Between being a martial arts instructor and a former police officer I am always in "self defense" mode. What does that mean? It means that one should be aware of their surroundings and the potential for danger at all times. If I go into a store I am usually the first to spot someone shop lifting. If I walk into a bar my attention goes straight to the drunk who is beginning to get belligerent. If I am eating at a restaurant, my back is never to the front door. It is just part of my nature now.
There are many simple ways to be self defense minded for the average person in today's world.
Gas prices are sky rocketing through the roof. So people immediately go out and buy these tiny cars like the "Mini Cooper". Granted, these cars are adorable and will save a lot in gas but when you have the majority of the public still driving huge SUV's, driving a Mini Cooper is a death wish. In an accident the Mini Cooper will be squished like a grape. Common sense self defense.
Do not talk and text on cell phones while you are driving. Driving is one of the most dangerous activities you can engage in. It is a good idea to be aware of the other drivers. After all, they are all talking and texting on their cell phones! Common sense self defense.
I see women jogging alone on jogging paths, iPods in their ears, completely oblivious to their surroundings. This is exactly what predators look for. A dog is not a viable self defense answer either. A rapist with a knife can take a dog out in 3 seconds. Jog, bike, walk with a friend or even a group. Do not wear an iPod because you have to be able to hear whats going on around you. You do not want to get hit by a car because you are enjoying your favorite tune. Common sense self defense.
Going to the mall by yourself? Do not park in the parking garage. The parking garage is a perfect place to get robbed. Common sense self defense.
These are just a few common sense self defense ideas that you can use. Sometimes they can be inconvenient but think about the alternative.
Ted Hanulak is the head instructor / Sensei of the Japanese martial art of Senso-Ryu Aikijutsu. He teaches Aikijutsu and Zen meditation out of the Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis http://www.aiki-jutsu.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ted_Hanulak
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Set up your MMA gym today
How to Set up a MMA Gym at Home
If you are serious about your mixed martial arts training, then you know your training is not confined to the dojo. Much of a serious mixed martial artist's training occurs outside of the dojo. If you want to train on your own, at your own pace, then having your own MMA gym at home is completely indispensable.
How can you go about setting up your own MMA gym at home? There are only a few bare necessities that are absolutely necessary for a proper gym, and a few which will add immense value to your training environment.
Lets begin by considering how you can turn any given empty room in your house into a training area. A great room that can be transformed into a MMA gym at your home would be an attic, an extra bedroom, a garage, or a basement. Essentially, all you need is enough empty space to move about while training, and a ceiling high enough to accommodate your heavy bag.
Once you have chosen a room, you should go about clearing out the floor space and covering it with some high density padding. High density padding will help absorb the impact from takedowns and constant movement barefoot. While it should be high impact padding, it shouldn't be too soft because if it is you will not be able to move properly on it. The right type of floor covering is available from most martial arts suppliers online.
Now that you have prepared the flooring, the next step would be finding a suitable anchoring for a heavy bag. A heavy bag is exceptionally important for striking and kicking technique training. It should be heavy enough to absorb your hardest attacks so you can progressively get stronger. Another great item to have in your home gym is a two sided bag which is fastened to the ceiling as well as the floor. This will allow you to train your reflexes and coordinate your strike timing.
Along with the two bags, a speed bag or jump rope are great additions to your home gym. A few kettlebells and a sandbag piled in the corner can make great training aids. If you add a pullup bar, you will be prepared for hardcore renegade MMA training in the comfort of your own home.
Another aspect of your home gym you should take note of is air flow. Having a decent flow of fresh air is extremely important when pushing yourself to the limit during a MMA training session. This can be supplied by an open window or a door and a fan. Low oxygen levels will have a detrimental effect on your ability to train at your higher intensity levels.
Now that you have a training area with a heavy bag and flooring, there is only one last thing you could add to maximize your MMA home gym That is mirrors. Mirrors are a great way to sharpen your own skills and keep an eye on your technique. Covering a wall with panel mirrors is a great way to get a good view of what you are doing wrong, or right!
After your mixed martial arts gym is prepared, there is only one thing left to do. Put on your shorts and get training!
Learn more about how to setup a MMA Gym at home at http://www.mma-club.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jimmy_Cassel
If you are serious about your mixed martial arts training, then you know your training is not confined to the dojo. Much of a serious mixed martial artist's training occurs outside of the dojo. If you want to train on your own, at your own pace, then having your own MMA gym at home is completely indispensable.
