pstarr
Master Black Belt
I have to agree with Dark on this...for the most part, Ms. Long is right on the money.
What Really Works - Kathy Long
- Thread starter Andrew Green
- Start date
I agree with most of what has been posted here already, and would like to add to the comments about groin kicks - in that I see the same problem with eye gouges. Talking about eye gouges is all well and good - but how many of you, and more, how many women who have only taken one SD class, are, realistically, going to be able to gouge someone's eyes out, no matter the situation. When I teach SD classes (regardless of the gender of the participants) I start with awareness - how to avoid being attacked in the first place. Then I teach basic releases and escapes... including knee attacks. The knee is a much better target than the groin - it's harder to guard and easier to hit - especially for someone who is taking a one-time SD class. Even an attack that goes off-target will damage a leg, and the direction of the attack doesn't matter as much - front, side, back of knee will all have an effect, and most people who miss, miss low - and getting hit in the shin hurts. A lot of people can't, psychologically, attempt to blind someone by putting their own fingers in the other person's eyes - but knees and solar plexus are easy to find, easy to hit, and psychologically more available. I'm average height for a woman - 5'5" - and therefore shorter than most men. Eyes would require me to reach up... knees to the groin, shin rakes, stomping, punching abdomen, are all easier for a shorter person to perform on a taller one, and very effective in making the person let go - at which point an eye gouge would require moving back into range, always a bad idea.
Exactly right,Kacey. Make 'em fight on your level,not theirs.
I think that there are points to be made for either approach..but I never kid anyone who comes to me looking for SD about what actually learning SD technique is..lots and lots of hard,repetitious,mean practice.
I've seen the false sense of security that people can get from such 2-4 hour "one-time" seminar's..and I don't particularly care for it. Being overly confident can be as big of a mark sign as being less than confident. There's just no *quick and easy* way to reach that natural confidence and most importantly,ability,which comes from good old fashioned hard training.
To me,teaching a person one or two "tricks" which they may or maynot remember in the morning or they may or maynot freeze up on..does little but leave me with concerns about their well-being after the class. I'd rather they sucked it up and took the time to learn and absorb the technique properly through regular class attendance.
I think that there are points to be made for either approach..but I never kid anyone who comes to me looking for SD about what actually learning SD technique is..lots and lots of hard,repetitious,mean practice.
I've seen the false sense of security that people can get from such 2-4 hour "one-time" seminar's..and I don't particularly care for it. Being overly confident can be as big of a mark sign as being less than confident. There's just no *quick and easy* way to reach that natural confidence and most importantly,ability,which comes from good old fashioned hard training.
To me,teaching a person one or two "tricks" which they may or maynot remember in the morning or they may or maynot freeze up on..does little but leave me with concerns about their well-being after the class. I'd rather they sucked it up and took the time to learn and absorb the technique properly through regular class attendance.
I agree. Those short (1 or 2 hour), one time SD classes are analogous to handing the class a loaded .45 and quickly telling them how to operate the pistol, how to shoot, and when to shoot. They will feel empowered, but on the street if the time comes to shoot, they probably won't know how to operate the pistol in the chaos, how to shoot, when and where to shoot. IMO, short 1 time SD classes can endanger more than it helps.Paul B said:
The best part of those courses is hopefully it sparks an interest in long term training.
