Tactical response options and presence

When it comes to using force there are specific legal constraints placed upon citizens in a

self defence situation. It is very important to understand that when it comes to using force,
you will be held accountable, both criminally and civilly for your actions.

The number one legal issue when using force in a self defence situation will be, was the

amount of force used to defend yourself “reasonable” the word reasonable, however, will
mean different things to different people. What is a reasonable level of force to you may not
be a reasonable level of force to a judge and or jury.

Tactical Communication and Response Options brings the issue of reasonable force into a

set of steps which you, the police, and the courts can usually agree upon. Tactical Response Options provide a way wherein one can place any situation they find themselves in from non-violent to extremely violent and match it against a reasonable tactical response option which you may have to use in a self defence situation.

Presence

Your physical presence is in fact a tactical response option. Prior to any physical

confrontation, an assailant will usually size you up. If you are a person who keeps in good
physical shape, then the assailant will more than likely leave you alone and pick an easier
target. If, however, you look like an oil slick in a bag that could not fight their way out of a
wet paper bag, then you are a prime target for the street criminal. This is called “Presence”,
and if you have it you send a clear message to a possible attacker that says “Don’t mess
with me unless you’re willing to get hurt!

How many times have you looked at a person who you have never seen before and said “ I

would not want to mess with that guy” That is force presence, if you have this it will provide
you with an added edge on the street

MICK COUP LONDON SEMINAR JUNE 2012

MICK COUP LONDON SEMINAR JUNE 2012 C2: Core Combatives Unarmed Combat and Personal Security Training Course
COMBAT MANAGEMENT
Saturday 16th June 2012

Aim:
To present, explore and confirm the essential and fundamental (hard) skills, drills and emergency default tactics utilised within the C2 concept-model of personal protection.
Content:
• Combative Attitude & Strategy
• Offensive & Counter-Offensive Tactics
• Primary Striking Tools
• Secondary Striking Tools
• Support Skills

The seminar will focus on the development of simple, efficient and instinctive methods and applications of dynamic physical force that will dramatically increase an individual’s ability to survive personal attack.

Scope:
Training will primarily consist of the last resort physical (hard) skills that comprise effective combat management, and emphasis will be placed heavily on the development and utilisation of unarmed impact tools to neutralise a physical threat.

Dress & Equipment:
Comfortable training clothes, indoor non-marking footwear essential, ensure nothing is worn that might injure a training partner. Food and refreshments for a light lunch if required.


THREAT MANAGEMENT & CONTACT MANAGEMENT
Sunday 17th June 2012

Aim:
To present, explore and confirm methods of identifying and managing possible threats to personal safety, and protective tactics when in unavoidable contact with hostile individuals.

Content:
• Threat Awareness & Risk Recognition
• The Threat Management Cycle & Attack Process Analysis
• Personal Presence & Situational Control Methods
• Assault Indicator Identification & Force Justification Factors
• Active/Reactive Responses & Physical Intervention Tactics

The seminar will fully focus on the development of simple, capable and realistic protocols that assist in the identification, prediction and avoidance of individual danger. The application of reasonable and justifiable force as a means to neutralise an evident impending attack will be covered in-depth.

Scope:
Extensive combat management (hard) skills will not be addressed during this particular seminar, though they should be considered as last-resort options. Training will primarily consist of first-resort (soft) skills that focus on the effective awareness and assessment of personal danger resulting from contact with possible hostile individuals.

Dress & Equipment:
Comfortable training clothes, indoor non-marking footwear essential, ensure nothing is worn that might injure a training partner. Food and refreshments for a light lunch if required.

Instructor:

Mick Coup

With an extensive and varied background in a multitude of fighting systems, active military service and specialist security operations, Mick Coup provides expert tuition in Unarmed Combat and Personal Security based on his empirical knowledge of the realities of violence.
From working on high-level close protection and surveillance details, plus armed operations in high-risk environments, to providing and managing security for problematic entertainment venues for a wide range of domestic and international clients - Mick has had ample opportunity to confirm and validate the effectiveness of his methods, as have many of his previous and current students


Details:
 
When:   
Saturday 16th June – 10:00-16:00
Sunday 17th June – 11:00–16:00

Where:    
Sharpshooter House
Territorial Army Barracks
Mitcham Road
Croydon
CR0 3RU

7 mins walk from West Croydon station
Plenty of parking on-site

Cost if paid before May 4th:
£45 – one day
£70 – both days
Cost if paying after May 4th:
£50 – one day
£85 – both days

All payments must be in ADVANCE due to limited places. On arrival please call 0770 2832430 for access to the venue and parking.

