Self-Defense 101 — Week 2 Homework
Overview
There are five sections below:
- Recap — a review of what we covered in class
- Reading — from your handout packet. This will tell you the key points you need to know.
- Video — YouTube, Vimeo, or other videos to augment a point.
- To Do — this is your homework. Please do it. Very similar to last week, with just a bit of a twist.
- QUIZ — Memory refresher.
Look over all these sections. This will not take a lot of time, but will make a big difference in your mastery and retention of the material.
Recap
In this second lesson we combined our basic strikes into 3+ combos, and added releases from arm grabs.
Remember your basic strikes:
- Strikes to the eyes: lead with your palm-heels, then gouge with fingers
- Strikes to the throat: forearm
- Strikes to the groin: karate chop (if attacker is behind you) or knee to the groin (attacker in front of you)
- Strikes to the knees: kick through the side of the knee (either side) or from the front (most effective if leg is straight)
- Strikes to the nose: palm-heel upwards
- Strikes to the solar plexus: palm-heel or elbow behind
- What other strikes can you do?
Your 3+ combo begins putting all these, and more, together into three or more strikes to decisive targets! These strikes have to follow each other in quick succession — BAM BAM BAM . . . — for maximum effectiveness.
Two more important elements to increase effectiveness:
- Take their balance: find the kangaroo tail, and keep the attacker struggling for balance.
- Stick like cat fur on cashmere: keep close to the attacker until disabled long enough for you to escape.
- Read your handout page Physical Skills: Rules of Engagement for more.
And we gave you a situation where you may have to use these skills. What would you do if you thought someone was following you — how might you assess if that person was indeed following you, and how could you prevent a possible assault? If you cannot prevent an assault, what can you do?
On to releases from grabs. You want to use a release from a grab when you believe the person grabbing does NOT mean you imminent physical harm. We are beginning with arm grabs, because they are among the most common grabs out there.
Reading
You still have to know everything for last week’s pop quiz — you may get it again.
In your packet, read through and including Physical Self-Defense: Rules of Engagement.
Video
Even if you can’t quite recall who Eve Ensler is, you have heard of her work. She is the author of The Vagina Monologues. Here she is on TED talking about security. As you watch, think about what she means by security — why does our craving for security make us less secure?
To Do
Practice. Five minutes a day. This will make a LOT of difference. Practice your strikes, with the Power Drive Train and using your voice.
Teach. Find a friend and teach her everything you learned. It will help you remember all the material, and it will deepen your understanding.
Observe. Do some people-watching. Look at body language, and try to figure out what’s happening.
Research. Look up the hotline phone numbers for the Crisis Clinic, Harborview Sexual Assault and Trauma Unit, and King County Sexual Assault Resource Center.
QUIZ
A few more questions to keep your memory fresh: