Table Of ContentSTREETWISE COVER 06 30/1/09 11:19 am Page 1
THE COMPLETE MANUAL OF PERSONAL SECURITY & SELF DEFENCE
STREETWISE ABOUT THE AUTHOR S
T
R STREETWISE
Peter Consterdine, a 8th Dan Black Belt in E STREETWISE
E
STREETWISE is the complete T
W
manual of personal security & Karate has over 40 years experience in the
I
S
self defence. This manual is E
martial arts.
:
not another ‘martial arts in
B
Whilst a former Great Britain and England Y
jeans’ type self defence book.
P
It combines the detailed Karate International, he is also acknowl- E
T
concepts and procedures from E
R
edged as one of the country’s leading
the world of Executive C
O
Protection, with the very best experts in self defence. As an International N
S
of the physical aspects of self
T
Security Consultant, Peter lectures world-
E
defence. R
D
wide on matters of Personal security and I
SUBJECTS COVERED N
E
n Principals of Personal Awareness.
Security
A professional bodyguard and author of
n Awareness Training System
n Threat Pyramid ‘The Modern Bodyguard’ Peter brings his
n Colour Codes
wealth of expertise of conflict and its
n Security on the Street BE YOUR OWN
n Psycology of Conflict management to ‘Streetwise’. BODYGUARD
n Fear and Adrenal Responses As well as teaching on a consultancy basis
n Personal Threat Analysis
at a National Police Training College, Peter
n Personal Security Procedures
n Home, Mobile and Office also teaches defensive tactics to many
Security
other British Police Forces.
n Conflict Resolution
n Self Defence and the Law
n Myths of Martial Arts
n Ranges and Tools
n Impact Development
n Wepons of the Body
n Knife Defence - Realities
P U B L I S H E D B Y
n Multiple Attackers
Protection
Streetwise ISBN. 1 873475 527 PUBLICATIONS P
p
in association with
PRICE UK £24.99
S U M M E R S D A L E
BY PETER CONSTERDINE
CONTENTS C 30/1/09 11:29 am Page 1
STREETWISE
BY
PETER CONSTERDINE
PROTECTION PUBLICATIONS
In Association With
SUMMERSDALE
CONTENTS C 30/1/09 11:29 am Page 2
STREETWISE
Copyright © Peter Consterdine 1997
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, nor transmitted, nor translated into a
machine language without the written permission of the publisher.
Protection Publications
Chel Centre
26 Roundhay Road
Leeds
LS7 1AB
United Kingdom
Published in association with
Summersdale
PO Box 49
Chichester
West Sussex
PO19 2FJ
United Kingdom
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Printed and Bound in Great Britain by:
Redwood Books, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, United Kingdom
Typesetting & Photographic Scanning: Protection Publications, Leeds.
Cover Design & Origination: Ian Gordon, ArtStyle, Leeds.
ISBN 1 873475 52 7
Please note: The author and the publishers cannot accept any responsibility for any proceedings or
prosecutions brought or instituted against any person or body as a result of the use or misuse of any
techniques described in this book or any loss, injury or damage caused thereby.
CONTENTS C 30/1/09 11:29 am Page 3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank all those who have contributed their time to the
photos in this book, with special thanks to:-
Ged Moran and his people at Salford Shotokan.
Bob Sykes, Editor Martial Arts Illustrated magazine.
All British Combat Association guest instructors.
A special thanks to Peter Robins for his contribution to the text as well
as photographs and thanks to Bob Kasper (G.H.C.A.) for use of the
photographs of Charles Nelson and John Kary.
Thanks also to the following people who contributed additional
information which proved invaluable:-
Mel P.
Les P.
Darryl J.
As always, a very special thanks to Geoff Thompson for the continuing
inspiration to put pen to paper in the first place.
