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Crisis Call Service Launched

Posted on by admin Posted in General

Planning and communication are an integral – and vital – part of any self protection strategy. One of the key components is knowing who to call in a ‘crisis’ – and being confident that your call will get answered.

Let’s quickly define ‘Crisis’ – to me the word collectively refers to any moment of ‘need’ from non-life threatening events such as motor vehicle breakdowns to illness and minor injury right through to acute emergencies.

Acute = severe and sudden onset.

To help you manage those ‘crisis’ moments we built a call amplification service which allows you to alert multiple people at the same time in order to better the odds that someone will be available to answer your call quickly.

But there are apps for that…

You are 100% correct – there are apps which can send an SMS to a predefined list of contacts or connect you to the emergency services. We are not discouraging you from using them.

Rather we would like you to consider adding the 911 Crisis Call service in addition to the apps you already use. Perhaps you think that’s overkill for your circumstances – and that’s perfectly OK.

Please consider:

Many of these apps use social messaging and / or SMS. These do not always convey the urgency of the situation – and indeed your message may only get seen a lot later.

Phone calls (the basis of the 911 Crisis Call service) are insistent. Phones ring. For a long time – unlike the single ‘beep’ of an SMS or the transient ‘ping’ of yet another message.

We have been conditioned through years of habit to look at our phones when they ring.

How does 911 Crisis Call work?

The service allows you to define your “responders” – those folk who are within your circle of trust and who you would reach out to in times of need. These may be friends and family, trusted colleagues or, depending on your circumstances, members of your local farm or neighbourhood watch.

Crisis Call logo

The 911 Crisis Call service operates on an affordable monthly recurring subscription basis, with no long-term contracts.

It is an ideal communication companion for the Elderly, Outdoor enthusiasts, Farmers, Parents, ‘Preppers’ or even the security industry.



No App or download required. Works on all phones!

You can subscribe from the comfort of your favourite armchair using your laptop or mobile phone. Additional peace of mind and an extension to your self protection strategy is just a couple of clicks away.

To learn more about how the service operates click here.

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How do you intend to protect yourself and your loved ones?

Posted on by admin Posted in General — No Comments ↓

Saturday 27 September 2014;

The recently released crime statistics are a sad reflection of the state of our society and the Crime Stats under the magnifying glassdesperation of our times.

Not to enter into the political and socio-economic debate but I don’t believe we will see a dramatic reduction in crime rates until there is a fundamental improvement of the lives of our citizens. Without access to food, housing, health, education and employment opportunities coupled with a dysfunctional criminal justice system crime rates are unlikely to drop significantly any time soon.

In a recent chat with a professional security consultant he remarked that his ability to remain “civilized” was in no small part due to the fact that he can provide for his family – there is food on the table and a secure roof over their heads.

Your security and that of your loved ones is an immediate concern which needs to be addressed while we work towards and pray for a better future for all.

As the saying goes “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” – and private security companies are no doubt going to benefit (perhaps significantly) from this tragic state of affairs.

The question is – what are you going to do about it?

Are you going to take responsibility for yourself or are you going to entrust your well-being into the hands of the nearest security company?

Please leave your comments below…

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Has your Identity Document been duplicated?

Posted on by admin Posted in Identity Theft — No Comments ↓

SA ID Documents duplicated:

The South African Department of Home Affairs published a list of 29 000 SA ID documents which have been duplicated.

This could be your ID Number  and someone may be impersonating you, or worse yet “stealing” your identity!

 

[flowplayer src=’http://media.winckelmann.co.za/Video/Duplicated ID Documents.mp4′ width=480 height=360 controlbar=show autoplay=false]

You can verify the information on the website of the Department of Home Affairs by going here.

(Information correct at the time of publication – we are not responsible for non-working links or functionality on the Department’s website/s)

Here’s to your safety!

A reflection at the start of a new year

Posted on by admin Posted in General

In a world where we dash around, stomping on one fire after another, I thought it might be appropriate to just take a deep breath, relax for a moment and consider these beautiful words, which someone sent to me today by email.

What has it got to do with self-defense training? Not much, but life without living, time without appreciation, existence without meaning is simply pointless.

