The Security Guard Secret

[headline_tahoma_medium_left color=”#000000″]It’s Kind of Like …[/headline_tahoma_medium_left]

Imagine for a minute that you walked into a gourmet restaurant; you’re there, because you have heard of the reputation of the most incredible chef — really talented.

After sitting and opening the menu, you notice that there is nothing sauteed on the menu. Not one item.

When you ask the waiter about this, you find that the chef doesn’t know how to sauté items. No clue.

Stop!

Now, no matter how talented the cook claims to be, no matter how good his fried chicken tastes, I still wouldn’t consider him a “master chef.” (Decent cook, maybe, but not an expert.)

He lacks a skill associated with chefs; you can’t go to culinary school without learning something about sauteing. You can’t pour over recipe after recipe, without encountering sauteed dishes.

And the fact that he  hasn’t mastered this one, sometimes necessary skill, makes me doubt the chef’s overall skill.

Do you agree?

 

[headline_tahoma_medium_left color=”#000000″]What Does This Have to Do with Security Guards?[/headline_tahoma_medium_left]

As a self-defense writer and practitioner, I have met more than my share of security guards, in the last 30 years. And recently, I have been working with a bunch of security-guard websites.

And I have found a lack … the majority of these guys and gals can’t do the security-guard equivalent of sauteing. What am I talking about?

 

[headline_tahoma_medium_left color=”#000000″]Wrist Locks and Joint Locks[/headline_tahoma_medium_left]

Most of the security guards that I have met couldn’t do a wrist lock, finger lock, or arm bar if their lives depended on it. (And sometimes, their lives do depend on their ability to control an aggressor successfully.)

I don’t know if they are relying on weapons … pistols, batons, PR24’s, and flashlights … but don’t you think that depending 100% on a weapon is a little naive?

What if the perpetrator disarms the security guard? Hey, it could happen.

If they aren’t relying on weapons, maybe they think they’ll be able to use their striking skills — punches and kicks — from their martial arts training.

Wouldn’t you agree that there are times when it would be better to avoid hitting? For example, when there are bystanders witnessing the whole event.

Note: As a security guard, any time you have to hit someone, you’re going to have some explaining to do. Often, striking John or Jane Q. Public results in legal ramifications. At the very least, the red tape is more of a hassle, if you beat the criminal to a pulp at some point in the pursuit and apprehension of said criminal.

In other words, if you can avoid hitting, so much the better.

 

 

[headline_tahoma_medium_left color=”#000000″]The Security Guard Training Secret[/headline_tahoma_medium_left]

Look, as a security guard professional, you should avoid physical contact, if possible. Control from a distance far enough that you can’t be surprised, but close enough that the suspect can’t flee, either.

You position yourself in the path of a clean escape, yet far enough away that you can’t be engaged in a scuffle of any type.

All of this happens in an ideal world.

Sometimes, people mess with any type of law enforcement. Some people consider security guards to be “wannabe police with no authority.” And some people will be put into desperate situations where getting away seems like the only option.

When someone puts his or her hands on you, wouldn’t it be nice to know that you have a secret weapon? You can control the situation without hitting.

You can subdue a criminal who grabs you … and keep this person locked until reinforcements arrive.

And if you have restraints, like handcuffs, thumb cuffs, or plastic ties, all the better. You can lock your attacker and then add further restraint.

And it all stems from having wrist locks in your bag of tricks. You don’t have to use them all the time; you won’t want to, as a true security professional. But just in case …