough to keep its users safe? We know about the Craigslist murder but what about all of the other scams occurring on the popular site. Below is the most recent event.
Joseph Brooks the Oscar-winning composer and director behind "You Light Up My Life" raped 11 women he lured to his apartment with the promise of a starring role in a movie, prosecutors said at his arraignment Tuesday.

The women read an online ad placed by the director, Joseph Brooks, applied for the audition, "and thought this was their chance to become a big star," Manhattan prosecutor Lisa Friel said.
Instead, once the women were in Brooks' Manhattan apartment, he plied them with wine and forcibly raped them or used threats and coercive behavior to make them have sex with him, prosecutors said.

District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said Brooks used his Hollywood credentials on the Craigslist classified ads Web site to attract the victims, aged 18 to 30. He said Brooks' ad specified attractive young women for a starring role in a movie.
Morgenthau said nine of the 11 women were from the Portland, Ore., and Seattle areas and the others were from California and Florida. He said Brooks paid to fly 10 of the women, who didn't know each other, to New York.

Craigslist, unfortunately, is about much more than just buying and selling things. There have also been issues with prostitution, child exploitation, stolen property, ID theft, and a number of other crimes. Law enforcement across the country have arrested many people in recent years for Craigslist-related crimes.

However, substantially reducing Craigslist-related crimes may not be possible. however. Federal courts have so far ruled that Web site operators are not liable for what people post on them, and local law enforcement officials say they do not have the resources to constantly monitor Craigslist.

Founded in San Francisco in 1995, Craigslist claims to operate more than 300 sites in 50 states and more than 50 countries. According to organization statistics, Craigslist is now the seventh-most popular English-language Web site in the world, hosting more than 12 million ads viewed by more than 15 million people a month.

Attached is one of the segments I did on CNN regarding Craigslist.

12 New Fight Like A Girl Instructors

12 New Fight Like a Girl Instructors

Instructors came from New Mexico to Canada, including 3 members of the New Mexico State University, New York State Police, Westchester County Police and the Rockland County Sheriff’s Department, school teachers, personal trainers and martial artists from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Krav Maga and klickboxing.

Whether you’re a professional martial artist, a community activists, high school or college professor this program will fulfill your needs to empower and keep women of all ages safer in their environment. Click on the link below for additional information on becoming a certified instructor.

The next Fight Like A Girl and Girl son Guard certification program will be Saturday April 25th and Sunday April 26th, 2009.

http://www.nydefendu.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3&Itemid=9

Stay Safe!
Steve Kardian