"THE WHISTLE OR NOT THE WHISTLE? THAT IS THE QUESTION!"

Acorn Tops Used by the Ancient Chinese

 

The whistle has been used since ancient times as a way to attract attention to potential threats and danger.  In 3^rd century China, Night Watchmen used the top of acorns as their whistles.  They would blow into the tops to alert the towns to invading Mongolian forces.

The Ancient Egyptians on the other hand would use two blades of the papyrus plant as their whistles.  They would hold the blades together in between their palms and blow into their palms to make a very loud sound. Ingenious!

Blades of the Papyrus Plant

 However, it was around 1875 that the first brass whistle was designed by Joseph and James Hudson, from Birmingham, England.  This was the first whistle to be used by football referees.  Before this, handkerchiefs would be used to signal the players.

It was in 1884 that the Hudson brothers introduced their whistle to Scotland Yard (the Metropolitan Police Service responsible for policing London). The whistles were used to call for back-up in threatening situations. Its shrill, piercing sound was loud enough to attract attention and get help.  They were so successful that they were quickly adopted by Police Forces around the United Kingdom.

British 'Bobby' on his London Beat

Being born and raised in London, my image of a typical British ‘Bobby’ was of a uniformed man, wearing a helmet, carrying a truncheon and a whistle, walking his beat around London Town, protecting the citizens.  No tasers, no guns, just a simple, basic truncheon and whistle.

After almost 100 years in use by the Police Force, the last operational whistles were phased out in 1974/75, when hand-held personal radios were introduced to call for back-up.  However, the police whistle has made a return to the City of Cambridge, England, after 35 years.  The reason behind its reintroduction was to deal with cyclists who abuse the cycling laws around this university city.  If a cyclist ignores a ‘no entry’ or ‘no cycling’ sign, one blow of the whistle will stop them in their tracks.

People have been conditioned to know that when they hear the loud, sharp, shrill sound of a whistle, it is a call for action and it gets immediate attention.  The human ear is sensitive to high sounds.  So even though shouting loudly will attract attention, it does not have the same intensity as the sound of a 120 decibels whistle.  In this respect, the whistle can be an effective form of self-defense.

The whistle can be seen as one of the safest forms of personal protection. Unlike many other personal safety products, like pepper spray and stun guns, a whistle cannot be turned on you.  As a high-pitched sound will attract attention, it is likely to deter a criminal, as they do not wish to be caught.  Here are some other reasons why the whistle can be the best personal safety product:

Whistle designed by Festivity Designs

 

       1.      Children of ALL ages can use them.

2.      If you do not have a loud voice, or are unable to use your voice, the whistle can become your voice!

3.      You can carry a whistle in your pocket, or wear it around your neck or wrist.

4.      You can travel with it anywhere, including going through airport security.

5.      If misused, whether intentionally or not, it will not harm an innocent person, though likely to cause some discomfort to the ears!

However, all this being said, NO personal safety product, including the whistle, is a substitute for reliable personal safety training.  A serious attacker may ignore a whistle and snatch it away from you.  The same is for pepper spray or a stun gun.  The POWERHOUSE Program is intended to change the mindsets of participants about using full strength and physical force in order to defend themselves.  It is the reason the POWERHOUSE Program is designed to build up confidence and courage before training the physical component of personal safety.  A lot of females are conditioned not to shout and to shy away from physical confrontation.  The dangerous result of this is that they may freeze and not respond to a potential threat, and therefore not use their voice, their whistle, or any other personal safety product.  Proper education, which the POWERHOUSE Program provides, is essential, in order for everyone, especially children and young adults, to learn how to effectively use their whistles if they are under some kind of threat, or even being lost.

The POWERHOUSE Program is designed to increase your self-esteem and provide the confidence that heightens your sense of awareness! RISE UP! SPEAK UP! POWER UP!

Take the first step towards your personal safety TODAY by contacting us at POWERHOUSE STRONG!

PowerhouseStrong@gmail.com
http://powerhouseselfdefense.com