Learn where to find this template or code
You might or might not know that we at Strand Security in Murrells Inlet are celebrating our 10th anniversary this year!
We’ve been publishing ’10 reasons to love’ posts every month since January 2020 to celebrate our 10th work anniversary and this month we are excited to bring you 10 reason to love self-defense training.
Our self-defense training all started with Heather of Strand Security just 4 years ago and has blossomed into a great community outreach program to serve all people in Horry County and Georgetown County who are interested in learning more about self-defense!
Heather has trained business owners, girl scouts, college students, grandmas, moms, high school students and more in the ‘art of self-defense’.
Have you ever been afraid to go somewhere alone? A dark alley? Walking to your car from the mall? Taking your groceries in the house?
If you are fearful, you lack confidence in your ability to asses a dangerous situation and defuse a potential threat. Learning self-defense will help you gain the confidence needed to make smart decisions and take a stance and defend when needed!
Knowing what to do in a dangerous situation, having muscle recall when needed is priceless! Even if your brain shuts down when an attack occurs, self-defense training will kick in and your muscles will remember how to defend and even attack when attacked! Knowing defense will help protect you!
learning self-defense builds muscles and strength! Self-defense builds your leg muscles, as well as core and your arm muscles. Repetitive motions, jabs and hooks, kicks and jumps will help you build strength!
Knowledge is power in dangerous situations! When you learn self-defense, you learn now just the moves, but where to strike on the body of your assailant! Knowing what body part you have that are strong (elbows!) and where to place and strike with these body parts can make a huge difference in case of an attack.
Believing in yourself is powerful. Women and girls are often labeled ‘weak’ or as ‘the weaker sex’. Learning self-defense and going through training will make you powerful and strong and will provide your with the power you need to resist when put into a dangerous situation!
You. Can. Do. It.
Training and learning self-defense with people who weigh more, are larger, faster and bigger… makes you realize that technique is most important.
You can fight back against someone who is not your size! It’s all in what you use and how you use it!
You will be in great shape if you enroll in self-defense training. You will move, kick, jump, jab, box your way into shape. Most self-defense training includes time on the mat (floor) as well, so you’ll work on flexibility as well as strength training.
Once you attend self-defense training you will quickly change your personal habits! No more sitting in your car in the parking lot of the mall to make a phone call, no more talking on the phone while you walk int0 a building or get into an elevator, looking people in the eye as you pass by them. There are certain habits you develop during self-defense training that will stick with you and will make you safer! The chances of getting attacked or being a victim do go down if you raise your personal awareness while out and about!
Once you know self-defense, you will also be a great asset to your community, to those around you at work, while out shopping, when going for a run. You will be able to asses situations and possible help defuse those that are escalating!
Last but not least, when trained in self-defense, you can make yourself safer at work, as well as those around you. Especially if you work with customers in retail, knowing self-defense training can come in handy with angry customers, because self-defense training teaches you to de-escalate first, then defend, then attack as a last resort!
Connect with Heather of Strand Security to learn more about Myrtle Beach Self Defense and upcoming self-defense training!
To read our other articles in this series, click on each link!
If you are a reader of our blog, you know both Chuck and Heather Bryant of Strand Security.
Did you know Heather started a non-profit called Myrtle Beach Self Defense more than three years ago?
This is the mission of MBSD:
Myrtle Beach Self-Defense equips women and teenage girls with proven exit strategies and hands-on techniques to stand their ground, defend, and fight in case of a personal attack. We aim to transform any unsuspecting target into a powerful woman to be reckoned with through teaching of prevention and awareness techniques in every class. We are driven by personal experience to spread female empowerment to women of all ages and abilities.
This is THE time to book a private session with Heather, or book her time for your organization, association or group! Heather will travel to your group, and teaches at your location on the Grand Strand, both in Horry County as well as Georgetown County.
As you send your daughter off to college, off to school as a new driver, or if you’ve had a life change that now finds you spending more time alone, taking a self-defense class will boost your confidence and well as awareness to potentially dangerous situations.
Did we mention yet that Heather comes to YOUR LOCATION?
She’s taught self-defense classes at
We aren’t the only ones who understand the importance of self-defense for women and young girls!