Staying Crime Aware

Staying crime aware

Despite our best efforts to prevent crime, rates are not going down. Types of crimes being committed might vary from year to year but overall we’re at the same risk as we were fifteen years ago. The very best thing you can do to help yourself – and your family – is take the time to learn about your risks. Armed with knowledge about crime, you can take the right steps to prevent it.


For further information on crime and types of crime in your area check out the crime maps on this link:


 http://www.police.uk/

Stay Safe and check your six.


Dave Aiton

The Body's Response to a Physical Threat.

The Body’s response to a physical threat
Defense physiology is a term used to refer to the body’s reaction to potential harm and which causes changes in the body in response to a stress or threat. This response regulates what is commonly known as the “Fight or Flight response”(hyper arousal, or acute stress response). Catecholamine hormones, such as adrenaline or nor adrenaline, facilitate the immediate physical reactions associated with a preparation for violent muscular action. When the body executes the “Fight or Flight" response, the nervous system initiates, coordinates and directs specific changes in how the body is functioning preparing the body to deal with the threat. These include the following:


·                     Acceleration of heart and lung action.
·                     Paling or flushing, or alternating between both.
·                  Inhibition of stomach and upper-intestinal action to the point where digestion slows down or stops.
·                     General effect on the sphincters of the body.
·                     Constriction of blood vessels in many parts of the body.
·                     Liberation of nutrients (particularly fat and glucose) for muscular action.
·                     Dilation of blood vessels for muscles.
·                     Inhibition of the lachrymal gland (responsible for tear production) and salivation.
·                     Dilation of pupils (mydriasis).
·                     Relaxation of bladder.
·                     Auditory exclusion (loss of hearing).
·                     Tunnel vision (loss of peripheral vision).
·                     Acceleration of instantaneous reflexes.
·                     Shaking.

Fight or flight actions also have polarity - an individual can either fight or flee against something that is threatening, or fight for or fly towards somewhere safe. A threat from a violent assailant does not always result in immediate fight or flight. There may be a period of heightened awareness, during which we interpret behavioral signals from the person/situation posing the threat.

Signs such as paling, immobility, sounds, and body language communicate our status and intentions. There may be a sort of negotiation, after which fight or flight may ensue, but which result in nothing at all.


Behavioural manifestations of Fight or Flight
In the fight or flight response, fight is manifested in aggressive, combat behavior and flight is manifested by fleeing potentially threatening situations, such as being confronted by an assailant/predator. These responses are persistent, but fight and flight responses have assumed a wider range of behaviours. For example, the fight response may be manifested in angry, argumentative behavior, and the flight response may be manifested through social withdrawal, substance abuse, and even television viewing.


Males and females tend to deal with stressful situations differently. Males are more likely to respond to an emergency situation with aggression (fight), while females are more likely to flee (flight), turn to others for help, or attempt to defuse the situation – 'tend and befriend'. During stressful times, a mother is especially likely to show protective responses toward her offspring and affiliate with others for shared social responses to threat.


Negative effects of the stress response
The stress response halts or slows down various processes such as sexual responses and digestive systems to focus on the stressor situation and typically causes negative effects like constipation, anorexia, erectile dysfunction, difficulty urinating and difficulty maintaining sexual arousal. These are functions which are controlled by the parasympathetic nervous system and therefore suppressed by sympathetic arousal.


Prolonged stress responses may result in chronic suppression of the immune system, leaving the body open to infections. However, there is a short boost of the immune system shortly after the fight or flight response has been activated. This may be due to the body’s need to fight the infections in a wound that one may have received during physical or violent interaction. Stress responses are sometimes a result of mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, in which the individual shows a stress response when remembering a past trauma, and panic disorder, in which the stress response is activated by the catastrophic misinterpretations of bodily sensations.

