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IMPACT LA · 04-10-2003, 02:43 PM

Cool, I'm glad you liked the class. There is nothing like getting highly adrenalized and going full-force! I was so impressed by my first IMPACT Men's Class, that I stopped doing traditional martial arts altogether and began to focus solely on reality training. Eventually I became a mock assailant (or "mugger") and, years later, now do it full time.

I too recommend Richard Dimitri & Geoff Thompson, though sometimes we guys don't realize that a lot of women simply will not go to a self-defense class which is all men, predominantly men, taught by a man, etc. A lot of them are just not comfortable with it. This is particularly true of women with a history of sexual abuse.

I have "mugged" IMPACT classes where 100% of the women in class had been raped and /or molested. The amount of emotion that is brought up is simply something the average self-defense instructor (particularly if he is a man) is just not comfortable or trained to deal with. In most self-defense classes, people don't break down and cry, but when you are getting people adrenalized, past trauma can often surface and the student is "re-living" their assault.

Teaching self-defense techniques is one thing, but how do you coach someone who is curled up in the featal position re-living past trauma? How do you get them to even begin to believe that that it is even a possibility that they could protect themselves, yet alone actually fight the mock assailant?

That is the area where IMPACT excells; teaching realistic self-defense skills to the populations which need it most; people who have already been victimized and therefore are more likely to be targeted again. Teaching these populations is, to put it simply, is very "different" than teaching a group of normal 18 -25 year old men.

Take Care,

-Perry

04-10-2003, 02:43 PM	#7 (permalink)
IMPACT LA Novice Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 12 Groans: 0 Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts	Cool, I'm glad you liked the class. There is nothing like getting highly adrenalized and going full-force! I was so impressed by my first IMPACT Men's Class, that I stopped doing traditional martial arts altogether and began to focus solely on reality training. Eventually I became a mock assailant (or "mugger") and, years later, now do it full time. I too recommend Richard Dimitri & Geoff Thompson, though sometimes we guys don't realize that a lot of women simply will not go to a self-defense class which is all men, predominantly men, taught by a man, etc. A lot of them are just not comfortable with it. This is particularly true of women with a history of sexual abuse. I have "mugged" IMPACT classes where 100% of the women in class had been raped and /or molested. The amount of emotion that is brought up is simply something the average self-defense instructor (particularly if he is a man) is just not comfortable or trained to deal with. In most self-defense classes, people don't break down and cry, but when you are getting people adrenalized, past trauma can often surface and the student is "re-living" their assault. Teaching self-defense techniques is one thing, but how do you coach someone who is curled up in the featal position re-living past trauma? How do you get them to even begin to believe that that it is even a possibility that they could protect themselves, yet alone actually fight the mock assailant? That is the area where IMPACT excells; teaching realistic self-defense skills to the populations which need it most; people who have already been victimized and therefore are more likely to be targeted again. Teaching these populations is, to put it simply, is very "different" than teaching a group of normal 18 -25 year old men. Take Care, -Perry __________________ "Because your life is worth fighting for" Last edited by IMPACT LA; 04-10-2003 at 02:50 PM.