'Let us be seen by our actions'

A short exert from one of our Mindset courses Positive Mindset Knowing what risks, you may encounter and systematically mitigating those risks whilst still achieving your goals or task. Through Sphere Training learn to be risk aware and not risk averse. During a time of crisis, you won’t rise to the occasion, you will fall to the level of your training. Once you realise this you should train and prepare, build contingencies. Always find a way to improve. Your training and learning should be a never-ending process. Always take responsibility for your actions, step up when something goes wrong and have a solution. It will take time and effort to develop your mindset to a high level and this takes preparation and self-discipline. You must go into any situation or confrontation with the confidence that you are prepared for the challenge. This will be the time when your planning and preparation will meet opportunity. Everything in life is an opportunity it’s up to you whether you take it or not.

There are many terrorists, and they come from diverse social and economic backgrounds. However, the most important thing you should consider is this. The intention of the terrorist is to use simple but bold actions to strike fear into everyone. This mode of operations is the terrorist’s profession. Terrorists always consider the use of the most appropriate technology, and best innovation, and exploit any limits their target may have. However, these actions can be predicted and observed. Terrorists operate between the cracks of technology and laws, yet they must operate somewhere. Terrorists do not apply any rules or values to their operations other than what will enable them to gain publicity for their cause. Who Are Terrorists? It is generally a notion that terrorists must be treated with anything but contempt. In fact, that is one of the views that blind us. If you underestimate them, they will inevitably surprise you. The oldest rule of terrorism is in effect: “Do whatever it takes.” Nobody likes terrorists, but you must respect their capability and their ability to realise their deadly objectives. They are generally intelligent and clear-thinking. In the heat of an attack, they harness the human ability to overcome obstacles and attack with clarity and with ruthlessness. Well-motivated terrorists use personal motivation to carry out the deadly acts necessary to demonstrate their determination. Murdering women and children, and blowing up hundreds or thousands of people can always be justified in the mind of the terrorist. For the terrorist, the end justifies the means. Terrorist Tactical Objectives The tactical objectives of the terrorist organization are the street-level goals of the actual terrorists conducting the attack. Tactical goals fall into four general categories: Action : Attacks show that the terrorists are capable of carrying out the operation as planned. Terrorists at the street level simply want to successfully execute a violent attack, propagate the news of the operation and make demands for concessions. Demonstration: The objective is to attract the attention of the victim and society through the news media or word of mouth and demonstrate the power of the terrorists. Unfortunately, this goal is often met through the execution of hostages, indiscriminate bombings in crowded areas, or dramatic acts such as skyjackings. News media coverage is critical to this goal. Demands: Often the terrorist group will make demands whether a terrorist act is successful or not. Escape: Getting away alive is becoming less of an option for many terrorists as we witness the increased usage of suicide/martyrdom attacks. This is a tactical objective, not a strategic one, because the leadership may be concerned only with the terrorist act and not the life of the terrorist.

Hostage taking is a way for terrorists to achieve a bargaining position by forcing authorities into a confrontation. It will remain an effective terrorist tool. Hopefully, you will never become a hostage, but if you do, knowing how to react will improve your chances of survival. Your role as a hostage is to survive, and not get you or your fellow hostages killed. Terrorists select hostages for a variety of reasons. The hostage may have a prominent job or social status or may be: · Well known, so that terrorists receive widespread media attention. · Valuable to employers and families; for example, families and civilian firms have paid ransoms to secure a hostage’s release · Seen as a threat to the terrorists These reasons identify why a particular person may be targeted for a hostage-taking. But, in most cases, a hostage is an innocent victim of circumstances, someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time this can also include carjacking. Train with Sphere own from a different source.