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things.

We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete…

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent.

Remember, to say, ‘I love you’ to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. An embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

If you don’t send this to other people….Who cares?

George Carlin

What does doing self defense really mean?

Posted on by admin Posted in Anti-Hijacking, Self Defence

What exactly does “doing” self defense mean?

I think for most folk it means learning a martial art and then using some fancy kicks and strikes against the bad guys when they come a-knocking!

I think we have hollywood to blame for that!

Although it certainly is an aspect of self defense I truly believe that self defense ought to start in the mind and a whole lot sooner than when you are physically attacked!

Driving  today I noticed a young lady applying her makeup in her car while driving. (Hint: That is how not to practise self defense.)


You see the rewards simply don’t justify the risks. Not only is she at risk for crimes like hijacking and smash and grabs (simply because she is focusing on her makeup and not her surroundings) she also has “Potential Victim” stamped all over her.

This lack of attention also means she cannot drive properly which puts her at risk of an accident.

Let’s put this is perspective shall we?

She is putting on her makeup in the car because:

a) she doesn’t have a mirror at home.
b) she likes to show people she can multi-task.
c) she got up too late to do it in the comfort and safety of her own home.

My guess? C!

She was running late and felt she didn’t have the 5 minutes it would require to put the makeup on at home, so she rushed off and did it in the car.

That is a classic case of failing to practice real self defense. I hope and pray nothing happened to her, but just consider for the sake of argument that something had.

She placed herself in a vulnerable position because she refused to reflect on her options and to weigh up the benefits of being 5 minutes late versus being attacked or having an accident. She risked:

1) Her possessions
2) Bodily harm
3) Perhaps even death.

For the sake of 5 minutes. It just doesn’t make sense to me.

So practise self defense – but forget about it merely being the fighting part…it actually starts in the mind and long before there is even a bad guy to be seen.

Stay safe!

Defensive training and tactical gear

Posted on by admin Posted in Self Defence, Training

Defensive training and Tactical Gear

What role does top quality tactical gear play in self defense or even law enforcement?

This is a question that I asked myself recently having spent a fair amount of time observing various practitioners (both students and instructors) in training.

Many owned and operated some of the best tactical equipment on offer, but will this make the difference?
I believe the answer to lie somewhere between “no” and “maybe” but my perception of folk in general is that their answer is “yes”!

I believe they are deluding themselves to their detriment, and that this belief might very well cost them limb or life (in the most extreme cases).

If I asked a group of people (enough to have statistical significance) whether they would:

a) Walk down a dark alley, alone and at night, unarmed. or
b) walk down a dark alley, alone and at night, but armed to the teeth

the majority, in my experience, would opt for b – only if armed to the teeth. So what’s the difference?

Well it appears that people place an inordinate amount of faith in tactical gear, and little or no faith in themselves, which for me is the problem.

I would honestly prefer someone who has trained, is proficient and self sufficient and able to think under pressure to watch my back then some untrained buffoon with an armory!

When faced with an insecurity it’s so much easier to pop down to the local security shop and buy some or other gadget than to take the time to train and educate oneself.

Don’t get me wrong, great tactical gear is important and can make an enourmous difference, so I’m by no means discounting it, what I am saying is you should train and become self reliant first, then add the best gear for the job, rather than buying the gear believing that the gear alone will make the difference to your survival or well being.

Lastly, when we become overly concerned about the gear we lose focus, direction and creative thinking and tend to think in terms of more gear = more solutions – to the point that you look like a combination between an army surplus store and a camping shop lugging around 40 Kg of equipment just to pop into the local mall!

As in sculpting, less is generally more. By removing the excess is the true essence revealed.

Why not check out our programs – ProAct, the definitive crime awareness and avoidance strategy seminar, our self-defense and rape avoidance workshops and improve your chances today!

Stay safe!

Self defense, an increase in crime and the economic downturn.

Posted on by admin Posted in Self Defence

Self defense, an increase in crime and the economic downturn.

I recently watched a report carried on the British news channel SkyNews regarding the anticipated increase in UK crime as a result of the current economic crisis. In essence the argument went as follows:

People steal because they need to survive.
More people are battling to survive as a result of economic downturn (loss of jobs, soaring food costs, rising oil prices and the like.)
Ergo, more desparate people = more thieves.

