Author: -
ISBN No: 0 00 71 0236 4
Review date: 15/12/2025
No of pages: 160
Publisher: Harper Collins, 77/85 Fulham Palace Road, London, W6 8JB
Year of publication: 11/09/2012
Brief:
Recognise, evaluate, alternatives, concentrate, terminate - REACT is an essential practical guide to avoiding conflict and confrontation.
Recognise, evaluate, alternatives, concentrate, terminate – REACT is an essential practical guide to avoiding conflict and confrontation. ‘I believe most, if not all confrontations are won with your brain and not your brawn,’ says Steve Collins. Carry your briefcase on the side furthest from the road; trust your gut feelings; avoid sitting near a pub till (the likeliest place for a robbery). There are more than 100 of these quotes at the bottom of pages, for example, plus clear advice on dealing with, and avoiding, aggression. The author, a martial arts expert and author of The Manual of Prohibited and Concealed Weapons (1999) expresses in clear terms how it is far easier to stay out of trouble than it is to get out of trouble; after all prevention is far better than cure. We should recognise the possibility of potential danger whether at a bus stop, walking down a country lane or when driving a car or travelling in other ways. Next, we ought to evaluate the situation including examination of types of attack, and types of approach, whether by telephone or other means. The third deals with the alternatives – talking or doing nothing, even, running away or trying to fight off the attacker. The author stresses the need to concentrate in the crisis, making the good point that fear is an enemy in a physical confrontation: ‘…the overwhelming stress of an attack can be so mentally debilitating that you will freeze. Whether you have eight-inch or 18-inch biceps will make no difference!’ The author also deals with ‘makeshift and improvised weapons’ – an area that I find police are at times reluctant to discuss. Almost anything is a weapon (spectacles poked in the attacker’s eye, pen stabbed in the neck). An important section refers to describing an assailant.There’s considerable, clear details of ‘good defence techniques with excellent illustrations that are most easy to follow. Other pages deal with what to do in an angry crowd, and defending against a dog. Recommended readers are security personnel, in particular those on patrol; police and prison officers. This paperback could be of value to anyone, as one can never tell when or where a threat may come.<br><br>
Think, Act, Stay Safe with the REACT Approach to Self-Defence, by Steve Collins (2001)