How can you go about setting up your own MMA gym at home? There are only a few bare necessities that are absolutely necessary for a proper gym, and a few which will add immense value to your training environment.
Lets begin by considering how you can turn any given empty room in your house into a training area. A great room that can be transformed into a MMA gym at your home would be an attic, an extra bedroom, a garage, or a basement. Essentially, all you need is enough empty space to move about while training, and a ceiling high enough to accommodate your heavy bag.
Once you have chosen a room, you should go about clearing out the floor space and covering it with some high density padding. High density padding will help absorb the impact from takedowns and constant movement barefoot. While it should be high impact padding, it shouldn't be too soft because if it is you will not be able to move properly on it. The right type of floor covering is available from most martial arts suppliers online.
Now that you have prepared the flooring, the next step would be finding a suitable anchoring for a heavy bag. A heavy bag is exceptionally important for striking and kicking technique training. It should be heavy enough to absorb your hardest attacks so you can progressively get stronger. Another great item to have in your home gym is a two sided bag which is fastened to the ceiling as well as the floor. This will allow you to train your reflexes and coordinate your strike timing.
Along with the two bags, a speed bag or jump rope are great additions to your home gym. A few kettlebells and a sandbag piled in the corner can make great training aids. If you add a pullup bar, you will be prepared for hardcore renegade MMA training in the comfort of your own home.
Another aspect of your home gym you should take note of is air flow. Having a decent flow of fresh air is extremely important when pushing yourself to the limit during a MMA training session. This can be supplied by an open window or a door and a fan. Low oxygen levels will have a detrimental effect on your ability to train at your higher intensity levels.
Now that you have a training area with a heavy bag and flooring, there is only one last thing you could add to maximize your MMA home gym That is mirrors. Mirrors are a great way to sharpen your own skills and keep an eye on your technique. Covering a wall with panel mirrors is a great way to get a good view of what you are doing wrong, or right!
After your mixed martial arts gym is prepared, there is only one thing left to do. Put on your shorts and get training!
Learn more about how to setup a MMA Gym at home at http://www.mma-club.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jimmy_Cassel
Many Arts
If you're looking for a creative way to get in shape, you may want to learn more about martial art styles so that you can relax your mind and body through the practices of martial arts. This guide will help you to figure out which of the combat styles is for you, and you'll also get information on which parts of the body you'll be working with your new exercise routine.
Each of the martial art styles is similar in nature, but there are distinctive differences that set each style apart. One of the main ways that fighting styles are set apart is in the way they are taught.
Soft and hard arts are also another way to classify martial arts; soft art has two principles--that the mind determines your actions, and that you should use your opponent's own body force to defeat him or her. Hard arts are based on the concepts that physical reactions are quicker than mental reactions, and that the opponent's force should be combated with force that is just as intense.
One of the most popular methods for fighting in the martial arts community is Aikido. This is a soft art, and originated in Japan. It teaches students how to take control of their attacker, and has been around since the 1920s. The movements for Aikido are done in circles, in order to create a complete range of motion for a better defense system. You may be able to find Aikido centers in your area, since the martial arts business is definitely starting to pick up in the Western world.
Judo is another martial art you may want to consider learning. This practice involves getting close the the opponent and fighting in a more aggressive manner. A person who practices Judo is called a Judoka, and you can even get your kids involved in this art by checking with your local recreation center or YMCA to check for class times and instructors.
If you enjoy combat that is a little more daring, you may also want to try Kung-Fu--this is one of the most ancient martial arts forms. There are different sub-divisions of this style, and the practice will also teach you discipline and self-control.
In order to be most prepared for your new class, you should make sure that your heart is in good condition, even though your immune system and heart rhythm will improve once you begin taking your classes. Making sure that you have enough fluids in your body during and after class is also a good way to make sure that you can maintain your energy, especially in the beginning stages.
Mike LaVallee is an MMA enthusiast, UFC fan and webmaster of UFC Fan Gear and Great UFC Tickets for the Best UFC Fight Tickets.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_LaVallee
Each of the martial art styles is similar in nature, but there are distinctive differences that set each style apart. One of the main ways that fighting styles are set apart is in the way they are taught.
Soft and hard arts are also another way to classify martial arts; soft art has two principles--that the mind determines your actions, and that you should use your opponent's own body force to defeat him or her. Hard arts are based on the concepts that physical reactions are quicker than mental reactions, and that the opponent's force should be combated with force that is just as intense.
