The recent attacks in Mumbai really made me wonder if I am prepared to face such a situation. What would I do if I were in that hotel? What would I do if I were held at gunpoint?My spiritual background preaches Ahimsa, or Non-Violence. But there are two questions that’s pop up into my mind: 1) How can you be non-violent in a violent world, and 2) are you prepared for violence?

How Can You be Non-Violent in a Violent World?

Violence is the exertion of force so as to injure or abuse. There needs to be a motive for harm. If the injury that you inflict is caused by shear anger, then I would call that a pure violent act. However, if the injury that you inflict is caused by a motive for self-defense, then I would no consider it pure violent act. This is simply my opinion and do not agree with complete and utter non-violence.

If my family or any other human being is around me, I will attempt to protect them. If there is something that I can do, I will do it.

Are you Prepared for Violence?

When you have a trained killer ready to blow your brains out, the only thing you should be looking for is a way to escape. Most of the time, if you do nothing but sit silently, you’ll be just fine. But it’s the psychological games inside your head that are really going to hurt you.

As I was watching the Mumbai story unfold on CNN, I kept thinking about how I would react. Would I start screaming out in panic? Would I just sit there and worry? Would I sit there, stay calm, and try to find the best solution possible?

I’m hoping I’d choose option three, but the truth is that you never really know. Lets assume I choose option three. The goal isn’t really to fight off these terrorists, the goal is to run. Perhaps I’d need to jump over some thing, dart past other things, lifts things in my way, etc. etc. etc.

In such a situation, a variety of fitness qualities are needed: running, jumping, lifting, darting. Do you see any need for big arms or the ability to jog 24 miles at a time? I don’t. I’m not really sure what you guys are thinking, but here’s what I see as very valuable methods of preparing yourself for such a worst-case scenario:

• Running Sprints
• Jumping Drills/Plyometrics
• Lifting things Overhead
• Lifting things off the ground

Image by matt.hintsa

Is your Fitness Program Up to Speed?

I’m not going to sit here and say that I can train a military to combat terrorism. I can’t, nor do I wish to. But what I am saying is that the average person needs to be in better shape to handle these situations. They can occur at any time and at any place.

You really can’t be absolutely prepared for violence, however you can be better prepared for violence. There is no SWAT team or Military unit out there that is absolutely prepared for a situation, however their training better prepares them for a situation.

I’m not telling you to be paranoid here, I’m just trying to make your realize how important it is for you to be able to do simple things, such as (let me repeat) sprint, jump, and lift. And (let me repeat), the average person is unable to do such things.

I was watching a show on the History Channel called “Shoot Out.” They were talking about a hostage situation where the gunman had a shotgun pointing at and taped to a guy’s back. The gunmen and the hostage were outside, with SWAT surrounding them, and the gunman was doing a countdown. He stated that when he said “0″ he would shoot the hostage.

As the countdown progressed towards 0, the SWAT guys came closer and closer, but not one of them did anything. Finally, the hostage decided to save his own life and lashed out at the gunman, when the gunman came to the number “2.” The gunman and the hostage wrestled with each other until finally a sniper was able to take down the gunman.

The more stories I hear, and the more news I watch I’m convinced that the only person that can save you is yourself. But are you prepared?

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