Our children live in a very unpredictable time, things have changed a lot since we were young as parents. There are a number of social media platforms that parents have to keep up with and technology is that fast paced that as adults we can find ourselves playing catch up all the time! As much as the internet has helped all of us with any question answered at the touch of a button it has also opened a whole world of fear for parents especially when we talk about social media and the stress that can cause not only ourselves but to the younger generation who are growing up with this being the "Norm" A parent may find the demands of a child very hard when they become knowledgeable of social media platforms, there will always be children younger who have it and they will want it so as not to be left out of the loop. As they tune into their teenage years and take on those teenage traits we all hear about it is very hard to understand if you as a parent are doing right from wrong. Certain platforms have "Guidelines" that a child should not have an account until such an age however even at the age of 13 many of the things they can view are not age sensitive and it as at this point you will have to make the decision as to if they are mentally mature enough to be allowed to access the material. In my own line of work I have been lucky enough to deal with some amazing parents who manage their child's access to social media very well and unfortunately patents who allow them free range not caring about what they view and allow adult accounts because "Every kid has one right?" the main concern is the bullying that can occur online this is not just nasty words to a child it can now be made videos of the child where the child is not actually involved other than a stolen facebook or instagram photo rendered to be something that never happened. "Trolling" is something that can be devastating to anyone but more so that of the developing mind of a young adolescent . In the younger years especially the minor and adolescent years impacts a child's growth and future understanding. Within the younger years it is a time where many children learn to understand their own emotions, how to handle stress, how to manage turmoil and understand their own feelings which can effect how they understand the world as they move on into adulthood. Giving a child a good foundation is very important, ensuring that they can come to you and speak to you from a very young age. Regardless of the situation and our own understanding of how it was "back in our day" a child needs you to validate their feelings regardless of your own feelings on the subject so talking about what they are saying and asking questions is very important for them to feel validated, giving them suggestions and not strong opinions is important coming around to an understanding they they make themselves is better than forcing your own ideation upon them and leaves them to feel they have been empowered to make this choice even if you "slightly" manipulated them to feel this way, they feel they have control and isn't that what we all want when we feel we have a situation that is out of our control ? To be able to regain control and a new focus on the issue. Avoiding words like "You need to" or "If I were you" is almost imperative. As parents we want to fix things and make things right. It is so much easier to fix a scuffed knee with a kiss and a hug, pat on the back off you go and play. As they get older we can't always catch them before they fall sometimes we have to work on damage limitation. Empower them, allow them to make mistakes but always talk to your children, always make time for them when they do talk. Give them the positive reinforcement regardless of it it not needed and maintain consequence's and boundaries when they make mistakes. Keep the lines of communication open and do spot checks on their social media including their messages from others. If there are things that concern you do not just tackle it all guns blazing no matter what it is, take a breath and talk to them about it and allow them the opportunity to speak about it and have a conversation. If they get hot headed and storm off in a strop let them and once calmed down re visit the situation but be honest about why it has been a concern to you, remind them that no matter what you love them. As adults we can be consumed with the demands of our own day and trying to maintain a household, work, other children and matters that can stress us out to no end some of which can be very hard to manage on a day to day basis that can effect ourselves deeper than we as adults can ever express however we do need to put that to one side (Easier said than done) but put our children first. Sphere is brilliant for ensuring that children develop not only their own self defense but also their own self esteem, self worth and mental resilience. Sphere has changed even the most shattered of lives and if you are on a low income and have a child who is struggling please get in touch. Also find some useful links below www.selfharm.co.uk This is a website that allows a child from the age of 13 to take a 6 weeks course regarding self harm it helps them to understand their own emotions and find alternatives to self harm. the App Calmharm this is a brilliant app that is for all ages. Under ages of 13 it is advised that an adult supervises the use of the app. This is an amazing app for those who struggle with their own thoughts and also self harm it allows them to keep a journal about their thoughts and feelings daily, it also offers some amazing distraction techniques that the user can pick or if they feel they cannot decide there is a "random" option where the app will pick for them dependent on how long they feel they need the distraction. This can be from 1 minute to 15 minutes. it also has mindfulness time and coping strategies. SHOUT Shout is a free text service for anyone of any age. This is a trusted service run by professionals they can help individuals make safety plans and talk about things that are worrying the individual. They are a confidential help line however will contact emergency services should there be a concern to life. If you would like to check them out they can be found on WWW.Giveusashout.org Text no: 85258

initially I was working with a PT at the local gym however I was finding that it was mainly cardio based and started to dread going, I didn't feel like there was any benefit to it other than getting absolutely knackered one day a week. So started to drop that little by little. I currently work in the mental health sector which has become quite a high risk profession and it was at a time when we were managing quite violent individuals that I saw the advert for Sphere combat systems. Initially I didn't really know what the think in regards to what I would be doing and based a lot of my own thoughts on those cheesy "Self defence for womens" group Have to admit after a couple of sessions I was hooked, I enjoyed training and even started training twice a week 2hrs one day and 2.5 hrs another day something I would never have done with a PT. I can fully vouch for the fact that training has helped me to develop confidence, a massive set of skills that I feel are relevant to protecting yourself, resilience and a stronger mindset. You see it in the local news daily sometimes even hourly that someone has been attacked, someone has been stabbed or even shot and the thing is the statistics used to say "Your more likely to get killed or attacked by someone you know." this no longer seems to be the case people seem to just becoming savages for no reason nowadays and to be fair I'm glad I will know how I will react in a situation that becomes violent. Have a laugh with Pete whilst training so the environment is really laid back, surprisingly his patience is endless no matter how long it takes for me to get something, won't lie there are a couple of crippling's if you get something wrong but a lot of that is because I don't want to use gloves as would rather remain realistic but its just a few bruises and grazes. I've also managed 5 belts now that I call my rainbow of death. There is none of this "We train the guys this way" and "the women this way" your trained the same and to the same skill. All jokes aside training with Sphere has been one of the best things I have ever done and hope to continue to do for many years to come. I highly recommend it for anyone who works in a high risk profession like the police, ambulance especially, mental health, doctors, nurses and the like simply because you never know what your going to face on a day to day basis, your just a number to your employees but your a lot more to your family! I would highly recommend Sphere to children and teens especially those who may suffer bullying at school because this could be a massive confidence boost for them and could help them develop the mental strength to be able to manage with the mental distress this can cause as well as giving them the tools to defend themselves and the understanding of when to use them. Basically with the way the world is at the min I'd recommend Sphere combat systems to anyone there are so many more risks out there than their used to be and I'd rather not be a statistic. I've written this post for the blog myself, these are my own thoughts and feelings about the world in general and not that of Sphere Protection Service although I am pretty sure we would agree on most!

