There's No Place like Home

By: Damian Ross
Submitted: 2008-06-02 16:34:03
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

A couple of weeks ago there was a story on the news and in the paper that sticks in my mind. It is the story about a group of cruise ship passengers that were held up at gun point while on a land tour. If you are not familiar with the story, The Carnival Lines ship Legend docked in Limon, Costa Rica. A group of 6 passengers booked a private tour. While on the tour, 3 armed assailants attempted to rob them. One of the passengers, a 70 year-old man grabbed one of the attackers and snapped his neck. OK, so the man was a former Marine. The other passengers began to resist and the attack ended with no one that matters being hurt.

When I first heard about this I thought it was great that none of the passengers were hurt and the man was a hero for taking action. I still think that but, when you look further into the story, the passengers have to accept some responsibility for putting themselves in this situation. The passengers were warned that Limon was a dangerous place and that a passenger on another ship was shot in the stomach a month earlier. Another passenger booked a private tour but he heeded the crews’ warnings and also hired a body guard. Another passenger, a retired NYPD officer, said “From the moment I stepped off the ship, I knew it was very dangerous”, “Everyone was eying us all over”. I looked up Limon in the internet and I didn’t see anything worth doing or seeing that was worth risking my life over. Why would you want the added stress of wandering around a dangerous place when you are supposed to be relaxing on vacation? I think staying on the ship and lounging by the pool would have been the wiser choice.

In another incident, a friend of mine was in Madrid visiting his daughter who was spending the semester studying in Spain. Now, Madrid is not at all like Limon. It is a very clean, very friendly city where you feel safe at any hour of the day. My friend was walking through the rail station, rolling his bag behind him, looking for the place he was meeting his daughter. All of a sudden he was knocked backwards over his luggage and a man stole his wallet from his pants pocket.

I don’t think this was in any way his fault but, he should have been more aware of his surroundings and at least seen the man coming. What can be learned from these two incidents? Be aware of your surroundings. Whether you are at the mall in your hometown or on vacation in some third world country, you must be cognizant of what is going on around you.

Just because you are on vacation does not mean the criminals are. It means you will be out of town before the trial (if any) starts. Criminals always choose the weakest target. Wandering through a train station looking lost makes that you.

You are responsible for your own safety. Because Carnival Lines chooses to dock in Limon, doesn’t mean it is a safe place to visit. It probably means it is a cheap place to dock. Be prepared. Pack your pepper spray in your luggage (NOT your carry on) and Across Generations- It’s never too early or late to start your training. Bring your personal alarm for use in the hotel. Believe me, when people are staying in a hotel and hear a strange alarm they come out of their rooms pretty quickly. I’m not saying you have to go through life being paranoid, just careful. Be safe.

Peter Barry is a longtime martial artist and has one of only 4 recognized Black Belts in the world in Carl Cestari’s Tekkenryu jujutsu and rank in Kodokan Judo. He was Sensei Damian Ross’s first student in the ZenShin Dojo. He has over a decade of experience and trains and teaches at the ZenShin Dojo in Pompton Lakes, NJ (www.zenshin.info) He is also a staff instructor and author for The Self Defense Company (www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com)
Martial Arts
Martial Arts Training
Martial Arts Videos

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Martial Arts category

  • How Would Today's Martial Artist Stack Up in a True Warrior Society? - By: Damian Ross
    Not long ago the public was reintroduced to the Spartans and their warrior culture thanks to the film 300 based off of Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same name. This latest retelling of events that happen in Greece in 480 BC shouldn't be considered historically accurate; it was never intended to be that way. None the less, the real Spartans even without their "Hollywood Personas" still remain impressive to this day. They were truly a martial society. They understood that in order to remain free you must always be ready to fight. Love of country and each other along with disciplined training made them an unstoppable force. They claimed to be descended from Hercules, but they didn't just talk the talk they walked the walk. Ancient Sparta had no need for walls; it relied on its fighting men alone to protect her.
  • The Economics of Self Defense - By: Damian Ross
    The following is a letter I received: "I'm a 52 year old guy who has been pretty active lifting weights for about 20 years but about a year ago I found myself in a situation where a guy suckered me and I friggin was so intimidated that I walked away with my tail between my legs. Thankfully the only damage was to my ego cause I totally wimped out in front of my buddies who were there... but more importantly I realized that I was totally unprepared to defend either myself or my family should the occasion arise.
  • MMA Digest - By: Rodger Hopkins
    The UFC started its journey on the 12th of November, 1993 and gained enormous fame in a very short time pushing other sports to the back seat. The popularity of the sport is almost unimaginable.
  • Can Martial Arts and Self Defense Training Prepare Our Children for a School Shooting? - By: Damian Ross
    The subject hits home to everyone. At one point our biggest safety issue in school was bullying. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. Over the past few years, school shootings have been increasing in frequency and in violence. Imagine, there you are, going through your every day routine, thinking about your next class, upcoming test or joking with your friends and then all of the sudden you are in the middle of a war zone, your world is turned upside down....
  • "The Deadliest Man Alive" - The Truth behind the Legend of Count Dante - By: Damian Ross
    Any comic book fan of the 1960's will know about "Count Dante, The Deadliest Man Alive." His menacing grimace and "tiger stance" graced the back cover of all major comic books portraying him as another character in the comic itself.
  • The Black Belt Myth - By: Damian Ross
    Every once in a while I get an email from some misguided and offended martial artist with his or her knickers in a twist telling me where I go wrong by saying "Martial Arts will Fail You Every time". But facts are facts.
  • Martial Arts Training And Self Defense: Do You Take Yours 'Trained or Untrained' - By: Damian Ross
    Like religion and politics, martial arts are not for a lack of it's zealots. Decide right now, you can either A. Continue to "sip the kool-aide" or B. Look to improve and learn. One criticism about our training material is that it is simple and could only work against some one who is untrained. What the hell does this mean, exactly? Does trained mean a woman who takes muay thai or the serial rapist, sociopath who has successfully applied his trade a dozen times? Does it apply to the mixed martial artists or the bag-man on a pick up? Who do you want to fight for your life against, the martial artist or emotionally disturbed person (EPD) who gargles with pepper spray?
  • Keep it Official with Trendy Martial Arts Clothing - By: Kimberly Green
    Who is your favorite fighter?? Show off your hostility with MMA Clothing and check out the wide, wide world of Mixed Martial Arts.
  • MMA Clothing to Represent The New Violent Spectator Sport of Choice, Bye Bye Boxing - By: Kimberly Green
    Apparently our threshold for violence has increased, because boxing doesn't seem to cut it for us anymore, adding variables to fighting methods keeps the art ever more challenging to master and entertaining to watch.
  • My KUNG-FU is Better Than Your KUNG-FU: Which Martial Arts Style is The BEST Martial Arts Style - By: Damian Ross
    By Damian Ross of The Self Defense Company It first started long ago when some unkown combat aficionado first posed the question: "Which is BETTER, boxing or wrestling' ?"