Looking for a little help

[Takai]

I have a female friend located in New Albany, Indiana that is looking for some self defense training. Since I am in the PNW this area is a bit out of my knowledge area. Good news...she is literally as smart and as adaptive as they come. Bad news...Very overweight, asthmatic, body is really messed up from Service connected injuries and...she is blind.

I am at a completely loss but, I promised that I would put her query out to the community. Any suggestions?

 

[Blaze Dragon]

I would find an instructor, even blind someone could work with her on how to move her body and stay safe. It will be hard to find someone but there are methods even with these situations to face against.

 

[Takai]

I agree. I just need some recommendations for the area she is living in. I don't know any of the practitioners over their. I was hoping someone had a suggestion. She is going to have tough time telling good from bad right now and I would really like to be able to recommend someone to her with a little bit of confidence.

 

[Punchy]

I agree. I just need some recommendations for the area she is living in. I don't know any of the practitioners over their. I was hoping someone had a suggestion. She is going to have tough time telling good from bad right now and I would really like to be able to recommend someone to her with a little bit of confidence.

New Albany is in the Greater Louisville area where I am located. Kentucky School for the Blind used to have some self defense/Wing Chun classes for the students. That's one place to check.

There are also Wing Tsun groups she can find via google in the Louisville area as well. Wing Tsun teaches how to use tactile responses to deal with attacks and she may find it very effective.

 

[TKDTony2179]

New Albany is in the Greater Louisville area where I am located. Kentucky School for the Blind used to have some self defense/Wing Chun classes for the students. That's one place to check.

There are also Wing Tsun groups she can find via google in the Louisville area as well. Wing Tsun teaches how to use tactile responses to deal with attacks and she may find it very effective.

I would agree that finding something that has some form of sensitivity drills will be her best help. Try also a grappling art. Since a lot of people tend to grab to hit (non martial artist), she can use her sensitivity as her eyes for self defense.

 

[Takai]

New Albany is in the Greater Louisville area where I am located. Kentucky School for the Blind used to have some self defense/Wing Chun classes for the students. That's one place to check.

There are also Wing Tsun groups she can find via google in the Louisville area as well. Wing Tsun teaches how to use tactile responses to deal with attacks and she may find it very effective.

Wing Chun would absolutely be my first choice for her but, I am a bit biased. She needs a bit of a confidence boost right now so a short(er) set of training would be really helpful. I don't know where she did her school training after she became blind but I will definitely pass along the info about the Kentucky school.

I considered looking for some grappling but given some of her physical limitations I don't think she is up for that at the moment.

 

[jks9199]

I'd suggest considering a traditional jujutsu or even BJJ, depending on her actual vision. Is she truly blind (can't see anything), functionally blind (might see light, vague shapes), or legally blind (may be able to see -- but not well enough for daily tasks like reading and driving)? That'll shape what she can do -- and who can teach her. I'm not sure, for example, that I could teach my martial art to a blind student. I'd really have to think about how to convey things, and I'd expect that they'd have to be in contact to do much -- though I'd have to experiment to see what they are really capable of doing. Self defense would be a different thing; as I sit here, I'm getting some ideas for that. I can't answer for specific schools -- but she's really going to want to carefully interview the teachers and assess them. An honest teacher is going to probably give an answer kind of like I just did... something along the lines of "I don't know, we can try..." unless they have experience teaching the blind or visually impaired.

Judo might also be a good area to look; I seem to remember seeing something about a blind champion judoka not too long ago.