Key to UMBRA’s Secure Lifestyle methodology involves us sharing and promoting easy-to-assimilate information with our clients and community. This is so that we can empower people and make the world a safer place, encouraging everyone to hone their ‘gut instinct’ to look out for ourselves, and others. With it being International Women’s Day (IWD) we wanted to use this time to empower women by sharing the access we have to powerful resources in safety training and educational material, through to news updates and insights from some of our leading specialists in personal safety. The theme of this year’s IWD is ‘Embrace Equity’ and we hope our resources and values help you to be part of the conversation to make the world a more equitable place for everyone
It is important to realise that as humans we have an incredible ability to pick up knowledge and information about our surroundings. We can use our senses, and that little voice inside us that tells us to be mindful of the places we enter and of the people around us, to great effect. Realising that you have this inner bodyguard can inspire you to better prepare for your travels and be more connected to your surroundings.
Modern life can be frantic, and you might find your lifestyle is such that you’re often rushing around, and this can affect your ability to see things clearly. It is important to manage your life in a way that stops it from turning your inner world into one that moves so quickly you’re not in control. Find ways to relax and to centre yourself. Living a Secure Lifestyle is predicated on the knowledge that this is a skill that can be learnt, and we are happy to provide these techniques to our clients.
We know that street criminals often spend time studying those who pass them by, they assess who could be perceived as an easy target. If a client had a Close Protection (bodyguard) team, this might considerably deter some criminals for example. On the same level, if your inner bodyguard is alert and seems to be ‘on duty’, this will make you better at choosing routes, better at seeing things in advance, and you are less likely to drop your guard. You should then be less approachable to thieves or other street criminals.
In the Close Protection field, a team may consist of a direct physical presence and others with a more discreet presence, we talk about ‘invisible security’ a lot – especially in relation to our female operators who sometimes go completely unnoticed. Sometimes, the best bodyguard is invisible. Invisible in that they attract less attention, they are harder to notice, and they blend naturally into the background. This is a skill we can help you with. As a starting point, understand the factors that make you appear on the radar of certain criminals, from the jewellery that you wear to the way you move about, to the way you use your phone when out and about.
To avoid some of the risks that are out there, we need to be aware of how risk levels can vary based on various factors such as time of day, the areas we move through, and the venues we head to. Certain risks can be more prevalent in specific environments or areas – eg an open countryside environment vs a busy urban one. Also, understand what makes us falsely perceive risk levels. Again, this is something we explain in more detail in our situational awareness courses.
Your inner bodyguard is also a mindset to help you think about how you manage your space. It enables you to better understand distance, relationship boundaries and ways to move, so you can maintain or adjust the space. There are also accessible tools you can use to generate distance, this includes the use of body language, dialogue and understanding your options. We cover this in our situational awareness course.
People often ask about self-defence training, and this is certainly something we provide. Our approach has multiple layers. Physical skills certainly have a place, but self-defence is a far wider subject with many other moving parts. We will look at evasive procedures, ways of reducing confrontational outcomes, and ways to strengthen the inner bodyguard so that you are better at picking up signs of trouble much earlier. Physical self-defence training certainly helps to build confidence, and increase agility and in some cases, it really could help a person to get out of a tight spot. We just don’t want our clients to be in these situations in the first place, hence our situational awareness-focused initial training approach.
The types of safety knowledge and the way you use your inner bodyguard can also depend on your role, occupation, and lifestyle. We have developed courses specific for private office employees, nannies, teachers, front-of-house staff, high-profile clients, parents and for specific family members – across the generations. Ultimately, we want you to realise the potential of your inner bodyguard and how it can serve you in life, whatever your role and whoever you are. A Secure Lifestyle is something that should be accessible to everyone.
For more information about our training courses email secure@umbrainternational.com.
From all at UMBRA International, we wish you a happy and safe International Women’s Day. #IWD2023 #EmbraceEquity
