Stop. I don’t know you. I’m not comfortable with that. Don’t touch me. No, I said no!
We stand an arm’s distance away, one foot slightly in front of the other, hands comfortably in front of us, yelling at our friends we have known for years as we would to an aggressor. Our self-defense instructors Joyce Mende Wong and Christine Schoefer express the importance of using OUR voice and verbal communication, but they repeat how self-defense is only 7% a verbal technique.
The goal of learning self-defense is to allow us to have a broader life, not about making barriers. We are told we all have the right to feel safe, and by learning self-defense we can use our own power to the best of our ability.
Early in the session, Wong and Schoefer made us close our eyes. They tell us to point to the gold statue, American flag, hand sanitizer and the clock that are placed around the room. Since we are in room 31. which is not the journalism room, we randomly point in directions hoping we were right. It was apparent that we were not aware of our surroundings. Wong and Schoefer emphasize how people are so absorbed in our phones or iPods we do not observe what is around us. They say we must be very aware of the world around us, and avoid possible situations that we are not comfortable with. We do not want to not live a life in fear and paranoia, but instead we can achieve confidence with any situation through learning the techniques of self-defense.
Self-defense is very personal and is a reaction to what we personally feel is uncomfortable. We are taught that by simply using our voice and body language, we can communicate how we feel without using physical and or combative actions against an attacker. We practice yelling ‘stop’ and stepping backwards while bringing our hands up beside our waists, which would give us time to assess the situation and see if the aggressor continues. If they continue, this allows us to see if they have the intent to harm us.
From here we were introduced to combative defense. We had to say our name out-loud and then jab or kick toward on of the three target areas. Wong and Schoefer, both black belts in Kung Fu, explained to us that the three main targets one should go for when defending ourselves are the eyes, throat and knees. When poked or hit in the eye the aggressor loses their vision and is harder to control the victim. The goal when hitting targeting the throat is to knock the wind out of them. And when aiming for the knees, we want them to concave, leaving them on the floor, as you escape the situation.
Any action movie or Rocky Balboa fan has seen how powerful a punch can be, however in my case I am a high school girl who has had no practice or experience with physical altercations. Our instructors emphasize how mastering boxing or martial arts has little importance. They say when defending ourselves, knowing technique is much more essential than having strength or power. The goal is to get out of the situation and avoid any physical contact.
Winding my arm back, I slap the black pad with the outside of my palm held by the instructor. We all hit five times with our right hand, then five more with our left, the rhythm of the hitting echoes the room, along with screaming the phrases taught to us at the beginning of the class.
Now with the empowerment the first set of hits gave me, and knowing that I have the ability to essentially break someone’s face, I learn how to deal with an aggressor who is approaching from behind.
With my hand squeezed tightly in a fist, I swing my right hand from my left hip across to over my right shoulder, aiming to I realize very rarely will this be something I would use.
What seemed most relevant to all of us was a technique we learned next, called the ‘washcloth.’ Our instructors described the scene of a party where someone you know HAS had too much to drink, and starts to make you feel uncomfortable. They show us to take our hand and rub it in the face of the person as if we were washing it. This would not hurt them or cause a scene but simply startle them to get them to back off.
As we sit back down in our original circle, Wong and Schoefer conclude our session with a debriefing of what we learned. We discuss that combative self-defense should only be used in situations where the aggressor’s intent is to harm you. If someone has the intent to get something from you such as a wallet or bag, you should give it to you. They also highlight the importance of assertiveness, and letting people know what you want, or don’t like, without being aggressive if we don’t need to be. After the class I was confident in my ability to handle an aggressive attack despite my smaller size and lack of strength. Being a junior who is beginning to prepare for college, it was both empowering and reassuring to know I can stand up for myself as I move forward into a new independent stage in my life. Through learning a few self-defense techniques, we are granted the confidence to live our life how we want, and not living in fear.