WBTW News 13’s Lauren Crawford interviewed Heather for a news segment called
Watch it here:
We’d love to have you join a class this fall.
Connect with Heather today.
Email her at heather@strandsecurity.com, or go to the MBSD Facebook Page to message her.
One of the most frequently asked questions about our Myrtle beach Self Defense classes is
“Can I bring my daughter/son?”
The answer is a definite yes! We encourage participation of children and teenagers in our self defense classes. We understand that one of the biggest fears a parent has is the personal safety and overall wellbeing of their child. We understand, because we are parents ourselves.
Therefore, our self defense classes welcome young children and teenagers alike, to come train alongside their parent.
Anyone, at any age, could benefit from self defense classes!
There are some easy answers to this question “Why do children need to know self defense?”
Safety, awareness, power and much, much more; a list with the reasons why all of our children, male and female, need to know how to defend themselves (against a bully at school or in case of an attempted kidnapping) goes on and on.
It is by no means a complete list, but a great start to understand how self defense can help your child in childhood and beyond! (think college, and work environment!)
There is no ‘right’ age and no ‘wrong’ age for children to learn self defense, but we recommend starting the process early! In our Myrtle Beach Self Defense Classes we’ve had girls as young a 6 years old join the class. Often, preteens and teenager join us – and not all girls either. We feel anytime a child asks is a good time to teach them self defense, as well as anytime you feel your child could use a dose of self confidence.
When the children are very young, simple tricks and useful language are taught. Even a six year old can yell, scream, pull hair, bite, kick and punch and adult!
When teenagers come in to our self defense classes, they are often more reserved and need to be encouraged to be more vocal. They are taught to yell and draw attention to the situation before it escalates. With the older teens we also go over rape defense, knife safety, gun safety and pepper spray usage – because why have it not be able to use it?
Private classes or group self defense classes and martial arts classes are great ways to teach children self defense.
Children (and adults) learn by repetition, so we encourage children to get on the mat and learn self defense moves. We also demonstrate how to escape, how to attack, how to defend and much, much more. We purposely don’t always match people up according to size, because often those who attack you will be bigger, stronger, larger, taller. That type of intimidation needs to be removed – a child needs to have the confidence to know s/he can do something to get out of a dangerous or hairy situation, even if the attacker is larger or taller.
We recommend repeating self defense classes at a minimum twice per year, if the child is not enrolled in a martial art program, but ideally s/he would take a monthly class to be able to keep practicing and learning these self defense moves!
Check out our Facebook Page Myrtle Beach Self Defense and ‘like’ us to stay informed of new classes.
Also, check out our Myrtle Beach Self Defense website to learn about our mission and our ‘why‘.
Are you a strong woman?
Are you confident?
Are you street smart?
Even women WITH confidence and street smarts need to know self defense!
But…
Not everyone we meet thinks they are a candidate!
Check out this handy #infographic to see who you should invite to join you for the next self defense class!
For ALL women (and girls) we have developed a self defense division of Strand Security.
To learn more about our very important ‘WHY’, read this!
Our class in September was so fun!
Now we are gearing up for the next two classes!
Contact Heather at 843-318-1192 to sign up for either of these classes. Payment is due upon registration.
All classes are held at Karate World in Surfside Beach!
We have written several articles about self defense and reading this might help safe your life!
Don’t hesitate to read!
Here are 3 self defense moves you need to know
and 13 simple self defense tips that could safe your life
Don’t forget to connect with Heather of Myrtle Beach Self Defense; call her at 843-318-1192 or send her an email at heather@strandsecurity.com
We at Strand Security are very much concerned with your personal safety, not ‘just’ your security!
Why?
Years ago Heather was robbed at gun point. After this traumatic experience, she’s used her knowledge and experience (about self defense) to educate women and young girls about the importance of self defense. Strand Security has been offering FREE CLASSES to their customers under the Myrtle Beach Self Defense umbrella. Community members can also attend for a small fee. These classes have been fun, educational and most of all, empowering to women and girls.
However… can knowing and practicing self defense protect you at all times?
Read on…!
