[extropy-chat] self-defense concerns

[Zero Powers]

John, first off I'm sorry to hear about your experience.  You have my
sympathy.  I hope you make a fast and full recovery.  As to self
defense methodology, I would highly recommend Krav Maga.  It is a
highly effective set of self-defense techniques (it is *not* a martial
art).  It's advantage over martial arts is that it goes straight to
the chase with a minimum of fluff.  In other words its not the kind of
thing you have to practice your whole life before you can feel
confident to defend yourself if need be.

There are no fancy moves or strikes that have to be rehearsed over and
over until they are performed to perfection.  Instead Krav Maga
techniques will train you to quickly and effectively disarm and repel
a would-be attacker.  Disparities in weight and size are fairly easily
compensated for, and you can garner some proficiency in the techniques
in a matter of hours, not months.  There is a set  of DVD's you can
watch to learn the basics.  But I would highly recommend that you take
classes for at least a few weeks.  Although you can learn basic
technique from watching the video, that alone will do nothing to
improve your reflexes.

Your chances of success against an attacker will be greatly improved
by quick action almost without thinking about it.  In the classes
given here in L.A. you are subjected to "real-world" situations such
as being attacked from behind, in the dark, with a variety of armed
and unarmed attacker methods.  If you can't find any classes near you,
or classes just won't fit into your schedule at the moment, you can
pick up the DVD's here:

http://kravmaga.com/proshop/Videos/Full_Set/full_setdvd.html

Good luck to you.  If you have any specific questions about Krav Maga
instruction that you can't find answers to at the above web site, feel
free to hit me off list.

Take care
Zero
On Mon, 13 Sep 2004 01:38:14 -0700, starman2100 at cableone.net
<starman2100 at cableone.net> wrote:
> I was just recently physically assaulted in my workplace (I work in the hospitality field) and today scoured the net
> for a good self-defense training DVD.  I was not sure what would be best for my needs, since I do not want to kill or
> maim an out of control person, but simply repel/put them down with a minimum of harm done if I have no other choice.
> 
> My opponent was about 70 pounds heavier than me when it came to bulk/muscle mass, and I could tell had at least some
> martial arts training.  The whole experience was very terrifying for me to say the least, since I did not even see the
> physical side of the assault coming.  And now as I type this I feel the pain and soreness.
> 
> I actually knew the person and thought they were a "friend."  What I find so strange is the person who viciously
> assaulted me is a very intelligent, educated, successful and respected member of the local community, but I realize
> physically abusive people come from every socio-economic level.
> 
> I would appreciate whatever pointers anyone might have for me.
> 
> I feel such a mix of anger and shame right now, but I suppose that's normal.
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> John
> www.venturist.org
> www.creeksidepreserve.com
> 
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