Do You Have What it Takes to be a Protection Specialist - Part One

So you want to be a bodyguard and you do not know where to start. What are some of the requirements to work as bodyguard? There are some obvious answers to this question, but that does not mean you will qualify to be a bodyguard. To give you an example, you want to be an opera singer. You have a high school diploma, you have taken some singing lessons, you have learned to read music, sight-read a song, maybe even play an instrument, you are ambitious, cooperative, get along well with other people and have completed a college level course on music theory. Even with all of this preparation, that does not mean you will be a professional opera singer.

Whether you want to be a plumber, a lawyer, or a computer programmer, just having a certificate of completion never guarantees you will land a job in your chosen career field regardless of how expensive the school you attended happened to be. The same is true if you want to be a bodyguard, more appropriately called Protection Specialist. You will not necessarily get a job in this field just because you graduated from bodyguard school.

This is a list of requirements that will help you to get the job you want, however. To be a Protection Specialist you must:

• Be in top physical condition. This means people with a heart condition, high blood pressure, who are excessively overweight or any other condition that will prevent you from performing strenuous physical activities that are inherent to the job of Protection Specialist will not be considered for the position.
• Have vision that is 20/20-corrected. Contact lenses are preferable to glasses, but not necessarily a deterrent to the profession.
• Be between the ages of 21 to 55. Age is not always a factor because a more important factor is physical condition and experience.
  Have a mature attitude.
• Have the ability to quickly assess a situation so you can give the proper response.
• Not be moody or overly aggressive or hostile or be slow to respond when a crisis arises.
• Have the ability to perform under dangerous and adverse conditions.
• Be able to take complete charge in an emergency situation or other dangerous situation.
• Be totally dedicated to duty to be a successful executive protection specialist.
• Have the training and high aptitude in the ability to defend yourself and your client.
• Have knowledge of disarming techniques and defensive techniques that will enable you to protect yourself and your client in both armed and unarmed situations.
• Be able to subdue and control the perpetrator until law enforcement authorities can be notified and arrive on the scene.
• Practice your skills to continually improve your physical condition and ability to use weapons of defense.
• Know hand-to-hand combat and basic self-defense skills.
  

In addition to the above skills, an Executive Protection Specialist must be proficient in:

• Defensive tactics
• Driving skills
• Communication skills
• Weapons use
• First aid and CPR

Not only must you posses these skills, they must be practiced until they are second nature and instinctive. This is not only important for the protection of the client, but for the Protection Specialist's self-confidence. Strong self-confidence goes a long way in assisting the Protection Specialist in making the correct decision quickly.

CJF Security offers a comprehensive training program that will get you started on your career as a Protection Specialist or an Executive Protection Specialist.

Karen Vertigan Pope writes for Ciniva Systems, an award winning Virginia web design company. Ciniva specializes in web design and SEO. Ms. Vertigan Pope is the President of the SEO Department of Ciniva Systems.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_Vertigan_Pope

What is a Personal Protection Specialist?

They used to be called “bodyguards.” Now, the correct term is “personal protection specialist.” There is much more to this profession than what people see in movies and on TV.
Personal protection specialists are hired to protect celebrities, executives, officials, politicians, diplomats, world leaders and other high profile or public figures. With the increased globalization of business and an ever-increasing culture of celebrity, personal protection specialists are being hired by people who are wary of stalkers, paparazzi, assassins and kidnappers. It was once popular for a body guard to be large and intimidating, however, today’s personal protection specialists have to be able to both check the limo for a car bomb and be able to carry on a smart conversation at an executive get-together.

Personal protection specialists plan and organize their client’s movements to reduce the possibility of harm. For example, when Oprah goes shopping, her protection specialist where and when and how the shopping trip will proceed to reduce risk of danger. Before a high powered executive gives a speech, their protection specialists arrive in advance to check for any possible breaches in security. Even the Pope travels with protection specialists who can protect him from over-zealous paparazzi or a would-be assassin.

Most specialists today attend special training courses to develop their skills including first aid, weapons training, defensive and offensive driving and responding to terrorist threats. Many times, personal protection specialists are ex-Marines, retired police officers or FBI agents that have been schooled in the art of security and protection.

This profession may seem glamorous and exciting, but it can be a very boring job, too. Protection specialists will spend many hours on duty when nothing is really happening and some even serve as status symbols who only insulate the wealthy from inconvenient people. Also, protection specialist spend a lot of time performing tasks that seem more like something a butler would do.