To understand the body's reactions to a conflict situation or being attacked can be summed up in several ways. Interpersonal human aggression creates a "toxic” atmosphere in people everywhere. Our bodies will respond in ways that we may not be able to control but must understand nonetheless if we are to competently handle a lethal threat. Automatic systems designed for thoughtless survival kick into gear adrenaline is released, digestive processes cease and even bladder and sphincter control is lost. These are things to prepare for and not be surprised by, should they happen. The automatic systems in place are the sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic (PNS) nervous systems. The SNS arouses you to action when necessary and the PNS works to regain control and establish a balance in your body. The snapping back of your body from the arousal to an attempt at normality can be a dangerous condition. It may not only be a physical collapse but also a dangerous mental collapse as well. The reason for bringing this information to your attention is to emphasize the importance of realistic pressurized and stressful training which can create an instinctive response to a deadly threat. Training with Sphere Combat will provide you with this ability. Below is an incident of SNS being applied through Sphere Combat training which happened to one of my private students. Domestic violence survivor 'Posted with permission' A private student of mine recently confided in me about a confrontational situation she found herself in, which at the time she was unable to avoid. She was showing empathy to her ex-partner whom had recently lost a close family member. Having been in an abusive relationship with this man she was fully aware of what he was capable of so was naturally apprehensive and fearful. After using the line "I have changed now and I'm not that person anymore" empathy was shown by her (which anyone would do when someone has lost a family member). Sadly, the usual and all too common line turned out to be a lie. Unfortunately, the inevitable happened; he attacked her. Holding her against the sink whilst grabbing her by the throat, his elbows digging in her chest as well as pinning her legs with his legs so that should could not kick out. During the attack, her startled reflex kicked in and from that she utilised her training. Her first instinct was to push her fingers into his eyes as he was enraged this did not seem to have any effect. Not giving in, she repeated the same action again but this time he took a slight step back. Taking advantage of this she punched him twice to the eye socket, which made him step back even further and scream out in pain. After hearing a commotion from my students flat, a neighbour approached as the sorry excuse of a man ran away. After discussing the incident my student said to me, I felt more confident than on previous occasions when the excuse for a man attacked her. After gaining back her self-belief and confidence she continues training with total focus and intent.

.We all have fears, and for some people, those fears can be debilitating. Some of the many common fears are those of the dark, of heights, the water, claustrophobia, fear of failure and many others. For the untrained and unprepared person, when confronted with a dangerous, difficult situation, panic can set in. Panic is that fight or flight reaction where the feeling of fear is so strong that it will cause someone to lose the ability to think clearly and logically. So what’s the secret to keeping your head about you when everyone else is losing theirs? We’ll break it down into steps during our course. One common thread that I always talk about in my posts is being properly trained and prepared. One of the benefits of repetitive, stressful training is the ability to feel that “I've got this covered” by continuing to stretch the your ability and leaving your comfort zone you will control it and yourself, which allows a clearer head and the ability to make sound decisions. Another way to help yourself is to regulate and slow your breathing. When you’re feeling stressed it will do wonders for you taking you out of your self induced stress and put you back in the correct state of mind. When you can control your breathing and operate out of your comfort zone, it is only a matter of time before you will no longer have an intense fear of a situation. When training you have to get out of your comfort zone and constantly go into areas where you are dealing with unknown situations. Sphere's unique training provides this because we believe the only way to achieve this is practice, practice and then practice some more. In effect you are rehearsing for a particular unknown situation so that when the stress of doing it for real is upon you, you know exactly how you are going to operate mentally and you will be completely ready. Adapted and ready as if it is second nature because it is.