In these classes, we don’t only teach and practice self defense techniques, but we also talk about ways to stay safe and to prevent being a victim. We understand that we can’t always prevent crime from happening, but learning to recognize warning signs, and not putting yourself into a bad situation to start with can do a lot to prevent an attack on your person.
While we have these discussions in class, the subject of carrying a concealed weapon comes up every single time!
We can’t make a judgement call for you whether you should be a concealed weapon carrier, or not. What we can do is give you some additional resources for you to check out so that you yourself can make a more educated decision about how to protect yourself and those you love.
We searched google, of course and found the following articles.
Please read these at your convenience and learn as much as you can.
Defending Your Castle – Self Defense in South Carolina
From the piece
To convict a person of murder or voluntary manslaughter based on the use of deadly force against another person who is attempting to enter his home, the State is required to negate that person’s claim of self-defense. Under South Carolina law, a person is justified in using deadly force in self-defense if: (1) he was without fault in bringing on the difficulty; (2) he was in danger of losing his life or of sustaining serious bodily injury or he actually believed such; (3) if his defense is based on belief, his belief was not unreasonable or, if his defense is based on actual danger, the circumstances would warrant the fatal blow; and (4) he had no other probable means of avoiding the danger of losing his own life or sustaining serious bodily injury than to act as he did.
Avoiding Charges for Self Defense With A Weapon in South Carolina
From the piece
South Carolina has a “stand your ground” law which protects those who use force in self-defense. The stand your ground law is found in the Code of Laws in Title 16, section 16-11-440.
According to this law, if a person is not doing anything illegal and that person is attacked in any place where he or she has a right to be (including your home, your work, or a public place), that person has the right to stand his ground ground and “meet force with force, including deadly force,” as long as he “reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent death or great bodily injury to himself or another person or to prevent the commission of a violent crime as defined in Section 16-1-60.”
For stand your ground laws to protect you, you must have actually believed that you or someone else would be hurt or that a violent crime would have been committed if you had not taken action. Your belief of an imminent risk of harm must have been a reasonable one.
Self Defense in South Carolina
From the piece
Self-defense in South Carolina is a concept that many people probably think they know and understand or at the very least have heard of it. However, what is self-defense and what self-defense is not is probably drastically different from what the average person understands. This article discusses the law on self-defense and how it is applied in South Carolina.
A Detailed Look at South Carolina’s Stand Your Ground Law
From the piece
According to the Protection of Persons and Property Act (“PPPA”) a/k/a “Stand Your Ground” law, a person has the ability to protect himself or herself, even through the use of deadly force, if someone else is unlawfully and forcefully entering a home or occupied vehicle, or if someone is removing or attempting to remove another person against his will from the home or occupied vehicle. A reading of the current law doesn’t appear to require it to be YOUR home or vehicle, so long as you were invited to be in the home or vehicle by the owner or person living there.
The PPPA DOESN’T apply if:
The “intruder” has a right to be in the home or occupied vehicle, such as being a resident, an owner, a tenant, or titleholder to the property or vehicle. We caution you that if you invited this person into your home, and then later kick them out, you are likely not entitled to protection under the law. On May 7, 2014, the South Carolina Court of Appeals issued an opinion in State v. Manning which stated that “Stand Your Ground” does not apply if the person was invited into your home. If you shoot someone and go to trial, the jury may still be told that they can consider other defenses, such as the old Castle Doctrine Law or the law of self-defense, but immunity under the “Stand Your Ground” statute is out.
The person being removed from the home or vehicle is a child, grandchild, or person under lawful guardianship of the “intruder.”
You are engaged in unlawful activity or using the home or vehicle in furtherance of unlawful activity. The law does not define “unlawful activity.” However, if you were conducting a drug deal in your house when the incident occurs, you are probably not protected by the statute.
- The “intruder” is a law enforcement officer performing his duties, so long as the person defending himself knew or reasonably should have known it was a police officer.
Whichever way you want and need to protect yourself and those you love, do it with a plan.
Know you rights!
If you want to learn self defense, get in touch with us at Strand Security. Fall classes are starting back up. As always, classes are free to our Strand Security customers.
…
Answer: Two self defense experts!
We at Strand Security are exited to announce that our division ‘Myrtle Beach Self Defense‘ has partnered with a second self defense instructor.