One of the most popular methods for fighting in the martial arts community is Aikido. This is a soft art, and originated in Japan. It teaches students how to take control of their attacker, and has been around since the 1920s. The movements for Aikido are done in circles, in order to create a complete range of motion for a better defense system. You may be able to find Aikido centers in your area, since the martial arts business is definitely starting to pick up in the Western world.
Judo is another martial art you may want to consider learning. This practice involves getting close the the opponent and fighting in a more aggressive manner. A person who practices Judo is called a Judoka, and you can even get your kids involved in this art by checking with your local recreation center or YMCA to check for class times and instructors.
If you enjoy combat that is a little more daring, you may also want to try Kung-Fu--this is one of the most ancient martial arts forms. There are different sub-divisions of this style, and the practice will also teach you discipline and self-control.
In order to be most prepared for your new class, you should make sure that your heart is in good condition, even though your immune system and heart rhythm will improve once you begin taking your classes. Making sure that you have enough fluids in your body during and after class is also a good way to make sure that you can maintain your energy, especially in the beginning stages.
Mike LaVallee is an MMA enthusiast, UFC fan and webmaster of UFC Fan Gear and Great UFC Tickets for the Best UFC Fight Tickets.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_LaVallee
Self Defence for Woman
Women's Self-Defense Classes: The Fallacy of Women's Self Defense by Mark Jordan
There are many who say women learn self-defense better in an exclusively women-only environment. The so-called "experts" say it is less intimidating if women don't have to compete with the men, or, it is easier (more comfortable) to discuss subjects like rape without men present. So, the new trend in self-defense programs is "Women's Self Defense" classes.
I don't agree with this line of reasoning, because the overwhelming evidence suggests that this is the wrong approach. I can't tell you how many times I have heard, "I took a women's self-defense course once. But, I went home and tried some of the stuff on my husband (or boyfriend), and it didn't work!"
There is nothing more confidence-shattering than to spend the time learning all the techniques and starting to feel good about yourself, only to have the bubble burst the first time you try out your new-found skills. Women then begin to feel there is nothing they can do to protect themselves when they can't even make it work against someone who isn't really trying to hurt them.
The real shame is when someone is really attacked, and after repeated attempts, can't make their self-defense techniques work. At that point, they simply give up, and won't fight back no matter what. I can only imagine that someone in that situation would look back on the time or money spent for self-defense classes and feel that they had been victimized twice!
Why "Women's Self Defense" Programs Don't Work!
Most of the people who take my self-defense classes are women. Sometimes, I even have a class that is all women. However, that is by coincidence, not design. Women who sign up for my classes know that there may be both men and women in the class. Whether there are actually men in the class is not important, after all, I am instructing the class, so there is always at least one man in the class.
The point is, if a woman is so intimidated by men, that she will not even take a self-defense class with men, she will never survive an attack by a man. Why? Because "intimidation" is just another word for fear. Until she can prove to herself the techniques work on a man, she has done nothing to help her get over her fear of men.
If she is ever attacked, it will probably be by a man! If she hasn't gotten over her fear of men, she will immediately panic, no matter what she has learned. If she hasn't learned how to deal with the bigger, stronger, more aggressive male, she will not understand how the dynamics of the situation will change in the real world!
Women MUST practice self-defense techniques against a man! Otherwise, how will she know they work against a man? This is what we call "realistic scenario training" (more about this later). If she has only practiced self-defense techniques with other women, she gets a false sense of security that her techniques will work in the real world. But, an even bigger problem is that most of what is taught in these so-called "women's self-defense" classes wouldn't work anyway!
Poor Teaching Methods
Much of what is taught as "women's self-defense" is not only ineffectual, but insulting as well. Courses intended only for women assume they are weak, less capable of defending themselves, and therefore need different methods from men to counteract violence. Women have been told to "yell 'FIRE', carry a hat pin or umbrella to jab at him, do something vulgar to gross him out, like tell him you have VD." If any of that junk worked, we'd be teaching men to do the same thing.
The following sample of bad advice still shows up in high schools and women's self-defense courses:
"Confrontation always makes everything worse. Don't react-it might be an overreaction. Don't add to the violence by becoming violent yourself. Don't make him mad. Trying to escape risks escalating the problem."
These ideas are wishful thinking or blind optimism. Experience at real crime scenes teaches you something very different.
Imagine if the percentages of women and men raped were 50-50 instead of 98 percent women and 2 percent men. [Outside of prison, those are the true percentages.] Now imagine someone telling men, "Don't overreact to rape, guys. Go along with his demands so you won't be hurt." I think you can see there might be a double standard that is completely unfair to women.