The logic is simple.

Well, for the moment South Africa has not been as hard hit as many other economies around the world and I hope it stays that way. However there is no way that there will be no impact on the South African economy – in fact Trevor Manual in his recent budget speech estimated that growth would slow to a mere 1.2% this year. At least it’s still a positive number.

Back to my train of thought – while we may be insulated to some extent we are going to suffer some form of knock on effect. It’s unavoidable in my opinion since we live in a global village and need to trade with other countries. If they buy less, we sell less. US President Obama in his stimulus package has (I believe) introduced a “buy American” clause to encourage Americans to purchase US products rather than foreign ones.

What has this go to do with self defense? I think we could be impacted in similar ways to those highlighted in the SkyNews report:

1) If jobs are lost more folk will become desparate (and we South Africans don’t have a social welfare system to fall back on – well at least not one of any value)
2) If more people become desparate, more may turn to crime.
3) If more turn to crime, there will, of necessity, have to be more victims.
4) If there are more victims then the odds of you having to confront a criminal go up.

I hope I’m wrong – but what if I’m not?

What to do?

As in all things – take responsibility for yourself! Don’t fool yourself into believing that “others” have the responsibility to protect you. Empower yourself. Gather the necessary knowledge and skills because you may very well need to rely on yourself.

Training is like banking – it provides a nest-egg for those rainy days. So ask yourself – am I the prudent chap who squirrels away a nugget of knowledge and a smattering of skills in the hope I never need them, or will I find myself in need. Survival overdraft so to speak.

The choice, as always, is yours!

Why not check out our programs – ProAct, the definitive crime awareness and avoidance strategy seminar, our self-defense and rape avoidance workshops and improve your chances today!

Stay Safe!

Women’s and ladies self defense

Posted on by admin Posted in Self Defence — No Comments ↓

Women’s and ladies self defense

This is a topic near and dear to my heart.

I think there is a fundamental difference in the way boys and girls are brought up.

Boys are often taught (especially by their macho Dad’s) not to cry, to do “manly” things like rough and tumble sports, to look after themselves in school-ground fisticuffs, and lets be honest most of us guys, as boys, played at cops and robbers or cowboys and indians and ran around brandishing sticks or toy guns!

On the other hand our sisters were encouraged to play quietly, to behave like little ladies, to stay clean and to cuddle dolls and teddy bears, for whom they organized picnics and tea partys!

OK, before you shoot me down I know there are those of you who as the exception prove the rule. But I think my view is generally true and accepted.

In later life, we as adults are often saddled with labels – the lady in the relationship is the home maker, wife and mother and the man is the provider and protector.

As times change roles have become reversed and more and more women are choosing careers, either because they desire their independance or sometimes out of financial necessity.

No matter the reason, more and more women are making their own way in the world (which I think is marvelous by the way!)

However it also means that these wonderful women are coming into ever more contact with other people (99% of whom are good) but they also find themselves increasing drawn into less-than-desirable situations. Some of these are merely uncomfortable and some downright dangerous.

It is for these few but potentially dangerous situations that all women should prepare – not because they are profits of doom and gloom but simply because it is prudent to take precautions.

Sadly most of the women that I come into contact with during the course of my training sessions don’t believe that they could prevail in an encounter with a bigger, stronger, meaner assailant.

Now I’m the first to admit that it may not be easy, but if you give up before you even begin then you certainly have failed and will never prevail.

For that reason (amoungst others) I deem it vital that ladies attend some form of self defense classes – they don’t have to cater specifically to women, although it may be easier to begin in an all-women environment.

With a little practice under expert instruction, many women begin believing that they do indeed have a chance to defeat an attacker and with this belief comes and awesome transformation that is a pleasure to behold!

If you ever wondered whether you should attend women’s self defence classes, think no more. Honestly, go to a class near you (or organize a private workshop for you and your friends) and empower yourself. It truly is a worthwhile experience!

Why not check out our programs – ProAct, the definitive crime awareness and avoidance strategy seminar, our self-defense and rape avoidance workshops and improve your chances today!

