You are out for an evening walk with your partner/spouse and an aggressive man approaches, yelling at both of you.

A home invasion. You must protect your family -get them to safety.

A co worker is attacked at the office or off-site.

Christopher Gagne

Lead Instructor, International Krav Maga Federation, Toronto

When we hear the term "third party protection" we often think of bodyguards protecting state officials or celebrities. While this is certainly an aspect of third party protection there is a more practical application for most of us: protecting those we spend time with - friends, co-workers, and family.Self defense training tends to focus on protecting yourself but real life situations might require you to help others.Some possible scenarios:There are innumerable examples. On December 4, 2014, here in Toronto, a woman and her 21 month old baby were attacked by a 14 year old boy, and a 12 year old girl. She was allegedly punched and kicked and the baby was briefly snatched from the woman's arms.Learning how to protect others includes body positioning, strike prevention, releasing others from hold and chokes, even weapons defenses. Sometimes, it is simply getting help. Essentially, it comes down to defending someone who is vulnerable due to lack of physical ability, skill, or awareness of the danger.Third party protection is very challenging but, in my view, a necessary part of of any practical self defense program. After all, we are social animals, spending much our time with others, including people we care about.Here is a video with one of our Global Instructors, Tamir Gilad, teaching workshop participants in New York City how to protect others.Stay safe,