Every survival situation has particular demands – depending on your skill set, you can meet them fully, partly or in the worst case scenario, not at all.

These survival skills require experience and practice and you should, if you do not possess them now, do everything you can to master them.

Situational awareness

The likelihood that you will encounter a physical assault, mugging or robbery is higher than a lot of other crimes. Many say that violence has gone down but I couldn’t tell. It seems like on an everyday basis there is a story in news of somebody being attacked, robbed or killed.

With that being said it is important to develop situational awareness skills. This skill will help you to identify potentially dangerous people and how to avoid them. For example, if you are aware that there are some shady people standing in a dark alley you might consider taking another route.

Some other things that you can do to help you develop situational awareness skills include:
• Do away with distractions like your cellphone or tablets when walking in public places
• Sit with your back against the wall of public places with your eyes on the entrances
• Identify exits to take in case of a shooting inside a restaurant
• Practice people watching by considering what they are doing and where they are going

Medical

Medical professionals will be in high demand when SHTF. However, it is still important to learn basic skills like CPR and applying first aid. Even now it is important for a prepper to understand how to bandage a wound especially if you have just been involved in an accident or even something more extreme like a shooting. You can typically take EMT courses in your local area to get started with the basics.

Just recently this came in handy for me after witnessing a really bad car accident. I was able to quickly respond by providing the basics to those who were involved. A few bystanders and myself were able to appropriately direct traffic while attending to them until the real heroes showed up. Prepping is not always about yourself. It is a gift knowing that you are able to help other people.

Hunting/Fishing

Today we live in a microwave culture where everything is quick and easy. When we get hungry we simply stop by McDonald’s to stuff our chubby faces with hamburger meat that has been warmed up in a microwave. Or we get home and pop in a TV dinner into the microwave.

In today’s society we have moved away from the principals of being self-sufficient. That is why many suffer from job losses and other financial crisis because no-one teaches the importance of being self-reliance. Instead we are taught to depend on the government when we are in need.

Being able to hunt or fish are important prepper skills that we must develop today. If the grid goes down tomorrow who is going to microwave that hamburger for you? When the grocery store shelves are wiped clean by looters where will you get your next meal? Being able to fish or hunt will help you survive.

This is by no means all the survival skills you need to practice and develop, but they are three sets of skills that you will in all likelihood need in some iteration in a survival situation.

Even if you do not need a specific skill in a specific situation, you do not know what type of survival crisis will confront you, so you need to know them in advance.

For more information on basic survival skills, every survivalist must learn and master, check out Smart Prepper Gear.