And… yes, more exciting news, we are working on a website!
Before we introduce you to our newest self defense instructor, we have another important announcement.
Myrtle Beach Self Defense now has a new LOGO!
We are thrilled with the new design work courtesy of Jen Egan Design!
If you haven’t seen our Myrtle Beach Self Defense Facebook Page with this new logo, go check it out.
Myrtle Beach Self Defense, division of Strand Security, is growing and growing…!
Yes, can you believe it?
We are thrilled to partner with Master Jason as we now have TWO martial arts experts on our team at Myrtle Beach Self Defense.
Jason began his karate training in 1984 under Master Gene Lewis in Mullins, South Carolina. He received his adult black belt in 1990 and served four years as a U.S. Marine before opening Karate World of Surfside Beach, South Carolina in 1995. His love of physical fitness, teaching, and community involvement makes Karate World an ideal place for students to develop their own leadership skills.
This class is from 12-3 PM on Saturday March 11 and will be taught by Amos Collins.
The two April classes will be from 1-4PM and taught by Master Jason on April 8 and April 29.
All Myrtle beach Self Defense Classes take place at Homewatch Caregivers in Murrells Inlet.
For more information, or to sign up for a class, email heather@strandsecurity.com or call her at 843-318-1192.
If you have questions about home security, please call 843-318-6392 and speak with Chuck!
Many of us don’t even want to think about it – but reality is that we can be in a scary and dangerous situation in the blink of an eye! Be prepared, knowing how to defend yourself, can mean the difference between life – or death.
More often than not, when presented with a dangerous situation, instincts kick in. Muscle memory takes over and we act without thinking rationally.
Learning self defense moves; meaning not just understanding and watching a video but training your muscles so when placed in a dangerous situation your body will remember how to kick, push, punch, pull, drop, scrape etc. can really up your chances of survival in a real-life situation!
Myrtle Beach self defense was created because of a life-or-death situation. If you’ve never heard Heather’s personal story of survival, go here to read it and watch the TV coverage!
Heather credits her survival during an armed robbery to the self defense classes she took year prior in high school. Her instincts kicked in when presented with a gun in her face and even though she was scared, frightened and in deep trouble, she remembered a few important lessons and her muscles remembered how to defend! She kicked, punched and fought her way out – ultimately surviving because of that knowledge she had. Heather is convinced the man that was holding her at gunpoint had nothing good in mind and would have killed her given the chance.
We’ve turned something bad into something really great; Myrtle Beach Self Defense is a direct result of this armed assault!
We now offer monthly scheduled classes in Murrells Inlet at Homewatch Caregivers!
Just to give you an idea of who these classes are for… check out these fab pictures!
In a recent video, Heather of Strand Security and Amos, our self defense instructor, show us 3 self defense moves.
Arent’ these moves cool?
Our next self defense classes are scheduled for
February 11
March 11
Please email heather@strandsecurity.com to sign up!
In the meantime, come check out and ‘like’ our Facebook Page for the latest self defense tips, updates and class schedules!
PS
These classes are FREE of charge for customers of Strand Security and caregivers of Homewatch Caregivers.
Unfortunately, many of us don’t know ‘how we will react’ until we are attacked.
You can never really completely prepare for the unexpected – but you can practice!
Personal safety is a huge concern and should be on top of your list of things to ‘prepare for”.
This list should also include
So how will you react when attacked?
Heather of Strand Security was held at gunpoint during a store robbery.
What she did was…FIGHT!
Her message to all of us is very clear.
NEVER GIVE UP
There is always something you can do, there is always a way to fight.
She learned this in high school during a self-defense class; she credits this class, and the knowledge she received, with saving her life during the armed robbery!
You know what else she’s doing?
Just last week, Strand Security announced their next Self Defense Class!
On Dec. 3, you need to be there with us, so can be prepared should you ever be attacked.
Listen to, and watch, this video; both Heather and Dorien talk about why this self-defense class is so important and they each give you ONE THING they learned from the last class they took!
Don’t YOU want to know what to do when attacked, and practice those moves in a safe environment?
Join us on Saturday December 3 for the next self defense class.
If you don’t want to go alone, we get that, too!