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C O N T E N T S
PAGE
INTRODUCTION 1
PART 1
Chapter 1- BASIC PRINCIPLES OF PERSONAL SECURITY 11
Chapter 2 - AWARENESS TRAINING 23
Chapter 3- PERCEPTIONS AND FEAR OF CRIME 47
Chapter 4- STREET SECURITY 69
Chapter 5- HOME SECURITY 93
Chapter 6- VEHICLE SECURITY 111
Chapter 7- MOBILE SECURITY 125
Chapter 8 - SECURITY AT WORK 137
PART 2
Chapter 9- THE FEAR FACTOR 155
Chapter 10- SELF DEFENCE & THE LAW 169
Chapter 11- BASIC PRINCIPLES OF SELF DEFENCE 183
Chapter 12- MARTIAL ARTS MYTHS 203
Chapter 13- THE PHYSICAL ENCOUNTER 241
Chapter 14- THE THINGS THAT WORK 275
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OTHER BOOKS BY THE AUTHOR
THE MODERN BODYGUARD
(The Manual of Close Protection Training)
FIT TO FIGHT
(The Manual of Intense Training for Combat)
VIDEOS
THE PAVEMENT ARENA SERIES
(The Ultimate Self Defence Videos)
PAVEMENT ARENA PART 1 - The Basics of Self Defence
PAVEMENT ARENA PART 2 - The Protection Pyramid
PAVEMENT ARENA PART 3 - ‘Grappling’ - The Last Resort
PAVEMENT ARENA PART 4 - ‘Fit To Fight’
POWER & IMPACT DEVELOPMENT VIDEOS
POWERSTRIKE
POWERKICK
All available from Protection Publications
Tel: (44) 0113 2429686 - 24 hour credit card hotline
INTRODUCTION C 30/1/09 1:59 pm Page 1
I N T R O D U C T I O N
Introduction
I
started writing this book over person or victim and how, in reality, that
twenty years ago. Since then person - you or I - copes or doesn’t
many of my thoughts and views cope in situations of fear and stress.
on the subject of self protection We need the assistance of psychology
have been published in articles in to help us understand the relationships
various martial arts magazines between such things as thoughts,
and elsewhere. However each time I character traits, outside stimuli and
felt ready to put pen to paper for the behaviour. We also need to understand
complete work there was always the ‘chemical’ responses our body
another element that I knew was promotes under extreme stress.
missing or incomplete. This was the
very detailed body of work on personal Also attitudes and beliefs we all
security which has been drawn from individually hold, add further colour to
the specialist areas of security industry, the picture and effect how we will
particularly the close protection (body- respond to a variety of situations. If
guarding) field. your religious beliefs condition your
attitude to the extent that you will
The sum total of personal security and incline to ‘turn the other cheek’ then
self defence becomes a very large, you could be in big problems in the
very complex picture with varying street.
shades of grey. There are few blacks
and whites and I’ve only now really felt Equally, a person, whose belief system
that I have all the pieces to put in place. is that “it will never happen to me” has
My main concern has been the an attitude to personal safety which will
‘humanistic’ side of the picture - i.e. the probably make him or her disregardful
1
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I N T R O D U C T I O N
of the inherent dangers of people and what they have learned, will ‘spring into
places and is in what we call ‘denial.’ action’ and save the day. You only have
Also a person who is daily bombarded to look at the plethora of videos on
with the sounds, images and stress of a the subject, produced by ‘celebrities’!
busy cosmopolitan city has learned, at to see this type of approach, unfortu-
a sub-conscious level, to ’switch off’ to nately, at work. If you believe for one
most of the external stimuli, but in minute that these techniques will work
doing so their awareness levels of for you then you are in big trouble.
incoming threat are dulled and There is a deceit at work when such
nullified. Assault attempts, be they videos show a five foot ex-singer
rape, mugging, gratuitous violence, control and throw a six foot, fourteen
succeed because there is a hugely stone male.
successful strategy at work employed
by the attacker and, although this is I’ve written critically and for many years
also supported by the application of about the run of the mill self defence
only simple, basic psychology it classes, videos and articles which
succeeds in the main because of the make no mention of fear and it’s effects
total ‘unpreparedness’ of the victim. on the situation. Now I read in such
articles and hear people say “oh by the
Many years ago I coined the phrase way don’t forget fear” - then that’s it!
