At first glance, it would seem that the only logical approach to successfully defending yourself against a dangerous attacker is to learn and get really good at karate or some other form of physical self-defense. After all, when you look around at what's being offered, seen on TV or in the movies, and described in the media, that's all that can be seen.

The truth is that, when it comes to really knowing what self-defense is all about - when it comes to knowing what true survivors know - there are many more options available to you than meets the eye. In fact, there is an entire realm of non-combative self-defense tactics and strategies that can be thousands of times more effective than any arm-bar or knock-out punch.

The problem is that, even though many of these non-combative tactics are discussed, all too often they receive little more than lip-service or are discussed in ways that oversimplify them. Just because we call them non-combatives doesn't mean that they are not skills worthy of the same kind of study and practice as their physical counterparts.

Here's a list of the 5 areas of non-combative techniques and strategies that I teach to my clients:

• Non-Combative (NC) Skill Area #1 - General Awareness. Recognizing the different types of danger in the world and knowing which ones are most likely to touch you.

• NC Skill Area #2 - Awareness of Surroundings. Moment-to-moment conscious attention to what's going on around you.

• NC Skill Area #3 - Escaping to Safety. Recognizing and planning escape routes and avenues away from danger.

• NC Skill Area #4 - Distracting the Attacker. Skills and strategies for controlling a would-be assailant's perceptions and neutralizing a dangerous situation without being confrontational.

• NC Skill Area #5 - Dissuading. Use of verbal and body-language skills, as-well-as the direction of intention to neutralize an assailant's desire to fight.

As I said, these five skill areas, when developed to become virtual weapons, can do more to help you control and avoid a physical attack than any conventional, step-by-step, self-defense technique. In fact, when done at the right time and in the right context, each of these can be so powerful that you never get to use your physical techniques at all. It's also important to remember that, no technique, whether it's a karate move or one of these non-combatives, is perfect and may fail. Just as it's important to add non-combatives to your physical self-defense training, it's equally important to make sure that, should you non-combative tactics fail, you're still able to protect yourself against the punches and kicks and cuts from a determined assailant.