Look at this "rape prevention" course
http://jove.prohosting.com/~yingjow/video.html
Reverse-punch-KIAI!
What do you expect for $10?
If you really want to learn how to defend yourself you can't only use drills (althought they are good for learning). You have get into some sparring matches against real resistance. It also help you the mental aspect of fighting.
"What can I get for 10 dollars?"
"Anyting you want."
"Anything?"
"Anyting."
Finding bad self-defense instructional courses on the internet is about as difficult as finding porn.
Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.
ironmongoose,
thats a really nice quote : 'better to light one candle than to curse the darkness'
thank you for that...its one for many of us to learn and try and apply!
cheers,
Aran
The news announcer is cute.
Everyone teaches a rape prevention class. But if you want to learn to fight you must fight. But what about those who want at least a little info on stopping an attack?
Where do they go?
For pure combative training, I like Tony Blauer and Kelly McCann.
Viewtype: Actually, yeah.. I want a system for rape prevention that teaches you to jump to guard... Or at the very least, how to fight from the guard.
Because, in order for a woman to be raped, they will have to be on their backs.
"Because, in order for a woman to be raped, they will have to be on their backs."
Hmmmmmm....Well, maybe not. I agree with your point though.
I don't think the issue is about giving women confidence. Many people with zero training are able to fight off aggressors while many people with training become victims anyway. How does that happen? Training should address reality.
viewtype,
here are some facts for you. It seems like everyone tries to dismiss the importance of groundwork by making a slur like 'what, just flop to guard?'
But I tell you what. Most rapes are carried out by lone attackers, who most of the time will be unarmed. Most rapes also involve the act of taking the woman down to the ground.
By this logic, any 'female self-defense system/course' that fails to address the ground properly has failed miserably. Women are generally not stabbed, punched or kicked. They are intimidated and taken by surprise and before they know it they have been forced to the floor.
So yes, I would much rather that my wife, daughter and loved ones learn a 'guard' system like BJJ than that gung-fu stuff.
Any self-defense class for women should address the following:
1) Stand-up with a big emphasis on stun and run, i.e. kick the guy in the nuts and RUN.
2) Non empty hand alternatives, i.e. knives, guns, pepper spray, etc.
3) Ground-work - most women are sexually assaulted by someone they know - so chances are, they will be on their backs before they even realize what's happened.
4) STRUGGLE - some form of live training rather than just static drills to show them what it will be really like.
I love how people are quick to talk smack about something after they have seen a 3 minute news story on something.
Give me a break people. I think that people on this forum know well enough that top, bottom, and guard positions are part of fighting, and part of self-defense. Viewtype was clearly referring to systems that advocate intentionally going to the ground ("What--just flop to the guard?"). Anyone who tells people to deliberately go to the ground as a matter of choice, whether blades, weapons, or multiples are involved OR NOT, is a moron.
That said, can a supposed rape-prevention program increase the likelihood of bad outcomes in the event of an assault, if we use zero training as a baseline? Conceivably. As Tony Blauer continually points out, an untrained person typically has some innate capacity to protect oneself in the event of assault. Training in egregiously BAD tactics can interfere with one's natural self-preservation. Several people including Blauer and--I believe Hockheim was another--have shown that what we know from cognitive science predicts that certain kinds of training will decrease likelihood of adaptive response, and increasing response time and the likelihood of "indecision paralysis". I buy this, having experienced some very bad training in my "past life".
Now due to some computer problems, I did not view the video, and I'm not saying anything about that particular video one way or the other.
We all know roughly what a self-defense program OUGHT to include: deterrence/prevention, awareness, fear management, open range tactics, close-quarter tactics, verbal defusion/distraction/sucker punch tactics and countertactics, blade impact weapon and gun defense, multiple assailants, clinch management, grounded both ways, and movement on the ground, primarily escapes and reversals, and protecting dominant positions, blended with dirty tactics. Subs later if there's time and interest. Scenarios and handicap training. etc. etc.
Why argue about which "partial art" system you would rather have over the other? That's like saying, if you could only have one piece of furniture what would it be, and then getting into a heated debate: table VS chair.
Chair!
You can use a chair as a table when sitting on the floor, if you have to, but a table's too high for that and too low to use standing.
Th best techniques a woman can use for self defence are
1) Finger jab
2) kick to the shin
3) kick to the groin
4) elbow strikes
5) knee strikes to head or Gut
6) Straight Blast
7) Throat attacks- side chop
8) Biting if absoltely necessary
anything that tells women to fight back is a good start. my sister's high school health teacher taught them to not fight back, just let themselves get raped, so the attacker doesn't beat you. It was a really sad thing to hear, and I hope it's not the norm teachings of our educational system on the subject.
How much can you really expect the average woman to grasp and remember from a rape seminar? If they walk away with a few safety tips and feel that fighting back could save them then I think it's fine start. I doubt a woman that spends a day learning an armbar from the guard is going to remember the move in 6 months time when she is being raped. Telling them to scratch at the eyes and squeeze the jewels is a bit easier to remember, and a bit more practical.
Idiot is gonna get women raped. Well, the idiot is trying to be proactive and teach them something. The course material did not seem all that great I must admit. but you really can't do that much in a short period of time and think they will remember it.
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:
Women have successfully defended themselves against rape WITHOUT ANY TRAINING (conversely, men have defended themselves from assaults without training either)!!!!
They did so by sheer perseverance, i.e. "heart".
Unless the training is really, really bad, it can only help, not hurt.
"They did so by sheer perseverance, i.e. "heart". "
great post flash. Heart has to be the most important thing when defending yourself. Without it, you have very little chance. To me heart means a little voice is going off inside your head saying " fuck you, I won't let you beat me, I will overcome this!"
I have seen alot of people talk about not having enough heart, or just not being born with it. IMO we are all born with heart. It's primal and it's there. Not many animals let themselves get eaten without a fight, we are only different because we are civilized (some of us anyway).
I don't think you can teach heart, but you can present training in a way that teaches you to try and overcome tough odds.
I break it down like this, if you want to hurt me more than I am willing to fight back, I have nobody on my side, I have to be able to do what ever I can to survive, in fact I must want to survive by any means more than you want to harm me.
I think it's much easier for men to be willing to fight back, after all, we are raised to be men, don't cry, be tough, stand up for yourself, wrestle, play football, etc....
women on the other hand, well, more often than not, they seem to be raised like lambs to the slaughter.
In a one day class/session/workshop a person can learn, and especially retain, a great deal about awareness development, confrontation avoidance, and fear management. As far as physical self-defense techniques are concerned I'm convinced that concepts can be understood and that some information will be retained but for the most part they will most likely be forgotten quickly if not practiced.
This brings me to my point. After facilitating quite a few women's self-defense classes, I've realized that of all the things you want a participant to retain in terms of useful information, self-defense techniques rank near the bottom or even dead last. I believe more focus should be put on how to enable someone to understand how to protect themselves by avoiding potentially hazardous areas, knowing what to look for, developing awareness capability, and finally avoiding and diffusing confrontations, as well as other mental aspects of self-defense.
We could argue forever about which techniques should be taught or avoided (by the way, teaching a standing headlock escape would not be my first choice) but the truth is that a short, say one to two day, course will 99% of the time not be enough to ensure someone can pull off the physical techniques.