ACHOLA ROSARIO THIS WEEK TALKS ABOUT ‘WASP‘ – READ ON TO GET THE FULL STORY
(Posted 27th October 2020)
Imagine a scenario: you are walking alone one sunny afternoon, enjoying a leisurely stroll and minding your own business, when suddenly you feel the hairs on the back of your neck and arms prick up. You ignore the feeling and tell yourself that you are being paranoid but the feeling just won’t go away; just like the man several paces away who has been tailing you for the last few blocks. Before you know it, you are being dragged by your neck into the nearest dark alleyway… what do you do?
Most trainings that address such issues are tailored to men and as such do not address situations that are particular to women, such things that a majority of women are at risk of suffering every day, whichever part of the world they live in. It is our reality. Therefore, particular trainings have been developed by a new company called Markhor Risk Management Ltd, designed to equip women only with a skill that might actually save their lives one day. That skill is called situational awareness and pro-active response.
When people think of self-defense training, they visualize karate-chopping and round-house kicks galore, when in fact, it begins with you being aware of the environment you are in and your place in it, as well as the study of the people around you. Information gathering and processing is a key component in survival, something as simple as knowing where the various exits in the mall are located when you are sitting at a café enjoying a nice cup of java. Being aware of how much of a target you are making yourself by where you place your bag and other valuables. How much attention you are attracting with your behavior in a particular location. What is your status? Are you safe?
Women are increasingly travelling alone and even the physically fit or the un-attractively dressed are targets for unsavory characters with their own agendas. Your demeanor and comportment, how you carry yourself and the look in your eye, denotes to those around you if you are a potential victim or not. The fastest way to stop a stalker is to turn and look them in the eye and let them pass you before continuing on your way. This immediately communicates to them that you have registered their presence and their intention, and have memorized their features, meaning you can describe them to the police should the need arise. It also shows them that you are not afraid of them. Fear is the elixir that feeds a wrong-doer. Don’t let them have it.
Such are the points covered by the W.A.S.P. course by Markhor in Westlands Nairobi. The course consists of several levels, with the introductory course profiled in the video below costing only $45 (kshs4500) for a four-hour course. Most of it is theory with a few situational demonstrations included to get you to realize that there are ways of defending yourself and getting yourself and loved ones out of a terror situation intact. You don’t have to be built like Wonder-woman or trained like Lara Croft. That is for the next level.
The knowledge they shared with us participants, a mixture of female journalists and social-media influencers, was simple but eye-opening. It made me realize that what I formally thought of negatively as arrogant fearlessness in myself, is actually what has saved my life in so many situations where I should be maimed or dead. Don’t get me wrong, bad stuff still happens to me, but how I have reacted to it has stopped it from being much worse. Most recently I was attacked in my own home by a neighbor, but after the training I went to coast and walked the beach wearing my tiny shorts with my head held high, eyes daring any hungry beach-boy to come try me or even cat-call, razor-blade in my pocket just for good measure. I am happy to report that nobody dared, and I enjoyed my 10-day coast special un-molested.
To book a place on the next course:
https://www.markhor.co.ke/course/women-awareness-and-self-protection-wasp-basic-training/
Or call Mr. Sati:
+254 714 880 888
To watch The F.O.M.O. Travel show Episode 46: W.A.S.P. Training:
Contact Achola Rosario via coalrosa@gmail.com if you are interested to have your location featured on the F.O.M.O. Travel Show and on www.ATCNews.org
