This is a really simple move that just about anyone can maneuver. Grab the pinkie and thumb and twist them away from you! YOU MATTER! Your life is worth defending. Don’t live in fear, be aware.
When I teach self-defense I always stress the importance of vital points! If you gouge the eyes they can’t see where you move next, if you dig your nails into their ears and yank down they suffer tremendous pain, if you punch the solar plexus their breath is taken away and if you “pick the peaches” (grab, twist and pull on the testes) you can bring them to their knees giving you a chance to run for heLp and call the police. Read more Self-Defense Articles.
You may have seen this video making the rounds on social media. I have seen it a few times and LOVE it! Made in 1947 it shows an average sized woman consistently flipping, knocking and pulling down a larger muscular male “attacker”. While I’m not sure I could flip someone over my back like she did, some of these moves are spot on.
Did you see that move where she bent over, grabbed his leg, pulled him off-balance and then twisted his ankle putting her in the position of power? That was amazing.
Throughout the video she shows that technique can be as helpful as strength. She grabs his hair to control where his head goes, yanks his arms in unnatural positions, pins him down and uses his momentum to throw him off of her.
When I teach self-defense I always stress the importance of vital points! If you gouge the eyes they can’t see where you move next, if you dig your nails into their ears they suffer tremendous pain, if you punch the solar plexus their breath is taken away and if you “pick the peaches” (grab, twist and pull on the testes) you can bring them to their knees giving you a chance to run for heLp and call the police.
WHICH MOVE FROM THE VIDEO DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DO?
YOU MATTER! Yor life is worth defending. Don’t live in fear, be aware.
I’ve been slowly changing my career focus from freelance administration to something with more creativity(and less time staring at a computer) to feed my waning lust for life. It’s been a very slow process because change is intimidating and the unknown is a bit unnerving.
With a mother who liked to relocate, I was raised on constant change. Even though it took many adult years of growing braver(I teach self-defense after all) this did eventually teach me to brave and search out adventure. Sometimes though I get so distracted by the comforts of the familiar or exhausted by my struggle that I go TOO slow and get mired in doubt.
Just a few minutes ago I was feeling the need for a break from work that was putting me to sleep so I visited the Virtual Vinyasa site. There I found inspiration in the words of the founder, Jaimie, who I recently met through my friend Kelly. She invited me to attend Jaimies bon voyage celebration as she set off on a pilgrimage for her new yoga project. Smartly I had bookmarked her site in my browser so it was easy to rediscover on this slow-moving day.
Her story of how she prepared for a new project reminded me that to move forward I must take action. This means not focusing on actions that I feel obligated to do because it’s “normal”, but to focus my intention on the change I want to see. Maybe she will inspire you too. Virtualvinyasa.com/new-blog/2015/5/18/the-pilgrimage-part-2
I don’t know any women who don’t have at least one story of being harassed or disrespected as they walk on the sidewalk. Street harassment happens to little prepubescent girls as well as full-grown women, women in hijabs, women on bikes, and women of all ages, colors, religions and backgrounds. Eventually I became resigned to this as a fact of life until…. iHollaback!(read my interview with founder Emily May here).
Hollaback encourages women to do exactly as the name implies and record and report street harassment. Now they have a revved up app that helps women and girls to do even more. This new app allows users to map and track their experiences of street harassment and share their personalized “street harassment maps” on social media.
“We know that movements start because people tell their stories. In the last 5 years, we’ve seen the public conversation on street harassment change drastically as people stand up and share their experiences. This new app not only allows for individuals to share their stories, but to map and share their daily realities of street harassment on social media – that’s taking the conversation to the next level.” Emily May, executive director and co-founder of Hollaback!.
As a self-defense instructor I highly recommend using the app and protect yourself. Harassment is wrong and with your help we can put an end to the idea that it’s just a fact of life.
Individual Empowerment 