Adrenaline Rush

Adrenaline rush refers to an activity of the adrenal gland in a fight-or-flight response, when it is releasing adrenaline (epinephrine). When releasing adrenaline your body releases dopamine that acts as a natural pain killer. An adrenaline rush causes the muscles to perform respiration at an increased rate improving strength. It also works with the nervous system to interpret impulses that trigger selective glands that enhance performance and recovery.

Situational and Threat Awareness

Situational and Threat Awareness
In order to achieve and maintain a competent level of personal/self protection an understanding of the environment we function within is necessary. This provides us with awareness of potential dangers that might exist, whether within our surroundings or from the unwanted attention of other people. Self Protection is a natural ability that everyone has; some of us have developed this ability through a process of training and raising our awareness. This is achieved by understanding our personal security and what we can do to avoid and prevent violent confrontation and in the worst case scenario learning methods of self defence against that outcome.

Note: It is important that we train to be aware of our surroundings and the possibility of threats that we may encounter in our normal daily routine at home or in the workplace. Personal safety may be threatened in situations which could include the following combat indicators:

·           Shouting

·           A display of anger, agitation or threatening behaviour

·           Suspicious, evasive or other unusual behaviour

·           Actual threat of harm.

                                                                                               

British Military Self Defence training

British Military Self Defence classes at Palmers Sports and Leisure Centre, Grays, Essex. For further information or enquiries please contact 0770 2832430 or visit http://britishmilitaryselfdefence.com

Your Rights to Self Defence

The Legislation of Common Law and the use of force

Relevant Legislation:

Section Three (1) Criminal Law Act 1967:

“A person may use such force as is reasonable in the circumstances in the prevention of a crime, or in the effecting or assisting in the lawful arrest of offenders or suspected offenders unlawfully at large”.

Human Rights Act 1998

The Human Rights Act has two basic purposes:

1. The law of the European Convention on Human Rights (E.C.H.R.) and specifically the rights and freedoms set out in the convention will be actionable before the UK courts.

2. Courts and tribunals, public authorities and Government Ministers will have to act in a way that is “compatible” with the law of the Convention. Failure to do so may be unlawful, although not a criminal offence.

Use of Force and Human Rights

When making a determination as to whether the level of force used was lawful in any particular instance the courts will take cognisance of the articles under the E.C.H.R. The rights which are most likely to be directly interfered with in situations where force is used are:

1. Article Two: The right to life.

2. Article Three: Prohibition from torture, inhumane or degrading treatment.

3. Article Eight: The right to respect for private and family life.

Article Two: The Right to Life

Everyone’s right to life shall be protected by law. No one shall be deprived of his life Intentionally save in the execution of a sentence of a court following his conviction of a crime for which this penalty is provided by law. Deprivation of life shall not be regarded as inflicted in contravention of this article when it results from the use of force which is no more than absolutely necessary:

a. In defence of any person from unlawful violence.

b. In order to affect a lawful arrest or to prevent the escape of a person lawfully detained.

c. In action lawfully taken for the purpose of quelling a riot or insurrection.

Article Three: Prohibition from torture, inhumane or degrading treatment

The activities prohibited by article three were characterised by the European Court in Ireland v UK(1978) as:

Torture: Deliberate inhuman treatment causing very serious and cruel suffering.

Inhumane Treatment: Treatment that causes intense physical and mental suffering.

Degrading Treatment: Treatment that arouses in the victim a feeling of fear, anguish and inferiority capable of humiliating and debasing the victim and possibly breaking his or her physical or moral resistance.

Where extreme or excessive force is applied, or where the application of force is maintained for longer than necessary (even if its use is to achieve a lawful aim) this may amount to torture, inhumane or degrading treatment. This may include the unnecessary / prolonged use of ratchet handcuffs.

Article Eight: The right to respect for private and family life

1.  Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and correspondence.

2. There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except
such as is in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the 
interests of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the
protection of health and morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.

As can be seen from the above, Article Eight provides a qualified right which can be interfered with, providing one of the conditions in paragraph two applies. Article Eight is not just a right to privacy. It has been held to include respect for an Individual’s physical and moral integrity. For this reason, an assault may amount to a breach of Article Eight.

In relation to all the above articles the use of force must be based on an honestly held belief that it is absolutely necessary, this is perceived for good reason to be valid at the time. On each occasion in which force is used it should be reported how, why, when and to whom.

