20 September 2005

 

A United Nations report which claimed Scotland is the most violent country in the developed world has resulted in a huge demand for the services of self defence expert Simon Leila.
The XXX resident  and director of Krav Maga Scotland, the highly effective self-defence technique pioneered by the Israeli military, has been inundated with calls seeking advice on how people can protect themselves from a rising tide of violent crime.
Interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland this week Simon said that while there may be some dispute over the UN statistics the fear of crime was a real problem but if people learned to be aware more of what was happening around them they could avoid a lot of trouble.
The UN report claimed people in Scotland were three times more likely to be assaulted than in the US and that that more than 2000 Scots were attacked each week, almost 10 times the official police figures.
As the only qualified Krav Maga instructor in Scotland Simon was asked by Scotland Live presenter Gary Robertson to give a few tips on how to avoid becoming a victim.
"If people are slightly more aware of their circumstances and surroundings they can pretty much avoid most dangerous situations," said Simon.
"If most people drove their cars the same way that they walk around the streets they would be having 30 or 40 impacts a day because they are just not looking ahead."
In addition to the physical self-defence techniques of Krav Maga Simon also instructs his students on "awareness, anticipation and avoidance" of trouble.
By training students to read the body language of possible attackers, be aware of their surroundings and even how to talk themselves out of a situation Simon aims to make sure any physical contact is the last line of defence.
Already a number of male and female students have signed up for his classes which begin on October 3 at Rhu & Shandon Community Education Centre, Hall Road, Rhu.