When Walking Alone

The latest Census Bureau figures show 4.5% of the homes and 16.6% of the rental apartments and condos in Florida are vacant, among the highest rates in the nation. In south Florida alone, specifically Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, 3.6% of the homes are vacant, while 13.1% of the rental apartments sit empty. This high rate of vacancy has been found to be connected to a higher rate of burglary, especially in conjunction with the chaotic economy. We already now why burglars are searching for easy targets. Now we know where they are looking.

The foreclosures and empty homes can be a draw for burglars and thugs, who view the empty houses and condos as easy targets for stealing items like appliances, left behind personal property, glass, copper piping, or other materials that could be sold. The foreclosed properties are an issue for local law enforcement agencies also.

“It’s definitely a problem that we’ve seen and that we have to deal with. We did see an increase in homes that are foreclosed become targeted,” Sgt. Tom Gendreau with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said in an interview with a Florida media station.

Don’t let your neighborhood become a target for criminal activity. Start protecting yourself and your home with Self-Defense Products found at DefendWell.com. From Pepper Spray to safes, stun guns and focus training, DefendWell.com is here to help Florida homeowners like you protect their livelihood and send a clear message to burglars in your community: this behavior will not be tolerated.

If you’re a college student, you already know about the safety hazards and dangers that surround your campus. Instead of feeling powerless, take control of your safety. Learn to use Self Defense Tactics and products responsibly. These preventative measures, when coupled with common sense and attentiveness to rules and surroundings, can make all the difference in your college experience.

Deputy Chief Chuck Miner with the University of Minnesota Campus Police said he thinks self-defense items are generally a good thing — as long as the people carrying them know how to use them. He said in a recent interview with a self-defense products retailer that university police “certainly encourage people to protect themselves.” He does think there are pros and cons; however, to using self-defense products in a campus encounter.

“Pepper spray can blow in the wind and affect the user,” Miner said. “(Campus police) recommend other things like free escort services.”

The key to utilizing self defense products properly is to learn about them through taking classes at your local community center or by contacting your campus security office. Both resources can equip you with the knowledge and experience you need to deflect an incident should one occur. Either way, you’ll feel safer and more secure about your overall college experience.

When walking in the evening, it’s hard to notice if someone is following or watching you from afar. Couple the darkness when being tired from a long day, you are more focused on getting home rather than your surroundings. You could find yourself in a situation where there isn’t time to reach for a self-defense weapon and the only defense against some punk is yourself.

That is why martial arts instructor Tim Larkin developed Focus Training, a method of self-defense that uses quick reactions to deliver devastating attacks to subdue an attacker. Focus training provides you with the skills needed to turn yourself into a formidable weapon to ward-off any attack.

This training will teach you how to overcome any situation, even if the person attacking you has a weapon. The trick is to know the person attacking you has a weapon, avoid it, and subdue the person quickly and efficiently. Tim Larkin’s training won’t make you fearless, instead it will teach you how to ignore that fear and to do what needs to be done to survive.

This training comes in the 5 Seconds to Live or Die, which teaches you the full program of hand-to-hand/hand-to-weapon fighting techniques such as striking, targeting, and using leverage to ward of an attacker or even multiple attackers. Or you could just purchase the Defending Against a Gun or Knife which teaches hand to weapon fighting.

In any event, when you invest in a self defense item you should take into account how you access it. Unless you plan on walking around with a taser or pepper spray canister out and at the ready at all times, training yourself to be a weapon is the logical option.

The most primitive form of self-defense is the action of forcefully striking an aggressor to subdue or repel him. If you are able to, you can use your body to defend yourself with a flurry of punches, kicks, and other strikes against the attacker. However, when you’re faced with an attacker, even if you’re physically matched, you’re usually at a disadvantage because these attacks are a surprise to the victim.

The fear of the unknown is one of the biggest of all human fears. So to keep yourself safe, there are measures you can take to prepare for the unexpected, and even the odds during a surprise attack.

Telescopic Steel Baton – This weapon will allow you to put distance between you and an attacker. It is especially useful because it can collapse and be held in a pocket or on a belt holster for easy access. It can then be drawn and extended in one fluid motion, allowing you to quickly strike an aggressor before they know what you’re holding.

The Heart Attack – It may look like a simple key chain, but this heart-shaped piece of hard plastic will leave an attacker in a world of hurt. Grip the Heart Attack between your fingers to deliver a punch that will focus all its power to the pointed end of the device. Ouch!!!

Pointed and Flat Kubotan – No more than a metal rod, this devastating weapon will leave an attacker bruised and broken. It can be use to strike an aggressor by swinging your keys or by striking in a poking or smashing fashion to cause pain to vulnerable bony and fleshy areas of the body.

You don’t have to pack a sophisticated taser or stun gun, or something potentially lethal like a knife or a gun, to protect yourself from a person determined to cause harm to you or your family. These weapons require some confidence and training to use, but will leave an attacker thinking twice about coming at you again.