Self Protection, to more aptly describe They add nothing further, it’s simply
what I teach. This was to remove the sufficient to have mentioned it. To
‘negative’ element out of the phrase balance what I have said, however,
Self Defence, which was actually the there are some good books on self
word defence. Defence, by most defence;
peoples perceptions and definition Dead or Alive by Geoff Thompson.
seems to require that a physical act Unleash The Lioness by Robin
of aggression must have been Houseman.
perpetrated against them before a Dogs Don’t Know Kung Fu by Jamie
response is possible or appropriate. It O’Keefe.
also deceives people, particularly The latter two being primarily slanted to
women, who have attended the womens safety.
ubiquitous ‘self defence’ classes that
they somehow now have within them a All are blessed with honest reality and
system which, if they are suddenly are often graphic in their descriptions of
attacked, or faced with violence, that violent incidents against people. They
2
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I N T R O D U C T I O N
are very salutary works and convey far don'ts and telling people what to do
better than I will in this book the sheer and what not to do, although this very
horror and consequences of such much would be what I seem to be
crimes as rape, serious assaults and doing in Part 1 on personal security.
murders. With these as recommended Most personal security is common
reading I want to broaden further sense (once it’s been pointed out) but,
the whole subject matter so that what this book hopes to achieve is to
Streetwise will be the reference take the concepts and philosophies,
manual for every aspect of Self which I believe are inseparable from
Protection, whether you are teaching the do’s and don'ts and get people
self defence, conflict management or to think through the psychology of
personal security, a police officer or, as confrontation and the ‘management’ of
most readers will be, interested on a their environment for themselves.
personal level to know how best to
protect themselves and their families. A ‘do’ in one situation may actually be
a ‘don’t’ in another and, therefore, it is
The size of the book and the complex- important that a person is tutored in
ities of the subject matter don’t easily how to be analytical of their situation
serve to help form a ‘personal protec- and environment at all times and so
tive strategy’, but you will find that come up with their own solution. I read
much of what you read will be about a definition of self defence on the
yourself and possibly some recognition Internet which I thought was a good
of how you may act in certain circum- attempt at encapsulating the subject
stances. Hopefully you will concur and matter - ”self defence is a set of
make changes in beliefs and attitudes. awareness, assertiveness, verbal
If you can recognise and change confrontation skills, with safety strate-
certain entrenched beliefs then this will gies and physical techniques that
have worked. enable someone to successfully
escape, resist, and survive violent
What I hope you will get from this book attacks”.
is the correct ‘mind-set’. I want to alter (From the Assault Prevention
your attitudes - both to the reality of Information Network APIN). This is
violence and, most importantly, your fine, but in some ways serves to
correct role in the event. Self confuse because it addresses too
Protection should not simply be about many issues under one banner.
giving people a long list of do’s and
3
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I N T R O D U C T I O N
My problem with self defence per se, is of personal security. The self defence
that the subject matter, as a whole, is genre are usually the product of
usually presented as one amorphous ‘martial artists’ and the work on per-
mess. When I wrote The Modern sonal security is, as a consequence,
Bodyguard I approached it from the treated in such books as a ‘by-product
angle of wanting to put very complex of the physical techniques they want to
subject matter into convenient boxes show you.
as far I could and so it is with
Streetwise. Our ultimate goal is to be The elements of personal security they
capable of taking control of our own do mention are usually those you can
Self Protection. To achieve this will find in motoring association handouts
necessitate understanding certain aimed at the female driver, or those
philosophies, psychology, and issued by the insurance companies
concepts and become acquainted with (with whom you have your house
situational strategies- this is Personal insurance) dealing with locks and
Security and will occupy us for the first alarms.The advice and points made
half of the book. Good self protection is are not incorrect, but usually only
99% about getting this first half right represent about 10% of the whole
which concentrates on ‘prevention’, subject matter.
but as we will see there can be no
guarantee of absolute success and a I’ve seen some of the worst efforts
person must then be able to have produced by martial artists who have a
confidence in their physical skills and perception as to how violence will
this is Part 2, the physical, Self occur and what they will do about it.
Defence. The attacks they portray are martial
arts ‘formed’. By that I mean that they
SELF PROTECTION are based on punches and kicks that
they practise in the dojo. Even people
who you think would know better are
PERSONAL SELF guilty of this.
SECURITY DEFENCE
A book choreographed by a former
There are reasonably large numbers British police officer and traditional
of books available on the subject of Karateka is one of the worst examples
self defence and a negligible number which practices this deception that -
available on the very obscure subject firstly people are attacked like this in
4