Doing Nothing
Doing nothing against a violent attack is the biggest risk of all because it makes resistance and escape later far more difficult. Worse, statistics show it actually increases the likelihood that violence will escalate, especially when the crime is rape. The most profound example involving resisting (doing something) versus submitting (doing nothing) was a Department of Justice study of rape published in 1985:
-- Rapists do not normally pre-arm themselves with weapons. Only 23 percent of 1.6 million cases studied involved knives or guns. [The major exception to this are rapists who break into a residence; 96 percent grab a knife from the kitchen.]
-- Approximately 51 percent of women resisted in some form, ranging from screaming to fleeing, to fighting back; the remaining 49 percent did nothing.
-- When broken down between resistance or submission, there was only an increase of two percent in the injury level to the women who resisted.
Yes, there is always a risk involved in fighting back, but there is just as much risk in doing nothing. If you face a rapist and do nothing, he'll rape you. If you face an armed criminal forcing you into his car and do nothing, he'll kidnap you. The "do-nothing" group believes that in doing nothing, they risk nothing.
Doers, in contrast, have simple and direct reasons for taking action: "If I don't do something fast, it's going to get worse."
False Claims
Another problem is the false sense of security given by unsubstantiated claims. One direct-mail women's safety device provides an "instant and easy self-defense" video for women.... "Can you point your finger? ... Can you raise your hand? ... If your answer is yes, you can instantly escape anything from rape to severe attacks.... It's quick and easy." The product being mentioned here, pepper spray, almost never works this way in the real world. [Note: You may want to read this article on the Problems of using Self-defence Products.
One television commercial for a women's self-defense program promises "two-minute, guaranteed knockout using your feet. When your assailant tries to grab you, use the heel of your shoe to strike into his head over and over." Could you really learn to do this in two minutes? It takes years of training in karate or taekwondo to learn to effectively kick someone in the head, and even then, it's a risky move. It's just a marketing ploy to get your money.
If you buy a police radar detector that is guaranteed to work, but doesn't, the result is a speeding ticket. If you pay for "self-defense classes" or videos that don't deliver as promised, the result can be severe injury or even death. Relying on someone else's guarantee is only a false sense of security that will only have bad results!
Anti-crime gadgets, and martial arts self-defense programs marketed to women, are often too simplistic and come with unrealistic guarantees. The fact is, surviving crime requires far more mental toughness than physical abilities. Size, weight, conditioning, and upper-body strength don't make the difference. If they did, a lot of men would be in deep trouble. Crime survival takes tough-minded mental conditioning, the same for both men and women.
What Does Work
What works, as proved by the results of both police and military testing, is "realistic scenario training". Scenario training consists of learning techniques, rehearsing them in realistic scenarios, and then visualizing these actions in your mind. It is a method used in many fields, from sports to law enforcement, military to medicine.
Scenario training is a way of planning our responses. We do something similar every day in our regular lives. We plan what to say if the boss criticizes a report we've submitted, or how to appease our spouse if we've done something irritating. Often we actually rehearse the words we'll use, we do it constantly. It doesn't always get us what we want, but it gives us a better chance.
Face-to-face with violence, your first split-second problem is not what is he going to do, but, "what are you going to do?" Scenario training against violence answers that question at the right time ... before it happens. You can make mistakes and learn from them before it becomes a life or death situation! Scenario training to survive violent crime draws on real-life crime cases, which allows us to analyze our own mistakes, as well as the mistakes of others, learn from them, and decide how we will respond differently.
Without realistic scenario training, people panic and freeze up; they have no way to cut through the overwhelming fear that boxes them in during a crisis. Everyone needs to train for the same scenarios, and everyone, men and women alike, need to train the same way: to develop the mental toughness needed to survive a real attack!
Summary
This is the bottom line that must be adopted by every woman, every women's self-defense teacher, and every parent of a daughter: If the how-to-survive-violence technique and advice is not acceptable to men, it's not acceptable to women.
Knowing how to handle yourself when confronted with violence is your only insurance against becoming a victim, or just another statistic in a police report. You have car insurance, home-owner's insurance, life insurance, health insurance…
What insurance do you have against being the victim of a violent crime? A long-term self-defense program offers the most comprehensive training, and therefore, the best opportunity to learn to handle almost any situation that may occur. However, if you don't have the time to commit to a long-term program, at least some form of weaponless self-defense training is better than none.
