ljs@hlhop.UUCP (Lotta Stallman) (02/23/84)
To Gene Spafford: Your article (and attitude) remind me of my karate instructor: "Unless you are willing to hurt your attacker, you might as well just do anything he wants." He's right. Untrained people, especially women, seem to have an innate reluctance to physically damage or disable another person. Occasionally in our dojo we practice street defense, and I have learned at least two things from these classes. One is that the average man is much stronger than I thought. I was always a big kid, and never had any trouble fighting with other kids in school - girls or boys. When I grew up and put away childish things I retained the impression that I was probably still as strong as a man my size. My karate training quickly dispelled that illusion. Another thing I learned was that strength is not a determining factor in a street situation. Surprise, aggresiveness, and the famous "one good technique" often save the day. "All you need is one good technique," my teacher said, one good strike or kick to slow down or disable your opponent, and you will control the situation. It is not difficult to break an elbow or a nose or an eardrum; you just have to know what to do and be quick about it. In street situations, eyes, knees, and groin are the three vulnerable areas. Your attacker can't reach you if he's blinded or has a broken kneecap or is in severe pain. And once he's down, you make sure he doesn't get up for a while, and invoke the first rule of karate: run away. Don't wait for his friends to show up. In general, I agree with Gene's comments, and think his article was a good "man page" for street defense. I have never had to use this knowledge, either - and hope I never will - but it's still a good thing to know. By the way, an excellent book on this subject is Py Bateman's "Fear into Anger, a Manual of Self-Defense for Women," Nelson-Hall, 1978. Ms. Bateman is a karate instructor, whose book emphasizes forethought, conditioning, a realistic appraisal of situations and an agressive attitude. Chapters include Staying in Shape, Weapons Defense, Impromptu Weapons, Special Situations and The Prevention of Rape.
ken@ihuxq.UUCP (ken perlow) (02/23/84)
--
Spaf's suggestions have a lot of merit, and his comments about
psyching yourself up to really hurt someone are absolutely
correct, but consider:
(1) The techniques won't work unless you have trained sufficiently
to be able to do them instinctively and can focus your blows
accurately.
(2) You have to NOT PANIC when one OR MORE of the meanest
motherf***ers you've ever seen is trying to maim you or worse.
As for (1), the throat and knees are the most vulnerable and
damagable even if your aim is bad. Everyone says "kick 'im in
the nuts", but it ain't that easy. First off, if you miss, you
hit the thigh or hip, which may be the least vulnerable targets.
Second, men instinctively protect their groins. Don't go for it
unless you know you're fast enough.
As for (2), in my karate school we practiced 2, 3, and 4-on-1
sparring. It's not like tournaments. You have to keep moving,
and even so, you get hit. WE did it to help prepare MENTALLY
for a bad situation. Keeping centered, collected, in control--
that's the real martial arts lesson.
So, the only quickie suggestion I have--the only one you can
practice up on fast--is: YELL! Not a high-pitched, from-the-chest,
out-of-control scream, but a low, loud, from-the-gut, focused
bellow. This is the "ki-i" you've heard karatekas do, if only
in the movies. If you do it right, you will look fierce because
you will be centered. And your attacker will have to contend with
the possibility that you know martial arts, or are insane.
A good ki-i may give you the few seconds you need to get away.
A better solution is to get martial arts training. It doesn't
matter which variety, so long as it stresses mind and body
conditioning. A number of schools are into tournament sparring.
This is not good training for self-defense unless you know that
you'll be attacked only by someone who fights by tournament rules.
--
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