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October 2008 | Modern Hygienist Training for life
What do you want to learn in self-defense?” In my class, women tell me they want to learn how to protect themselves by reacting fast, hitting hard and escaping safely. Because many self-defense classes are taught over several hours or over several weeks, it’s important that women can apply what they learn after the class is over. But how do you train your body so you can react reflexively and quickly? Two fundamental principles in self-defense teaching are to keep the movements simple and to have the women constantly repeat the movements so those movements become incorporated into their muscle memory. A fun way to do this is to incorporate self-defense moves into core exercise routines that you are familiar with and enjoy doing on an ongoing basis. Squats Many people are familiar with squats, a lower body exercise. Squats are great for strengthening your quadriceps muscles in your thighs, your glutes and even your lower back. They are done by bending the legs at the knees and hips as you lower your trunk between the legs (as if you’re going to sit down in a chair), and then raising yourself to stand up straight again. The cool thing about squats is you can vary what you do with your arms but still get the same workout for your legs. Diving Squats. As you squat, shoot your arms out at a 45° angle as if you were going to dive (but keep your head up!). The self-defense application to this exercise is that in a front choke—i.e., if the attacker tries to grab your neck—you can immediately shoot your arms out into his eyes to blind him or into his Adam’s apple in the neck. Regardless of the application, you’re training your arms to move forward toward the attacker. Punching Squats. As you squat, punch using both arms. The knuckles of the fists are vertical, stacked one over the other, and the punches are thrown over your wrist. Elbows are held close to the body (no chicken winging!). The self-defense application is that punching with both of your arms rapidly—also called “chain punching”—will keep your attacker off stride as there is a flurry of punches coming directly at him that he has to deal with. Vertical punching (as opposed to turning your fist horizontally like the boxers do) is more direct and efficient for women as the power comes from the elbows and not the upper body. Interestingly, the squat exercise itself also is a movement that can be used to get out of a “bear hug.” If you are grabbed from the back, do a small, quick squat while lifting your elbows to chest level. This quick movement will provide enough space so you can ram your elbow into your attacker’s ribs, with a follow-up punch to the groin with the same arm. Then, turn to face your attacker and do your chain punching so you can hurt him and then run. Bicycle Maneuver The bicycle maneuver is still one of the best exercises to strengthen one’s abdominal muscles. In this exercise, the individual is lying on a mat (head and shoulders are raised slightly off the mat) and the legs move as if she is pedaling a bicycle. The next time you do this exercise, think of your legs as doing the chain punches your arms normally do. If you want to challenge yourself, add chain punching with your arms as you bicycle. Your head and shoulders should still be raised slightly above the mat. The self-defense application to this maneuver is we know that fighting on the ground is the last place a woman would want to be. However, if you are pushed to the ground, you can keep your attacker at bay by kicking at your attacker’s legs, knees or groin with the bicycle maneuver. If a leg is grabbed, use your other leg to kick at his wrist to release your leg. Mind over matter
There are many other exercises that incorporate simple self-defense movements that you can practice while exercising. One of the most overlooked but most helpful is mental rehearsal, or visualizing what you can or would do in a threatening situation. Of course, the more you practice the actual moves, the more the moves will become part of you and the more confidence you’ll have in doing your actual movements in an emergency. Increased confidence is one of the many positive outcomes of self-defense classes, and this new feeling doesn’t stop at the gym—it will transfer over to your personal and professional life as well. When you think about it, self-defense skills are life skills. Just like learning to eat well, if one trains consistently, the ability to remain calm in high stress situations and being able to react decisively becomes part of who you are. Julie C. Kong, MEd, RD, LDN, has been active in martial arts for more than 15 years and has an extensive background in mixed martial arts, advanced level in wing-tsun kung-fu, and stick-fighting. She has published articles and conducted seminars in self-defense, and teaches women’s self-defense classes in Chicago. She can be reached at julieckong@gmail.com.
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