Professionals in the area give tips on how to protect yourself

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – No matter where you are, you should always be aware of your surroundings and know how to defend and protect yourself.

Safety should always be your number one priority.

Whether it be in an area that you are familiar with or a new location you should always be aware of your environment and if possible don’t go it alone..

Karate Instructor and West Point Police Lieutenant Albert Lee says being aware is key.

“when it comes to alone always watch your surroundings and if you have a dog take a dog with you and if you have a coworker or friend take them with you. always bring someone along. Never be caught by yourself,” said Lee.

And when you do find yourself alone, it is a good idea to know how to defend yourself if attacked.

“Self-defense needs to be a priority and of importance to everybody. when it comes to self-defense you got to train the mind. The changing of the mind and from there and from there it will evolve to your mind taking care of your body,” said Lee.

And other instructors would agree.

Jake Reeves, owner of Relentless MMA and Fitness says it’s all about the training.

“I think self-defense classes are a waste of time and money and I think that illusion of safety that people give you and you are not any safer when taking that class. you haven’t developed the muscle memory,” said Reeves.

And Confidence is key

“Continue training to help keep you safe to help keep you healthy and also just to give you the confidence and there is a lot to say about confidence and feeling like you can take care of yourself and feeling like you can get out of a situation safely is invaluable,” said Reeves.

Even with training, Reeves says having a weapon is also a good idea.

“My first thing to say would be carrying a weapon and I would also train with that gun because if you don’t train with it you might just be arming the person that is coming at you,” said Reeves.

No one plans to put themselves in danger.

So, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

“It’s always best to have it and don’t need it than need it and don’t have it,” said Reeves.

If you want to learn self-defense you can talk to your local martial arts studio or your local police department and ask who you could talk to about staying safe.