SEPS Self Defense

Introduction

SEPS (Situation Effective Protection System) is a self defense system, that recognises solutions to aggressive and violent situations need to be based on certain situational factors e.g. if a person is holding your lapel threatening you, you may choose a particular solution (such as a wristlock defense, an escape etc) however if someone else is holding a knife to your partners/friends throat, you may need to choose a different solution as responding physically may put your partner/friend in danger.



Founders
The system was founded in 2007 by two ex Krav Maga instructors: Gershon Ben Keren and Andy Rallings. Between them they have over 40 years experience in civilian security, martial arts and self-defense systems. Ben-Keren also has an academic background researching violence and aggression. In particular from an ethological perspective.



Basis & Thinking Of The System
One of the basic SEPS premises is that of the Triune Brain. This is a scientific abstraction that suggests we have 3 layers of thinking: a reasoning brain, a mammalian (limbic) brain and a reptilian brain. As a persons emotional state increases so they move closer towards their reptilian brain. SEPS associates 5 possible responses to violence with these brains.

The 5 possible responses to violence are:

* Reason
* Posturing
* Submission
* Fight
* Flight


SEPS suggests (and this is to help in the communication of the idea, rather than as a scientific statement of fact) that the three brains are responsible for these different responses i.e.


* The Reasoning Brain is responsible for responses based on Reason
* The Mammalian/Limbic Brain is responsible for responses that involve Posturing & Submission
* The Reptilian Brain is responsible for Flight & Fight responses

As people become more 'emotional' they move away from reason as a response towards fight or flight.
In dealing with aggressive and violent people, students look to understand how an aggressor is functioning and with, which brain they are using. They then communicate with the person using methods that the particular brains can recognise e.g. you do not try and reason with a very angry person, who may only recognise and/or interpret things as being fight or flight etc.

SEPS basis a lot of it's approach on the findings from studies conducted in the field of ethology and looks to see how certain situations provoke 'hard wired' instinctual responses and how to avoid creating such situations, when the response is one of aggression or violence.

Situational Factors

There are 5 situational factors that SEPS recognises in its methodology:

* Location (Coupled with the idea of territory)
* Aggressor(s) motives
* Aggressor Target/Victim relationship
* Target/Victim's state of mind
* Third Parties with victim/target


This is coupled with 3 assumptions that are made in any aggressive/violent situation:

* The aggressor(s) is at least as skilled in fighting as the target/victim
* The aggressor(s) is armed, even if they are not displaying a weapon
* The aggressor(s) is not alone, even if they appear so

This is the framework in which the system works. It also teaches NDM naturalistic decision making, so that individuals can make effective decisions when in heightened emotional states e.g. when in a state of fear and tactical breathing for working under stress.




 
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