But women MUST practice techniques with MEN! The idea that women can learn to defend themselves against men, without training with men, is simply false.
Resources:Strong, Sanford - Strong on Defense; Simon & Shuster, Inc.; 1996Federal Bureau of Investigation - Uniform Crime Report; 2000
About the Author
Mark Jordan is a 5th Degree Black Belt in Budoshin Jujitsu, Vice-president of the American Ju-Jitsu Association, and a Certified Self-Defense Instructor with the International Association of Close Combat Professionals. You may find out how to contact him for training, or read more of his articles by visiting his website: http://www.alljujitsu.com
There are many who say women learn self-defense better in an exclusively women-only environment. The so-called "experts" say it is less intimidating if women don't have to compete with the men, or, it is easier (more comfortable) to discuss subjects like rape without men present. So, the new trend in self-defense programs is "Women's Self Defense" classes.
I don't agree with this line of reasoning, because the overwhelming evidence suggests that this is the wrong approach. I can't tell you how many times I have heard, "I took a women's self-defense course once. But, I went home and tried some of the stuff on my husband (or boyfriend), and it didn't work!"
There is nothing more confidence-shattering than to spend the time learning all the techniques and starting to feel good about yourself, only to have the bubble burst the first time you try out your new-found skills. Women then begin to feel there is nothing they can do to protect themselves when they can't even make it work against someone who isn't really trying to hurt them.
The real shame is when someone is really attacked, and after repeated attempts, can't make their self-defense techniques work. At that point, they simply give up, and won't fight back no matter what. I can only imagine that someone in that situation would look back on the time or money spent for self-defense classes and feel that they had been victimized twice!
Why "Women's Self Defense" Programs Don't Work!
Most of the people who take my self-defense classes are women. Sometimes, I even have a class that is all women. However, that is by coincidence, not design. Women who sign up for my classes know that there may be both men and women in the class. Whether there are actually men in the class is not important, after all, I am instructing the class, so there is always at least one man in the class.
The point is, if a woman is so intimidated by men, that she will not even take a self-defense class with men, she will never survive an attack by a man. Why? Because "intimidation" is just another word for fear. Until she can prove to herself the techniques work on a man, she has done nothing to help her get over her fear of men.
If she is ever attacked, it will probably be by a man! If she hasn't gotten over her fear of men, she will immediately panic, no matter what she has learned. If she hasn't learned how to deal with the bigger, stronger, more aggressive male, she will not understand how the dynamics of the situation will change in the real world!
Women MUST practice self-defense techniques against a man! Otherwise, how will she know they work against a man? This is what we call "realistic scenario training" (more about this later). If she has only practiced self-defense techniques with other women, she gets a false sense of security that her techniques will work in the real world. But, an even bigger problem is that most of what is taught in these so-called "women's self-defense" classes wouldn't work anyway!
Poor Teaching Methods
Much of what is taught as "women's self-defense" is not only ineffectual, but insulting as well. Courses intended only for women assume they are weak, less capable of defending themselves, and therefore need different methods from men to counteract violence. Women have been told to "yell 'FIRE', carry a hat pin or umbrella to jab at him, do something vulgar to gross him out, like tell him you have VD." If any of that junk worked, we'd be teaching men to do the same thing.
The following sample of bad advice still shows up in high schools and women's self-defense courses:
"Confrontation always makes everything worse. Don't react-it might be an overreaction. Don't add to the violence by becoming violent yourself. Don't make him mad. Trying to escape risks escalating the problem."
These ideas are wishful thinking or blind optimism. Experience at real crime scenes teaches you something very different.
Imagine if the percentages of women and men raped were 50-50 instead of 98 percent women and 2 percent men. [Outside of prison, those are the true percentages.] Now imagine someone telling men, "Don't overreact to rape, guys. Go along with his demands so you won't be hurt." I think you can see there might be a double standard that is completely unfair to women.
Doing Nothing
Doing nothing against a violent attack is the biggest risk of all because it makes resistance and escape later far more difficult. Worse, statistics show it actually increases the likelihood that violence will escalate, especially when the crime is rape. The most profound example involving resisting (doing something) versus submitting (doing nothing) was a Department of Justice study of rape published in 1985:
-- Rapists do not normally pre-arm themselves with weapons. Only 23 percent of 1.6 million cases studied involved knives or guns. [The major exception to this are rapists who break into a residence; 96 percent grab a knife from the kitchen.]