Grab a friend and sign up for our next class and if you don’t know whom to ask, check out this AWESOME list of people in your life who need self-defense!
Here is the info to sign up.
We can’t wait to see you on Saturday December 3 in Murrells Inlet!
Just in case you missed it…
Strand Security made the local news (as in – we were on TV!) last Wednesday May 4, 2016 when Erin MacPherson of WPDE News 15 came out for an interview with Heather of Strand Security!
Here is the video that is posted to their website!
Heather Bryant of Strand Security was held at gunpoint but fought back, fought free and survived.
Years later, after years of therapy as she tell it in the TV interview, she is still fighting, but this time it’s YOUR LIFE she is fighting for.
Heather credits her survival to knowing a bit of martial arts and taking a self-defense class way back in high school. Lessons she’d learned a long time ago came back and helped her when she needed it most.
She now is on a mission to bring self-defense to anyone who wants to learn.
She’s teamed up with a local Myrtle Beach martial arts expert Amos Collins to bring self classes to the Grand Strand community!
The first class will take place on Saturday May 21, and sign up for the June class is already in motion as well.
Who are these self-defense classes for?
This self-defense class is for everyone, but check out 7 People In Your Life Who Need To Know Self-Defense if you THINK you don’t know anyone who could use this 3 hour self-defense seminar!
We’d love to see you along with your neighbor, friend, colleague, family, or teenager!
Sign up for the self-defense class right here!
Did we mention yet that this class is FREE for any residential or commercial customers of Strand Security?
Yes it is!
We want all of our customers to be safe and secure.
YOUR SECURITY (AND SAFETY). OUR BUSINESS!
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you felt uncomfortable, or scared? Someone might have been approaching you and you just weren’t sure what to do or how to handle it?
What if that happened and you were with a loved one? How about with a young child, your teenager or your aging parent?
Wouldn’t you want to protect them?
If you’ve ever flown in an airplane you know the emergency drill; in case of emergency, always put on your own oxygen mask first, before helping those sitting near you, because what good are you to anyone if you can’t breathe yourself!
The same is true for personal safety.
How can you protect your small child, your teenager, your spouse or your aging parent, if you don’t know how to take care of yourself in a hairy (and scary) situation?
We highly recommend everyone take a self-defense class at some point in their life, preferably BEFORE they are attacked!
This is personal to us; read Heather’s Story here.
So who really should be taking a self-defense class?
Here they are, along with the reasons why they are more vulnerable than other people.
Teenagers think they are invincible. They are often very self-centered and do not look around in crowds. They need to know self-defense as they start to spend more time away from their parents, coaches and the adults in their life. They are embarking one new adventures and they need to become self-reliant. Knowing some basic self-defense moves is an important step!
Elderly people are often victims of robberies in parking lots and home burglaries. Knowing self-defense moves can help someone survive and fight back when needed. Just knowing basics do’s and don’ts and a move or two will have them be more confident if ever confronted with a bad situation.
Many burglaries and attacks are premeditated. Someone living alone is an easy target for someone looking for an easy victim. Just for that reason alone, you should encourage your single friend(s) to take a basic self-defense class. Better be safe than sorry!
If you know someone who likes to run (or bike) on their own, especially early in the morning, please encourage them to take a self-defense class. Other precautions include to never run with headphones and run with a friend whenever possible.
Have you ever thought about the freedom a new driver has? We don’t mean the freedom to drive anywhere they want, but the freedom to drive anywhere they want, alone! Many new drivers venture out to the mall alone for the first time, to the movies to meet a friend, or to the grocery store. Whereas before they were driven so they would arrive in a pack of two (or three or more) a new driver is alone, often for the first time ever! Easy target…!
Sending your teenager off to college is stressful. Worrying about their safety daily can break you. Please, if you know a college student, encourage them to learn self-defense! You’ll sleep better and they will be much better off in case an attack happens.
If you’ve been busy thinking about who should be taking up self-defense, do not forget about yourself! You can not ever help someone else if you do not know how to react in case of an emergency yourself.
Learn what to do, what not to do, how to fight, how to run, how to attract attention and more.
Are you ready?
Are you in the Myrtle Beach area?
…and if you’d like a home security system installed, don’t forget to give us a call.