Stay Safe!

Self Defense and real energy.

Posted on by admin Posted in Anti-Hijacking, Self Defence

Self Defense and real energy.

On a recent visit to the African Bush, in Big Five Country, I was confronted by the ebb and flow of raw, unmasked energy as well as it’s various manifestations and it reminded me how important reading that energy becomes in life and death encounters with criminals and those seeking to do you harm.

Let me tell you a brief story: It was late afternoon and we were on-board our game viewing vehicle together with a host of folk and our vastly experienced game-guide.

We came across a lone Elephant bull who was peacably standing in a clearing and eating.

Not one to pass up such an oportunity our guide brought us to within several meters of the enourmous and majestic creature.

At our approach the Elephant lifted his trunk smelled the air and listened attentively . After a moment or two, content that we were not a threat and were not too close, the Elephant went back to his grazing and to all intents and  purposes ignored us. The feeling or energy emanating from our group as well as from the Elephant was one of calm.

After a few minutes the Elephant turned its back on us and our guide re-positioned the vehicle to give us a better view of the animal, and in doing so also brought us a fair deal closer to the Elephant. Once again the animal seemed unperturbed and all was calm and serenity.

…until the wind shifted and brought our human smell right into the Elephant. His demeanour changed instantly, he stopped eating, flapped his ears and appeared to lift himslef to his full height and he charged!

The flow of energy was as dramatic as it was real – anger on the part of the Elephant, fear on the part of those on the game vehicle. Although this was a mock charge the message was clear and the energy palpable!

And therein lies the lesson.

All things are enegy and mood and intention have an affect on energy, turning it into something very real and almost tangible. So too in confrontations in which an aggressor intends harm to another. His (or her) energy has to alter its state, the energy has to be “up” and this can be perceived.

This perception of the altered state of energy should be a source of study to all who wish to train to survive because not reading the energy, or mis-reading the energy can indeed have dire consequences, while correctly identifying and interpreting energy can be of enourmous value in your defensive strategy.

Why not check out our programs – ProAct, the definitive crime awareness and avoidance strategy seminar, our self-defense and rape avoidance workshops and improve your chances today!

Stay Safe!

Self defense techniques and physical fitness.

Posted on by admin Posted in Rape Avoidance, Self Defence

Self defense techniques and physical fitness.

There seems to be an inverse relationship between mastering self defense techniques and the physical strength or effort exerted by martial artists and self defense practitioners. The older, wiser and more experienced the practitioner, the less the effort, and the younger, less experienced the practitioner the greater the physical effort exerted!

I was watching an interesting program on jiu-jitsu and judo the other evening and it struck me how effortless the moves of the masters seemed to be. In contrast the less experienced players needed much more physical effort to achieve the same results.

Take throws for example. When correctly executed, by angling the attackers body correctly, by using the attackers momentum against them and by using natural levers and fulcrums a smaller, lighter, “weaker” opponent effortlessly threw a heavier, bigger attacker with devastating effects.

It highlighted my own experiences, both as a student and a teacher that younger, less experienced practitioners are hasty to mimic the results of their instructors instead of focusing on the action (the technique). Too much emphasis in placed on looking good and the focus is on the end result regardless of how it’s achieved.

Typically, less experienced players are younger and generally physically stronger. As we age, our physical strength and stamina are likely to wane, and then perfect (or near perfect) technique becomes ever more important.

Now, lets not discount physical ability when it comes to self defense – because it matters big time! There is no doubt that physical fitness – speed, strength, stamina play an important role in self defense. If you can outlast your opponent, or are stronger or faster then you have an edge from the get-go.

So, both aspects need attention but perhaps we need to separate these issues in order to stay focused. When in the gym lets focus on the strength, speed, stamina, but when in the training hall lets concentrate on learning (or even teaching) proper technique – timing, distance, angles, momentum, leverage.

When in a real-world self defense scenario you would certainly use both – great technique plus your strength, speed and stamina and then you truly have the best possible chances of success.

Why not check out our programs – ProAct, the definitive crime awareness and avoidance strategy seminar, our self-defense and rape avoidance workshops and improve your chances today!

Stay Safe!

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