Common Law

Common law is the law as determined by legal cases that are heard before judges. “Precedence‟ is determined by the most recent decision taken by the highest court i.e. in the UK, the House of Lords.

“The common law has always recognised a person’s right to act in defence of themselves or others. If a person has to inflict violence on another in doing so such action is not unlawful as long as their actions are reasonable in the circumstances as they sees them. The test to be applied for self defence is that he/she acted reasonably in the circumstances as he/she honestly believed them to be in the defence of him/her or another.” The use of force must be based on an honestly held belief that it is necessary, which is perceived for good reasons to be valid at the time.

Anatomy of a criminal assault

Anatomy of a criminal assault.

Every criminal assault, of whatever nature, will go through several stages, as will the assailant. If we can identify the steps that the potential assailant is going through we can break the cycle and ensure that we do not fit the VICTIM PROFILE.

Every criminal will have:

·           A latent desire or active intent to commit the crime.

The commission of the offence will begin with the:

·           Hunt and interview

This is where the assailant identifies his victim and engages with them.

This could be the ‘Saturday night special’ “What you looking’ at” as quick as “I’ve got a knife, give me your wallet” or as we have heard about recently with the cab driver rapist, “I’ve had a big win on the lottery would you help me celebrate with a drink?”

The assailant will then use:

·           Positioning and holding mechanisms.

This may involve the attacker physically moving their victim to a specific location or positioning their own body to reduce the victims’ options by blocking escape routes or chances of calling for help etc. It may also be them getting into range to launch an assault.

Then will come the:

·           Commission of the crime

Finally there will be the:

·           Aftermath and influencing future behaviour.

 If the attacker walks away with your wallet and the satisfaction of seeing you scared and cowed and doesn’t suffer any consequences they are more likely to offend again, possibly using more violence next time. It will also affect your future behaviour and quality of life, as you will feel like a victim.

If they walk away with your wallet but you were able to get a good description of them and they are subsequently arrested it will affect their future behaviour.

If however they launch the assault and you are able to use justifiable and reasonable force, within the law, to defend yourself. You walk away, and they suffer the effects of their criminal behaviour then their future behaviour will be affected!

Note: Through training you will gain ASSERTIVE PRESSENCE and the criminal will disregard you at the HUNT stage.

British Military Self Defence

British Military Self Defence and Fitness

ESP - Effective Self Protection Training

When faced against an armed adversary we value our life above all else. The sole purpose of existence turns to survival, when life hangs in the balance. The life that we hold so precious becomes fragile when we find ourselves staring death in the face. There are times when we don't recognize that it could only take seconds to have our lives bled out from underneath us. It is when these times occur that our reactions can dictate the end result whether good or bad.

ESP - Effective Self Protection
ESP is the self protection system developed and employed by British Military Self Defence and Fitness. Its origins evolve from self defence systems used by Military and Police Forces in the UK and throughout the rest of the world. ESP is taught by fully qualified unarmed combat and physical intervention instructors who are currently serving members of the British Army and UK Police, with over twenty years of instructional experience in their fields of expertise. ESP provides both education and physical skills that until now have not been taught outside of Military and Police organisations in the UK.

ESP is a unique system of Self Protection. Its effectiveness lies in its simplicity of use and its common sense application. It involves education and training in visual and physical awareness in the appropriate reaction techniques that can be employed in times of necessity.

Through continued training in our ESP system students will attain awareness and an understanding of information that will enhance abilities and greatly improve the chances of surviving dangerous and potentially life threatening situations.

The application of ESP provides the skills necessary to recognise the early signs of confrontation and the mental and physical skills required to respond and react to violent and aggressive behaviour.

We at British Military Self Defence and Fitness believe that educating and developing situational awareness, assertive confidence and common sense self protection techniques provides our clients with a tactical mindset that promotes confidence and ability in any situation.

ESP is broken down into five components:
1. The Legislation of Common and Statute Law and the use of force.
2. Situational and threat awareness.
3. Conflict Resolution and response options.
4. Tactical Communications.
5. Technique Training and target areas.

The education provided throughout ESP training is a straight forward process that is easy to learn and effective in both its content and practise. Through common sense application ESP is the easiest way to learn and develop threat awareness and the response options necessary to resolve or conclude confrontational situations in any environment.

Dave Aiton
Director of Training British Military Self Defence