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LIFESTYLE
Important Tips for Self-Defense |
| Written by Katie Silivos |
| March 05, 2010 |
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 Every two minutes, a sexual assault occurs somewhere in America, according to a Department of Justice survey. You never want to think it could happen to you, but what are you doing to protect yourself? The first line of defense is learning defense.
“Safety professionals often say, ‘What you think you know will kill you',” says Angie M. Tarighi, CEO of the Women’s Self-Defense Institute in New Jersey. “Victims of violent crimes are often blinded by the familiarity and normalcy of their surroundings, leaving them to think crimes ‘came out of nowhere,’ when in fact there were plenty of warning signs.” At the Women’s Self-Defense Institute, Tarighi teaches defense that is based not on one strength, but rather one that utilizes the much more feasible asset women possess – their minds. By taking the initiative to learn awareness skills, criminal mind-set, boundary setting, and key physical moves as a last option, women can limit the chances of being on an attacker’s radar and protect themselves if they do happen to land in a bad situation. According to Nathan Nowak, president of Trinity Body Mind Spirit in Atlanta, every woman needs to come up with her own protection plan. “Go through every ‘what if’ situation and know what you would do,” says Nowak, who also emphasizes the importance of teaching women to fight in a smart and effective manner. “It’s scary and uncomfortable to mentally put yourself in situations you don’t want to be in, so we avoid it until it is too late.” Much like the Women’s Self-Defense Institute, Trinity first and foremost teaches prevention. Then, its five-week, self-defense course quickly escalates to teach women the weapons they naturally possess, basic target areas of an attacker, fighting off multiple attackers, and much more, until you finally must defend yourself against an instructor’s attack. “You have to learn the techniques, build your strength, and practice, just like anything else,” says Nowak. “So if the time ever comes, your adrenaline takes over, your brain goes on autopilot, and you access that file labeled ‘self defense.’ is five-weeks long enough? No. But you have to start somewhere.” And therein lies a common thread among self-defense instructors: Start now. “Eighty percent of women who come through our classes,” says Tarighi, “are women who have already been victims of violent attacks. We need to escape the denial and invest in teaching women how to defend themselves from the beginning.” |
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