-- Approximately 51 percent of women resisted in some form, ranging from screaming to fleeing, to fighting back; the remaining 49 percent did nothing.
-- When broken down between resistance or submission, there was only an increase of two percent in the injury level to the women who resisted.
Yes, there is always a risk involved in fighting back, but there is just as much risk in doing nothing. If you face a rapist and do nothing, he'll rape you. If you face an armed criminal forcing you into his car and do nothing, he'll kidnap you. The "do-nothing" group believes that in doing nothing, they risk nothing.
Doers, in contrast, have simple and direct reasons for taking action: "If I don't do something fast, it's going to get worse."
False Claims
Another problem is the false sense of security given by unsubstantiated claims. One direct-mail women's safety device provides an "instant and easy self-defense" video for women.... "Can you point your finger? ... Can you raise your hand? ... If your answer is yes, you can instantly escape anything from rape to severe attacks.... It's quick and easy." The product being mentioned here, pepper spray, almost never works this way in the real world. [Note: You may want to read this article on the Problems of using Self-defence Products.
One television commercial for a women's self-defense program promises "two-minute, guaranteed knockout using your feet. When your assailant tries to grab you, use the heel of your shoe to strike into his head over and over." Could you really learn to do this in two minutes? It takes years of training in karate or taekwondo to learn to effectively kick someone in the head, and even then, it's a risky move. It's just a marketing ploy to get your money.
If you buy a police radar detector that is guaranteed to work, but doesn't, the result is a speeding ticket. If you pay for "self-defense classes" or videos that don't deliver as promised, the result can be severe injury or even death. Relying on someone else's guarantee is only a false sense of security that will only have bad results!
Anti-crime gadgets, and martial arts self-defense programs marketed to women, are often too simplistic and come with unrealistic guarantees. The fact is, surviving crime requires far more mental toughness than physical abilities. Size, weight, conditioning, and upper-body strength don't make the difference. If they did, a lot of men would be in deep trouble. Crime survival takes tough-minded mental conditioning, the same for both men and women.
What Does Work
What works, as proved by the results of both police and military testing, is "realistic scenario training". Scenario training consists of learning techniques, rehearsing them in realistic scenarios, and then visualizing these actions in your mind. It is a method used in many fields, from sports to law enforcement, military to medicine.
Scenario training is a way of planning our responses. We do something similar every day in our regular lives. We plan what to say if the boss criticizes a report we've submitted, or how to appease our spouse if we've done something irritating. Often we actually rehearse the words we'll use, we do it constantly. It doesn't always get us what we want, but it gives us a better chance.
Face-to-face with violence, your first split-second problem is not what is he going to do, but, "what are you going to do?" Scenario training against violence answers that question at the right time ... before it happens. You can make mistakes and learn from them before it becomes a life or death situation! Scenario training to survive violent crime draws on real-life crime cases, which allows us to analyze our own mistakes, as well as the mistakes of others, learn from them, and decide how we will respond differently.
Without realistic scenario training, people panic and freeze up; they have no way to cut through the overwhelming fear that boxes them in during a crisis. Everyone needs to train for the same scenarios, and everyone, men and women alike, need to train the same way: to develop the mental toughness needed to survive a real attack!
Summary
This is the bottom line that must be adopted by every woman, every women's self-defense teacher, and every parent of a daughter: If the how-to-survive-violence technique and advice is not acceptable to men, it's not acceptable to women.
Knowing how to handle yourself when confronted with violence is your only insurance against becoming a victim, or just another statistic in a police report. You have car insurance, home-owner's insurance, life insurance, health insurance…
What insurance do you have against being the victim of a violent crime? A long-term self-defense program offers the most comprehensive training, and therefore, the best opportunity to learn to handle almost any situation that may occur. However, if you don't have the time to commit to a long-term program, at least some form of weaponless self-defense training is better than none.
But women MUST practice techniques with MEN! The idea that women can learn to defend themselves against men, without training with men, is simply false.
Resources:Strong, Sanford - Strong on Defense; Simon & Shuster, Inc.; 1996Federal Bureau of Investigation - Uniform Crime Report; 2000
About the Author
Mark Jordan is a 5th Degree Black Belt in Budoshin Jujitsu, Vice-president of the American Ju-Jitsu Association, and a Certified Self-Defense Instructor with the International Association of Close Combat Professionals. You may find out how to contact him for training, or read more of his articles by visiting his website: http://www.alljujitsu.com
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